An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Luo Chen looked across the battlefield below, moving from the corpses strewn across the ground to the people still putting up a fight. In the end, his attention settled on an elegant man in white robes who was facing the Angler alone. The man wore a tall crown and carried a feather fan; his every movement was calm and graceful despite the fierce battle raging around him.

”Yu Gao... a disciple of the Penglai Immortal Sect.” Luo Chen frowned slightly. ”How did they end up fighting each other?”

Although the Society was counted among the Northern Sea’s four great hegemonic powers, everyone knew it was the weakest of the four and had survived largely by maintaining a neutral stance. The Penglai Immortal Sect, however, was entirely different. Not only was it a great sect with a heritage stretching back thousands of years, it had also formed an alliance with Devil’s Snare. Some even claimed that the Heaven Origin Dao Sect’s influence could be seen behind it. With backgrounds like these, the two sides should have had little reason to engage in such a bloody conflict, let alone one involving their most elite Adepts.

”It’s the Divine Iris!” the Flesh Ganoderma said. When Luo Chen looked toward it, it pointed into the depths of the valley. ”If I remember correctly, there’s a Divine Iris garden in there. It’s been growing for over a thousand years, so there should be quite a few high-quality plants by now.”

Gulp!

Devil’s Cloud stared fixedly into the valley, unable to conceal the greed that flashed through his eyes. The Divine Iris was one of the most famous herbs used to assist Nascent Soul formation, and for aging Adepts like them, its value was difficult to overstate. As the years passed, blood qi inevitably declined, and cultivators’ physiques gradually weakened. By the time many Adepts reached the late stage and realized that forming a Nascent Soul also required a powerful physique, it was often too late to begin physique cultivation from scratch. Under such circumstances, the Divine Iris became one of the most sought-after spirit herbs in the cultivation world, as it was capable of strengthening the body and compensating for this shortcoming.

With that explanation, the situation before them suddenly made much more sense. Yu Gao was clearly the strongest among the seven cultivators. Even so, the Angler had chosen to personally face him one-on-one rather than help his companions eliminate the weaker opponents first. That decision alone revealed how determined he was to secure the Divine Iris garden. So long as Yu Gao remained standing, no one could truly claim those spirit medicines.

Devil’s Cloud’s gaze shifted back and forth between Luo Chen and the Flesh Ganoderma. The temptation in his eyes became increasingly difficult to suppress. ”What about us?”

The Flesh Ganoderma merely spread its hands. ”The Divine Iris doesn’t do much for me, but if you want it, I don’t mind helping.”

Luo Chen took a small step forward and looked down at the battlefield once more. His interest in the Divine Iris was obvious. Even so, he did not immediately make a move. Rather than throwing himself into a chaotic battle, it was better to wait patiently and reap the rewards once everything was over.

***

The battle within the valley steadily drew to a close. When another Adept from the Penglai Immortal Sect fell to Purple Empress’s flying needles, only two remained. At that point, the outcome was no longer a matter of ”if” but a matter of ”when.”

”Second Senior Brother!” the survivor cried out in anguish as he struggled against Ghost Spirit Child’s relentless assault.

Yu Gao’s face twisted with rage. ”Leave!”

As the word left his mouth, he spat out a cloud of mist that swept toward the Angler. Taking advantage of the brief opening it created, Yu Gao immediately abandoned the fight and shot toward the depths of the valley. The seemingly pointless move soon revealed its purpose: When he reappeared, a radiant pavilion shimmering with spirit light floated beneath him.

The instant it appeared, Devil’s Cloud blurted out, ”The Penglai Eightspire Pavilion!”

Luo Chen asked curiously, ”What’s that?”

Devil’s Cloud answered excitedly, ”It’s one of the Penglai Immortal Sect’s inherited True Artifacts and a rare multiple-attribute treasure! See those eight corners? Each one can draw in a different type of spirit energy. It’s actually an eight-attribute treasure! More importantly, it’s said to be the finest portable garden in existence.”

Even Luo Chen found himself slightly surprised. Five-attribute items were already extraordinarily difficult to refine; an item that incorporated not only the five elements but also ice, wind, and lightning was rarer still. More importantly, the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion was not merely an enchanted treasure but a True Artifact! Ordinary treasures could only amplify a cultivator’s mana. True Artifacts, however, had already crossed into an entirely different realm; they were much like Sages, who could draw upon the natural spirit energy directly and even exert a degree of control over it. A portable garden with such a foundation naturally possessed astonishing capabilities. It was obvious that the one who had created the pavilion was a grandmaster among grandmasters.

After hearing Devil’s Cloud’s explanation, Luo Chen’s interest was piqued. Yet from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the Flesh Ganoderma appeared completely unimpressed, as though the famed True Artifact was nothing worth mentioning.

Luo Chen fell into thought and lowered his gaze to the land beneath his feet. If the Land of Fallen Devils truly was nothing more than one of Heaven Refiner’s portable estates from back then, then the very Wood Heaven Plains they were in was essentially a colossal portable garden that utterly surpassed the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion. In that case, it was easy to understand why Devil’s Cloud was practically drooling while the Flesh Ganoderma could not muster the slightest interest.

While they were speaking, the battle below shifted yet again. Seeing Yu Gao attempting to flee with the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion, the three eight-star demon hunters naturally refused to stand by and watch. The Angler let out a cold snort and flicked his black-gold fishing rod, sending the Heavenly Broken Line streaking through space.

PAK!

The surrounding space shuddered as the nearly invisible line wrapped itself around the pavilion. ”You guys can leave, but the pavilion stays!”

Yu Gao’s expression darkened instantly, and he shouted, ”Is your Society really determined to become enemies of my sect?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Purple Empress shot into the air. ”If that’s the case, then none of you are leaving either!”

Several flying needles as fine as a strand of hair vanished from her fingertips. They disappeared into the void without a trace, only to reappear beside Yu Gao an instant later. Before he could react, the needles slipped through the gaps in his tattered robes.

Psssshh! Psssshh! Pssssshh!

Yu Gao shuddered violently as countless jets of blood burst from the holes riddling his body. At that same moment, the battle within the valley came to an end. Ghost Spirit Child emerged, carrying a severed head whose eyes remained wide open in death.

The sight made Yu Gao’s eyes nearly split with rage. ”One day, I’ll personally lead my sect against the Society and wipe it off the map!”

The furious roar had barely faded when dazzling white light burst from his body. Under the stares of everyone present, his figure shattered apart inch by inch and transformed into countless white feathers that scattered through the sky. In only a few breaths, he had already become a tiny speck on the horizon, yet the white light continued flickering in the distance, making it clear that he was still using that strange technique.

The Purple Empress wanted to pursue him, but before she had flown for even one li, the Angler called out to stop her. ”Don’t bother. That’s Penglai’s Plume Ascension Escape. You won’t catch him unless you know how to counter it.”

The Purple Empress reluctantly halted, though unwillingness was written all over her face. Everyone understood the principle of cutting weeds and uprooting the roots. Allowing an enemy like Yu Gao to escape would inevitably bring future trouble, especially when that enemy came from a behemoth like the Penglai Immortal Sect.

The Angler, however, appeared completely unconcerned. Rogue cultivators of their level had little reason to fear pursuit by major sects. More importantly, they had acted under Moon Hermit’s orders. If retaliation truly came afterward, Moon Hermit would be the first target. As far as he knew, there were even rumors that Moon Hermit originated from the Penglai Immortal Sect.

”Our chance of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm will increase much more with the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion!”

As he spoke, he gently tugged on the fishing rod, drawing the pavilion toward his group. Yet just as it began drifting across the sky, a gigantic claw suddenly descended from the clouds and seized one of the pavilion’s upturned eaves.

Before anyone could understand what was happening, an overwhelming force erupted from the claw. The Heavenly Broken Line, which had firmly bound the pavilion moments earlier, was shaken loose with a single pull.

As the pavilion rose toward the sky, the Purple Empress’ expression changed drastically, but she was too far away to intercept it in time. The Angler suffered a backlash from his own treasure, leaving his mana in disarray and preventing him from acting. Only Ghost Spirit Child was close enough, and having just finished his battle, he was still on high alert.

”Put that down right now!”

He shot into the sky, only to come crashing back down a moment later before a figure that moved like a bolt of heavenly lightning.

”So fast!”

”So strong!”

The two exclamations rang out almost simultaneously from the Purple Empress and the Angler. Both stared at the newcomer with shock.

Luo Chen looked at the heap of mangled flesh on the ground that resembled a puddle of mud and slowly withdrew his right leg. Another eight-star demon hunter of the Society had died.

Holding the pavilion in one hand, he swept a cold gaze over the man and the woman. ”Seems like this treasure was meant for me. Surely, nobody objects, right?”