An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 977: The Merman's Tear; Meeting Saberstorm Again; The Infinite Blaze Prison’s Second Form (II)

Inside an ordinary second-tier cave residence within Peaceward Fortress, Luo Chen quietly reflected on the five battles he had fought over the past few months—the clash with the Overtide Devil Flood Dragon, the Scorching Flame Sawtooth Shark, the Heavenly Star Bull, the Blood Lantern, and finally, the merman. Against the flood dragon, he had been overconfident and was forced to assume his Sky Roc True Form to bring it down. The battles that followed had all been perilous as well, yet still within his expectations. Only the Heavenly Star Bull had truly caught him off guard; its mana reserves had been absurdly vast, almost unreasonably so. In Luo Chen's view, even a ninth-stage Adept would have struggled to match it.

The Infinite Blaze Prison had offered some restraint, but not enough against such an opponent. It was in the heat of that battle that he figured out another way to use the Withering-Flourishing True Fire. With the amplifying effect of the Infinite Blaze Prison, his offensive power surged dramatically, and he felt even more in control of what was happening inside his Pseudo-Domain. He later named this second form of the Infinite Blaze Prison as the True Fire Form.

The Blood Lantern, by comparison, had been far easier to deal with. Though it excelled at eroding flesh and blood, it posed no threat to Luo Chen under the full protection of the Profound Dust Armor. More importantly, its divine soul was especially fragile. At one point, he even felt that it was no longer useful as a test subject, so he simply messed up its mind with Mirror Flower Water Moon, disrupted its mana with Infinite Blaze Prison, and ended the fight.

As for the merman at the end...

Luo Chen retrieved that preserved chunk of flesh. He infused his mana into it, and it burst apart with a soft splash, spilling a bunch of items onto the ground. There were coral fragments, some fabric that looked like silk, several enchanted items and manuals, and even a fist-sized, brilliantly blue spirit stone. His gaze was drawn to it at once.

"Such density... is this a supreme-grade spirit stone?"

A hint of surprise flickered in Luo Chen's eyes as he picked it up. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, a rich surge of spirit energy welled up from within. It was unmistakably a water-element supreme-grade spirit stone! Ordinary spirit stones, whether high or low grade, were generally balanced and had no strong attribute. Only stones of the highest grade had clear elemental properties—though even that was not entirely accurate. It was not that the spirit stone acquired an elemental attribute, but that one type of elemental energy was so dominant it saturated a piece of crystal and gave rise to what was known as a supreme-grade spirit stone.

"What a pity it's not fire-element...."

Luo Chen let out a quiet sigh but still stored the spirit stone carefully within his Ink Ring. This single piece was worth no less than a million low-grade spirit stones, and the rest of the items here paled in comparison. Even so, he went through them one by one.

"Hm? This fabric... is this merman silk?"

He lifted it between his fingers. The texture alone was enough to tell that this was the famed merman silk, which was exceedingly rare and known for its natural ability to restrain fiend qi. Whether used in robes or refined into enchanted items, it had countless applications. Then he moved on to the rest. At first, he did not care much about the enchanted items, but as his gaze settled on the engravings etched into their surfaces, he paused. "These... are from the devil sect?"

The words came almost without thought. For a moment, he fell silent, and a faint weight moved in his chest. Once a lofty Holy Land, it was now reduced to ruins, its past glory gone like mist and clouds. The items that had once shaken the world had ended up as spoils in the hands of demonic beasts. The blue trident used by the merman was also immensely powerful and exquisitely crafted; there was no possible way the demon races could produce something like that. The other items likewise belonged to the devil sect.

Luo Chen exhaled quietly and gathered everything, storing it away in his Ink Ring. The air seemed to dull for a moment after.

I've more or less figured out the strengths and weaknesses of the Pseudo-Domain. I can handle those late-stage Demon Kings who survived the battle against the Primordial Devil Sect. Against Adepts, I shouldn't be at a disadvantage. In fact, since we rely more on mana, it might even be more effective against them! Next up...

Luo Chen had intended to head back to the Society, but as he sensed the immense life force still being digested within his body, he hesitated. This was a rare chance to hunt demonic beasts, with the option to retreat to safety at any moment. If he could continue refining and devouring such a large amount of life force with his primordial true fire, his physique might well break through to a new level.

With that in mind, he summoned his status panel and checked the realm section. Archaic Beast Tier Three (91/100)

If nothing unexpected happens, it'll probably take at least another decade to reach Perfected Mastery... perhaps even to step into the fourth tier. But if I can devour enough life force, that time could be shortened considerably. When I reach the fourth tier, there will definitely be a major transformation, and that should give me a stronger foundation when I explore the pocket world with Ding Yi and the others later on.

Having once more tasted the benefits of the life force, the urge to hunt grew harder to suppress. But suddenly, his divine consciousness stirred. He raised a hand toward the cave entrance, and a talisman flew into his grasp.

"Saberstorm? Why is he looking for me again?"

He frowned slightly, and he stepped out of the cave residence.

***

"You want the teeth of the Scorching Flame Sawtooth Shark?

"Yes... I have great use for them. I hope you're willing to part with them, Fellow Daoist."

So now he calls me Fellow Daoist instead of Devil Lord. Luo Chen let out a soft chuckle, then his expression turned serious. "I can trade with you, but on one condition."

Inside the tavern, Saberstorm looked eager. "What is it? Name it!"

"Simple. You are not to reveal anything about my techniques to Ding Yi. Not a word."

Saberstorm hesitated briefly. They had a long-standing agreement, after all. But in the end, the matter came down to his cultivation progress, so he ultimately agreed.

Luo Chen glanced around. "Let's move somewhere else. This place is too cramped; I can't take out the corpse here."

Saberstorm's eyes lit up. "Then come with me."

Before long, Luo Chen was back at the fortress, following Saberstorm to a wide plaza. A few Initiates were nearby as well. He looked down at the dark old bloodstains on the ground and gradually understood what this place was.

Saberstorm explained from the side, "This is one of the spots where rogue cultivators bring in the demonic beasts they've hunted to sell to the division. It's mainly used for displaying larger carcasses. The people here are appraisers; they evaluate the demonic beasts and materials extracted from them."

Under Luo Chen's gaze, the Initiates straightened their backs. "Rest assured, Adept! We know what we're doing. We've handled all kinds of high-tier demonic beasts. There won't be any mistakes, and you won't suffer any losses."

Is that so? Luo Chen smiled faintly as the black iron ring on his left hand shimmered with light.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Four thunderous impacts rang out in succession. In the next instant, four massive demonic beast corpses appeared in the plaza. The flood dragon, the bull, the blood lantern, and the shark—each one loomed like a small mountain, and the pressure caused by their sheer presence was immense. The appraisers stood frozen, utterly stunned by the sight. Even Saberstorm, who had expected something like this, could not help but inhale sharply at the sight.

These were no ordinary creatures! The Overtide Devil Flood Dragon was not inferior to the Golden-Horned Silver Rhinoceros he had once struggled to kill, while the other three were hardly weaker. This Devil Lord... was far more formidable than he had imagined. Thinking back, the urge he had felt earlier to test Azure Yang's battle strength now seemed a little impulsive.

For a moment, the gazes of the people surrounding Luo Chen grew wary, mixed with respect and even a trace of fear. He seemed not to notice, however, and just casually waved his hand. "Let's settle this quickly. I need to head back to the frontlines."

Saberstorm's eyes widened. Didn't you say you weren't going to hunt again? Are you going back on your word now!?