An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Luo Chen still sat motionless by the riverbank. Within the lava river beneath him, an azure flame tree stretched out its branches while the red fish fire sprite swept up streams of lava and poured them over those branches. The azure fire tree not only tolerated the attention but seemed to enjoy the treatment. Every so often, it would split off wisps of azure flame to tease the red fish, provoking bursts of what looked like laughter from the sprite. The relationship between the two had grown so close that even if Luo Chen chose to devour and refine the red fish at that very moment, it would probably remain completely unaware.

Naturally, he had no intention of doing so. As things stood, both the quantity and quality of Sourceless Flames that the Withering-Flourishing Fire Spirit had devoured had already reached their limit. Any further growth would exceed his ability to control it. While directing his true fire to play with the red fish, he conversed with Han Zhan through divine consciousness. To nobody’s surprise, their discussion revolved around the matter that had troubled him for the past half month.

”Your spells were as refined as ever. You used your enchanted treasures exactly when you needed to, and your grasp of timing and terrain was excellent. There really wasn’t much to criticize. In fact, few could match you...”

Han Zhan carefully analyzed the battle for Luo Chen before finally arriving at a conclusion. ”All in all, you didn’t make any particular mistake in that battle.”

Seeing that Luo Chen still looked troubled, he let out a helpless sigh. ”Why are you being so hard on yourself? You forced a Sage to retreat. If word of that gets out, it’ll shake the entire cultivation world. What do you expect all those veteran Adepts to think if even you’re dissatisfied with a result like that?”

Luo Chen forced out a faint smile. ”I just feel like I could have done better. I just can’t figure out what I missed.”

”What if you didn’t miss anything at all?” Han Zhan countered seriously. ”Liu Jun isn’t some ordinary Demon Emperor. He went to war with a Holy Land and came back out of there. Even if I still had my physical body, I couldn’t say with confidence who would win if we fought. If the battle took place at sea, I would lose without a doubt.”

Those words were both comfort and fact. Liu Jun was a proper Demon Emperor, and his greatest abilities revolved around controlling water spirit energy. Even Blood Hermit, someone reputed to rival late-stage Sages, had failed to kill him while pursuing him across the Sunken Sea. That record alone was enough to prove just how formidable Liu Jun truly was.

Luo Chen merely twitched his lips and replied, ”Senior, you’re too humble.”

The conversation ended there. A moment later, he suddenly looked up and saw a streak of light approaching from afar. It was Heavenjade, yet close behind her followed another streak of black light whose aura was anything but ordinary.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept across the riverbank as Heavenjade landed beside him. ”Master...”

Luo Chen raised a hand and cut her off before she could continue. His eyes settled coldly upon the newcomer. The black-robed cultivator’s gaze also fell upon Luo Chen. At first, he merely sized him up, then his eyes drifted downward and landed on the five-colored lotus beneath him. The next instant, his eyes lit up with undisguised ecstasy. ”A supreme-grade Five Elements Lotus! I’m taking it!”

The moment he finished speaking, he kicked off from his flying sword and charged straight toward Luo Chen. There was little need for conversation. When cultivators sought treasures, matters were often this simple and direct. Luo Chen had expected to encounter other people in the Land of Fallen Devils, but he had not anticipated that both Crimson Corpse’s group and this eighth-stage Adept would be so straightforward. Then again, perhaps that was only natural here. The isolated Land of Fallen Devils stripped away the masks people wore elsewhere and laid bare the ugliest parts of their nature. Human or demon, nobody cared about keeping up civility anymore. In all fairness, Luo Chen himself was no different.

As the flying sword shrieked through the air toward him, he merely raised his left hand.

The black-robed cultivator sneered. ”Since when have sixth-stage Adepts started acting so arrogantly? You really must have a death wish. Even defensive enchanted treasures can’t withstand the edge of my sword, yet a little nobody like you actually dares to catch it with his bare ha—HUH?!”

His voice trailed off in shock. That jade-white hand had effortlessly pinched the Profound Meridian Severing Sword’s tip between two fingers. He immediately poured mana into the weapon, trying to force it forward. But no matter how desperately he struggled, the sword remained completely motionless

How is this possible...

The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. Before he could process it, Luo Chen had already formed a series of seals with his right hand. His fingers then spread into a palm as he pushed forward, and a gigantic azure palm rumbled through the air toward him.

Faced with the incoming attack, the black-robed cultivator abandoned any thought of recalling his life-bound enchanted treasure and hurriedly used a defensive technique instead. Yet before that azure palm, every defense proved as fragile as paper. Even after producing a low-grade defensive enchanted treasure, he gained only a brief moment of reassurance. A wisp of azure flame attached itself to the treasure’s surface, and right before his eyes, its spirit light rapidly dimmed, as though vitality had been drained from it.

BBBBBOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

The azure palm swept across the battlefield, carrying the black-robed cultivator with it for nearly eight hundred zhang. Caught within the violent torrent of mana, he was tossed about like a leaf in a storm, completely unable to regain control. Seizing the opportunity, Heavenjade leaped forward and furiously waved the plantain-leaf fan in her hand. Several streams of fortified wind burst forth, tearing through the already battered cultivator and killing him.

Only after the raging turbulence finally subsided did Heavenjade land beside Luo Chen and respectfully offer a storage pouch.

”Master, this man wanted the piece of fourth-tier Amber Scoria I found and chased me all the way here...”

Heavenjade started recounting what had happened, but in the middle of her story, she noticed that Luo Chen’s attention was elsewhere.

CLANGGG!

The Profound Meridian Severing Sword slipped from his fingers and struck the ground. Luo Chen stared at his own hands, a thoughtful look gradually appearing in his eyes. That’s right. My spells are refined, and my control over enchanted treasures is second to none, but those are only the strengths of a qi cultivator. My greatest advantage now is my physique, yet I’ve always treated it as a hidden trump card. Whenever I fight, I still instinctively rely on spells and enchanted treasures first. Even against Liu Jun, I did the same. It seems that habit has become a weakness without me realizing it.

Slowly, he lowered his right hand and raised his left before his eyes. Against truly powerful experts, life and death were often decided in a single exchange. When facing a Sage, there was little meaning in pursuing balance for its own sake. No matter how exquisite his spells became, they could not bridge the gap between Adept and Sage. If he wished to overturn such a disadvantage, his only option was this powerful physique that rivaled a Demon Emperor specialized in strength.

If I encounter another Sage-level opponent in the future, perhaps it’ll be time to change the way I fight.

He clenched his left hand into a fist. Muscles tightened beneath the skin, and the knuckles protruded menacingly.

***

On a distant mountaintop, Devil’s Cloud watched the battle come to an end, and the shock on his pale face grew harder to conceal. ”He’s become even stronger!”

A late-stage Adept who clearly looked like someone not to be trifled with had failed to withstand even a single strike. What kind of terrifying strength was that?

Beside him, the Flesh Ganoderma beamed with delight. ”The stronger, the better! The stronger, the better!”

Devil’s Cloud turned to look at it in confusion.

Realizing it had become a little too excited, the Flesh Ganoderma explained sheepishly. ”What I mean is... the Land of Fallen Devils is full of dangers. The stronger he is, the safer we’ll be, right?”

Devil’s Cloud bought the explanation. The dangers of the Land of Fallen Devils came not only from the cultivators who entered it but also from the powerful native entities born within the region. Whether it was exotic beasts, sprites, or the various territorial overlords, none were opponents ordinary Adepts could hope to face. If they wanted to gain anything from this expedition, they needed someone like Azure Yang standing at the forefront.

The Flesh Ganoderma glanced at the sky and asked, ”How are you holding up? Can we set out now?”

Devil’s Cloud coughed twice before nodding slowly. ”I can manage.”

”Good. I’ll go speak with Azure Yang and decide on a time for us to leave this place.”

With that, the Flesh Ganoderma began making its way down the mountain. It had no desire to remain in Blazing Purgatory for even a single day longer.

***

A month later, three figures could be seen moving through a primeval forest overflowing with life force. The Flesh Ganoderma walked at the front, with Devil’s Cloud and Luo Chen following behind. Their pace was unhurried as they advanced further into the ancient woodland, weaving between colossal trees that had stood for countless years.

Suddenly, a towering ancient tree dozens of zhang tall swung a massive branch toward them.

”Hmph!” The Flesh Ganoderma snorted coldly, and the incoming branch abruptly halted before the three of them.

Devil’s Cloud stared in surprise before his eyes settled on the enormous face formed upon the tree trunk. ”A wood sprite?”

The sprite inhabiting the ancient tree gazed at the trio in confusion. Its leaves rustled softly before one of its branches dipped slightly toward the plump cultivator as if offering a bow.

”Looks like you still remember me.” The Flesh Ganoderma smiled faintly and casually waved its hand. Instantly, the ancient trees ahead trembled and moved their branches to the side, and opened a path before them.

Only then did the Flesh Ganoderma turn around to address the other two. ”The Hundred Crow Ghost Forest is also one of the most dangerous places in the Heaven of the Five Elements. It’s filled with wood sprites and Duskvine Crows. There’s even a Wood King and an Elder Duskvine Crow living here. They’re fifth-tier beings, every bit as dangerous as the Iron-Devouring Beast of the Thousand Blade Mountain Range, Skyloam of the Quicksand Sea, or the Vermilion Bird Fire Sprite of Blazing Purgatory. With those two guarding the place, even Sages wouldn’t dare cross the forest lightly.”

Devil’s Cloud was visibly shaken. ”There are actually two fifth-tier beings here?”

”Yes.” The Flesh Ganoderma pointed into the distance. Across the expanse stood a towering plateau. ”This forest exists to protect the Wood Heaven Plains. That plateau over there—it was once the spirit medicine garden of Heaven Refiner. And you’ve got one thing wrong. There aren’t two; there are actually three. Back then, I was one of the three overlords of this forest! With me leading the way this time, you should count yourselves lucky.”

With that, the Flesh Ganoderma burst into laughter. Its booming laughter rolled through the ancient forest, shaking the towering trees and startling flocks of Duskvine Crows into the sky. Then it strode forward with great confidence. Wherever it passed, tangled vines withdrew, and ancient trees moved aside to make way.

The three continued walking along a broad and open road. Luo Chen calmly watched the spectacle before finally turning his attention toward the towering plateau surrounded by the forest. The Wood Heaven Plains! This was precisely the destination that countless Northern Sea cultivators had been heading for after entering the pocket world.