An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 804: Fellow Daoist, Let’s Talk This Through Calmly!

The Flying Swallow Archipelago had changed hands for barely five years. Among the archipelago’s upper ranks, there were constant complaints that the people were being worked to exhaustion. Yet for those at the very bottom, the discourse was entirely different.

Because of Luo Chen’s staggering demand for medicinal materials, the cultivators of the major families had exhausted every means by contributing money and manpower to gather them. But cultivators were limited in number. As a result, many of the tasks were delegated to mortals. And for mortals, this was a tremendous opportunity. It was a chance to catch the attention of the immortals and change their own fate! Thus, they were ready for work and full of enthusiasm.

At several key docks, the number of mortal martial artists far exceeded what it had been five years earlier. It was precisely because of this that, when a tsunami stretching hundreds of li along the coastline came crashing in, the mortals were the first to notice it.

”The weather’s fine and I couldn’t feel any earthquakes. How can there be a tsunami?”

”Weird, but whatever. It’s just a small one.”

Compared to the truly catastrophic tsunami they’d seen before, this one was indeed nothing worth mentioning. The mortal martial artists at the docks did not panic. They gathered up their goods and retreated inland with practiced agility. But they had barely taken a few steps before something went wrong.

”Help!”

”Help!”

Cries for help rose one after another, causing those already ahead to instinctively turn back. Only then did they realize that while the tsunami was not massive, it was astonishingly fast. It was as if some gigantic beast was churning the sea and driving the waves forward.

”Damn, are the sea demons stirring up trouble again?”

”Quick! Go report this to the cultivators!”

”No need. Look at the sky.”

At some point, more than a dozen figures had appeared in the sky scattered across different parts of the archipelago. Every one of them wore a grave expression, and in their eyes there was even a trace of fear.

”An Adept!”

”Definitely an expert on the water path.”

”Someone who can command the ocean and raise mountains of water like this can’t be an ordinary Adept. If you ask me, that’s probably someone from the Wu family. Is Devil’s Snare making a move?”

”I wouldn’t know about that, but in any case, Fellow Daoist Cheng, make a decision now!”

All the spirit consciousness transmissions converged upon a youthful-looking man.

Cheng Dou wore an expression of shock and irritation. He had finally reached Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment and exhausted centuries’ worth of his family’s fortune just to acquire the Core Formation art from the Devil Lord. He had recently been cultivating more diligently with the Azure Yang Pill Codex, only for a calamity to strike out of nowhere. If only he could have quietly completed his cultivation, then formed his core in one go and just got everything over with.... But at this moment, there was no room left for wishful thinking.

”People who come with fanfare like this can’t possibly be friendly neighbors. Intruders! Activate the Sea-Guarding Grand Formation!”

The order was transmitted at once. At his command, across the thirty-six islands, pillars of light began to rise one after another. Faintly, the outline of a top-tier grand formation started to take shape. Seeing this, Cheng Dou finally let out a breath of relief. Once the formation was fully activated, even if an Adept arrived personally, the combined power of the thirty-six islands could repel them.

Someone nearby asked softly, ”What about the mortals at the docks?”

Cheng Dou frowned and glanced toward the shore. ”No time to deal with them. Let them fend for themselves.”

In the eyes of cultivators, mortals were nothing more than tools. Sometimes not even that—merely consumables. Perhaps only those mortal martial artists who reached the Innate Grandmaster Realm merited a second glance, and that was just a second glance, nothing more.

As they spoke, a rumbling sound suddenly rang out.

”So fast?” Cheng Dou exclaimed.

He turned his head in shock. At the very front, a small island had already been engulfed by the tsunami. The hastily activated pillar of light vanished in an instant. He swallowed hard and suddenly realized something.

The island-linking formation passed down by the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance was designed to deal with sea demon hordes that moved slowly. Thus, while powerful, it required a long preparation time to draw upon the earth’s spirit veins. But the enemy they now faced was clearly a powerful human expert. Worse still, the opponent’s speed was astonishing and the assault ferocious, leaving them no chance to buy that much time.

Suddenly, Cheng Dou turned around and cried out hoarsely, ”Devil Lord, please help us!”

His desperate shout echoed through heaven and earth, shooting straight toward Moon-Inviting Island. Beneath the clear sky, an indifferent voice drifted over. ”Alright.”

Before the word had even faded, a vast surge of black mist shot skyward from Moon-Inviting Island. Within it came the wails of ghosts and wolves, as though the denizens of a ghostly abyss were invading. In the next instant, more than a hundred black figures radiating powerful auras burst forth from the mist, clad in armor and wielding sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.

It was a sight straight out of legend! Hundreds of ghosts walking openly in daylight, blotting out clouds and sun alike! Over a hundred Ghost Generals formed an intricate formation, leaping across several islands with undead fearlessness as they charged at the towering tsunami that had already destroyed four islands.

Under the clear sky, the massive wall of water collided with the hundred ghosts shrouded in black mist, erupting in thunderous booms.

***

Inside the alchemy room on Moon-Inviting Island, Luo Chen split his focus in two. While controlling the refinement of the True Flame Pill, he also watched the Water Mirror before him. When he saw the surging wave rise to a hundred zhang in height, his expression changed slightly. A hundred-zhang wall of water was not inferior to the most massive natural tsunami of this world. Could human power truly rival the might of nature?

He knew very well that Adepts could sever a river with a single sword strike or shatter a mountain with a punch. But at the end of the day, these were all manifestations of pure destructive power. Destruction was always easier than construction. As for the legendary feats of moving mountains, driving back seas, or chasing the stars and moon, those were truly nothing but legends.

Indeed, during the Frontier War, Luo Chen himself had carried out a mountain-moving plan. Yet it had required the power of ten Adepts, along with many lower-level cultivators and the power of the Crimson Flame Dragon Boat, just to barely succeed. To carry mountains and drive back seas by oneself was something only Sage could truly accomplish. And clearly, if a Sage had been targeting him, there would have been no need for such a mighty display at all.

”He’s very strong. Even among Adepts, he’s definitely a top-tier expert with formidable methods.”

As he murmured to himself, Luo Chen’s attention shifted once more to the side hall on Moon-Inviting Island.

Han Zhan... how much strength do you still have left?

It was not that Luo Chen could not act freely. At worst, he could abandon this furnace of pills. The reason he did not intervene personally was that he wished to test just how far Han Zhan could still go—a Sage reduced to a little fragment of a disembodied soul, without a Nascent Soul, and without a life-bound treasure, let alone a True Artifact. All that he had was a damaged Myriad Soul Banner that had lost most of its myriad souls.

Under his expectant gaze, Han Zhan made his move. A hundred ghosts walked in daylight, blotting out the sun and clouds. With just this single move, Luo Chen’s eyes lit up. These Ghost Generals had clearly been placed in a formation under Han Zhan’s control. Its intricacy surpassed even the Myriad Ghosts Grand Formation previously used by Yan Nantian. Even if Luo Chen were to act personally, it would require considerable effort to deal with it.

”This might stop the tsunami, but it won’t stop the one who made it,” Luo Chen muttered.

As if in response to his words, the tsunami surging toward Moon-Inviting Island slowed under the impact of the hundred ghosts. But a tsunami was not a mere wave; though the front was obstructed, the sheer mass of water carried on moving forward. In only a few breaths, a towering wall of water took shape. Atop it, white spray churned as a figure stepped forth, leaving lotus patterns that rippled outward wherever a foot touched the water.

At the same time, a thunderous roar echoed from Moon-Inviting Island. Immediately after, a black figure shot out explosively, appearing atop the wall of water.

”A Ghost King?” Wu Qi looked at the charging black figure and a strange light flashing in his eyes as he exclaimed, ”Excellent timing!”

He then flipped his wrist, and a small banner fell into his hand. He gripped the banner’s pole and waved it forward. Instantly, the tsunami split into three flood dragons that charged toward the Ghost King.

Three dragons and one ghost collided in an instant. The Ghost King roared savagely, and its palms shot out to seize the neck of one flood dragon directly. As the other two attempted to attack, chains clattered out from the Ghost King’s body and bound them in place.

”Break!”

B-BOOOMMMMM!!!

In an instant, all three flood dragons exploded into sprays of water that blasted everywhere. The surging water pillars slammed into a nearby island inhabited by mortals, tearing the land apart and leaving it riddled with massive craters.

Seeing this, the strange light in Wu Qi’s eyes grew even more visible. Yet clearly, this was far from his limit. The small banner in his hand continued to wave. Behind him, the sea roared in response as ever more seawater gathered toward him. Beneath his feet, the water mountain remained at its original height, yet more and more flood dragons flew forth.

One, two, three...

In only a few breaths, seven more flood dragons emerged, shaking their heads and tails as they surged forward. This was Wu Qi’s life-bound treasure, the Sea King Banner. It was exceptional even among mid-grade enchanted treasures. Tempered by centuries of refinement, it moved at his command, its might as vast and relentless as the sea. Within the ocean, he could contend head-on with even late-stage Adepts. And though he now stood on land, defeat was still far because the sea stood right at his back.

Alright then, let’s see what this mysterious man who killed Yan Nantian so effortlessly is truly capable of. And whether he is a remnant of the Primordial Devil Sect.

Wu Qi was exceedingly cautious. So cautious that the moment he made his move, he directly unleashed his life-bound treasure. And with that in mind, the fact that the ghost formation could block his tsunami just like that had taken him by surprise. The Ghost King brimming with combat instinct and tactical finesse astonished him even more—even with seven flood dragons attacking together, he was unable to subdue it immediately. After several exchanges, although the Ghost King’s aura was growing weaker, Wu Qi felt increasingly certain of one thing.

That guy was right. This so-called Devil Lord Azure Yang is very likely a remnant of the Primordial Devil Sect, and most likely a powerhouse of the Soul Refinement lineage. Ordinary members of the sect could never control the ghosts so smoothly, let alone push an ordinary Myriad Soul Banner to this level.

That said, Wu Qi was clearly not satisfied with the battle ending there. If he was stopped in his tracks by a random ghost banner, how could he ever hold his head high in the Northern Sea cultivation world?

With a thrust of his right hand, the small banner plunged into the surging waves. His hands continuously formed seals as vast streams of mana poured out.

Thousand Flood Dragons Devour the Dragon!

In the next moment, from the wall of water beneath his feet, streaks of spirit light emerged. One after another, little blue flood dragons flew out, roaring as they charged toward the Ghost King.

Their numbers were immense, and their momentum overwhelming. They seemed simply endless. Under the relentless assault of more and more flood dragons, even the chains that erupted from the Ghost King’s body grew slack and powerless. Moreover, after breaking through the black mist defenses, the flood dragons directly clamped down on the Ghost King’s massive form.

ROARRRR... ROARRRR...

Roars of furious rage rang out unceasingly. Anyone could clearly hear the anger and panic in its voice.

***

On Moon-Inviting Island, Luo Chen frowned slightly. ”Senior?”

Inside the side hall, Han Zhan gave a bitter smile. ”Sorry... This is as far as I can go for now. It’s not that I didn’t try, but... there’s no more fuel. Without ten thousand souls to support it, this is a Myriad Soul Banner in name only. Without ghostly energy to replenish it, that Ghost King might seem mighty for a few moments, but that’s as far as it can go.”

He was speaking the truth. During Yan Nantian’s battle with Luo Chen, this Myriad Soul Banner had been not just overused, but outright abused. First, it was eroded by the Blazing Fire Miasma, then battered by Landslide, and finally struck by the simultaneous detonation of nine blazing suns. The low-tier souls that formed its very foundation had been completely exhausted. For Han Zhan to force it to this extent and hold a sixth-stage Adept at the outskirts of the archipelago was already impressive.

But was this truly all that remained of Han Zhan’s strength?

Luo Chen felt both dissatisfied and satisfied at the same time. ”Very well then. Senior, go rest for now. Leave the rest to me.”

Han Zhan paused. ”Oh? Are you done with your refinement?”

Luo Chen smiled faintly and beckoned with his hand. Ten streaks of light flew out from the cauldron. Each pill was ruby-red like polished agate, its fragrance rich and enticing. Luo Chen had finally reached Perfected Mastery in True Flame Pill and produced supreme-grade ones!

Han Zhan’s eyes filled with shock at the sight.

Luo Chen put away the supreme-grade True Flame Pills, unlocked the defensive formation, and drifted gracefully into the sky. With his Spirit Eyes, he gazed across a thousand li at the scene of a thousand flood dragons devouring a ghost.

”It wasn’t easy to obtain a Myriad Soul Banner. Even if it’s damaged, it shouldn’t be wasted like this.”

Luo Chen muttered to himself as he leapt forward. His mana surged forth, and he transformed into a shooting star as he flew toward the edge of the archipelago. Wherever he passed, fiery light followed, and in his palm, a strand of azure flame was coiling.

A thousand-li distance was crossed in an instant. By the time Wu Qi noticed him and looked up, Luo Chen had already raised his right hand.

”Fellow Daoist, your abilities are impressive. Now take one of mine!”

Before the words had fully fallen, his right palm slammed downward.

Hummm...

As the palm descended, azure flames flared violently, and mana surged without restraint. In the void, a gigantic palm projection over a hundred zhang in size appeared. It was an exquisite manifestation, with every single crease and fingerprint clearly visible. The coiling azure flames seemed capable of burning everything to nothing. It was Luo Chen’s new signature technique—the Azure Yang Great Handprint!

Wu Qi’s expression changed drastically. He had no leisure to greet or curse Luo Chen; the small banner before him expanded with the wind, and a drop of deep blue light flew out. At the same time, he thrust both hands toward the sky. In the next instant, the already colossal wall of water behind him soared even higher, and as the blue light flew into it, it seemed to take on the majesty of a mountain.

Meanwhile, the azure palm pressed down relentlessly. When the two collided, only a single thunderous explosion echoed between heaven and earth.

BOOOMMMMMM!!!!

The power turned into a raging gale that swept across all, flattening vegetation across the islands and forcing cultivators to bow under its pressure. Scalding steam dripped down like molten lava, and anyone it touched let out agonized screams.

The two at the center of the clash fared no better. The violent rebound force sent Luo Chen back several hundred steps, staggering through the air before he barely regained balance. Meanwhile, Wu Qi was also forced back into the sea as the waves surged in reverse.

Once Luo Chen steadied himself, a spark of excitement flashed in his eyes.

So this is the power of a sixth-stage Adept? They’re both mid-stage, but the gap between the fourth and the sixth stages is just insane!

Whoosh!

The Mystic Flame Sword dropped into his right hand, its tip pointing downward. His left hand formed seals as sparks burst into existence one after another. In only a few breaths, the sparks swelled and expanded until nine blazing suns hung suspended behind him.

A moment later, a figure surfaced, rising and falling with the waves as water ripples spread beneath his steps. When he caught sight of Luo Chen’s display, he gulped hard.

”Fellow Daoist, let’s talk this through calmly!”