An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Seeing Han Zhan fall silent, Luo Chen also began examining the remaining paths. Thirteen paths lay before him. Which one should he choose? As Han Zhan had said, how could he not be tempted by these inheritances? He was a rogue cultivator with neither master nor lineage. Everything he possessed today had been earned through his own efforts. Yet after years of cultivation, he understood one truth better than most: the truly extraordinary treasures, techniques, and inheritances rarely circulated in the wider cultivation world. Almost all of them were hoarded by great sects, mighty factions, and influential figures. Even among everything he possessed, only a handful could genuinely be called exceptional.

The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture was one of them. It was very likely the cultivation art once practiced by the demonic phoenix Rosycloud of Green Parasol Mountain, and it had accelerated his cultivation to a level he could not have imagined before. His life-bound enchanted treasure, the Primordial Unity Cauldron, originated in Green Pill Valley, and its power was the result of repeated refinements carried out by Heaven Smelter, Han Zhan, and Azure Frost. Even the Profound Dust Armor and his Nascent Core had come from the Penglai Immortal Sect and the Falling Cloud Sect, respectively.

And now, standing before him was the inheritance of a Monarch, an existence that stood above every person and force in the entire Mountains and Seas Realm. If he could obtain even a fraction of that inheritance, the benefits might truly last him for the rest of his life.

With that thought in mind, Luo Chen walked slowly among the points of starlight, carefully sensing the faint connections between himself and each path. Out of the fourteen points of light, three stirred a response deep within his heart. One of them, however, was immediately ruled out—that was the path someone had already claimed, the one that most likely represented Heaven Refiner’s formation inheritance. That one was inaccessible, which meant only two were left.

Luo Chen studied the two points of starlight carefully. ”What do these two represent?”

Before he could arrive at an answer, the stone platform behind him suddenly trembled, and a figure slowly emerged. It had a bloated body, a gaunt face, and eyes burning with boundless fury. It was the Flesh Ganoderma!

”Luo Chen, I’ll go on ahead.”

Han Zhan had already made up his mind. With just these few words as a goodbye, he stepped directly onto the starlit road.

The reason for his decisiveness was understandable. The aura radiating from the Flesh Ganoderma had already surpassed that of an early-stage Sage by a considerable margin. Against such an opponent, even if he and Luo Chen joined forces, their chances of victory would be slim.

Luo Chen’s expression tightened. He no longer had the luxury of careful consideration. After a brief moment of deliberation, he chose the entrance that resonated with him most strongly. Before stepping into the starlight, he turned toward the Flesh Ganoderma and gave it a slight nod.

By the time the Flesh Ganoderma stepped off the teleportation platform, Luo Chen and Han Zhan were both gone. Its eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Without a second thought, it turned toward the entrance Luo Chen had chosen. Yet just as it was about to step into the starlight, it suddenly stopped.

Wait... What my master left behind may be a lucky opportunity for others, but isn’t that the case for me as well? The inheritance grounds may be divided into different paths, but they all lead to the same destination. As long as I move fast enough, I’ll run into that brat again sooner or later. Also... Luo Chen, was it? Not Luo Hai? Well, anyway... If I want to get out as quickly as possible, then I need to choose the path that suits me best.

After weighing the matter for a while, the Flesh Ganoderma slowly calmed down. The anger in its eyes remained, but it would no longer act recklessly. Instead, it began pacing among the thirteen glowing entrances, carefully examining each one.

***

It was a dim and gloomy world, filled with all manner of ominous auras. Strange beings wandered through it like phantoms from a nightmare. Some resembled humans, some resembled demons, while others seemed neither devil nor ghost. The land itself was scarred beyond recognition, as though it had endured countless wars across countless ages.

A Daoist in crimson robes moved steadily across this desolate landscape while more than a hundred figures circled him, sometimes flying far into the distance and sometimes returning to his side. Suddenly, his sinister gaze sharpened as he noticed something in the distance. At his summons, the wandering figures flew in from every direction and merged into his body. Next moment, he changed course and headed toward the source of that feeling.

Several days later, he arrived at the shore of a boundless sea of blood. A young-looking man was already waiting there. Seeing the crimson-robed Daoist approach, the man gave a slight nod before dissolving into a stream of light and merging into his body. Had Luo Chen been present, he would have recognized both of them—the young-looking man was none other than He Yuan, and the crimson-robed Daoist was Blood Nightmare!

Standing before the blood sea, Blood Nightmare remained silent for a long moment. A trace of emotion surfaced on his face as he gazed across the crimson waters. ”Grand Elder, if you hadn’t fallen back then, how could the demon races have destroyed our sect?”

Then he shook his head. ”But if the sect had never fallen, I never would’ve had the chance to break the rules and unite the three lineages.”

As he spoke, he stepped forward and walked toward the sea of blood. But the instant his foot crossed the boundary, a soul-shaking sword cry rang out. The blood sea churned violently, and waves surged upward like raging dragons as a streak of crimson light shot out from the depths. The sword rose into the air and came to a halt before Blood Nightmare, its tip angled downward and pointed directly at him.

Blood Nightmare frowned slightly. ”Why are you stopping me? You’re the one who led me here.”

The crimson sword remained silent, hovering motionlessly in the air as it radiated chilling sharpness.

Blood Nightmare took a deep breath, and a dense crimson glow gradually spread from his body. ”I am a twenty-seventh-generation disciple of the devil sect and the inheritor of the Blood Sea legacy. I came here for the power Grand Elder Blood Sea left behind, and with it, I’ll break through to the Divine Transformation Realm. If I can advance, I’ll restore the devil sect to its former glory. If you don’t want to help me, fine. But what right do you have to stand in my way?”

The dense crimson light surged upward and spread to envelop the sword as if to swallow it whole. As though feeling the sense of corruption contained within that crimson radiance, the sword let out a mournful cry and retreated into the distance.

Seeing the Godslayer Blood Sword driven back, Blood Nightmare finally relaxed.

The Darkness Realm was simply too dangerous. Countless monsters recorded only in the sect’s ancient texts lurked within it, and even Grand Elder Blood Sea had ultimately perished here. Because of that, Blood Nightmare had never entertained any thoughts of seeking the inheritance here. He had come for a far more practical reason: to absorb the power Grand Elder Blood Sea had left behind and move a step closer to unifying the three lineages. As for the Laws of Blood, any insight he gained along the way would merely be an unexpected reward and a stepping stone for reaching the Divine Transformation Realm.

”I’m only at the third stage. Divine Transformation is still a long way off. I’d better get the Grand Elder’s remaining power first.” After speaking, he struck several points across his body. More than a hundred figures emerged from him and gathered overhead. ”Blood God Clones, go!”

The clones plunged into the sea of blood one after another. Blood Nightmare remained at the shore and waited. Only after several days had passed and the clones confirmed that nothing unusual lurked within the blood sea did he finally step inside. The moment he entered, he also began cultivating. Instantly, his body began to melt and merge with the sea of blood.

At the same time, on a ruined battlefield elsewhere within this place, a heavily built man stood among the wreckage. Three figures remained motionless behind him while he crouched beside a mangled corpse, studying it in silence. The monsters in this place were far too strong; it had taken all four of his Sage-level Blood God Clones working together with him just to kill one of them. He had even lost one clone in the process.

He slowly rose to his feet. Though a thick beard covered much of his face, it could not hide the frustration in his expression. ”Where exactly did Grand Elder Blood Sea fall? If I can’t find his resting place, reaching the late stage is nothing but a dream. As for Divine Transformation, that’s even further out of reach.”

To search for it all by himself would be like searching for a needle in the sea. After surveying his surroundings, he reluctantly made a decision. He needed to split up his forces. The three Blood God Clones at his side immediately shot off in different directions to continue the search, while he silently sank beneath the earth and disappeared from sight.

***

A world of clean waters and green mountains stretched as far as the eye could see, overflowing with vibrant life. Into this tranquil landscape, a figure suddenly fell from the sky.

Luo Chen crashed heavily into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. By the time the debris finally settled, his somewhat pale figure could be seen standing at the center of a sizable crater.

He looked around carefully before his gaze fixed upon a tall gray-white stone monument. Three words were carved upon it: Alchemy Realm.