An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 615: Ten Suns Across the Sky; The Roc’s True Form; Slay the Old Dog, Annihilate the Flame Alliance (II)

”Fellow Daoist, thank you for the warning. I will remember this kindness.” Fei Ming swallowed hard as he came back to himself, still shaken.

As he gazed at the storm of thunder and lightning twisting through the void like dragons and serpents, he could not help but ask, ”But if I would’ve died, do you think Qin Tairan is still alive?”

Fairy Ruthless furrowed her brow. ”By reason, at such close range, survival should be impossible. But don’t forget that Qin Tairan is the Flame Alliance’s Law Enforcement Elder. Though his cultivation is not the highest, his battle power is formidable. More importantly, he refined his Taiyang Furnace day and night from its embryonic stage, and it has both great offense and great defense. Even when you and I joined hands, we couldn’t break it.”

Could Qin Tairan survive? At that moment, his fate weighed heavily on every heart—all except one.

Inside Incense Burning Valley, Luo Chen half-knelt upon the ground, his protective Qi Armor shattered across his body. His head rose sharply, and his black eyes seethed with killing intent. He did not know if the enemy still lived. At such close range, the Lightning Immortal Pearl should have killed him outright. Yet the abilities of an Adept were not something he dared to estimate casually.

Therefore, Luo Chen beat his wings and forced his battered body into the skies, enduring the grievous wounds left by the Lightning Immortal Pearl’s blast. His massive claw thrust toward the heart of the thundercloud. The claw tore through cloud and mist, seizing something within.

Sky-Seizing Divine Claw!

Clang!

The clash of metal rang out suddenly. Luo Chen’s face twisted with ferocity. ”Old dog, I knew you wouldn’t die so easily!”

He withdrew his claw, then struck again!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With strike after strike, the thundercloud finally dispersed, and the Taiyang Furnace shattered into fragments that rained down upon the earth.

Qin Tairan was pale and drenched in blood as he formed hand seals, his flying sword moving ceaselessly to block Luo Chen’s assault. Each clash drove another mouthful of blood from his lips. The destruction of his life-bound enchanted treasure, tied to his very soul, had inflicted wounds beyond imagination. He had never been in such danger in his entire life.

Strike while he is weak and end his life! Luo Chen clenched his teeth and pressed on. His own condition was far from good, but this battle had to be decided, and it could only be decided by death.

The wings on his back flapped violently. In the next instant, a storm surged beneath him, and his figure swept across Incense Burning Valley with blistering speed. His hands turned to claws, raking the air again and again. Each strike carried the force of a third-tier demonic beast. Yet even on the verge of collapse, Qin Tairan somehow managed to block them all.

All at once, Luo Chen appeared on the ground. His arms wrapped around a massive stone pillar that towered a hundred zhang high.

”Rise for me!”

The valley shook with a deafening rumble.

Before the eyes of all, the massive pillar was torn free by his raw strength. Luo Chen clutched onto the pillar with a savage expression. Without another word, he swung it down at the reeling Qin Tairan.

Facing the blow, Qin Tairan gripped his flying sword in both hands. Tremendous mana surged into the weapon, and the blade swelled larger and larger. In the blink of an eye, a giant sword had formed, descending in a cleaving strike to meet the attack.

Crack, crack, crack...

The giant sword swept through the air, shattering the massive stone pillar cun by cun. But just as the pillar had broken halfway, a giant claw thrust out again. It seemed to reach across ten thousand li as it seized Qin Tairan’s body in its grasp.

Luo Chen snarled fiercely, his voice like thunder. ”Old dog, meet your death!”

He tightened his grip to crush him, yet the tremendous force was still not enough. A red barrier shimmered and trembled between them, blocking the strike.

Qin Tairan stared miserably at the scene as blood kept spilling from his lips. He looked around and met countless gazes in the void. Indeed, they looked as if they were watching a dying dog struggle. At that moment, in his heart, he understood the truth. He had lost the battle, and he had lost the war. Everything was lost.

Yet even in despair, Qin Tairan hissed, ”If I die, you are going to hell with me!”

Suddenly, the red barrier vanished at once. The giant claw snapped shut at once, and Qin Tairan’s body was crushed to dust. However, Luo Chen had no time to rejoice. Before his eyes, a Golden Core shot forth at unimaginable speed and slammed into him.

Boom!

That single strike dealt Luo Chen a crushing blow. His massive frame could not dodge, and the blow hurled him straight into the depths of Incense Burning Valley.

A gigantic black pit appeared before all. The sudden turn of events left all stunned. Yet even as silence fell, the Golden Core spun away into the distance. Fei Ming’s face darkened, and he shouted, ”Qin Tairan is not dead yet. Intercept that Golden Core!”

As he spoke, he flew straight after Qin Tairan’s core. Fairy Ruthless hesitated for a moment, then shouted sharply, ”Everyone, annihilate the Flame Alliance disciples. Do not let a single one escape!”

With that, she sped toward Incense Burning Valley. She could feel Luo Chen’s aura weakening. A final strike from an Adept was not something easily endured. But as she moved, another figure shot past her, streaking toward the valley even faster.

”Damn it! Damn it! That is mine!”

Fairy Ruthless frowned and immediately sent her flying sword at the figure. The figure turned its hand and swept its sleeve, scattering out a blanket of fiery light.

”Wench, stay out of my way!”

Fairy Ruthless’s face darkened. She moved again, and this time, she did not rely on her flying sword alone; two talismans also appeared in her hand.

She shouted, ”Xuyang, you little twerp, you are looking for death!”

Her words struck Adept Xuyang like a pail of cold water. The realization jolted his soul—he had just cursed Fairy Ruthless to her face! A fourth-stage Adept! He snapped to his senses, cast one reluctant glance into the depths of the pit, then gritted his teeth and flew off.

Fairy Ruthless activated the talismans in her hand, sending two ice dragons tearing through the air in pursuit of Adept Xuyang. If she followed, she could certainly kill him. Yet her steps halted before she moved forward.

I need to save that boy first.Otherwise, I will have no way to explain myself to Senior Sister after returning. Besides, that brat Xuyang cannot escape.

She swept her gaze around. Sure enough, countless onlookers were already swarming toward the valley like locusts. Several Adepts among them moved with frightening speed. Some went to cut off Xuyang, others to besiege Elder Wang.

Even worse, two Adepts descended together above the valley, their voices booming with authority. ”This third-tier spirit vein now belongs to our Stormwind Manor!”

Fairy Ruthless had already landed. She glanced back and let out a cold snort. Her eyes fell on the Qifeng Sect of the Fenghua Domain and the Yu family of the Medicine King Domain.

When did those two forces join together, and when did they grow bold enough to come scavenging in the Jade Cauldron Domain?

Such matters were rather concerning, but at the moment, Fairy Ruthless had no time to concern herself with them. She leapt into the chasm. Her figure dropped rapidly, and before long, her feet touched the ground as she looked ahead into the depths of the valley.

The sight revealed towering pillars on every side, with streams of flame surging back from all directions. At the center, a figure sat cross-legged. At his feet, a formation was activated at full power. It resembled the Blazing Fire Grand Formation she had seen earlier, yet seemed to be somewhat different.

A frown touched Fairy Ruthless’s brow as realization struck. The man was not Luo Chen, but she recalled that he was a subordinate of Luo Chen, a formation master named Min Longyu. But if he was here... then where was Luo Chen?

She stirred her divine consciousness and at once discovered a great pit before Min Longyu. Inside, Luo Chen lay flat on the ground, drenched in blood. An azure flame enveloped him completely, while fiery streams from every direction converged ceaselessly upon him. It was clear that he had not fallen unconscious. Instead, he was straining with all his strength, activating a secret art to refine something within his body.

Fairy Ruthless’s expression changed drastically. ”Are you people such reckless idiots? Do you not value your lives?”

At her sharp rebuke, Min Longyu’s heart trembled, yet he still said, ”Adept Ruthless, the President said that you would never stand by and watch him die.”

Fairy Ruthless pressed her lips together, suppressing the fury rising in her chest. She shot Min Longyu a cold glance before she stepped to the edge of the fiery pit. Her gaze fell upon Luo Chen, who sprawled there with closed eyes, silent and enduring bitterly.

”I believed you came only in a brute’s rage for revenge,” she said coldly. ”I never imagined that you’d dare to scheme like this, much less against me. If not for the decree of my sect’s Supreme Elder, even if you died before my eyes today, I would not have lifted a finger.”

As the words left her mouth, a talisman appeared suddenly in her hand.

Unlike ordinary talismans that held offensive or defensive spells, the Divine Ice Talisman was an advanced creation made from the Divine Ice Jade produced only by the Ice Fortress. Its power was formidable, capable of calming the mind and steadying the spirit. Within the Ice Fortress, only Fairy Ruthless and the Supreme Elder, Fairy Ice Torrent, possessed the ability to create such a talisman.

The moment it appeared, it flew forth and affixed itself to Luo Chen’s forehead. Fairy Ruthless then raised her slender hand, summoning an ice coffin before her. The lid opened wide, and with a pull of her mana, Luo Chen’s semiconscious body was gently drawn into the ice coffin. Only at that moment did the blazing azure flame surrounding him begin to dim.

Seeing this, Min Longyu let out a long sigh of relief. He deactivated the formation and picked up the disc, then rose to his feet and bowed deeply to Fairy Ruthless. ”Thank you for rescuing my President from grave danger.”

”Hmph!” Fairy Ruthless gave a cold snort, lifted the ice coffin with her mana, and turned to leave at once. ”Go back! Luo Chen will come with me to the Ice Fortress, and he will not return anytime soon.”