An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Powerful and scorching!

That massive fireball truly resembled a newborn sun, continuously expanding and growing stronger. Fear and dread instantly enveloped the cultivators’ minds.

Yu Rou immediately halted, her eyes filled with hesitation and alarm as she stared at the figure beneath the blazing sun.

”Dan Chenzi?”

As she stopped, the blazing sun slowly dissipated. A cold, sharp gaze bore straight into her. Looking into his eyes was like peering into a deep, icy abyss, bottomless and terrifyingly cold.

Yu Rou spoke hoarsely, ”Huo Hu cannot die. You... you cannot kill him.”

She cast a glance at the body trapped within the vine cage.

Luo Chen gave a cold sneer and said, ”Since when could one expect to kill others without being killed themselves? Fellow Daoist Yu, am I wrong?”

”But the Huo family... Huo Quan!” Yu Rou pressed. As she said this name, she seemed to regain her confidence. She steadily continued, ”If you dare to kill Huo Hu, the Huo family will never let it go. Huo Quan has been at the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment for years. He is now in seclusion, preparing to break through to the late stage. Once he succeeds...”

”He is not here, though,” Luo Chen calmly interrupted her. ”The one standing in our way is you.”

Those calm words made Yu Rou tremble from head to toe. Her eyes darted about, unsettled. Nearby, Dan Chenzi stood tall, his entire being radiating a chilling, murderous intent. In the distance, perched atop a towering stone pillar, was Wang Yuan, still and silent, like a demonic tiger wrapped in human flesh.

Behind her, Li Yixian stood with her sword already drawn.

Just moments ago, she had seen clearly that Li Yixian truly intended to block her path. In other words, Li Yixian had already chosen to side with Dan Chenzi!

Under normal circumstances, Yu Rou would have relied on the Verdant-Feather Whitehawk’s astonishing speed to flee. But as he stood before her now, Dan Chenzi radiated such a terrifying, oppressive aura that all thoughts of flight seemed futile. The fact that he had returned alive meant that even two Foundation Establishment Initiates had failed to bring him down. Instead, they had died by his hand.

In this moment, Yu Rou was surrounded and knew she didn’t stand a chance. She had no confidence that she could snatch Huo Hu’s body and make it out alive.

Forget it. Just forget it... she muttered inwardly. With a bitter smile, she slowly took a step back.

“Handle today’s matter as you will,” she said quietly. “But you won’t be able to withstand Huo Quan’s wrath.”

As she turned to leave, Luo Chen’s voice rang out behind her.

“Wait.”

Yu Rou’s expression darkened. The bitterness in her gaze melted away, replaced by a sharp and fierce gleam.

”What is it? Fellow Daoist, do you also intend to detain me?” she said coldly.

As she spoke, spirit light erupted from her body, and a feathered fan fell into her hand. This scene resembled a hawk bristling its feathers, ready to strike.

However, Luo Chen merely shook his head and said lightly, ”You may leave, but once you return, you are not to reveal any details of this battle to Huo Quan. If he presses you, just tell him that Huo Hu is in Dan Chenzi’s hands. And if he dares to act recklessly...” Here, Luo Chen’s tone dropped, and each following word carried the weight of a mountain. ”He can look forward to the Huo family having no heir.”

As he spoke, his gaze swept toward two places. One was the depths beneath the stone forest; the other was the figure standing atop a stone pillar.

Yu Rou instantly understood the unspoken meaning. Yet despite grasping his logic, the coercion in his words still struck a nerve. As someone used to standing above others, being threatened so directly felt intolerable.

Perhaps sensing her displeasure, Luo Chen gave a light smile.

”The Luo Tian Society is merely a means for me to gather cultivation resources. But the Yu family is your lifeblood.”

The moment she heard this line, her heart skipped a beat. She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes shimmering with a complicated mix of emotions.

”I will remember this,” she said at last. There was no room left to argue.

With a flap of wings, the Verdant-Feather Whitehawk beneath her lifted into the night and disappeared into the distance.

Watching the scene unfold, Li Yixian felt the weight in her chest finally lifted. The stifling sense of frustration that had plagued her all night dissolved like mist.

This former friend of hers, who had once been close enough to call her sister, had spent the entire night using the Li family to threaten her. Truly, she had been held tightly in Yu Rou’s grasp.

Only someone truly close could twist the knife that deeply.

And yet, unexpectedly... Luo Chen had understood her plight. Those final words about the Yu family must have cut straight through Yu Rou’s heart.

Luo Chen was no saint, and he was no weakling either. A man who had returned unscathed after fighting alone against two Foundation Establishment Initiates was someone who inspired fear in both humans and beasts. He had even dared to deliver a cold, lethal threat against a powerful expert like Huo Quan. If truly forced, this was a man who would cast aside the Luo Tian Society, discard all honor, and slaughter the Yu family without hesitation.

And once that happened, how could the Yu family’s cultivators continue to live out in the open? How could they do business, make connections, or even show their faces in public?

Indeed, family cultivators were strong thanks to their families, but also weak because of them.

Huff!

Li Yixian exhaled deeply. A long breath cleared the lingering frustration from her chest, and her senses sharpened once more. She turned her gaze toward the vine cage, where Huo Hu lay, and noticed that he was breathing, albeit faintly.

”So he really isn’t dead...”

Luo Chen nodded and his eyes shifted to Wang Yuan, who was approaching.

Wang Yuan looked rather out of shape. A palm-sized chunk of flesh was missing from his abdomen, and his overall energy flow appeared drained and sluggish. It was clear that the battle had not been nearly as easy for him as Li Yixian and the others had thought.

Wang Yuan said in a muffled voice, ”He took a hit from my Divine Blood Tribulation Finger. Even if he’s not dead, I suspect he isn’t feeling too great.”

This was the very technique Wang Yuan had once mentioned to Luo Chen, a second stage Physical-Refining attack he had spent years perfecting. The attack didn’t cover a wide area, but it was incredibly fast, its power was tightly condensed, and, most importantly, it could be launched from a long distance.

That final detail was especially critical.

One of the main reasons second-stage Physical-Refining cultivators failed to match Foundation Establishment Initiates was their lack of long-range attacks. Most Physical-Refining techniques were close-combat in nature. Even if the cultivators could project blood qi, the range rarely extended beyond a few dozen zhang.

Against Foundation Establishment cultivators who controlled flying swords and launched attacks from far beyond that distance, such short-range methods were simply no threat at all.

Back then, Duan Qiankun had relied on flight and long-range attacks to torment Wang Yuan, pushing him to the brink of death. But now, Wang Yuan had finally patched that fatal flaw with a rudimentary long-range strike of his own.

Luo Chen shook his head and said, ”He must not die!”

Neither Wang Yuan nor Li Yixian objected. In fact, they agreed wholeheartedly.

Now that they had already offended the Huo family, allowing Huo Hu to die would be a disaster. Once the Huo family’s Grand Elder emerged from seclusion, the consequences would be catastrophic. That man was at the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment and could very well reappear as a grand cultivator at the late stage. If provoked, his wrath would not be something any of them could endure. Keeping Huo Hu alive was the best way to make him show some restraint.

”If only Huo Quan failed in his seclusion and fell into cultivation deviation,” Li Yixian said with a light laugh.

Her voice was as pleasant as heavenly music, though her face remained plain.

Luo Chen cast her a glance and said flatly, ”We can’t pin our hopes on such empty fantasies.”

As he spoke, he dispelled the vine cage and casually tossed the unconscious Huo Hu to Wang Yuan.

”This man is your spoil of war. I’ll leave him in your care.”

”Don’t worry, I have a hundred ways to keep him restrained,” Wang Yuan said in his deep voice.

Without wasting time, he dragged Huo Hu back into the crowd of Luo Tian Society cultivators.

”Fellow Daoist, I’ll head back first. Later on...” Li Yixian said, looking at Luo Chen with a hopeful gaze.

Facing her earnest eyes, Luo Chen nodded. ”We’ll wait a little while for you. Hurry up.”

Li Yixian gave Luo Chen a grateful look before quickly flying back toward the Li family’s camp.

This place was no longer safe to linger. The fact that Luo Chen was willing to wait and leave together was already a show of great kindness. It also proved that she had chosen the right side.

In this world of scheming cultivators, people like Wang Haichao and Huo Hu were everywhere. By contrast, those like Luo Chen, who were strong yet still held to a sense of principle, were exceedingly rare. She would rather trust Luo Chen than believe people like Huo Hu would ever show mercy to the Li family.

Watching her departing figure, Luo Chen gave a barely noticeable nod.

Earlier, he had already returned, but he hadn’t acted in haste. After surveying the battlefield and confirming the overall advantage lay with them, he had realized that the only variables were Yu Rou and Li Yixian.

Yu Rou’s attempt to intervene had been fully within his expectations. But Li Yixian’s attempt to stop her had been a pleasant surprise. Had Li Yixian turned against them, considering that Luo Chen had just gone through a fierce battle and Wang Yuan was wounded, it would have been extremely difficult to subdue the two women. After all, there was also the second-tier Verdant-Feather Whitehawk, a swift and elusive beast.

Had things truly turned out that way, he would not have hesitated to unleash the Solar Flare he had long been preparing, and he would have heavily injured one of them at the very least.

Now, since Li Yixian had shown goodwill, he did not mind drawing closer ties with her.

Once Li Yixian departed, Luo Chen finally had the leisure to turn his attention back to the battlefield.

In truth, there was little left to pay attention to by then.

By the time Huo Hu fell and Luo Chen returned, the battle had already tipped overwhelmingly in their favor. The cultivators of the Dajiang Gang were desperately trying to shake off their pursuers, fleeing madly into the surrounding wilderness. Those without the skill to escape were all hunted down and executed under Sima Huiniang’s command.

At this moment, beneath Gaoling Plains, corpses littered the ground and rivers of blood flowed.

Luo Chen released his spirit consciousness, surveying the entire battlefield. Then, a large handful of multicolored small beads appeared in his hand: waste beads of jade essence. With a cold snort, he flung them in all directions.

Now that victory was assured, the cultivators of the Luo Tian Society, led by Murong Qinglian, were looting the battlefield, counting casualties, and tending to the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Just as a seventh stage Qi-Refining cultivator bent down to retrieve an enchanted artifact from a corpse’s hand...

Pfft! A soft sound echoed, and a spray of blood blossomed from the corpse’s forehead. The corpse’s eyes snapped open in shock, then remained wide and lifeless in death.

The Luo Tian Society cultivator was startled and quickly backed away.

A cold, detached voice echoed in his ear. It was Luo Chen’s, cutting through the chaos with chilling clarity.

”Be wary of those feigning death. Do not lower your guard.”

Before the sound of his words even vanished, spouts of blood exploded from all directions. Many Dajiang Gang cultivators who had been playing dead were instantly exposed under the sweep of his spirit consciousness.

Following this warning, the cultivators cleaning up the battlefield became much more cautious. Before retrieving any loot, they would first poke the corpses’ heads with their enchanted artifacts.

Suddenly, a figure shot up, turning into a streak of light and fleeing at high speed.

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow and said, ”There are capable ones even among low-tier cultivators. To think one could slip past my spirit consciousness... huh.”

With a flick of his finger, a spark shot forth like a meteor.

The fleeing figure twisted and turned in midair, weaving left and right in an attempt to dodge, but it was futile. A moment later, another bead pierced him through.

Luo Chen casually reached out and beckoned over a dusty storage pouch, catching it neatly in his hand. He paid no mind to the countless looks of reverence and admiration cast his way by the Luo Tian Society cultivators and descended gracefully to the ground.

”What’s the situation?” asked Luo Chen.

Sima Huiniang replied excitedly, ”A grand victory! Hundreds of enemies slain, countless spoils captured!”

With this battle, the foundation of the Luo Tian Society was now truly and completely secured. The spoils captured from the Fu family, the Duan family, and the hundreds of cultivators from the Dajiang Gang were enough to arm every Luo Tian Society cultivator to the teeth. They had even recovered more than a dozen fully intact defensive enchanted artifacts.

Watching her excitement, Luo Chen merely shook his head. ”What about our casualties?”

Sima Huiniang froze. Under Luo Chen’s deep, probing gaze, she couldn’t help but shiver.

She quickly said, ”Hall Leader Murong is still tallying the count. There are simply too many injuries. So far, one hundred fifty-seven deaths have been confirmed, and the number is still rising. Granny Yuan, along with the Medicine Hall and Gold Hall’s female cultivators, is doing everything possible to treat the wounded and lower the death toll.”

”Among the dead, how is the distribution by cultivation realm?”

”Mostly early and mid-stage cultivators. Even among late stage ones, casualties are heavy. Three of our ninth stage Qi-Refining experts were killed.”

Three! Luo Chen’s brows furrowed as he looked at her. ”Which three?”

”Xiang Yan, Peng Yuanyu...”

Luo Chen knew these two well. They were rogue cultivators from Dahe Market who had joined the Luo Tian Society alongside Bian Zhen during his three years of seclusion.

In truth, they had once been the second- and third-in-command of Panshan Fort. But after their leader, Fang Chengshan, had rashly stood out during the battle at Xiao Huan Mountain and was beheaded by Luo Chen in a single stroke, Panshan Fort collapsed into ruin.

After years of struggle, the two had eventually chosen to join the Luo Tian Society. In terms of strength, they were considered reliable elites. Who would have thought they would meet their end here...

”... and Zeng Wen.”

Luo Chen’s usually calm expression wavered slightly.

”Who did you say?”

How could Zeng Wen possibly be dead? Even if every Qi-Refining cultivator of the Luo Tian Society had perished, it should never have been his turn.

That chubby Fellow Daoist Zeng, who had first bought the Myriad Wonders pill from him? Luo Chen knew him better than anyone. He was strong, resourceful, and had countless tricks up his sleeve. Even back when Luo Chen’s cultivation realm was still low, he had sought Zeng Wen’s guidance on many earth-element enchanting techniques.

Moreover, Zeng Wen was known for his cautious nature. To put it less nicely, he was greedy for life and afraid of death. At the slightest sign of danger, he would immediately retreat. Even when the Poshan Gang was annihilated and Wang Yuan suffered severe injuries, Zeng Wen had emerged completely unscathed.

How could someone like that possibly die in a chaotic melee like this? He should have survived better than anyone!

Under Luo Chen’s disbelieving gaze, Sima Huiniang swallowed hard and said with great regret, ”Fellow Daoist Zeng Wen suffered multiple wounds while protecting his wife and children. After Hall Leader Gu led the charge out of Gaoling Plains, he couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed...”

”Take me to him! ... No, forget it. Go back to your work,” Luo Chen said, drawing a deep breath. With a wave of his broad sleeve, he strode toward the rear of the battlefield.

Sima Huiniang bit her lip as she watched Luo Chen’s departing figure, her eyes swirling with complex emotions. No one knew what she was thinking.

Letting out a sigh, she threw herself back into the busy aftermath of the battle.

***

”The President is here!”

”It’s the President!”

”The President is mighty!”

”Greetings, President!”

Luo Chen walked silently through the crowd, the wave of flattery and reverent greetings washing over him like a faint breeze, fading almost as soon as they reached his ears.

Soon, he arrived at the section of the camp where the wounded were being treated. To the left was an area shrouded in white cloth. The air there was heavy, filled with quiet sobbing that rose and fell, soft but unrelenting.

His gaze shifted slightly as he stepped into the area. At a glance, he saw a child curled beside a plump, bloodied corpse, clinging tightly with tiny hands that refused to let go.

”Papa...

”Papa...”

”Xiaolong, your father is just sleeping,” a woman murmured.

The kid looked at his mother with confusion, then timidly laid himself down beside the corpse, giggling softly. ”I... want to sleep too...”

”Yes, sleep tight,” his mother coaxed him gently.

Watching this, Luo Chen drew in a long, steady breath and quietly stepped forward. As he moved, countless sorrowful eyes turned toward him.

He bent down and gently picked up the tiny Zeng Yilong into his arms. The boy didn’t stir; there was no resistance, no cries, just peaceful sleep.

Lowering his head, Luo Chen looked at the unrecognizable corpse, his lips parted slightly, words sticking in his throat.

Finally, his voice came, low and hoarse. ”Fellow Daoist Zeng, did you leave any last words?”

He addressed him as ”Fellow Daoist,” just as he had the day they first met. At that moment, there were no titles, no distinctions between realms. Only a quiet, solemn farewell between friends.

Xiugu slumped onto the ground, wiping her tears as she choked out, ”No last words... just enough time to say, ’Live on.’”

”Live on...” Luo Chen pressed his lips together, a bitter smile flashing in his heart. ”Truly fitting for you, Fellow Daoist Zeng. Even in death, you passed down your family’s creed.”

He gently patted the child’s back. Then, his lips parted slightly.

Softly, yet with unshakable certainty, he declared, ”Your son will live on!”