An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Zhou Yunshen frowned. ”Can a Sage really touch those laws without losing themselves to heaven and earth?”

Fu Chaosheng glanced at him. ”Of course. How else do you think anyone reaches Divine Transformation?”

Zhou Yunshen fell silent.

Cultivators had debated that very question for countless years. Some claimed that one must first attain Divine Transformation and form a Primal Soul strong enough to preserve the self before safely comprehending Laws. According to that approach, the breakthrough came first, and comprehension followed. Others believed the order was the opposite. A cultivator had to grasp Laws first while still in the Nascent Soul Realm, and only then could they cross the final threshold and become an Ascendant.

These were not merely different interpretations of the same process but two distinct paths. The first was broader and safer, suited to cultivators with excellent aptitude but ordinary comprehension. It was also the path the other six Sages had always believed in. Fu Chaosheng, however, came from the Holy Land, and his answer reflected the second path. It demanded outstanding comprehension and carried far greater risk, but it was also the path that could produce a being as fearsome as the Ghost Immortal Tower, whose strength had already begun to transcend the ordinary limits of the Nascent Soul Realm.

”The reason I said Frostpole did everything he could is that something similar happened in the Eastern Wilderness not long ago.” Fu Chaosheng looked around at the others. ”There was a Demon Emperor named Azure Frost, an Azure Luan. She was just a seventh-stage Demon Emperor, yet she defeated five Sages in one stroke and went into human territory without anyone being able to stop her at all. Even an eighth-stage prodigy of the Nether Origin Sect, Zhang Che, did not dare confront her. He could only stand by and watch. And guess why she was so powerful—because she had already started to comprehend the Laws of Void!

”Compared to that, Frostpole’s performance was anything but terrible. He managed to strike the Ghost Immortal Tower from afar, and when the battle turned against him, he still managed to escape with his Nascent Soul. How could anyone say he did poorly?”

The others stared at him in shock. Naturally, they had all heard a thing or two about the conflict in the Eastern Wilderness, but none of them knew what had truly happened. Their own intelligence network was not bad, but they could not compare to the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance, whose connections stretched throughout all Five Territories.

Almost immediately, silence broke as they pressed Fu Chaosheng for the real details of that battle.

Luo Chen listened just as intently. When those events took place, he had still been an early-stage Adept and was cut off from almost everything happening beyond his confinement. Only now was he learning enough to grasp the true scale of the conflict.

”That Azure Luan is far more powerful than you imagine. Defeating those five Sages and scaring off Zhang Che were only two of her accomplishments. The Nether Origin Sect eventually sent three late-stage Sages into the Great Million Mountains to deal with her. They fought Azure Frost on Green Parasol Mountain, but even together, they could not defeat her. You have to keep in mind that none of those three was weak. Each was comparable to Frostpole, only that they didn’t have any home-ground advantage. If even they were beaten until they fled, you can imagine how terrifying someone becomes after touching the Power of Laws while still in the Nascent Soul Realm. In the end, the Nether Origin Sect had no choice but to send an Ascendant.”

Fu Chaosheng stopped there. The abrupt silence left everyone restless, and several voices urged him to continue. ”What happened after that?”

He shook his head. ”What followed involves secrets beyond my authority. All I know is that Azure Frost survived, while Green Parasol Mountain, the Holy Land of the avian clans, mysteriously vanished.”

Everyone’s enthusiasm faded somewhat. Luo Chen showed the same disappointment, though, unlike them, he knew how the battle had ended.

Azure Frost had exchanged blows with the Ascendant without being overwhelmed. When the battle reached its climax and she was finally forced on the back foot, she activated the inheritance of Sovereign Lord Rosycloud and unleashed the Nirvana Sacred Fire, forcing even that lofty Ascendant to retreat.

Recalling that battle, Luo Chen could not help comparing her with the Ghost Immortal Tower.

Azure Frost had begun comprehending the Laws of Void, allowing her to move through space so unpredictably that few opponents could even pin down her position. Not only that, but her physical strength was also remarkable. Even now that Luo Chen possessed a fourth-tier archaic beast physique, he still found her attainments in Physique Refinement difficult to fathom. On the other hand, the Ghost Immortal Tower also possessed an insanely powerful body, yet judging by how Frostpole had pierced through its head with a single finger strike, that did not seem to be its greatest strength. What truly set it apart were its divine soul abilities. The phantoms surrounding its body distorted divine consciousness, while its roar struck directly at the divine soul with a power that rendered even a late-stage Sage utterly defenseless.

If the two truly fought, perhaps the Ghost Immortal Tower would be stronger than... No! Azure Frost had endured a confrontation with an Ascendant and even forced them back, whereas the Ghost Immortal Tower’s roar had been no more than a gentle breeze to Ascendant Li. Whatever hidden abilities this archaic beast still possessed, its battle record could not at all compare to hers.

Luo Chen therefore placed Azure Frost above it, though he knew his judgment might not be entirely fair. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed her strength firsthand, or because she had once captured him alive. Or maybe the reverence he felt toward Green Parasol Mountain also played a part. Whatever the reason, he had no death wish to face those demonesses again.

Yet if he truly returned to the Eastern Wilderness, could he truly avoid them forever? More crucially, if they ever crossed paths again, what could he rely upon to make sure that he would never suffer the humiliation of becoming their prisoner a second time?

The thought made Luo Chen’s expression tighten. Having lost interest in the rest of the discussion, he rose and took his leave. The others watched him go with some surprise. He had not spoken once since arriving, yet he was already leaving. Still, given his consistently reclusive temperament, no one stopped him.

Fu Chaosheng alone offered a few words of reassurance. ”We’ll reach Sun-Moon Island soon. Once we take the teleportation formation back to the Central Continent, whatever happens in the Northern Sea won’t concern you anymore. There’s no use worrying about it now.”

He had clearly misunderstood the reason for Luo Chen’s unease, but Luo Chen did not explain. He merely smiled and nodded, allowing the tension in his expression to ease.

***

The moment Luo Chen returned to his chamber in Giant Dawn Palace, he sealed the door and threw himself into cultivation.

Through frequent refinement, he had raised his proficiency with the Grand Origin Pill to the Proficient level and could now refine middle-grade pills to accelerate his cultivation. By his estimation, once he could reliably refine top-grade Grand Origin Pills, the seven or eight years he had originally expected to spend reaching the second stage could be reduced to four or five.

If word got out, no one would have believed such a pace. Yet this was the natural result of combining monstrous aptitude with equally monstrous alchemy skill.

Even so, when he ended his cultivation late that night, there was no joy or relief on his face. Now that he could measure his progress so precisely, he could also see how little a few years mattered against the demonesses of Green Parasol Mountain. Advancing a single stage would not close the distance between them, and even decades of ordinary cultivation might not necessarily be enough.

I need something stronger! I already have a sword, a cauldron, and armor, so gathering more treasures won’t help much. Formations are powerful, but they’re too complicated and take too long to set up in a fight. The White Tiger puppet can serve as a last resort, but even three late-stage Sages couldn’t stop Azure Frost. I doubt the puppet would fare any better. Uuggh... I can’t keep relying on external tools. I need a killing move of my own. Something I can use at any moment... A spell!

The moment he reached that conclusion, his restless heart began to settle. The spells that had carried him through countless battles were what gave him the confidence to face stronger enemies. Even Han Zhan, who had forced his way into his sea of consciousness, had died to the Dragon-Slaying Art.

A divine soul spell, in particular...

At last, Luo Chen felt as though he had found the path forward. Although he still believed Azure Frost was stronger, he could not shake the feeling that the Ghost Immortal Tower might be able to fight her. That possibility lay in its attacks against the divine soul.

If I can master a divine soul spell with that kind of power, I might be able to catch even someone like her off guard.

Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly as he replayed every movement Ghost Immortal Tower had made during the battle at the Ice Pole Sect.

Then, he activated Mirror Flower Water Moon. Ghostly phantoms gathered around him, while visions of immortals danced through the air.

As time passed, his mana surged and fiend qi gathered around him. Even the origin energy lying dormant within his body began to stir. The illusions within his eyes slowly spread into the world around him.

Lost in the sensation, he murmured, ”Is this how it works?”