An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Instead, the first news they received from the pocket world was that he had fought two opponents alone and defeated both the Wrathful Vajra and Heavengazer. That was therefore the third time Wilderness Hermit’s name truly caught their attention, and the implications extended beyond Luo Chen himself.

With the Wrathful Vajra eliminated, Xiang Qi had lost his Dao Protector. Hunting illusory beasts would become far more dangerous, and even cultivating in seclusion would be difficult without anyone to guard him. As a result, confidence in Xiang Qi’s prospects fell sharply.

Fu Qinglan, on the other hand, began appearing more frequently in their discussions. Her foundation might be shallow and her aptitude somewhat lacking, but she had only recently formed her Nascent Soul. That left her closer to heaven and earth and therefore well positioned to grasp the Power of Laws. More importantly, with a Dao Protector as formidable as Luo Chen, she could potentially obtain far more illusory cores than the other competitors.

Then, on this particular day, a vortex suddenly opened inside the hall. The Wang family’s True Inheritor stumbled out with a dazed expression.

The entire hall immediately fell silent. For him to show up alone was surprising enough, but what puzzled everyone more was that his Dao Protector had not emerged with him. Why had the competitor been eliminated while the one responsible for protecting him remained inside?

Behind him, the vortex was already about to close when a streak of crimson sword light suddenly shot through its narrowing center.

”How dare—”

A colossal hand descended from above and caught the sword light just before it could strike.

The Wang family’s True Inheritor turned pale at the sight; as for his family’s grand elder, he felt a surge of both fury and relief. ”Senior Brother, thank you for saving my son!”

Above them, the Gu family’s grand elder shook his head and looked down at what remained in his hand. ”What fierce sword energy. And that killing intent...”

He closed his fingers and crushed it apart before turning his attention to the Wang family’s True Inheritor. ”Was this the attack that forced you out?”

The man finally snapped out of his shock and nodded quickly with fear still flashing on his face.

The Gu family’s grand elder asked again, ”Who did it?”

Before he could answer, another vortex suddenly opened inside the hall.

To everyone’s surprise, a delicate and beautiful woman fell from it and hit the ground hard. Her face was deathly pale, and her aura was so weak that they could all feel her cultivation rapidly falling.

”Xiu’er!” The Gu family’s grand elder’s expression changed. ”You used that secret art?”

He immediately pushed a pill into her mouth and wrapped her in his mana to stabilize her. At last, under his intervention, her falling cultivation stopped at the first stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. ”What happened to you?”

Lady Xu slowly opened her eyes and said bitterly, ”It was Wilderness Hermit.”

Wilderness... Hermit?

Everyone froze.

The Wang family’s True Inheritor, who had been cut off moments earlier, immediately blurted out, ”It was Luo Chen!”

***

Lady Xu and the Wang family’s True Inheritor were soon taken away for treatment, but their departure did little to calm the atmosphere inside the grand hall. The competition of the Mirage Dragon Pocket World was still underway, and after two participants emerged in such disastrous condition with Luo Chen’s name on their lips, the discussion only became more heated.

Amid the crowd, Fu Chaosheng kept himself tucked away in an inconspicuous corner and tried his best to avoid being noticed. Whenever someone happened to sweep in his direction, he fell even more silent, as though afraid that making the slightest sound would draw everyone toward him.

Inwardly, however, his emotions were far more complicated. In barely two months, Luo Chen had somehow managed to offend three major families. He could only complain about his astonishing talent for making enemies, yet under that frustration was also a sense of gratitude. Luo Chen had clearly discovered by now that the flow of time inside the pocket world differed from the outside world, yet he was still honoring their agreement and doing everything he could to help Fu Qinglan.

I really do owe him an apology. Once he comes out, I’ll have to make it up to him with a generous gift.

Several more days passed before another vortex suddenly opened in the hall.

This time, it was Xiang Qi.

Fu Chaosheng’s heart almost lurched into his throat. For one dreadful moment, he was certain Luo Chen’s name was about to come up yet again.

Only after someone questioned Xiang Qi did he learn that Shi Ju had been responsible for eliminating him.

Fu Chaosheng finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. But when he noticed the Xiang family’s grand elder glaring in his direction, a bitter smile crept across his face. Clearly, the Xiang family’s grand elder did not dare resent one of the Twelve Great Houses, so he instead placed the blame on the Fu family and Luo Chen. After all, if Luo Chen had not eliminated the Wrathful Vajra, Xiang Qi would never have lost his Dao Protector and been left vulnerable enough for Shi Ju to attack him while he was cultivating in seclusion.

Good thing he joined the Star Gate beforehand. That makes him one of the Dao Sect’s people now. As long as he stays on Heaven-Earth Peak after this, those families won’t be able to do much to him. Fu Chaosheng sighed inwardly. I probably won’t be so lucky, though. Uuuggh... so be it. If Qinglan can truly make something of herself, then offending a few more people is a small price to pay. And if things really come to that, I’ll join Heaven-Earth Peak myself. This old body still has a few years left in it. If I can do enough for the sect, surely they’ll be willing to shelter my family in return.

***

The elimination of two Dao Protectors and two True Inheritors seemed to mark the beginning of a far more chaotic phase of the competition.

As time went on, more participants were forced out of the pocket world, and Shi Ju was responsible for more than half of them. By then, he seemed to have cast off all restraint and was attacking others at every turn. Instead of hunting illusory beasts, he went after the True Inheritors and seized the illusory cores in their possession. Sometimes, he would pick a fight even when his target had nothing worth taking.

To make matters worse, Shi Ju possessed a large number of treasures, and his mana was both deep and overbearing. Most of the weaker Dao Protectors could barely stand against him. He held an overwhelming advantage in a one-on-one battle, and even when two opponents joined forces, he showed no fear. In less than a month, his rampage had completely overshadowed everything Luo Chen had done before him.

Naturally, no one was happier about this than Fu Chaosheng. Good. The more trouble Shi Ju causes, the better. As long as Qinglan and Luo Chen aren’t the ones getting eliminated, he can rampage as much as he wants.

The families whose juniors had already been eliminated were furious, but there was little they could do. The outcome could no longer be changed, and none of them were willing to offend the Shi family over it. In the end, they could only eat up their anger.

Elsewhere on Heaven-Earth Peak, behind the tightly sealed Star Gate, Mo Shouzhuo sat across a Go board from Go Saint Ke Lianshan.

Although Mo Shouzhuo’s cultivation was higher, his Go skills were not as good as Ke Lianshan’s. So after laying a stone, Ke Lianshan was very relaxed and even had the leisure to chat. ”Shi Ju is getting far too carried away. If he keeps this up, sooner or later he’ll go too far.”

Mo Shouzhuo said nothing. He simply held a Go stone between his fingers and continued considering his next move.

Ke Lianshan glanced at him. ”Is it because his Nine Yang Dao Body is such a good match for that fire-attribute technique that you’ve been letting him do whatever he wants?”

Mo Shouzhuo finally glanced up. He neither confirmed nor denied it, but that reaction was an answer in and of itself.

The Dao Sect had seven great divine techniques that were powerful but notoriously difficult to learn. Typically, only Ascendants or Sages who had already comprehended the Power of Laws were qualified to try them at all. Yet one of the fire-type divine techniques was an exception—or, rather, Shi Ju was the exception.

Because of his unique constitution, there was a high chance that he could learn that technique without first comprehending the Power of Laws. Once he mastered it, his battle prowess would undoubtedly transform! With the world already in turmoil and the Dao Sect seeking to take the lead in the Mountains and Seas Realm, what it needed most was not long-lived cultivators but powerful fighters who could thrive in battle. Rumors had long circulated that one of the sect’s Ascendants regarded Shi Ju highly, and judging from Mo Shouzhuo’s attitude, those rumors were probably true.

Ke Lianshan shook his head. ”I know you’re trying to push Shi Ju and see how far he can go, but you’re giving him too much freedom. He’s already eliminated so many of our fellow disciples. If this keeps up and no one manages to comprehend the Power of Laws before the competition ends, then all the spiritual vitality from Fellow Daoist Chu’s Ascension will have been for nothing.”

”It won’t be.” Mo Shouzhuo finally spoke as he slowly placed his stone on the board. ”Someone among those still inside will comprehend it.”

With that, he slowly placed his stone. ”Your turn.”

Ke Lianshan looked at the stone he had just placed and couldn’t help laughing. ”Sect Master, aren’t you making your intentions a little too obvious? Or are you worried I won’t figure out what you’re trying to do?”

Mo Shouzhuo merely stroked his beard, entirely unconcerned that his strategy had been seen through.

Schemes were ultimately nothing more than lesser paths. When one’s strength was sufficient, there was no need to hide behind elaborate maneuvering. One could simply advance openly and crush every obstacle with force.

His skill at Go might not be comparable to Ke Lianshan’s, so losing this particular game was nothing odd. But the game being played across the entire Mountains and Seas Realm was different. That was a game Mo Shouzhuo was certain the Dao Sect would win, because in the end, the sect was simply strong enough!

***

In the far north of the pocket world, snow fell endlessly from a dull sky. The mountains were blanketed in white, and the vegetation had withered under the cold. Only from time to time would birds circle through the sky between the snow-covered peaks.

Suddenly, one of the birds landed on a snowman. It pecked curiously at it twice before taking off again. As soon as it was gone, the accumulated snow slid away, and the snowman slowly opened his eyes.

Another twenty years had passed.

Fu Qinglan had been in seclusion far longer than Luo Chen had anticipated. Fortunately, after the battle at Three-Rainbow Falls, they had fled far and chosen an extremely remote corner of the pocket world to hide. Due to that, they had been able to enjoy twenty years of peace.

Luo Chen glanced toward the place where Fu Qinglan was cultivating, puzzled by the continued silence. She should’ve used up all the spiritual vitality in those illusory cores by now. So why is she still not out yet?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, something below caught his attention. Amid the snow, a touch of green stood out so vividly that it seemed to seize the soul.