Longevity begins with alchemy master

Fourth ring!
The omnipresent chaotic energy was blowing like a storm all the time.

Ordinary martial artists simply cannot gain a foothold here.

Even lifeless gold and iron ore can be completely corroded by chaotic energy.

Only the nine cultivation stones hung in the boundless void, as if they had existed since time immemorial.

Compared to the cultivation stones in the lower rings, the cultivation stones in the fourth ring are far superior in length, width, and thickness; any one of them is ten zhang in diameter.

The extended stone membrane, like a transparent dome, shields the outside world, allowing martial artists to quiet down and concentrate on their cultivation.

But today, the eighth cultivation stone is not so peaceful.

The air was filled with shouts and roars, which lasted for three whole days.

"I refuse to believe I can't beat you to death!"

An old man with white hair and beard, his eyes wide open in anger, hung high in the air like a great sun.

A surge of powerful energy erupted from his body, his hands forming a cross shape, one in front of the other.

Then he frantically swung his palms down one after another.

Thousands of palm shadows, shifting and changing light, are impossible to defend against.

Below him, a young man in white had a calm expression, but his eyes held a hint of madness.

Faced with the cross palms attacking from all directions, he did not make any fancy moves, but simply threw punch after punch.

He shattered most of the cross palm strikes.

But some of it still fell on him.

After all, compared to his ordinary punch, the old man's cross palm technique was far too exquisite, ever-changing and impossible to defend against.

However, the cross-shaped palm strikes that landed on him did not cause any serious injury to the man in white.

Because a layer of blood-red cloth covered his body, whenever the cross palm strike landed, the blood-red cloth would vibrate rhythmically, deflecting the terrifying palm force from various angles or transferring it to other nearby places.

Clearly, this blood-stained cloth is a special defensive martial art that deflects and redirects force.

Seeing the white-clad man break free from the encirclement of fists, the old man was furious.

"It's happening again, it's happening again!"

It was as if he had faced this ordinary punch from his opponent countless times.

No matter what kind of killer move he used, whether it was domineering, gentle, or insidious, the opponent could always respond to the same situation with a simple punch.

But this time!
He was determined to inflict a heavy blow on the opponent!

The old man's anger grew stronger, like a volcano about to erupt, his facial features contorted to the extreme.

The next moment, his hands suddenly opened wide, and the thousands of cross-shaped palm shadows that had been unleashed suddenly closed together.

A terrifying, giant cross-shaped hand, wreathed in True Yang Qi pushed to its limit, crashed down like a blazing sun.

Extreme Yang Cross Palm!
boom!
boom!
boom!
The two sides clashed in an instant, followed by a series of deafening sounds.

After unleashing this move, the old man was also exhausted and fell from mid-air, standing on the ground with difficulty.

But his eyes remained fixed on the battle group that was being forced to retreat continuously by the burst of qi.

Even though the white-clad figure inside was constantly being pushed back by the Extreme Yang Cross Palm, he continued to throw punch after punch, as if he would never get tired.

The old man's initial confidence sank to rock bottom as the rumbling sound inside grew louder.

In the pupils, as the man in white gathered strength in his right hand and then threw a heavy punch...

boom!
The true Yang of the cross has finally shattered.

The man in white stepped forward, his gaze falling on the old man.

Pfft!
The old man finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground, his face filled with despair.

He never imagined that he, known for his profound inner strength and exquisite moves, would one day be beaten to the point of exhaustion and depletion of his strength.

Looking at the white-clad man walking towards him, the Extreme Yang Martial Sect Master let out a weak, hoarse voice.

"Luo Chen, is your protective energy inexhaustible?"

Luo Chen exhaled a breath of stale air, but did not answer the meaningless question. Instead, he raised his hand and looked at his fist.

The crimson aura above, like flowing mercury, seemed to be full of spirituality.

But it's only an impression.

"Still a little short."

Luo Chen muttered to himself, glanced at the slumped old man, but did not kill him. Instead, he turned and left.

When Jiyang Martial Sect member looked over at Luo Chen, he was stunned.

What kind of look was that?
That was a look he had never seen before, or rather, no one had ever looked at him like that before.

It was dissatisfaction, regret, and even contempt.

Before Luo Chen's departing figure had disappeared from sight, the Extreme Yang Martial Sect member struggled to his feet, roaring angrily.

"Luo Chen, what do you mean!"

"you come back!"

"Give me a month, no, half a month. Then we'll continue fighting!"

Unfortunately, Luo Chen did not turn around, as if he had not heard, or perhaps he had heard but turned a deaf ear.

The Extreme Yang Martial Sect can no longer put any pressure on him.

Therefore, he needs to find his next opponent.

A whetstone that can hone his inner strength!
……

Forty years after entering the Ninth Ring of Destruction, Luo Chen broke into the Fifth Ring.

In just six months, he defeated eighteen late-stage Wulou Realm martial artists.

Then, without stopping, we arrived at the fourth ring road.

In the first year, they decisively defeated Mu Yun, the Ninth Martial Sect, and successfully established themselves.

The following year, he challenged the eighth martial master, Lin Yuan, and defeated him with just three punches.

In the third year, after a seven-day and seven-night battle with the seventh-ranked martial arts grandmaster, Ice Emperor, he finally defeated him.

After this battle, Luo Chen went into a period of silence.

Seemingly having gained some insights from the battle, he went into seclusion for seven years.

Seven years later, upon emerging from seclusion, he immediately sought out the most formidable opponent in the fourth ring, the Extreme Yang Martial Sect.

This person ranks sixth in the fourth ring, so his strength is naturally not the strongest.

However, he has an extremely fiery temper and often shows no mercy in battle.

Whether it's towards the enemy or towards oneself.

Even if he fights until he is completely exhausted, he will not easily admit defeat.

In a dangerous cultivation environment like the Nine Rings of Destruction, being completely drained of energy is an extremely dangerous state.

Therefore, few people would provoke him.

But Luo Chen just happened to target him, and they fought for three days and three nights.

It's hard to judge the gains and losses in the battle, but the final result is right in front of us. Ji Yang Wu Zong really exhausted all his internal energy. Even in the end, he refused to admit defeat and wanted to fight Luo Chen again.

But Luo Chen did indeed lose interest in him.

In the boundless void, Luo Chen flew while operating the Hunyuan Cauldron, absorbing chaotic energy to replenish himself.

He felt some regret about the battle just now.

The Extreme Yang Martial Sect is very strong; if it were before, he would definitely have gained something.

Unfortunately, he had already met that woman, the Ice Emperor, before him.

He had already obtained what he could gain from the Extreme Yang Martial Sect from the Ice Emperor in advance, and had even secluded himself for seven years to digest and absorb what he had gained.

What is gained is called "divine will".

This is not an unfamiliar term.

Wang Yuan had described this aspect as early as when Luo Chen reached the first stage of body refinement.

In martial arts training, the intention precedes the qi!

I don't seek to be pure of heart and free from desires, I only seek to do as I please.

At that time, in order to temper Luo Chen's will, Wang Yuan also taught him his own cultivation technique, "Ming Shen Po Sha".

After fully practicing this method, Luo Chen's willpower had an excellent foundation. In particular, as he experienced more and more things, Luo Chen's willpower became more and more resilient.

This willpower played a significant role in his later cultivation journey. However, as martial arts cultivation reached a higher level, the concept of intention preceding energy would also undergo corresponding changes.

A martial artist must imbue their own will into their inner energy to generate divine intent.

If successful, one can attain the realm of immortals.

This is the source of confidence that martial arts masters who do not cultivate their souls can withstand soul attacks from high-level cultivators.

Although the divine soul is insufficient, the protective energy of divine will is enough to interfere with the cultivator's divine soul attack.

Luo Chen discovered this during his battle with the woman, Bing Tianzi.

The opponent's internal energy was far less than his own, perhaps not even a hundredth or a second of that.

But that woman fought him for seven days and seven nights.

What the opponent relied on was the divine intent that had been initially condensed within his qi, which could repeatedly dismantle his attacks and break his fist power in normal combat.

However, the spirit and intent of martial arts are closely related to the martial artist's own nature.

The Ice Emperor was as cold as ice, and his temperament was extremely calm and ruthless.

Therefore, no matter how fierce Luo Chen's attacks were, she could remain calm and find ways to counter them one by one.

Inspired by this, Luo Chen, after seven years of seclusion, also developed a similar spiritual quality in his internal energy.

The Extreme Yang Martial Sect has also reached this level, but unlike the Ice Emperor, his aura, like himself, is constantly roaring in anger.

But this time, Luo Chen was not satisfied.

So-called calmness and anger are ultimately just the most superficial expressions of divine will.

He wants more!

He wanted to hone his inner strength and develop an instinctive will through more intense battles.

Luo Chen's eyes grew increasingly frantic, and his movements became incredibly fast.

Several days later.

A figure suddenly appeared above a cultivation stone shrouded in an aura of killing intent.

Clad in flowing white robes, his aura was as powerful as a dragon.

"Martial Sect Master Po Jun, Luo Chen has come to request a summons!"

On the cultivation stone, an old man with gray hair coldly opened his eyes.

Needless to say!

With a flick of his finger, two longswords on the wooden frame shot into the sky.

Upon seeing this, Luo Chen burst into laughter and threw a punch.

"Good timing!"

……

The third ring.

Unlike the boundless void of the lower three rings and the raging storms of the middle three rings, the chaotic energy in the upper three rings had almost solidified into a sea.

The surging tides of energy come and go, washing over everything.

Only three cultivation stones, resembling islands, stood in the chaotic sea.

These three cultivation stones are far apart and do not interfere with each other.

A streak of light suddenly appeared, soaring through the chaotic sea.

As they passed a cultivation stone where snow was falling heavily, the light of their escape stopped, revealing the appearance of the immortal Gu Xun.

He looked at the island-like cultivation stone with surprise, and two figures on it also looked over at the same time.

"Old Mu, Little Fang, what brings you two together for drinks?"

As he spoke, he landed on the island.

Upon arriving at the Wind and Snow Pavilion, he poured himself a cup of wine, drank it with relish, and his eyes shone brightly.

"Young Miss Fang, your Fang family's Thousand Mountains Evening Snow truly lives up to its name!"

Fang Qingxue covered her mouth and laughed, "Brother Gu is joking. This kind of ordinary wine is naturally not as good as the amber light in Fellow Daoist Mu's storage ring."

Gu Xun subconsciously looked at Mu Bugui.

"Old Mu, it's a rare opportunity for us to get together today, so how about..."

Mu Bugui snorted coldly, "That's wine from my hometown. Every drop is a drop less. You've tasted it, that's enough. Why are you still thinking about it?"

Gu Xun shrugged, looking rather disappointed.

Fang Qingxue was a little curious, so she looked in the direction Gu Xun had come from and asked, "Did you go downstairs again?"

Gu Xun nodded and did not deny it.

Mu Bugui frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist Gu, we still have a chance if we work hard to cultivate. Why are you so self-destructive, only caring about finding those unorthodox methods?"

Gu Xun sighed, "Even the Lord of the Realm is trapped in the Ruins of Return, what chance do we have? Besides, I'm getting old, my aptitude is not as good as Fang Xiaomei's, and my lifespan is not as long as yours. If we don't find a way, aren't we just sitting here waiting to die?"

At this point, he looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression.

"Old Mu, you usually only care about your secluded cultivation, how come you have time to come and drink and chat with Fang Xiaomei today?"

Unexpectedly, these words caused the relaxed expressions of the two people opposite to turn serious again.

Just like when Gu Xun first met the two of them.

Mu Bugui said in a deep voice, "The Fog of Destruction is coming."

Gu Xun was taken aback. "Is it the kind that happens only once every ten thousand years?"

Mu Bugui nodded, then shook his head.

Gu Xun was puzzled, but then realized a certain possibility.

His expression changed drastically. "Could it be the kind that involves the rotation of eras? Where did this news come from? Is it true? And when exactly?"

He threw out a barrage of questions, making him appear extremely out of control.

Mu Bugui remained silent, while Fang Qingxue sighed.

“It was my ancestor who told me this, and he plans to leave the Great Destruction Realm to find a way to escape the Void. That’s why I took the initiative to come to Fellow Daoist Mu to tell him about this. I was planning to tell you this when you came back.”

Gu Xun murmured, "How could it be so fast? How could it be so fast?"

Mu Bugui said in a deep voice, "Although I have a long lifespan, compared to this world, I'm afraid I won't last much longer. Therefore, I plan to leave with Lord Wuyou. Gu Xun, what about you?"

Gu Xun looked up at Fang Qingxue in a daze.

"Fang Xiaomei, what about you?"

Fang Qingxue's face showed a magnanimous expression. "Our ancestor has no feelings for this place, but I grew up in the Great Annihilation Realm. If I leave, the Fang family will be without a Martial Immortal to guard it. Moreover, when the time of Annihilation truly comes, I will choose to force my way through the Gate of Annihilation."

“That spatial vortex?” Gu Xun exclaimed. “That’s a path that even the Realm Lord abandoned.”

Fang Qingxue smiled faintly, "Compared to the unknown, it's still a path with a one in a billion chance of success. Brother Gu, what about you?"

"And me?"

Gu Xun was lost in confusion.

Seeing his confusion, the old man and the young man opposite him did not urge him. Having known each other for a long time, they both knew each other's character and understood that Gu Xun would have a hard time making a decision.

They simply continued talking about their plans for the future.

When this hundred-year period is over, the Nine-Layer Immortal Tower will open, and the Lord of the Worry-Free Realm will depart, with Mu Bugui following him.

It has been only sixty years since that day.

After the Lord of Worry-Free Realm leaves, the martial artists cultivating in the Nine Rings of Destruction will likely be expelled as well.

The Nine Rings of Destruction are able to maintain their existence only because of the Nine-Layer Immortal Tower, an immortal artifact.

Only the Lord of the Worry-Free Realm can easily control the Nine-Layered Immortal Tower.

Fang Qingxue, who remained behind, was unable to control the Nine-Layered Immortal Tower.

Without the Nine-Layered Immortal Tower and the chaotic energy within the Nine Rings of Destruction, martial artists naturally lost their ladder to advancement.

What awaits them may only be the end result of the fog of destruction swallowing everything when the cycle of time turns.

"There is no path for those who came before, and no ladder for those who come after. This world is truly as hopeless as a prison!" Fang Qingxue murmured with a sigh.

Mu Bugui nodded, "Yes, I heard that a promising talent has joined this time, with the potential to break through to the Human Immortal realm. In fact, he used to be a cultivator like me and Lord Wuyou. I wonder if I'll have a chance to meet him before I leave."

Gu Xun looked up and subconsciously said, "Luo Chen? He should be here soon!"

Soon?

Mu Bugui and Fang Qingxue were taken aback, and couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment. (End of this chapter)