An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 1005: Luo Chen’s Strike; Skyloam is Enraged (I)

Amid the raging sandstorm, a figure streaked across the sky like a meteor. Only moments ago, Luo Chen had been among the cultivators gathered within the golden sphere. Now he had already vanished beyond their horizon, moving even faster than the sphere itself had at full speed. On the surface, he appeared as composed as ever. Yet Han Zhan, residing within the Soul-Nurturing Wood, could clearly sense the turbulent emotions churning beneath that calm exterior.

”Are you really going to ruin Blood Nightmare’s plans?”

”Yes!”

”It’s not like the two of you have some life-and-death grudge. If you do this, there won’t be any room left for reconciliation.”

”He might not see it that way, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re already enemies. I don’t want to reconcile.”

Han Zhan fell silent. To a Sage, an Adept was little more than an insignificant ant. Ordering Liang Baizao to hunt Luo Chen down had likely been no more than a casual decision. Even though Liang Baizao had failed, Blood Nightmare probably would not have given it a second thought. If they met again, he might even admire Luo Chen’s accomplishments and attempt to recruit him.

But Luo Chen saw things very differently. Had it not been for Profound Dust Armor, he would have died on Seven Star Island. Although he rarely spoke of his grudges and almost never displayed hatred openly, he had never forgotten that debt. He had simply chosen to bide his time and adhere to the saying ”A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years.” [1]The corner of his eye twitched, and a trace of ruthlessness surfaced in his eyes. ”This is just the interest. Once I become a Sage, I’ll pay him a personal visit and settle the debt in full.”

Seeing that Luo Chen had already made up his mind, Han Zhan gave up on trying to persuade him and changed the subject. ”Now that we’re away from the Flesh Ganoderma, give me those two refined corpses.”

Luo Chen abruptly slowed down. With a sweep of his sleeve, two corpses emerged from his storage ring and hovered before him. They were the refined corpses left behind by Crimson Corpse, both possessing the strength of a late-stage Adept. Before leaving, Luo Chen had specifically instructed Heavenjade to preserve them intact, and she had done so flawlessly.

Looking at the dark wooden plaque floating before him, Luo Chen asked, ”Can you use them?”

Han Zhan grunted in acknowledgment. ”These refined corpses aren’t all that different from puppets. Give me a little time, and I’ll have them under control. Once that’s done, I’ll be able to move around freely.”

Luo Chen glanced at the two refined corpses. ”Alright. In that case, I’ll leave them with you for now. I’ll be back soon.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he shot into the distance. Han Zhan shook his head and sighed before turning his attention toward the two refined corpses before him. ”Still hiding, are you...”

He let out a soft chuckle, and a strand of green light swept across the corpses. The next instant, identical screams erupted from both—the voice sounded exactly like Crimson Corpse’s!

”You dare show off Soul Split in front of me? I swear, some people really overestimate themselves...” Han Zhan smirked. Then, the green light that wrapped the two refined corpses shone upon the endless sea of sand.

***

”We’re here!” Luo Chen murmured to himself as he came to a stop behind a bank of black clouds. The Concealment Veil Formation was already operating at full power, sealing away every trace of his presence.

He brushed a finger across his eyes, and spirit light flashed through his pupils. His gaze pierced the clouds and swept across the battlefield below. The wasteland had long since been swallowed by the encroaching sands, and the battle between the sand giants and the stone giants had become overwhelmingly one-sided. The dragon soul within the black clouds appeared increasingly exhausted. Not only did it have to resist Skyloam’s attacks, but it also had to struggle against the relentless pull of the soul-summoning banner. Already far from its peak condition, it was being steadily worn down from both sides. Under this constant tug-of-war, the dragon soul was on the verge of capture. Its enormous phantom body was gradually being dragged out of the clouds and drawn toward the banner.

Seeing this, Luo Chen’s eyes lit up. ”Good. It’s time.”

He slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist, summoning Black King and Heavenjade to his side. The two demons immediately concealed their auras and blended into the surrounding clouds.

”Guard me. Don’t let anyone interfere.”

After giving the order, Luo Chen’s face turned serious. He raised his hands before his chest and began forming seals rapidly. The sequence was unmistakably the Azure Yang Great Handprint, yet unlike the near-instant casting he normally employed, every seal was executed with meticulous precision. As the seals formed one after another, pure and domineering mana surged from his sea of qi, coursed through his eight extraordinary meridians, and poured outward through countless acupoints before gathering in front of him.

Ordinarily, gathering so much power would have alerted any nearby cultivator long before it reached this stage. Yet the three Adepts presiding over the soul-summoning ritual remained completely unaware. Part of that was due to the unique environment of the Heaven of the Five Elements, which severely suppressed divine consciousness, while the rest stemmed from Luo Chen’s Concealment Veil Formation, which masked every fluctuation of mana and prevented even the slightest trace of his preparations from leaking out.

Black King and Heavenjade stood nearby, however, and they could very much feel the pressure mounting around their master. In fact, it was to the point that they found themselves unconsciously holding their breath.

The Azure Yang Great Handprint was Luo Chen’s strongest fire-element spell, and one that he took the greatest pride in. In fact, it was also the spell most closely associated with his newest Dao title, Devil Lord Azure Yang. Over the years, he had devoted a lot of effort to refining and improving it through countless battles until he had pushed it close to the very edge. Even when cast casually, it was powerful enough to overwhelm opponents of the same realm, and even cultivators one or two stages above him would think twice before confronting it head-on. Yet this time, Luo Chen showed no intention of holding back. He continued to pour mana into the spell without restraint, causing the power to rise higher with each passing moment.

Neither Black King nor Heavenjade could imagine how destructive the final strike would be. Heavenjade was certain that even with her speed, she would never make it out of the spell’s area of effect in time. Black King was no more optimistic. Even with his powerful physique and tough scales, he suspected he would be blasted to pieces; even if he survived, it would be only by the narrowest of margins.

As Luo Chen continued forming seals, strands of azure flame drifted forth and coiled around his hands. Black King’s eyes widened. ”Damn... Master is really going all out.”

For a moment, he could not help but feel a little sympathy for the three people in the distance. Once his master’s attack descended, they would probably die without ever knowing what had killed them.

Just then, movement below caught the attention of both demons.

Heavenjade immediately called out, ”Master, they’re trying to run!”

Luo Chen’s hand movements slowed slightly, but they never stopped. His eyes remained fixed on the ritual altar. The formation protecting the altar was already on the verge of breaking under the onslaught of the yellow sands.

At the altar, Wu Qi maintained control of the golden bell while simultaneously taking out a spindle-shaped enchanted treasure. The moment it appeared, it expanded to a bit over two zhang in length and hovered beside the altar. Clearly, they had already prepared their escape route and intended to flee the moment they secured the dragon soul.

”Master, should we strike now?” Black King could barely contain himself.

Luo Chen remained silent. He continued pouring his mana into Azure Yang Great Handprint. No, just a little longer... Patience...

On the last remaining patch of solid ground within the wasteland, the three Adepts had reached the final stage of the ritual. By now, the Stone Dragon’s lingering soul had been completely dragged from the black clouds and was only weakly resisting the pull of the white banner. Seeing success within reach, Wu Qi bit through the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of blood onto the golden bell. ”If not now, then when?!”

1. 君子报仇，十年不晚 (jūn zǐ bào chóu, shí nián bù wǎn) is a Chinese proverb meaning that one should not rush to take revenge. If wronged, they should strengthen themselves and wait for the right opportunity to act, even if it takes many years. ☜