An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 789: Restructuring the Combat Framework (II)

The sea wind carried a briny chill as white mist drifted. A stunning woman carrying a hint of desolation in her expression held a token in her hand as she walked alone along the path of Sea-Gazing Cliff. With each step, her thoughts churned, her mind tangled and unsettled.

Before she realized it, she had arrived at the rough cave residence that had been carved out barely three months earlier. Acting more on instinct than deliberate thought, she activated the token and stepped inside, only to stop short.

The cave was empty.

"Senior Azure Yang? Where did he go... No way he has already left... right?"

In an instant, she turned pale. She dared not immediately report to her elder brother, fearing that she'd disappoint him, so she decided to wait here for a while. From the way the cave was arranged, it didn't seem as though Azure Yang had departed for good. She would wait a little longer.

***

On the boundless blue sea, five enormous sea serpents swam through the deep waters. Their positions formed a ring, enclosing a stretch of ocean spanning hundreds of li. They were clearly on guard, their gazes flicking from time to time toward the black-clad man floating in midair.

Suddenly, the black-robed man lightly pushed out a palm, and a massive palm projection descended toward the sea. The strike carried no hint of brute force. Yet the moment the projection formed, its color shifted from white to crimson, tinged with a bit of azure. It radiated searing heat, and when it struck the calm sea surface, the stillness shattered.

B-BOOOMMMM!

A heaven-shaking explosion rang out, echoing across hundreds of li of sea. The originally flat surface of the sea now sported a deep pit, the same shape as the palm! Within the hollow, not a drop of seawater remained, only endless azure flames swirling about.

Naturally, following the shockwave, the surrounding seawater rushed in to fill the pit. Yet no matter how much water poured in, those azure flames could not be extinguished.

If anyone were to witness such a sight, it would surely leave their jaws dropping in disbelief.

High in the sky, Luo Chen watched the scene with satisfaction. He'd finally reached Perfected Mastery of the Great Handprint of Primordial Qi! Not only that, but during his practice, he had learned how to use the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture to integrate the Withering–Flourishing Fire into the spell! Thus, the palm projection he had just unleashed was formed of exquisitely pure fire-element mana and primordial true fire, and its might was simply terrifying. By his assessment, should that late–stage third-tier Golden Wolf King charge at Luo Chen once more, this single palm strike would be able to stop the demon in his tracks.

Moreover, he had grasped the optimal timing and energy flow for unleashing this spell. A single swing of the palm sufficed; there was no longer any need to rely on the Mystic Flame Sword or another item as a conduit. Or rather... the Mystic Flame Sword, a rather inferior flying sword, could no longer bear the power of this spell.

"At this point, calling it the Great Handprint of Primordial Qi is clearly no longer fitting. Hmm... I'll rename it the Azure Yang Great Handprint! And the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture... this is clearly not the limit. It will allow me to put the primordial true fire to use in every aspect I can think of. Once I get fully used to it, I will definitely become stronger and stronger in combat!"

Luo Chen had been concerned for quite a while now. After switching to the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, all his mana had transformed into fire, with not a shred of the other elements. As a result, many spells he had excelled at were bound to become unusable. If that was the case, he would become nothing more than a showpiece, impressive in cultivation yet lacking the combat strength to match.

These worries had become reality over the past few months—whenever he attempted to use other spells, things did not go right. The defensive spell Glazed Skyveil, which he had mastered to the absolute peak a long time ago, could no longer be deployed. The Geng Metal Sword Art, Wave Surge, Entangle, and many other spells also ran into issues. Under ideal conditions, he could still manage to use them somewhat, but where would he ever get such ideal conditions in real combat?

Fortunately, there's always a silver lining. Through gradual practice over the open sea, Luo Chen slowly explored his options and started developing a new combat style that suited him best. Although it was almost entirely fire-based, it nevertheless had the potential to become well-balanced and complete.

On the offensive side, he possessed a series of Perfected Mastery fire spells: Solar Flare, Landslide, the Azure Yang Great Handprint, and Blazing Fire Miasma. He also had the enchanted treasure Mystic Flame Sword. The applications were admittedly limited compared to the past, yet the sheer power was far more formidable.

As for defense, there was little to say. In the past, Luo Chen had relied on the Glazed Skyveil together with his own physical body to withstand attacks. The Glazed Skyveil was no longer an option, but his body was even tougher than it used to be, and this opened up another possibility: using the Primordial Unity Cauldron as a shield, since he was capable of enduring the backlash.

Moreover, Luo Chen had already begun developing fire-element defensive spells. Back in the Qi Refinement Realm, he had conceived similar ideas, but had not pursued them further at the time. Now, with the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture and his status panel, he was confident he could create the most suitable defensive spell for himself.

The one thing left to cover was movement, and that was not a problem in the slightest. For long-distance travel, he had Ninety Thousand Li, augmented by the Moonbreak Wings. He was now faster than ever before. After years of constant refinement, the Moonbreak Wings had long since shed all impurities, becoming perfectly harmonized in properties. Among all his enchanted treasures, he was closest to his wings; to an outsider, they could very well appear to be Luo Chen's life-bound treasure.

As for short distances, Luo Chen had combined Carefree Wander, Wang Yuan's Ascending Dragon Step, and his own powerful physique to devise a method of shifting forms and position, which he called Voidburst Step!

Luo Chen sprang backward, lunged forward again, then started swaying and sliding from side to side. Streaks of fiery afterimages appeared wherever he'd just been, and as he moved, explosive booms echoed through the air! If Tao Wan were to see such a scene, she would surely be stunned—it closely resembled her Ninefold Gale Transformation! Yet clearly, this went far beyond that.

I should probably thank Azure Frost for this one...

Luo Chen came to a stop, a trace of admiration surfacing on his face. Azure Frost was a true prodigy. Relying on her bloodline heritage, she had grasped the fundamentals of void as a Demon Emperor, integrating them with her physique to utterly outpace her peers. When she moved, she appeared and vanished like a ghost, impossible to guard against.

Luo Chen had devised Voidburst Step by imitating her. It took the physique as its foundation, supplemented by Carefree Wander and Ascending Dragon Step, and empowered by the mana processed through the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. It produced a similar effect to whatever movement technique she was using. In short range displacement, it was filled with explosive force, like a blazing sun erupting within the air itself.

Though it was only a superficial imitation of Azure Frost's technique, at the Golden Core level, it could be considered a top-tier technique, and one that ordinary people could not practice. Who else possessed Luo Chen's physique and that fire-element mana that brimmed with explosive power?

"Offense and movement are both covered. I've even got Mirror Flower Water Moon to support me in battle. Once I fully sort out the defensive side, I won't have any weaknesses left."

Luo Chen let out a long breath. From this moment on, the hidden worries he had felt upon first arriving in the Northern Sea completely dissipated.

He projected his divine consciousness and issued a command. Before long, the five Blue-Ringed Great Fang Sea Serpents gathered together. Luo Chen descended from the sky and stepped onto the head of their leader and pointed in a direction. The Serpent King then carried him off, gliding through the sea.

He stood atop its head, facing the fierce sea winds as he contemplated his future. He figured that it was time to secure a third-tier spirit land for himself. No matter how profound his methods were, they were only methods, not resources. Without a proper spirit land to serve as the foundation, his cultivation speed would never reach the peak.

Beyond the matter of the spirit land, he would also need to reconsider his pills. The Starfield Pill was too weak and too impure. It was unsuitable for his pure fire-element mana. As for which pills he could use, Luo Chen already had a plan in mind.

***

Upon reaching the base of Sea-Gazing Cliff, Luo Chen issued another command, and the five sea serpents dispersed. They started patrolling the surrounding area, watching out for high-tier demonic beasts. As for Luo Chen, he flew toward the cave residence.

"Hm?"

As the white mist dispersed, Luo Chen saw a woman seated on the threshold, sound asleep, and a trace of surprise surfaced on his face. She was an Initiate, so how could she sleep like this?

The truth was that earlier, weighed down by worries over her family and entangled thoughts about her own future, Cheng Haixin had exhausted herself and fallen asleep during her long wait. Now that Luo Chen had returned and made no effort to conceal his aura, she immediately woke up. She stood up nervously. "Senior..."

Luo Chen walked straight into the cave residence. When he noticed that she was still standing outside, he shook his head lightly. "Why are you just standing there like that? Come in."

A flicker of joy leapt in her heart as she quietly followed him inside.

Seeing how tense she looked, Luo Chen could not help but let out a helpless smile. "What is it? Are you here to keep me company again?"

In an instant, her face flushed crimson. She twisted the corner of her robe, then seemed to recall something and hurriedly took an item from her storage pouch. It was a jade scroll.

"Senior, my elder brother sends this to you."

After Luo Chen took it, she spoke again with some embarrassment. "Actually... if you'd like me to keep you company...."

Luo Chen chuckled softly and read through the jade slip right in front of her. Gradually, the corners of his mouth curved into a pleased smile. Heh, Cheng Dou really couldn't hold back anymore!