An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

At this point, Luo Chen paused and looked at Sima Huiniang and asked with emotion, ”If I leave, all of you would follow me, why is that?”

Sima Huiniang replied without hesitation, ”Because you’ve never treated us unfairly, President. With you, we can all see a bright future.”

Luo Chen accepted the praise without modesty. He nodded, then asked again, his tone turning sharper, ”Now put yourself in another situation. If Wang Haichao were the one leaving... would you follow him without question?”

”Uh...”

”The moment you hesitated,” Luo Chen said, smiling faintly, ”you already had your answer.”

He picked up the now-cold cup of spirit tea and drained it in one gulp.

“Wang Haichao, he has no bloodline ties, no compelling benefits to offer, and no authority that wins the people over. If he wants to lead a large number of people away, then tell me, what is he relying on?

“Just because he’s a Foundation Establishment Initiate? Hehe, that title really isn’t worth that much. Rogue cultivators think simply, if it doesn’t work out, they’ll just pack up and switch factions to continue cultivating.”

Sima Huiniang’s eyes widened, the realization hitting her like a splash of cold water.

With Luo Chen’s guidance, she quickly pieced together the key to the matter. “So he needs the title of Alliance Leader!” Sima Huiniang affirmed, “Only with the position of leader among the four-faction alliance can he temporarily suppress the rogue cultivators’ independent ambitions.

“And in doing so, it also cuts off the possibility of those rogue cultivators defecting to our side.

“President, am I right?”

Luo Chen nodded, indicating his approval.

Rogue cultivators without a sect to rely on lived this kind of life. Even if they were Foundation Establishment Initiates, their lives wouldn’t necessarily be much easier.

Wang Haichao, backed by the Dajiang Gang, might not be able to afford enchanted treasures in the short term, but he at least had no shortage of cultivation resources.

If he lost the Dajiang Gang’s support, what skills did he have to earn spirit stones on his own?

Serve as a retainer for some struggling sect or minor cultivation family?

Don’t make me laugh.

In the current state of the Eastern Wilderness cultivation world, a Foundation Establishment cultivator earned maybe two or three thousand spirit stones a month serving as a retainer. Subtract the monthly cost of maintaining one’s cultivation, and what would he have left?

And let’s say he really tried, cut every corner, saved every coin, halted his cultivation for years just to afford a treasure... wasn’t that the very definition of sacrificing the essential for the trivial?

And if he failed to reach Core Formation, once his lifespan ran out, any treasure he’d scraped together would just become some lucky finds of the latter’s inheritance from a ruin.

Besides, very few families could even offer that kind of rate.

Only Luo Chen could afford to be that extravagant! And even then, it was only because Wang Yuan was his sworn brother that he had offered such generous terms.

Wang Haichao couldn’t survive without the Dajiang Gang’s backing.

But Luo Chen? He wasn’t bound to the Luo Tian Society.

In another place, with the title of alchemist, he could rise again from nothing. The reason he was determined to take the Luo Tian Society along was, firstly, because many of his friends were part of it.

Secondly, because everyone trusted him.

And third, the people of the Alchemy Hall, he worked with them seamlessly.

Moreover, if they were to leave, having a large group of followers for protection would ensure adequate safety.

“If we can gain a foothold in Taishan Market, it would no doubt be ideal.

“It’s far enough from Dahe Market that the Ghost King’s crisis won’t pose a threat for now, and that area isn’t too unfamiliar either.

“If not...” Luo Chen’s gaze darkened, and he had already begun preparing a backup plan.

He had never been the kind of person to put all his eggs in one basket. Even back when he was under Mi Shuhua’s control, he had always been prepared to run at a moment’s notice.

He just hadn’t expected, there had been many times he’d wanted to flee, but for various reasons, he never managed to.

But this time, he was the one choosing to leave of his own accord.

“Go ahead and take care of your duties.

“We’ll set departure for two months from now. Make sure every loose end is handled properly!”

Sima Huiniang bowed deeply. “As you command, President!”

***

A month later.

It was deep into the night when the battle inside the thatched hut reached its quietest, most unnerving pitch.

Bai Meiling huddled in the corner of the thatched cottage, trembling. Her delicate form shrank as far from Luo Chen as the walls would allow. But she wasn’t afraid of him.

She was afraid of the banner in his hand.

The Soul-Refining Banner!

Luo Chen’s gaze was locked on the unfurled cloth, his expression caught between confusion and awe. Earlier that evening, while refining pills, he’d felt a surge of chaotic ghostly energy explode from the banner, nearly ruining the batch.

It had nearly caused his pill refinement to fail.

He had rushed back in a hurry, unfurled the banner, and discovered that the dozens of Ghost Soldiers he’d once captured inside had all vanished.

Only two figures remained within the banner.

One was Duan Qiankun, the other Luo Tianhong.

The two figures had devoured the ghost soldiers, and their forms had become far more solid than before. The chaos from earlier had been caused by their battle.

”I’ve always known one mountain cannot hold two tigers, but I never thought even a mere enchanted artifact couldn’t contain two Ghost Generals.”

Duan Qiankun’s lingering soul had been extracted from Wang Yuan’s body when Luo Chen returned to Xiao Huan Mountain. He had placed it into the Soul-Refining Banner back then and hadn’t paid it much attention since. He hadn’t expected it would develop to this extent over the past two months.

Watching the two ghosts locked in a fierce battle, their bodies cloaked in roiling ghostly energy, Luo Chen let out a sigh. By now, he had already figured out the cause.

“It’s just that the grade of this Soul-Refining Banner is too low. At most, it can only accommodate a single second-tier ghost.

“Two inside will inevitably turn on each other.”

That was the inherent flaw of the Soul-Refining Banner. As an enchanted artifact, it could house a hundred human souls at most, and only one second-tier ghost. Only upon reaching the level of an enchanted treasure could it store thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of millions of souls.

In such cases, it wouldn’t just hold second-tier ghosts, even third-tier Ghost Kings could be housed in multiples. By then, the interior of the Soul-Refining Banner would become a ghost abyss of its own!

“Fine then, I’ll let you fight it out.

“Once you settle who’s stronger, I won’t need to split my focus controlling you both.”

Under Luo Chen’s watchful gaze, the battle within the Soul-Refining Banner intensified to a fever pitch.

Luo Tianhong had lost the Forsaken Chess Piece and had once been heavily injured by Luo Chen, leading to a steep drop in strength. However, having been born in a ghost abyss, his foundation was deep and he could withstand prolonged struggle.

Duan Qiankun’s soul was aged and already weakened. After Wang Yuan had stolen his spirit, he had become nothing more than a lingering remnant of resentment. Yet even as a soul, his mastery of restrictive techniques could still be instinctively unleashed.

The two, when clashing, were surprisingly well-matched.

But eventually, there had to be an end!

Luo Tianhong emerged victorious!

It was the most fitting outcome. Duan Qiankun, even before his death, had already reached the end of his lifespan, his soul was aged and decaying. What remained was a lingering soul filled with nothing but hatred for those who had destroyed the Duan family.

Luo Tianhong, on the other hand, had perished while still in the prime of youth and strength, cut down mid-path on the road of cultivation.

Clinging to a singular obsession, he had been reborn within a ghost abyss.

He was a wraith of obsession, perhaps not as ferocious as a fierce spirit, but with survival instincts far surpassing that of a common Ghost General.

In a prolonged battle like this, Duan Qiankun’s defeat had been inevitable.

Inside the banner, the victorious Luo Tianhong, driven by instinct, had begun devouring the defeated soul with frenzied hunger.

Before long, the entire lingering soul had been consumed. His once ethereal body became increasingly solid. A spectral armor of yin energy slowly wrapped itself around him, encasing his ghostly form.

With a single thought from Luo Chen, the Ghost General appeared within the small hut.

It instinctively moved away from the fire spring and drifted closer to the cold spring.

Standing before Luo Chen, it let out a low growl, trying to approach him, yet it hesitated, held back by an instinctive fear, and recoiled. The contradictory scene was so strange that even Bai Meiling, shivering in the corner, let out a soft giggle.

Luo Chen shook his head and immediately cast a Soul-Intimidation.

With his immense spirit strength and status as the master of the Soul-Refining Banner, the ghost was instantly forced to its knees beside him.

“Calling you Luo Tianhong now feels inappropriate, it dishonors your past and invites future trouble.

“From now on, I’ll call you... Little Black.”

Little Black paused for a moment, then lowered itself even further, showing deeper submission. For a disembodied ghost, the Soul-Intimidation was no small thing to endure.

After bestowing the name, Luo Chen checked Little Black’s current state.

After consuming over a dozen Ghost Soldiers and the lingering soul of Duan Qiankun, a genuine Foundation Establishment Initiate, its condition had returned to its peak.

It had even gained a touch more spirit intelligence.

In terms of battle prowess, it now possessed the genuine strength of a second-tier being.

“Little Red ran off, and now Little Black arrives.”

Hehe... Luo Chen let out a sly chuckle and sealed Little Black back into the Soul-Refining Banner.

Then he turned with a serious expression toward Bai Meiling.

“How’s your Soul-Refining True Art coming along?”

“Uh... uh...”

“You’ve reached the Beginner level?” Luo Chen’s eyes lit up. “That’s good news. Come with me for a trip.”

Still half-dazed, Bai Meiling climbed into the ghost mill. Under cover of night, Luo Chen took her and quietly left Xiao Huan Mountain.

By the time the moon reached the midpoint of the sky, Luo Chen’s footsteps landed just outside the inner city gate.

He cast a cautious glance in the direction of Fallen Phoenix Mountain, then stepped forward into the city.

No sooner had he entered, he sensed three wandering spirits nearby.

With a flick of his spirit consciousness, Luo Chen activated the Soul-Intimidation, immediately drawing them in.

The three ghosts were yanked toward him as if seized by an invisible hand.

Thud!

The ghost mill descended. The three wandering spirits were tossed straight onto the grinding stone.

Glancing at the dazed Bai Meiling, Luo Chen gestured with his chin.

“Push.”

Bai Meiling blinked, then instinctively began turning the ghost mill.

Under her effort, the three weak souls were quickly ground down amid faint wails, reduced to streams of pure soul energy.

As he looked at that soul energy, refined to an extreme degree, Luo Chen’s spirit soul stirred with waves of hunger, as if yearning to devour it as well.

He swallowed hard and forcibly suppressed the urge.

Once processed by the ghost mill, the soul energy had already been imprinted with Bai Meiling’s will.

After all, this was Bai Meiling’s natal enchanted artifact.

“Activate the Soul-Refining True Art and absorb it all!”

“Uhh...” With a series of soft sounds, Bai Meiling opened her mouth and inhaled, drawing all that refined soul energy into her body.

With the Soul-Refining True Art in motion, the energy fused completely into her being.

Watching the scene, Luo Chen finally felt that soul-deep hunger fully fade.

“This way of absorbing is far better than Little Black’s brute-force devouring... at least it preserves rationality.”

After devouring lingering souls, Little Black had grown noticeably more feral.

But Bai Meiling was different. Her expression had become more vivid and lively.

If she repeated this process a few more times, she would eventually recover her memories from when she was alive.

When that time came, Luo Chen would allow her to meet Feng Xia and the others.

But not yet. A reunion now would only bring sorrow.

“That’s enough for today.” Seeing Bai Meiling patting her tiny belly with a content, full look on her face, Luo Chen chuckled and shook his head.

Leaving Ghost City, he strolled through the increasingly desolate streets of the outer district.

Luo Chen began to contemplate how he could further strengthen his divine soul foundation.

As things stood, he didn’t dare consume any more Spirit Passage pills. It wasn’t that first-tier Spirit Passage Pills were entirely ineffective for him.

He was afraid!

He feared the pill toxin barrier that had appeared during his Foundation Establishment might now afflict his divine soul.

“After reaching Core Formation, spirit consciousness transforms into divine consciousness, that’s when cultivators begin truly refining both soul and qi in parallel.

“I’ve heard that at the Nascent Soul Realm, the divine soul manifests as an infant, granting a second life.

“With something as vital as the divine soul, I can’t afford even the slightest misstep!”

Until the pill toxins were fully resolved, Spirit Passage pills were off the table. That meant he’d have to find other ways to enhance his divine soul.

Luo Chen knew all too well the benefits of a powerful divine soul.

The reason he had been able to attempt Foundation Establishment five times in a row wasn’t just his strong physique, it was also thanks to his divine soul’s ability to precisely control his internal spirit power!

Anyone else? They would’ve been reduced to a bloody mess by the first backlash of rampaging spirit power.

When he eventually attempted Core Formation, the strength of his divine soul would become even more critical!

“‘Divine Breaker of Malevolence is still only at the Perfection level, maybe it’s time to consider training with fiend qi?

“Fiend qi...” Gazing toward the silhouette of Xiao Huan Mountain, Luo Chen narrowed his eyes.