An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Above the ninth mountain, dark clouds churned and scattered, casting a murky pall that seemed to shroud a thousand li of land in gloom. Silver lightning slithered across the heavens like serpents, followed by thunderclaps that shook the air in violent bursts.

The deeper one ventured into the mountain, the more frequent the thunderstorms became. They struck without warning, and even Initiates would suffer grievous injuries if caught unprepared. Should anyone be unfortunate enough to wander into one of those vast and unending tempests, no matter how formidable they were, death would be inevitable. Perhaps only an Adept could barely endure the fury of such storms, and even at the Golden Core Realm, survival was uncertain.

After all, this was the might of heaven and earth! Even if it wasn’t deliberately aimed at cultivators who had drawn power into themselves, the sheer force of it was not something any ordinary cultivator could afford to take lightly. It was hard to imagine what kind of destruction the heavens might unleash during the Nascent Soul lightning tribulation. The power of lightning born from such a storm was nothing like ordinary lightning. Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators alike would die upon contact!

Whoosh!

Midway up the mountainside, howls echoed through the cliffs as fierce winds sent loose stones tumbling through the air.

A lone figure came to a halt, and the spirit wings on his back slowly folded away.

As the swirling mists parted, his face came into view. His features were sharp and handsome, but his lips were tightly pressed together, his sword-like brows were knitted, and his starry eyes radiated a lingering chill.

”Blood Devil...” Luo Chen muttered under his breath. ”Pseudo–Golden Core... No wonder not a single Initiate has survived an encounter with him. His enchanted treasures excelled in both offense and defense, and he even possessed the Blood Escape for accelerated flight; his capabilities were nearly flawless. If I hadn’t kept my distance from the start by laying down Vine Bind, Earth Summit, and Thousandfold Peaks to restrain and suppress him, and then Solar Flare through the Mystic Flame Sword... I likely wouldn’t have hurt him in the slightest.”

He let out a long, heavy breath. To an outside observer, it might have seemed like he had the upper hand throughout the fight, pressing the opponent from beginning to end, but that had all been an illusion. In truth, the Blood Devil’s techniques, and items were not at all inferior to his own. And because of that, the gap in cultivation created a chasm that was nearly impossible to cross.

Had they fought head-on, without retreat or traps, then even if Luo Chen had unleashed every trump card he possessed, he would not have lasted more than a few hundred exchanges before being utterly crushed. His only advantage lay in his superior speed.

Even in that final escape, he had used no more than seventy percent of his full speed. In other words, if he had wished to avoid battle altogether, he could have widened the distance from the very beginning and easily shaken the Blood Devil from his trail.

But doing so would mean a pursuer would always be lingering behind him, like a festering parasite clinging to the bone[1], utterly revolting!

That was why Luo Chen had set layer upon layer of killing traps, attempting to heavily wound his enemy. Although killing him would have been best, if that failed, at least striking fear would suffice. Unfortunately, the enemy had that red silk defensive enchanted treasure in his possession, and because of it, Luo Chen failed to achieve his objective.

Still, he murmured to himself, ”He probably won’t dare chase me again.”

As he stood on that ledge halfway up the mountain, Luo Chen narrowed his eyes and looked back at the path he’d come. Due to environmental constraints, his spirit consciousness couldn’t probe very far, but Spirit Eyes had no such restriction. Even if the terrain and trees obscured the view, he could still estimate a general direction.

Before long, Luo Chen caught a faint trace of movement. Within the dense forest, a streak of light skimmed the ground, gradually moving away from the ninth mountain. Only then did Luo Chen release a quiet breath of relief. He did not fear the opponent, but attracting such a troublesome enemy without reason was never wise. After all, he still had far more important matters to handle.

Still, he frowned slightly. ”Come to think of it, who exactly is that man? His appearance, voice, and even height and build, are all disguised. He might be a rogue cultivator avoiding attention, but at the same time, he carries the air of a True Inheritor from a major sect. Ordinary rogue cultivators could never reach Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment, let alone step into the Pseudo-Golden Core Realm. Anyone who achieves such strength would be well known throughout the Jade Cauldron Domain. But if he truly belonged to a major sect, he would be targeting a single enemy, not provoking everyone indiscriminately. Could it be a deliberate misdirection?”

Luo Chen replayed the battle in his mind, analyzing every method his opponent had revealed. Yet no matter how carefully he examined it, nothing added up. The man had not used any signature methods, and both his flying sword and enchanted treasures were unremarkable. None offered even the faintest clue to his identity. The only distinctive thing was that crimson silk defensive treasure. Yet Luo Chen had never heard of such a treasure before.

Right... During my continuous assaults earlier, he revealed a flaw. If not for the sudden thunderstorm, I could have at least wounded him. If that red silk treasure had been refined by a cultivator for over a hundred years, there is no way such a flaw would appear. Which means he likely hasn’t owned it for long.

Just as that thought emerged, Luo Chen fell silent. Even with this clue, the man’s true identity remained elusive.

He shook his head and took out a top-grade Ascending Dragon Pill, placing it between his lips. Then, drawing his sword orb, he carved a small cave into the mountainside to rest. Yet as soon as he stepped inside, he frowned and retreated.

It turned out that the mountain itself brimmed with a formidable amount of lightning power, making it unsuitable for peaceful cultivation. With a sigh, Luo Chen retrieved a formation from his storage pouch, activated it to conceal his aura, and sat cross-legged upon a rocky platform halfway up the slope.

His spirit power reserves were truly immense, no weaker than those of any late-stage Initiate. He even dared to face a Pseudo-Adept head-on. But that didn’t mean he would charge recklessly up the ninth mountain. He needed to maintain peak condition at all times; only then could he face any threat without fear.

Time flowed slowly. Since he was absorbing the energy of a pill rather than drawing in ambient spirit energy, the process was fairly quick.

Within one single incense stick’s worth of time, Luo Chen opened his eyes in satisfaction. Though that short duration wasn’t enough to fully refine all the potent medicinal strength of the Ascending Dragon Pill, he had at least managed to absorb most of it. As he continued to open more acupoints, his physique grew stronger and stronger; he could now refine two top-grade pills per day, which in effect boosted his cultivation speed. If word of this got out, it would certainly shock many cultivators.

An ordinary Initiate would need at least a day or two to refine a single second-tier low-grade pill. For a top-grade one, three to five days was the norm, and that was without factoring in the leftover pill toxins, which required additional time to purge. Meanwhile, for Luo Chen, these were hardly issues at all. He was an alchemist with a profound understanding of how to rapidly absorb the spirit energy contained in pills, and with the Clear Origin Mystical Pill, an excellent detoxification method, he had completely eliminated the hidden danger of pill poisoning.

No wonder Green Pill Valley had once produced more Initiates than any other sect in the Jade Cauldron Domain. With their alchemy standards, even if most disciples weren’t as efficient as Luo Chen, reaching sixty or seventy percent of his level was enough to produce a formidable army of Initiates.

Luo Chen let out a satisfied sigh, but then, his heart suddenly stirred. He reached toward his waist and took out a jade token that flickered with light. He knew exactly what that meant.

”He’s near!”

Luo Chen’s eyes lit up as he put away the formation and leapt into the deeper regions of the ninth mountain.

***

In a secluded valley, two figures stood facing one another upon opposite ridges, their gazes fixed intently on the valley below.

Within it, lightning flashed and thunder roared, as though a storm had descended from the heavens. Yet a closer look revealed that it was no natural storm. It was a hastily constructed second-tier formation, surging with raging elemental power.

Inside the formation, two more figures could be seen. One sat cross-legged at the center, formation flags flickering through his hands as he controlled the flow of the formation. The other moved like a blur, charging at the formation’s edge again and again. Each strike of his palms sent waves of force reverberating through it.

Now and then, occasional bolts of lightning struck down, but were swept away by the immense blood qi encircling his body. From the looks of it, the formation couldn’t hold him much longer.

Withered Toad’s expression darkened. ”His mastery of Physique Refinement is terrifying. When I first met him, he had only just reached Perfected Mastery in Dark Force. Yet after all these months of pursuit, he’s now mastered the Transforming Force. Even Fellow Daoist Yang’s Lightning Prison can’t suppress him!”

He could see it clearly. Every time the formation summoned lightning chains to bind Wang Yuan, the blood qi coiling around him would dissolve them with ease. Even though they had tricked him into the formation, they still couldn’t do anything about him for the time being. In fact, the man continued crashing against the formation with unrelenting force.

Transforming Force was the second stage of Physique Refinement. It was equivalent to the eighth stage of Foundation Establishment in Qi Refinement. Since this man cultivated both Qi Refinement and Physique Refinement, his power was not to be taken lightly!

Suddenly, an anxious voice came from within the formation. It was Yang Wei.

”He is no mindless brute. He seems to understand the formation’s principles and is heading straight for the core! Fellow Daoist Withered Toad and Fellow Daoist Yan Leizi, hurry into the formation and assist me!”

Even before the echo faded, a guttural roar thundered from within the formation, like the combined bellow of a bull and the snarl of a tiger. Wang Yuan’s figure began to grow rapidly. From a height of seven chi, he grew past one zhang, then two. Within two breaths, he towered more than three zhang tall. Blood qi surged madly around him, his muscles bulging like sculpted bronze, every fiber of his body radiated terrifying power. Bulging veins coiled across his body like writhing horned dragons, and each breath he took stirred violent gusts. With a sweep of his palm, he tore apart whole swathes of lightning chains conjured by the formation. Now transformed into a towering giant, he strode directly toward Yang Wei, who hovered cross-legged at the heart of the formation.

Rumble...

The grand formation was becoming unstable! Withered Toad’s expression changed drastically. Across from him, a young man clad in red-and-black battle robes watched with bright, gleaming eyes.

”Let me go deal with him,” Yan Leizi said eagerly.

”Wait, Fellow Daoist Yan Leizi!” Withered Toad called out quickly.

Yan Leizi looked at him in confusion. Withered Toad took a deep breath and pointed to the sky.

Yan Leizi suddenly understood and said, ”Very well. I’ll stay out here. If a thunderstorm forms, I’ll handle it. But... are you sure you can take him?”

Withered Toad’s face twisted into a vicious grin. ”I’m at the seventh stage of Foundation Establishment, and so is Fellow Daoist Yang. And with this Lightning Prison Grand Formation built around the terrain of Trapping Hollow Valley... If all that can’t suppress him, then what vengeance do I have left to claim?”

Yan Leizi raised a brow but said nothing more. Withered Toad took another deep breath as spirit power surged throughout his body. A jade ruler appeared in his hand. With a single leap, Withered Toad entered the grand formation.

Moments later, the valley erupted with the roar of wind and thunder. Within the formation, a jade ruler gleaming with radiant white light began to expand, growing larger and larger until it spanned tens of zhang, like a massive stone gate crashing down again and again toward the equally colossal Wang Yuan.

Watching from outside, Yan Leizi couldn’t help but beam with excitement. He was both impressed by Wang Yuan’s terrifying Physique Refinement cultivation and in awe of the hidden trump cards wielded by grand cultivators like Withered Toad and Yang Wei. Had it not been for the unique conditions of the Jilei Nine Mountains, Yan Leizi, who was merely at the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment, wouldn’t even have the right to stand alongside them.

But that wouldn’t last. Once this battle concluded, he would use the merit points he had earned to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment upon returning to his sect. When that time came, his cultivation would face no more bottlenecks. With his father’s support, he might even contend for the position of Dao Scion of the Flame Alliance!

Right now, I’m already your equal, and soon... I will surpass you all, Yan Leizi thought.

As his gaze remained fixed upon the formation and the raging clash within, anticipation burned in his chest. He saw every moment with perfect clarity.

With Withered Toad inside distracting the target, Yang Wei finally relaxed in his role controlling the formation. More lightning chains emerged from the sky above, descending to bind Wang Yuan. At present, three chains had already pierced through Wang Yuan’s legs and abdomen. Once seven chains struck home, the Seven Lightning Restraints would activate, fully locking him down. By then, Wang Yuan would have no choice but to surrender and await execution!

Formations really are terrifying.With proper preparation, suppressing your peers is effortless. Even killing someone stronger than you is not impossible at all... Yan Leizi recalled a past battle and clicked his tongue in frustration. If only Yang Wei had been with us back then, Lei Zhenzi would never have disrupted us. I wouldn’t have been forced into such a pathetic retreat, nearly dying beneath the Fivefold Thunderfall Formation.

Just as he was marveling at the clash within the formation, a faint unease stirred within Yan Leizi’s heart. He swept his gaze around, but the surroundings were utterly still. He looked up and saw dark clouds churned overhead, yet no thunderstorm had formed.

The Trapping Hollow Valley was a unique region in the ninth mountain. It was perpetually shrouded in dense cloud cover stretching for a hundred li, yet actual thunderstorms were rare. So where did this oppressive feeling come from?

Yan Leizi furrowed his brow. His sharp eyes scanned in all directions with urgency.

”Who’s there? Show yourself!” he barked.

His voice echoed across the valley, but no reply came. The silence that followed only deepened the suffocating sense of danger pressing against his chest. Suddenly, he glanced down and saw a small pebble inexplicably roll across the ground.

”Hm?”

As he frowned in confusion, the ground trembled violently. Stones began to rattle everywhere. As the tremors intensified, boulders broke loose from the cliffs on both sides, crashing down into the valley.

”An earthquake?”

Yan Leizi was caught between shock and doubt. He turned his gaze toward the heart of Trapping Hollow Valley. The quake was altering the very shape of the land. Mountains crumbled, terrain shifted, and earth energy surged and flowed in new directions.

That meant Yang Wei’s Lightning Prison Grand Formation would inevitably be affected. And if Wang Yuan escaped now, with his overwhelming strength... the three of them wouldn’t be able to hold him back.

”No,” he muttered with his jaw almost clenched. ”We have to end this quickly. I have to enter the formation and join Withered Toad to take down Wang Yuan!”

He had just taken a step forward when a hearty laugh echoed from beyond the mountain.

”Fellow Daoist, stay your step!”

Yan Leizi snapped his head around. A man in crimson cloud-patterned Daoist robes strode forth from the void. He dragged a long sword behind him, with crimson energy pulsing from its tip. The waves of power it was generating rippled across the surroundings. It felt as though that sword alone was tugging at the entire heavens and earth!

With each of his approaching steps, the ground’s trembling grew stronger. A faint yet overwhelming sense of dread slowly descended.

1. 附骨之疽 (fu gu ji zhu) is an ancient medical idiom referring to a malignant ulcer or tumor inside a bone, persistent and hard to remove. It is metaphorically used to describe a lurking, insidious threat. ☜