An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Caw! Caw!

The shrill cries of seabirds echoed across the ocean as several birds circled overhead in formation. Every so often, one folded its wings and plunged down, its hooked talons skimming the surface before its sharp beak stabbed into the water. When it rose again, a large fish dangled from its beak. Other birds, having already satisfied their hunger, continued to hunt without necessity, methodically pecking their captured prey to death before dropping the lifeless bodies back into the sea.

Blood spread through the water, which soon drew in bloodthirsty sea beasts. The first-tier seabirds seemed to be enjoying their cruel game, at least until a fierce gale swept through and tore their formation apart.

The seabirds cried out in alarm and looked toward the source of the wind, only to see the faint silhouette of a wooden kite streaking across the sky.

***

Luo Chen stood atop the wooden kite with his hands clasped behind his back, while Sang Jinghe sat cross-legged nearby with a pale face. Even with Luo Chen’s mana barrier shielding him, the kite’s incredible speed made it hard for him to breathe, forcing him to circulate his spirit power just to ease the discomfort.

After glancing at him, Luo Chen turned his attention back to Han Zhan, who was back inside the Soul-Nurturing Wood. ”Senior Han, I really owe you this time.”

”It’s nothing. It was only an early-stage Sage puppet. It’s a loss, but it won’t kill me. Besides, didn’t you promise me Flying Cloud’s body?”

The early-stage Sage-level puppet that had self-destructed on Purple Spirit Island was the same spirit wood puppet Han Zhan had previously inhabited. Naturally, the price that convinced him to abandon such a treasure was Flying Cloud’s body.

Back in the Sea of Clouds Plaza, Flying Cloud had ditched his body like a snake shedding its skin and escaped with only his Nascent Soul. Luo Chen had later destroyed that Nascent Soul, but he had left the body intact. Naturally, his intention from the very start was for Han Zhan to take over it. Unlike a puppet, a Sage’s body came with a Purple Mansion. Even if its spirit roots, meridians, and acupoints were not a perfect match for him, the Purple Mansion alone made it an excellent vessel for a Nascent Soul, far better than any puppet. Given another century or so, Han Zhan could even reshape the body to his own needs and once again walk the Great Dao!

Han Zhan sighed. ”What a pity. You went so far as to leave behind a drop of blood essence to lure Moon Hermit onto the island, yet it still wasn’t enough to cause her any real trouble.”

Luo Chen felt the same regret. With both the formation and the Sage-level puppet detonating together, an ordinary Sage should have been killed or at least severely maimed. But Luo Chen’s blood connection to the puppet allowed him to sense her aura, and as it turned out, Moon Hermit had emerged completely unharmed.

The power of a late-stage Sage is really beyond imagination!

Luo Chen let out a quiet sigh, and his wariness of Moon Hermit deepened. Had he been able to avoid her entirely, from the get-go, it would have been one thing. But now that she had marked him as an enemy, it felt as if a blade were constantly hanging over his head. No matter how calm things seemed, he could not truly relax. To make matters worse, this threat was forcing him to give up his original plan.

I can’t go to the Profound Rock Sea Region anymore.

That was what bothered Luo Chen the most. He had originally planned to travel along the outer sea and head back to the Profound Rock Sea Region, where he had once hunted demonic crabs. Although the Profound Rock Island had long since sunk, the foundational structure of its fourth-tier spirit vein remained, and Luo Chen assumed the crabs would not have destroyed it. For him, that made it the ideal place to take his next step.

He had reached the eighth stage of the Golden Core Realm and was only one step away from the ninth, which meant that his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm was no longer far off. In preparation for that day, he had gathered every ingredient needed to refine a Nascent Soul Pill. However, despite all these preparations, there was still one crucial element missing—a fourth-tier spirit vein.

For that, Profound Rock Island was the ideal choice. With some restructuring, its fourth-tier spirit vein could be restored, and since there were no Demon Emperors nearby, Luo Chen would have been able to cultivate there in peace and quietly prepare for his breakthrough.

Unfortunately, things had taken an unexpected turn. Although Moon Hermit had not pursued him personally, she had sent a strange beast comparable to a late-stage Sage to hunt him down. Before Luo Chen could think about cultivation, his priority was to shake off that bizarre creature.

Luo Chen took a steady breath and made up his mind. I have no choice but to go further into the Demon Sea.

When he first arrived in the Northern Sea, the Demon Sea beyond humanity’s territory had filled him with dread. Now, however, he no longer feared it as much as he once had. His strength had grown by leaps and bounds, enough for him to contend directly with Demon Emperors. Han Zhan was also at his side, and not only was he a Sage, but he could even command the White Tiger puppet to hold off late-stage Demon Emperors for a time.

More importantly, Luo Chen understood the situation in the Northern Sea far better than he had before. Most of the strongest Demon Emperors had been sealed within the Heaven of Northern Yama, which meant their own territories were largely unguarded. As long as he remained cautious, venturing into the Demon Sea should not be too dangerous.

Han Zhan’s voice rang out once more. ”Luo Chen, faster! That beast is incredibly fast. At this rate, it’ll catch up to you.”

Luo Chen frowned and poured every bit of mana he could muster into the wooden kite beneath his feet. In the next instant, a streak of light tore across the vast sky like a falling star.

***

Several days later, a muffled groan sounded aboard the wooden kite.

Luo Chen immediately asked, ”How is it?”

Han Zhan answered in a tired voice, ”The late-stage Adept-level puppet I left along our route has been torn apart.”

Luo Chen frowned in disbelief. ”It caught up that quickly?”

”We’re still too slow,” Han Zhan said quietly. ”Unless you’re willing to abandon Sang Jinghe and use your Sky Roc True Form and Ninety Thousand Li at full power. If you do that, you might have a slim chance of escaping.”

Luo Chen glanced at Sang Jinghe and shook his head. It had not come to that yet. Besides, even if he flew at full speed, could he really shake off that bizarre beast?

The thought weighed on him, and his face grew grim. ”Something’s not quite right. I clearly erased my aura with the Dragon-Slaying Art, so how’s that beast still tracking us so precisely?”

No matter how fast the creature was, it still needed to know which direction to pursue. Otherwise, the farther it chased, the more likely it would be to drift off course. Luo Chen had to figure out how it was locking onto him. If he could not identify the technique, then even shaking it off for a while would be meaningless. Soon enough, it would only catch up again.

As Luo Chen sank into thought, Han Zhan did not disturb him. He calmly took another Adept-level puppet from his storage pouch, placed several restrictions on it, and sent it sinking into the sea.

***

A huge moth skimmed low over the distant sea with its wings beating at an incredible speed.

Suddenly, a pillar of water surged up from below. The moth opened its mouth and spat out a streak of gray light that sliced through the column. Before the puppet hidden inside could react, the beam struck it head-on and shattered it into pieces.

The moth circled the area suspiciously, but after only a brief pause, it seemed satisfied and resumed its pursuit.

***

It’s my blood essence!

Luo Chen’s face was as dark as a storm as he stood on the wooden kite and gazed at the red drop of blood on his fingertip. He had intended to leave Moon Hermit a nasty surprise, but instead, he had only brought trouble upon himself. The bizarre beast she had summoned must have absorbed whatever traces of his blood essence remained in the aftermath of Purple Spirit Island’s explosion, and that was what enabled it to track him directly. No matter how thoroughly he concealed himself with spells, he could not hide from something tracking the source of his blood.

Actually... there was also another reason he had fallen into such a passive position: The Concealment Veil Formation was gone. Luo Chen had undergone the Nirvana of the Flesh, rebuilding his meridians and sea of qi while greatly strengthening his physical constitution. However, in the process of that rebirth, the Concealment Veil Formation that had once been engraved on him was completely erased. He hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now, its absence had become a serious issue. After all, no concealment spell could compare to a formation that enveloped his entire body and concealed his aura at every moment.

After putting the pieces together, Luo Chen thought through the situation again. The beast had locked onto the aura of his blood essence, and his blood essence was nothing like that of ordinary cultivators; it contained not only Golden Core mana, but also origin energy. That energy was so unique that it stood out from everything else in heaven and earth, making it easy for the beast to track him without losing its way.

I won’t be able to redo the Concealment Veil Formation anytime soon. I’ll have to find another way.

Once Luo Chen made up his mind, he looked toward the Soul-Nurturing Wood token. ”Senior, how many puppets do you have left?”

”Four. But the White Tiger puppet can’t be used lightly. It consumes far too much mana, and controlling it is extremely taxing.”

”Then give me one Adept-level puppet.”

”What are you planning?”

”I’m going to throw that thing off our trail.”

Han Zhan understood immediately.

Luo Chen added, ”Also, keep an eye out for any nearby territories occupied by powerful demonic beasts.”

Han Zhan raised a brow. ”You’re planning to lead it to another demonic beast?”

”Exactly.”

***

Three days later, Sang Jinghe watched the man in front of him with open curiosity.

Luo Chen was sitting cross-legged atop the wooden kite, with another figure mirroring his posture across from him. That figure, however, was lifeless; nothing more than a puppet. Luo Chen paid no attention to Sang Jinghe’s gaze. For now, he could still keep the man with him, though if the situation truly became desperate, he would not hesitate to leave him behind.

There was one final step to complete. A crimson glow emanated from Luo Chen’s body as strands of origin energy flowed outward.

Suddenly, his expression hardened, and he pressed a finger against his bare chest. ”Come out!”

At once, a drop of blood containing terrifying power seeped out from his heart.

Sang Jinghe’s expression flickered with shock. Heart blood! It was a kind of blood essence surpassed only by soul blood, far more precious than the blood that could be drawn from the tip of the tongue. No ordinary cultivator would dare use it lightly, lest they severely damage their vital energy.

Naturally, for Luo Chen, drawing out a single drop of heart blood was not nearly as devastating. With the astonishing vitality of his body, he could afford this loss. Even so, an unnatural flush still spread across his face as he guided the crimson droplet into the puppet’s chest.

The blood slowly seeped into the puppet, and gradually, an aura identical to Luo Chen’s began to emanate from its lifeless body.

”Will this be enough?” Luo Chen murmured.

Sang Jinghe had no answer. Besides, he knew Luo Chen was not asking him, but someone else—someone far more formidable.

As expected, Han Zhan’s voice soon drifted over. ”Against ordinary cultivators, this would be enough to fool almost anyone. But that strange moth...”

Luo Chen’s expression darkened. ”This is the best I can do. If it still isn’t enough, we’ll fight it with everything we have. At least Moon Hermit isn’t here. With the two of us together, we should still have some chance against a beast.”

Han Zhan was far less optimistic. That moth-like beast had dared bare its fangs at Moon Hermit herself. At the very least, it had to be on par with a late-stage Sage. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said, ”Let’s add one more safeguard.”

”Hm?” Luo Chen frowned. ”What else can I add?”

Han Zhan’s voice drifted into his ears. ”Do you still remember Beaded Curtain Lock and the Open Thatch Art?”

***

”This place is good.” Han Zhan’s voice was grave. ”From what I sensed along the way, we passed by one or two powerful Demon Emperor auras, but none of them frightened me as much as this sea ahead of us.”

Luo Chen’s face was pale as he brought the wooden kite down onto a barren little island. He looked into the distance, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Everything before him was a murky yellow. At first glance, it gave him the strange illusion that he was standing before a desert rather than a sea. Yet when the wind blew past, what rose before his eyes were clearly waves of yellow seawater.

”What is this place?”

”I don’t know, but from what I can tell, this sea is no less dangerous than the Sunken Sea was before the Land of Fallen Devils opened. If you lure that moth into it, you might be able to buy enough time to escape...” Han Zhan paused briefly. ”So how? Have you decided?”

Luo Chen gritted his teeth and at last nodded. ”There’s no time left. We’ll do it here!”

A moment later, the wooden kite rose again and carried him further toward the yellow sea.

Roughly half a day after he left, towering winds and waves swept toward the barren island, and a gigantic moth arrived within them. As it reached the yellow sea, it did not pause for even an instant before pushing further. It moved with incredible speed, letting out eager cries as though the prey it had pursued for so long was finally within reach.

Sure enough, not far from a black mountain ridge, it soon saw its prey. The man was riding a wooden kite, his figure swaying unsteadily as his speed slowed almost to a crawl.

The Star-Chasing Devil Beast let out a strange cry and charged straight toward him.

Luo Chen turned around in a daze, his thoughts muddled and unfocused. The moth opened its mouth and spat a streak of gray light at him. As soon as it touched him, his mind cleared for a brief moment. Yet he didn’t look at the moth—instead, he fixed his eyes on the black mountain ridge facing the yellow sea, as though a long-buried memory had suddenly come back to him.

”This place is Soul...”

Before he could finish speaking, a low and rhythmic sound rose from the sea below. Then, endless yellow waves converged from all directions.

Faced with this sudden phenomenon, the Star-Chasing Devil Beast instinctively abandoned Luo Chen and flapped its wings, trying to shoot into the sky. But under the wash of the yellow waves, even its thoughts seemed to grow sluggish. A great wave surged over the enormous moth and dragged it into the depths. Luo Chen, who was right beside it, was pulled under as well.

Soon, waves of chewing sounds came from the sea below.

A moment later, an irritated voice rang out. ”Damn it... why did he come here!?”

A dim light emerged from the deep sea, staggering upward as it struggled to escape the yellow waters. But as the waves rolled again, even that light gradually sank back into the depths.

After that, the sky was clear, the air was fresh, and the sea was calm. The murky yellow water was motionless, and the black mountain ridge crouched between heaven and earth like something carved by a blade.

***

”Ughhhh...”

High above the nine heavens, Moon Hermit let out a muffled groan and raised a hand to her temple. Shock flashed through her eyes as she realized that the Star-Chasing Devil Beast had died.

The soul fragment she had dispatched had likewise dissipated. In the last blurry memories it had sent back, Azure Yang had also been swallowed by the endless yellow sea. Moon Hermit’s frightened gaze slowly lowered toward the waters below. That murky yellow ocean now looked like the gaping maw of a colossal beast, poised to swallow everything in its path.

That is the Yellowspring Sea, and that mountain... Soulbreaking Cliff!

Moon Hermit trembled slightly.

All her schemes had come to nothing, just like that.

Truth be told, she had never expected this pursuit to be simple. Luo Chen was the kind of man who always kept something hidden up his sleeve, and Purple Spirit Island had made that clear enough. If she had truly left the beast to chase him alone while she returned to answer the Society’s call, that would have been naive at best. Besides, the Monarch’s inheritance mattered far more. An opportunity tied to the Dao Integration Realm was not something she could set aside for the Society’s troubles. Because of that, she had changed her mind and continued the pursuit.

Of course, an open pursuit would have placed too much pressure on him and forced him to flee with everything he had. So on the surface, she had merely released the Star-Chasing Devil Beast, letting it become the threat he could see. In truth, she had hidden her presence, shadowed it in secret, and stayed close enough to act.

Yet despite her caution and persistence, everything had still ended in this murky yellow sea. She could only watch as both her soul fragment and the devil beast summoned from the Myriad Beast Scroll perished within it. As for the man she had chased all this way, he had plunged headlong toward his death.

Could I still find that gray light if I go in now?

The instant that thought arose, Moon Hermit crushed it. Soulbreaking Cliff was one of the foremost forbidden lands of the Northern Sea. It was a land of death not only for Adepts and Sages, but even for Ascendants!

The only person known to have explored the sea and returned alive was the grand elder of the devil sect’s Soul Refinement Lineage; it was said that he had even gained great rewards from it. Even so, he had gone there only once and had never chosen to return. Even with Moon Hermit’s strength, trying to search for Azure Yang here would only lead her to the same fate he had just met barely moments ago.

In the end, she took a deep breath and just stood there, floating, staring at the calm sea for a long time before she finally turned around and slipped away into the sky. She resolved that once she reached the Divine Transformation Realm and gained full control of the Myriad Beast Scroll, she would personally venture into the Yellowspring Sea and step onto Soulbreaking Cliff.