An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

A single month was nothing; it passed by in the blink of an eye.

As Luo Chen exhaled a long breath, flecks of golden light dispersed into the air. It felt as though a massive mountain had been lifted off his chest, and his entire body relaxed at once. It had been a while since he’d last felt such relief!

”The demonic energy of the damn Wolf King is finally gone!”

Luo Chen subconsciously pressed a hand to his chest. As his mana circulated, there was no longer the slightest obstruction.

As it turned out, that Golden Wolf King was a Blazegold Wolf, a rare yet famous variety of demonic wolf. Among the wolf clans, they were known for their intelligence. Yet this particular Blazegold Wolf was rather odd—it had focused on strengthening its physique rather than its soul or demonic power, and it had achieved remarkable results.

”Hmm, so that’s what that Grayleaf Wolf was talking about... It seems Defiant Howl is a pure Blazegold Wolf as well. After reaching the fourth tier and transforming, it awakened the so-called Heavenly Wolf bloodline and inherited an ancient legacy. As for those three sons of his, they were clearly born of different mothers, and that’s why they look different and fight differently.”

As per the intelligence Luo Chen had recently acquired, the second son, the Black Wolf King, had tremendous demonic power and could unleash powerful legacy abilities. As for the youngest, the Gray Wolf King, despite not having the Blazegold bloodline, he possessed extraordinary intelligence and his divine soul was particularly strong, which had earned him Defiant Howl’s particular favor. It was his howls that had disrupted the battlefield—soundwave attacks that struck the divine soul directly!

”But now that I think about it, the intelligence gathered by the Falling Cloud Sect is still somewhat flawed. The Golden Wolf King is nothing like the reckless brute he appears to be. He may have been focusing on his body, but his demonic power is just as overwhelming.”

Luo Chen could not help but sigh. Fortunately, the level of the Withering-Flourishing Fire he had refined was high enough to suppress the demonic energy injected by the Golden Wolf King. Otherwise, considering his grievous internal and external injuries, there was no way Luo Chen would have survived.

Thankfully, he had been able to stabilize his condition before the damage became permanent.

Then, with the help of the Spirit Dissolving Solution and the Dragon-Slaying Art, the Golden Wolf King’s demonic power was completely eradicated. Together with Sea Stabilizing Pills to steady his turbulent sea of qi and Meridian Replenishing Pills to nourish his meridians, his internal injuries were finally resolved.

Moreover, throughout the long process of treatment, his proficiency with the fourth-tier Dragon-Slaying Art had increased substantially. He had now reached the Proficient level and was not far from Perfection. He even gained an achievement point, which could be considered an unexpected bonus!

With his internal troubles resolved, Luo Chen could now devote himself fully to treating the rest of his external injuries.

He carefully examined his condition. He had indeed recovered a great deal, but for the time being, he still could not assume the Sky Roc True Form. Once more, he was made aware of a flaw in his Physique Refinement method. The body forged through Myriad Path Convergence was indeed powerful and unyielding, but excessive rigidity invited fracture. Against weaker opponents, this body was an overwhelming, crushing force. Yet against stronger ones, its rigidity became a burden rather than an advantage.

To address this flaw, Luo Chen had two options. The first was to go along Wang Yuan’s Physique Refinement path and gain an understanding of blood qi transformations. By combining external and internal refinement, he could temper rigidity with flexibility and allow his body to absorb and dissipate the immense forces produced during extreme clashes. The second option was to rely on the Withering Flourishing Fire to devour vast amounts of life force and grant his rigid physique an even more terrifying regenerative power.

Both paths were simple enough, but ”simple” and ”easy” were not the same thing. Putting either of them into practice was another matter entirely. The former demanded immense time and effort, along with exceptional aptitude. The latter required an immense amount of life force—in other words, a massive number of demonic beasts. Of course, any being with sufficiently strong life force would do, and that naturally included human cultivators, but Luo Chen wouldn’t stoop to that.

”Well, no point dwelling on this for now. Recovering properly comes first.”

Luo Chen reached into his storage ring and took out a black jar. More than half of the Black Sovereign Paste remained inside. Over the past month or so, he had repeatedly employed Organ Realignment, Bone Mending, and other healing arts, and thanks to them, he had been able to bring his body back into shape.

As a result, he could absorb the Black Sovereign Paste at a much faster rate, and it would not be long before his physique fully recovered. By now, he had realized that Han Zheng had been entirely truthful: This secret medicine of the Falling Cloud Sect offered exceptional support for Physique Refinement. When used in a wounded state, its effects were even more pronounced. It even gave rise to a dangerous thought—maybe completely shattering his body and rebuilding it might allow him to step onto an even higher level...

”Nope, no way! That’s a slippery slope!”

Luo Chen shook his head sharply and forcibly cast that thought aside. Rather than taking such a risk, it would be better to find a way to trade with the Falling Cloud Sect for more Black Sovereign Paste in the future. Gradual absorption was bound to yield good results.

***

”Xu Haizhen, why are you here?”

”The news of the night battle at Thousand Leaf Peak has already spread throughout Moonbreak,” Xu Haizhen replied. ”After that battle, the Falling Cloud Sect collected a large number of demonic beast corpses but couldn’t process them all in time, which worked to our advantage. Since I lead with our demonic beast trade division, it makes sense for me to be here. On top of that, news of your deeds has been circulating everywhere. The sect leader grew concerned for your safety, so she sent me personally.”

He tilted his head and looked at Luo Chen somewhat strangely. ”Supreme Elder... you’re fine, right?”

Luo Chen shook his head and smiled. ”I’ve made everyone worry for nothing. It was just a flesh wound. Nothing serious.”

At this, Xu Haizhen’s expression relaxed. ”That’s good. That’s good... Anyway, the Luo Tian Alliance was worried that you might lack manpower, so they sent over another group of Initiates.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Chen waved his hand. ”There’s no need. When you return, take them back with you.”

Xu Haizhen looked puzzled. Hence, Luo Chen explained, ”This battle cost the Luo Tian Alliance dearly. The Sword Enforcer Hall won’t be assigning us any missions for the time being. It’s better for them to work on our spirit lands. That’s what truly matters right now.”

Understanding dawned on Xu Haizhen, and he nodded.

”By the way, when you return, take Wan Ting and Zeng Yilong back with you as well.”

As he said this, a trace of gloom surfaced on Luo Chen’s face. He had set out with ten people, yet only two would return. That loss weighed heavily on his heart. But while he blamed himself, others did not necessarily see it the same way. At the very least, Xu Haizhen believed that, under the circumstances, for Luo Chen to achieve such results was already miraculous. How could anyone reasonably ask for more?

After exchanging a few more words, Xu Haizhen prepared to take his leave and let Luo Chen finish recovering. But before departing, he presented a letter.

”It is written personally by the sect leader. She specifically instructed me to deliver it to you myself.”

”A letter from Huiniang?” Luo Chen murmured as he accepted the envelope. Indeed, it said ”To My Husband.”

My Dear,

It has already been a year since we parted at the Snow Wolf Plateau. Separated by vast distances, I have passed the days in quiet longing, my thoughts drifting endlessly toward you. Feelings cannot be measured by the passing of days and nights.

When you departed, the sect was entangled in endless affairs. After a year of steady effort, we have finally seen results. Together with our allies from Ailao Mountain, we undertook large-scale construction. We have moved three mountains, dredged two rivers, and raised twelve halls. We have room for our previous Nine Halls, one Main Hall for you, and two additional ones for mundane affairs...

***

The first half of the letter, beyond expressing her longing, focused primarily on the changes within Luo Tian Sect and the situation inside the alliance. Diwu Qi had honored the promise he made before Luo Chen’s departure and had not caused any trouble. Meanwhile, the Cen family had abandoned their previous aggressive approach and were now steadily nurturing their new generation. This was presumably because Cen Qiusheng had gained seventy additional years of lifespan, leaving him unhurried and far more composed in handling family affairs. As for the Myriad Phenomena Sect, there were quite a few disturbances. A large number of Qi Refinement disciples had already defected or secretly aligned themselves with the Luo Tian Sect, seeking to change their allegiance.

For all these matters, Sima Huiniang had already laid out corresponding countermeasures. Luo Chen read on with quiet satisfaction. He knew that although he had gained some understanding of sect operations and management and was no longer as lost as he had been in the beginning, he still felt far short of Sima Huiniang, whose experience after all these decades was simply outstanding. In just a single year, she had already sorted out the Luo Tian Sect’s internal affairs in the Howling Moon Mountain Range. At the same time, she had also established closer cooperative relationships with several other forces.

With his mind at ease, Luo Chen continued reading.

When I first heard of your name resounding across Thousand Leaf Peak, my heart was filled with joy. Only later did I learn that you had been grievously injured and stood on the brink of death. Caiyi also sent multiple urgent messages; she was just as worried about you as I was.

I have always believed that when a man of stature walks the world, grudges should not be allowed to take root too deeply, nor should debts of gratitude be repaid beyond measure. As for the matter of the Falling Cloud Sect, it is enough that you have done your utmost. Why must you push yourself so far as to stake your very life? To act within one’s limits is the proper path!

Well, I am far from the scene and ignorant of the full circumstances. If my words are misplaced, I ask for your forgiveness. I hope that you can take care of yourself and return safely. The Luo Tian Sect cannot go a single day without you. Likewise, Caiyi and I cannot endure this world without you.

I await your return.

Yours sincerely,

Huiniang

Luo Chen’s arms dropped by his sides, and he fell briefly silent. After a long moment, he shook his head, heaved a deep sigh, and smiled faintly. ”As expected of the main wife. She is doing everything perfectly, and she even has the heart to mention Caiyi all along.”

As for the contents of the letter, he did not dwell on it further. Or rather, even before reading this letter, he had already thought everything through.

What Sima Huiniang said was indeed correct. Some matters only required acting within one’s limits, with no need to seek the spotlight. For instance, in the previous battle, there had been far better ways to handle it. Using his extreme speed to draw two early-stage Wolf Kings away from the main battlefield would have been the optimal solution. Once he was in a secluded place, whether to kill or retreat would have been entirely at his discretion, and none of what had followed would have happened. As for the Falling Cloud Sect being slaughtered by the wolf pack, what did that have to do with him?

In the end, it was only because he remembered the favor from Qu Xibai during his Core Formation, when Qu Xibai opened Tianlan’s grand formation to aid him, that he wanted to contribute a little more on the battlefield. Now, Qu Xibai was dead and gone. Meanwhile, Luo Chen had paid his debt of gratitude ten times over.

As for what came from now? He would certainly follow the carpenter’s rule: think thrice, measure twice, and cut once. He had to consider things much better before acting.

Luo Chen carefully and reverently folded the letter and placed it in his storage ring. He planned to enter seclusion to completely recover from his injuries.

However, this plan was temporarily interrupted as Zeng Yilong came knocking.