An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The Six-Restriction Cloud Carriage was much more than just a show of grandeur. Beneath its opulent exterior lay a host of practical functions. Flight was the main feature, of course, but it was just the most basic one. The carriage had both offensive and defensive capabilities, though to unleash its full might required considerable manpower—something Luo Chen lacked, making it rather awkward for him to employ it in that regard.

But this magnificent cloud carriage also had another function that proved especially useful at this moment. Through the Water Mirror and jade chime, Luo Chen was able to eavesdrop on the three and glean quite a few secrets. For instance, that they actually hailed from the Central Continent, and even though they addressed each other as if they were disciples of the same force, they actually came from three different families: Liu, Wu, and Guan. It also appeared that the newly risen Sage, Dragon Abyss was, not a rogue cultivator without backing, but a member of the Liu family.

As for why these three had traveled such a great distance to the Northern Sea, it was to follow in Sage Dragon Abyss’s footsteps. They sought to obtain the rank of nine-star demon hunter within the society and, through it, secure the resources needed for Nascent Soul formation. Aside from Longwind, who seemed somewhat restrained, the other two were brimming with confidence, as though the nine-star rank were already theirs for the taking. Their tone carried undisguised arrogance, as if the Northern Sea were nothing more than some remote and impoverished backwater.

Luo Chen had no idea where their confidence came from. The Central Continent might be a land rich in talents, but the Northern Sea was equally renowned for its abundant resources and the many powerful experts it produced. What grounds did they have for such a sense of superiority? In any case, whatever it was, he had no interest in probing further.

For the remainder of the journey, he focused on getting himself into peak condition. He was only going on this trip in order to test his new technique, and his opponents were nothing more than demonic beasts, but he dared not be careless. Every foe had to be treated with caution. Otherwise, it would be all too easy to slip and suffer an unexpected defeat. Moreover, these were no mindless beasts, but powerful members of demon clans, survivors of a cataclysmic war that had destroyed a Holy Land.

***

The cloud carriage continued forward, passing through the Encircling Sea Region and the Winding Sea Region before finally arriving at the first line, the Flowing Sea Region. There, it descended down slowly before a massive stone fortress. Luo Chen gazed through the Water Mirror at the bustling crowds outside the fortress and sensed an atmosphere thick with killing intent and restless tension.

The moment they landed, an Initiate stepped forward to greet them. ”I am Zeng Xiong. Greetings, seniors!”

Luo Chen put away the cloud carriage and swept his sleeve as he stepped forward. ”Take us to meet the one in charge here.”

As he spoke, he produced his newly issued five-star demon hunter token. The moment it came into view, Longwind and the other two reacted differently. Longwind was a little confused; he had expected that someone with a Dao title must be very strong, but Luo Hai’s rank was only five stars? Meanwhile, Wu Tao and Guan Xiaoping exchanged glances, their lips curling slightly in superior smirks. In their view, the Society cultivators’ strength was closely tied to their demon hunter rank. Anything below seven stars was nothing remarkable. Earlier, Longwind had urged them to show Luo Chen some respect, and they’d given it some thought, but now, it seemed unnecessary.

After checking Luo Chen’s token, Zeng Xiong shifted his gaze to the three behind him. ”To prevent demons skilled in transformation from slipping into the fortress, all newcomers are required to present identity tokens. I hope you guys understand.”

Luo Chen turned and looked at the three, signaling with his eyes for them to cooperate. Longwind produced his waist token and infused it with mana to activate it, showing it was his. Three white stars gleamed softly. Wu Tao and Guan Xiaoping followed suit, though their expressions grew slightly stiff when their three-star ranks lit up. To them, such a low rank was somewhat embarrassing, especially under Luo Chen’s gaze.

Luo Chen, however, felt nothing about it. It was simply a result of the Society’s recent restructuring. Otherwise, anyone joining the Demon Hunter Division would have had to start from one star and work their way up. Three stars was actually quite decent.

Meanwhile, Zeng Xiong’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t care less whether they had three or five stars; the important part was that with four more Adepts, the pressure of clearing the demonic beasts in the Sunken Sea would surely be greatly reduced.

”Seniors, this way, please!”

Luo Chen nodded and strode forward. The three behind him followed closely, their gazes sweeping over the fortress. Luo Chen did the same, occasionally asking Zeng Xiong about the situation within Peaceward Fortress.

”The fortress is stained with blood and filled with fiend qi. Why such a peaceful name?”

”The name ’Peaceward’ was given back when Mad Hermit was in a clear state of mind. It was meant as a hope that this place would hold the demon clans back and keep our land in peace.”

”How many people are usually stationed here?”

Zeng Xiong scratched his head. ”Hard to say exactly... but normally, there are at least three thousand. Lately, though, because of Blood Hermit’s order, the numbers shot up. There have probably been over ten thousand cultivators passing through. Still, most of them have already gone to the Sunken Sea. Not that many left here now.”

”The two rear defense lines each have three Adepts stationed. What about here?”

”Also three,” replied Zeng Xiong. ”Well... four, if you count Senior Saberstorm. He’s a special case because he stays here all year round. He’s using the demons for practice.”

”And recently? How many Adepts have come through?”

”I couldn’t really tell you. Some of them leave as soon as they finish their missions. But from what I’ve seen... probably around forty, maybe fifty.”

”That many? That’s nearly half of the Society’s Adepts.”

”Not quite. The ones who actually belong to our Society aren’t that many. Quite a few were sent over from the Endless Valley side.”

Luo Chen nodded thoughtfully. The society had close to a hundred Adepts, including quite a few Pseudo-Adepts. But this count did not include the experts from Endless Valley, the Chen family of Sky Passage, or the Zhou family of the Coral Sea. The Adepts of those three forces usually cultivated within their own territories and only joined forces with the society in times of war.

By the time they reached the fortress gates, Luo Chen lifted his head and looked up at the crimson fortress; its massive form exuded a cold and unyielding aura. His gaze settled on the rows of square openings set into its walls.

”Hm? Why are there openings like these in the middle of the walls?”

Luo Chen’s curiosity was not without reason. Over his cultivation life, he had seen many immortal cities. To keep their formations intact, their walls were normally solid and well sealed, with almost no openings except for the strictly necessary gates. And yet Peaceward Fortress had been built in this manner; did they not fear that these openings would weaken the formation, leaving flaws that could be exploited and broken by force?

Zeng Xiong answered right away, ”Those are reserved for Heaven Origin Spirit Energy Cannons. If the number of demonic beasts gets too high and the fortress is at risk, they’ll be activated for large-scale bombardment.”

”Heaven Origin Spirit Energy Cannons?” Luo Chen was taken aback. He had seen spirit energy cannons in action before; Skysail City had deployed them on the Heavenly Drum Plains. But why did the ones at Peaceward Fortress bear such a specific name, and one that sounded so... loaded?

Zeng Xiong’s answer confirmed his suspicions. ”These cannons were purchased in bulk by the Society from the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance; apparently, they were actually made by the Heaven Origin Dao Sect. We only got the chance to do a full deployment once, seventy years ago, when the beast tide was at its worst. We had a few thousand cannons fire all at once, and their power was nearly on par with a Sage going all out. Truly terrifying.”

Zeng Xiong could not stop praising the cannons. Luo Chen also clicked his tongue in admiration, but when he caught sight of the three behind him looking as though they shared in the glory, his brow lifted slightly. Could it be that they came from the Heaven Origin Dao Sect, or were at least closely connected to it?

The thought did not linger long. Before long, they entered Peaceward Fortress and met the one in charge. The man only introduced himself with his surname, Shentu[1]; he was an eighth-stage Adept and one of the few seven-star demon hunters. He wore plain robes and had a faint golden sheen to his complexion, which stood in stark contrast to Luo Chen’s ruddy face.

When he saw Luo Chen, he greeted him warmly. Luo Chen also did not put on any airs and responded in kind. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shentu got straight to the point. ”So you are heading to the Sunken Sea? Most of the cultivators who’ve come through here lately are going that way. It won’t be difficult for you. Still... there’s something I should let you know first.”

”Please go on, Fellow Daoist Shentu.”

”I hope you remember the old rule. Any demonic beasts killed on the battlefield have to be sold to the division, unless you’re keeping them for personal use.”

Luo Chen nodded; he had found this out before even joining the Society. ”That’s fine.”

Shentu then glanced at the other three. ”And you people? Heading to the Sunken Sea as well?”

He had been noticeably warm toward Luo Chen, yet he was treating the three of them rather coolly, which instantly irritated the two younger ones. Wu Tao snorted. ”Of course. Why else would we come all this way?”

Guan Xiaoping added impatiently, ”You’ve seen us, and our identities have been checked. That’s all, right? If there’s nothing else, we’ll be on our way.”

Longwind’s lips twitched, as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, he only gave a slight nod. Shentu remained calm, showing no anger at their tone. He merely beckoned Zeng Xiong from outside, gave a few instructions, and had him lead the three to the Sunken Sea battlefield. With their departure, the hall seemed to become much more peaceful. Yet between Luo Chen and Shentu, the atmosphere remained just as lively as before.

”This is a bottle of pills I refined in my spare time. Since it’s our first meeting, take it as a small gift, Fellow Daoist.”

Shentu was slightly surprised. The famed Azure Yang, reputed to be aloof and detached from worldly affairs, seemed unexpectedly... approachable. He took the jade bottle, and when he caught the rich fragrance of the pills within, his eyes widened slightly.

”Mid-grade third-tier pills! I didn’t expect that a renowned master artisan like you would also be such a skilled alchemist!”

Luo Chen smiled faintly. ”Alchemy and artifact creation share some similarities. I only dabble in it from time to time; I don’t deserve that kind of praise.”

Shentu put away the bottle, and his expression turned serious. ”I won’t take your gift for nothing. If you need anything, speak up.”

A straightforward man. That makes things easier. Luo Chen did not waste words. ”The war in the Sunken Sea has been going on for two or three years now, and it’s drained a lot of the Society’s manpower and resources. Yet the demonic beasts there still can’t be fully cleared. I’d like to know why. I’d also like to understand the distribution of demonic beasts in that area... as well as the abilities of the stronger Demon Kings.”

Shentu frowned slightly, then gave a slow nod. ”I see. That’s simple enough.”

***

The next day, after taking some time to rest, Luo Chen set off alone toward the northwest. As he traveled, the information Shentu had shared with him echoed in his mind.

The grand formation that sealed demons in the Heaven of Northern Yama was originally made up of two layers. One had been set up by the Ascendant leading the Soul Refinement Lineage of the devil sect before his death; the other had been established later by a newly risen Ascendant Li Canghai[2]. The former restrained all Demon Emperors and Ancient Demons, and it still functioned to this day. The latter, however, had been mostly broken thirty years ago. As a result, more and more low-tier demonic beasts had managed to slip free over the past three decades.

At first, people were very concerned about their escape. Yet, for some reason, they had gathered within the Ruined City of the Surging Sea and had not launched any assaults on the Three Oceans Defensive Line. Only recently had it become clear that they had not been lying dormant at all but had instead quietly shifted toward the Sunken Sea. With demonic beasts constantly escaping from the Heaven of Northern Yama and converging there, battles had become unceasing.

Luo Chen had no doubts that this was true. Back when he was on the garrison mission on the Winding Defensive Line, he had already heard such rumors. Now that he was here and he could piece everything together, the whole picture fell neatly into place. The only thing that troubled him was the unknown numbers of demonic beasts sealed within the Heaven of Northern Yama. It was said that the demon clans had gathered an army of not just millions but tens of millions to attack the devil sect, and that was why they could wipe out even a Holy Land.

The Primordial Devil Sect had three Ascendants. Grand Elder Blood Sea had not been present at the time, while the Grand Elder from the Soul Refinement Lineage sacrificed himself to activate a grand formation that used the terrain around the sect’s territory to seal it off from within. Grand Elder Primordial Devil’s fate remained unknown; as for those below Divine Transformation, it was surmised that nearly all disciples and elders, save for a small number who had been away, had perished there.

The battle must have been unimaginably brutal, and while the demon clans seemed to have achieved a decisive victory, the devil sect had certainly not taken it lying down. As a top-tier sect renowned for its domineeringness and brutality, its final counterattack must have been nothing short of earth-shaking. After such a battle, how many of those tens of millions of demons could have survived? If their numbers had indeed been reduced as much as Luo Chen expected, then even if the two great sealing formations were broken centuries later, the demon experts would pose little threat to the human side. In that case, Luo Chen could continue cultivating in peace within the Society. But if the devil sect had failed to take many of them down before its fall, then he would have to start considering relocating his cultivation grounds altogether

Anyway, this is all too far off into the future... Perhaps I am worrying for nothing.

Luo Chen shook his head as he came to a halt atop a solitary peak. A strange sight presented itself to him—the sea was split in half by a straight line, divided into two clean halves of which one was a clear blue and the other dark and turbid.

”So that’s the Sunken Sea?”

Luo Chen stared at the murky sea and took a deep breath. He then took out a beast-hide map from his storage ring. It was a simplified distribution chart of the demon forces that Shentu had given him before his departure. The map was covered with countless star-like markings, and dozens of locations were specially highlighted in red, each one representing a powerful Demon King. He sent his divine consciousness into the map, and information corresponding to it began to flow into his mind. Suddenly, his attention stopped on one of the red points.

Overtide Devil Flood Dragon: Late-stage Demon King skilled in water manipulation. Uses its horn as a conduit for divine abilities. Strong against fire-element cultivators. Mid-stage Adepts and below are advised to avoid it at all costs.

”This is the one!”

Luo Chen’s eyes brightened as a faint surge of battle intent stirred within him. This was just the kind of opponent he needed to test his sword!

1. This is one of the few compound surnames in Chinese, just like Sima. ☜

2. Canghai literally means blue sea, and the Blue Sea Alliance is named after him. He was initially named Li Douliang, but it appears that the author has decided on Canghai ☜