An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The Flesh Ganoderma’s mood was growing increasingly sour. No matter how closely it observed, it still could not uncover Luo Chen’s secret. The echoes within the Infernal Heartbound Tree, the three eight-star demon hunters of the Society, and the True Artifact of the Penglai Immortal Sect were all matters that should have pushed an ordinary Adept into a desperate corner. Yet whenever Luo Chen encountered an obstacle, he somehow seemed to have the exact means to deal with it. The pattern had repeated itself so many times that even the Flesh Ganoderma could not help wondering whether people were actually much more capable than he’d given them credit for.

Its eyelids twitched from time to time as it stared at the massive gray cauldron that blazed with spirit light as it drew on Luo Chen’s mana to restrain and subdue the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion.

The Flesh Ganoderma had never heard of an Adept refining a life-bound treasure that pursued versatility above all else. Life-bound treasures were meant to complement their masters as perfectly as possible. Chasing versatility usually meant sacrificing specialization, and sacrificing specialization usually meant mediocrity.

Yet somehow, against all reason, Luo Chen had made it work.

***

The Primordial Unity Cauldron’s versatility had become increasingly evident over the years of nurturing. As its impurities were refined away, its strengths gradually emerged more clearly. Whether Luo Chen was refining pills or creating artifacts, the cauldron always seemed to provide exactly what was needed, as though blessed by the heavens themselves.

In battle, whether supporting the Infinite Blaze Prison or displaying its binding power, it was no weaker than any top-grade enchanted treasure. After arriving in the Land of Fallen Devils, even more of its hidden potential had come to light. It had bound the Five Elements Lotus and now held the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion in check. It was not a supreme treasure devoted to offense or defense, yet it excelled in nearly every supportive role imaginable. With such an enchanted treasure at his side, Luo Chen could remain composed no matter what situation he faced.

In many ways, Luo Chen himself was much the same. Over the years, the things he had learned had become astonishingly diverse. Of course, he had not mastered everything to the exact same level; in some disciplines, he was fully proficient, while others he understood only at a basic level. But his mastery of each specific skill was one thing. Before coming here, he had still been using most of the skills separately, each for its specific purpose. Yet after entering the Land of Fallen Devils, the constant stream of dangers and challenges had forced him to draw upon everything at once. Time and again, he had woven those skills together to solve whatever problem stood before him. As a result, he gave others the impression that there was almost nothing he could not do.

The Primordial Unity Cauldron hung high overhead as mana poured into it. Taking advantage of the cauldron’s unique properties, Luo Chen continuously transformed that mana into different forms and used it to restrain the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion. As the process continued, his understanding of the treasure deepened.

A True Artifact was fundamentally different from an ordinary enchanted treasure. If he had to describe it, it was much like a lever and a fulcrum. A Sage’s Domain served as the fulcrum, while the True Artifact was the lever, allowing its wielder to pry upon the natural spirit energy and bend it to their will. The stronger the cultivator, the more stable the fulcrum. The more stable the fulcrum, the more spirit energy the True Artifact could mobilize, and the greater its power would become. In the hands of a sufficiently powerful Sage, such treasures could move mountains, part seas, and bend the forces of nature to their will. That was the true source of their legendary reputation. Conversely, cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm possessed no Domain and therefore no fulcrum. Without one, they could not leverage the natural spirit energy at all. Without that support, there was hardly any difference between a top-grade enchanted treasure and a True Artifact.

As Luo Chen’s understanding deepened, the task of subduing it became much easier. From time to time, he unfolded the Infinite Blaze Prison and used its domineering fire-attribute mana to isolate the pavilion’s connection to the ambient spirit energy. Each time he did so, he took the opportunity to imprint his own restrictions upon the pavilion. He knew he could not refine the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion for immediate use, but sealing it and shrinking it to a manageable size was within reach.

Conventionally, even that would have been extraordinarily difficult. After all, this was an inherited treasure of an upper sect. The safeguards left behind by generations of experts should have been nearly impossible to tamper with. Fortunately, the current situation was far from normal. In order to allow an Adept like Yu Gao to wield the treasure, many of those arrangements had already been disabled. That weakness had created an opening, and Luo Chen had every intention of taking full advantage of it.

As he was subduing the pavilion, Han Zhan’s voice echoed in his ear. ”You’ve already decided to leave the Society, haven’t you?”

Luo Chen raised a brow. ”What makes you say that, Senior?”

”You let Angler and Purple Empress go. And once we leave this place, you’re obviously not going to hand the pavilion over to Moon Hermit. That means you’ve chosen to offend her completely. If that’s the case, I doubt you’ll be able to remain in the Society much longer.”

Luo Chen fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. ”As expected, I couldn’t keep it from you.”

”So when did you start planning this?” Han Zhan asked. He then deliberately added, ”Don’t tell me this was a spontaneous decision.”

He had long since noticed the signs. When Luo Chen left Surging Lake, he had taken nearly everything of value with him, apart from a few miscellaneous items. From that moment alone, it was obvious that Luo Chen had already abandoned any intention of returning to the Society. The conflict with the three eight-star demon hunters and the inevitable fallout with Moon Hermit had merely forced that decision into the open.

Luo Chen said quietly, ”When? Probably back when I met Liu Jun at Three Pillar Gorge.”

Understanding dawned on Han Zhan. If a Demon Emperor like Liu Jun had been able to escape from the Heaven of Northern Yama, then the two demon-sealing formations were no longer as secure as everyone believed. Once a flaw appeared, it was no longer a matter of whether others could exploit it, but when they would do it. If Liu Jun could break free, then other Demon Emperors could do the same. And if they could escape, the day fifth-tier demons emerged from their prison could not be far off. When that happened, the Three Oceans Defensive Line would become the first battlefield, and the Society, which depended upon it for survival, would inevitably be the first to bear the brunt of the disaster.

In Luo Chen’s eyes, the age of turmoil had already begun. He did not know what the other rogue cultivators intended to do, nor did he particularly care. If disaster was inevitable, then it was better to prepare for it now rather than wait for it to arrive. The only thing he had yet to decide was where to go next.

***

Half a month later, the towering pavilion finally vanished from the Wood Heaven Plains. During that entire period, Luo Chen never once saw the Flesh Ganoderma or Devil’s Cloud. According to Heavenjade, the Flesh Ganoderma had taken Devil’s Cloud away in search of rare spirit herbs. With a local guide that knew the region like the back of its hand, the spirit herbs that were not extremely high-tier and therefore not protected by powerful formations were little different from treasures lying out in the open.

Luo Chen paid little attention to their activities. His focus remained on recovering the mana he had exhausted while subduing the pavilion.

For half a month, he had used the Primordial Unity Cauldron without pause, and the strain on his mana reserves had been immense. Since the Wood Heaven Plains was saturated with wood-attribute spirit energy, replenishing himself efficiently left only one option. He took out a large quantity of supreme-grade True Flame Pills and relied on them to restore himself to peak condition. While digesting the medicinal power and relaxing his mind, Luo Chen found himself wondering: If he had not devoted himself so completely to the fire path in the past and had instead persisted in cultivating all five elements while specializing in one, would he have found the Heaven of the Five Elements even more accommodating?

Unfortunately, there was no meaningful answer to that question. Had he not picked up the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, he would never have reached this level at this young age. If that path had changed, countless events that followed would have changed as well, and he might never have entered the Land of Fallen Devils in the first place. Compared to such idle speculation, there was something else he found far harder to put out of his mind: the abundant fire-element spirit energy of Blazing Purgatory.

Once I’ve fulfilled my promise and rescued the Flesh Ganoderma, I might as well cultivate within Blazing Purgatory and wait for the pocket world to close.

It was actually quite straightforward to leave the Land of Fallen Devils. In fact, it was much the same as how they entered. Once the pocket world absorbed enough spirit energy from the outside world, reverse passages would naturally form. At that time, each area within the Heaven of the Five Elements would develop vortex passages through which cultivators could depart directly. And for those who wished to be more cautious, they could also seek out the stone structures corresponding to their points of entry. These structures were usually located in the outer regions of the Heaven of the Five Elements. Reaching them required additional effort, but it was a reliable way of getting out.

The only problem lay in timing. Unlike the entrance vortices, which could remain open for years or even decades, the reverse passages would only appear for one or two days. Miss that window, and one would be trapped within the Land of Fallen Devils indefinitely. According to the records of the devil sect, anyone left behind in the Land of Fallen Devils would most likely be dead by the time the pocket world opened again. Whatever the reason was, Luo Chen certainly did not dare gamble on such a possibility.