Immortality begins with Becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster

“Ocean-Breaking Mantra, Duan! Qian! Kun!”

Between gritted teeth, every word, every syllable, the three characters “Duan Qiankun”, were spat out from Mi Shuhua’s mouth.

Clasping his neck with one hand, his blood seeped out uncontrollably.

Upon the blazing light, an old man, aged to the extreme and resembling a candle in the wind, slowly emerged.

With a summon from his hand, a deep blue flying sword was in his grasp.

Subtly, it seemed as if he held a raging storm within his hand.

Looking up at Mi Shuhua, who was both shocked and furious, Duan Qiankun gave a bitter smile, “I’m sorry, I promised someone I would act on his behalf once.”

“Someone! Who is this someone? Worth more than our friendship of a hundred years?”

Like a furious demon beast, Mi Shuhua roared.

The next moment, the sound of howling wind echoed around.

A familiar voice entered his ears.

“Friend Mi, it’s good to see you safe and sound!”

Looking at the smiling face before him, Mi Shuhua recalled his once amiable demeanor.

“Elder Zhou!”

“I supposed I have not offended your Lianyun Merchant Union, even when the Broken Mountain Gang won the debate on the Dao Debate Platform last time, I increased our cooperation and even delivered the goods at a 10% discount.”

Elder Zhou sighed, “I was indeed satisfied with your sincerity, however, the other elders in the union… they were not so much. Besides…”

“Moreover, though innocent, one can be guilty of possessing valuable belongings!”

Another figure appeared in the night, stepping over the waves.

With a solemn face, Wang Haichao declared, “Hand over the storage ring you acquired in the Golden Core relics, and everything in it!”

“There is no Core Formation Spirit Pill in there!” As Mi Shuhua continuously retreated, he attempted to justify himself.

He abruptly halted.

Intense chilliness transformed into a solid ice wall, hundreds of meters long, blocking his escape route.

“Whether there is or not, is not for you to say. I refuse to believe that there are no Core Formation Spirit Pills in the storage ring of the Supreme Elder of Ghost God Valley!”

Gritting his teeth, Mi Shuhua’s plump face twitched nonstop.

Nangong Family Leader – Nangong Jin!

Upon seeing Nangong Jin appear, Mi Shuhua knew, there was no room for negotiation in this matter.

He looked around, dropping his panicked and furious demeanor.

“Since all four of you have appeared, there’s no need for Friend Li Yixian to continue hiding, is there!”

“Revered Mi, you are quite formidable, I would prefer not to show my face.”

Under the veil of night, a ghostlike voice echoed left and right, front and back.

“All I ask for isn’t much, just the Beast Hall of the Broken Mountain Gang and two or three safe hunting spots in the Ancient Plains Mountain Range.”

Mi Shuhua scoffed, “Just for these trinkets, it’s worth for you to act?”

“Sigh, for the sake of the clan, we do what we must.”

Once again, the ghostlike voice echoed, followed by a light chuckle.

“Besides, it’s not just me who is doing this, wasn’t your old friend, Senior Duan Qiankun, doing the same thing?”

Mi Shuhua jolted, looking down at the oldest man here.

Inside the Mi Family estate, Duan Qiankun gave a light sigh.

“The Foundation Establishment Pill from the auction did not help my son in the Duan family break through Foundation Establishment. I only have a short time to live and must cultivate a true cultivator for our family. I had no choice but to use the Eight-Hundred Year Heavenly Root as a bargaining chip and promised Elder Zhou I would act this once.”

“Didn’t you know I have a Foundation Establishment Pill in my possession, too!” Mi Shuhua roared.

Duan Qiankun shook his head, “Dear friend, why deceive yourself and others? How could I possibly have a piece of the action when you, who profits from every advantage, have already played with that Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Mi Shuhua stared blankly as past events surfaced in his mind, a bitter taste creeping onto the corner of his mouth.

Have I played too many hands? Even my old friends no longer trust me!

Surrounded by enemies, with the front, back, left and right blocked by five Foundation Establishment Cultivators, there was no escape to the heaven above nor the earth beneath. 1 am doomed.

Clutching at straws, Mi Shuhua looked at Elder Zhou, “In terms of business, there is no need to push someone until they have no way out. From now on in our business transactions, I will give you an extra 20% profit, how about that? No, 30%!”

Elder Zhou seemed interested, stroking his chin as if he was seriously contemplating the proposal.

“Friend Nangong!” Mi Shuhua shouted towards the direction behind him, “Your noble family moved from the Xuelian District to The Great River District and probably hadn’t obtained any Spirit Vein Land. The forbidden area underneath my Mi family has a tributary of the Spirit Vein, whose effects are no less than the main vein. If supplemented with a Spirit Gathering Array, it can even approach the power of a Second-Order Spirit Vein! If you are interested, I offer it willingly!”

Nangong Jin raised his eyebrows, showing a sign of interest.

“Friend Li! What you want from the Beast Hall and the hunting spots really aren’t worth you exhausting your Spirit Power. If you spare me, I can offer you a map. It documents the results of the Broken Mountain Gang’s exploration of the periphery of the Ancient Plains Mountain Range over the past hundred years, you can go wherever you want!”

Without waiting for Li Yixian’s reply, Mi Shuhua took a deep breath and turned to Duan Qiankun.

“Old friend, this time let us be sincere with each other. I give you a Foundation Establishment Pill, and you return to the Duan family. Moreover, I will swear a solemn oath that no matter whether your son from the Duan family can establish his foundation or not, I will look after your family for a hundred years after you pass away!”

He threw out condition after condition.

The five people present, four of them were somewhat moved.

The conditions that Mi Shuhua offered weren’t empty promises or exorbitant prices, they were within his ability and genuinely feasible.

The sincerity was clearly evident.

All of a sudden, a soft and faraway voice sounded.

“Are you all treating me, Wang, with such disdain?”

Mi Shuhua suddenly swiveled around, “A traitor like you, what sort of terms can we discuss!”

His righteous rage showcased his integrity.

For a moment, Wang Haichao felt a flush of embarrassment.

He indeed had multiple collaborations established with Mi Shuhua, even creating a formal agreement after the Dao Debate Platform that he wouldn’t attack for a short period of time.

Now, the Great Lake Gang, leading other forces, is launching a major attack on the Broken Mountain Gang.

Indeed, this counts as betrayal.

The others started looking at Wang Haichao with strange eyes.

Mi Shuhua reproached him righteously, but his heart was pounding.

Suddenly!

Elder Zhou burst into laughter.

The rest, not understanding his reaction, all looked over at him.

“Elder Zhou, we’re not sure what else displeases you.”

Elder Zhou shook his head, “Your terms are truly very good. I have to admit, they moved me. But I am curious about one thing: after offering so many things, what qualifications would you have left to collaborate with our Lianyun Business Union?”

Mi Shuhua was taken aback.

He had overlooked one thing: the terms he proposed out of desperation eventually contradicted his purpose.

He shook his head abruptly, hurriedly stating: “Because I am a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, with a lifespan of a hundred years remaining!”

“Not enough!”

“Luo Chen! Yes, it’s Luo Chen— he absolutely fits the bill!”

“Oh?”

“Dan Chenzi, Luo Chen is also known as Dan Chenzi. He possesses an extraordinarily monstrous talent for the Dao of Alchemy and is capable of refining Medium Grade Pill with a terror-inducing success rate. With him onboard, the Lianyun Business Union is bound to expand rapidly, becoming one of the top commerce alliances in the Yu Ding Realm!”

Hearing the Daoist name, Dan Chenzi, Elder Zhou’s eyes lit up.

This condition was truly to the point of being perfect.

“I accept your terms!”

As if a decree of amnesty, this statement was made.

Mi Shuhua was on the cusp of bursting from excitement.

However, the next statement made him freeze on the spot.

“However, you must still hand over the storage ring of the Supreme Elder of Ghost God Valley, and also surrender your magic items.”

Elder Zhou shrugged, “Can’t help it. The opportunity of Core Formation is too important. I can’t possibly let it go. I believe the other friends here would probably feel the same.”

Mi Shuhua’s heart plummeted to rock bottom instantaneously.

He looked around him; Wang Haichao sneered coldly, while Nangong Jin was greedy and Duan Qiankun kept his head down, his expression unreadable.

“Hahahaha…”

A sorrowful laugh spilled out from Mi Shuhua.

“Hand over magic items, wouldn’t that make me a lamb ready for the slaughter? Do you all really see me, Mi Shuhua, as stupid as a pig?”

“Not necessarily. We can agree…no, wait a minute!”

Elder Zhou’s face turned sharp, and in an instant, he was as somber as water.

“Take action!”

“He’s stalling for time!”

Even before he could finish his sentence, a flare of firelight illuminating the black night as if it was daytime.

The others reacted as well. No further words were uttered as they each moved to action.

At this moment, Mi Shuhua finally dropped all pretense.

All the former conditions, words, expressions were merely his ruse to buy time.

Unfortunately, even after stalling for so long, there were no signs of backup.

“So be it!”

“Let’s just go on fighting first!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Centrifugal rotating wheels filled the sky, radiating out from him abruptly, and the void seemed shattered.

A halo of black and white light erupted from his body, enveloping him from head to toe.

Offense Magic Item!

Defense Magic Item!

A pill was immediately swallowed, and Mi Shuhua’s eyes suddenly turned blood red.

He clasped his hands, and a small tower spun out from his palms to crash into the earth.

In the blink of an eye, it too grew to a towering thirty feet high, annihilating half of the Mi Family Land into dust.

From atop the tower, Mi Shuhua bellowed:

“If you want my life, you’ll have to pay the price too!”