An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

As Luo Chen struck down all three Foundation Establishment cultivators in a few breaths, silence swept over the Qinhua River’s banks and the surrounding green mountains. Among the countless cultivators watching, not a single voice dared to rise.

Only on the Li family’s side did a thunderous cheer break the hush.

”Senior Luo is mighty!”

”Senior Luo is amazing, unmatched among his peers!”

”He killed three Foundation Establishment cultivators without even using an enchanted artifact, what magnificence!”

”Our president is the strongest!”

That last line, of course, was shouted by Yuan Dongsheng.

Luo Chen let out a quiet laugh as he guided the thornflower vines to gather the spoils of battle. A supreme-grade flying sword, a pair of supreme-grade enchanted gauntlets, a half-spent talisman treasure, and a storage pouch. Other than that, there was nothing else.

The storage pouches of Hu Changnu and Hu Changle had been destroyed by the explosion of the Solar Flare. Items like enchanted robes and defensive enchanted artifacts were often the first to be destroyed under such assaults, which was precisely why defensive artifacts always commanded such high prices.

Luo Chen glanced at the items, but didn’t even bother opening the pouch. Three beggars! Can’t even leave me some good things...

He then turned his gaze toward the downstream stretch of the Qinhua River. Before long, a streak of ghostly light soared back beneath the blazing sun.

Luo Chen frowned as he looked at Li Jinhuang and asked, “Where’s your body?”

”Killing Dan Yuanzi naturally came at a price,” Li Jinhuang replied with a calm smile.

Fair enough. After all, Dan Yuanzi was a mid-stage Initiate himself.

”Here,” Li Jinhuang said, tossing a storage pouch and a sword through the air, ”your reward for lending me your strength.”

The pouch, heavy with the scent of medicinal pills, landed in Luo Chen’s hand along with the sword.

”But you already gave me more than enough,” Luo Chen said in surprise.

”Dan Yuanzi was a rather skilled second-tier alchemist. His storage pouch will certainly be useful to you.” Li Jinhuang smiled, then glanced toward the Li family members cheering in the distance. ”Besides, preserving the Li family was worth any amount of reward I could give.”

He held up the Hornless Dragon Sword. “Once Yingzhang reaches Foundation Establishment, give him this sword. If he fails... keep it for yourself.”

Hisssss...

As Li Jinhuang spoke, wisps of blue smoke began to rise. Beneath the blazing sun, his ghostly form slowly melted away like snow. Though his divine soul originally held the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, without transitioning to ghost cultivation techniques, his power was no greater than that of a low-tier Ghost Soldier, especially after using the third-tier secret spell Life-Severing Finger. In his state, his power was rapidly declining; he couldn’t possibly resist the will of heaven.

Luo Chen tucked the pouch into his robe as he looked at Li Jinhuang and asked, ”Any last words?”

Li Jinhuang let out a long, weary sigh and shook his head. His gaze wandered toward the distant hills. In this final moment, his spirit reached a rare peak. He could sense countless powerful souls across the landscape, each glowing like stars in a pitch-black sky.

Without looking back, he said quietly, “Fellow Daoist Luo, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Watching the soul gradually fade, Luo Chen parted his lips and said, “Fellow Daoist... may your journey be smooth.”

Li Jinhuang did not turn. He simply waved once before his form unraveled into curling wisps of blue smoke, floating toward the great beyond. Whether he would walk peacefully along the Yellow Spring Road[1], no one could say.

Luo Chen drew a deep breath and turned his eyes toward the direction Li Jinhuang had gazed in during his final moments. From afar, a figure was flying toward them with haste, as if afraid someone else might arrive first.

”Brother Li!” the man called out. ”Ah... Why so hasty, Brother Li? Your old friend didn’t even get a chance to see you off.”

The man was standing atop drifting white clouds, his hair and beard entirely white with age. He beat his chest dramatically, his expression filled with sorrow.

However, Luo Chen remained still, his gaze sharp and cold.

Sensing the chill in his eyes, the old man’s mournful expression twitched. He gave an awkward laugh and quickly dropped the act. ”You must be Little Brother Luo! I am Wei Tuo of Xuchen Mountain. Funny coincidence, isn’t it? The mountain and you share the same ‘chen’ part in your names. Truly, fate has brought us together!”

His face was all grins, and his tone oily and familiar. ”Also, Brother Li and I were close friends for years. A friend of a friend is a friend, just call me Brother Wei.”

Brother Wei? Luo Chen smiled without warmth. ”I wonder what guidance Fellow Daoist Wei has for me today?”

Wei Tuo waved his hands quickly.

”No, no, how could I have anything to teach you?” He gestured at the Li family disciples gathered below, who were watching them with anxious anticipation. “Brother Li passed... spectacularly, but he’s left behind this whole household, mouths to feed and backs to protect. I can’t in good conscience turn away from that. I may have missed the funeral, but I should help with the aftermath, don’t you think?”

He turned to Luo Chen, still smiling. “You’re busy managing the Luo Tian Society, Little Brother Luo. Surely you don’t have the time to care for the Li family, too. But I am a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with some strength to offer. Why not let me shoulder the burden for you?”

Luo Chen sneered, voice cold. “Fellow Daoist Wei, you worry too much. My Luo Tian Society is prosperous and well-staffed. I can easily spare one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators to stand guard here.”

Wei Tuo’s smile thinned, his lips stiffening into something colder. ”You don’t seriously think that killing a few insignificant juniors means Tianlan Immortal City has no more strength, do you?”

Luo Chen’s expression remained unreadable. ”Whether the city still has elites, I don’t know. What I do know is that after today, there will no longer be a ‘Wei Tuo of Xuchen Mountain.’”

Luo Chen slowly raised both hands.

Wei Tuo frowned. ”You refuse a toast and ask for punishment instead? A mere early-stage Foundation Establishment brat dares speak so shamelessly?”

With a flick of his wrist, a nine-ringed pewter staff appeared in his grasp.

Luo Chen cast a glance at the staff. An enchanted treasure? Yet he made no move to draw his own weapon. Instead, his hands rose into the air, then slammed downward without hesitation. A torrent of violent spirit power burst forth without the slightest concealment.

At that moment, Wei Tuo’s expression changed drastically. “No... that’s not right, you’re at the middle stage!”

The energy Luo Chen had concealed surged forth in an instant, rising from the third stage of Foundation Establishment to the fourth in a single breath. Yet it did not stop there. The spirit power pouring from him was vast and unending, like the tides of a boundless ocean. It no longer felt like the aura of a fourth-stage cultivator; it carried the oppressive depth of the sixth. The energy he radiated was terrifying, and the fear it inspired came not only from the shock caused by the revelation, but also from the crushing, suffocating weight that pressed down.

Warning signals exploded from the depths of Wei Tuo’s soul. The realization that something was wrong struck him, but he made no attempt to probe Luo Chen’s strength. Instead, he turned and fled without hesitation.

But it was already too late!

A crushing pressure, heavy as a mountain, slammed down on him. The weight pinned him in place, and a phantom peak loomed faintly above his head.

”Ah!”

Wei Tuo let out a furious roar and thrust his nine-ringed pewter staff upward. Spirit power erupted from the weapon, causing the phantom mountain to tremble faintly under the impact. The suppressive force momentarily loosened and he instinctively tried to flee from its range. But before he could do anything, the Qinhua River erupted. Furious waves surged up and crashed into him, forcing him to stagger backward. The pressure returned immediately, slowing his movements to a crawl.

The combined might of both forces held him completely immobilized. Panic surged in his chest as a golden bell appeared above his head. He turned and cried out, ”Fellow Daoist Luo, I’ll stay out of the Li family’s affairs. Why must you push me to death?!”

Luo Chen simply stared at him coldly, saying nothing. At some point, his hands had already come together.

All the preliminary spells had long since been completed. This wasn’t something that could be stopped on a whim. Besides, without a thunderous strike, how could he intimidate the world? Everything had already been decided the moment Wei Tuo tried to scavenge benefits.

Luo Chen was planning to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys; that much was obvious.[2] But the Hu brothers were not the chickens. Wei Tuo of Xuchen Mountain was.

1. In Chinese mythology, Huangquan (Yellow Springs) is an alternative name for the underworld. ☜

2. 杀鸡儆猴 (sha ji jing hou) conveys the idea of taking swift and harsh action against a minor figure or weak opponent to intimidate or deter stronger or more defiant adversaries. ☜