The Blood Sea Domain and the Legacy of Alchemy
"Chi! Chi!"
The scorching sand swirled up in the wind, sweeping through the depths of the desolate, lifeless desert.
The wind howled, carrying the desert's uniquely scorching heat.
Hai Bodong faced the danger as if it were an enemy at the gates, pushing his lifelong cultivation to its absolute limit!
Ice-blue Dou Emperor Armor covered his entire body, glinting with a cold light.
The enormous ice spear in his hand exhaled frigid air, cold enough to freeze an entire river.
The aura of a Six-Star Dou Emperor erupted without restraint.
It stirred the surrounding heat waves, forming a frigid, misty area in front of him.
He stared intently at Lin Chen, his eyes full of wariness and tension.
There was less of the desperate resolve to fight to the death, and more of a hint of probing.
Yet in the face of Hai Bodong's battle-ready stance, Lin Chen remained calm.
He merely raised his right hand slowly, spreading his five fingers slightly toward the boundless sea of sand below.
He murmured softly. His voice was quiet, yet Hai Bodong heard it clearly:
"Boundless Blood Sea..."
"Open!"
Buzz—!!!
It was as if some ancient taboo had been thoroughly awakened!
An indescribably terrifying will descended with a thunderous roar, centered on Lin Chen!
This was no Dou Qi pressure, but a deeper power.
A domain force born from the soul and the source of slaughter instantly enveloped the surroundings!
In the next moment, a dark-red domain spread wildly from beneath Lin Chen's feet.
The domain was dense and viscous, radiating endless bloodlust and murderous intent as it writhed like a living creature.
This was no illusory spectacle, but the manifestation of a genuine domain!
Dark-red "blood" instantly stained the desert for hundreds of meters in every direction!
The sand lost its solidity within the Blood Sea Domain.
It turned as muddy and viscous as a swamp, impeding all movement.
A nauseating, rusty stench filled the air.
Even more terrifying, countless distorted, illusory vengeful spirits sank and surfaced in the blood sea, wailing.
Their shrill cries struck directly at the soul, piercing the eardrums.
Hai Bodong felt his entire body suddenly grow heavy, as if he had fallen into an abyss beneath a boundless sea of blood!
The surrounding space became incomparably sluggish, making it many times harder to move!
Worse still, the Dou Qi inside his body had become sluggish and difficult to circulate.
It was as if an invisible force were suppressing and corroding it, leaving him unable to muster even a trace!
Even his soul felt a bone-deep chill and dizziness.
The vengeful spirits' shrieks crashed madly against his mind, making it difficult to focus!
"What... what kind of cursed thing is this?!"
Hai Bodong was scared out of his wits.
He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing.
He felt that his strength as a Six-Star Dou Emperor...
had been suppressed to less than a One-Star Dou Emperor's in this bizarre blood sea!
And that omnipresent sense of corrosion and the blows to his soul...
made him so miserable he nearly spat blood. Even breathing had become difficult!
How was he supposed to fight like this?!
"Ice Seal Ten Thousand Miles!" Hai Bodong gritted his teeth and desperately urged his Dou Qi.
He unleashed his strongest area-of-effect Dou Technique, trying to freeze the blood sea with extreme cold!
Terrifying Ice Dou Qi erupted, sweeping out in all directions like a tsunami.
Wherever it passed, the sand instantly froze into crystals, and the cold pierced to the bone!
Yet this extreme cold, powerful enough to freeze a city, lost its force upon entering the Blood Sea Domain.
It was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, unable to raise even the slightest ripple!
The blood sea merely rippled faintly before engulfing the cold completely.
The endless murderous will and bloodthirsty aura within the domain...
quickly neutralized, devoured, and annihilated the Ice Dou Qi!
It didn't even manage to raise a single wave!
"What?!" Hai Bodong's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
His strongest area-of-effect technique had been completely useless?!
"Not a bad attack, but it lacks power." Lin Chen's calm voice rang out.
He still stood in place, without moving an inch.
He merely raised one finger and casually swept it toward Hai Bodong.
"Blood Wave, rise."
As soon as he spoke, the viscous blood sea below suddenly boiled!
A hundred-meter blood wave surged up with a thunderous roar, formed entirely from pure murderous will and Blood Origin Dou Qi.
Like the roar of an ancient blood dragon, it carried a terrifying force capable of crushing everything.
It crashed down toward Hai Bodong!
Before the wave even reached him, its terrifying pressure had already stopped Hai Bodong's breath.
The Dou Emperor Armor on his body even creaked as if it couldn't bear the strain!
"Mystic Ice Mirror!!" Hai Bodong was scared out of his wits and desperately gathered his strongest defensive Dou Technique.
A massive ice mirror several meters thick, carved with countless mysterious runes...
instantly appeared before him, radiating a bone-chilling cold.
"Rumble!!!"
The blood wave crashed heavily against the Mystic Ice Mirror!
The Mystic Ice Mirror, powerful enough to withstand a full-force strike from a Six-Star Dou Emperor, shattered in an instant...
like paper, exploding into a shower of ice powder!
The blood wave continued unabated, crashing heavily into Hai Bodong's Dou Qi Armor!
"Pfft!"
Hai Bodong took the blow head-on and spewed a mouthful of blood.
He flew backward as if struck by a speeding flying boat.
He was flung away even faster than he had come, in a thoroughly wretched state.
His ice armor instantly fractured all over, nearly crumbling apart!
He felt as if his internal organs had been displaced and who knew how many bones had broken!
This was an overwhelming victory! A complete, undisputed crushing defeat!
Hai Bodong even suspected that if Lin Chen had truly wanted to kill him...
that single wave would have been enough to pound him into a meat paste!
This wasn't testing a move. It was a father beating his son!
No, it was even more outrageous than that!
"Too weak."
Lin Chen shook his head slightly, seeming somewhat dissatisfied.
He wasn't dissatisfied with the blood wave's power, but with how poorly Hai Bodong had taken a hit.
With another thought, the Blood Sea Domain immediately changed.
Countless blood-red tentacles made of coagulated blood suddenly emerged from the domain.
Like ghosts, they wrapped around the airborne Hai Bodong from every direction!
Hai Bodong was scared out of his wits and frantically swung his ice spear, hacking at them.
Ice shards flew as one blood-red tentacle after another was severed.
But the severed tentacles immediately regrew, endless and inexhaustible!
Before long, he was bound up like a dumpling and could no longer move.
Only his head was left exposed, his face full of fear and helplessness.
There was little of his earlier despair now. Instead, he looked more frustrated at being "bullied" by an old friend.
"Lin Chen, you brat! Have mercy!" Hai Bodong had completely given up and pleaded with an exasperated laugh.
"I admit defeat! I'm thoroughly convinced!!"
He'd never fought such a miserable and terrifying battle in his life.
And his opponent was a young fellow he was close to. He couldn't even find a reason to get angry!
Lin Chen looked at his pitiful state, a trace of amusement passing through his eyes.
He, too, found it rather boring. Driven by a Spirit Realm soul, the Blood Sea Domain's power had far exceeded his expectations.
Its suppressive force against Dou Emperors was too strong. An ordinary Dou Emperor like Hai Bodong...
was completely unable to fight back inside it. There was no point in continuing.
He dispelled the Blood Sea Domain and the blood-red tentacles.
At once, the sky was cleared of blood-red light and the vengeful spirits' shadows.
The desert returned to its original scorching state.
It was as if the terrifying Blood Sea Domain from moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.
Hai Bodong hit the sand with a thump and gasped for breath.
He was drenched in cold sweat and could barely lift a hand.
He looked at Lin Chen with fear and irritation, without a trace of reverence.
Instead, he looked at him like an untouchable "little ancestor," utterly exasperated.
"You brat, couldn't you go a little easier?"
"Have you forgotten who helped you out of trouble before?"
"Get up. We're heading back," Lin Chen said flatly.
But his voice held less of its usual chill and more indulgence toward an old companion.
With that, he turned to leave.
Hai Bodong felt as if he'd been granted a pardon and hurriedly struggled to his feet.
He gritted his teeth and circulated his Dou Qi to heal his injuries, then quickly followed Lin Chen.
He kept muttering complaints under his breath.
"Next time you want to test a move, you'd better warn me first."
"Otherwise, I'm not going along with your madness again..."
The two chatted as they flew low toward the Holy City.
Hai Bodong kept grumbling about his "ordeal" just now, unable to stop himself.
Lin Chen occasionally replied with a casual word or two.
But his fingers quietly savored the sensation of controlling the Blood Sea Domain, bit by bit.
He kept refining the finer details, hoping to unleash even greater power next time.
They had flown for about the time it took an incense stick to burn and were about to leave this desolate region.
Suddenly, Lin Chen's brows furrowed slightly, and he stopped.
"What's wrong? Thinking up another new move?" Hai Bodong came over and asked.
His voice held a hint of teasing, without the tension from before.
Lin Chen didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and fully extended the perception of his Spirit Realm soul.
That vast, keen perception was like the finest radar.
It carefully scanned a huge dune below, unwilling to miss a single abnormality.
At that instant, he had sensed an extremely faint trace of life.
It was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, conspicuous in the depths of this silent desert.
"There's someone down there." Lin Chen opened his eyes, his gaze precisely fixing on a spot below.
He descended first. Though Hai Bodong was puzzled, he hurried after him.
Lin Chen walked to the shaded side of the dune and gently waved his sleeve.
A gentle surge of Dou Qi swept past, brushing away the surface sand.
It revealed a figure buried underneath.
It was a woman dressed in a pale green skirt, with a graceful figure.
But now she was unconscious, her face as pale as paper.
A dried trace of blood lingered at the corner of her lips, and her breath was faint to the extreme.
Her ornate dress was torn in several places and covered in dust.
A few strands of black hair clung to her pale cheeks, lending her a fragile beauty.
It was none other than Yun Yun, who had been blasted away by the combined strike of the Snake-People elders!
"Her?"
Hai Bodong said in surprise. He hadn't expected to run into Yun Yun here.
"Still alive? You sure are lucky!"
Lin Chen crouched down and gently brushed the sand from Yun Yun's cheek with his fingertips.
His touch softened without him realizing it, afraid he might hurt her.
He rested his fingers against her wrist, then sent a thread of pure Blood Origin Dou Qi into her body.
The moment he touched her cool skin, his fingertips paused.
He soon furrowed his brow. Yun Yun's injuries were worse than he'd expected.
Several of her meridians were severed, and her internal organs had all suffered serious damage!
Clearly, she'd taken the combined attack of four high-level Dou Emperors head-on, two of them at their peak.
Surviving it at all was a testament to her formidable strength—and extraordinary luck.
Being unconscious for a day or two was only to be expected.
It seemed the sandstorm had swept her to this extremely remote place, where no one had found her.
"Now that's interesting."
Lin Chen looked at Yun Yun and murmured to himself.
Even unconscious, she retained a cool elegance between her brows. The faint trace of blood at her lips only made her seem more delicate.
His gaze softened a little. He found her rather pleasing.
At least, she was better than those greedy bastards. Seeing her so helpless now, he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone.
He carefully lifted Yun Yun, deliberately keeping his arms clear of her torn clothes and wounds.
He said to Hai Bodong:
"Let's go. We're heading back."
When they returned to the room in the temple arranged by the Snake-Person Holy City, Lin Chen gently laid Yun Yun on his bed.
He even pulled over a thin blanket and draped it over her from the waist down.
That covered the skin exposed beneath her torn skirt, sparing her any embarrassment when she woke.
First, he removed a pale green Storage Ring from Yun Yun's finger.
He handled it gently, afraid of waking her.
Then he slowly broke through the faint spiritual imprint with his soul power.
Yun Yun was unconscious and had no strength to resist.
His spiritual sense entered the Storage Ring. There was plenty of space inside.
It held quite a few women's clothes and personal belongings, along with some gold coins and Purple Gold Cards.
There were also several jade bottles. One contained a small jar of scented balm, which gave off a faint, fresh fragrance.
It was probably something Yun Yun used every day, letting her keep a pleasant scent even while cultivating.
Lin Chen took out the jade bottles and opened them one by one to check their contents.
Most held fourth- or fifth-grade healing pills of decent quality.
But for Yun Yun's severe injuries, their effects would be limited.
Still, something was better than nothing. He would use them to stabilize her condition first.
He picked out two fifth-grade healing pills with the mildest properties.
Then he leaned over Yun Yun and gently parted her lips with his fingertips.
He carefully fed her the pills.
Afterward, he slowly channeled Dou Qi to help dissolve their medicinal power and protect her heart and major meridians.
As he fed her the pills, he remained extremely close to Yun Yun.
He could clearly smell the fresh fragrance lingering on her, mingled with the scent of sand.
As for her more serious injuries, she would need higher-grade pills or a slow recovery. There was no rushing it.
When he had finished, Yun Yun's breathing seemed to have steadied a little.
Her long eyelashes fluttered faintly, but she remained unconscious.
Lin Chen sat on the edge of the bed and watched her quietly for a moment.
Then he got up to inspect his greatest spoils from this battle:
the Storage Rings of the fallen Dou Emperors!
He started with the alchemist's Storage Ring.
The collections of two sixth-grade alchemists were bound to be extraordinary. This was what he'd been looking forward to most.
His soul power poured into the ring as he carefully examined its contents.
"Damn!"
Even Lin Chen couldn't help drawing a quiet breath!
Rich—unbelievably rich! There were far more treasures inside than he'd expected!
Gold coins and Purple Gold Cards gleamed brilliantly.
Precious medicinal herbs filled the ring, a dazzling array of them. Many were rare varieties seldom seen in the outside world!
High-grade Magic Cores were piled in a corner like trash, in astonishing quantities!
There were also plenty of Dou Technique scrolls and cultivation methods of decent grades, all giving off faint energy fluctuations!
But what caught Lin Chen's attention most were several items set apart on their own!
A dense stack of pill recipes, ranging from third to sixth grade—more than a hundred in all!
One of them was even the recipe for the Imperial Extreme Pill, a priceless pill that could help someone break through to Dou Emperor!
There were also dozens of thick books, each emanating an ancient aura.
Complete Guide to Alchemy, Illustrated Compendium of Ten Thousand Herbs, Insights on Refining High-Grade Pills, Introduction to Soul Manipulation...
Together, they covered almost everything an alchemist could learn, from the basics to the grandmaster level!
Most precious of all was a dark golden jade slip!
A pill cauldron and a flame were engraved on it, and a faint soul fluctuation emanated from its surface!
Lin Chen sent his soul power into the jade slip.
Boom!
A vast flood of information poured into his mind, carrying an ancient alchemical inheritance!
Seventh-Grade Alchemist Inheritance!
The jade slip recorded the key to advancing from a sixth-grade alchemist to a seventh-grade grandmaster!
It all came down to tempering one's soul power!
Though for Lin Chen, who already possessed the Blood Scripture and a Spirit Realm soul, the methods themselves were nothing special.
But its theories on seventh-grade pills, its refining techniques,
and the insights and experience of countless predecessors were priceless treasures!
"Alchemist..."
A brilliance unlike any he'd ever shown before flared in Lin Chen's eyes!
He'd never considered taking this path before. Alchemy took too much time and effort for too little return.
But things were different now!
He had everything it took to become a top-tier alchemist!
He had a Spirit Realm soul!
That was an absolute requirement for becoming a high-grade alchemist, one that many people failed to meet even after a lifetime of effort!
His Dou Qi had both fire and wood attributes, making it perfectly suited to alchemy!
Most important of all:
his almost monstrous comprehension, transformed by Styx's inheritance and the Blood Scripture!
He only had to see a Dou Technique once to master it completely!
What about alchemy, then?
Those obscure and difficult refining techniques, precise control of the flame, the blending of medicinal properties...
Would they seem just as simple to him as one plus one equals two?
Once the thought arose, he couldn't suppress it!
He immediately picked up the thickest book, Complete Guide to Alchemy, and eagerly opened it.
Like a sponge starved of water, he devoured its contents!
Just as he'd thought!
The knowledge required of a first-grade alchemist: recognizing basic herbs, controlling the temperature of the lowest-grade flames, refining the simplest Hemostatic Powder...
Too easy!
He understood it at a glance. He barely had to spend a moment on it!
Second grade: refining Qi Recovery Pills to restore Dou Qi, which required the aid of a basic degree of soul perception...
Easy! He could remember everything after one look, and even instantly work out three more efficient ways to refine them!
Third grade, fourth grade... The knowledge grew more profound, involving clashes between the properties of more herbs, complex changes in the flames, and delicate soul manipulation...
But before Lin Chen's Spirit Realm soul and monstrous comprehension, it all remained as clear as if it were laid bare before him!
He read faster and faster, flashes of understanding gleaming in his eyes.
His mind had already begun to simulate and refine the process of making various pills on its own, constantly improving on it!
He was completely immersed in the thrill of rapidly absorbing knowledge and solving problems!
It was as if a peerless genius had finally found the field best suited to him!
Just as he picked up Insights on Refining High-Grade Pills,
ready to make a "push" for the fifth-grade alchemist realm,
a faint, pained moan came from the bed behind him.
"Mm..."
Yun Yun's long lashes, like the wings of a butterfly, fluttered a few times.
A glistening drop appeared to gather at the corner of her eye, betraying a vulnerability she could barely conceal.
She was about to wake.
Before you continue