An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 544: So It Is You, Luo Chen! (I)

Chapter 544: So It Is You, Luo Chen! (I)
The mountains crumbled. From above, boulders the size of houses plummeted like falling stars, tearing through the air with savage whistles before crashing into the canyon floor with thunderous force.
Qin Yuanjiang stood frozen in disbelief. A moment ago, this canyon had been a death trap, yet now there was a chance to survive?
"Defend!" he barked instinctively.
He immediately drew out a defensive enchanted artifact to shield himself from the falling debris. His two junior brothers followed suit, each summoning their shields. But with so many rocks falling from the above, they were barely holding on.
Just as their defenses threatened to shatter, a massive figure leapt into the canyon with a loud crash. He landed squarely in front of them, planting himself like a wall between the disciples and the avalanche of falling cliffs. With one hand, he raised a battered, cracked shield.
The moment it appeared, the shield expanded, growing into a towering barrier over a zhang long and wide, a solid wall that sheltered all three disciples beneath its shadow.
"Who are you?" Qin Yuanjiang called out, staring at the man's back in surprise.
The man didn't turn around. He only muttered irritably, "That bastard Luo Chen is getting stronger by the day!"
Qin Yuanjiang stiffened in shock at the name. He looked up and finally noticed the crimson-robed figure floating above the canyon. Lo and behold, it was indeed
that
Luo Chen. The same man he'd met just days before at the Luo Tian Society encampment.
He… saved me?
While he was still in shock, the cries of his two junior brothers reached his ears.
"Look at those Flame Alliance bastards!"
"Serves them right! The more miserable their deaths, the better!"
Down in the canyon, seven to eight cultivators activated their defensive enchanted artifacts, struggling to hold off attacks from all sides. Massive rocks continued raining down on them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each deafening crash marked another boulder striking the canyon floor. In moments, three of the weaker Initiates were crushed under the weight of falling boulders and their barriers shattered, their bodies mangled beyond recognition. High above, Luo Chen watched the carnage unfold with a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
This move wasn't a complete version of Landslide. It was a variant he had devised using the Earth Summit as its base and combining it with his understanding of terrain manipulation. The result was a modified, scaled-down version; it lacked the raw force of the original, but here in the canyon, it was quite appropriate. Just moments ago, he had used spirit power to forcibly collapse two sections of the cliff, simulating the raw fury of a mountain collapse.
Still, this is as far as it goes,
Luo Chen thought.
After all, it was only a weakened version and was never meant to claim total victory in one blow. Though battered by the collapse, four enemies remained standing. They had weathered the first wave of destruction and were already regaining their footing, stabilizing their energy flow as they prepared to counterattack.
The leading cultivator raised his head and roared at Luo Chen, "Dan Chenzi, you've gone too far!"
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "
Oh
? You know who I am?"
He didn't wait for a reply. Thousandfold Summit, which he had been charging all this while, suddenly dropped from the heavens like divine judgment. And that wasn't all. Below, Chu Kui dismissed the battered shield with a grunt. "Alright, kids, you're on your own now."
Without another word, he hefted his long staff and soared into the air, charging straight toward the four cultivators. Judging by his stance, he intended to take on the four enemies with only Luo Chen beside him.
"Senior brother, what do we do?" one of the junior disciples asked anxiously. "Should we retreat and bring back reinforcements?"
Without a word of hesitation, Qin Yuanjiang directed his flying sword with precision, striking at one of the mid-stage Initiates head-on. Seeing their senior brother throw himself into the fray without fear, the two junior brothers gritted their teeth and followed. Their swords flashed as they joined the battle, the three of them focusing their strength on a single opponent.
Just like that, the battlefield split into three versus one and two versus three. From above, Chu Kui's shout echoed across the battlefield. "Luo Chen, you take one of the mid-stage guys. Leave the others to me!"
Without waiting for a response, he bolted forward, his massive staff sweeping out with terrifying speed. The strike came so fast. Even though the cultivator had been on guard, the blow still landed squarely on his defensive enchanted artifact. Only upon contact did he realize—it wasn't just fast, it was
heavy
.
Boom!
With a single hit, he was smashed into the mountainside. Chu Kui exhaled lightly, then turned his gaze toward the gray-haired elder standing at the rear. "Zheng Tianfang of the Rolling Dragon Ridge?"
Upon seeing the towering man before him, Zheng Tianfang's eyes widened, and he instinctively staggered backward. "Chu Kui, we have no grudges. Why force me into a corner like this?"
Chu Kui let out a cold laugh. "It is true, we have no grudges, but I need your head to aid me in the Dao of Golden Core!"
With just those few words, he launched himself into a full-on assault.
Zheng Tianfang knew how formidable the man was. With no time to waste, he summoned his flying sword in defense while spinning around to flee, soaring desperately through the air.
High above the canyon, Luo Chen was holding down a mid-stage Initiate using Thousandfold Summit while his sword orb delivered relentless strikes from above. Despite this, he still had enough focus to keep an eye on other battlefronts. When he heard the name "Zheng Tianfang of Rolling Dragon Ridge," a thought stirred in his heart. No wonder the man had recognized him!
The Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge was an old acquaintance. He knew the Zheng family boasted three Initiates—apart from the frequently seen Zheng Kejian, there were also a mid-stage Initiate and an early-stage one. He hadn't expected the mid-stage one to have already advanced to the late stage. Yet even so, the man was utterly overwhelmed by Chu Kui, who stood at the ninth stage.
Luo Chen's gaze drifted to the long staff in Chu Kui's hands, and a flicker of envy shone in his eyes. After fighting alongside the man for days, he was already well aware of just how terrifying that weapon was. A low-grade enchanted treasure with both metal and earth attributes! It didn't just possess a powerful killer move; even its normal attacks rivaled his Mystic Flame Sword. Combined with how thoroughly Chu Kui had refined the weapon, even his normal swings were devastatingly powerful.
Even I would have to go all out just to block it properly.
Luo Chen muttered inwardly.
That staff was crystal-clear proof of what obsession could do—Chu Kui used it so much that he had reached the absolute pinnacle of what an Initiate could do with an enchanted treasure. It was no wonder that a mere graze could wound, and a hit could kill. Luo Chen turned back to his own battle and looked down at the enemy struggling beneath the crushing weight of Thousandfold Summit. He sighed softly.
The commotion's too loud. Time to wrap this up.
With a thought, the Mystic Flame Sword appeared.
"How are you controlling three enchanted artifacts at once?" the enemy gasped.
Under the enemy's horrified gaze, the Mystic Flame Sword flew forth and slashed straight down at him. An instant later, he was split clean in two.
"We won!" someone cried.
Turning around, Luo Chen regarded Qin Yuanjiang and his two junior brothers with surprise. The three of them were only early-stage Initiates, yet together they had managed to bring down a fourth-stage opponent.
So this is the strength of a major sect's Inner Hall disciples?
Noticing Luo Chen's astonished expression, the battered Qin Yuanjiang forced himself upright. Pain twisted his features as he drew a ragged breath, but he still managed to speak, "Thank you for saving us… Uncle Luo."
Hearing that, Luo Chen's lips curled into a slight smile. "Rest up for now. There might be more enemies coming."
Qin Yuanjiang nodded wearily and swallowed a recovery pill to replenish his spiritual power. His two junior brothers remained silent. Their gazes were fixed on Luo Chen, filled with awe, gratitude, and unease.
Luo Chen paid them no mind. He moved calmly across the battlefield, collecting loot from the fallen. When he stood before a corpse mangled beyond recognition, he suddenly asked, "Aren't you going to collect the remains of your fellow disciples?"
The three froze for a moment, then hurried into action. Watching them, Luo Chen couldn't help but shake his head and thought,
Still just fledglings. Hopefully, this battle helped them grow a bit.
By the time Luo Chen finished gathering the spoils, Chu Kui had already returned, his breath slightly uneven. "Done! That old bastard's cultivation wasn't high, but he sure had tricks up his sleeve. Took me a while to finish him off."
Then he looked at Luo Chen. "How'd things go on your side?"
Luo Chen replied, "Everything's settled. Let's go."
The two prepared to leave, but behind them, Qin Yuanjiang and his two juniors exchanged uneasy glances, clearly wanting to speak yet too hesitant to do so. Luo Chen glanced back at them and let out a sigh. "This place isn't safe. Leave as soon as possible. In the future, don't stray from your main unit. Those vassal rogue cultivators may not be powerful, but they're cunning. And if you ever run into terrain that suppresses your puppets, think before you rush in."
Without waiting for a response, Luo Chen simply turned and flew off with Chu Kui, their figures swiftly disappearing into the distance. Qin Yuanjiang remained silent for a long while, then slowly bowed toward the direction they had departed. When he straightened again, the confusion in his eyes had faded, replaced by plain resolve.
"Senior Brother Qin," one of his juniors asked cautiously, "who was that just now? You called him uncle, but he doesn't seem to be a family member of yours… is he?"
Qin Yuanjiang shook his head. "I'll explain later. For now, gather our brothers' bodies. We're heading back to to the elders."
The two nodded, though their eyes remained filled with curiosity.
Luo Chen… Dan Chenzi… Wait… Could he be that famed alchemist whose name has spread throughout the Jade Cauldron Domain? But how could an alchemist be so terrifying in battle? That spell earlier practically collapsed a mountain! No ordinary Initiate could possibly be that strong!