Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 450: Fellow Daoist, Farewell - Novel Cool

Chapter 450: Fellow Daoist, Farewell

Chapter 450: Fellow Daoist, Farewell

Outside Yuan Magnetic Valley, on Absolute Cloud Mountain.

Luo Chen descended upon a spirit cloud, concealing himself as he quietly observed the man sitting cross-legged in the valley.

"That's right!"

"It's indeed Ming Wen!"

Ming Wen, the Outer Sect Administrator of Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, was once in charge of daily affairs in the Great River Market's Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.

In this remote large marketplace, he might not have the highest cultivation level, but his status was unique.

Even Mi Shuhua and Zhou Qing, whose cultivation bases were higher than his, had to flatter him due to his status.

However...

That man, who once had impeccable appearance and demeanor, was now disheveled and dirty, his clothes tattered, and his feet blackened.

His Golden Cloud Shoes were in tatters, revealing his darkened toes.

The robe embroidered with the Sword Sect emblem was in tatters, with only the emblem intact.

His face was covered in mud, and there were traces of blood and flesh at the corners of his mouth.

In this state, anyone would mistake him for a wild man.

Who would have thought that he was once a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, revered by tens of thousands of loose cultivators in the Great River Market?

Luo Chen carefully observed him and suddenly exclaimed, "What about his cultivation level?"

Foundation Establishment First Layer! And it seemed to be still dropping.

Luo Chen clearly remembered that Ming Wen's cultivation level was not at the first layer.

It was probably around the third layer of Foundation Establishment, one level lower than Mi Shuhua, but he was still one of the strongest cultivators in the Great River Market at that time.

After forty years of not seeing each other, even if Ming Wen's cultivation had not improved much, it shouldn't have declined.

Luo Chen's gaze wandered.

"Is it because he has been living in Yuan Magnetic Valley for a long time, lacking spiritual energy to nurture him?"

"Or perhaps..."

Suddenly, Luo Chen's gaze fell on Ming Wen, who was trembling in the valley.

Visible to the naked eye, strands of black, substantial Yin Qi were being expelled from his body.

As the Yin Qi was expelled, his cloudy eyes seemed to clear up slightly.

But soon, the Yin Qi returned to his body like swallows returning to their nest.

The bone marrow maggots were hard to get rid of! After the Yin Qi returned, a look of struggle appeared in his eyes again.

Luo Chen frowned.

That Yin Qi felt familiar!

Bai Meiling also had similar Yin Qi.

However, compared to the Yin Qi that condensed Bai Meiling's body, the Yin Qi on Ming Wen's body was much denser, even to the point of seeming to surpass a whole level.

"Is this the Yin Qi of a Third Stage Demon King?"

A thought flashed through Luo Chen's mind.

In a daze, he seemed to recall the Great River Market, where three Demon Kings were resurrected, and the inner city was shrouded in endless Yin Qi.

That battle was fierce! The Falling Cloud Sect cultivators destroyed the marketplace formation, releasing the three Demon Kings. The Golden Core Master Ling Hu Jie controlled the three Demon Kings with puppetry techniques and besieged the Sword Sect Elder Pang Renxiong.

In one battle, the inner city of the Great River Market was devastated.

Even the entire inner city was turned into a demon realm.

Among the thousands of loose cultivators inside, only a few survived, and they were protected by cultivators from the major sects outside the Five Continents Cultivation World.

The rest, including the Sword Sect Elder Pang Renxiong and the direct disciple Luo Tianhong, perished.

Luo Chen once even controlled the ghost general derived from Luo Tianhong's remnant soul.

Unexpectedly, Ming Wen had survived that battle.

"However, it seems he's living a miserable life."

Luo Chen shook his head and no longer concealed himself.

After confirming that the other party posed no threat, he actively descended into Yuan Magnetic Valley.

As soon as he entered, the thin spiritual energy, almost non-existent, made Luo Chen feel uncomfortable.

But his gaze immediately fell upon Ming Wen, whose face was filled with ever-changing expressions of cruelty, anger, despair, and panic due to Luo Chen's arrival.

"Hoo, woo..."

Hearing the incomprehensible sounds coming from Ming Wen's mouth, Luo Chen sighed.

"Living in such pain, our past grudges make it difficult for me."

"But the Yin Qi on your body will be of great use to me."

"Forget it, let me help you find relief!"

Seeing that Ming Wen wanted to run, Luo Chen raised his hand and threw out a long banner.

"Meiling, set up the Confusion Array!"

"Yes, Master!"

From within the banner, Bai Meiling's voice echoed.

Then, the banner landed, and a wave of black mist spread out from it, enveloping the entire Yuan Magnetic Valley.

Surrounded by the black mist, Luo Chen shook his wrist.

A tattered brass ancient mirror floated out.

The bronze mirror shone with spiritual light, and in the blink of an eye, it covered Ming Wen's body.

Luo Chen began to make intricate hand gestures, chanting incantations, and his spirit eyes gazed at Ming Wen, who was in a panic, roaring and shouting like a wild beast.

"Reflection in Water, Soul Guiding Dream. Ghost Spirit Mind Inquiry, See Your True Self!"

"Huh!"

With a light exclamation, Ming Wen's body stiffened as he stared at Luo Chen.

His body went limp, and he sat cross-legged on the ground.

In the Ghost Spirit Mind Inquiry Mirror, a sword's ringing sound suddenly echoed.

"We sword cultivators should not be hindered by external matters and should be loyal to the sword!"

...

In a small courtyard, a young man was brought in to have his spirit root tested.

After a long time, the cultivator in the courtyard spoke in a faint voice.

"Gold, Water, and Earth Tri-Series Spirit Root, mediocre talent, not suitable for entry."

The young man knelt down with a thud, his face resolute, "Disciple Ming Wen, I am willing to serve as a menial laborer and attend to the Sword Sect disciples to stay in Jade Emperor Mountain!"

"Forget it, Senior Brother, give him a chance!"

The young man was allowed to stay.

Every day, he performed cleaning and sweeping tasks.

In his free time, he practiced the Sword Sect's outer sect sword techniques.

After ten years, he entered the Sword Sect as an outer sect disciple by cultivating to the fourth layer of Qi Condensation.

After becoming an outer sect disciple, although the chores were still numerous, he did not give up cultivation.

He practiced the sword tirelessly for decades, and finally, he participated in the Qi Condensation disciples' small competition, where his exquisite sword skills and tenacious personality earned him a promotion to the inner sect by an elder.

Entering the inner sect should have been a joyous occasion.

It meant that his cultivation path had hope! However, the sudden change in environment also meant that the people around him were different.

They were no longer the mediocre outer sect cultivators who were content with getting by, but instead, they had become hardworking cultivators with exceptional talents and innate gifts.

In comparison, Ming Wen seemed even more insignificant.

His persistence and effort were matched by others.

He thought that by tripling his efforts, he could catch up with those with dual spirit roots and heavenly spirit roots.

However, putting aside the question of catching up, those geniuses, under the constant guidance and instruction of their elders, also worked tirelessly, and their determination was no less than his.

In his daily cultivation, setbacks followed one after another.

As he grew older, the hope of Foundation Establishment became increasingly slim.

When the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's once-in-sixty-years all-sect competition arrived, Ming Wen participated with his Qi Condensation Ninth Level cultivation.

But he suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of his equally talented peers.

Failure was not frightening.

What was terrifying was that he didn't obtain a Foundation Establishment spot.

Moreover, having exceeded the optimal age for Foundation Establishment, the sect's resources naturally wouldn't be inclined towards him.

Once again, he returned to the outer sect.

As an outer sect disciple who had been exceptionally promoted to the inner sect, he was once a legend, an object of admiration and aspiration for countless outer sect disciples. But now, returning in such a humiliating manner, those gazes made it unbearable for him.

"There are true geniuses in this world. So-called hardworking geniuses don't exist. Because true geniuses also work hard, and only through effort can potential be realized, transforming from a genius into a powerful figure."

"Ever since the spirit root detection in the courtyard back then, I've already been thoroughly defeated."

On the night he returned to the outer sect, Ming Wen's heart grew cold and desolate.

Although he continued his cultivation out of habit, it was merely a habit.

His thoughts were no longer focused on the Sword Path.

Instead, they shifted to scheming, networking, power, and wealth.

After all, the world outside the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect told him that the Sword Path wasn't the only path.

In this manner, when he was eighty years old, he unexpectedly obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill from an inner sect disciple who had no use for it.

This was not the only stroke of good fortune.

With this Foundation Establishment Pill, he successfully achieved Foundation Establishment at an unsuitable age!

After Foundation Establishment, his ideas became more solidified.

The Sword Path wasn't the only way; he could achieve greatness through other means!

As a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, the sect had special treatment for him, and even at his advanced age, he could have the status of an inner sect disciple.

However, Ming Wen declined the offer and chose to become an outer sect administrator, a role that others viewed as menial labor.

Subsequently, he began to take on various menial tasks in the outer sect.

From managing the sect's mundane affairs to handling business in nearby markets, after a long time, he finally gained the sect's trust and was sent to a distant location to independently manage a Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.

Great River Market was the farthest and most dangerous place he had ever been sent to in his life.

Yet, it was also a place he deemed to be the most suitable for an opportunity! Here, he befriended sect cultivators stationed in the domain of a supreme sect, won over local wandering cultivators, and seized various resources and wealth.

He even obtained several types of heaven and earth spiritual medicines that could prolong life.

Among them was a six-leaf Emperor Lotus sent by Mi Shuhua of the Broken Mountain Gang.

Using these longevity medicines, he established connections with the sect's upper echelon, allowing him to stay in Great River Market for a long time.

Then, his actions to seize wealth began to accelerate and expand!

"Once I earn enough resources to cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment, I'll return to the sect. At that time, I'll choose a second-grade superior cave mansion and seclude myself for a hundred years. Before my lifespan ends, I might even have a chance to break through to the Core Formation Stage!"

This was Ming Wen's fantasy.

And indeed, he almost had such an opportunity to fulfill his dream.

Dan Chenzi, Luo Chen!

A pill concocting master who unexpectedly rose to prominence from among the wandering cultivators.

He represented an immeasurable amount of wealth!

Unfortunately, an unexpected battle destroyed everything.

Inside the bronze mirror.

Ming Wen, Luo Tianhong, and others, following Pang Ren Xiong's instructions, presided over the formation, resisting the three Demon Kings.

In the end, the formation was broken, and everyone perished!

Luo Tianhong died on the spot.

Ming Wen also suffered severe injuries.

However, due to his familiarity with the inner city from managing Great River Market for many years, he narrowly escaped that Demon Realm.

But during his escape, he was struck by the Demon King, whose Yin Qi entered his body, driven to the brink of collapse by Pang Ren Xiong.

Already severely injured, the lingering consciousness of the Demon King within the Yin Qi further assaulted his mind, leaving him unable to control himself.

In a daze, he escaped to a place that his subconscious deemed extremely safe.

Absolute Cloud Mountain, Magnetic Mini Valley.

"As long as I recover from my injuries here, I can return to the Sword Sect and report the intelligence from Great River Market. Perhaps this will be a great contribution."

However, this recovery took several decades.

His injuries didn't seem to heal, and instead, his condition worsened.

The Demon King sealed beneath Great River Market was incredibly powerful!

The instinctive desire for survival caused the lingering consciousness to begin vying for control of Ming Wen's body.

Even the lingering consciousness was beyond Ming Wen's ability to resist.

"It's a pity that if I could have continued my arduous cultivation on the Sword Path, reaching the state of Sword Heart Enlightenment at the Foundation Establishment Stage, this trifling Demon King's consciousness would be nothing to me."

"I regret not doing things differently back then..."

Ming Wen murmured, his tightly closed eyes corners streaming with turbid tears.

A black glow enveloped his soul.

"Reflection in Water, Dispel!"

Crack...

The water mirror shattered, and the flowers and moon within disappeared.

The old man slowly opened his eyes, his expression complex as he looked at his hands.

The calluses from sword practice were gone, and even though he had lived a life of luxury for many years, and his mind had been in turmoil for four decades, his Foundation Establishment cultivation still maintained his original fair and delicate skin beneath the filth.

He lifted his head and looked at the bronze mirror in his hand, then at the tall man standing before him.

The man's demeanor was somewhat unfamiliar, yet his face seemed vaguely recognizable, and for a moment, Ming Wen couldn't confirm his identity.

"You are...Luo..."

"Administrator Ming, it's been a long time. Luo Chen greets you."

Luo Chen glanced at the Ghost Spirit Mind Inquiry Mirror, which now had three new cracks, and put it away in his Thunder Treasure Ring. Then, he performed a Daoist salute to the extremely weak Ming Wen.

Ming Wen opened his mouth, but his feeble state prevented him from projecting his spirit perception to examine Luo Chen's cultivation level.

However, the feeling that the other party could casually point a finger and kill him was undeniably real.

He gave a bitter smile and suddenly asked, "What time is it now?"

"Year 3449 of the Sea and Mountain Calendar," Luo Chen replied.

Ming Wen was stunned, and his body swayed.

"Has forty years already passed...?"

He murmured, lifting his head to look at Luo Chen again, wanting to speak but stopping mid-sentence.

As if knowing what he wanted to ask, Luo Chen spoke at a steady pace, "During that battle, Pang Ren Xiong died, and Great River Market became a ghost town. But he wasn't completely dead; his vengeful spirit entered the Demon Path and transformed into a Third Stage Demon King."

"I knew Elder Pang wouldn't die so easily. He had already cultivated to the state of Sword Heart Enlightenment at Foundation Establishment, and even in death, he could still switch to the Demon Path."

"Sword Heart Enlightenment?" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, as he had just learned of this concept in the Ghost Spirit Mind Inquiry Mirror by witnessing the other party's experiences.

Ming Wen nodded, steering the conversation away from that topic and asking about other matters.

Luo Chen proceeded to share some significant events that had occurred in the Jade Cauldron Domain over the years.

He spoke of Great Elder Han Zhan from Falling Cloud Sect advancing to the Nascent Soul Master stage, sparking a war among the supreme sects, and more.

As Ming Wen listened, his eyes betrayed a complex mix of emotions.

He seemed to yearn for something, yet also appeared slightly fearful.

But in the end, he wore a serene expression.

"I can't say we were ever on good terms."

"Back then, with the Heart-Probing Spell, I saw the most despicable side of you. Now, with the Mind-Probing Treasure, you've helped me find my true self again."

"Such an act of repaying evil with kindness doesn't seem like your style, Luo Chen."

"And with you telling me all this... I guess I'm as good as dead."

Luo Chen pursed his lips, gazing intently at Ming Wen.

After a moment, he smiled with ease.

"You're right."

He had just admitted his intention to kill Ming Wen.

In the past, Ming Wen might have begged for mercy.

But after enduring forty years of living worse than death, now that he had regained full consciousness, he had come to terms with his fate.

"Whether you kill me or not, with my current soul state, I won't live more than two years. Enduring the Demon King's residual soul possessing my body is no easy task."

He smiled and said to Luo Chen, "Since you didn't kill me outright and went through all this trouble to awaken me, I assume there's something you need from me!"

Luo Chen nodded.

He didn't beat around the bush.

"I need the extremely pure Yin Qi in your body!"

"The Demon King's Essence Yin Qi?"

Ming Wen was taken aback.

Then, his gaze fell upon the timidly floating girl in the nearby black mist.

Her body seemed solid, no different from an ordinary cultivator.

But with his knowledge, Ming Wen could discern the dense Yin Qi of the Demon King emanating from her.

"Is it for her?"

"Yes."

"If this girl receives the Demon King's Essence Yin Qi from me, she'll be promoted to the Third Stage Demon King, and her path will be smooth sailing from then on."

"She was also a loose cultivator who died in the Great River Market."

Ming Wen was stunned, then shook his head with a sigh.

"Never mind, just tell me what to do, and I'll cooperate fully."

"It's simple, just an inside-out collaboration!"

Luo Chen explained the method of extracting the Yin Qi to Ming Wen in detail.

In reality, with his abilities, whether it was the Grand Cleansing Technique or the Mind-Conquering Spell, he was confident in extracting the Yin Qi from Ming Wen's body.

But the Yin Qi was of an exceptionally high grade.

If not handled properly, it might escape.

Moreover, there was still a remnant of the Demon King's consciousness within. If Bai Meiling absorbed it by accident, it could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Therefore, he needed Ming Wen's cooperation to actively shatter the Demon King's consciousness inside.

Only then could Bai Meiling safely absorb the Third Stage Demon King's Essence Yin Qi without worry!

Ming Wen had struggled with this consciousness for decades and naturally knew how to deal with it.

Soon, with their collaboration, a strand of Yin Qi was extracted from Ming Wen's body and flew towards Bai Meiling, who was sitting cross-legged beneath the Soul Nourishing Banner nearby.

A day passed in the blink of an eye.

The world had already descended into night.

It was only because they were in the Magnetic Mini Valley, devoid of wild beasts or demonic creatures, that they could dare to camp so openly in the wilderness; otherwise, it would have been extremely dangerous.

Finally, as dawn was about to break, Ming Wen's body trembled.

The Demon King's Yin Qi, which had resided within him for many years, was completely extracted.

Bai Meiling, seeming drunk, muttered a few words to Luo Chen and then crawled into the Soul Nourishing Banner.

As Luo Chen retrieved the banner, Ming Wen, who was now at his weakest, looked at him with disbelief.

During this day and night of Yin Qi extraction, he had glimpsed Luo Chen's true cultivation level.

"You've reached the late Foundation Establishment stage?"

Luo Chen didn't hide it, replying, "The eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, and at most, a decade of hard work will be needed to reach the ninth layer."

Ming Wen opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

After the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, one would strive for the Grand Completion stage and then Core Formation.

This had been his dream all his life.

Luo Chen was about to achieve it so soon?

And he was so young!

What kind of incredible luck had he stumbled upon...

However, when Ming Wen noticed Luo Chen's hair, gray and white, tied behind his back, he clenched his lips.

He knew Luo Chen's talent, which was ten or even a hundred times worse than his own.

Luo Chen's background was also one of complete isolation in the cultivation world.

Considering these circumstances, for Luo Chen to have reached this stage at his age... As he recalled Luo Chen's casual mention of various significant events in the Jade Cauldron Domain, each event seemed as if he had witnessed it firsthand.

Finally, Ming Wen understood.

There was no such thing as incredible luck.

It was just that Luo Chen had endured countless trials and tribulations, gradually accumulating his achievements to this point.

Morning mist enveloped the Magnetic Mini Valley.

The coolness made the old man feel a sudden chill.

Perhaps it wasn't the morning dew's chill, but Luo Chen's gaze, filled with killing intent, that was slowly approaching him!

Ming Wen opened his mouth and said slowly, "Can we wait a little longer?"

Luo Chen frowned, "What's the difference between now and later?"

Ming Wen looked at his filthy body and then raised his head to the sky, which was neither bright nor dark.

It was as if he had returned to that moment before dawn, when he was sweeping leaves and dust on the mountain path with a broom in his hand.

"If I continue like this, my fellow disciples will surely laugh at me again."

Luo Chen was taken aback.

...

At the summit of Absolute Cloud Mountain, clouds floated gently in the breeze.

Below, beasts roared, and the sound of the pine trees filled the air.

In the distance, the Lancang River flowed endlessly, seemingly unchanged for thousands of years.

A red sun, like a yolk, emerged from the clouds and slowly rose into the sky.

After refreshing himself and tying his long hair and beard, Ming Wen, with his dry but clean hands resting on his knees, watched the sunrise with utmost sincerity.

As the sun fully appeared, a smile curved on his lips.

Then, his eyes gradually lost their luster, and he slowly lowered his head.

Luo Chen stood by his side, holding a jade slip in his right hand and the storage bag that Ming Wen had willingly unlocked his spirit perception seal on before his death. He watched this scene in silence.

After a long while, a green flame descended onto the old man's body and finally turned into a puff of ashes.

Luo Chen swept up the ashes with his wide sleeves and soared into the sky.

As he passed by the Lancang River, he raised his hand and said, "Farewell, fellow Daoist."

(End of Chapter)

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