An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

This young woman was none other than Kang Xianqiong, the granddaughter of Kang Dongyue and the current head of the family. They had not seen each other for many years, and her cultivation had not advanced much. She was only at the third stage of Foundation Establishment. But she had become steady and composed, and her conduct and bearing left little to be criticized.

Luo Chen waved his hand. ”There is no issue. This spirit land exists here due to that third-tier cypress spirit tree, so it is only suitable for five Initiates at most. Our Luo Tian Sect usually keeps three stationed here. If your Kang family settles here in full, you will even be able to support us in several matters.”

Cypress Mountain had originally been the ancestral land of the Bai family, the former rulers of Glowing Stream Market. The infrastructure on it was in perfect condition. The Kang family had set their sights on this territory a long time ago. When the Luo Tian Society had made its move back then and seized the land, the Kang family had also contributed.

Having the Kang family move over now would not only bolster the Luo Tian Sect’s manpower but would also give them an opportunity to draw a bit closer to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. The reason Song Mi had refrained from taking action earlier was not only out of regard for Luo Chen’s reputation, but also because he was wary of the Kang family’s connections in the Sword Sect. He knew very well that among the family’s young generation, one dual-spirit-root genius had become a disciple of the Sword Sect.

Kang Xianqiong’s expression eased after receiving Luo Chen’s assurance. This peer of hers had already been ahead of her back when she was still in the Qi Refinement Realm. By the time she had finally managed to reach Foundation Establishment, he had gone even further. Now he stood as an Adept whom she could only look up to from afar. That was precisely why she spoke with such caution now.

”But I will still need to trouble your grandfather tomorrow,” Luo Chen said suddenly.

Kang Xianqiong hesitated and asked, ”For Splendid Wing Mountain?”

Luo Chen nodded lightly. Song Mi of the Heavenly Blade Sect was not someone so easily brushed aside. Even if he refrained from pressuring the Luo Tian Sect out of respect for Dan Chenzi, the sect still had genuine interests to pursue. If the Luo Tian Sect refused to yield Cypress Mountain, there would inevitably be an irreconcilable conflict. To resolve this, Luo Chen decided to divert the disaster elsewhere.

”I cannot give you Cypress Mountain, but there happens to be another second-tier spirit land you might find to your liking. As far as I know, aside from Crimson Toad Mountain, which the Kang and Huo families once shared, Splendid Wing Mountain is also home to a small second-tier spirit vein.”

***

At Taishan Market, on Splendid Wing Mountain, the main hall of the Yu family was brightly lit even in the depths of the night. Dressed in palatial robes, the young matron Yu Rou paced anxiously back and forth across the hall, releasing her spirit consciousness from time to time to probe the outside. Suddenly, a radiant smile appeared on her face.

”Fellow Daoists, you have finally arrived!”

As she spoke, two figures arrived together under the cover of night. The powerful auras of late-stage Initiates were evident. Under their pressure, Yu Rou, who was a mid-stage Initiate, seemed somewhat weaker. Yet as the host, she still had her own confidence to stand on.

”It is quite late. May we know why you summoned us here, Fellow Daoist Yu?”

”Could it be that you wish to go back on the cooperation we agreed on?”

Yu Rou’s expression tightened under their probing gazes. She quickly shook her head and said, ”Our three families have agreed to work together and use the Frontier War to conduct business. I can only be delighted. How could I possibly go back on our agreement?”

The two grand cultivators from different forces could not help but show satisfied smiles. The front-line business was currently monopolized by upper sects and major sects. It had not been easy for them to pick Taishan Market, which lay relatively close to their own territories. If anything went wrong now, it would bode ill for them.

While they were still smiling in relief, Yu Rou spoke with a grave expression, ”The reason I called you here this time is another matter. An Adept has arrived in Taishan Market.”

The moment those words left her lips, the expressions of the two men changed at once.

”Who is it? Just passing through or...”

Yu Rou did not answer those questions. She only spoke in a worried tone, ”Ordinary Adepts go straight to Moon-Piercing Immortal City. They do not go out of their way to linger in Taishan Market. Since this one has stopped here, I fear there’s some other purpose.”

What purpose? To go after the spirit land of Splendid Wing Mountain?

One of the cultivators hesitated and said, ”With the holy land edict in place, an Adept should not dare to openly strike at us.”

Yu Rou sighed. ”The problem never lies in the many things that might happen, only in the one that actually does. The Frontier War has already begun, and that edict applied only during the fifty-year preparation period. If that person’s force is not among the twenty-seven sects on the list, and they choose to cast aside their reputation and bully the weak, then I fear Splendid Wing Mountain...”

Her words carried significant weight and caused the two cultivators to plunge into silence. They were from ordinary cultivation families and merely hoped to turn a profit while the Frontier War unfolded. Who among them would willingly pit themselves against an Adept?

The other man finally spoke in a low voice, ”We can only take one step at a time. Perhaps this person has no ill intentions.”

”We can only hope so,” Yu Rou murmured with another sigh.

***

However, her hopes were destined to be destroyed. On the very next day, someone uninvited appeared at Splendid Wing Mountain. It was not the Adept, but the Yu family’s ”dear” neighbor, the Kang family.

Around late morning, Yu Rou stood on the back of her Verdant Feather Whitehawk, staring in alarm and doubt at the aged figure outside the mountain. She shouted, ”Fellow Daoist Kang, you have brought people to surround Splendid Wing Mountain. What is the meaning of this?”

Kang Dongyue replied in a mild tone, ”Vacate Splendid Wing Mountain. This land now belongs to my family.”

Yu Rou let out a furious laugh. ”Your Crimson Toad Mountain has been ruined, so you set your sights on my Splendid Wing Mountain instead. That is shameless beyond measure!”

Kang Dongyue did not say a word.

Yu Rou forced herself to calm down and said solemnly, ”Splendid Wing Mountain no longer belongs to my Yu family alone. Besides us, there are two other families with late-stage Initiates. Kang Dongyue, you had better think very carefully before you act.”

As she spoke, two figures emerged from within the mountain and came to stand at Yu Rou’s side. They were her two business partners, both of whom grand cultivators.

Kang Dongyue’s eyelids twitched, yet his expression remained calm. With a sweep of his hand, several powerful auras suddenly flared up among the hundreds of Kang family cultivators. A single glance showed at least ten of them, and among those, two auras stood out as belonging to late-stage Initiates.

The sight made Yu Rou’s eyelids twitch wildly. Since when had the Kang family possessed so many Initiates, and even some at the late stage?

For no clear reason, the image of the Adept who had arrived at Taishan Market the previous day surfaced in her mind.

No... That’s definitely it. These reinforcements have definitely been provided by that man. He doesn’t want to give others grounds to accuse him of bullying the weak, so he used someone else’s hand and let Kang Dongyue stick his head out first.

She pressed her lips together, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

The two grand cultivators beside her remained relatively calm and secretly sent her a voice transmission. ”Since that Adept has chosen not to make an appearance, it seems that there’s no danger on that side. Together, we have eight Initiates, and that Verdant Feather Whitehawk of yours is no weaker than a grand cultivator. With Splendid Wing Mountain’s protective formation backing us up, even if a conflict breaks out, the advantage will still lie with us.”

They clearly had no intention of giving up Splendid Wing Mountain. Yu Rou’s mouth went dry. Were they really going to fight it out?

But before she could say anything, startled cries erupted from the cultivators. Everyone turned toward the sound. From the distant sky, a colossal flying boat was gliding toward them like a fiery dragon. It appeared to move slowly, yet its speed was astonishing. The moment it was spotted, it had been still thousands of li away, but in the blink of an eye, it was already hovering over Taishan Market. Under the vast shadow it cast, everyone was so stunned that they did not even dare to breathe.

Every cultivator there knew that a flying boat of this scale had to be at least a low-grade enchanted treasure. In other words, there was an Adept aboard.

The crowd looked up as one. The flying boat’s decks were lined with cultivators, and banners hung high along its sides. A warm, gentle voice drifted down. ”Fellow Daoist Yu Rou, I trust you have been well.”

The voice was unfamiliar, yet inexplicably carried a trace of familiarity. Under countless curious gazes, Yu Rou desperately searched through her memories for that elusive sense of recognition. Then she saw a pair of deep and faintly glowing eyes on the flying boat settle upon her.

She stared at the tall figure and blurted out, ”Luo Chen!”

A wave of astonished murmurs swept through Taishan Market. Even in this remote corner, everyone had heard of this man—the most renowned figure in the Jade Cauldron Domain over the past century. The man whose battle prowess was said to be peerless, who had been ranked first in combat strength in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and whose Core Formation had been celebrated by five upper sects!

But why had he suddenly appeared in Taishan Market, and what did he intend? His familiar tone made many assume he was here to support Yu Rou. Everyone had heard it for themselves; the two seemed to be on good terms, and Yu Rou had even dared to call him by name.

Yet all those guesses evaporated when Yu Rou’s expression kept shifting and she finally said in a strained voice, ”Greetings, Senior Dan Chenzi.”