An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

A gentle breeze brushed past as Luo Chen slowly let out a breath of relief. The moment Dry Ink Mountain was nothing more than a tiny molehill in the distance, the pressure that had been stifling him lifted all at once, and he felt like a bird finally breaking free into the open sky or a fish returning to the sea.

Even from this distance, he could make out two tides of nearly identical color crashing against each other. Their collision drove towering waves across the Coldlight Archipelago, crushing the few islets that had survived the earlier devastation.

Such was the destructive power of Sages when they no longer held back. With the natural spirit energy fully under their control, they could flatten mountains, crush peaks, and, indeed, sink entire islands. Luo Chen’s Azure Yang Great Handprint, infused with Spirit Enslavement, was a perfect example. If nothing interrupted its accumulation of power, it would continue swelling like a snowball rolling downhill until a single strike could erase an entire city from the map.

Yet the spectacle no longer inspired within him the awe it once had.

By forcing Blood Nightmare out of hiding, he had exposed him to Blood Hermit and reignited their fight. Both men had been famous throughout the Northern Sea for years, and he had once regarded experts of their stature as distant and unfathomable as the ocean itself. But now, as their battle raged in the distance, neither seemed beyond his reach. Perhaps it was because his own cultivation had advanced enough to participate in such a fight himself, or perhaps because decades of relentless fighting had dulled away the edge he’d once felt. Whatever the reason, neither of them now seemed powerful enough to make him feel hopeless.

Only moments earlier, he had torn Blood Nightmare’s body apart. Yes, the man could regenerate from the sea of blood, but Luo Chen could destroy him again just as easily. If that was not enough, he could simply unleash the Withering-Flourishing True Fire at full power and burn the entire sea of blood away. Most importantly, he had not even revealed his greatest trump card, his Archaic Beast True Form. Thus, he had every reason to be confident.

Should I take advantage of this?

From the ferocity of the clash, Luo Chen could tell that both of them were using every Blood Path technique they possessed and had committed themselves to a true fight to the death. After decades of pursuit, there was a good chance that this would be their last decisive battle, and once a victor emerged, he might be able to move in and seize the spoils.

However, after a moment of pondering, he abandoned this greedy idea. Within the range of his divine consciousness, several Adepts were converging from every direction. Though none of them posed any particular threat, their arrival meant that the commotion in the Coldlight Archipelago had already alerted the outside world. Before long, the experts of both the righteous and devilish forces would begin arriving as well.

Luo Chen had no intention of being dragged into a larger conflict. Therefore, he suppressed his greed and left at once.

***

A cloud carriage drifted in and out of the clouds, and in the blink of an eye, it was already far beyond the horizon. Heavenjade kept the Six Restriction Cloud Carriage on course, though her attention kept drifting toward the figure seated behind the curtains. Ever since her master had fought his way out of the Coldlight Archipelago, he had remained silent, and she could not help wondering whether something had gone wrong.

At that moment, Luo Chen had his eyes tightly shut as he sent his divine consciousness into the Primordial Unity Cauldron within his Purple Mansion. The cauldron remained the same dull gray color as before, yet its previously crude appearance had been fully refined, and it was now flawlessly smooth and perfectly rounded. There was no trace of formation patterns anywhere upon its surface, nor could he distinguish any trace of the individual materials used to craft it. Everything had fused into a seamless whole, and it no longer resembled something crafted by human hands but rather something naturally born of heaven and earth. Even the Profound Dust Armor, despite having advanced into a True Artifact as well, paled greatly in comparison.

The difference was not merely in appearance. The Primordial Unity Cauldron had already demonstrated abilities that the armor could never hope to match. After absorbing heavenly lightning, it had become able to produce lightning as well. Though the power supply was limited, the lightning’s sudden and unpredictable nature made it almost impossible to defend against at a critical moment. Its innate abilities were even more extraordinary—the cauldron had forcibly restrained and captured the Godslayer Blood Sword, a pseudo-spirit treasure sharp enough to wound Luo Chen’s formidable physique!

Is there something to do with that streak of gray light that fused with it back in the Heaven of Bright Illumination?

Luo Chen searched every part of the cauldron once more, hoping to find some remnant of that mysterious light, but there was nothing. Since there was no answer to be had, he set the question aside and shifted his attention to the Godslayer Blood Sword imprisoned within.

Of all the enchanted items Luo Chen had ever come across, the highest tier was undoubtedly the Heaven Refiner Cauldron, an exquisite Transcendent Spirit Treasure. However, by the time it fell into his hands, the cauldron had already been left badly damaged after a thousand-year struggle between Ninefold Beaconfire and Nirvana Sacred Fire. Moreover, it had never been a treasure designed for slaughter, so its offensive might made little impression on him. In other words, the Godslayer Blood Sword was the most lethal item Luo Chen had ever witnessed.

Its history alone testified to that danger. The great war between the righteous and devilish factions in the Northern Sea had begun when three Sages from Devil’s Snare attacked Mulan Gaoxiong. Yet this very sword was actually why Mulan Gaoxiong had become involved in the first place. Because of it, his path of cultivation was severed, and he was condemned to remain a middle-stage Sage for the rest of his life! Likewise, it was this sword that allowed Blood Nightmare to contend against the most feared of the Three Hermits, Blood Hermit.

Even so, Luo Chen had a feeling that even Blood Nightmare had never drawn out the sword’s full strength. According to Han Zhan, Blood Nightmare had been forced to sever one of his own fingers and feed it to the blade before he could wield the weapon during the battle at the Sea of Clouds Plaza in the Heaven of Bright Illumination. The severity of that price made one thing clear: The spirit within the weapon had never truly acknowledged him.

Is the sword spirit the reason?

Luo Chen reached toward it with his divine consciousness, but a dense barrier of crimson light immediately shut him out. Although the Primordial Unity Cauldron had trapped the Godslayer Blood Sword and cut off its avenue of escape, the weapon still sealed itself away from the outside world and refused all contact.

Such instinctive resistance gave the impression that it possessed intelligence, but Luo Chen knew it had not developed a true spirit. The entity within it more closely resembled the bound spirits housed in certain enchanted treasures found in the lower tiers. Thus, to have full control of this sword, one either had to earn the acknowledgment of the entity residing within it... or forcibly seize control of it.

For some reason, Luo Chen suddenly thought of the White Tiger puppet that had long been left untouched inside his storage ring. He slowly opened his eyes as the pieces came together. ”Looks like I really do need to get my hands on some puppet techniques.”

***

The last time Luo Chen traveled from the Coldlight Archipelago to Giant Whale Harbor, the journey had taken three full years. This time, he arrived in only a few months. Much of the difference was due to the Six Restriction Cloud Carriage, but the route itself had also become far easier to navigate now that the war between the righteous and devilish factions was over.

Along the way, Luo Chen learned the outcome of the peace conference at Duskmist Court from several passing cultivators. Both sides had reached a consensus to end the war, while Devil’s Snare publicly placed the blame for the entire war on Blood Nightmare, effectively making him the scapegoat. The Blue Sea Alliance accepted the explanation and let bygones be bygones. As a further gesture of reconciliation, they even handed over the newest version of the island-linking formation technique recently developed by Ascendant Li.

Luo Chen had no way to uncover what had truly been negotiated behind closed doors. In his view, however, the two sides’ eagerness to end the war and even cooperate stemmed entirely from one source: the Northern Sea Demon Alliance!

In fact, he was currently experiencing the pressure firsthand. The once crowded and prosperous Giant Whale Harbor had become eerily quiet, with barely a fraction of its former traffic passing through.

Beside him, Sang Jinghe quietly reported what he had gathered. ”The city is surrounded by a large number of demonic beasts, but they aren’t moving like some disorderly horde. Their actions are clearly coordinated. Also, they haven’t sealed the city off completely. They’ve surrounded the sides but left open the main route into the human heartland. That’s why we can still enter the city safely.”

Luo Chen listened without a word as he spread his powerful divine consciousness outward. A thousand li away, several formidable auras flickered in and out of perception. Judging by their energy signature, none of these demons were weaker than he was.

They’ve surrounded the sides and left the route open? Are they trying to give Divine Origin City false hope, lure its forces out, and pick them off one by one? Or are they afraid of provoking the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance, so they’re only pretending to lay siege and they don’t actually dare to make a decisive move?

The second possibility fit the situation better. Divine Origin City served as the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance’s headquarters in the Northern Sea, but the true power behind it was the Heaven Origin Dao Sect in the distant Central Continent. If the Northern Sea Demon Alliance was organized, it stood to reason that its leaders would not overlook the danger of provoking such a formidable backer.

Whatever their intentions, Fu Chaosheng had arranged to meet him inside Divine Origin City, so there was little point in speculating further. Thus, before continuing toward the majestic black-and-white city, Luo Chen gave his sleeve a slight shake. A small snake slipped out, dropped into the water, and disappeared into the sea moments later.

With that done, he gathered his thoughts and set off for the city.

***

Pitch-black walls encircled several hundred li of land like a colossal black dragon coiled around the city. Within them, white buildings of every shape and size rose among rivers, lakes, bridges, and towering pagodas. The city possessed both imposing grandeur and meticulous elegance, as though every district had been planned down to the smallest detail before the first stone was laid. Against the dark walls, the white architecture formed a striking pattern, unlike anything Luo Chen had ever seen.

He had heard that the people of the Central Continent were fond of board games, and nearly every disciple of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect knew how to play Go. Looking over the carefully arranged contrast of black and white, he suspected that the city’s design had been shaped by that same influence.

What impressed him even more, however, was the extraordinary concentration of spirit energy. Even the most unassuming street had spirit energy near the second tier. From the looks of things, the shops and towers equipped with spirit-gathering formations were at least at the second tier, while specially constructed cave residences easily reached the third tier. More astonishing still, he sensed at least ten places within the city whose concentrated spirit energy exerted a powerful pull on him. Those were clearly cave residences with spirit energy concentrations of the fourth tier!

This city was no less impressive than the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range. He could not understand how the devil sect, back when it still existed, had allowed the Heaven Origin Dao Sect to secure such a strategically important location and establish the headquarters of its trade alliance here.

Heavenjade looked around the unfamiliar city before turning to him. ”Master, what should we do now?”

Luo Chen smiled faintly. ”Find somewhere to stay, of course.”

He produced the esteemed guest token Fu Chaosheng had given him and handed it to Sang Jinghe. ”Take this to their tower in the city and rent us a fourth-tier cave residence.”

Heavenjade looked at him in confusion. ”Master, why aren’t you sending me? I’ve handled plenty of things for you before.”

She had always considered herself capable and had rarely made a mistake, yet throughout their journey, Luo Chen had left nearly every task, whether small or large, to Sang Jinghe.

Luo Chen patted Sang Jinghe on the shoulder and sent him ahead, then continued along the broad street while casually surveying the surrounding shops. ”Things are different here. The relationship between humans and demons is already tense. You may look human, but you’re a Demon King. If anyone sees through your disguise, it will cause unnecessary trouble. Jinghe is human, and he’s been around this city before, so he’s better suited for the task. As for you... just look around the city with me.”

Heavenjade nodded. It wasn’t that her master had suddenly lost his trust in her; it was merely a matter of practicality.

When Luo Chen entered a nearby shop, she quickly followed him inside.

An attendant hurried forward to welcome them. ”Senior, is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

”Nothing specific. I’m just having a look.”

”Then you’ve come to the right place, Senior. Myriad Manifestations Tower may not be the largest, but we carry just about everything. Our selection is no worse than the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance’s.”

”Oh?” Luo Chen glanced around with renewed interest. For an establishment he had never heard of to compare itself to the trade alliance was a bold claim.

The attendant noticed his skepticism and promptly explained, ”The Xiang family backs our shop. They’re the foremost of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect’s Thirty-Six Noble Houses and one of the strongest under the Twelve Great Houses. Our business stretches across both the north and the south. We carry local treasures from the Northern Sea, along with all kinds of resources from the Southern Frontier.”

Luo Chen scoffed inwardly at the comparison. After all that boasting, the attendant was actually exaggerating quite a bit. The Heaven Origin Trade Alliance conducted business throughout the entire Mountains and Seas Realm, not merely across the north and south. Even so, a family capable of extending its business all the way to the Southern Frontier could not be underestimated.

Setting aside his initial contempt, he asked, ”In that case, do you guys have Gu insects?”

The attendant gestured toward the back of the shop. ”Right this way, Senior. Gu are strange creatures, and some can affect nearby cultivators, so we keep them in a separate area.”

Luo Chen followed him into the back, where rows of sealed jars soon came into view. As they passed between them, the attendant began introducing the Gu one by one.

”This one is a Moonlight Gu. It’s only first-tier, but it can guide qi and help open the meridians. Those who possess spirit roots but were born with blocked meridians can refine this Gu to break through those restrictions and begin cultivating. Even cultivators sometimes use one to help with Qi Refinement. And this is a Wine-Sac Gu. If you store spirit wine inside it, the wine will slowly improve in quality while becoming richer and smoother. It’s perfect for anyone who enjoys drinking, which is why it’s one of our best-selling low-tier Gu...”

”This is a first-tier Spirit-Link Gu. You may not recognize the name, Senior, but you’ve probably heard of the Gu it was derived from: the Devil Heart Gu. It’s a devilish path Gu that burrows into a cultivator’s body. Once the host dies, the Gu’s master can use it to absorb the host’s entire cultivation base.”

The name immediately caught Luo Chen’s attention. Not only had he heard of it, but he had once carried one himself. Under the nourishment of his powerful vitality, the Spirit-Link Gu within his body had once been raised to the third tier. Then, when he underwent the Nirvana of Flesh, both the Gu and his reserves of mana had vanished...

Suddenly, Luo Chen thought of a disturbing possibility. Once a Spirit-Link Gu reached the third tier, it could do far more than link two minds. Its abilities would begin to resemble those of the Devil Heart Gu, allowing it to transmit half its host’s mana to its counterpart regardless of the distance between them. In that case, his mana might not have disappeared at all. It had very likely been transmitted through the Spirit-Link Gu to Sima Huiniang, who had implanted the other one!

At the thought, he trembled involuntarily. No one understood better than him how overbearing his mana was. If Huiniang had already reached the Golden Core Realm, she might have endured the sudden influx. But if she had yet to break through...

The attendant had been watching Luo Chen closely and mistook his reaction for alarm. He hurried to reassure him. ”There’s no need to worry, Senior. No one has dared refine the Devil Heart Gu in years. Ordinary Spirit-Link Gu can be controlled by a Spirit-Link Gu King, but the experts of our Xiang family have already severed that connection in the ones we sell. You can safely buy a pair and implant one in yourself and the other in someone close to you. That way, you’ll always know whether the other person is safe and alive.”

Luo Chen barely heard him. His thoughts remained fixed on Huiniang as he drew a slow breath and beckoned Heavenjade over. ”I’ll take one of each kind. Heavenjade, settle the bill.”

With that, he left the Myriad Manifestations Tower with his mind elsewhere. Once outside, he stood on the empty street and instinctively tried to activate the Spirit-Link Gu, but the tiny insect was long gone from his body, so naturally, he could not sense Huiniang’s condition. At that moment, a wave of melancholy welled up within him.

Before long, Sang Jinghe appeared at the far end of the street and hurried toward him with a richly dressed man close behind. The moment the man spotted Luo Chen, he quickened his pace and cupped his hands respectfully.

”Greetings, Senior Wilderness Hermit! My name is Fu Hongzhang!”