An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

After saying his piece, Ye Lingtian did not linger and soon took his leave. Luo Chen remained alone in the corridor with his lips pressed together and his brow faintly creased as he considered everything the other man had said.

Only now did he realize that his previous thinking had indeed been somewhat one-sided. He had focused almost entirely on the advantages of moving to the Central Continent while overlooking just how harsh the Dao Sect’s conditions were toward the people brought over by the Star Gate’s guest elders.

For descendants of a cultivation family, 500 years had to pass before they were even eligible to enter the Dao Sect, and the restrictions on sect members were harsher still. In time, they would inevitably be separated, either establishing families of their own and spreading their roots or being absorbed into existing families. And now that war had broken out, their situation would likely be even worse.

If Luo Chen truly brought everyone with him, there was no telling what fate awaited them in the Central Continent. At the very least, here in the Eastern Wilderness, they could remain together and rely on one another instead of being scattered among unfamiliar forces.

In truth, it was not that Luo Chen had never considered these problems before. He had simply never expected Sima Huiniang and the others to remain so persistent over the years, preserving what had once been little more than a major sect in his absence and carrying it all the way to whatever it was right now. If only a handful of people had remained, perhaps ten or twenty at most, bringing them with him would have been simple enough. But now there were too many, and they had instead become a burden.

Suddenly, Luo Chen’s expression shifted, and the corners of his mouth lifted. A burden? How could I think of them that way? They’ve stood by me all this time because they believe in me and genuinely care about me.

With that thought, the weight in his heart lightened considerably. Bathed in the cool moonlight, Luo Chen continued walking and made his way toward the next guest waiting to see him.

***

In all fairness, calling her a guest was not entirely right. If anything, she was the actual host here!

Under the moonlight, she stood inside a pavilion halfway up the mountain, gazing out over the stretch of land below as the night breeze blew around her.

Luo Chen approached from behind. ”Fellow Daoist, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Fairy Windflower did not turn around. Instead, she gestured toward the land stretching under the silver moonlight. ”Windflower Palace has watched over this place for 2000 years. If you were in my position, would you really be willing to hand it over to someone else?”

”Of course not.” Luo Chen came to stand beside her. ”And I have no intention of taking it from you, either.”

Fairy Windflower paused. She had expected Luo Chen to understand what she was worried about, but she had not expected him to address it so directly. As a result, some of the things she had planned to say suddenly became unnecessary.

After a moment, she replied, ”I may not be able to simply hand this land over, but I don’t mind allowing you to remain at Hundred-Li Green River for the time being.”

Luo Chen nodded. ”Then I’ll accept your kindness. I do need somewhere to settle for now. But whatever Hundred-Li Green River produces will still belong to Windflower Palace. I won’t take what isn’t mine.”

He doesn’t even want those things?

Fairy Windflower was genuinely surprised. Hundred-Li Green River might not cover a large area, but the medicinal herbs produced there were among the finest in the entire Windflower Domain.

Luo Chen suddenly asked, ”I heard you guys obtained the formula for the Spirit Passage Pill and found a way to refine top-grade Jade Dew Pills?”

Fairy Windflower saw no reason to deny it. ”We got the formula and instructions from Qu Lingjun. I won’t pretend we didn’t take advantage of his situation a little, but Windflower Palace paid quite a lot for them as well. I can’t exactly give you back the information, but—”

”Don’t bother.” Luo Chen cut her off with a shake of his head.

Fairy Windflower frowned. The man before her had no interest in the Windflower Domain or the resources produced by Hundred-Li Green River, and did not even care much about the alchemical formulas he had once worked on. Then what exactly did he want?

Her answer came a moment later.

”Lingjun has been with Windflower Palace for a hundred years. That’s long enough. It’s time for him to come back.”

Fairy Windflower stared at him in surprise. ”That’s all?”

”Mm.” Luo Chen replied calmly, ”He’s my disciple. His aptitude may not be anything special, and he may never reach that far treading the Great Dao, but that doesn’t mean he should spend the rest of his life wandering outside.”

Fairy Windflower fell silent. After a long while, she finally nodded. Qu Lingjun was already over 200 years old and had only a few decades of lifespan left. At his current level, forming a core would not be easy. More importantly, there was little left that Windflower Palace truly needed from him. And after everything Luo Chen had just willingly given up, allowing Qu Lingjun to return to his own sect was hardly an unreasonable request.

”One more thing.” Luo Chen rested a hand against one of the pillars and applied a little force. ”If Skyscraper Cliff reaches into the Windflower Domain again, don’t hold back. Just drive them out. And if the Divine Sect decides to back them up, let me know.”

So this is how he’s paying me back. Fairy Windflower smiled brightly. ”You’re not afraid of that old monster?”

The ”old monster” she was referring to was none other than Divine Origin, the Supreme Elder of the Five Elements Divine Sect and a late-stage Sage!

At the mention of Divine Origin, Luo Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. In truth, he had wanted to meet Divine Origin for some time. Ever since returning to the Eastern Wilderness, Luo Chen had repeatedly pressured the Divine Sect, and one of his main reasons for doing so was to force the man out of hiding. He wanted to see for himself how badly the man was truly injured.

According to the rumors surrounding the battle at Green Parasol Mountain, the Nether Origin Sect’s great expert had been held outside the mountain range, while three late-stage Sages were caught in the fighting within. Two had died, and only Divine Origin had survived, though even he was said to have sustained severe injuries.

What made those rumors all the more convincing was that the Divine Sect itself had come under attack from demonic beasts, yet Divine Origin still had not appeared in person. For someone of his status to remain hidden even while his own sect was in danger strongly suggested that his injuries were far from ordinary.

That was exactly why Luo Chen wanted to draw him out. After all, Divine Origin had been watching him for years, and his decision to shelter the Luo Tian Sect in the past had clearly not been born from simple kindness. Luo Chen knew that sooner or later, he would have to face him. If he could force the other man to show himself and learn how bad his condition was, many things that might become troublesome later would be far easier to prepare for.

***

The last person waiting to see Luo Chen was, as expected, the grand elder of the Divine Talisman Sect.

Many years ago, the man had possessed a prestigious Dao title of his own. As the years passed, however, fewer and fewer people used it, and most simply addressed him respectfully as Old Tal. The fact that he was willing to wait until late at night just to see Luo Chen showed how urgent he felt. And Luo Chen had little trouble guessing what he wanted: a Nascent Soul Pill!

Faced with Old Tal’s expectant gaze, Luo Chen slowly nodded. ”If you trust me, let me see the formula first.”

Old Tal’s eyes lit up, though he still sounded a little uncertain. ”Fellow Daoist... you really can refine pills that help with major breakthroughs?”

One reason breakthrough pills were far more precious than ordinary cultivation pills, apart from their effect, was that they were also far more difficult to refine. After all, containing enough medicinal power within a single pill to help someone cross the barrier between major realms placed extraordinarily high demands on an alchemist’s skill. The Eastern Wilderness was home to countless alchemists, yet only a small handful had ever been capable of refining such pills successfully.

Old Tal looked excited as he took out a newly inscribed alchemical formula from his storage ring.

Luo Chen accepted it and merely glanced over it before his heart raced a little. It’s exactly the same!

Keeping his expression calm, he asked casually, ”Where did you get this formula? It looks familiar. I’m guessing it’s not a product of your own sect, is it?”

The excitement on Old Tal’s face slowly faded, and a hint of awkwardness took its place. Under Luo Chen’s gaze, he hesitated for a moment before telling the truth. ”It came from the Medicine King Sect.”

”Hm?”