Immortality begins with Becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster

In his Sea of Consciousness, the ripples gradually stilled.

Luo Chen’s Main Soul flickered with a faint light, as though pondering something.

Just now, after shattering the weak Divine Soul Attack lingering in the shattered Golden Light, he had seized some information from within.

This information was extremely intricate and chaotic, yet taken as a whole it roughly concerned that one Law Divine Power unleashed by Golden Punishment Venerable.

Its name—Golden Punishment!

It was a Divine Power whose might was incomparably vast, its lethality terrifying to the extreme.

When unleashed, in concert with one’s own flesh and blood, it drew upon Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, enough to sever stars with a single strike.

Sadly, Golden Punishment Venerable could not choose his battlefield; here in Returning Ruins, where there was no Spirit Qi and the Laws lay in ruins, he simply could not drive this move to its utmost.

”If I can learn this move, then when I re-cultivate the Five Elements Spirit Root in the future, it may serve as a major trump card?”

A flicker of Divine Perception flashed through Luo Chen, and he immediately sensed something amiss.

He hurriedly let his Main Soul sink into a feigned slumber.

All information related to this move, Golden Punishment, was likewise completely suppressed.

He opened his eyes and looked to the heavens.

Sure enough, streak after streak of silver-white thunder, snakes and dragons of lightning, had already begun to converge.

All of this had been drawn by his mobilization of his vast Main Soul.

Even though he had now absorbed the Chaos Thunder Pool and could afford to ignore small-scale Soul-shaking Thunder Sound, he still did not wish to invite trouble.

Especially at this most perilous juncture.

As expected, once his Main Soul fell asleep, the chaotic Thunderstorms gathering in the sky seemed to lose their target and slowly dissipated.

Luo Chen smiled faintly and rose with composure.

With the residual power of the Divine Power removed, he felt a great lightness in his body.

The acupoints over his whole body opened and closed freely, no longer obstructed.

Even if he dispelled the protective veil of chaotic Grey Light from the Primordial Chaos Tripod, the surrounding Chaotic Energy could no longer pose much threat to him.

Luo Chen did not busy himself with trivial matters, but took the time to step out once.

...

On Wind Snow Island.

Luo Chen met his old friend, the newly advanced Martial Arts Human Immortal, Xiao Lin.

After offering his congratulations, he stated his purpose to the three Human Immortals.

”I intend to shut the Nine-layered Immortal Tower ahead of time, then spend the next hundred years fully devoted to Closed-Door Cultivation, making a final assault on departing Returning Ruins.”

Xiao Lin already knew a fragment of the true face of Returning Ruins, and had further learned from Fang Qingxue and Gu Xun of the coming Great Annihilation. Luo Chen’s move did not surprise him.

He merely asked curiously, ”Then what of the many Martial Artists within the tower—how will you deal with them?”

Luo Chen replied, ”Apart from Ice Emperor and Wild Barbarian Martial Sect, who still have hope of assaulting the Human Immortal Realm, all other Martial Artists will be cleared out.”

His words were spoken with great calm, yet they were already pronouncing the death sentence of those Martial Artists about to be cleared out.

At this resolute declaration, the three did not voice any objection.

Perhaps what Luo Chen was doing was extremely cruel to them—being cleared out was to wait for death.

But to remain, was that not also to wait for death?

When great calamity descends, each must struggle for himself; where would extra strength be found to shelter them?

If they leave early, perhaps there remains a one-in-a-billion chance of finding some way to cling to life.

The silence of the three clearly signified their acceptance of Luo Chen’s arrangement.

With that, Luo Chen naturally harbored no further misgivings, and before the three, unfurled his Martial Arts Divine Intent.

In an instant, the Consciousness belonging solely to him enveloped every corner of the Annihilation Nine Rings.

The Martial Artists still remaining in the tower all froze at once, hearing simultaneously Luo Chen’s proclamation.

”My name is Luo Chen, present master of the Nine-layered Immortal Tower. I must now announce a message to all Nine-Ring Martial Artists: in a hundred years, the turning of the Era will arrive, and the age of Great Annihilation will descend. At that time, all things shall Returning Void, nothing shall remain. All of you, go seek your own path of survival!”

As his words fell, all beings within the tower were shocked beyond measure.

Yet before they could react, chain after chain of Grey Light stretched out from the void, bound them, and hurled them directly out.

Only the two, Ice Emperor and Wild Barbarian Martial Sect of the Fourth Ring, were left behind.

Outside the tower.

The Martial Artists of the Leakless Realm finally came back to their senses.

Some tried to enter the Nine-layered Immortal Tower again, but were immediately repelled by the ever more surging Chaotic Energy around it.

That Chaotic Energy even condensed into nebula-like clusters of Qi, wrapping the entire Nine-layered Immortal Tower within.

For a time, everyone sank into utter despair.

Some began cursing Luo Chen with vile abuse, their ugly words never ceasing.

Sadly, no matter how foul their curses, there was no response whatsoever.

Some, in their desperation, began to beg Luo Chen bitterly, yet still received no reply.

Later, some even went to extremes, attempting to attack the Nine-layered Immortal Tower, but the moment their attacks touched the increasingly furious Chaotic Energy, they vanished without a trace like cows sinking into the sea.

These Martial Artists had no choice but to accept a single reality: the Nine-layered Immortal Tower could never be returned to, and they had to face the Great Terror that was bound to come.

”Such is the sorrow of the weak. You two—strive.”

Xiao Lin returned to the Fourth Ring and spoke thus to Ice Emperor and Wild Barbarian Martial Sect.

He also briefly explained why Luo Chen had chosen to keep the two of them.

After leaving them a few words of encouragement, he once more returned to the Third Ring, and in the end chose to settle on Li Chen Island.

This place, Luo Chen had already yielded to him.

For Luo Chen would henceforth cultivate in the Second Ring.

Xiao Lin lifted his head to gaze at the sky. Though he could no longer see Luo Chen’s figure, it seemed he could still feel that vast Consciousness whose tip of the iceberg had just been revealed.

He murmured to himself, ”Luo Chen, can this path truly be walked?”

...

The Luo Chen of the past cared about how others saw him, for reputation was a very useful weapon.

But the Luo Chen of today no longer cares for such things, especially while trapped in Returning Ruins.

Beneath Great Annihilation, there shall be Great Terror!