An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 642: Ice Torrents Tribulation; Arrival of Whitebone
Across the vast mountain range, endless peaks gathered like waves frozen in motion. For ten thousand li in every direction, the land lay shrouded in boundless white snow. Amid those peaks rested a small, unremarkable hill. There were no spirit veins spreading beneath it, and no plants growing above. Within the Great Snowy Mountains, it stood as one of the few barren places untouched by life.
Such places were so poor that even low-level demonic beasts couldn't be bothered to spare them a glance, yet that was precisely what made them a pocket of safety for those who did not wish to be found. In fact, this very route was the "safe path" through which five rogue cultivators had entered the Great Snowy Mountains not long ago to harvest a spirit fruit and refine some pills.
Deep within the mountain, a small man-made cave concealed a lone figure seated cross-legged in stillness. A faint aura enveloped his frail body while his spirit consciousness stretched outward to its limits. Suddenly, a subtle tremor flickered across his eyelids, and his weathered eyes opened at once.
"It's out!" he murmured.
A quiet murmur slipped from his mouth as both hands moved continuously, forming one hand seal after another. A steady surge of spirit power circulated through his body. At the center of the cave, a large compass rotated, its needle clicking sharply. Around it lay rows of mid-grade spirit stones, while three top-grade stones were embedded into it.
With each seal he formed, light from the surrounding stones gathered and merged into flowing streams of power. The compass needle trembled, then slowly stopped, pointing in one clear direction—the Myriad Pythons Grotto.
"It's coming... it's coming..."
He suppressed the excitement rising in his heart and steadied his mind, focusing fully on the formation beneath his feet. Abruptly, he raised one palm upright before his chest, with the other supporting it from below.
"Rise!"
In the next moment, beams of light burst upward from the ground, vast waves of power spreading outward with him at the center. The radiance lifted him upward, carrying him through the hilltop and into the open sky.
"Fellow Daoist, please wa—huh?"
Fu Jiusheng's words died abruptly. Before his eyes loomed a massive figure, more than three zhang tall, with wings ten zhang across. It stared at him coldly, its gaze filled with predatory calm. What seemed like white scales but also feathers covered its body, many torn and riddled with holes as though they had been pierced by sharp weapons. Blood welled from the wounds but never fell, drawn back by the powerful pull of surging blood qi.
Such a sight alone would have been terrifying, but it was not all; within the crimson light that surrounded the creature, faint streaks of azure flame coiled and danced. Even at a distance, the heat made one's flesh ache, as if it might catch fire and crumble into ash. A pair of eyes, deep and unyielding as still water, fixed unblinking upon him.
"Fellow Daoist Fu, why are you blocking my path? What is it you intend to do?" Luo Chen asked coldly.
Fu Jiusheng's expression flickered through a spectrum of emotions. Yet as he sensed Luo Chen's unstable energy flow, a dangerous thought stirred in his mind.
A faint sneer curved Luo Chen's lips. "Could it be that you've joined hands with the Seven-Ring Snow Python and you're planning to bury me here in the Great Snowy Mountains?"
"The Seven-Ring Snow Python?!" Fu Jiusheng blurted out in shock.
An instant later, a massive wave of demonic energy surged from the direction of the Myriad Pythons Grotto, closing in like a storm. His mind raced. If he focused on Luo Chen, then given his opponent's obviously poor state, the formation might well help him prevail. But Luo Chen's speed was too great, and subduing him was not something that could be done in an instant. And once that Seven-Ring Snow Python arrived... whether he survived or not was anybody's guess.
Fu Jiusheng's face shifted again and again, and when he felt Luo Chen's aura condense and surge higher still, he finally steadied his will. He quickly said, "You've misunderstood, Fellow Daoist! This formation is here to assist you! You have done me a great favor, and how could I possibly commit such a vile act as harming my own benefactor?"
A faint ease appeared on Luo Chen's face. As for whether he truly believed these words or only pretended to, only he could tell. He turned slightly, giving a glance behind him. Then, with a small flap of his wings, his figure moved toward Fu Jiusheng.
When the two brushed past each other, Luo Chen suddenly halted midair.
"Is there something else you'd like to say?"
Fu Jiusheng clenched his teeth, then drew a deep breath and said cautiously, "The Great Snowy Mountains have changed. The route we took is no longer safe. This is a map I drew myself a while back. May it be of some use to you, Fellow Daoist."
With these words, he threw over a rolled beast hide. He scrutinized Luo Chen carefully, not daring to move. Luo Chen's gaze lingered on him for a brief moment. With a swift motion, he caught the map, then turned away and left without a word.
Once Luo Chen was gone, Fu Jiusheng let out a long sigh of relief. To strike a snake and fail to kill it would only invite a deadlier bite. Hopefully, Luo Chen truly had the magnanimity of that so-called Fire Spirit Lord and would let this matter pass, since there had been no attack but rather an offer of peace.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole behind has no easy perch..." he muttered bitterly.
Around him, the beams of light converged, fusing into a single compass-shaped glow that enclosed his body. In the next instant, the sphere plunged downward and vanished beneath the earth. It was the most practical of the Five Element Escapes—Earth Escape!
Moments later, the mountains trembled as a massive python crossed the ridges. It did not float across the sky but rather drove its monstrous body at full power to crawl across the terrain. It was actually faster that way. Upon reaching the site where the two had just met, it hesitated for a brief moment. Then it flicked out its tongue, tasted the air, and its eyes flared with murderous intent.
"Human, you have brought this upon yourself!"
***
High above the sky, a streak of crimson light cut through the clouds, piercing the air with blazing speed. It was swift beyond measure, drawing every gaze that caught even a glimpse of it.
Yet in these wild mountains infested with demonic beasts, such open flight was far too reckless. Were it not for the fact that the flying entity seemed to be a third-tier roc, countless lurking beasts would have attacked by now. Even so, the path it flew over stirred waves of unrest below.
As Luo Chen flew, he unfurled the beasthide parchment. It truly was a map. Luo Chen muttered coldly, "Fu Jiusheng... you're quite the schemer. You acted as if you'd stayed out of the fight because you were content with the Nether Origin Pill. But in truth, you'd already laid a formation outside, and you were just waiting to strike once we were spent. You sure know how to play the oriole behind the mantis.
"Only a fraction of that formation's power was visible, and even that was probably enough to threaten an early-stage Adept. If I hadn't revealed my strongest form from the start, and if the Seven-Ring Snow Python hadn't been there, I might really have ended up in a hard fight with you. Still, you know when to yield, I have to give you that. Even offering me a map of the Great Snowy Mountains... Well, if you want to turn hostility into friendship, then so be it."
While studying the map, Luo Chen quickly confirmed his current location. His gaze swept over the markings, and within moments, most of the surrounding terrain had been memorized.
According to the map, following the original route and flying at full speed without interruption would allow him to leave the Great Snowy Mountains in about ten days. But that was without interruption.
For the sake of harvesting the Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit, the group had already ventured deep into the range. With such a long journey ahead, mishaps were bound to occur. Moreover, Fu Jiusheng had warned him that the path they had taken was no longer safe, and he had little reason to lie.
After a brief consideration, Luo Chen selected three possible routes of escape: one toward the Howling Moon Mountains, another toward the Ancient Plains Mountain Range, and the last toward a smaller glacier. The paths were intricate and ever shifting, yet on Fu Jiusheng's map, they were marked as the ones least infested by high-tier beasts.
Still, it never hurts to guard against others. Luo Chen kept his spirit consciousness extended at all times, and he maintained Spirit Eyes constantly, scanning in every direction.
Suddenly, Luo Chen halted, staring back the way he had come at a towering mass of demonic energy rising to the sky.
And there we go, interruption has arrived, he thought.
If one expected for something unexpected to happen, could it still be called unexpected? The question held no answer, and he did not waste time pondering it. What mattered now was the massive, triangular serpent head emerging from the cloud of demonic energy, its cold gaze locked tightly upon him. It had even refined its transverse bones and was now capable of speaking the human language[2].
"Human, you stole my seventh brother's spirit fruit and you think you can go just like that?" the serpent's voice rumbled with venomous fury. "Stay right there."
Luo Chen's heart sank. He had known the Great Snowy Mountains were the lair of the Whitebone Dark Serpent, with serpents and pythons everywhere. Yet he had not expected them to call each other brother and function as a clan. It seemed unnatural, as serpents and pythons were not even of the same species.
Without the slightest hesitation, he beat his wings and flew higher, angling off along one of his chosen routes.
*** 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
"Stay," echoed a commanding voice.
A surge of darkness erupted into the sky, spreading like ink across the clouds. A fierce light flashed across Luo Chen's face, and his wings slapped the air. Blazing Fire Miasma burst forth in waves, carrying the fierce power of Earth Fire Fiend Qi. When the flames met the inky demonic light, the air filled with a sharp sizzling sound.
An indescribable stench spread for several li around. After the clash, blood welled at the corner of Luo Chen's mouth, and he veered off in another direction, fleeing at full speed.
In a tree somewhere along his initial path, a small golden snake coiled on a branch, its vertical pupils fixed on the shrinking crimson dot in the distance.
Impressive speed, the snake thought. Should've finished him off, probably. But hhelping that Seven-Ring fellow once is enough. What comes next has nothing to do with me.
The tiny creature crawled down the branch and burrowed into the snow, returning to sleep. A random viewer would never have imagined that this snake was a third-tier demon king, equal in strength to the an Adept! Even its casual strikes carried immense power, and the strike earlier had been enough to leave Luo Chen lightly wounded.
A sudden tremor passed through the snow. The golden snake emerged once more, joy gleaming in its eyes.
"Father has returned!" it cried.
A demonic cloud swept down from the sky, lifting the snake within its folds. Using Demonic Cloud Ride, he sped swiftly toward the distance, in the same direction in which Luo Chen had fled.
***
High above, the biting wind whipped against Luo Chen's cheeks. He no longer had spare spirit energy to cast a protective barrier and could only rely on the toughness of his beastly body.
By now, a chill had already settled deep within his heart. Several days of sleepless flight had passed. During that time, many low-tier serpents had blocked his path, and he had crossed paths with three third-tier ones as well, of which two had attacked without hesitation.
Only by exhausting every method in his arsenal had he barely escaped their pursuit. Had it not been for Ninety Thousand Li at Perfected Mastery combined with his True Roc form, which granted him speed beyond an early-stage Adept, escape would have been impossible. Thankfully, serpents were not known for endurance or long-distance pursuit; that had bought him time.
Even so, he was reaching the end of his strength. After several uses, the Blazing Fire Miasma he had nurtured with hundreds of thousands of spirit stones was properly depleted. The Earth Fire Fiend Qi had been completely exhausted, and the spirit power within his body was nearly gone as well.
If that had been the only problem, he might still have endured. Yet when he looked back, he saw that his wings were laced with cracks. After all, the Crimson Cloud Wings were only a top-grade enchanted artifact. Activated at full power for days on end, without pause, they had reached the brink of collapse. With his Sky Roc true form, he could still use Ninety Thousand Li, but his speed would likely drop drastically.
At this rate... he genuinely feared he might end up leaving his bones lying among the peaks of the Great Snowy Mountains. A trace of despair appeared in his eyes. Yet the nearer he came to hopelessness, the steadier his mind became.
"These beasts have been able to track me not only because I used my Sky Roc True Form without restraint, but also because they have followed my aura. Speed alone will not carry me out of these mountains. There is only one other way."
As Luo Chen weighed that method's chances of fooling a third-tier demonic beast, his eyes narrowed and his course began to change.
Crack!
From within the clouds, a bolt of lightning arced downward, striking straight toward Luo Chen. He made no move to dodge. At such altitude, being struck by lightning was not uncommon. Moreover, his body had been tempered by the lightning power from the Divine Transformation pocket world and it naturally possessed a degree of lightning resistance. However, the instant the arc of lightning touched his skin, his expression changed drastically.
"Something's wrong!"
A surge of lightning energy entered his body, spreading numbness through every limb. His body stiffened instantly, losing all ability to move as it plunged helplessly toward the ground.
"Rise!" he roared.
Luo Chen clenched his teeth as the ground ascended toward him rapidly. His face twisted with strain, veins bulging beneath the skin. At that moment, a faint tremor passed through his reinforced spine. The thread of lightning energy was drawn toward it and swallowed completely. The numbing effect vanished at once, and Luo Chen immediately regained control of his body. He halted his massive and useless falling body just above a small mountaintop.
Boom!
The force of the wind blasted waves after waves of snow into the air. Luo Chen looked up at the sky in shock. The lightning bolt just now had no trace of someone controlling it; it had been born purely from the power of heaven and earth. Yet that single wisp of lightning had overwhelmed even a third-tier physique tempered by lightning! How could that be!?
Just then, a celestial phenomenon unfolded before his eyes. Clouds gathered high above the nine heavens, stretching across the sky. For a thousand li in every direction, spirit energy surged backward. An enormous inverted vortex turned violently, carrying the might to shatter heaven and earth.
"This... is a tribulation?" Luo Chen murmured hoarsely.
The truth became clear in that instant. This was a lightning tribulation, and it had reached its most critical stage. The truly powerful lightning was about to descend; what that had struck him moments ago had been nothing more than a stray fragment of its power.
Within the cultivation world, records of such tribulations existed only in two cases: when human cultivators attempted to form a Nascent Soul, and when a demon sought to transcend its limitations and break into the fourth tier. Yet deep within these mountains, how could there possibly be a human?
"Hm?"
With his Spirit Eyes at full power, Luo Chen's sight extended for a thousand li. In the midst of the vast, rolling mountain range, a hundred-zhang-tall fortress stood firmly among the mountains. Moon radiance[1] fell across the heavens, unshaken by the storm, its silvery glow illuminating the fortress even within the lightning tribulation.
"This is..." Luo Chen muttered, recognition flashing in his mind."The Moon Radiance Ice Fortress?"
It was the Ice Fortress's foundational treasure, a top-grade enchanted treasure! Rumor had it that it could absorb the cold power of the moon's frost and suppress entire spirit veins beneath it.
"Why would the Ice Fortress's foundational treasure appear here?"
As doubt flickered in Luo Chen's mind as he channeled more spirit power toward his eyes, and before long, the full image of the Moon Radiance Ice Fortress came into view. The fortress had nine floors. On each floor, figures could be seen, and at the very top stood one figure whose back Luo Chen recognized at a glance.
"Ice Torrent!"
The moment recognition struck, a dreadful realization followed. Ice Torrent was undergoing tribulation! She was attempting the Nascent Soul Tribulation! She was using the only fourth-tier spirit land within the Great Snowy Mountains to force her breakthrough!
A thought surfaced sharply. But will the Whitebone Dark Serpent simply ignore this?
As if on cue, a voice echoed through the sky, answering his unspoken question. "What audacity!"
The shrill voice split the endless thunderclouds all the way from the distant horizon. The single sound carried such power that even from hundreds of li away, dizziness overtook Luo Chen and his vision blurred. For a time, he could no longer see the scene beneath the thunderclouds.
Then, within his ears, an aged voice echoed solemnly. "Fellow Daoist Whitebone, this is as far as you may go. If you wish to witness the ceremony, please do so from a respectful distance."
1. 月华 (yuèhuá) is not ordinary moonlight; it is more like a spirit light that can be cultivated. ☜
2. It is said that demonic animals possess a special “bone” called 横骨 (hénggǔ). This so-called bone is believed to block an animal from speaking human language, developing human intelligence, or taking on humanoid form. According to the legend, once the 横骨 disappears or is shed through cultivation, the animal gains the ability to speak and transform ☜
