An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Inside the alchemy room, a figure lay sprawled on the ground, looking rather worse for wear. A crimson barrier of light still surrounded him, and only after confirming that it remained intact did Luo Chen let out a slight breath of relief.

In the end, Qi Yi’s cultivation was simply too low, while Luo Chen himself had been somewhat careless. The moment Luo Chen opened the cauldron, the concentrated medicinal energy trapped inside burst outward all at once and knocked Qi Yi unconscious. Had Luo Chen not reacted quickly enough to shield him, this little junior might very well have died.

That said, the accident was not entirely due to his own negligence; it was also due to the fact that the pill itself and the Primordial Unity Cauldron were powerful. The medicinal energy gathered inside had been very dense, and the cauldron had been sealed so perfectly that not even the slightest trace had escaped during refinement. That was why, the moment Luo Chen had opened the lid, all that pent-up energy rushed out in one great flood.

After confirming Qi Yi was stable, he raised his head and looked toward the space above the cauldron curiously. The medicinal energy that had flooded the room was already starting to recede into the nine pills that had been suspended in the air like tiny stars. As the energy returned to them, faint growls and roars began echoing through the alchemy room.

Luo Chen listened for a moment and smiled. Normally, pills are fused and sealed first, but this one has to be exposed to heaven and earth before it’ll come together.

However, as the strange cries continued, the smile on his face gradually faded, and uncertainty crept across his face.

Something about the sound felt wrong. It was neither quite the bellow of a bull nor the howl of a wolf. It was deep and heavy, yet there was also a mournful, piercing edge to it. One of the main ingredients had indeed been the core of a Nine-Roe Beast, but he had never heard of such a beast making a cry like this.

After listening more carefully, he suddenly remembered where he had encountered something similar. During the third trial in the Alchemy Realm, he had read a record from the devil realm describing a creature with just such a cry.

Nine-Headed Howler: Born with nine heads, each possessing its own will and differing temperament. Some are fierce and violent, while others are calm and docile. It dwells primarily in marshlands and is naturally drawn to devil essence. Its innate abilities allow it to command the earth, wind, water, and fire. It is rumored that this race descends from Xiangliu, one of the three great ancient devils. It is also the natural enemy of the Oddeye Race, descendants of the ancient devil Torch Dragon, and the two races have hunted and fought one another for tens of millions of years. However, while Oddeyes tend to gather in large groups, the Nine-Headed Howler is solitary by nature. Because of this disadvantage, its numbers gradually decline, and it becomes increasingly rare throughout the devil realm. Its greatest weakness is lightning, and it fears the sharpness of the metal element...

As those memories returned, Luo Chen began fitting the scattered clues together. The Nine-Headed Howler had not, in fact, possessed nine heads from birth. It began with fleshy tumors, and each time one of those tumors matured into a head, the creature gained a new ability. As for the so-called devil essence mentioned in the records, in human terms, it was simply spirit essence!

With that, the similarities to Nine Spirits’ Nascent Soul became impossible to ignore. His cultivation technique really did seem to originate from the devilish path, most likely from an art modeled after the Nine-Headed Howler itself. That would explain both the tumor-like growths and his unusual ability to refine firmament energy.

Although this discovery did not directly improve his strength, it had certainly broadened his horizons. At the same time, however, it raised an even more troubling question.

How could there be a cultivation technique in the Mountains and Seas Realm based on a devil race like that? And the Monarch... came from outside this world too. Beyond the heavens...

For some reason, Luo Chen once again thought of Saint Alchemist Chu Yan. Wherever she had gone, it was almost certainly not the legendary Immortal Realm. The spiritual vitality that should have accompanied her to ascend had been intercepted by the Mo Shouzhou, and afterward, she had passed through Star Gate and disappeared into what could only be called ”the unknown.”

That thought, in turn, reminded Luo Chen of an old theory concerning the Mountains and Seas Realm. Humans were said to be native to this world, but in ancient times, archaic beasts had been its true dominant power. That balance only changed when the five Holy Lands suddenly appeared and began slaughtering archaic beasts on a massive scale. In order to survive, those beasts abandoned their original path and turned instead to the path of Transformation, which allowed them to cultivate far more quickly. In time, this eventually led to the ancient war between humans and beasts.

Though he was still inside the alchemy room, Luo Chen stared upward, as though his gaze could pierce through the ceiling and the mountain above it, pass beyond the Nine Heavens, and reach whatever lay outside this world. Any powerful expert or major force was bound to leave traces behind, and their rise would inevitably bring upheaval, conflict, and change. Yet the Holy Lands had appeared almost out of nowhere, with no clear record of where they had come from.

What if they were never native to the Mountains and Seas Realm at all? What if they came from another world, perhaps the same place that lies beyond the Star Gate in the Central Continent?

Once Luo Chen followed that possibility further, even more pieces began fitting together. If that unknown world also had some connection to the devil race, it would explain why the Holy Lands had arrived with so many extraordinary cultivation arts that were already complete and systematic. It might even explain why one branch of the devil sect could cultivate genuine devil energy.

Luo Chen had never connected these things before, but now another thought followed naturally. A Frontier War opens up an area. Then, if I look at it on a larger scale, could the arrival of the Holy Lands have been another kind of Frontier War? Only instead of conquering a region, they opened up an entire world?

The idea sounded almost absurd at first, yet the more he considered it together with everything else he knew, the harder it became to reject. One clue connected to another until events that had once seemed completely unrelated began forming a faint outline of something much larger. And all of these speculations had begun with nothing more than the nine pills still floating above the cauldron.

Luo Chen’s expression suddenly shifted, and he beckoned toward the Nine Separation Pills.

Click Clack Click...

Like pearls falling onto a jade plate, the pills dropped into Luo Chen’s palm one after another. He put them away, then picked up Qi Yi and carried him out of the alchemy room.

***

Inside the imposing hall atop Great Green Mountain, Li Yingzhang sat at the head and quietly studied the three people and one beast before him. The woman standing at the front had an exceptionally profound cultivation. Among all of the Luo Tian Sect, aside from the supreme elder, perhaps only Wang Yuan and Sima Huiniang could surpass her. No... Sima Huiniang’s cultivation had fallen considerably, so even she was probably not this woman’s match.

What truly put Li Yingzhang on guard, however, was the demonic beast resting across the shoulder of the other woman behind her. At first glance, it looked like a snake, maybe a python, but its horn carried an unmistakable draconic majesty. Ever since the group entered the hall, the Chi Dragon Sword at Li Yingzhang’s waist had been humming softly, its sword spirit radiating an instinctive sense of caution.

The Chi Dragon Sword was unlike the average enchanted treasure. During its refinement, a demonic spirit had been sealed within it, which greatly enhanced its offensive power. If even that spirit reacted so strongly to the beast before him, then there was only one likely explanation: The beast possessed draconic blood as well, and its bloodline was even purer—in which case, it was most likely a Demon Emperor! Moreover, judging by the fact that it had dared to travel so openly through the Windflower Domain, it was clearly not a weak one!

Li Yingzhang’s expression turned more serious. ”May I ask why you want to meet my sect’s supreme elder?”

Heavenjade did not answer.

Before Luo Chen left them a year ago, he had specifically warned them to be careful with both their words and actions. Even now that they had finally reached the Luo Tian Sect, she had no intention of relaxing until she saw Luo Chen himself, unless someone appeared whom she could confirm was trustworthy.

Seeing that none of them answered, Li Yingzhang frowned slightly.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

Black King, who had been sprawled across Zhang Jingqing’s shoulder, immediately raised his head. ”Is that Master? No...”

A moment later, Sima Huiniang entered under Zeng Yilong’s lead. Her gaze immediately settled on Heavenjade, and a fleeting thought crossed her mind. What a proud and beautiful woman!

Even so, her expression remained composed. She stepped forward with practiced grace and introduced herself. ”I am the Dao companion of the sect’s supreme elder. My husband is currently in seclusion refining pills, so it isn’t convenient for him to receive guests. If you have any business with him, you may tell me instead.”

Heavenjade studied her carefully, but some uncertainty still remained. After a moment, she turned toward Black King for confirmation.

Black King sniffed the air and nodded solemnly. ”She carries a very strong trace of Master’s aura. It’s almost identical to the origin blood he used to save me back then.”

With that confirmation, Heavenjade no longer hesitated. To the astonishment of everyone present, she immediately bowed respectfully. ”Greetings, Mistress!”

Black King followed suit. He leapt from Zhang Jingqing’s shoulder and revealed his true form. In an instant, an enormous black dragon filled the hall, its coiled body rising like a small hill. Then, under the stunned gazes of everyone around him, the mighty Demon Emperor lowered himself ingratiatingly before Sima Huiniang. ”Greetings, Mistress!”

Sang Jinghe and Zhang Jingqing offered their greetings as well, but hardly anyone was paying attention to them. Black King’s enormous form was simply too shocking.

Sima Huiniang was equally caught off guard. Wait, what? He never told me about any of this!

When she first heard that several strangers had come looking for Luo Chen, she had even wondered whether some romantic entanglement from his years outside had finally caught up with him. Instead, she now found a powerful cultivator approaching the late stage of the Golden Core Realm and a Demon Emperor, both addressing her husband as ”Master.” For a moment, she could hardly imagine what Luo Chen had experienced during those hundred years away.

Before anyone could recover from their surprise, a scolding voice came from outside the hall. ”Enough showing off. Shrink down.”

Black King’s eyes lit up. Clouds and mist swirled around him as he rapidly shrank down, turning into a reasonably-sized streak of light that shot toward the door.

Everyone turned toward the entrance and saw Luo Chen walking toward them.

”Master!”

”Supreme Elder!”

”Dear!”

Luo Chen nodded in acknowledgement. By now, Black King was happily coiling himself around his left arm. Once the greetings were done, he turned toward Heavenjade and the others. ”How did you get here so quickly? I thought it would take about two years.”

Heavenjade immediately explained, ”Senior Gu brought us. The Heaven Origin Trade Alliance wants to set up a branch at Skypiercing Pass, so he was heading there anyway and let us come along.”

Gu Zuokai? Luo Chen nodded in understanding. Given the speed of a Sage, the journey was hardly difficult. Even while bringing several people along and traveling slowly as a consequence, reaching the Windflower Domain within a year made perfect sense.

”Where is he now?”

”He dropped us off in the Windflower Domain, then went to Skypiercing Pass to meet the city master. He said he’ll come see you once he’s free.”

Luo Chen nodded. As the grand elder overseeing the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance’s affairs in the Eastern Wilderness, Gu Zuokai was never going to stay confined to the East Sun Domain forever. Now that Skypiercing Pass stood at the forefront of the demonic beast invasion, it had become one of the most dangerous places in the Eastern Wilderness, but also one of the places with the greatest opportunities. Naturally, the Trade Alliance would want a foothold there.