An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 803: Devil’s Snare Appears

The reason Han Zhan was forced to awaken from his recuperative state was not just that his puppet could no longer endure it. Another crucial issue was that Luo Chen worked more and more on the Primordial Unity Cauldron. What began as simple impurity purging progressed into full control of the formations engraved upon it and eventually into probing the very depths of the enchanted treasure. As a result, the Void restriction Azure Frost had set back then was also affected.

The repeated disturbances completely deprived Han Zhan of a quiet environment for recuperation. For him, this was bad news. For Luo Chen, however, it was truly excellent—it meant that it would not be long before he could wield the Primordial Unity Cauldron to its fullest potential.

While discussing that problem, Luo Chen also took this opportunity to ask Han Zhan about other possible traps and backdoors Heaven Smelter had left behind. Yet Han Zhan’s answer took Luo Chen somewhat by surprise.

”I wouldn’t worry about it. That was nothing but an emergency measure thought up on the spot. How many of those do you think a person can have?”

Luo Chen thought it through and gradually came to an understanding. Heaven Smelter’s skills were naturally the best of the best, but figures like Azure Frost and Nether Spring were hardly fools. Any obvious measures would have certainly been detected. Only something subtle, temporary, and limited in power had any chance of slipping past their observation. This also explained why Heaven Smelter had been able to seize the cauldron from the dungeon beneath the Transcendence Palace at Green Parasol Mountain, yet failed to wield it freely during his battle with the Lightning Prison. He had merely left a few safeguards, just in case; with his death, those just-in-case measures had vanished entirely.

”No wonder it’s been so much easier to refine in these past couple years...” Luo Chen muttered.

He could not help but laugh at himself. He really had been scared stiff by a single jack-in-the-box, and he’d grown overly cautious ever since.

In his spare time, he also asked Han Zhan his perspective on certain occurrences at Green Parasol Mountain, such as how he and Heaven Smelter had worked together to breach the dungeon’s restrictions. Han Zhan held nothing back and explained everything in detail.

”Those demons know what works, but not why it works. Even though Azure Frost relied on her innate ability to touch upon the Law of the Void, her application was far too crude; how could she imprison dead objects so easily? Heaven Smelter was a renowned grandmaster artisan, and aside from puppetry, I am also a decent formation master. Otherwise, I would not have been able to control the Two Poles Five Elements Sword Formation. I simply observed and probed the Void restriction she used until, eventually, I found the cracks and I could take advantage... Well, actually, you were the one who took advantage in the end.”

What advantage had Luo Chen gained? Naturally, it was his fresh life-bound treasure. After Heaven Smelter and Han Zhan achieved some measure of success in their study of the Void restriction, they sought to verify their theories in practice. To that end, they invited Azure Frost to personally intervene, using Luo Chen’s life-bound treasure as a guinea pig. Through her involvement, Luo Chen’s cauldron gained the power to flash through space and suppress targets, and it even had an internal space pocket capable of storing living beings. In that respect, it was not inferior to the finest spirit beast pouches!

Han Zhan was deeply envious of this and directly confirmed what Heaven Smelter had stated: If Luo Chen refined and nurtured it diligently, the cauldron would eventually advance into the ranks of True Artifacts. At the mention of that, Luo Chen asked a few more questions about how such weapons differed from ordinary enchanted artifacts. As it turned out, True Artifacts could really only be used by Sages—when united with their mind and soul, they provided tremendous amplification of Domains.

The so-called Nascent Soul Domain referred to a cultivator exerting control over a particular attribute of the spirit energy of heaven and earth in an entire area. However, a cultivator’s strength was ultimately limited, and in practice, the amount of energy they could command and the area of effect were not great. With a True Artifact, the cultivator could significantly amplify this ability. But that was easier said than done; Han Zhan himself had formed his Nascent Soul for a full hundred years, yet he still lacked a True Artifact.

Luo Chen found this rather puzzling. He knew from rumors that several True Artifacts had emerged back then from Bai Ye’s pocket world on Thundernet Mountain. But when asked about that, Han Zhan could only shake his head despondently.

”Those were relics left behind by an Ascendant of the Nether Origin Sect. How could people like us dare lay a hand on them? Once the sect’s experts arrived, they took everything back. Otherwise, if I had possessed even one True Artifact, how would I have been so passive when I fought Defiant Howl?”

From this, Luo Chen came to understand a piece of common knowledge: Although it was extremely difficult for demon races to transform, once they succeeded, they could readily use parts of their own bodies or objects that had accompanied them throughout their cultivation journey to refine life-bound True Artifacts unique to themselves.

This was also why, at the same realm, low-tier demonic beasts were no match for human cultivators, yet at higher realms, the gap between the two nearly vanished. In fact, due to certain legacy abilities, some high-tier demonic beasts were capable of suppressing human cultivators outright—just as Defiant Howl had once suppressed Han Zhan, and just as Azure Frost had overpowered three late-stage Sages all by herself.

Thus, days passed slowly. Luo Chen did not rush to extract what he wanted from Han Zhan. For one, his current focus lay in refining True Flame Pills in large quantities. For another, Han Zhan himself was eager to research the Soul-Refining Banner and find the most comfortable way to live inside it.

On one occasion, while Luo Chen was consuming bloodfood, Han Zhan handed over the Black Sovereign Paste formula that Luo Chen had long coveted. Luo Chen had not asked for it himself, but Han Zhan was an old fox, and when he invested in something, he did not hold back. In his words, this would mark the first step in their sincere cooperation. Luo Chen had provided the Soul-Refining Banner, so he was offering the Black Sovereign Paste formula. They were likely to stick together for the next century or two, so a fruitful cooperation was what they both desired.

***

Inside the alchemy room, Luo Chen stared intently at the large gray cauldron as azure flames heated it unceasingly. Under his control, the medicinal liquid inside the cauldron flowed like molten lava.

It was already his fifth year since arriving at the Northern Sea!

After several years of refining True Flame Pills, his proficiency had steadily risen and long since reached the Grandmaster level. Not only was his success rate stabilized above fifty percent, but he also no longer limited himself to refining a single batch of ingredients per refinement. Under normal conditions, he could refine ten batches at once. If he truly went all out, refining a hundred batches together was not impossible either. However, doing so required far greater concentration and significantly more time, making it difficult to disengage if anything arose.

Eh, that’s not really a problem so much as a minor delay. Once I reach Perfected Mastery, everything will resolve itself. And that will be... soon!

Although he was enthusiastic, Luo Chen remained focused, and his control over the primordial true fire grew more refined by the day.

The idea of refining a hundred batches of ingredients at once had never crossed his mind before. Meng Changshou had mentioned something to him about large-scale refinement, but ordinary alchemy tools simply could not support that large a scale. Now that he had the Primordial Unity Cauldron, however, things changed drastically.

Through repeated experimentation, Luo Chen gradually began to understand how far this enchanted treasure could go. Even so, in his view, this still did not seem to be the true limit. As Han Zhan put it, ”An alchemy tool like yours is something that a great sect might use as a foundational treasure.”

What did ”foundational treasure” mean? It meant that, when it was activated, it required the power of an entire sect. It meant that astronomical amounts of rare herbs and other ingredients would be thrown in and refined at the same time. Only something capable of such a feat could truly be called a foundational treasure!

With that in mind, Luo Chen also had his own plans. Once he achieved Perfected Mastery, he intended to go all out and attempt the simultaneous refinement of a hundred True Flame Pills. It would be a chance to see whether he truly lived up to his title as a grandmaster alchemist

But just as he was pouring his attention into refining pills, his brow suddenly furrowed. Without stopping his hands, he tilted his head slightly and sent a voice transmission through the alchemy chamber’s isolation formation to a side hall on Moon-Inviting Island.

”Senior Han, there is a guest visiting. If you don’t mind, please give them an appropriate reception.”

Within the side hall, black mist churned. Faintly visible within were over a hundred powerful Ghost Generals, as well as a Ghost King, all prostrating themselves before a figure barely three cun tall.

Han Zhan spread his divine consciousness and likewise detected the arrival. He first praised Luo Chen’s sharp senses, then said, ”I can barely control this Soul-Refining Banner now, and our honored visitor is a sixth-stage Adept. This Ghost King may not be enough to stop him.”

From afar, Luo Chen’s voice drifted over unhurriedly. ”It is fine. Hold him for a moment. Once I free my hands, I will deal with it.”

”Hmm, fine. As long as you know what you’re doing.”

Han Zhan smiled faintly and formed a spirit seal with his hand. Inside the hall, over a hundred Ghost Generals surged out simultaneously, while he slowly closed his eyes.

The next instant, the Ghost King that had been prostrate on the ground abruptly opened its eyes, brimming with uncanny vitality. It was unmistakably the puppet art of the Falling Cloud Sect. A trace of humanlike expression surfaced on the Ghost King’s face.

”Let me see just how the Northern Sea cultivators fight.”

Black mist swept through the hall, and the Ghost King vanished from sight. At the same time, across the vast reaches of the Flying Swallow Archipelago, a great battle had already erupted, without cause and warning.

***

Fifteen minutes earlier.

Over the vast ocean stretching for tens of thousands of li, a lone figure strode atop the waves. As he passed by a small island, he suddenly came to a halt.

”Come out, junior!”

No sooner had the words fallen than a panicked voice rang out from the island. ”Adept, your arrival caught me unprepared. I failed to come out and greet you, and I truly deserve death.”

A burly Black man flew out from the island and landed nervously on the sea’s surface. The Adept looked at the man and gave a slight nod. ”Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment...”

His gaze then swept toward the reefs surrounding the island. ”An early-stage third-tier Black-Scaled Flood Dragon... You must be Kun Jiao, the leader of the Flying Swallow Flood Dragon Gang. I am Wu Qi.”

Kun Jiao’s heart tightened. The spirit beast he had hidden beneath the reefs had been discovered at a glance. He hurriedly nodded. ”Yes, I am! You have keen eyes, Adept.”

Wu Qi shook his head and chuckled lightly. ”My eyes have nothing to do with it. You are the one who contacted Devil’s Snare. If I didn’t know your background, wouldn’t that make our intelligence network seem incompetent?”

At the mention of Devil’s Snare, a look of terror surfaced on Kun Jiao’s face. This was one of the foremost forces in the human territories of the Sea of Demons! They possessed countless Initiates, numerous Adepts, and even several elusive Sages. Moreover, as the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance swept across the Northern Sea with the clear intention and momentum to become the new Holy Land, Devil’s Snare was one of the few forces bold enough to contend with it. Now that he’d drawn an expert of such a faction here, Kun Jiao could no longer tell whether his decision had been right or disastrously wrong.

”Yan Nantian really knows how to run. He actually fled all the way to a backwater place like this...” Wu Qi looked into the distance, toward the cluster of islands shaped like seabirds. ”Is that where he’s hiding?”

Kun Jiao replied awkwardly, ”Well... in a manner of speaking, I suppose? Actually, Yan Nantian... is already dead.”

”Huh?”

Wu Qi frowned. He had not expected things to turn out this way. It was rare for him to personally take on a task, yet before he had even made a move, the trash had taken itself out. That was genuinely unexpected. He glanced at Kun Jiao, then cast another look toward the nearby island’s reefs, where the Black-Scaled Flood Dragon trembled in hiding. A trace of disdain surfaced on his face.

”With your strength and that third-tier Black-Scaled Flood Dragon, there’s no way you could have killed Yan Nantian. Tell me, how did he die?”

Kun Jiao’s spirits lifted at once, and he immediately recounted in detail the battle between Yan Nantian and the new master of the archipelago.

”Devil Lord Azure Yang?”

Wu Qi murmured to himself, doubt flickering across his face. Before the Primordial Devil Sect’s destruction, it did indeed have some mediocre Initiates who liked to cultivate Azure Yang Devil Flames. However, that kind of flame had major flaws. Very few of the sect’s disciples treated it as a primary cultivation method, let alone relied on it to go all the way to the Golden Core Realm.

If an Adept that sported a high-level Azure Yang Devil Flame had truly appeared in the Flying Swallow Archipelago, Wu Qi found it hard to believe he was a powerhouse from the Primordial Devil Sect. The high-tier cultivators couldn’t possibly be so shortsighted. Could this person be an impostor?

While he pondered, Kun Jiao kept recounting everything that had happened on the archipelago over the past few years.

”Seizing a third-tier spirit vein on Moon-Inviting Island? That’s nothing unusual. But producing a Middle Path Core Formation method... that shows real foundation. Even my own family only has a single Lower Path one. He’s pretty generous; befitting a member of a great sect, I suppose. And then, he got all of you under control and forced you to gather medicinal materials for him... In just five years, he’s worked the people in Flying Swallow to the bone. Heh... Fair enough, that really does have the style of a devil sect powerhouse. Wait... Did you say he was a third-tier alchemist? And only at the early stage of Golden Core?”

Wu Qi pressed his lips together, his eyes narrowing as a spark of interest stirred within him.

Kun Jiao quickly confirmed. ”He truly is at the early stage, and the apothecaries and alchemists sent by the major families have all confirmed that the Devil Lord can refine third-tier pills. Even the low-tier pills he produces casually in his spare time are simply incredible quality!”

After saying this, Kun Jiao watched Wu Qi nervously. He desperately wanted Wu Qi to make a move and kill the Devil Lord. Once that man was gone, Wu Qi would surely have no interest in a countryside place like the Flying Swallow Archipelago. At that point, Kun Jiao could finally return, relying on his cultivation and his Black-Scaled Flood Dragon to dominate the archipelago and claim it as his own.

Previously a feared gang leader, Kun Jiao had spent decades fleeing in humiliation. And just as Yan Nantian finally died, he now had to fear a new devil lord, whatever that was. He had truly had enough.

Wu Qi understood his thoughts perfectly. Under normal circumstances, being used by a cultivator of a lower realm would have displeased him; under normal circumstances, he would have simply killed the offender on the spot. But encountering a third-tier alchemist who refined multiple pills at an extremely high level, someone worthy of being called a master alchemist yet only an early-stage Adept, very much qualified as extraordinary circumstances.

If such a person could be brought under control, the Wu family would finally rise, and Wu Qi himself would secure a position within Devil’s Snare as a top figure, just beneath the Sages! No matter how personally insulting this job was, he had to do it and he had to do it well!

Wu Qi glanced at the eager Kun Jiao and said coldly, ”Come with me. When the time comes, I will deal with that Devil Lord. You will help me suppress the others. Do not let them interfere.”

Kun Jiao froze. Would he have to fight as well? But when he thought of claiming the Flying Swallow Archipelago for himself once this was over, that hesitation vanished.

”I will obey your command, Adept!”

”Good. Let’s go!”

Wu Qi’s expression turned solemn. With a sweep of his sleeve, a towering wave surged up from the blue sea and lifted him forward as it roared ahead. Wherever it passed, the waves churned violently, and water exploded into spray. From afar, it looked as though a tsunami was taking shape, crashing toward the Flying Swallow Archipelago.[1]

1. The original title of this chapter also includes “Perfected Mastery of the True Flame Pill,” but this does not happen in the chapter, so we have removed it. ☜