2026-05-30 22:08:07"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 any spiritual snacks in your pocket?""Shut up, brat!"
Kael snapped. He stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Zarox. "My respects to the Imperial Envoy. Might I ask what brings Your Excellency here personally just for a dispute between low-level sects?"
The man in the golden armor did not answer. He landed with a thud that shook the pavilion's foundation. His demon mask stared intently at Zarox's cauldron. "Forbidden alchemy that reverses the cycle of life and death. Anyone who performs it must face the punishment of soul annihilation." Zarox gulped. "Soul annihilation? Does it hurt? Is there a way to appeal? I have a certificate of good conduct from the kitchen department, would that be useful?!" The envoy ignored Zarox's rambling and swung his hand. A wave of golden energy shot out like a giant blade toward Zarox. Kael shouted and deflected it with his spiritual fire, but the envoy's power was too immense. Kael was thrown back, slamming into a shelf and shattering it to pieces. "Zarox, run!" Kael shouted as he tried to get up, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. Zarox didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his giant backpack filled with various failed potions, smoke bombs, and kitchen tools, then bolted out of the pavilion like lightning. He had no destination in mind; he only knew that if he stayed there, he would be turned to ash in seconds. Behind him, explosion after explosion rang out. The envoy pursued him with inhuman speed, destroying everything that stood in his way. "Why aren't they just chasing Master Kael? He's way more valuable than I am!" Zarox complained as he scrambled up the sect's perimeter wall. He dove into the Forbidden Shadow Forest, an area rarely touched by sect disciples because it was inhabited by wild spiritual creatures. He kept running, his breath coming in gasps until his chest felt like it was on fire. Every step felt heavy because the backpack he carried weighed as much as his own body. Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in front of him. It was a spiritual black panther with fangs dripping with corrosive venom. Zarox slammed on the brakes. "Oh, not now! Not today!" The panther growled, preparing to pounce. Without a second thought, Zarox reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle containing a neon green liquid, a result of an experiment from last week that he had named 'Slippery Soap Substitute Potion.' He threw the bottle onto the ground in front of the panther. Crash! The liquid spilled, and in an instant, the ground in front of the panther became so slick that it was impassable. The lunging panther lost its footing, its massive body sliding uncontrollably until it hit a giant tree trunk with a heart-wrenching thud. Zarox didn't stop to see the panther's fate. He kept running until his feet touched an area overgrown with dim blue leaves. Here, the air felt colder and quieter. He knew he had entered the heart of the Shadow Forest. He stopped for a moment, leaning his back against a large tree, trying to calm his racing heart. "Okay, Zarox. You're still alive. You're not dead. No body parts have been cut off yet," he muttered, trying to soothe himself. He reached into his backpack for some water, but what he found instead was a rare plant with a milky white flower that was vibrating on its own. A Shadow-Summoning Flower. Zarox froze. He knew this plant. He had read about it in Master Kael's book last night. This plant only grew in places inhabited by high-level shadow monsters. And as he turned his head, he saw his own shadow on the ground starting to elongate, not following the direction of the moonlight, but moving independently. Zarox's own shadow slowly detached from his feet, rising up to form a pitch-black silhouette with glowing red eyes. "Oh, no..." Zarox took a step back, but the shadow had already mimicked his movement. He held his backpack, and the shadow held its backpack too. "Listen," Zarox tried to negotiate with his own shadow, "we're on the same team. If I die, you disappear too. So, can we be friends and you just go back to my feet?" The shadow didn't answer. Instead, it lunged, attacking Zarox with its sharp claws. Zarox dodged by throwing himself to the ground, narrowly escaping a lethal slash. He immediately pulled out his most failed 'smoke bomb,' a bag filled with highly pungent spiritual chili powder. He threw it right into the shadow's face. Boom! Red smoke billowed out, but the shadow didn't sneeze. Instead, it seemed confused, trying to feel its own face. Zarox seized the moment to flee deeper into the forest. After running a few hundred yards, he reached a mountain crevice hidden by climbing vines. He slipped inside, covering the entrance with leaves. Inside the crevice, he found something that made him fall silent. It wasn't rock, nor was it an empty cave. It was a field of rare plants that the Sky Peak Sect had been searching for as the main ingredient for the highest-level longevity pills. The Root of Eternal Life. There were thousands of them in front of him, glowing with a soothing golden light. Zarox gulped. This was the jackpot. However, as he stepped closer to the roots, he caught a foul scent that was all too familiar—the smell of sulfur and blood. He looked back, and there, behind a large dark rock, a pair of red eyes far larger and more terrifying than his shadow's began to open. Something that had been sleeping in this cave for a long time had just woken up, and it was not happy to have an uninvited guest disturbing its slumber. "It seems," Zarox whispered with a voice that shook violently, "today really is a bad day to just be passing through." The monster rose to its feet, letting out a roar that shook the entire mountain crevice until rock debris began to fall right over Zarox's head. He stared at the monster, then at the roots of immortality, and finally at the exit that was now blocked by rubble. "Okay," Zarox shouted at the monster, "if you want to eat me, you should know that I taste terrible and I'm full of failed poisonous potions! Are you sure you want to take that risk?!"
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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
