An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

A black palm projection struck his abdomen, launching him into the air. As he retreated again and again, a streak of light burst from the earth, and a masked man withdrew his hand in regret.

”What a pity. Your perception is far too sharp. I was just a step short.”

Linghu Jie’s calm voice followed. ”It does not matter. Hundred Loss, since you forced it out, you have achieved great merit. The five of us will kill him.”

Across the battlefield, bloody winds and rain raged as shouts of slaughter shook the heavens. On the peak of the small mountain, the five Adepts led by Linghu Jie surrounded the Gray Wolf King. Yet upon the massive wolf’s face, there was no anger. Instead, a faint trace of smug satisfaction appeared. ”You think you caught me by surprise? No! It is you guys who have fallen into a trap!”

At these words, Linghu Jie shuddered and turned to look toward the massive warship hovering behind them. At that very moment, five powerful streams of demonic energy surged out from the Defiant Howl Wolf Court and rushed straight toward the Skysail Warship. It was immediately clear that they were all late-stage third-tier demonic beasts, and moreover, not one of them belonged to the wolf race! There was a fierce eagle, a gigantic python, a savage tiger, a pouncing leopard, and even a great flood dragon!

At the outer edge of the battlefield, Luo Chen watched this scene, and his heart tightened. Storm Eagle, Armored Python, Ferocious Tiger, Black Cloud Leopard, and Cold Flood Dragon! Each of them belonged to demonic beast races infamous for ferocity and brutality, and they were all late-stage Demon Kings! How could ordinary Adepts possibly fight them off?

I knew it. The Skysail Warship carries far too much strategic weight and is far too conspicuous. It’s bound to become the primary target. Staying aboard it is not truly safe.

Even as relief crossed his mind, worry followed close behind. The Skysail Warship was formidable, but it could not withstand five great Demon Kings joining forces. Once the warship was destroyed, the five Demon Kings would only need to turn their attention elsewhere and run rampant across the battlefield. At that point, the scales of victory would tip once more.

On the other side, Linghu Jie shouted angrily, ”You actually broke the rules and borrowed the power from other wild mountain ranges?”

The Gray Wolf King was equally furious. ”You bastard, it was you humans who broke the agreement first! The human-demon pact clearly states that it’s one sect per domain, and they must all rely on their own strength. Over these past several thousand years, you have crossed the boundaries again and again, with multiple upper sects jointly attacking us. This time, you even mobilized nine upper sects. And you dare to accuse us of breaking the goddamn rules?”

Faced with this sharp retort, Linghu Jie immediately reined in his anger and shook his head disdainfully. ”Words are useless. We are merely contending for resources; that’s just how things are.”

”Then let us fight. All five of you may come at once. What do I have to fear?”

With that, a great battle erupted. However, it was already clear that neither the Gray Wolf King nor the other Wolf Kings would determine the outcome of the war. The true key lay with the Skysail Warship.

As the five great Demon Kings closed within a hundred li and were about to unleash their attacks, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from the lower deck of the Skysail Warship.

”You wild beasts dare to run rampant here? Let’s see if you can cross the threshold of my Star Moon Temple!”

A figure like a radiant moon rose from within the warship. As mana surged, pure white moonlight scattered through the air. At this sight, someone cried out in shock, ”It’s the Moon Divine Envoy!”

Everyone was overjoyed. The Star Moon Temple was a top-tier major sect, but although it was called a temple, it had no abbot. Instead, the leaders were the Twin Divine Envoys of Moon and Stars. These two were both late-stage Adepts, each possessing profoundly mysterious secret arts. It was rumored that during the Jade Emperor Sword Debate of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, Adept Yaoguang had privately debated the Dao with a visiting guest and lost—and that guest had been precisely this Moon Divine Envoy.

Now that the Envoy appeared, it proved that the Falling Cloud Sect had made preparations in advance, and the preparations were not limited to this. A moment later, seven more powerful auras shot skyward!

They were the Scuffy Daoist of the Fish Dragon Gang; the Supreme Elder of Dreamspring Cave; the Supreme Elder of the Blazing Sun Sect; the master of the Lotus Sect; Chu Baihong, the founding ancestor of the White Arc Sect; Ethereal Rivers, the deputy master of Pearl-Returning Pavilion; finally, a late-stage Adept that seemed to be a scholar and was unfamiliar to almost everyone on the battlefield.

Among these seven, the weakest was Chu Baihong, yet even he was at the fifth stage. As for the Scuffy Daoist, his cultivation was at the eighth stage. But the most striking of all was the scholar. The cultivation he revealed was vast like a blazing sun. His mana was upright and harmonious, dignified and majestic. He stood at the ninth stage, infinitely close to Perfected Mastery. Including the Moon Divine Envoy who had appeared earlier, this made eight Golden Core powerhouses! With eight against five, the advantage lay once more with the human side.

At this sight, the five great Demon Kings from beyond the region were shaken to the core, and the ferocity they had displayed upon arrival vanished completely. With no one giving orders, the five actually... turned around in tacit unison and fled in separate directions!

The more imposing they had been when they arrived, the more miserable they appeared in retreat.

Of the eight Adepts, seven gave chase at once. Only the Confucian scholar remained aboard the Skysail Warship, his expression solemn as he gazed down at the battlefield below. When his gaze fell upon the figure at the edge of the battlefield, he gave a friendly nod.

Luo Chen smiled and returned the gesture. In his heart, he thought, Even Hao Ranzi has joined the battle!

Indeed, it was precisely Hao Ranzi—the Golden Core retainer of Tianlan Immortal City and the sole surviving heir of the defunct Haoran Sect. For centuries, he had remained stationed in Tianlan Immortal City, leaving only once when Bai Ye’s pocket world appeared.

Now it seemed his cultivation had advanced further and was infinitely close to Perfected Mastery. His purpose in joining the war to aid the Falling Cloud Sect was easy to guess—most likely, the Falling Cloud Sect had promised that once he reached Perfected Mastery, he could use the fourth-tier spirit veins of the Howling Moon Mountain Range to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Luo Chen shook his head and cast aside these thoughts. He glanced at Zeng Yilong, who had already slain the second-tier demonic wolf Luo Chen had selected and was now locked in a battle with another one. Although danger surrounded him at every turn, he only grew braver as the fight continued, and he was showing no sign of fatigue.

With the appearance of top-tier experts from the major sects, the human cultivators secured an overwhelming advantage. This dominance was visible both at the higher and the lower levels of cultivation. On the main battlefield, the demonic wolf army collapsed step by step. One Wolf King even fled toward the edge of the battlefield while being pursued by two Adepts. Unfortunately, its path led it straight toward Luo Chen.

Luo Chen simply shrugged. ”Since you are already here, don’t bother trying to leave.”

He extended his hand and struck out with a palm. A colossal palm imprint crashed down from above. Beneath layers of azure radiance, a terrifying force of suppression descended and enveloped the third-tier Demon King. Its body stiffened just as two attacks were launched in tacit coordination from behind its back.

The Demon King was instantly beheaded and its demon core was taken. A moment later, two figures came to a halt before Luo Chen.

”Fellow Daoist Luo, you truly have impressive abilities. With a single strike, you rendered a mid-stage Demon King completely helpless,” commented a petite woman with delicate features.

Luo Chen smiled faintly. ”I merely benefited from your efforts. Without your pursuit, how could it have been so flustered? I could not have suppressed it so easily otherwise.”

The woman was Jadewater Dragon, the heavenly-spirit-root cultivator from Dreamspring Cave. As for the other individual, she introduced him as a Golden Core elder of Dreamspring Cave.

Jadewater Dragon smiled lightly as her gaze drifted toward Zeng Yilong, who was locked in fierce combat below.

”Hm? That young man’s combat style and transformation remind me of Wang Yuan,” she said.

Luo Chen laughed. ”You have sharp eyes. Little Long is indeed Wang Yuan’s personal disciple.”

Jadewater Dragon glanced a few more times in surprise. The Luo Tian Sect is truly strange. Do all of them practice physique cultivation? Wang Yuan does it, Luo Chen does it, and now it seems that even the younger disciples choose this path. Do they not know that the Physique Refinement path has long declined and there’s hardly any way to advance in it now?

The three conversed in this relaxed manner, as if they were not standing on a battlefield but seated at a banquet, raising cups and chatting at ease. That unhurried bearing itself revealed the truth of the situation.

The outcome had already been decided! With the top experts of the major sects entering the fray, the situation changed at once. Coupled with strategic weapons like the Skysail Warship and the Falling Cloud Sect’s puppet army, the combined strength now far exceeded that of the Defiant Howl Wolf Court. The balance tipped completely. Even after calling in external reinforcements, the Defiant Howl Wolf Court remained utterly outmatched.

As Luo Chen’s gaze swept across the battlefield, he saw the Scuffy Daoist returning with a massive tiger head in his hand. He also saw the Supreme Elder of Dreamspring Cave exerting all his strength amid the rolling mountain ridges, attempting to capture the Cold Flood Dragon alive.

In the distance, a streak of golden light fled frantically, chased by Wei Wuya of Skyscraper Cliff, who was laughing out loudly. Under the successive talismans suppressing him, the Black Wolf King suffered as Jin Buque unleashed metal-element spells that severed limbs and shattered bones continuously. The demonic techniques the Wolf King relied upon paled in comparison to the Five Elements Divine Sect’s spells, especially with the Divine Talisman Sect’s interference.

As for the Gray Wolf King that specialized in divine soul attacks, it had already gone completely mad and continuously unleashed soundwave assaults. As a result, no low-tier cultivator dared to approach within a hundred li. Judging by its state, defeat was only moments away.

Jadewater Dragon was also observing the battle situation. She could not help but comment, ”I never expected the final battle to be this easy and ending so quickly. I originally thought it would last at least ten days or so.”

The companion beside her also sighed. ”Nine upper sects and eighteen major sects jointly launched a Frontier War. In the entire history of frontier wars in the Eastern Wilderness, this is something almost unheard of. If not for the Defiant Howl Wolf Court producing a formidable leader who unified the wolf clans and continuously drew reinforcements from the rear, we would not have even needed the last ten years to take down the Howling Moon Mountain Range. Today’s battle on the Heavenly Drum Plains is the true manifestation of our strength.”

Jadewater Dragon nodded, her gaze falling upon the contemplative Luo Chen as she smiled. ”Fellow Daoist Luo, the third-tier spirit vein your Luo Tian Sect has taken is not far from Seven Kings Mountain, where our Dreamspring Cave is located. We will be neighbors from now on.”

Luo Chen smiled, but his expression was somewhat strained. Jadewater Dragon asked with curiosity, ”Fellow Daoist, are you worried about something?”

Luo Chen said quietly, ”At the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Realms, cultivators may guard a single region. We Adepts can even dictate the flow of a battlefield. But to truly decide the fate of an entire domain, that still depends on the methods of the Sages.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the two of them froze for a moment. Jadewater Dragon said uncertainly, ”Are you saying Defiant Howl might intervene?”

Her companion shook his head. ”I don’t think so. According to precedent, Demon Emperors and human Sages do not usually fight to the death. Most of the time, the outcome of the fight below decides which side a domain belongs to.”

Such a precedent did exist. Once cultivators reached the Nascent Soul Realm, their primary goal became Divine Transformation. Gains and losses over a piece of land were worth fighting for if possible, but never at the cost of one’s life.

Yet Luo Chen did not share that view. Clearly, an organization like the Defiant Howl Wolf Court was an anomaly among the otherwise scattered demon clans. For the Wolf Emperor to reach its position, it must have received support from other powerful figures within the wild mountains. To claim that Defiant Howl would willingly retreat did not align with his character. He was wild and unpredictable, yet at the same time, it was clear that his wisdom and strategy skill far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators.

As Luo Chen weighed these thoughts, the Gray Wolf King on the small mountain below was drenched in blood. His voice had grown hoarse, and he could barely muster any sounds, let alone soundwave attacks.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed from his mouth. Gathering his final surge of demonic energy, he roared hoarsely toward the depths of the mountains, ”AWOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOOOOO!!!” (Father, is our Wolf Court truly going to fall here?)

The meaning of the shrill wolf howl was a mystery to everyone save for a few Adepts. However, Luo Chen had taken some time to research this while in seclusion, and he could now comprehend beast speech to some extent.[1] Upon hearing it, his expression changed at once.

The next moment, a figure slowly stepped out into the sky. It wore a crown and a flowing golden robe, and a majestic bearing was revealed before all. With a casual wave of the hand, Linghu Jie and the other four were struck heavily and sent flying backward.

The Gray Wolf King rapidly shrank down, turning into a gray wolf that seemed more or less ordinary. The newcomer drew the gray wolf back, forcing him to prostrate at his feet. He showed restraint, however. Since the opposing Sage had not slaughtered low-tier demonic beasts, he preserved the dignity of a Demon Emperor and merely injured Linghu Jie and the others without taking their lives.

As he stroked the gray fur stained red with blood, Wolf Emperor Defiant Howl’s gaze grew deep, passing through the dense ranks of cultivators toward the rear of the allied army. Under that gaze, even the raging battlefield seemed to quiet.

After a long moment, he spoke in a low voice, ”Fellow Daoist Han Zhan, you and I are destined to fight.”

Without the slightest hesitation, a cold and sharp voice rose, seemingly echoing from the Nine Hells. ”I am here to kill you and avenge the disciples of my sect!”

A figure clad in azure robes shot skyward. Wolf Emperor Defiant Howl drew a deep breath and pushed backward with one hand, sending the Gray Wolf King away as a streak of light that vanished far beyond the horizon. He then transformed into radiant golden light and rose into the heavens as well.

At that moment, wind and clouds churned; heaven and earth changed color. Across the Heavenly Drum Plains, a thunderous roar resounded, like war drums pounding!

1. This part has been content-edited and does not accurately reflect the original. The author said just a few chapters back that Luo Chen neither understands wolf language nor cares about it, so we rewrote it for consistency reasons. ☜