An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

One day later, inside an extinct volcano, a crimson-robed Daoist sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and his breathing steady. Dense ambient spirit energy drifted around him and flowed continuously into his body. As it gathered around him, it formed visible spirals that stirred the air and set his sleeves fluttering.

When his cultivation cycle came to an end, Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes. This place is incredible.

After spending a full day cultivating here, he had gained a much deeper appreciation for just how extraordinary this place truly was. Although this small volcano could only be considered a low-grade third-tier spirit land in terms of overall spirit energy density, the actual cultivation results it provided rivaled even his formation-enhanced Starry Palace at Surging Lake.

The reason for this remarkable phenomenon was the difference in composition of spirit energy. In the outside world, natural spirit energy was generally balanced, with the five elemental attributes forming the foundation and wind, lightning, and countless other attributes intermixed throughout. Cultivators had to rely on their cultivation techniques and spirit roots to sift through this complex blend, drawing in the energies best suited to them before refining them into mana.

Yet within this pocket world, that balanced distribution was nowhere to be seen. In Blazing Purgatory in particular, the vast majority of spirit energy was fire attribute. For fire-path cultivators, this translated into an astonishing increase in cultivation efficiency. There was scarcely any need to actively draw in the ambient spirit energy; simply breathing was enough to obtain the fire spirit energy required for cultivation and refinement, while the tiny traces of other attributes were too insignificant to affect the purity of the resulting mana.

As a result, after only a single day of cultivation supplemented by supreme-grade True Flame Pills, Luo Chen had completely replenished the mana within his Nascent Core. Although the newly restored mana was still somewhat unstable, it was more than enough for battle.

If a low-grade third-tier spirit land here can rival the top-grade ones outside, then what would a middle-grade or top-grade one be like? Wouldn’t that be on the same level as the supreme-grade cave residence on Green Parasol Mountain? If I could stay here for a decade or two, I might even reach Perfected Mastery in one go instead of spending another century grinding my way there.

The thought left him in an excellent mood.

Now that he had fulfilled his most pressing cultivation need, Luo Chen felt completely at ease within the scorching cave residence. He was certain that Devil’s Cloud had also recognized the value of this place. Unfortunately, they had entered Blazing Purgatory in search of treasures, not to seclude themselves in cultivation. No matter how exceptional the environment was, they could not remain here indefinitely.

The realization filled him with regret, and he let out a long sigh. But just as the breath left his lips...

Hm?

A wisp of azure flame emerged on his fingertip. Ever since entering Blazing Purgatory, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire had been unusually restless. After noticing that Devil’s Cloud’s White Cloud Boundless Flame had displayed a similar reaction, Luo Chen had assumed it was simply the natural reaction of a primordial true fire to such an extreme fire-element environment. But as time passed, the feeling had only grown stronger.

Within his sea of qi, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire churned with unusual agitation. More than that, it seemed to be conveying a powerful sense of longing, almost like hunger. The feeling was difficult to describe, as though something essential lay nearby and the flame could no longer resist the urge to seek it out. The azure flame flickered atop Luo Chen’s fingertip, stretching and swaying in a particular direction as if searching for a target.

Sss...

A thin strand of azure smoke drifted from the flame and curled toward the stone wall. Luo Chen followed its movement and narrowed his eyes. ”Huh? In there?”

After a moment of consideration, he glanced toward the cave entrance. Devil’s Cloud and the Flesh Ganoderma were still waiting outside. ”Well, too bad... they’ll just have to wait.”

He pursed his lips and withdrew the Withering-Flourishing True Fire. He waved his hand, and one of the Seven Fiend Swords flew out from the sword case on his back. Under his control, the sword began spinning, then shot straight into the stone wall.

Weng! Weng! Weng!

Like a massive drill, the sword’s sharp tip bored deeper into the wall. Chunks of stone and dirt burst outward in torrents as it carved a tunnel deeper into the volcano. Since his temporary cave residence had been excavated into the side of the mountain to begin with, exploring deeper inward was simply a matter of repeating the same action.

Finally, a little while later, the tunnel reached the other side of the rock wall, and the booming sound it made revealed that there was a fairly large cavern on the other side. Luo Chen took hold of his sword and stepped out of the passage, and looked down at the space below.

Glup... Glup... Glup...

At the bottom of the cavern, a pool of magma bubbled and churned, casting a crimson glow across the surrounding rock. The firelight illuminated Luo Chen’s fair skin until he almost resembled the Red-Faced Daoist he had been before breaking through to the fourth tier of Physique Refinement.

Then his eyes suddenly widened. At the very center of the molten pool stood a crystalline red lotus with three fully unfurled petals, quietly blooming amidst the magma.

”Five Elements Lotus? Wait—no! Red Lotus Earth Fire!”

The elements of this world had many wondrous manifestations—Rootless Water, Sourceless Flame, Immaculate Wind, and Soundless Thunder. Of these, Luo Chen was, of course, most familiar with the flames.

Despite the name, Sourceless Flame was not truly without an origin. Rather, once such a flame reached a sufficiently high tier, it could cast off its dependence on the environment and survive on its own, freely seeking out a suitable habitat. At the other end of the spectrum, leaving aside ordinary mortal fire, there was the common earth fire. Such flames relied entirely upon fire veins for their existence and would quickly dissipate once separated from their source.

Few cultivators dared refine Sourceless Flames as their primordial true fires, despite their extraordinary power. The risks were simply too great. Even alchemists, artisans, and fire-path cultivators generally preferred to work with earth fire. Though less convenient and more cumbersome to control, it was far more stable, powerful enough for all practical purposes, and far less prone to going berserk.

Moreover, not all earth fire was inferior to a Sourceless Flame. Among the countless varieties of earth fire, one stood at the absolute pinnacle. Although it still depended upon a fire vein for survival, its power was no weaker than that of a true Sourceless Flame. It was regarded as the king of all earth fire and the highest grade among ordinary flames. This was the Red Lotus Earth Fire!

The lotus blooming on the surface of the magma pool was precisely this legendary fire. Moreover, evident from the three petals, it had already reached the third tier. With this realization, Luo Chen’s breathing became noticeably heavier, and the Withering-Flourishing True Fire in his sea of qi churned even more violently, almost beyond his control.

”You want... to consume it?”

Somehow, Luo Chen was able to understand its intentions. As he voiced his question, the azure flame flared, as though nodding vigorously.

Luo Chen frowned slightly. ”And how exactly are you supposed to do it?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire answered through action. A strand of pure azure flame emerged from Luo Chen and drifted toward the magma pool. The moment it approached, the three crimson petals began to tremble. The magma within the pool boiled violently, sending waves of magma higher, as though the Red Lotus Earth Fire had sensed an approaching threat.

The Withering-Flourishing True Fire neither retreated nor dodged. It dived right into the magma and coiled around the lotus, which caused a riot in the whole pool.

Luo Chen’s eyes lit up. Through his connection with the Withering-Flourishing True Fire, he could clearly sense the fire’s ravenous delight at encountering such a feast. But although the true fire was steadily consuming the Red Lotus Earth Fire, the difference in strength between the two flames made the process painfully sluggish. At this rate, it would take at least ten days, maybe up to half a month before it could completely consume it.

”I can’t wait that long.”

He had scarcely uttered that phrase when suddenly something came to his mind. Back when he first joined the Society, he had gone with Duan Li on his assessment mission, hunting down Yan Zhixian. Among the man’s many tricks, the ghostly domain he created using the Myriad Soul Banner had left the deepest impression on Luo Chen. It was that battle that ultimately inspired the creation of Infinite Blaze Prison. But Yan Zhixian had possessed another trump card as well, one he had used in an attempt to kill Luo Chen: the Green Flame Pearl.

It was a one-time offensive treasure condensed from a large quantity of supreme-grade Azure Yang Devil Flame. Against an ordinary Adept, such an attack would have resulted in either death or severe injury. Luo Chen, of course, had not only survived it but even seized the Green Flame Pearl for himself. Afterward, he had spent some time studying the flame within it, but he had gained little insight. Eventually, he used his Withering-Flourishing True Fire to test the devil flame’s strength, only for his fire to actually devour part of the Azure Yang Devil Flame.

At the time, he had assumed it was merely a unique trait of his true fire. Looking back now, however, that explanation no longer seemed sufficient. There had never been any notion in the cultivation world of Sourceless Flames devouring one another. Flames born from different origins were, in principle, not capable of merging. So why had the Withering-Flourishing True Fire been able to consume the Azure Yang Devil Flame?

A flash of insight suddenly crossed his mind. Without waiting further, he sat cross-legged in midair and began activating the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. Withering-Flourishing True Fire surged out from his sea of qi and rushed toward the Red Lotus Earth Fire. The instant the two came into contact, a mournful cry seemed to mingle with the sound of frantic devouring.

”There you go!” Luo Chen’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

The effect was immediate. Under the influence of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire devoured the Red Lotus Earth Fire at a rate more than ten times faster than before.

Luo Chen had initially thought that the crow had exaggerated the merits of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, but the more he used it, the more he realized that it was even more extraordinary than what he had been told. Not only could it transform spirit root attributes and allow a cultivator to cultivate with the speed of a heavenly spirit root cultivator, but it could also command true fire to devour other Sourceless Flames. If he continued to cultivate like this, perhaps he would truly become the king of all flames!

Oh yeah! Isn’t the phoenix known for being reborn through fire and reigning over all flames? How did I not realize it sooner? I’m a moron...

Though he was criticizing himself, the joy in his heart was impossible to hide. With that figured out, he focused on steadily guiding the refinement.

Deep within the mountain, above the magma pool, a crimson-robed Daoist sat suspended in midair, forming seals with his hands. Azure flames surged in front of him, devouring the crimson flames below.

Two days later, somewhere near the small mountain Luo Chen was cultivating in, the Flesh Ganoderma let out a breath of hot air and shot Heavenjade a rather annoyed look. ”Just how much longer is your master planning to stay in seclusion?”

Heavenjade stood before the Flesh Ganoderma and Devil’s Cloud in her human form, yet even though the two of them were far stronger than her, her face showed no fear. She replied plainly, ”When my master chooses to emerge is entirely up to him. In the interest of your relationship, I would advise you against trying to bother him.”

”You—”

The Flesh Ganoderma was already at the end of its patience. Among the regions of the Heaven of the Five Elements, the two it disliked most were the Thousand Blade Mountains and Blazing Purgatory. The former was saturated with metal-element spirit energy, while the latter was dominated by violent fire. Neither environment was suitable for a wood-attribute sprite like it. Simply being in such places made its divine soul uncomfortable and hindered the flow of its mana. In fact, its inability to fully display its strength against Luo Chen and the Nine-Sun Golden Eagle in the Thousand Blade Mountains had largely been due to this. It would have done much better in Azure Tide, or best of all, the Wood Heaven Plains, which was its home ground. If it were there, even as a mere fragment of will embodied in an avatar, it would have the confidence to face anyone.

Devil’s Cloud shook his head and said, ”Just wait a little longer, Flesh Ganoderma. This place is simply too suitable for him. He’s probably found himself a good opportunity; I don’t doubt he’s immersed in cultivation.”

The Flesh Ganoderma turned and shouted, ”I don’t doubt that either; I’m worried he’ll get too carried away!”

Its voice rang across the surrounding landscape, as though it wished to penetrate the formation and reach Luo Chen directly.

Whoosh!

Heavenjade produced her plantain fan and said coldly, ”Watch yourself.”

The Flesh Ganoderma was about to retort when it suddenly noticed a flash of fire reflected in Devil’s Cloud’s eyes. It abruptly turned around and saw a towering column of flame erupting into the sky.

B-BOOOMMMM!

The volcano erupted without warning. Lava rained down, while thick black smoke spread in every direction.

”Master!” Heavenjade cried out.

The erupting volcano was the very mountain where her master had been cultivating. She gripped the fan and shot into the sky, intending to suppress the eruption.

”No way... This is an extinct volcano. How could it suddenly erupt?” Devil’s Cloud was amazed at the power of heaven and earth, but also confused in equal measure.

The Flesh Ganoderma swept out its divine consciousness and exclaimed, ”He’s there!”

Heavenjade abruptly halted.

Within the pillar of fire, a crimson-robed Daoist sat cross-legged in midair. His black hair danced in the turbulent winds, yet his expression remained calm and his eyes stayed closed. A faint qi barrier shimmered across his robes, shielding him from the scorching heat and falling lava. Behind him, azure and crimson light intertwined continuously, gradually taking the shape of a tree.

Then, Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes. The intertwined azure and crimson radiance immediately flowed back into his body and disappeared. He first glanced at the three waiting below before turning his attention toward the erupting volcano. A fire vein capable of nurturing Red Lotus Earth Fire is hard to come by. It’d be a shame to destroy it.

With that, he spread out his Infinite Blaze Prison, covering a range of a few tens of li. He then formed seals and sent restrictions into key points throughout the volcano. Under the combined effects of his Pseudo-Domain and the formation he set up, the volcano that had been on the verge of a massive explosion slowly returned to stability.

Only after everything had calmed down did Luo Chen descend from the sky and land before the group. ”Let’s go.”

Having witnessed her master calmly quell a volcanic eruption and restore order, her respect for him deepened even further. Devil’s Cloud, however, felt a chill run down his spine. The scene had made the gap between himself and Luo Chen feel more tangible than ever. The Flesh Ganoderma also studied Luo Chen for a long moment. It could vaguely sense that something within this region had changed—the place seemed to have lost a trace of the vitality it once possessed. Yet no matter how carefully it probed, it could not figure out exactly what Luo Chen had done.

In the end, it drew a deep breath and pointed toward the distance. ”There. The Five Elements Lotus should be there!”

The group followed its gesture and looked in that direction. There stood a solitary mountain peak whose silhouette resembled a giant bird poised to soar into the heavens at any moment. The resemblance was so striking that it hardly looked like a mountain at all.

Luo Chen frowned slightly. ”What is that?”

”Vermilion Bird Mountain. That’s where the fifth-tier Vermilion Bird Sacred Fire resides. If the Five Elements Lotus wishes to advance to the fifth tier, it must absorb the elemental essences of all five elements. It has already obtained the other four, far as I know, and that only leaves fire. And in all of Blazing Purgatory, there is only one place capable of providing an adequate flame.”

Looking at that extraordinarily lifelike mountain, Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.