An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Blazing Purgatory was practically a sacred land for those who practiced fire arts. Within its boundaries, fire cultivators could perform far beyond their usual limits. The abundant fire-attribute spirit energy provided them with an advantageous environment that eased the circulation of mana and filled them with a confidence that often bordered on arrogance. The effect was so profound that even Devil’s Cloud, an experienced and wise man who normally knew better than to provoke Luo Chen, had once become emboldened enough to challenge him after entering this place. Naturally, those who walked other paths suffered the opposite fate; in particular, metal, water, and ice cultivators found themselves heavily restrained.

Beyond that, another defining feature of Blazing Purgatory was the countless Sourceless Flames it housed. Most were not especially high in tier, but the sheer variety was staggering, and the unique conditions of the region nurtured them in ways impossible elsewhere. Over countless years, many had developed sentience.

When Luo Chen’s Withering-Flourishing True Fire advanced to the fourth tier in Incense Burning Valley, it had only just awakened a trace of sentience. Here, however, even some third-tier Sourceless Flames were at the same level, while fourth-tier ones had evolved far beyond that, to the point that they could manifest into different forms and exist as true fire sprites with rudimentary intelligence.

Such fire sprites posed an enormous threat to cultivators. Unlike ordinary sprites born from wood, stone, or other natural materials, whose combat abilities were usually limited, fire sprites possessed unimaginable destructive power from the moment they came into existence. Moreover, Blazing Purgatory was their birthplace. Fighting within their homeland granted them advantages no outsider could hope to match.

Luo Chen understood this better than most because he had learned it firsthand during his battle with the fourth-tier Sky Burning Fire. He still remembered how that fight had pushed him to temporarily assume his Sky Roc True Form before he could secure victory. That fact alone was enough to demonstrate the sprite’s strength. Although a fourth-tier fire sprite still could not rival a true Sage, the gap between them was far narrower than most people imagined. And the Sky Burning Fire was only one among many.

Throughout his travels, he had devoted considerable effort to tracking down the lairs of powerful fire sprites. At first, finding them had been difficult, but as his Withering-Flourishing True Fire continued to grow, the process became far easier. Perhaps it was the natural attraction between similar beings; he could now sense the presence of other powerful fourth-tier fire sprites more quickly. Had Han Zhan not warned him back then, he might have lost himself completely in the cycle of hunting, capturing, devouring, and refining them. Now, however, the very targets he had given up on had become an additional trump card in his hand.

BOOOMMMMMM!!!

A thunderous explosion rolled across as Luo Chen appeared above an erupting volcano. Beneath him, black smoke poured out from the crater below, while firelight illuminated the sky.

Far in the distance, a mighty Demon Emperor was locked in a fierce struggle against two fire sprites. Though he was still holding his ground, the strain was evident. Every exchange drove waves of destructive energy across the surrounding landscape.

Taking in the scene, Luo Chen drew a deep breath and swiftly formed a series of seals with one hand before thrusting his palm downward. The spell he unleashed was Landslide once more; it was one of his signature spells back when he was an Initiate. Since advancing to the Golden Core, he had rarely used it, but he subscribed to the idea that no spell was ever truly useless. Given the right circumstances, even something as seemingly worthless as Cleanse could produce unexpected results. And here, in Blazing Purgatory, Landslide had found its purpose once again.

As Luo Chen let out a low roar, the mountain collapsed, and the earth split apart. Underground, a black tiger-shaped fire sprite slowly opened its eyes and locked onto the culprit responsible for disturbing its sleep. Yet after only a brief observation, it turned away and looked toward the distant battlefield, where Liu Jun was struggling against the other two fire sprites. Without any display of hostility toward Luo Chen, the tiger fire sprite strode forward with the mysterious black flames coiling around it, then took flight toward the battlefield. Seeing this, Luo Chen finally let out a sigh of relief.

Han Zhan was right. I didn’t just strengthen my true fire. I’ve even become attuned to Blazing Purgatory itself. Who would’ve thought that what seemed like a disaster back then would end up working in my favor?

The aura of the Withering-Flourishing True Fire clung so deeply to him that these awakened fire sprites viewed him not like a human cultivator but rather like one of their own kind. Although fire sprites competed and fought among themselves, when a foreign enemy invaded their territory, they would unite against the common threat. And now, that instinct had brought a third fourth-tier fire sprite into the battle!

The black tiger striding through the air was especially alarming; the strange flames surrounding it were even more terrifying than those of the silver python and azure fire tree. A single fire sprite had never been enough to threaten Liu Jun, and even two remained within the limits of what he could handle. But three fire sprites, all with strength only slightly inferior to a Sage, all fighting on their home ground, and all naturally countering his water-attribute cultivation and abilities, forced him to reconsider his situation.

Four streaks of light raced across the fiery expanse, and every collision released devastating shockwaves that swept across hundreds or even thousands of li. Mountains were destroyed, while numerous low-tier Sourceless Flames emerged from the devastation like innocent refugees wondering what had just happened to their homes. Meanwhile, the blue radiance that occasionally spread outward began to dim with each passing exchange.

Then, in the middle of battle, Liu Jun suddenly looked down. Beside a broad river of lava stood a lone figure clad in black armor. In spite of the chaos raging overhead, the figure below seemed strangely detached. He simply stood at the riverbank, watching bubbles rise to the lava’s surface before bursting. The sight made it seem as though he were contemplating something, or perhaps hesitating. Then, as if sensing Liu Jun’s gaze, he slowly lifted his head.

Their eyes met across the battlefield, and an unsettling smile slowly crept across Luo Chen’s face. The sight sent an inexplicable chill through Liu Jun’s heart, and before he could even begin to wonder what Luo Chen intended to do, the latter suddenly raised both arms. At once, the lava river behind him blasted skyward and formed a curtain of fire. From within that curtain emerged a bright red fish, whose expression seemed oddly bewildered. As it swam through the air, the lava river below began to stir and gather toward it.

”Madness!” Liu Jun cursed before summoning the oil lamp once more. A drop of liquid that seemed like a strange mixture of blood and oil fell from his fingertip and landed upon the wick. The moment it touched the lamp, a blue flame sprang to life. This time, however, his complexion visibly paled. Clearly, activating this True Artifact imposed a tremendous burden on him.

Even so, the appearance of the blue flame restored a trace of confidence to his eyes. He flicked his finger again, and the blue flame split into four separate sparks that shot toward the four fire sprites. Then, he cast one final resentful glance at Luo Chen before fleeing into the horizon.

Luo Chen watched him leave from where he stood beside the lava river, without making any attempt to pursue.

Han Zhan’s voice sounded in his ear once more. ”He took several of your attacks earlier, and even he activated the True Artifact twice in a row. Combined with the injuries he was already carrying, he’s barely hanging on. Aren’t you going after him?”

”No.”

Han Zhan sounded surprised. ”Oh? That’s not what you were saying just now. Weren’t you determined to kill him?”

”That was just talk in the heat of battle. If you take every threat seriously, you’ll only end up making foolish decisions. Besides, a Sage isn’t someone I can just hunt down and kill.”

As he spoke, he focused inward, forcing the turbulent mana within his body to calm down. The hot madness that had filled his eyes earlier was already gone. Now that his battle was done and his thoughts had settled, he could clearly assess what had happened.

Ultimately, he had underestimated Sages. After breaking through to the fourth tier in Physique Refinement, he believed he finally possessed the qualifications to stand on equal footing with one. At the very least, he had expected a balanced fight. Instead, even with Han Zhan’s assistance and every favorable circumstance he could exploit, the best chance he could give himself was sixty-forty, and the sixty was on the opponent’s side. And that estimate was taking into account the unique environment here; had they fought anywhere else, the odds would have undoubtedly been even worse.

Of course, neither he nor his opponent had reached the point of fighting with their life on the line, and neither had revealed all of their trump cards. Luo Chen had other options, particularly his extraordinary physical body, and his cultivation could hardly be more suitable for this place. If the battle had devolved into hand-to-hand combat or a war of attrition, the final outcome might have been very different. But that was merely a possibility. The Land of Fallen Devils simply was not a suitable place for a fight to the death.

Within the Soul-Nurturing Wood, Han Zhan nodded in approval. It seemed Luo Chen had truly taken his earlier advice to heart. Though he appeared reckless and ferocious on the surface, his mind remained remarkably clear. Even while fighting a Demon Emperor, he had never lost sight of the bigger picture and exploited every advantage available to him.

As the battle gradually subsided, however, Luo Chen remembered there was still unfinished business to attend to.

Before fleeing, Liu Jun had divided the blue flame into four portions and sent them against the four fire sprites. As for the results of that attack, they varied quite a lot between the sprites. The bright red fish was the first to take action—the moment the blue flame touched it, it dived headfirst into the lava river. After swimming for a bit, the blue light clinging to it grew fainter and slowly disappeared. As for the tiger, the black flames around its body surged violently and erased the blue flame within moments.

The sight made Luo Chen’s eyelids twitch uncontrollably. Just what kind of Sourceless Flame had given birth to that fire sprite? Its power was so overbearing that it defied belief. Had he foolishly attempted to devour that flame earlier, he might not have died, but the backlash alone would have left him gravely injured.

Meanwhile, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire displayed a completely different side of itself. Its branches swayed gently as it gradually began devouring the blue flame.

”It can absorb that too?” Luo Chen muttered in astonishment. ”Then why earlier... Ah, right. This is just a quarter of the power, but my left hand was facing the whole thing. If that’s the case, then the Withering-Flourishing True Fire isn’t necessarily weaker. I was just using it the wrong way.”

Lastly, he settled upon the silver fire python. Of the four sprites, it fared worst. It rolled across the ground continuously as silver flames erupted from its body, yet it still could not shake off the blue flame’s corruption, and its aura was slowly weakening.

”Go help it.”

Having already finished devouring its own portion of the blue flame, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire immediately drifted toward the struggling silver python. The azure fire tree expanded overhead, and its branches spread wide across the sky. Countless strands of flame descended from the canopy like a gentle spring rain, settling upon the python and gradually stripping away the foreign fire.

Once the process was complete, Luo Chen opened his mouth and inhaled. The Withering-Flourishing Fire Tree immediately flew back into his sea of qi, happily stretching its branches.