An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The deep-crimson Fire Spirit Diamond resembled a polished agate, gleaming softly as it lay quietly in Luo Chen’s palm. Within it seemed to flow a droplet of liquid like blood. At first glance, it looked almost... alive! In fact, Luo Chen thought that it did not resemble a mineral crystal at all, but rather a piece of amber that had caught something inside. This kind of material was actually unsuitable for crafting enchanted treasures, as it contained impurities. Yet driven by impulse, Luo Chen put this Fire Spirit Diamond into his storage ring. It was a gut feeling.

This is good. No idea why, but it’s definitely good.

Luo Chen closed the box and glanced once more at the treasury. It was messy and disorderly, with items placed at random. Some of the treasures were things he’d never seen or even heard of before, and even with his extensive study, he could not identify what they were. Still, he did not dare take anything that seemed too precious. Nether Spring was very lenient toward him, but he was certain that this only applied if he stayed within reasonable limits. If he took something he should not have and she decided to pursue the matter, things would turn ugly for both sides.

As Luo Chen walked out of the treasury, he assessed the materials inside his storage ring.

Geng Metal, Black Sinkwood... You guys have been waiting for years already. But now I finally got enough Fire Spirit Diamond. That means I can finally start crafting my life-bound treasure! But with my level of artifact crafting... if I follow the method Green Pill Valley gave me, it’s going to take me at least a dozen years just to produce a prototype. That’s far too slow. I can’t afford to wait that long.... Oh, wait a moment. There’s another way.

Luo Chen’s lips curved slightly as he left the treasury and turned down another passage, heading deeper beneath the Transcendence Palace. He continued descending. Upon reaching the third underground level, his steps paused.

Luo Chen glanced toward the entrance and finally let out a quiet sigh, ultimately choosing not to step inside. This place was where Hao Ranzi and the others were imprisoned. Given his current circumstances, going to see them would only make things awkward. Since that was the case, it was better not to meet them at all.

He continued downward and finally arrived at the fourth underground level. The moment he arrived, a pair of eyes that glowed with fierce lightning glared straight at him. They belonged to a giant who was over one zhang tall even while sitting cross-legged, with silver white arcs of lightning flickering across his body from time to time.

He was a Lightning Prison Roc, a powerful mid-stage Demon Emperor! He was said to possess an extremely pure ancient Lightning Roc bloodline. He was cultivating here in seclusion, and also conveniently keeping the Green Parasol Mountain prison under careful guard.

Luo Chen felt a chill in his heart and bowed respectfully. ”Greetings, Lightning Prison!”

”You are here again. Did you bring the token?”

”I did.” Luo Chen took out a green feather.

The Lightning Prison Roc’s stern expression softened upon seeing the green feather. ”Go in, but don’t stay too long.”

Luo Chen nodded and slowly walked toward the dark prison of the fourth level. As he went past the roc, the sense of dread in his heart surged repeatedly. The pressure and threat emanating from the Lightning Prison Roc far surpassed that of Nether Spring, Pure Crane, and Defiant Howl. As for Han Zhan, for instance, he was nowhere near comparable.

Over the past two years, through constant interaction with the denizens of this place, Luo Chen had managed to get some information about Green Parasol Mountain. Apparently, this place had notoriginally belonged to Rosycloud. Instead, a thousand years ago, after her rise to prominence, she had forcibly seized it from an Ancient Demon. From that moment on, Green Parasol Mountain became the holy land of the avian races within the Great Million Mountains.

Rosycloud possessed an eccentric temperament and exceptionally high standards. Even when taking in followers, she never judged by cultivation but instead looked at the purity of the bloodline. The rarer the species and the more powerful the bloodline, the more likely they were to be accepted under her banner. As a result, although Green Parasol Mountain was comparable to a human Holy Land, it had very few members under its banner. Of course, their cultivation was beyond reproach and more than made up for the lack of numbers. Luo Chen had not seen many Demon Emperors here, but among those he had seen, Azure Frost, Nether Spring, and Lightning Prison were all exceptionally powerful.

Now that I think about it... if I’d gotten a drop of the Lightning Prison Roc’s blood essence back then and used it to cultivate the Sky Roc Transformation, wouldn’t I be insanely strong now?

The thought surfaced abruptly only to be cut down in an instant by a sword within Luo Chen’s heart. He smiled faintly and continued walking alone through the dark corridor.

Suddenly, a light appeared ahead, a streak of green radiance.

Luo Chen focused his gaze and saw a three-cun-tall figure locked within a prison cell. Mana chains pierced through it, binding it completely and rendering it unable to move. Opposite the tiny figure stood a black figure of the same size. Such an eerie sight would have left Luo Chen utterly shocked in the past, but now he had long grown accustomed to it.

As Luo Chen watched, the three-cun figure struggled to open its eyes and looked over. ”Young friend Luo Chen, we meet again.”

Luo Chen’s eyes carried a trace of pity as he greeted softly, ”Senior Han, have you been keeping well lately?”

Han Zhan glanced at the restraints and gave a bitter smile. ”I’m afraid things haven’t been going well at all.”

The reason Nether Spring and the others had spared his Nascent Soul was simple. They meant to keep it as a backup material for refining Transformation Pills! In other words, Han Zhan was currently nothing more than a glorified medicinal ingredient. Once a mighty Sage held in awe by countless others, he had fallen to such a miserable state... Anyone would find that hard to bear.

Han Zhan looked at Luo Chen, then shifted his gaze ahead. ”Are you going to see Fellow Daoist Heaven Smelter?”

”Yes. I need to collect the... materials.”

Han Zhan fell into a brief silence. The reason he remained only a backup ingredient was that the primary material used by Green Parasol Mountain was Heaven Smelter, who was here in both body and soul. Yet how long could Heaven Smelter truly last? And once Heaven Smelter was completely consumed, would it not be his turn next?

He let out a quiet sigh. ”Young friend, do you know that what you are doing now is an act of utter wickedness and grave transgression? If the human experts were to learn of it, your fate would be a thousand, even ten thousand times more miserable than mine.”

”I have no choice...” Luo Chen let out a long sigh and lost interest in continuing the conversation with Han Zhan, walking further down the corridor.

As Han Zhan watched Luo Chen’s lonely retreating figure, the small humanoid that was Han Zhan’s Nascent Soul subtly shifted its gaze, and a trace of contemplation appeared in its eyes. Judging from its expression, it was not nearly as anguished as it had appeared before.

***

”Senior Heaven Smelter, sorry to disturb you.”

”Hmph. Take it!”

In the silent dungeon, Heaven Smelter’s expression was extremely unsightly. He opened his mouth and spat out a drop of blood essence that contained unimaginable mana. The drop flew straight toward Luo Chen, who hurriedly took out a jade bottle and sealed it inside.

This was not ordinary blood essence; within it was also a trace of primordial Nascent Soul. This was precisely the main ingredient required to refine the Transformation Pill.

Obviously, this was not Luo Chen’s first time collecting materials. On previous occasions, Nether Spring had personally brought him here and employed her divine soul techniques, forcing Heaven Smelter to endure immense suffering before cutting out a trace of primordial Nascent Soul.

After several such instances, Heaven Smelter stopped resisting altogether. When the time came, he would simply extract the blood essence in advance and wait for Luo Chen to collect it.

There had always been very little exchange between the two. Most of the time, once the material was taken, they would part ways immediately. However, this time Luo Chen stopped a little longer.

”Why are you still standing there?” Heaven Smelter glared at Luo Chen. ”What, are you here to laugh at me?”

Luo Chen shook his head and said calmly, ”I understand your suffering, Senior. But do you truly not understand my situation?”

Heaven Smelter snorted coldly. ”There are things one should do, and things one should not. You simply gave up your principles and bowed to the demonic beasts.”

Luo Chen did not grow angry. ”And are you any different, Senior?”

”What?”

”If not, why don’t you keep your mind sealed and block that trace of Nascent Soul power from leaking out?”

”I’m not a fool. Why would I torture myself like that?”

”I completely agree. So why would I torture myself?”

Heaven Smelter was taken aback, then sneered coldly. ”What’s the point of arguing with me? Are you hoping I’ll start treating you kindly or something?”

Luo Chen could tell how badly he was taking it. After all, Han Zhan had only just reached the Nascent Soul Realm, while Heaven Smelter had been a Sage for centuries. A fall from such heights was far harder to endure.

He did not beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly. ”I want to refine a new cauldron as my life-bound treasure, but I am not capable of it on my own. I’m hoping you’ll help me. After all, you are a master artisan unmatched across the thirty-six domains of the Eastern Wilderness. Even Huyan Zhuo is merely one of your disciples. With your help, my cauldron would be flawless.”

”You certainly plan well. You want to refine a fine cauldron so you can devote yourself wholeheartedly to serving the demon race!”

”There’s no need to put it so harshly. It’s nothing more than trying to stay alive.” Luo Chen shifted his tone. ”If you agree to help, I can ask Deputy Palace Leader Nether Spring to grant you some spirit medicine. It will repair the damage to your Nascent Soul, so your cultivation won’t fall.”

For an instant, Heaven Smelter’s heart stirred. Then he furrowed. ”What is this supposed to be? Feed me well, keep me alive, then carve me up when the time comes? Drink my blood, cut my flesh, harvest my Nascent Soul? You’re treating me like livestock! Luo Chen, you’re going too far!”

His words grew increasingly frantic. By the end, he was roaring hoarsely, his voice carrying a demonic screech that assaulted the ears. The only reason this single roar did not kill Luo Chen on the spot was that he could not mobilize mana beyond the Golden Core Realm.

Luo Chen’s expression changed slightly. He took a deep breath and said calmly, ”As long as you’re still alive, there’s always another chance. You must have sensed what happened a year ago, when the experts of three great sects attacked Green Parasol Mountain. In the end, survival matters most. Not just staying alive, but staying alive in one piece.”

This time, Heaven Smelter fell silent. Luo Chen did not press the matter. Only the green feather in his hand flickered with a faint glow, signaling that this visit was nearing its end. ”I hope you’ll think it over carefully, Senior. When I come again, I’ll bring the blueprints for the Primordial Unity Cauldron.”

Luo Chen clasped his fists and bowed with solemn sincerity, then withdrew calmly from the prison. Heaven Smelter kept his head lowered and did not reply; only he knew what he was thinking.