Immortality begin with Alchemy Grandmaster Chapter 2644 - 975: Great Desolate Landing, Star Gate Opens, Phoenix Arrives in Zhongzhou (Part 2)

High above, a thousand-foot Golden Roc sweeps its pinions, tearing the very fabric of the void into jagged ribbons of shadow.

Simultaneously, a colossal crimson entity, towering like a mountain, surges forth from the churning depths of the ocean. Ghostly apparitions swirl around it, and every heavy footfall sends waves crashing outward, possessing force enough to shatter the world asunder.

Far above the vast reaches of the Nine Heavens, a thick, suffocating mantle of obsidian clouds gathers with malevolent intent.

Bolts of lightning and thunder descend in intermittent flashes, mercilessly striking the desperate figures who ascend toward the firmament.

Hidden within that murky darkness, a solitary, elegant figure drifts, though her true form remains veiled from sight.

Four titanic beasts converge from the cardinal directions, charging headlong toward an unreachable peak that serves as a bridge between the mortal realm and the heavens.

Within that summit, the stars begin to flicker, a massive gateway swings wide, and figures wreathed in terrifying auras pour forth, their hearts burning with righteous fury.

A sudden confluence of thunder and flame coalesces into a destructive palm of immense proportions, sweeping across the void to strike the towering peak, triggering a deafening rumble from within the star-lit portal.

Crash...

A mountainous wave surges upward, shattering the spectral vision into countless fragments until it fades into nothingness.

Luo Chen stood motionless, his jaw agape in a momentary lapse of professional composure, looking utterly bewildered.

After a silent interval, he muttered to himself, "Was that merely a phantom?"

..."It has to be an illusion!"

"Ancient texts have long spoken of mirage-like phenomena that twist the threads of space and time, casting echoes of events from distant places or long-lost eras."

"That fleeting glimpse was surely a record of some primordial conflict."

"Savage beasts, Great Demons, masters of Divine Transformation, and emissaries of heaven..."

As he wandered halfway up the incline of Soulbreak Cliff, Luo Chen found himself drifting toward the apex without conscious thought.

The images he witnessed remained burned into his consciousness.

Although he labored to convince himself they were phantoms, the memory of that graceful figure weaving through the storm of lightning and clouds remained etched in his mind.

Thud!

Luo Chen stalled his ascent.

The mask of uncertainty on his face gradually smoothed into a look of recognition.

He could not deceive his own heart; that regal, elegant posture was hauntingly familiar—he could not possibly have mistaken her.

Moreover, even if she belonged to an age a millennium past, it seemed impossible for her to be tethered to a battle of ancient history.

The Ancient Demon Phoenix, Qi Xia Emperor!

"It is truly her. That same brilliance once graced the world when she leveled the Mingyuan Sect."

"And now, the target of her wrath is the even more formidable Tianyuan Daoist Sect!"

Luo Chen swallowed nervously, carefully dredging the fleeting images from his memory.

Four entities possessing power rivaling Divine Transformation Great Power had descended upon Zhongzhou; he recognized the lineage of at least two.

That intense verdant glow must surely be the East Desolate Qinghe Immortal, a being who reached enlightenment through the spirit of flora and fauna.

The red monolithic construct that brought mountains to their knees and seas to a boil was the Beihai Wild Beast Ghost Immortal Tower—an entity he had encountered personally. Based on the aura it exuded, it had clearly ascended beyond the Fourth Order, maturing into a Fifth Order Great Desolate beast.

As for the remaining two.

That thousand-foot Golden Roc—could it be the legendary Golden-winged Roc of the West Desert, notorious for its devastating rampages?

Its origins were extraordinary, bolstered by a potent bloodline, and it once served the Buddhist Sect as a guardian at the Sharira Court before committing heresy by absconding with thirty-six relics of the high monks. Its current might was truly immense.

That had to be it!

In years past, Luo Chen had focused his studies on the 'Sky Roc Transformation,' which detailed various advancement paths such as the Thunder Roc, Fire Roc, and Golden Roc, providing him with the necessary context.

The physical traits of the Golden-winged Roc were far too unique to be mistaken.

As for the final mystery, lurking beneath the surface of the scene.

Yet, a faint sense of recognition stirred within Luo Chen.

"It is the Netherworld Earth Dragon!"

Instantly, the source of his familiarity clicked into place.

This was the beast he had once crossed blades with—a struggle so vivid it felt as if it occurred only yesterday, pushing him to the very brink of destruction.

Even without seeing the creature clearly, Luo Chen understood that the entity plunging from the south, forcing earth meridians to rupture and mountains to yield, could only be the Netherworld Earth Dragon!

Yet, his mind remained troubled; when he first encountered the beast, it lacked the staggering power displayed in the vision.

Especially since the original corpse of the Netherworld Earth Dragon had been shattered, leaving the juvenile creature greatly drained of its vital energy—how could it now manifest such catastrophic, world-ending strength?

Suddenly, Luo Chen recalled the enigmatic actions of Youli Divine Monarch prior to his ascension.

When he had questioned why that Elder permitted the Netherworld Earth Dragon to escape, Youli Divine Monarch replied that the Gate of Life and Death lacked the manpower to leash such a beast.

Due to the chasm in their cultivation levels, Luo Chen had accepted the explanation at the time.

Looking at it with new clarity, perhaps the truth was far more complex!

"Is the Qi Xia Emperor assaulting Zhongzhou simply because the Tianyuan Daoist Sect annexed the Eastern Wasteland and incurred her ire?"

"If this were the Dark Abyss Sect, it might hold water. But how could one be so easily provoked into repeatedly razing holy grounds?"

"First Yuan Mo, then Mingyuan, and now the leading faction of the realm—the Tianyuan Daoist Sect!"

Luo Chen preferred to believe the Qi Xia Emperor had been weaving a long, intricate scheme.

This was evidenced by her opening move against the Dark Abyss Sect, which, to an extent, involved rescuing the Qinghe Immortal.

A Holy Land possesses a truly titanic foundation!

When Yuan Mo faced extinction, it sealed its borders for a century, unleashing thousands of imprisoned Demons.

Before the three Great Ancestors of the Dark Abyss Sect finally perished, they fought with such ferocity they nearly dragged the Qi Xia Emperor into the abyss with them.

During the great catastrophe at the Gate of Life and Death, Youli Divine Monarch wiped out a million cultivators in a single strike.

Clearly, any Holy Land commands a legacy capable of surviving for millennia!

Would the Qi Xia Emperor risk everything on a mere whim of impulsive rage?

It must be because the captured Qinghe Immortal is essential to her plans, compelling her to brave such hazards personally.

But to what end?

The answer had finally floated to the surface.

"Is everything being done to counter that giant-like presence in Zhongzhou?"

Luo Chen contemplated the fleeting visions, his suspicions hardening into certainty.

Summoning four Great Wild Beasts and harnessing the fury of the heavens was not a chain of coincidences.

Under these circumstances, would the Tianyuan Daoist Sect suffer the same fate as Yuan Mo and the Dark Abyss?

Luo Chen pressed his lips together, his expression turning dire.

In his recollections, he had never seen the five elders of the Daoist Sect, though rumors persisted.

According to intelligence previously gathered by the Evil Mountain Zombie Alliance, each of the five Divine Ancestors oversaw a different battlefield, leaving only Sect Master Mo Shouzhuo to manage the heart of Zhongzhou.

However, the formidable entities emerging from the star-lit gate at the peak filled Luo Chen with caution.

"The 'Mystic Realm Secret Record' notes that in the Mystic Realm, the main sect of the Tianyuan Daoist Sect is dominated by Venerable Tianyuan, who is genuinely in the Integration Realm, supported by four Holy Spirit Elders, numerous Void Refining True Monarchs, and hundreds of masters of Divine Transformation!"

"And according to Youli Divine Monarch, the Tianyuan Daoist Sect is the only faction in the Mountain Sea Realm that maintains contact with the Upper Realm."

"In the face of life-or-death calamity, appealing for aid from the main sect in the Upper Realm is a logical step."

"The powerful figures I observed, resembling those of Divine Transformation, were likely reinforcements dispatched by the Upper Realm."

"But can the Qi Xia Emperor annihilate the Tianyuan Daoist Sect and escape unscathed against such reinforcements?"

"Most significantly..."

Luo Chen’s eyes narrowed, his thoughts churning with a flurry of conflicting possibilities.

"What is her true intention?"

On that desolate Soul Island, silence greeted his inquiry; only the once-placid Netherworld Sea roared in protest, churning with colossal waves.

Luo Chen struggled to reconcile all the information he possessed to dissect the motives of the Qi Xia Emperor.

From the Eastern Wasteland to the North Sea, the South Border, and even the West Desert, he tried to piece the intel together, yet no matter how he angled the facts, a coherent picture remained elusive.

"In the end, my reach is simply too short!"

A soft sigh drifted on the wind.

He believed the ascended Youli Divine Monarch must have possessed some insider knowledge.

Even the reason for the opponent’s previous kindness might be tied to the Qi Xia Emperor—especially since his own Magic Power Attributes and the Nirvana Sacred Fire could not be hidden from someone at the pinnacle of cultivation.

If only he had reached the Divinity Transformation Realm, perhaps these veils would finally be lifted.

"Enough!"

Luo Chen checked his pace, turning away to descend the mountain toward his Cave Mansion.

By leveraging the surging volatility of the Netherworld Sea, he had found his window to depart this island.

It was time to make his preparations!