An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 805: Blood Nightmare Devil’s Snare; The Twelve Lineage Lords (I)

”I am Wu Qi. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Fellow Daoist.”

”I am Azure Yang, the ruler of the Flying Swallow for now.”

White mist billowed up from the ten-li lake. On the central islet of Moon-Inviting Island, two Daoists sat facing one another.

Wu Qi stared at Luo Chen with a look of amazement in his eyes. So the rumors are true after all. The Devil Lord is really formidable. In just a couple of exchanges, he’s already shown incredible proficiency in both Soul Refinement and spellcraft. And that’s only what he’s chosen to show so far...

He could not help but ask, ”Fellow Daoist Azure Yang, could it be that you truly are a surviving True Inheritor of the Primordial Devil Sect?”

Luo Chen remained calm and asked in return, ”The sect has already scattered like drifting clouds. Whether I am or not, what difference does it make?”

Wu Qi froze for a moment. Of course, it technically made no difference, yet if one could act under the name of the Primordial Devil Sect, then moving through the Northern Sea that had once been under its control would undoubtedly....

But just as he thought this, he came to a realization. If he truly acted that way, there would naturally be advantages and disadvantages. Although the Primordial Devil Sect had been called a Holy Land for several thousand years, it had never exerted tight control over the Northern Sea like the Holy Lands of other territories. Coupled with the overbearing conduct of its disciples, it had provoked countless powerful figures both openly and in secret. On the surface, practically no one would bother to hunt down the remnants of the sect and take them to task for it. Yet in the shadows, no one knew how many were determined to exterminate every remaining member.

The Sages of the sect were figures no one dared provoke. But someone like Azure Yang would be a far easier target. Judging from his choice to live in seclusion in a remote place like the Flying Swallow Archipelago, he clearly detested trouble. Naturally, he would not invite even greater danger for the sake of whatever convenience it may or may not bring.

Believing he had understood everything, Wu Qi had mentally assigned Luo Chen the status of a True Inheritor of the Primordial Devil Sect.

This was precisely what Luo Chen wanted. It provided a background while minimizing the risks he had to bear. Some things were best left unspoken. However, some things still needed to be made clear. Thus, he looked at the black-robed Daoist with his hair bound high and asked coldly, ”Fellow Daoist Wu, I take it you’re a member of Devil’s Snare?”

Wu Qi smiled and replied, ”That’s right. I am from one of the twelve lineages of Blood Nightmare Devil’s Snare. I hail from Divine Witch Island, and I am the Wu family’s Supreme Elder.”[1]

With a single statement, he laid out his name, origin, background, and backing in full. Luo Chen carefully weighed the information within. From what he’d heard, the so-called twelve lineages of the Devil’s Snare were the factions of twelve Sages, collectively known as the twelve Lineage Lords. It was rumored that among them were also late-stage Sages, yet, interestingly enough, the force’s name originated from an early-stage Sage.

This person was a direct inheritor of the Primordial Devil Sect. Within the sect, he had been an outstanding figure of the Blood God Lineage and had even risen to the rank of elder. When the sect was destroyed, he happened to be carrying out missions outside the sect and narrowly escaped disaster.

After surviving, he never stopped thinking about reviving the sect. With the support of a number of Sages, he established the Devil’s Snare under his own Dao title, Blood Nightmare Devil’s Snare, seeking to reclaim the former territories of the Primordial Devil Sect. At present, the Devil’s Snare was one of the foremost major powers opposing the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance.

Clearly, by openly declaring himself to be a member of this force, Wu Qi was giving both a show of sincerity and a pointed reminder to Luo Chen that he had a powerful backer.

Luo Chen naturally understood, yet his expression remained calm. ”Fellow Daoist, I presume that you were originally here for Yan Nantian.”

Wu Qi nodded. ”That is indeed the case. When our organization was first established, there were plenty of other minor forces trying to profit from the chaos. The Yan family of Labored Swallow Island was ignorant and easily manipulated, and in the end, they offended us. Yan Nantian himself was no weakling, I have to admit. He was bold but careful, and overall really troublesome. He injured and killed quite a few of our people, and he was quite high on our kill list.”

”In that case, I will need an explanation,” Luo Chen said coldly, a trace of displeasure appearing on his face.

Wu Qi was taken aback. ”Eh? Was this not an explanation?”

Luo Chen looked at him coldly. ”I have never shown disrespect toward your lineage, and I even killed your enemy Yan Nantian for you. By both sentiment and reason, you should be thanking me. And yet the moment you arrived, you kicked my door open without even knocking. That is what I want you to explain.”

His manner was not overbearing, yet it carried a hint of authority, as if he did not care in the slightest about the Devil’s Snare behind Wu Qi. Wu Qi’s expression subtly changed. Could it be that he actually held a high position even before the fall of the Primordial Devil Sect? Does he not see Devil’s Snare as an enemy to fear?

But as Wu Qi took in that absurdly youthful face, a trace of apprehension formed in his heart. At such a young age, he already has a solid cultivation at the fourth stage of the Golden Core Realm. Even within the old sect, that would mark him as a prodigy. So maybe he really doesn’t see Devil’s Snare as anything special at all.

As countless thoughts churned over in his mind, Wu Qi’s expression finally grew serious. He cupped his fist toward Luo Chen. ”My apologies. I was misled by petty schemers. Rest assured, I will give you a proper account for this matter.”

Right in front of Luo Chen, he sent out a divine consciousness transmission. Then he sat back down as if nothing had happened, calmly sipping on his spirit tea. Luo Chen did not press the matter either; he wanted to see what Wu Qi considered a ”proper account.”

Not long after, a streak of light flew in from beyond the island, then started circling above the lake, hesitant to enter. The mist on Moon-Inviting Island was as sensitive as always, however. It parted immediately, leaving a narrow path for the new visitor to land.

The streak of light wavered for a breath, then finally slipped inside. Following the clear path through the mist, Kun Jiao, arrived at the palace with a heart full of unease.

As it turned out, he had every reason to be uneasy. The moment he stepped in, he felt two scorching gazes fall upon him. The spirit pressure from either side was not restrained in the slightest, and it pressed down on him like a mountain. Instantly, his face drained of color.

With a thump, he knelt to the ground and said through clenched teeth, ”Greetings, Adepts!”

Just as he was about to raise his head, he heard a voice say in a light tone, ”Fellow Daoist, I hope you find this explanation satisfactory.”

The voice seemed to brush right past Kun Jiao’s ear. The next instant, his world went blank. All he saw was a headless corpse still kneeling on the white jade tiles. A head rolled across the grand hall four or five times before coming to rest.

Luo Chen looked at Wu Qi with a half-smile. ”That’s it?”

Wu Qi replied calmly, ”He’s the one who used flattering words to mislead me. He deserves his fate. Well... If you’re still not satisfied, then how about this?”

As he spoke, he reached out with one hand. The two pouches at Kun Jiao’s waist flew over. One was a storage pouch, and the other was a spirit beast pouch. Both of them landed before Luo Chen.

Wu Qi pointed at the two pouches. ”He wasn’t much to write home about, but he was the leader of a gang, so he should have accumulated some wealth. And inside that spirit beast pouch there’s an early-stage third-tier Black-Scaled Flood Dragon. Its strength may not compare to ours, but it’s more than enough to deal with most Foundation Establishment juniors. From what I can see, your cultivation ground is only guarded by a couple of Blue-Ringed Great Fang Sea Serpents. Frankly, that’s a bit lacking for a man of your standing. This Black-Scaled Flood Dragon would be a much better fit.”

His words were reasonable and well-thought-out. By killing the man, he had given Luo Chen a way to let go of the grudge without appearing weak; by offering compensation, he had shown sincerity. At this point, if Luo Chen were to press the matter further, it would truly be unreasonable. Naturally, Luo Chen was not someone lacking in judgment. After a moment of silence, he slowly nodded.

”I see, so you really were misled by that petty schemer. In that case, let’s put all past grievances behind us.”

”Haha, that’s what I was thinking!” Wu Qi laughed, as if he did not mind the earlier matter at all.

Luo Chen felt that he’d gained yet another piece of insight. Perhaps this was also one of the prevailing customs of the Northern Sea cultivation world! In the Eastern Wilderness, a cultivator would first state their identity and background, clarify whether the other party was friend or foe, and only then decide how to act. Meanwhile, in the Northern Sea, it was entirely irrelevant who you were and whether you did anything wrong.

Fists talk first, and if your fist is big enough, then we can sit down and talk about background, compensation, all that. If not... tough luck.

Clearly, his earlier show of power had earned Wu Qi’s acknowledgement. Still, Luo Chen did not believe he was overwhelmingly stronger. In that brief exchange earlier, Luo Chen had felt pressure himself. Otherwise, he would not have drawn the Mystic Flame Sword and prepared for a full confrontation. Moreover, once Wu Qi was on the open sea, though his words carried a hint of concession, his aura had in fact grown orders of magnitude stronger. Had that not been the case, Luo Chen would never have brought him onto Moon-Inviting Island.

1. Wu Qi’s surname (巫, wū) means ”witch” in English. Accordingly, (巫神岛, wū shén dǎo) is rendered as Divine Witch Island. ☜