2026-05-30 20:37:02Thunder roared, shaking the wooden walls of the rickety shack until they groaned loudly. Zarox huddled in the corner of the room, clutching his knees tightly while his face turned deathly pale. All around him, dozens of cheap paper talismans bought from the black market were haphazardly plastered on the walls, the floor, and even the leaking thatched roof. To him, every heartbeat was a countdown to the death he hated with every fiber of his being.
"Don't take me now," Zarox whispered, his teeth chattering, his eyes darting wildly toward a small hole in the roof where raindrops were beginning to leak through. "I don't have life insurance yet, I haven't gotten my immortality pills, and I haven't even had a chance to taste the best fried chicken in this city! Don't die, Zarox! Don't!" The next crack of thunder boomed even louder, as if the heavens wanted to split the earth right over Zarox's head. The young man flinched, his trembling hand reaching for an old stick of incense wrapped in worn silk, the last inheritance from his great-grandfather who was said to be a mad adventurer. Zarox lit the tip of the incense with a flint striker. A plume of thick purple smoke began to rise, swirling into nonsensical patterns in the air. "If there really is a God up there, or some arrogant cultivator who needs a sacrifice to save, come now!" Zarox screamed at the ceiling, his voice hoarse with panic. "I have talent! I have resolve! And most importantly, I have a very high fear of dying! Take me to a place where I can live forever!" Suddenly, the air inside the shack froze. The incense smoke, which had been moving slowly, was suddenly sucked into a single point in the center of the room. The space in front of Zarox seemed to tear open, revealing a blinding golden rift. From that rift, a figure in white robes with a bone-chilling aura stepped out. The man had long silver hair, eyes as sharp as swords, and radiated a spiritual pressure that sent Zarox crashing to the ground, struggling to breathe. "The Sky-Summoning Incense..." the man's voice sounded heavy, echoing throughout the room. "It has been a hundred years since I last smelled this scent. You are the descendant of the man who saved me when I nearly lost my cultivation, are you not?" Zarox looked up, his mouth agape. "Are... are you a God?" The man snorted, his arrogant aura radiating strongly. "I am Master Vaelin of the Heaven's Peak Sect. Stand up, boy. I am bound by an oath to grant one request to that man's descendant. Name it, and I will take you away from this trash heap of a shack." Zarox's eyes sparkled, even though his body was still shaking violently. "Immortality! Teach me how so that I can't die! No poison, no swords, no lightning, no disease! I want to live forever!" Master Vaelin furrowed his brow, staring at Zarox as if the youth had just asked for the moon to fall into his hands. "Immortality is a long path filled with death. But, very well. Stand upon my sword. We depart for the Heaven's Peak Sect now." Vaelin flicked his hand, and a long sword emitting a blue light floated right in front of them, hovering two meters above the muddy floor. Zarox stared at the sword, then looked at the height outside the shack. His legs immediately turned to jelly. "W-what? Get on that? That's too high! What if I fall? What if this sword stalls out in mid-air? What if I have a heart attack because of the thin air up there? I don't want to! I don't want to die a ridiculous death by falling off a floating object!" Master Vaelin looked at him with a flat, cold gaze. "You are such a coward. Just a moment ago you were screaming for eternal life, and now you are afraid of heights?" "That's different! Immortality is the goal, heights are the risk!" Zarox protested, his voice reaching a high pitch. "Can't we just walk? Or maybe take a steel-plated horse carriage?" "There is no time," Vaelin answered shortly. Without further ado, he grabbed Zarox by the collar. "Wait! I haven't locked my shack door yet! I haven't.... Aaaaaaaaah!" Before Zarox could finish his protest, Vaelin had already hoisted him up with one hand. With a swift and rough movement that made Zarox's stomach feel like it was turning inside out, the Master threw Zarox onto his own back. "Be quiet, or I will drop you into a canyon before we arrive," Vaelin threatened. Zarox squeezed Vaelin's neck as tightly as possible, his legs wrapping around the Master's waist like a terrified octopus. "Please hold on tight! If I die, you will carry the sin forever! I swear I will haunt you until you go to your grave if I fall!" Vaelin ignored Zarox's rambling. With one surge of power, he shot into the sky, bursting through the shack's roof which shattered into pieces. Zarox shut his eyes tight, his face buried in the back of Vaelin's robe, while the wind roared loudly in his ears. Nausea and fear mixed together, but behind his terror, there was a glimmer of hope that made his heart beat fast: Immortality. The journey felt like an eternal torture to Zarox. Every time Vaelin maneuvered between clouds or dived to avoid giant spiritual birds, Zarox screamed as loud as he could, causing chaos along their flight path. Finally, after what felt like hundreds of years under high air pressure, Vaelin landed roughly on a giant stone plaza carved with ancient symbols. Zarox slumped to the ground, his face so pale it was almost transparent. He tried to stand, but his legs shook so violently that he fell back to his knees. In front of him, the giant gates of the Heaven's Peak Sect loomed high, made of white jade shrouded in thick spiritual mist. Master Vaelin walked away without looking back, leaving Zarox there. "Wait here. An attendant will come to collect you. Remember, you are a nobody here. Do not cause trouble, or you will die faster than you can imagine." Zarox didn't hear the threat. His eyes were fixed on the magnificent sect gates. He took a deep breath, inhaling the spiritual energy that felt sweet in his lungs. His fear hadn't vanished, if anything, it had doubled because he was now in a far more dangerous place, but he saw something inside those gates. Something shimmering. Something that promised life. "Finally..." Zarox whispered, his hands gripping the ground tightly. "The place where I can learn how to make sure my heart never stops beating." However, just as he tried to stand up, a large shadow suddenly covered his vision. Someone dressed in sect servant attire with a sour face looked down at him, holding a spiritual broom that looked ready to be used as a weapon. "You're the newcomer? The coward Master Vaelin brought in by carrying him like a sack of rice?" the servant spat to the side, his eyes looking at Zarox with disdain. "Follow me. If you slow down for even a single second, you'll be the first person I beat today before you even get to see the inside of the sect." Zarox swallowed hard, his fear surging back to the surface. He hadn't even stepped inside, yet he already felt that his life as an immortal candidate might begin in a very, very painful way.
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Chapter 14: The Encirclement of Shadows and Golden Light
Zarox woke up to the smell of burnt toast, specifically, the smell of his own Aegis Cauldron emitting an alarm signal that sounded like a very angry cicada having a seizure. He bolted upright on the dragon’s back, nearly sliding off its scaly neck, his hair sticking up in directions that defied the laws of physics."Why is it beeping?" he hissed at the floating hexagon, which was currently flickering a violent shade of neon orange. "I was dreaming about an all-you-can-eat buffet with eternal expiration dates! Do you know how rare that is for a guy like me?"The Aegis let out a series of frantic 'blips' and projected a tiny holographic image into the air. It depicted two incoming currents: a swarm of blurred, shadowy figures descending from the mountain ridge like a plague of locusts, and, moving with far more structural discipline, a squadron of shimmering golden suits, the Emperor’s 'Golden Wings' Division, closing the trap from the bridge below."Great," Zarox deadpanned, staring at
Chapter 13: The Aegis Cauldron's Second Stage
The sulfur-drake didn't just sleep; it vibrated. As it snoozed in the middle of the meadow, the dragon-like creature exhaled rhythmic plumes of pressurized fire-damp, scorching the grass in neat, circular patterns. Zarox, fueled by the manic, overclocked energy of the stolen Root of Eternal Life, felt like his nervous system had been replaced by high-voltage copper wiring. He didn't have time for a post-escape nap. He dragged the heavy, mangled pieces of his gear toward the drake’s cooling back. He needed the furnace, and he needed it yesterday."Alright, buddy, don't mind me," Zarox whispered to the sleeping leviathan, crawling toward the dragon’s snout. "You’re currently doubling as the most oversized stove in the entire mortal realm."He took out the original kitchen cauldron, the Aegis, and slammed it down onto a rock. It looked pathetic compared to the colossal beast beside him, scratched, dinged, and still sporting a persistent crust of burnt onion peel from his days in the kit
Chapter 12: The Essence of the Eternal Life Root
The cave wasn't just a dwelling; it was an altar to longevity. As the sulfur-drake rumbled into the deepest subterranean pocket, the floor didn’t crumble; it shimmered. Tens of thousands of Roots of Eternal Life protruded from the limestone like jagged golden teeth, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic bioluminescence that synced with the heartbeat of the earth itself.Zarox slid off the drake’s scaly shoulder, landing on his rear with a dull thwack. He didn't mind the pain. His eyes were wide enough to potentially fall out of his skull. He stood, wobbling, and brushed the sulfur dust from his knees, his hands trembling as he reached toward the nearest root. It felt like cool velvet, radiating a heat that wasn’t thermal, it was biological."Okay, breathe, Zarox. Just don't pass out yet. The heart attacks are for later," he muttered, pulling out his field trowel, which was really just a sharpened piece of flattened scrap iron. "You sure this won't trigger some sort of 'Tomb of the Pharaoh'
Capter 11 : Befriending the Sulfur Monster
The monster that emerged from the shadows was a sulfur-drake, a mountain-sized beast with scales like rusted iron and breath that reeked of rot and volcanic gas. Its eyes, burning like twin forge-furnaces, fixed directly onto the scrawny, trembling teenager in the corner. Every time it breathed, a gout of sickly green flame erupted, singeing the cave roof and sending molten droplets onto the stone floor near Zarox’s boots."Look, Mr. Drake-y," Zarox stuttered, raising his hands in a frantic gesture of peace. "I’m just a visitor. A backpacker, really. I was looking for a spot to take a quick nap, but I think I’ve made a navigational error. My GPS... er, my internal compass is acting up, and I should really be leaving."The monster snarled, a low, tectonic rumbling that rattled the very fillings in Zarox’s teeth. It crept closer, its talons gouging deep, permanent furrows into the granite ground. A dollop of acidic drool landed mere inches from Zarox’s toe, instantly dissolving a patch
Chapter 10: The Forbidden Shadow Forest
"Good question, Zarox. But unfortunately, sneezing pills won't work on an envoy from the Central Empire," Elder Kael hissed while tightening his grip on his staff.The black clouds above Sky Peak swirled into a giant vortex. Blood-red lightning struck repeatedly, scorching the ground right next to Zarox's feet until it smoked. From within the vortex, a figure in golden armor wearing a demon mask slowly descended, hovering without touching the ground. The aura of oppression he radiated was so intense it caused the disciples around the pavilion area to collapse, coughing up blood from the unbearable pressure of the energy.Zarox trembled violently. He tried to stand, but his legs felt like they were made of melting wax. "This isn't just an alchemical challenge anymore; this is an execution," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He glanced at the baby Shadow Valley Sect Leader still crying on the floor, then at Kael. "Elder, if I have to die, at least let me die on a full stomach. Do you have
Chapter 9: Battle of the Peaks
Zarox squeezed his eyes shut, hugging the Aegis Cauldron to his chest as if the piece of junk could be bulletproof. The sharp sword glided, slicing through the air with a deafening whistle. However, instead of piercing Zarox's chest, the blade slammed into the bronze cauldron's lid with a loud metallic clang. Sparks flew, sending Zarox tumbling backward until his back hit the alchemy table."Oh, thank goodness! This cauldron really is a top-quality product!" Zarox screamed in a high-pitched voice. He hurriedly crawled backward, knocking over a pile of potion bottles until they scattered everywhere.The Shadow Valley Sect Leader, a thin man in black robes that seemed to absorb light, was stunned for a moment. He saw his precious sword now had a small dent at the tip. "What piece of junk are you holding, boy?" he hissed with a tone full of rage.Zarox didn't wait to answer. He saw a golden opportunity while the man was still fixated on his damaged sword. Zarox wasn't thinking about high