An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

One question led to another until his thoughts threatened to spiral out of control. Had the artifact spirit not repeatedly reminded him to remain focused, he might have continued chasing those questions without end. In the end, he forced them aside. Whatever the truth was, it could wait. He calmed his mind and devoted his full attention to learning the Treasure Attunement Art.

Under the artifact spirit’s guidance, he began forming seals and sending his mana into the cauldron. With that, his divine consciousness seemed to be drawn inside as well.

Before long, he found himself gazing into the cauldron’s interior. The first thing he saw was a mass of gray radiance suspended in the darkness. He had no idea what power it contained or what purpose it served, but merely looking at it filled him with an instinctive dread, as though his consciousness would be swallowed and turned into nothingness if he stared any longer.

Beyond it, at the very center of the cauldron, two masses of flame faced one another. One shimmered with nine colors, while the other blazed with golden light. Before them, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire, which Luo Chen had always regarded as extraordinary, trembled like a frightened child. The difference between them was not merely one of direct power, but one of rank. They were clearly in an entirely different level of existence. Also, the golden flame gave him a strange sense of familiarity, as though he had seen it somewhere before.

”Are these three things what the Monarch left for me?”

The title of Devil Lord Heaven Refiner was how the outside world remembered the legendary Monarch. It was a name spoken with reverence, one that neither Luo Chen nor the Flesh Ganoderma ever used lightly. Just as Nascent Soul cultivators were known as Sages, those who reached the Void Refinement Realm were honored as Monarchs, so Luo Chen used that instead.

”Yes,” the artifact spirit replied. ”They are the actual rewards for passing the alchemy trials. The nine-colored flame is a strand of my master’s primordial true fire, the Ninefold Beaconfire. The golden flame is a wisp of Sovereign Lord Rosycloud’s primordial true fire, the Nirvana Sacred Fire. During their battle, my master captured this wisp of Nirvana Sacred Fire and sealed it within me, using their own fire to wear it down over time.

”Now that my master has long since perished, the will within the Ninefold Beaconfire has faded away. The Nirvana Sacred Fire has likewise lost its master, leaving behind nothing but instinct. Even so, neither flame is something you can subdue with your power. You must first take control of me. Only then will you have a chance to claim these flames as well. If you succeed, they will become invaluable to your pursuit of the Dao of Alchemy.”

Luo Chen’s expression remained calm, though the mention of the Nirvana Sacred Fire stirred a faint ripple in his heart. Perhaps he had already been shocked too many times to react as strongly as before. Or perhaps he had already accepted that Heaven Refiner and Sovereign Lord Rosycloud must have shared a connection far deeper than he had imagined. He now remembered: He had personally seen the Nirvana Sacred Fire at Green Parasol Mountain. Compared to the one before him, the flame there had been incomparably more powerful. Yet this wisp, despite its diminished strength, possessed a purity and refinement that the other had lacked.

As he considered the artifact spirit’s words, another thought rose in his mind. ”What about you? You keep talking about what I will have to do in the future. Won’t you be there to help me?”

If he successfully refined the Heaven Refiner Cauldron, the artifact spirit should naturally come under his control as well, or so he had thought. Yet the more they conversed, the less certain he became.

The artifact spirit was silent for a moment before answering in a heavy voice. ”When your divine consciousness entered earlier, did you not see the wounds within me?”

Luo Chen fell silent. Naturally, he had seen them, but he had chosen not to think too deeply about it

”For more than a thousand years, the Ninefold Beaconfire and the Nirvana Sacred Fire have fought within me without end. Their strength has been steadily worn away, but I’ve suffered as well. Most of my remaining strength is also spent maintaining the gray light. Once you’re done with the Treasure Attunement Art, I will dissolve what remains of my spirit and use the Law of Refinement to reinforce the seal my master left behind. After that, everything will be up to you.

”Still, do not worry about the cauldron. Its rank has not fallen. Though it is badly damaged, if it is nurtured for another thousand years, a new artifact spirit may be born within it. It may even return to the level of a Transcendent Spirit Treasure.”

Its voice carried no attempt to hide its sorrow. A thousand years later, even if another artifact spirit was born within the cauldron, it would not truly be this one. By then, everything that made it who it was would be gone.

Luo Chen looked at the cauldron in silence before asking again, ”Then... what is that gray radiance?”

During his brief glimpse into the cauldron, that mysterious light had filled him with a fear unlike anything he had ever experienced. He had not even dared to examine it closely.

”Don’t even ask, and don’t even think about it. Once you reach the Void Refinement Realm, you will naturally understand everything.”

Those were the last clear words it left behind. Its voice faded with every syllable until it became barely audible, as though it had reached the end of its strength. In the center of the grand hall, the black cauldron trembled faintly, its dull surface seeming to carry a trace of reluctant farewell.

Luo Chen pressed his lips together. He understood that the artifact spirit had already made its choice in sacrificing itself to strengthen the seal over the gray light. Without wasting another moment, he formed spirit seals and began casting the Treasure Attunement Art toward the cauldron.

Since the process had already been started by the artifact spirit, the refinement proceeded far more smoothly than he had expected. If nothing unexpected happened, it would not be long before he could take control of this Transcendent Spirit Treasure. Even in this badly damaged state, it would still rank among the finest treasures in the Mountains and Seas Realm.

Time slowly passed. Before he realized it, more than a month had gone by.

During that time, he had used the Treasure Attunement Art more than a hundred times. With each attempt, the connection between him and the Heaven Refiner Cauldron deepened, until he could faintly sense that complete control was no longer far away.

One day, after exhausting much of his mana, he finally set the task aside and began cultivating to recover. It was only moments later that a faint sense of unease stirred within him. Luo Chen opened his eyes at once and looked toward the Heaven Refiner Cauldron. ”Nirvana Sacred Fire?”

The instant he recognized the golden flame emerging from the cauldron, it shot straight toward him. The terror that flame inspired was still etched too deeply into Luo Chen’s memory for him to react slowly. He immediately raised a barrier of mana while retreating, but the Nirvana Sacred Fire was far too fast. It crossed the hall in an instant, slipped through his defenses as though they did not exist, and entered his body.

Luo Chen stiffened. Yet the expected violent explosion never came. Instead, the flame settled quietly within him with the strange familiarity of a long-lost child returning home.

Understanding suddenly dawned on him. While restoring his mana, he had been cultivating according to the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture...

Could it have recognized the aura of the scripture?

Before he could think further, a shrill cry tore through the hall. Along with it, a cluster of nine-colored flames rose from the battered Heaven Refiner Cauldron. It hovered above the cauldron’s mouth for only an instant before locking onto Luo Chen—or, more precisely, onto the Nirvana Sacred Fire that had just entered his body.

The next moment, the Ninefold Beaconfire shot toward him.

”Again?!”

Luo Chen’s face paled as he retreated, but the Ninefold Beaconfire was even faster than the Nirvana Sacred Fire. Before he could put any distance between them, the cluster of flames caught up to him and plunged into his body.

At this point, only one thought flashed through his mind: They’re still fighting?

The answer came immediately. The moment the Ninefold Beaconfire entered his body, the Nirvana Sacred Fire sensed its enemy and instinctively began drawing upon Luo Chen’s mana to strengthen itself. The Withering-Flourishing True Fire within him was dragged into the conflict as well. Though it resisted with all its might, it was ultimately forced into the Nirvana Sacred Fire, causing the golden flames to surge with even greater power.

The two primordial true fires clashed without restraint, turning his body into their battlefield. Their terrifying power tore through his flesh and bones before sweeping across his organs, meridians, acupoints, and even his sea of qi. Every collision exploded with devastating force, and explosions thundered through his body as flames burst from every pore and engulfed him from head to toe.

Luo Chen’s face twisted in agony as unbearable pain coursed through every bit of his body. Rage flared in his eyes while the destructive aura radiating from him grew more violent by the moment. ”What the hell, they’re using my body as their battlefield!”