An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

By this point, there was nothing more to discuss. The two of them returned to the grand hall, where the atmosphere had already changed completely. Luo Chen went back to sit beside Fei Ming and Fairy Ruthless, then let his gaze fall upon the main seat of the hall.

”Who is that?”

”Second Elder Cheng Yan, from the Falling Cloud Sect,” Fei Ming replied.

Upon hearing that answer, Luo Chen’s memory stirred, and information about Cheng Yan surfaced at once. Cheng Yan was one of the most renowned Adepts of the Falling Cloud Sect. Now at the ninth stage of the Golden Core Realm, he had stood firm among cultivators for close to five centuries! He was older than Sage Han Zhan and was even his senior brother of the same generation. Of course, Han Zhan had taken the lead by forming his Nascent Soul, while Cheng Yan no longer had a chance to do so. Thus, for many years, the sect’s major and minor affairs, including the Frontier War, had been handled by this Second Elder.

At this moment, everyone stopped talking and set their eyes on Cheng Yan. He showed not the slightest sign of unease and lifted his hand with calm ease. Twenty-six jade scrolls flew toward each table. Luo Chen caught his scroll and sent his divine consciousness into it.

A map? It’s... a troop distribution map!

He lifted his head sharply to look at the old man. Many others did the same.

Under everyone’s gaze, Cheng Yan was entirely unperturbed. He spoke slowly, ”As you can see, this is the troop distribution map of the wolf clans. It may not be perfectly accurate, but it’s reliable for the most part. During the construction of Moonbreak, the Falling Cloud Sect was not idle. Our disciples used puppet techniques and paid a great price to map out nearly eighty percent of the demon forces across the Howling Moon Mountain Range. In the coming battle, the Falling Cloud Sect will not drag matters out. We shall strike with full force, sweep through the entire Howling Moon Mountain Range, and establish a foundation for the human race.”

At this declaration, the crowd fell into astonished excitement. They had assumed the Falling Cloud Sect intended to advance slowly after building Moonbreak Immortal City. Yet clearly, the sect intended no such thing. This was well beyond many people’s expectations, including Skysail City.

”Besides the distribution of the demonic beasts, the maps also include the tiers of the spirit lands. Over the next month, review them carefully and submit a request to the Falling Cloud Sect for the area you intend to attack. One month from now, the entire force will move out.”

After saying this, Cheng Yan left the hall without a moment’s pause. Another Adept of the Falling Cloud Sect stepped forward to announce that the conference would continue and ordered sect disciples to bring spirit wine and fruits.

But who could still care about food or drink after such news? The Adepts who normally appeared aloof and untouchable were now talking over one another as noisily as a marketplace.

On Luo Chen’s left, Fei Ming studied his own jade scroll with keen interest. On his right, Fairy Ruthless remained unmoved. The nature of their investment here was different. Ailao Mountain was not joining the war to relocate their sect but merely to conduct business. They had brought just a few people. The Ice Fortress had done the same, but the reason was that they were focusing on the Great Snowy Mountains instead.

Only Luo Chen remained fully immersed in the jade scroll, unable to pull his divine consciousness away. The Howling Moon Mountain Range contained countless spirit lands of various sizes. There was one site with a fourth-tier spirit vein. That clearly would be the Falling Cloud Sect’s target. After that were the third-tier spirit vein sites, which were what most major sects sought.

There are seventeen in total, but only five are suitable for large sects. The rest are small ones that will only work for two or three Adepts. Setting aside the Ice Fortress, Ailao Mountain, Pearl-Returning Pavilion, and other sects not interested in new spirit lands... that leaves thirteen forces fighting over five spirit veins. Too many monks, too little porridge.

Luo Chen let out a sigh. He had somewhat expected such a scenario. In the Jade Cauldron Domain, the original seven sects had already divided the land too much. The territories claimed by Hundred Flowers Palace and Ailao Mountain were not large spirit veins either. In truth, there had only been five major ones. In fact, even the Ice Fortress’s spirit vein was not large either. It could only accommodate nine Adepts, and that was with them rotating. It fell far short of one residence per Adept.

What he had not expected was that despite the Howling Moon Mountain Range being far larger than the Jade Cauldron Domain, its sizable spirit lands numbered only six.

He felt a headache coming on. The Luo Tian Alliance was not particularly strong, and its highest-level cultivator was Diwu Qi, at the third stage of the Golden Core Realm. How were they supposed to compete?

He lifted his head and noticed Fei Ming staring toward Skysail City’s group. Master Huyan Zhuo’s expression had turned dark, and a chill was radiating from him that warned others to keep their distance.

”What is going on?” Luo Chen asked in confusion.

Fei Ming sent a quiet voice transmission. ”What else? If the Frontier War ends quickly, how will Skysail City earn anything? Tsk, no one knows what the Falling Cloud Sect is thinking. They are changing their plans so suddenly...”

Luo Chen frowned. He could not figure it out, and he did not intend to. He had enough of his own troubles for now. We have one month. I should head back and discuss things with them. We will need to choose carefully.

This exchange conference likely could not continue meaningfully. Luo Chen exchanged brief farewells with Fei Ming and Fairy Ruthless, then rose and left. As he stepped out, he happened to see Huyan Zhuo being led by an Adept from the Falling Cloud Sect into a side hall.

***

After returning to the cave residence, Luo Chen immediately sent out voice transmission talismans. Before long, Diwu Qi and the others appeared inside his cave residence.

”Take a look,” Luo Chen said.

Luo Chen wasted no time. He handed them the jade scroll and relayed the Falling Cloud Sect’s announcement from the meeting. After they finished reading, the group looked at one another in bewilderment.

”So what do we do?”

”Are we actually fighting others over this?”

”How are we supposed to compete? Those sects moving their entire foundations either have late-stage Adepts, or at least seven or eight Adepts. We only have five.”

”I wanted to make a real showing this time, but it seems our strength still falls short.”

”Why don’t we choose a smaller third-tier spirit vein instead?”

”Did you not read the markings? Even the largest of those only supports three Adepts cultivating at once. There are five of us. How would we divide it?”

”Don’t we still have the cave residence in Moonbreak?”

”We do, for a hundred years. Then it’s gone.”

”But by then, Fellow Daoist Cen... Ahem. I’m sorry, I misspoke.”

”Well, what can I say? I have barely a century left, that’s true. But I do need to plan for the future. I am not alone, and you aren’t either. We have families and sects behind us. Among the younger generation, one or two Adepts might emerge in time.”

”Exactly. We need to think long term!”

After a round of noisy discussion, they still reached no conclusion. Luo Chen waved his hand impatiently. ”Let’s revisit this. There is still a month.”

Fu Jiusheng agreed. ”Indeed. We still have plenty of time to decide. And it is not as if every sect will survive. In every previous Frontier War, there were casualties. Those who live to the end get to laugh at the end. Who knows, we might even pick up an opportunity after others fall.”

His reasoning was sound, yet few truly took it to heart. The number of human cultivators mobilised for this Frontier War far exceeded that of any previous campaign. In simple terms, the advantage lay overwhelmingly with their side. With such dominance, the war was expected to be little more than a clean sweep. How could there possibly be heavy losses?

With the immortal city built, attack targets allocated and spoils already being mentally divided, some people were even thinking ahead to the Great Snowy Mountains and Ancient Plains. With all this, the Howling Moon Mountain Range seemed like a cooked duck already laid before them. Who would not want a piece of the leg?

After everyone made a copy of the jade scroll and departed, the cave residence fell into silence.

By that point, night had already deepened. Luo Chen pushed down his irritation, steadied himself, and began taking pills to cultivate. As for choosing which territory to attack and which land to claim, he planned to spend the coming month gathering information and observing the intentions of other forces first. Besides, if Cloud Crane’s Dao Companion truly intended to strike the Great Snowy Mountains, that would draw away part of the forces. The situation might not be as dire as it seemed.

***

The next day, before Luo Chen could even set out to seek news from friends, someone arrived at his door. The moment he saw the visitor, his eyes brightened instantly.

”Fellow Daoist Meng!”

Meng Changshou stood at the entrance with a cheerful laugh. ”You look like you were about to head out. It seems I picked the wrong time.”

Luo Chen let out a hearty laugh. ”No, you came at exactly the right time.”

Why ask others for intelligence when he could rely on Meng Changshou’s connections? The man was famous, and many cultivators sought his favour. If Luo Chen cultivated a good relationship with him, a few simple questions might reveal all the information he needed. As for how to build that relationship, the answer was simple enough: cater to his interests!

”Actually, I just so happened to encounter some difficulties in alchemy recently,” Luo Chen said. ”Fellow Daoist Meng, since you’re visiting, may I impose on you for a bit of guidance?”

Meng Changshou let out a hearty laugh. ”I dare not claim I can guide you. Let us exchange insights and improve together.”

With that, he stroked his beard and strolled into the cave residence.