An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Within the darkness, countless streams of chaotic energies howled and roared. Everyone caught in their flow lost control of themselves as the currents wrapped around them and swept them toward the outside world.

Luo Chen’s Spirit Eyes shone brightly as he peered through the pitch-black surroundings. Not far away, Moon Hermit, who had been chasing him relentlessly, was also being dragged away by the teleportation formation. She tried to take Fairy Jadecold with her, only for the latter to break free at the last moment. Moon Hermit’s face flickered with anger as she pointed at her sister, but the fury was quickly replaced with calmness.

Perhaps sensing Luo Chen’s gaze, Moon Hermit abruptly turned back. Her red lips moved, and although no sound reached him through the raging currents, Luo Chen could still make out the words from the shape of her mouth.

”There’s no escape for you.”

Luo Chen sneered and did not respond. Instead, he turned his attention to the others.

The Seagon Matriarch, who had escaped from the Seven Fiend Sword Formation, was fleeing in panic. Blood Hermit and Blood Nightmare were still locked in their pursuit even as the force of the teleportation formation dragged them apart. Luo Chen had truly not expected Blood Nightmare to last this long against the infamous Blood Hermit. Either Blood Hermit was not as fearsome as his reputation suggested, or Blood Nightmare had been hiding far more strength than anyone had realized.

What drew Luo Chen’s attention most, however, was the man and woman who had appeared at the very end. If he remembered correctly, they were Flying Cloud’s children, Gu Shaoshang and Gu Xiaolian. They were only Adepts, yet they had somehow passed the inheritance trials and reached the Light and Darkness Palaces.

At first, Luo Chen found it difficult to believe. The inheritance trials of the Heaven of Bright Illumination were not something ordinary cultivators could survive, much less pass. Even powerful figures like Flying Cloud, the Seagon Matriarch, and Han Zhan had failed; in fact, among all the Sages who had entered the Land of Fallen Devils this time, only Moon Hermit had passed the Slave Palace’s trial. That was why the Gu siblings’ appearance at the end had stunned so many people. Still, Luo Chen himself had passed the Alchemy Palace’s trial, so he could somewhat understand that the two of them might have encountered their own fortune and obtained the inheritances of the Light and Darkness Palaces.

What truly unsettled him was not that they had survived the trials, but what had happened afterward. He had killed their father, Flying Cloud, right in front of them. Now, those two future threats had inherited part of Heaven Refiner’s inheritance and were still alive. With their hatred for him, the potential they possessed, and especially the golden crown on Gu Xiaolian’s head...

A ruthless look appeared on Luo Chen’s pale face.

Just as he was thinking in silence, a shrill cry rose from the plaza below. ”LUUUUOOO CHEEEENN!!!”

He lowered his gaze and saw a plump figure stepping across the clouds, charging straight toward him with a face full of hatred and ferocity. Yet under the chaotic spirit energy of the teleportation formation, its path kept shifting. No matter how desperately it pursued him, it could only watch as Luo Chen vanished beneath the night.

”Ah, shit... It’s the Flesh Ganoderma.”

The words had barely left Luo Chen’s mouth when an intense tearing sensation spread through his entire body.

Hummm...

***

That day, several streaks of light appeared above an unfamiliar stretch of sea near the Sunken Sea, then immediately shot off across the sky in different directions.

Luo Chen halted his fall almost at once. Suspended in midair, he drew on the origin energy through his entire body, using Myriad Path Convergence. A warm current flowed through his limbs and bones, and the many small wounds across his body healed almost immediately.

Oh? The residual power of the Flesh Ganoderma’s main body is still working.

Realization flashed through his heart, but Luo Chen did not dwell on it for long. He turned toward the man at his side. ”Senior, are you okay?”

”I am okay,” Han Zhan replied wearily. ”I just need some rest.”

Seeing that Han Zhan truly seemed unharmed, Luo Chen let out a quiet breath of relief. He then thought of how Han Zhan had controlled eight puppets at once, especially the tiger puppet that was comparable to a late-stage Sage and had held off Moon Hermit’s pursuit at the very end. A sense of appreciation welled up within him. ”Thank you.”

”Why say that between us?” Han Zhan said with a smile.

A dim light flew out of the puppet and drifted lightly toward Luo Chen. Luo Chen’s brow arched, and he immediately took out the Soul-Nurturing Wood and hung it on his neck, then shifted his gaze to look at their surroundings.

An unfamiliar sea spread out around them, its waters clear and calm. Considering the direction they had come from, they were likely somewhere in the Western Mist Sea, west of the Sunken Sea.

”We were teleported this far away?”

Luo Chen frowned and instinctively looked toward the Sunken Sea. The strange phenomenon of the Golden Sky Black Sea had already begun to fade, but streams of light were still being flung out from within it in every direction. Among them, a massive phantom that resembled both an earthworm and a dragon emerged from the void above the Sunken Sea. It struggled violently, but before it could break free, some unseen force dragged it back inside.

Luo Chen’s expression changed. ”Uh...”

If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, that massive phantom was Prime Dragon Fallen Abyss, the demonic beast that had occupied Azure Tide in the Heaven of the Five Elements.

Han Zhan said softly, ”That demon tried to merge with Azure Tide to comprehend the Laws of Water, but it probably didn’t have enough time. In the end, not only did it fail, but it was absorbed by Azure Tide instead. The Land of Fallen Devils does not allow it to leave, and that holds true for anything it has absorbed.”

Luo Chen’s face tightened as lingering fear rose in his heart. If he had lost himself in the Blazing Purgatory back then and recklessly devoured the Sourceless Flame sprite without restraint, perhaps he would have ended up just like Prime Dragon Fallen Abyss.

”Let’s go. We can’t stay here for long,” Han Zhan said.

Remembering that Moon Hermit might still be searching for him, he quickly steadied himself and surveyed his surroundings before choosing a direction that led away from the Society and departed.

Only after he left did the other cultivators who had been thrown into the Western Mist Sea gradually wake from their daze. Some of them noticed Luo Chen’s departing light, but none dared to stop him. The fact that he had awakened before them and could still fly at such speed was enough to show the unbridgeable gap between them. Trying to interfere with him would be no different from courting death.

Similar scenes were also unfolding elsewhere. Cultivators who had emerged from the Land of Fallen Devils began appearing one after another in different parts of the seas. The most eye-catching among them was a colossal beast walking out of the Sunken Sea itself. Its body was like a red tower, and its legs resembled those of an elephant. With every step it took, the corrosive black waters of the Sunken Sea churned violently around it.

Ahead of the beast stood a handsome man whose bearing resembled that of an immortal. If Luo Chen had been there, he would have recognized him at a glance—Merman Emperor Liu Jun!

”Rooaaaaarr...”

Liu Jun, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. He turned back and spoke in a respectful tone, ”Lord Ghost Immortal Tower, please rest assured. Dragon Abyss may have fallen in the Land of Fallen Devils, but the situation has not changed. I already have the key to the Heaven of Northern Yama. Once you act, the lords inside can answer us from within. When both sides strike together, the seal will break.”

The gigantic beast lowered its head and looked down at the tiny figure before it. From below, it seemed tall enough to pluck stars from the sky, and the low rumble in its throat carried a terrifying pressure.

Liu Jun did not dare show the slightest impatience. He kept his posture humble and his tone even more respectful. ”Great Saint North Departure and Lord Sea Emperor Whale already gave their word. Help our demon army get out of here, and they will help you take the final step to become a Titan Beast!”

The Ghost Immortal Tower’s mood calmed somewhat, and it began moving again.

Seeing this, Liu Jun could not help but let out a quiet sigh of relief, though helplessness filled his heart. If Prime Dragon Fallen Abyss had not ruined their plans and if the Seagon Matriarch had not coveted the inheritance of the Heaven of Bright Illumination, why would he have needed to personally negotiate with this dangerous ancient beast?

The Ghost Immortal Tower was infamous not only among humans but also within the demon races of the Northern Sea. It had committed countless crimes, yet unless a Titan Beast took action, no one could do anything to this ancient beast that had lived for more than ten thousand years. Still, no matter how powerful it is, it is only a beast with brute strength and a dull mind. Once the demon race’s powerhouses escape, one of the Ancient Demons can easily enslave it. Then, I can also ask Great Saint North Departure to heal my injuries... Hmph!

Thinking of the wounds accumulated throughout his body, Liu Jun could not stop a vicious look from appearing on his face. If not for that Adept interfering, why would he have been forced to run around everywhere while burdened with injuries? And that Five Elements Lotus...

You’d better hope I never see you again. If I do, I’ll make you wish you were dead.

”Roooaaaaaaarr...”

Another low roar sounded from behind him. Liu Jun’s thoughts were interrupted, and helplessness rose in his heart again. This Ghost Immortal Tower was far too wary. Even after being promised so many benefits, it still stopped every few steps and refused to follow him promptly to the Heaven of Northern Yama.

Liu Jun put on a flattering smile once more and continued carefully persuading it. ”Emperor Crow has already fallen in the war between demons and humans. From now on, his sea territory belongs to you, my lord. Countless Great King Squids live there, and you can eat as many as you want.”

When the Ghost Immortal Tower remained unmoved, Liu Jun quickly added, ”If that still isn’t enough, there is an immortal mountain deep within human territory. Rest assured, the human and demon races are sworn enemies. Now that the devil sect has been destroyed, the day our demon army escapes will be the day we march on the Northern Sea, reclaim our lost lands, and create a paradise where demonic beasts and archaic beasts live together.”