An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

At last, she revealed the true purpose of summoning Luo Chen. ”For the next twenty years, the management of Tianlan Immortal City will be passed to Ailao Mountain. Luo Chen, if you have matters to resolve during that time, you may seek out Fellow Daoist Fei.”

One simple sentence was enough to stir a storm within Luo Chen’s heart.

So they were changing the management? If that were true, then the Luo Tian Society’s greatest support would be more than halved. A faint realization came to him at that moment: Perhaps this was why Fairy Ruthless had chosen to appear so late. In the end, she had never placed real value on a minor force like the Luo Tian Society.

Now that Luo Chen was a guest elder of Ice Fortress, the sect clearly wished to draw him fully into their fold, unwilling to let him remain independent. To them, the Luo Tian Society was nothing more than a small faction that tied him down. It was a burden and an obstacle. Fairy Ruthless’s delayed intervention almost certainly carried the intent of Ice Fortress’s ruling figures.

Luo Chen steadied his thoughts and turned toward Fei Ming. ”Adept Fei, I will be troubling you often in the future.”

”Hehe, you are troubling me already,” Fei Ming replied with a smile, stroking his beard.

Luo Chen was momentarily taken aback.

Fairy Ruthless explained, ”Your recent actions have gone too far. We don’t care about slaughtering sects or wiping out families. But destroying mountains and blasting apart spirit veins runs directly against the city’s interests.”

The once-renowned Rolling Dragon Ridge had collapsed under Luo Chen’s Landslide, its mountain range crumbling as earth fire erupted. That large first-tier spirit vein could no longer be used for the foreseeable future. And the damage was not limited to Rolling Dragon Ridge; even at Changliu Gorge, parts of the terrain had been ruined.

The Golden Core sects did not concern themselves with the lives of cultivators from petty sects or families. One generation died, another rose to replace them. There were always countless rogue cultivators from other places gathering in Tianlan Immortal City to seek opportunities and resources. But the destruction of spirit veins was unacceptable. Back then, the Min family of Danxia Peak had overdrawn the spirit energy of Danxia Peak, provoking extreme displeasure from the Golden Core major sects. It had taken a full century for the land to recover to its former state. What Luo Chen had done now was even more excessive than the Min family’s actions a century earlier.

As his heart sank, Fei Ming waved a hand dismissively. ”Still, for the sake of the century-old Lightning Essence, I’ll deal with this matter.”

Luo Chen’s eyes brightened at once, and he immediately expressed his gratitude.

Fairy Ruthless then said, ”I came on behalf of Ice Fortress to hand over the city’s affairs to Fellow Daoist Fei. Once the matters are settled in a few days, you shall come with me to the Ice Fortress.”

”Go to the Ice Fortress?” Luo Chen frowned.

Fairy Ruthless nodded. ”Yes. You are, after all, our sect’s guest elder. Both the Supreme Elder and my senior sister, the sect leader, wish to meet you personally.”

So it has finally come to this!

Truthfully, Luo Chen did not wish to go to the Ice Fortress. Within Tianlan Immortal City, he still enjoyed a degree of autonomy. But once inside the walls of a great sect, that freedom would be gone. The only advantage such a sect could presently offer him lay in matters concerning Core Formation. Yet he already possessed four secret arts for forming a core. At the same time, he was only at the seventh stage of Foundation Establishment, still far from the Golden Core Realm. Thus, there was no need to rush.

Fairy Ruthless noticed his hesitation and said coolly, ”Could it be that you don’t wish to make this trip?”

Luo Chen sighed. ”It is not that I am unwilling. But right now, the Luo Tian Society lies in disarray, with countless dead and wounded within, and petty villains outside still coveting our fall. These people have walked with me all this way. To abandon them now... I truly cannot bring myself to do it.”

As he spoke, he rose from his seat and cupped his fists in a deep salute. ”I ask that you grant me a few years. Once I have restored the Luo Tian Society to its proper course, I will certainly go to the Ice Fortress.”

If this had been said earlier, Fairy Ruthless would surely have dismissed it outright. A swarm of ants was nothing worth her concern. But now that she had accepted his gift, she could not demand so sternly. But the matter of the sect....

”Young friend Luo Chen is truly loyal and righteous.” Fei Ming smiled faintly. ”I was there at the time and saw it clearly. That formation master was merely at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, yet he dared to draw his sword against that old fox Qin Tairan for his sake. It shows how deep their bond truly runs. Fellow Daoist Ruthless, in my view, it would not hurt to show some leniency.”

Hao Ranzi also chimed in. ”We Golden Core cultivators live for centuries. A few years is nothing at all. I believe even your sect’s Daoist Ice Torrent would understand.”

With both of them speaking up on his behalf, Fairy Ruthless had little more to say. Though her Dao title was ”Ruthless,” she was not devoid of reason. In the end, she agreed to Luo Chen’s request on the spot. Their conversation had nearly run its course.

Yet before leaving, Luo Chen suddenly made a request. ”Now that the two upper sects have withdrawn, could I perhaps borrow the vacant third-tier cave residence on Tianlan Peak?”

Fairy Ruthless showed no surprise at such boldness, but the other two were taken aback. For a mere Initiate to covet a third-tier cave residence was almost unthinkable.

Fairy Ruthless shook her head. ”The Sword Sect’s prestige still lingers. Apart from the Falling Cloud Sect, who among us would dare lay hands on their possessions? And without the proper methods, none of us could open that third-tier cave residence anyway.”

Luo Chen’s face revealed a flicker of disappointment at her answer. Ever since he had once cultivated in a weak third-tier spirit land at Green Pill Valley, he had never been able to forget the experience. Even though he could still settle for the top-grade second-tier cave, once one had tasted something better, who could ever be satisfied with less?

Hao Ranzi asked curiously, ”An Initiate shouldn’t be able to endure the density of a third-tier spirit land’s energy. What use would it be to you?”

Before Luo Chen could reply, someone else answered for him.

”That is not the case, not at all! In my view, young friend Luo Chen’s foundation is more solid than any I have ever seen. With a physique tempered to such extremes, I cannot say whether he could withstand the full intensity of a third-tier cave, but a weak third-tier spirit land would certainly pose no problem!” Fei Ming spoke with conviction, his gaze toward Luo Chen filled with admiration.

”Is that so?” Hao Ranzi sized up Luo Chen in astonishment.

The man’s frame was tall and robust, no longer the thin figure from before, but it had nothing terribly unusual. He had not expected Luo Chen to receive such high praise from Fei Ming.

Luo Chen himself had not expected Fei Ming’s perception to be so keen, piercing through his depths in an instant. Yet he had no intention of hiding it.

”I once cultivated for a year in a weak third-tier spirit land at Green Pill Valley,” Luo Chen explained calmly. ”During that time, my progress was seven or eight times faster. Even after so long, I still cannot forget the experience. Alas, the third-tier cave on Tianlan Peak now sits vacant, yet I cannot use it.”

His words carried an unmistakable note of regret. But a moment later, Hao Ranzi gave him a surprise.

”In some time, I will be exploring Bai Ye’s cave,” he said. ”My own cave residence will be empty during that period. Why not borrow it for your cultivation, young friend?”

Luo Chen’s eyes lit up, and he swallowed hard. ”Wouldn’t that be... inappropriate?”

Hao Ranzi laughed heartily. ”What could be inappropriate about it? You gave me a map and even one of these priceless Lightning Essences. I must repay you with favour in return. Don’t refuse, or I’ll feel it on my conscience.”

With the matter developed to such an extent, there was no way left for Luo Chen to decline. Any further attempt would only seem discourteous. Besides, Luo Chen was no fool. He immediately expressed his heartfelt gratitude and agreed on a day with Hao Ranzi. After that, he bid the three farewell and quickly departed Tianlan Peak.

Once he had left, Hao Ranzi sighed, his expression tinged with regret.

Fairy Ruthless asked in puzzlement, ”Fellow Daoist, do you favor Luo Chen so highly because of his alchemy?”

Fei Ming, seated nearby, also found it difficult to understand. The hundred-year Lightning Essence was certainly precious and useful, yet when offered by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was usually taken as nothing more than a respectful tribute. Why would Hao Ranzi go so far as to lend him a cave residence?

In the face of their doubts, Hao Ranzi shook his head. ”He is merely a second-tier alchemist. That may be of great use to your sects, but to me, a solitary man, it holds little weight. What stirs me is that this youth is a rare seed for cultivation, one particularly suited to the lineage of my Haoran Sect.”

”Uh...” Fairy Ruthless’s expression froze for a moment.

But before she could say something to protest, Hao Ranzi waved his hand. ”Rest assured, I have no intention of competing with you for him. Though his foundation is extraordinary, years of struggling within the cultivation world have left his Dao heart tainted with cunning. He no longer aligns with the legacy of my sect.”

Most cultivation techniques were judged only by the aptitude of one’s spirit roots. Yet some demanded consideration of temperament as well. A person of rigid character could never succeed with techniques requiring gentleness and subtlety. Likewise, the righteous way of the Haoran Sect could not be practiced by those whose hearts were clouded with endless scheming.

Had Luo Chen just transmigrated, he might have been able to learn the Haoran Sect’s core cultivation technique. But now, such a path was impossible. His heart had already grown pragmatic, hardened through countless calculations and self-interest.

Yet the matter was not so simple. Without that same scheming, he would never have forged the profound foundation that even Golden Core Adepts now admired. And without such a foundation, he would never have drawn Hao Ranzi’s notice in the first place. Every turn of fate had already been ordained by the heavens.

***

When Luo Chen left Tianlan Peak, he was unaware of what transpired afterward. The only thing he knew was that his earlier laughter and conversation with the three Golden Core cultivators had been nothing more than a show for the occasion. What awaited him now was the Luo Tian Society, left in ruins and scarred by war. The contrast was so stark that it was difficult to accept. It felt as though the brutal battle that had raged on Danxia Peak had been nothing but a fleeting dream.

However, when Luo Chen returned to Danxia Peak and saw the white mourning banners fluttering high above, he knew it had not been a dream. Some of the people he held dearest had truly left him forever.

”President, the spoils from this battle are immense. The resources are beyond imagination. Look...”

Luo Chen raised his hand and cut him off. Zhou Yuanli stopped the report on the duties he had been overseeing.

”Where is the director?” Luo Chen asked.

”She is currently meeting the Initiates who aided us, working to finalize future cooperation with them. After this battle, many business markets in Tianlan Immortal City have been left vacant. She believes the Luo Tian Society cannot take them all alone, so she intends to reach out to our allies.”

”Mm, I see.”

”Would you like to meet them, President? Some came especially to see you. For example, Kang Dongyue of Taishan Market had intended to leave, but he stayed here just to meet you.”

Luo Chen thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head. ”Not for now. I’ll head to the Medicine Palace first.”

Zhou Yuanli froze, then suddenly realized what he meant. The excitement he had felt from gathering the rich spoils of war dimmed at once.

The Luo Tian Society had survived and secured its position in the region around Tianlan Immortal City. They now stood just beneath the major sects, leaders among second-rate powers. Even when facing first-rate forces with Adepts among their ranks, they no longer needed to cower. Yet the price they had paid for this victory was far too steep.

Watching Luo Chen’s lonely figure as he walked away, Zhou Yuanli shook his head hard, and his gaze grew resolute once more.

The path to immortality was long, and some people were destined to fall behind for various reasons. Like his dearest friend Liu Qiang, who had fallen in battle, or Qin Liangchen, who had fallen behind in the path to Foundation Establishment because of his crippled body. Perhaps one day, even he himself would fall behind. But for now, the only thing he could do was carry out his duties. His grief could remain buried in his heart.

The battle had been a resounding victory. Sima Huiniang oversaw the grand strategy, while he managed the aftermath of the battle. It was only right to show the joy of triumph.

”We are the victors!” he declared.