An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Is that Profound Rock Island?”

High above the nine heavens, layers of clouds blanketed the sky. Dark clouds gathered, and a storm seemed to be approaching.

One such patch of black cloud had Luo Chen standing upon the edge. Heavenjade was perched at his feet, having shrunk down to the size of an ordinary seagull. She nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain.

A sea chart fell into Luo Chen’s hands. He studied it carefully and pursed his lips in thought.

The Profound Rock Sea Region was vast. Its area far exceeded that of the Jade Cauldron Domain; in fact, it was the size of three Jade Cauldron Domains combined. Yet Profound Rock Island, from which the region took its name, was not particularly large.

With his Spirit Eyes, Luo Chen looked down across the sea. Hundreds of islands dotted the waters like scattered stars, or perhaps like a maze, and the island at the center, which seemed to be the heart of the maze, was actually the smallest of them all.

Fifteen... thirty-seven... seventy-two? Hmm...

When he compared the sea chart with what lay before him, seventy-two islands of various sizes drew his attention, and a soft sound of surprise escaped his lips. ”A formation?”

With his attainments in formations, he could clearly tell—the islands, combined with the reefs around them and the spirit veins within, outlined a grand formation! But even with his knowledge, Luo Chen could only grasp the general outline of it. He immediately produced the Myriad Soul Banner and called out Han Zhan.

After Luo Chen voiced his suspicion, Han Zhan examined the scene closely before answering, ”It is indeed a formation, and it’s not a natural one. From what I can see, it was personally set up by a Sage.”

Sages possessed practically boundless mana. They were truly capable of moving mountains and filling seas, flattening cities and raising plains. For someone of that level, relocating a few little islands and arranging large-scale formations by shifting the terrain was not a difficult feat.

Luo Chen asked humbly, ”Senior, can you tell what kind of grand formation this is? And what does it do?”

”Eight Trigrams...” Han Zhan shook his head. ”No, it should be a Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation. That’s why those seventy-two islands are arranged like that. As for its effect...”

After a moment of thought, he continued, ”It draws in wind and water spirit energy and makes it flow around the area. This is a classic method of concentrating spirit veins. The Profound Rock Sea Region is vast, but its veins are scattered. The master here used this formation to draw the energy of an entire region together and create a fourth-tier spirit vein. After thousands of years, it’s practically indistinguishable from a natural one.”

He paused, then added, ”On top of that, this Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation serves as both offense and defense. The seventy-two islands are linked together—strong on the outside, weaker within. But if someone ignores the outer island and strikes straight at the center, it would trigger a counterstrike. If it were me, I’d station capable subordinates on the outer islands and leave just one person guarding the central palace.”

Hearing this, Luo Chen frowned. ”Would that not leave the core exposed and allow someone to strike directly at the heart?”

Han Zhan laughed lightly. ”It might. But what if the one at the center is the strongest?”

Luo Chen suddenly understood. In that case, what appeared to be strong on the outside and weak within was, in truth, a perfectly balanced configuration. If a formidable enemy attempted to strike straight at the heart, that enemy would face a direct counterattack from the powerhouse stationed in the central palace. At the same time, the seventy-two surrounding islands would close in and create a situation in which advance and retreat both became impossible.

In fact, if a Sage was controlling the formation from its core, it might require several Sages to take control of Profound Rock Island. Without overwhelming numerical superiority, breaching the formation would be nearly impossible.

Luo Chen finally understood why the Ring-Head Turtle clan had remained so steady despite enduring years of siege from the five royal crab clans.

”Demon Emperor Profound Rock was really thorough... Not a single loose end,” said Luo Chen with admiration.

Han Zhan shook his head. ”A formation can only do so much. It’s rigid and it doesn’t change. The important thing is the one who controls it. Speaking of which... From what I can tell, there’s still a trace of the Demon Emperor’s aura on Profound Rock Island, but it’s extremely faint. The deathly energy is heavy....”

Luo Chen was startled. ”Huh? You’re saying the Demon Emperor is dead?”

”At the very least, not on the island. Otherwise, that deathly energy wouldn’t be leaking out.”

Now Luo Chen understood why the five crab clans dared to attack Profound Rock Island. When the tiger leaves the mountain, the monkeys seek to claim kingship! The demonic crabs intended to overthrow their superior and become the true overlords of the Profound Rock Sea Region, and now, they had the opportunity. And their opportunity... was also his opportunity.

Even if the Demon Emperor was gone, the Ring-Head Turtle clan’s foundation far surpassed that of ordinary demon clans. A prolonged and vicious struggle between the two sides would inevitably result in heavy casualties, and these casualties would give Luo Chen the chance to be the proverbial fisherman. For now, however, he needed to find a foothold. Since he had already summoned Han Zhan, he had no intention of letting such capable assistance go to waste.

”Senior, your skill and experience with formations far surpass mine. Why not help me find a hidden place to settle down?”

Han Zhan smiled. ”You don’t need me. You already have the means in your hands, so you can handle it yourself.”

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. Then he saw something float out of the Myriad Soul Banner—the formation disc he had previously given Han Zhan. He had asked Han Zhan to modify it to better suit him. Now, as the disc floated before him, he felt somewhat puzzled.

Han Zhan explained right away, ”There are nine minor formations and three major ones. Aside from the Oceanseal Eight Trigram Formation and the Surging Cloudmist Formation, I’ve already figured out the last one.”

”Oh? Please enlighten me, Senior.” Luo Chen’s eyes flashed with interest.

”It’s called the Spirit-Seeking Formation. It’s technically a third-tier formation, but in terms of effects, it’s no weaker than a fourth-tier one.”

Luo Chen could not help but repeat it softly. ”Spirit-Seeking Formation?”

***

Above the clouds, a Daoist sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. He held a compass in his palm, and its mechanisms turned in steady motion. His divine consciousness swept across the terrain below and traced every contour. Under that guidance, the landscape was mapped and drawn into the compass.

Suddenly, he formed a hand seal and tapped his fingers onto the compass. At once, the needle spun at high speed. An odd current of energy spread outward in all directions as the needle responded to unseen forces. At last, the needle slowed and gradually settled in a direction.

Luo Chen opened his eyes, and a trace of satisfaction appeared within them. He did not waste a single moment; he concealed his aura completely as he flew in that direction. After a while of dodging the patrol routes of nearby demonic beasts, he finally slipped onto a desolate island.

The island had only a first-tier spirit vein. Aside from a few wild beasts with little spirit intelligence, there were almost no living beings. Luo Chen surveyed the surroundings and felt deeply satisfied. Although the island was inside the formation, it was not one of the structural nodes, the seventy-two islands he’d noticed before. No forces patrolled it, and no one paid attention to it. It suited him perfectly as a temporary foothold.

With that thought in mind, Luo Chen examined the formation disc he had taken from Red Seven. The item was truly a fine treasure. Its offensive and defensive capabilities were valuable enough as they were, but its real value could only be squeezed out in the hands of a cultivator traveling abroad.

The Surging Cloudmist Formation was ideal for concealing a cave residence; he had already used it once. Meanwhile, as it turned out, the Spirit-Seeking Formation was suited for locating the aura of treasures and spirit veins! Once activated, it would automatically detect the place where spirit energy was most concentrated. This time, Luo Chen had used it for the exact opposite purpose: to locate the place with the weakest aura. He selected that spot as his base of operations.

As for the Oceanseal Eight Trigram Formation, he now believed it had not been designed for combat; its actual function was likely to seal a spirit land and prevent the leakage of aura. In fact, Red Seven had mentioned altering the formation and integrating parts of its own body, namely the legs, to make it into a suppressive formation. That modification had introduced an inherent flaw, which allowed Luo Chen to break it in a single stroke.

Now it seemed that this formation disc combined all three major functions necessary for getting a good cave residence: locating a spirit vein, sealing its aura, and concealing it. In addition, it also served to locate treasures, as well as suppress and seal targets! In other words, it was an exceptional tool for travel and combat alike.

Drawing inspiration from the functions of the three major formations, Luo Chen bestowed a new name upon the treasure.

”What a fine treasure. I don’t know what you were called before, but from now on... you’ll be the Divine Seal Compass!”

After that, he set to work without delay.