An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

His eyes opened in surprise and delight, but he quickly regained his composure. The innermost of the three seals, the thickest one, remained intact. He had not truly mastered the sword, only established a limited connection with its spirit. The extent of that control was...

”Sword, come!”

At his beckoning gesture, the five-colored ribbons within the cauldron loosened, and the silvery-white lightning withdrew. The sword rose from the cauldron and dropped into his hand.

The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, the weapon twisted violently. Its point swung toward him as though eager to pierce its new master, while a ravenous thirst for blood surged through the blade.

Luo Chen tightened his grip without the slightest fear. ”You want to drink my blood? Not a chance!”

He ran two fingers along the blade and poured his mana into it. The crimson radiance surrounding the weapon gradually receded, no longer obstructing his sight or divine consciousness. Only then did he notice two ancient characters engraved near the base of the blade: Primordial Slaughter.

”So that’s your real name.”

Luo Chen exhaled softly and gave the sword a few casual swings. It settled naturally into his hand, as though its weight and balance had been tailored specifically for him. Its edge was so keen that even the space around it seemed to split wherever it passed.

”Primordial Slaughter... It’s a fitting name. After all, you did slaughter Grand Elder Blood Sea of the Primordial Devil Sect.”

He knew the name could not originally have referred to that particular death, but the coincidence pleased him nonetheless.

Luo Chen laid Primordial Slaughter across his knees. Planting the soul imprint had only been the first step. To truly wield the sword, he still needed to refine it with his mana, deepen the bond through repeated contact with his divine consciousness, and learn the unique rhythm by which it drew upon the spirit energy of the surrounding world. None of these things could be accomplished in the short term. But for now, the limited control he could exert was enough; the rest would come with time.

***

Luo Chen had spent days waiting impatiently for Fu Chaosheng to return so they could finally leave for the Central Continent. Yet now that the moment had arrived, he found himself wishing for a little more time. The journey he had once anticipated with such eagerness now stirred both expectation and reluctance, but events clearly refused to unfold according to his wishes.

Fu Chaosheng gave him no time to hesitate. ”We leave tomorrow.”

Seeing Luo Chen’s confusion, he explained, ”News has reached the sect that someone is attempting Ascension. I must return ahead of schedule to make the necessary preparations.”

Those words swept aside every other matter weighing on Luo Chen’s mind. ”Who is ascending?”

Fu Chaosheng merely shook his head. ”You’ll find out when the time comes. Make whatever preparations you need. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

***

Fu Chaosheng did not conceal his presence when he returned to Divine Origin City, and the news that he would depart the following morning spread just as openly. The urgency left the high-tier cultivators who had been watching from the sidelines with little time to hesitate. Anyone hoping to accompany him to the Central Continent would have to decide before the day was over.

By dawn, more than a thousand people had left the city and gathered before a massive ship at Giant Whale Harbor. As Luo Chen studied the vessel, he sensed an aura no weaker than his own. It did not belong to any cultivator aboard but seemed to emanate from the ship itself.

Beside him, Zhou Yunshen lowered his voice. ”They say the entire ship was made from the corpse of a Glaive Whale. Before it died, the whale was a Demon Emperor, which is why its remains still carry such an oppressive presence.”

Luo Chen regarded the enormous hull with surprise. ”They turned a whale into a ship? Would that not enrage the Sea Emperor Whale?”

He smiled at his own question almost as soon as he asked it. This was a ship belonging to the Dao Sect. The sect would hardly fear a Demon Emperor, and even if the Sea Emperor Whale appeared in person, it could hardly hold the sect accountable.

This was no exaggeration. Divine Origin City itself stood as proof of the Dao Sect’s power. Although countless demonic beasts had surrounded it, none had ever dared attack the city. Even now, as the ship prepared to leave the harbor, the beasts remained far out at sea and watched from a distance without daring to approach.

Black King’s curious voice came from inside Luo Chen’s sleeve. ”Why not use a teleportation formation and travel directly to the Central Continent?”

Luo Chen shook his head. ”That would work for a small group, but not for everyone here.”

More than a thousand travelers crowded the harbor. Among them were Sages like himself, but they stood among low-tier Qi Refinement cultivators, while some families had even brought infants with them. A formation powerful enough to cross such a huge stretch of sea would place tremendous strain on its passengers, and many among the gathered crowd would not survive the journey. For a group of this size, traveling by ship was indeed far more practical.

According to Fu Chaosheng, they would separate into several groups along the way. Those capable of enduring short-distance teleportation would eventually leave the ship and travel directly to the Central Continent, while the rest would continue across the sea.

Luo Chen swept his gaze over the crowd and quietly counted the Sages among them. Including himself and Zhou Yunshen, seven were bound for the Central Continent! The other five were all cultivators who were advanced in age with profound cultivations; each had once dominated a region of the Northern Sea and possessed a reputation that extended far beyond their own territory.

Some had been driven from their homes by the war between the righteous and devilish factions, while others had lost their homes to the Demon Alliance. A few were leaving simply because the Northern Sea could no longer offer them a path forward. Whatever their reasons, all seven had ultimately chosen to abandon the land they knew and seek a future in the Central Continent.

The thought gave Luo Chen a renewed sense of the sect’s terrifying influence. This single voyage is bringing seven Sages into its fold. Over the past 3000 years, how many powerful cultivators from other territories has it absorbed?

He drew a slow breath and turned toward Fu Chaosheng. The man stood nearby with the other three elders of the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance’s Northern Sea branch, Shen Wandou included. Luo Chen could not hear what they were discussing, but the conversation appeared to be a final exchange before Fu Chaosheng’s departure.

When they finished, Fu Chaosheng offered the three men a formal bow and stepped away. Shen Wandou and the other elders remained where they were, watching him leave.

”Everyone, board the ship!”

Fu Chaosheng took the lead and boarded first. Rather than crowding forward behind him, the passengers waited as disciples of the Dao Sect guided them aboard in an orderly manner

Fu Hongzhang approached Luo Chen before anyone else. ”Fellow Daoist Luo, this way, please.”

To everyone’s surprise, the first among the Northern Sea’s seven Sages to be escorted aboard was not Zhou Yunshen, who had the highest cultivation, but Wilderness Hermit, the lowest in cultivation among them.

Under the piercing gazes boring into his back, Luo Chen remained calm. ”Let’s go!”

He stepped onto the ship with Heavenjade, Sang Jinghe, and Zhang Jingqing following close behind.

Zhou Yunshen watched them depart with mixed emotions. The boarding order alone revealed how the Dao Sect regarded each of them; he, for instance, had been placed last among the seven Sages.

I guess I’m already too old and not of value.

His cultivation was the greatest, but his potential was nearly exhausted. In the eyes of the Dao Sect, that made him less valuable than the newly advanced Luo Chen. Zhou Yunshen had exhausted generations of the family’s savings merely to secure passage aboard this ship, and he could not help wondering whether the price would prove worthwhile.

When he looked back at his clansmen, he saw uncertainty and anticipation in equal measure. Some could barely conceal their reluctance to abandon the Northern Sea, while others gazed toward the ship with hope to discover what awaited them in the Central Continent.

At last, he put down his hesitation. So be it. Finding them somewhere safe to rebuild is the last thing I can do for them. Once we arrive, they will have to all rely on themselves.

Zhou Yunshen steadied himself and addressed his clansmen. ”Board the ship.”

The Zhou family joined the remaining disciples of the devil sect and filed aboard. Once the last of them crossed onto the deck, the harbor below finally stood empty.

At the bow, Fu Chaosheng turned toward Shen Wandou and the other two elders waiting onshore. The four men exchanged a distant nod before Fu Chaosheng disappeared into the depths of the vessel.

A deep hum rolled through the harbor as the ship came to life. Spirit light spread across its enormous hull, and the vessel pushed aside the surrounding waves as it began to move. White foam churned under its towering sails while it glided toward the horizon like the colossal whale from which it had been fashioned.

Only after the ship sailed into the distance did Shen Wandou release his divine consciousness. A formless yet titanic pressure swept across the surrounding sea, exposing the countless demonic beasts lurking beyond the harbor.

His voice rang coldly over the water. ”You’ve got a whole army here now, but you still don’t dare take another step forward. Cowards like you will never accomplish anything. Leave! From this day forward, the city is sealed!”

The cultivators gathered at Giant Whale Harbor retreated behind the walls. Once the last of them entered, the enormous gates rumbled shut.

One after another, the Spirit Energy Cannons extended from the battlements. Their thick black muzzles settled over the walls, aimed at the sea.