An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Luo Chen had realized very early on that the Mirage Dragon Pocket World was suitable for contemplating the Dao, but not for cultivating. Therefore, he had devoted a great deal of time and energy to honing his combat skills.

In the Golden Core Realm, he only had two well-defined steps in combat. Typically, he would strike first with Azure Yang Great Handprint to seize the initiative, then unleash an array of spells and such to suppress the opponent from start to finish. Now that he was at the Nascent Soul Realm, however, things were quite different.

The main problem was that he hadn’t been a Sage for very long, so he had yet to fully grasp the various abilities unique to this realm. On top of that, he had been preoccupied with all kinds of miscellaneous tasks like managing his divine soul, studying cultivation techniques, and gathering resources. This left him with a multitude of skills at his disposal but a lack of time and focus to improve them.

Fortunately, if there was one good thing about the time flow difference between the Mirage Dragon Pocket World and the outside world, it was that it actually gave him the opportunity to do that meticulously. For example, it had only taken him two years to practice Fire Phoenix’s Prairie Blaze to the Grandmaster level.

Certainly, according to the status panel, this was not the upper limit of proficiency, but even so, the Grandmaster level was not to be underestimated. After all, so far as the cultivation world knew, it was the pinnacle of technical mastery. Thus, the instant Luo Chen cast Fire Phoenix’s Prairie Blaze at full power, the world changed color.

The gigantic Fire Phoenix was truly majestic and incredibly lifelike, with its fiery feathers visible down to the finest detail. It looked so real that it could pass for an actual phoenix that had descended from the Immortal Realm.

When they saw it appear, everyone opened their eyes wide in shock, especially Fu Qinglan. She had personally watched Luo Chen use this spell to slaughter fourth-tier illusory beasts with ease, and at the time, she had believed that was the limit of his spell mastery. Never had she imagined that he could still improve, yet the evidence was right in front of her—the Fire Phoenix’s ferocious might was enveloping everything in a hundred-li radius!

Meanwhile, everyone in the enemy party had turned pale with horror. Before Yu Xu could return to her senses, a low, sharp command rang in her ears, ”Retreat!”

She turned her head just in time to see Heavengazer throwing a palm strike at her back. The next second, a powerful force hit her. Just as she was about to express her shock and anger, she realized that the force was actually very gentle. She instantly understood what Heavengazer was doing and used the force of the blow to catapult herself far away.

Meanwhile, a violent gale blew back the hood of Heavengazer’s robe, revealing a pale face.

He’s been targeting me all along!

From the beginning, Heavengazer had realized that Luo Chen was a formidable opponent; this was why he had never used his full strength despite having a powerful ally. It was to avoid making Luo Chen go all out while he tried to figure out Luo Chen’s weakness and secure victory in one fell swoop. However, to his shock and dismay, Luo Chen had held back as well until now, and the moment he actually went all out, the target turned out to be Heavengazer himself!

”But you’re dreaming if you think this spell is enough to kill me.”

A snow-white lotus flower slowly floated out from his hand and grew bigger until it enveloped him altogether. When the Fire Phoenix approached, the lotus puffed up even more.

A smug look crossed Heavengazer’s pale face, but in the next instant, that smug look was replaced by pure, unadulterated panic.

”What the hell is this fire?!”

The snow-white lotus was being roasted yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye. This was a powerful True Artifact, once a foundational treasure of the Heavengazer Sect, yet now it was showing signs of breaking under the Fire Phoenix’s onslaught! It was being destroyed by a mere spell!

Heavengazer could no longer even think of fighting back. Driven by pure fear, he turned into a streak of light and fled in the direction Yu Xu had run in. Behind him, the Fire Phoenix continued to rage with unfailing momentum.

Luo Chen watched this scene with satisfaction in his eyes. With just a single spell, he had forced his opponent to use a True Artifact for defense, and the artifact had even failed at that!

After years of hard work, my natural talent for spells is finally showing its true brilliance. Well then, on to the next one!

His gaze shifted, and his body flickered. Following an explosion in the air, he suddenly materialized right next to the Wrathful Vajra. The latter seemed to have been prepared for this all along, considering how fast he swung down his nine-ring staff.

Had this happened in the past, Luo Chen would have had to rely on various techniques in order to deflect a strike of this caliber, but the past was the past. Right now, in front of his opponent’s titanic power, he didn’t even flinch. He simply threw a punch.

With a resounding clang, the immense power of his fist knocked the staff out of its master’s hand. As it fell to the ground, the Wrathful Vajra’s expression turned from determination to anxiety and fright.

From their earlier exchange, he had naturally realized that Luo Chen was also a powerful Physique Refinement cultivator. But he had judged that the opponent was at most on par with him in his normal state, so blocking the staff head-on was far beyond the realm of possibility. Yet, given how effortlessly Luo Chen had smashed away the top-grade treasure with his bare fist, his physical prowess clearly surpassed the Wrathful Vajra’s!

Don’t tell me he didn’t use his full strength before this? But he was so strong! If that wasn’t his peak performance, then what has he been doing all along? Just testing his strength on me? If that’s the case, then I can’t afford to hold back!

Having made up his mind, the Wrathful Vajra moved his finger through the air, drawing an illusory swastika character in the air.[1] He then grasped the character and placed it against his chest.

The next second, the sound of bones rattling resounded. From the monk’s body, a river of blood qi poured out, and streams of golden fortified qi flowed out and circled around him. He instantly started to grow, and in the blink of an eye, a two-zhang-tall golden figure had appeared on the ground.

The monk’s new form had two creepy-looking heads and four mighty arms. Three of the four massive hands held a rosary, a golden alms bowl, and a Buddhist monk’s knife respectively.[2] The last hand beckoned, and the nine-ring staff flew into its grip.

He then looked at the man opposing him, who was now frowning slightly, and roared with fury, ”I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT THE GREAT VAJRA PHYSIQUE IS CAPABLE OF!”

However, Luo Chen merely shook his head. ”In the end, yours is not a true Flawless Golden Body. It’s all show and no substance, riddled with flaws. I can take you down in one move.”

Upon hearing this, the Wrathful Vajra’s eyes on both heads bulged so hard that they looked as if they would pop out, and his fury intensified. But Luo Chen had no desire to waste any more words on him. He vanished with a flash, reappearing a very short distance away from the giant. Shrouded in blood-red energy steam, he unleashed a punch.

The Wrathful Vajra showed not the slightest fear. He swung his golden bowl and deflected the punch while simultaneously slashing down with his knife. In response, Luo Chen lightly tapped a finger in the air, and the knife was knocked flying back the way it had come, as if struck by an invisible force.

Out of the corner of his eye, Luo Chen saw the nine-ring staff flying toward his head. Repelling it with an elbow strike, he used the momentum to leap into the air and then threw a thunderous kick that descended with the force of a mountain falling from heaven.

***

Move after move, technique after technique, their battle looked a lot like a repeat of their close-quarters fight earlier, but the addition of a few treasures also gave rise to plenty of new variations. After many tens of clashes, the Wrathful Vajra stood tall upon the ground, laughing maniacally as he looked down at a panting Luo Chen.

”You only need one move to take me down? That sure was a bold statement! Can you see how stupidly arrogant you were? Look at yourself, bowing in front of me after only a hundred exchanges! But I won’t let you cast a spell again! DIE!”

Although he hadn’t been the one to bear the brunt of the Fire Phoenix, the fear it had caused lingered on. With that in mind, he had chosen close-quarters combat in order to prevent his opponent from having enough time to cast spells.

Clashes between Physique Refiners were extremely fast-paced. Over a hundred exchanges had happened within just a few moments, in a quick flurry. The two protegés only saw Luo Chen retreat as he panted heavily, while the Wrathful Vajra seemed more and more vigorous with each passing moment. His Vajra Physique surged with blood qi so robust that it looked like billowing smoke.

Wilderness Hermit said the Wrathful Vajra was all show, but isn’t he the one who’s actually all show?

But then, Luo Chen breathed out, raised his right hand to chest level, and spread his fingers slightly. A closer look revealed that the tip of each finger had numerous fine, red threads attached.

”I said one move, so one move it is!”

1. In case this has not been mentioned before, the swastika 卍 is a symbol that predates WW2 Germany by as much as 20,000 years. It is still widely used in Buddhism, Hinduism, etc., and it is often seen on maps marking the locations of temples. In Buddhism, it symbolizes the footprint of the Buddha and it is used as an analogue of the dharma wheel, among other things. ☜

2. The monk’s knife (戒刀 jièdāo, literally ”precept knife”) is one of the eighteen possessions allowed for the Mahayana Buddhist monks. It is a short and curved knife meant for tasks such as cutting cloth, shaving the head, and trimming nails; it may never be used for taking a life. ☜