An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Before the echo of her words even vanished, she flicked a finger toward Luo Chen. A streak of ghostly light shot toward him at high speed, carrying clear killing intent. She had no intention of giving a potential rival the chance to become a threat.

Luo Chen’s expression tightened as the attack closed in. Yet when it came within one zhang of him, it vanished without warning. There was no collision, no flash of light, and not even the faintest ripple of spirit energy. It simply disappeared without causing the slightest disturbance.

”HUH?!” The Seagon Matriarch cried out in shock, clearly not having expected this at all.

Luo Chen was no less surprised. ”Hmm...”

Before they could make sense of it, the same weak voice that had evaluated the pill suddenly sounded. ”Within the Alchemy Realm, only the Dao of Alchemy matters. Do not pick a fight, and do not harbor any intention to kill. Anyone who violates this rule again will be executed.”

The voice was low and faint, yet it echoed through the mountains, rivers, and drifting clouds of the realm. This time, it was no longer emotionless; there was some killing intent in it, just as faint as the voice itself but no less chilling for it.

When she heard the voice, the Seagon Matriarch’s expression turned ugly. Luo Chen, on the other hand, chuckled. He had been fully on guard and already prepared for battle. Yet, while the attack she had just launched had been swift and strangely restrained, the power contained within it had been beyond what an ordinary Adept could take on. Had it truly come down to it, he would have been forced into a difficult battle.

Still, the realm’s restriction made sense. After all, this was an inheritance of the Dao of Alchemy, and the trials were meant to test one’s skill in alchemy. There was no reason for the place to allow its challengers to kill one another before they could compete properly.

Luo Chen looked at his opponent with a faint smile. ”Seagon Matriarch? Before we even met, you left behind a bamboo scroll to mislead others. Now that we have finally met, you attack without a word. Is this how a Demon Emperor conducts herself?”

The Seagon Matriarch merely watched him in silence. Her expression was neither pleased nor angered, and nothing in her eyes revealed what she was thinking.

The next moment, an explosive sound rang out. Luo Chen suddenly appeared beside her; wind surged around him, and his mocking voice rang in her ears. ”A beast is still a beast. Even after taking human form, you cannot change that savage, bloodthirsty nature of yours.”

”You—”

Luo Chen ignored her irritation and strode past her toward the center of the realm. Behind him, the Seagon Matriarch tightened her grip on the handle of her basket until her knuckles turned white. The composure she had maintained until now had finally broken, and her expression turned livid.

She was one of the most respected figures among the demon races of the Northern Sea. Although her cultivation was not among the highest, even other Demon Emperors treated her with considerable respect. Her standing came from her attainments in alchemy; she was an undisputed grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy in the Northern Sea. Let alone demons, even some human Sages maintained secret ties with her. If they were in the outside world, she would not even need to act personally. With a single order, plenty of people would be willing to deal with this man on her behalf. Unfortunately, within this Alchemy Realm, a greater power suppressed them...

A cold sneer appeared on her face. ”Brat, do you really think the rules of this place will protect you forever?”

Luo Chen paused but did not look back. ”It took me three years to catch up to what you achieved over four or five. There may be more trials ahead, but I’ll solve them faster than you can. This inheritance will be mine. As for what happens once we leave this place... that’s a matter for later. We’ll see who lives and who dies. Seagon Matriarch, was it? You should worry about passing the trial first. Otherwise, you may never leave these inheritance grounds at all.”

After saying this, he did not wait for her response and continued onward at an unhurried pace, his confidence seeming to linger even after he had gone. The Seagon Matriarch’s sneer gradually faded. As she watched Luo Chen’s retreating figure, uncertainty and suspicion filled her eyes, and her expression shifted again and again.

***

Not long afterward, Luo Chen walked through a dense forest of blackened ground, his face filled with contemplation. ”So it really is her.”

He had seen her name before in an intelligence record kept within the Society archives. She was renowned throughout the Northern Sea as a grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy. Although she was only an early-stage Demon Emperor, she held an exalted status among the demon races. Not only that, but she was also one of the few demons who maintained indirect ties with major human powers. It was said that she had once attended a grand human alchemy gathering in person. Even after her identity was exposed, she had left calmly and unharmed. Her influence had long since crossed the boundary between humans and demons.

Ordinarily, Luo Chen would have treated someone like her with caution. Even if he had no intention of currying favor with her, he would not have offended her so openly, much less mocked her as mercilessly as he had just now. However, with the inheritance before them, they were enemies, plain and simple. And since the rules of the Alchemy Realm forbade them from fighting, he could only use words to unsettle her Dao Heart. Whether it had worked was another matter.

”It should have had some effect, right?” Luo Chen quietly muttered to himself, though he was not entirely certain.

A Demon Emperor capable of taking human form was no longer a simple-minded beast. At that level, demons were no less intelligent than Sages, and the Seagon Matriarch was unlikely to be someone who could be manipulated by simple provocations.

Even so, Luo Chen believed that no matter how calm a person appeared or how deeply they hid their thoughts, they would not remain entirely unmoved when someone attacked the field they took the greatest pride in. Among the people he had met, whether it was Huang Hezi of Green Pill Valley or Meng Changshou of the Medicine King Sect, they would simply laugh if someone mocked their cultivation realm, as they genuinely did not care much about it. But if anyone were to question their alchemy skill, then neither of them would be so composed. Devil’s Cloud was another example—most of the time, he was calm and reasonable, as expected of someone his age, but the moment artifact creation was involved, he became noticeably more emotional.

The Seagon Matriarch had lived for many years, yet her cultivation had only reached the early stage of the fourth tier. That clearly showed she had devoted most of her life to the Dao of Alchemy. Luo Chen’s provocations had been aimed precisely at that very point, and he did not believe she could remain completely unaffected, especially since part of his words had not been empty taunts.

He had truly used only a very short time to reach the third trial, catching up to the progress that had taken her several years. If things continued at this pace, surpassing her would only be a matter of time. No matter how composed she was, she could not be entirely indifferent to such a blunt truth.

”If I can disrupt her state of mind, all the better. Even if it’s only for a moment, it will buy me some time.”

Luo Chen murmured as his gaze swept across the black forest saturated with devilish energy. The fruits borne by the spirit trees here were things he had never heard of or seen before. And the sinister devilish energy that permeated the forest undoubtedly confirmed his earlier suspicions. The third trial was very likely related to the devil races. If that was the case, it would probably be even more difficult than the first two.

***

In a world of steel and towering ancient trees, the steady clacking of mechanical gears echoed without end. On the ground, countless lifeless figures moved through the vast steel city, their forms indistinct amid the dense streets and metal structures.

This was the City of Puppets.

From the heart of the puppet city, a giant mechanical bird rose into the sky. Its enormous wings stirred the winds and clouds as it flew higher and higher, until the city beneath it had become a sprawling expanse of steel. Only then did it slow, spreading its wings to hover above the capital while its eyes shone with unconcealed delight.

”Hahahahahaha! This inheritance suits me perfectly!”

In only two years, Han Zhan had passed through nine trials and conquered the three Cities of Puppets. At this moment, the puppet controlled by his little Nascent Soul was at the early stage of Nascent Soul, making it the strongest puppet he had ever been capable of creating, even when he still possessed a physical body. Having found an inheritance so closely suited to his own path, it was little wonder that he was in such high spirits.

As the giant bird circled above the city, smaller wooden birds of the same design rose from below and gradually gathered around it. Han Zhan watched them wheel through the sky for a moment before his thoughts turned to Luo Chen. ”I wonder how Luo Chen is doing over there...”

After muttering a few more words, he guided the giant bird forward and led the flock toward the distance.

Several days later, another steel city appeared on the horizon. It was even more magnificent than the three he had passed through before, but as Han Zhan approached on the back of the giant bird, he quickly realized that something was wrong.

Unlike the previous capitals that had been filled with countless puppets, this city was strangely empty. Instead, a single colossal figure lay crouched at its center. It was entirely covered in silver-white fur that looked as sharp as needles. Black lines marked its forehead, radiating an oppressive aura that seemed to strike directly at the heart.[1]

Han Zhan’s expression changed the moment he saw it. ”Could this trial be asking me to create a puppet strong enough to defeat that White Tiger puppet? It has the strength of a late-stage Sage. How am I supposed to pull that off?”

***

Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, maces, whips, rods, hammers, and claws...

This was a world of weapons, or rather, a graveyard where countless weapons had been buried. Whenever a clear breeze swept through, the weapons embedded across the land rang against one another, their sharp cries carrying an unmistakable air of slaughter.

Any cultivator who arrived here would have struggled to contain their excitement, for the weapons embedded throughout the place were all treasures rarely seen in the outside world. From low-tier enchanted artifacts to high-tier enchanted treasures and even True Artifacts, everything of every kind and every grade could be found everywhere. Such a sight was enough to make even the most demanding people lose their composure.

At the foot of a towering iron mountain, a refined-looking middle-aged man stood in nothing but a sleeveless undershirt as he swung a hammer with all his strength. Before him, an iron sword had begun to take shape.

This ancient crafting technique is definitely the right way to go. If it works, I should be able to pass the trial and ascend to the next mountain...

As he hammered the sword, thoughts churned within the man’s mind. I wonder how Shaoshang and Little Lian are doing. Ascendant Li didn’t tell us the whole truth. He mentioned the Spirit-Shaping Sacred Spring, but never said there were more than a dozen inheritance grounds here. The paths Shaoshang and Little Lian chose... I wonder if it’s dangerous....

Just as his mind was filled with worries, his expression suddenly changed. He stopped hammering and looked toward the direction from which he had come. Someone was ascending Weapon Mountain!

Thanks to a little something he had left in place before finishing the last trial, Flying Cloud Gu Feiyun instantly identified the person pursuing him. ”It’s that brat Devil’s Cloud!”

His face darkened as soon as he realized this. Ugh, he even has ”Cloud” in his name, and now he is competing with me for the same inheritance. He has already reached that mountain, so he must have created the low-grade enchanted treasure the trial requires. I cannot afford to waste any more time. It is just...

He looked toward the iron mountain behind him, as though his gaze could pierce through it and reach the even loftier Weapon Mountain beyond.

This is only the third trial, yet it already requires a top-grade enchanted treasure. If I want the true inheritance, will I eventually have to make a True Artifact... or even a spirit treasure?

The thought of the difficult road ahead made Flying Cloud’s unease deepen.

***

There are 3,200 devil races, and among them, seven or eight specialize in physique cultivation. All of them seek the body of the ancient devils. Ancient devils once stood tall between heaven and earth; their footprints were the size of lakes and seas... All things begin from the smallest foundations...

Inside the study, Luo Chen sat with his eyes closed as he carefully ran through the contents of the trial question. After reading it only once, he was pleased to discover that this might be the easiest trial for him so far.

What he needed to do this time was... physique-strengthening pills! But although he did not need a particularly high-tier pill for this assessment, the refinement process itself was somewhat complicated. The possible formulas could be divided into three directions—refining the flesh, bones, and blood, respectively.

Much like the previous two trials, no alchemical formulas had been provided. Still, Luo Chen had spent more than a century tempering his physique, and few cultivators could match his experience in this field. Since he’d been able to attain the physique of a fourth-tier archaic beast, he could certainly use that knowledge to create lower-tier physique-refining pills. The only thing he needed to consider was that the pills had to be suitable for devil physiology.

Luo Chen knew little about devils and had never even seen one in person. Still, he was certain that the bamboo scrolls in this study contained the answers he needed. All he had to do was read through every bamboo scroll, gather the necessary medicinal ingredients, deduce the formulas, and refine the pills.

”Finally, something up my alley,” Luo Chen murmured.

However, the smile quickly faded. When he had first entered this place, the Seagon Matriarch had already been gathering herbs. That meant she was well on her way to completing the task.

”I can’t afford to waste any more time.”

Without further hesitation, he stepped between the rows of bookshelves and immersed himself in an ocean of knowledge.

Not long afterward, the demoness in colorful green robes returned to the study. Seeing the young man clutching bamboo scrolls and devouring alchemical knowledge, a look of resentment appeared on her face. Arrogant brat. Don’t tell me you think an ancient cultivator’s trials are so simple that they can be passed by luck alone? I don’t know how you stumbled through the first two, but this one will stop you in your tracks.

With those thoughts in mind, she snorted coldly and turned to leave. She had already gathered all the ingredients needed for the formula she had created. She would certainly succeed and pass the trial before him. Not only was she determined to obtain the inheritance, but once she left this place, she was dead set on capturing the man and making him suffer a fate worse than death for the humiliation he had inflicted upon her.

1. It’s said that the black lines on a tiger’s forehead form the character 王 (king) and that marks it as the king of land beasts. ☜