An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

On the calm sea, Luo Chen had changed into a brand-new set of clothes, a black one this time. His bearing carried less of the seasoned Daoist and more of the bold, spirited young man. He stood at the center of the flying boat and guided it forward.

Compared to traveling through the air, it was a little slower. Even so, he did not choose to fly directly.

The reason was simple. When Luo Chen turned his head to look back in the direction he had come from, large white seabirds were circling in the sky. He had no idea what they were. They resembled ordinary albatrosses, and by the looks of it, most were first-tier. But there were also quite a few at the second-tier; moreover, at the heart of the flock, there was a faint third-tier demonic beast aura spreading out, enveloping the entire group.

”Hmm... Maybe these seabirds were deliberately raised by the demons of Green Parasol Mountain to watch the grounds and guard that teleportation formation. If that’s the case, then as long as I fully activate the Concealment Veil Formation and slip away quietly, they shouldn’t notice me. But if it isn’t...”

Luo Chen’s heart sank slightly. Having just arrived here, he had already encountered a group of demonic beasts led by a Demon King. That spoke volumes about the danger of this region.

At any rate, what he needed most right now was to find some people and learn exactly where he was.

He tapped his foot lightly, and mana surged into the flying boat. The boat sped up, yet thanks to the Concealment Veil Formation, it left no visible trace. Even with the keen eyesight of seabirds, from a distance it would appear no different from rolling waves, at most marked by a faint white line upon the water.

The sun rose and the moon followed, marking the passage of an entire day and night. Luo Chen had no clear sense of how far he had traveled, nor whether his heading was correct. He relied solely on instinct, pressing ahead along a single course while making sure he avoided places that gave him a bad feeling.

The morning mist gradually spread across the sea, and a faint chill seeped into his body. Luo Chen took out a gourd from his storage ring and took a mouthful. The liquid was sweet and carried both the richness of fine wine and the freshness of fruit. He hung the gourd back at his waist and let out a soft sigh as the flying boat continued onward through the boundless sea.

”What a pity...”

This monkey wine had been specially made for him from fruits of the wild mountains, by a demonic bird of Green Parasol Mountain who had learned alchemy from him. It was a genuine third-tier spirit wine! It was exceptionally effective for restoring mana, and while it wouldn’t do much for Sages, it was an unquestionably fine dish for an Adept. It could also be considered the demonic bird’s gift of apprenticeship, in a sense

He had originally planned to take out a bottle and let Heaven Smelter have a taste, as a gesture of gratitude for refining his life-bound treasure. Yet he had not expected matters to take such a turn instead.

”Too bad he’s no longer alive to enjoy it. Well, more for me, I guess.”

Luo Chen shook his head and projected his divine consciousness searching for nearby living beings as he had done before. Even before his recent breakthrough, his range had been comparable to that of a mid-stage Adept; now that he was at the third stage, it was even more powerful. The instant he activated it to full power, the range of his perception exceeded seven hundred li!

Activating his Spirit Eyes as well, Luo Chen took in the situation ahead at a glance. Almost immediately, his brow furrowed.

”Finally, people! Though... their situation doesn’t look too good. Still, that works for me.”

With a shift of thought, the flying boat shot out like an arrow loosed from the bow. The sea wind roared past, brushing against Luo Chen’s lips, where a bright and unmistakable smile had taken shape.

***

Somewhere on the vast sea, a large fishing vessel over twenty zhang in length lay stretched across the calm waters. Aside from those standing watch, most of the people were still immersed in peaceful sleep. That tranquility, however, was shattered in an instant by a shrill warning cry.

”ENEMY ATTAAAACK!!!”

In an instant, everyone was jolted awake. Life at sea was fraught with sudden danger, and most people slept without undressing for that very reason. As they scrambled to their feet, the handful of sturdy mortals panicked at first, but the cultivators among them regained their composure far more quickly. Under their guidance, everyone began moving in an orderly manner.

The leader rushed out of the cabin, a burly Black man gripping a long white banner. He blurted out, ”What enemy?”

At once, a night-watch cultivator said in panic, ”Blue-Ringed Sea Serpents!”

The Black man raised his brows. ”Are there any Blue-Ringed Great Fang Sea Serpent among them?”

Blue-Ringed Great Fang Sea Serpents were a type of Blue-Ringed Sea Serpents, but much more powerful. Once a Blue-Ringed Sea Serpent grew massive fangs, it marked their breakthrough to the second tier. One or two of them could be dealt with, but if they appeared in numbers, even the Black man would not be able to protect everyone aboard.

The night-watch cultivator hurriedly shook his head. ””None spotted so far.”

”Then why are you panicking?”

The night-watch cultivator pointed in horror beyond the deck, toward the dark sea under the dim light. ”The numbers!”

”What about the numbers?”

”There are too many to count!!!!”

The Black man shot him a fierce glare and strode to the edge of the deck and activated his spirit consciousness. In the very next instant, his face turned deathly pale. Without the slightest hesitation, he started to bark orders.

”Chief mate, second mate, activate the formation! Seventeen, gather everyone on the deck! Boatswain, distribute the spiritized artifacts[1] to the mortal crew! All hands to stations! Prepare for battle! Cheng Ji, raise the sails and retreat at full speed!”

Although the snappy tone and sheer loudness spoke to the urgency of the situation, every command was perfectly clear, showing that the man was in full control. The chaos on deck vanished almost instantly as the crew sprang into action. A black barrier rapidly spread from the edges of the deck; black mist shrouded it immediately, and ferocious monsters could occasionally be seen poking their heads out from within the mist. At the same time, three massive sails rose with a loud rustling sound atop the masts, ready to be fully deployed in short order.

Meanwhile, the mortal crew members all arrived on deck, where the cultivators equipped them with sabers and tridents. There was a measure of panic in their eyes, yet their gazes were also tinged with a strange excitement. As they infused them with their inner qi[2], those weapons immediately began to emit a hazy glow.

Seeing his orders carried out without delay, the man could not help but let out a sigh of relief. Yet when he looked down at the blue-and-white shadows writhing beneath the surface, his lips grew dry and his throat itchy.

This many snakes... The ship might not hold. Damn it... No time to think. I’ll do what I can first, then deal with the rest.

***

As dawn broke and the sea mist dispersed, the vast ocean came fully into view. A massive black ship had already lost all its momentum and was spinning wildly atop the waves. The black mist shrouding it granted a measure of defense. Yet beneath the surface, countless giant serpents were churning the sea into chaos. Towering waves surged as a colossal whirlpool took shape, and under its relentless pull, the ship was being dragged steadily downward, in spite of the formations protecting it.

From afar, Luo Chen watched this scene with a strange expression. He was astonished that the massive ship could still stand firm under the attacks of countless demonic beasts; this showed that its defensive power was quite formidable. At the same time, he could not help but marvel at the coordination displayed by these low-tier demonic beasts. When direct assault failed, they shifted tactics, harnessing the might of nature itself to drag the ship into the depths. Once it was submerged and surrounded by tens of thousands of demonic beasts, the black-mist defensive formation would inevitably collapse within mere breaths.

”What kind of snakes are these, though? They look somewhat like the Black-Ringed Snow Pythons of the Great Snowy Mountains, but they are clearly more intelligent.”

Luo Chen’s gaze then shifted to a spot not far from him—the rear area of the serpent army, far removed from the battlefield. A round gray cauldron appeared in his palm. While grasping the cauldron’s handle with one hand, he started forming seals with the other.

”Go!”

In the next instant, crimson chains shot out of the Primordial Unity Cauldron, plunging into the depths.

Hiss hiss...

A series of hissing cries of unclear meaning rang out, carrying faint tones of anger and fear. Moments later, a massive serpent was hauled violently from the water. It was nearly nine zhang long, sported two enormous fangs, and bore a faint resemblance to a flood dragon. The crimson chains bound it tightly, preventing even the slightest struggle.

Splashhhh!

Under the sunlight, the blue rings upon the giant serpent’s body appeared profoundly deep, while its fangs were utterly ferocious. Luo Chen hummed in surprise, ”Huh, that explains it! A late-stage second-tier beast...”

At that very moment, the previously calm sea began to quake violently. From the four cardinal directions, thick white streaks surged toward Luo Chen’s small boat. At the same time, the sea serpent slither that had stirred up towering whirlpools in the distance also rushed this way.

The situation left no room for doubt. By seizing the leader first, Luo Chen had chopped off the head of the snake, as one might say. His gaze flicked briefly toward the four approaching white streaks, and his fingers moved in rapid succession. Four more crimson chains shot out, plunging beneath the sea and effortlessly hauling up four more Blue-Ringed Sea Serpents, each four or five zhang in length.

Each one had giant fangs and each one twisted its demonic body in fury, rolling wildly in an attempt to break free from the control of the crimson chains. Luo Chen paid no heed to the struggles of the five massive sea serpents, instead revealing a greedy look as he gazed toward the countless demonic beasts surging in from across the vast sea. He licked his lips.

”Looks like meat’s back on the menu!”

The hem of his robes fluttered without wind as he rose slowly into the air, and both of his hands pressed down. In the next moment, surging azure flames erupted from his entire body. Fueled by his mana, the flames rapidly expanded and their color deepened into a vivid crimson. In that moment, the crimson flames above and the blue-white shadows below became the only colors left between heaven and sea.

***

On the demon-hunting ship, the Black man’s eyes were on the verge of despair. In just half an hour, the ship that carried a quarter of his family’s elite forces had suffered devastating losses. Not only had all the mortals been killed in battle, but most of the many Qi Refinement members he had high hopes for were dead or grievously wounded. Even Cheng Ji, the Foundation Establishment elder who operated the ship, had suffered backlash from the formation after forcibly trying to steer the ship. He was now unconscious in the control cabin.

If this continued, the Black man’s own death would be inevitable!

He took a deep breath and steadied himself. There was no point in going down with the ship. The white banner in his hand billowed with mist, wrapping up the unconscious Cheng Ji as he prepared to fly into the sky and flee. But at that very moment—

”They’re retreating!”

”The sea serpents are retreating!”

”By heaven, we survived!”

Cries of wild joy and tearful sobbing instantly echoed across the deck. The man was momentarily stunned. With most of his spirit power already depleted, he had been ready to use the remaining one to flee. He looked around in confusion. Sure enough, the serpents that had tightly surrounded the ship had at some point given up their assault and instead retreated toward the east. He followed their movement and looked out into the distance, where the sun was slowly rising above the horizon.

”Is the sun somehow hurting them? But I’ve never heard of Blue-Ringed Sea Serpents being sensitive to sunlight... and why are they going toward the sun anyway...”

As he muttered in confusion, his expression abruptly changed. That was not the sun! That was a person!

A figure stood in midair overlooking the vast sea. Boundless azure-crimson flames burst forth from his body and surged mightily toward the sea surface. The sea serpents spat water jets filled with deadly venom toward that person, yet before those venomous arrows could even approach him, they were completely vaporized. The flames then pressed down as if the sky itself was falling, rumbling as they covered a hundred-li radius in an instant.

Under the searing flames, the giant serpents in the sea writhed madly. Their hissing shrieks rang out one after another, horrifying to the extreme.

The man and the dozen remaining cultivators on the ship all stared at the scene in utter shock.

Just a single person, yet he suppressed tens of thousands of sea serpents. What a soul-shaking spectacle this was! The sea serpents packed together were like eels thrown alive into boiling water, unable to escape no matter how they struggled under the extreme heat.

Even though they were separated by dozens of li, the human cultivators could still feel the scorching heatwaves. At the tips of their noses, they could even clearly smell the charred fragrance of roasted meat.

Gulp!

Someone swallowed, the sound unusually loud in the stillness. It was as if that single motion spread through the crowd. One by one, everyone swallowed dry as well. No one shifted their gaze. Their necks were stiff and their hearts pounded wildly.

”Who... is that?”

”Could it be a demon overlord from the Primordial Demon Sect?”

”No way. The Primordial Demon Sect has been destroyed for ages. Not to mention, if someone like that was around, they’d have taken over the archipelago long ago. How could we not know?”

Voices rang out one after another from the crowd, yet no one could give even the slightest hint of who or what this person was and where they came from. They did not dare move, much less attempt to flee. It was obvious that the man had deliberately restrained the power of the flames. Otherwise, they would also have been within the attack range.

Everyone who had survived the calamity watched the scene in terror, quietly waiting for the battle to end. Time dragged on until it felt as though an entire cycle of seasons had passed. In reality, when the rising sun finally broke free of the sea horizon, only the time it took a stick of incense to burn away had elapsed.

The black-clothed young man lowered his hands and descended slowly from the sky, coming to rest upon the deck of the demon-hunting ship. After landing, he said nothing. His eyes remained closed, as though he were quietly sensing something unseen.

The Black man and the others all bowed deeply in unison, not daring to disturb him. Yet their gazes alternated between Luo Chen’s spotless cloud-patterned boots and the sea surface covered in black soot. Aside from a handful of Blue-Ringed Sea Serpents that had fled by instinct, they had all perished in that flame.

Remnants of charred bodies drifted across the sea surface. As the sea rolled, they were crushed into brittle ash and swallowed by the endless waters—evidence that they had truly been burned to near nothingness.

Then, everyone’s gaze once again converged on the young man. He emanated a tremendously powerful aura, and his vigorous life force made them instinctively want to get closer. Yet that same vitality was accompanied by sheer spirit pressure that forced every onlooker to bow their heads and bend their backs. It was the pressure of an Adept! The man was revealing his cultivation without concealment, pressing down upon them like an invisible mountain.

Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes. A brilliant gleam swept across the crowd. Those of weaker cultivation collapsed to the deck with dull thuds, even though they were not deliberately targeted. Seeing this, the young man inhaled slowly and restrained his spirit.

Only then did the Black man release a long and shaky breath. Immediately after, a rather strange question reached his ears.

”Where are we?”

The Black man moistened his dry lips. ”Adept, this place is the Heaventrust Sea Region, eight thousand li away from the Flying Swallow Archipelago. It is an ungoverned area of the Sea of Demons.”

Heaventrust Sea Region? Flying Swallow Archipelago? Luo Chen furrowed slightly, but when he heard the words ”Sea of Demons,” his eyes instantly lit up. ”The Northern Sea?!”

It sounded both like a question and an affirmation. The Black man was momentarily stunned, then nodded instinctively. ”Sir, it is indeed the Northern Sea.”

1. Yes, it’s a different term from the previously mentioned spirit artifacts. ☜

2. Traditional Chinese martial arts claim that the practitioner can infuse their internal energy into their fists and their weapons, and even inject it into the opponent. This is the first instance where something like this appears in the novel, and it may have something to do with the so-called spiritized artifacts. ☜