An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Adept Xuyang let out a sigh. ”It is better to be cautious.”

Qin Tairan frowned. ”Then what do you suggest we do?”

”First, have Martial Nephew Xiao act as sect leader and recall all disciples scattered across our various holdings. In this time of crisis, unity is needed more than ever. This could even be an opportunity to rekindle the younger generation’s faith in the sect. Second, let Junior Brother Wang rebuild the formations of Incense Burning Valley. Even if the mountain-guarding formation cannot be restored, at least a temporary third-tier defensive formation must be set up. Lastly, I think you will still need to make another trip to the Sword Sect.”

Qin Tairan’s expression soured. ”The first two are fine, but as for the Sword Sect, I see no reason to go there again.”

As he spoke, his expression darkened; it was clear that his previous encounter with Adept Yaoguang had been far from pleasant.

”Senior Brother!” Adept Xuyang’s voice grew firm.

Qin Tairan waved a hand with reluctant resignation. ”Alright, fine. I will make another trip to Jade Emperor Mountain. Do not trouble yourself with worry. Focus on your recovery.”

With that, he prepared to leave the cavern. As he reached the central pit surrounded by stone pillars, his steps came to a halt. ”This Withering-Flourishing Fire has been nurtured by the Incense Spirit-Seizing Formation for so many years, yet it has never advanced to the fourth tier. Instead, it has consumed the lifespans of many of our Adepts. What use is it now? It would be better to destroy it.”

As he spoke, he gathered power into his palm, ready to strike.

”Senior Brother, you must not!” Adept Xuyang’s voice stopped him.

Qin Tairan turned his head.

Adept Xuyang shook his head solemnly. ”This is the Grand Elder’s legacy. It still holds great value. How can you destroy it so easily?”

Qin Tairan curled his lip, but as he recalled that the Withering-Flourishing Fire occasionally produced rare Withering-Flourishing True Fiend over the years, he let go of the idea.

After he departed, Adept Xuyang gazed through the ring of stone pillars at the dark green flame within the pit.

”Fourth tier?” he murmured. ”Senior Brother, after all these years, your judgment is still as poor as ever.”

He exhaled a long, soft breath. The breath drifted into the pit, merging with the green fire and seemingly forming a link between him and the fire.

***

Time moved forward slowly, or maybe with incredible speed. For some, each passing day slipped by in the blink of an eye. But for the cultivators of the Flame Alliance, every moment dragged on with suffocating weight.

At some point, more and more rogue cultivators began to appear outside Incense Burning Valley, watching and probing from the shadows. Within Skyfire Immortal City, unfamiliar faces grew increasingly common, and all of them were searching for information about the Flame Alliance’s situation.

What was more, Flame Alliance disciples often sensed the divine consciousness of Adepts sweeping brazenly across Incense Burning Valley. The spirit pressure unique to high-tier cultivators pressed down unbearably.

By then, Qin Tairan had already returned from his visit to the Sword Sect—a meeting that had ended in yet another bitter failure. He had bluntly told Yaoguang that the Sword Sect’s refusal to aid them would chill the hearts of their allies.

Yaoguang had only smiled, unmoved by the accusation. In the end, he merely offered a vague assurance that the Sword Sect would ”weigh matters in its own way.”

What weighing of matters? What talk of ”upper sect struggles” and being ”unfit to intervene”? They were all excuses.

Qin Tairan returned with his anger boiling over. Whenever a divine consciousness swept across Incense Burning Valley, he would rush out in a fury, shouting his rage into the sky. Such a loss of composure was truly shocking!

When Fei Ming, a Golden Core elder from Ailao Mountain, stepped within a hundred li of Incense Burning Valley, everyone finally understood the source of Qin Tairan’s fear. The Flame Alliance’s great enemy had arrived!

***

”Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.”

Inside the cavern beneath Incense Burning Valley, three Adepts and the current Alliance Leader, Xiao Lian, had gathered together. Each of them wore a deeply troubled expression.

For days, an increasing number of cultivators had been circling near the Flame Alliance’s territory. Among them were powerful divine consciousnesses sweeping the area, their presence sending chills through the hearts of those within.

At first, Qin Tairan and the others had paid little attention to it. But as time passed, they realized these divine consciousnesses did not come from a single person. Careful observation revealed no fewer than ten distinct energy signatures.

That could mean only one thing: there were ten Adepts lurking around!

The memory of what had happened the last time so many had gathered at Incense Burning Valley remained fresh and bitter in everyone’s minds. Could history be about to repeat itself?

Among the four present, Xiao Lian had only reached Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment and was the lowest in both age and seniority. Despite holding the title of leader, he spoke with great deference before the three Golden Core elders.

With fear in his voice, he asked, ”Elder Qin, Elder Wang, Martial Uncle Xuyang, what should we do now? With so many gathering outside, will they really attack our gates?”

Seeing his panic, Elder Wang barked, ”What are you panicking for?”

Qin Tairan glared at Xiao Lian. ”If soldiers come, we will block them. If floods rise, we will hold them back. They are not united, and most of them are fence-sitters who sway with the wind. What is there to fear?”

Xuyang sighed. ”Senior Brother, is the Sword Sect truly unwilling to act?”

It would have been better not to mention them at all. The moment the Sword Sect was brought up, Qin Tairan’s expression darkened. ”They claim the five-hundred-year alliance pact prevents them from interfering in conflicts between major sects. To hell with that pact! When they went after Green Pill Valley before, I didn’t see them hesitate in the slightest!”

Xuyang frowned. ”That time, they could excuse it as the Falling Cloud Sect’s doing. This time, they truly have no pretext to step in. What I do not understand is why they’re dismissing us so casually. Without our Flame Alliance, who will refine their sword orbs?”

Elder Wang hesitated before speaking up. ”Actually, I’ve heard rumors that the Sword Sect has spent years trying to restore the lost method of forging sword orbs. Could it be that they have succeeded?”

Had they succeeded? Perhaps they had. Only that explanation could account for the Sword Sect abandoning the Flame Alliance like this. The alliance was no longer of any use to them, and no sect would willingly allow something so vital to remain in the hands of outsiders. If that was the case, the Flame Alliance had truly become nothing more than a discarded pawn.

Seeing the others’ troubled faces, Elder Wang ventured, ”What if we disband?”

At those words, Qin Tairan erupted in fury. ”Never speak of this again!”

Elder Wang replied helplessly, ”The Flame Alliance was never a proper lineage sect. If we disband and scatter, no one will chase us. Later, once each of us has grown strong again, we can reunite and revive the Flame Alliance. What harm is there in that?”

”You—” Qin Tairan’s beard bristled, his eyes bulged, and his finger shook as he pointed at Elder Wang.

Xiao Lian also weighed in. ”Disband? That seems rather excessive.”

Though he feared the future, he could not bear to give up the sect leader’s seat he had only just gained.

Xuyang raised a hand to calm Qin Tairan’s fury. He took a deep breath and said, ”The enemy has not yet attacked. How can we scatter before the battle is joined? For now, the only enemy is Fei Ming of Ailao Mountain.”

”They say it’s just him, but who knows if he’s allied with other Adepts from elsewhere?” Elder Wang muttered.

Xuyang shook his head and spoke solemnly. ”We have already recalled all the disciples we could. Our vassals may waver, but they can still be compelled to act. If we manage to invite the aid of one or two Golden Core allies, this calamity might yet be overcome. I will say it again: if we stand together and endure this trial, the Flame Alliance will rise from its ashes.”

Qin Tairan could not help but praise him. ”Junior Brother, your vision is the clearest!”

Elder Wang’s expression softened slightly. Indeed, if they achieved all that Xuyang suggested, then even if Ailao Mountain allied with several Golden Core cultivators, they might not prevail against the Flame Alliance.

”In that case, let us give our strength to the Flame Alliance once more,” Xuyang said. ”Senior Brother Qin, the vassals are yours to handle. Elder Wang, the task of contacting Golden Core allies falls to you. Martial Nephew Xiao, the disciples of the sect are yours to command.”

All three nodded in agreement. Before leaving, Xiao Lian turned a curious gaze toward Xuyang. ”Martial Uncle, what about you?”

Xuyang offered a faint smile. ”My injuries are nearly healed. When the battle begins... I will fight.”

The words brought Xiao Lian a measure of relief. Perhaps the situation was not yet as dire as it seemed.

Yet when the rumored month finally arrived, the sight awaiting them outside Incense Burning Valley shattered that fragile hope.

Xiao Lian’s heart plunged into despair as his gaze swept over the countless enemies surrounding them. ”That old dog Fei Ming...How could he possibly gather so many allies? Even if Ailao Mountain emptied its nest, it could never amass such numbers!”

Just as despair overtook him, a furious roar rang in his ears.

”What are you waiting for? Activate the Blazing Fire Grand Formation!”

The shout jolted Xiao Lian to his senses, and he immediately issued the order. The next moment, the ground beneath Incense Burning Valley trembled as twenty stone pillars burst upward, piercing the surface and rising into the sky. Waves of fire erupted like blossoms of fireworks, and amid the fiery spectacle, a crimson barrier surged outward, enveloping the entire valley. Flames roiled and incense smoke coiled across its surface, radiating a force that seemed capable of melting everything in its path.

Qin Tairan soared into the air, his glare sweeping across the battlefield before settling on a single figure. The crowd of cultivators gathered to watch instinctively followed his gaze, their eyes landing on an elder who led dozens of Initiates. It was Fei Ming, the Golden Core elder of Ailao Mountain.

”Fei Ming, you defeated wretch! You dare provoke me again? Do you have a death wish?”

”Old dog, today is the day you die!” Fei Ming retorted without backing down.

In his heart, he cursed. I’m not even the one in charge. Why is everyone staring at me?

Drawing a deep breath, he bellowed, ”Dan Chenzi! You are the one who called everyone here. Why do you hide in the shadows and refuse to show yourself?”

A wave of confusion swept through the gathered cultivators.

Isn’t the Flame Alliance’s enemy Ailao Mountain? Dan Chenzi? Hold on... That sounds familiar. Isn’t that the name of that famous alchemist? How did he become the Flame Alliance’s greatest enemy and why is he rallying so many forces here?

Even as doubt and speculation spread among the crowd, a strong, resonant voice drifted through the air.

”It isn’t that I was hiding,” Luo Chen said, ”but rather that you grew too impatient and revealed yourself too soon.”

He stepped forward and declared, ”Luo Chen is here!”

At first, the voice was slow and distant, but as it drew closer, it rolled like thunder, surging like a tide. It did not sound like a voice amplified by spirit energy, but more like the roar of a savage beast born of the primeval mountains, unleashed through the sheer power of its body. Wherever the voice passed, thunder exploded in its wake, and an endless tide of killing intent surged forth, filling the skies.