Rise of the Alchemy God

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Ethan was currently hovering in the skies above the Phoenix Sect, seemingly waiting for someone.

As he waited, he couldn't help but reflect on his recent conversation with Bai Yu.

Ethan's initial plan was to provide considerable support to all three realms, hoping their combined strength would grow enough to face the demonic race when the time came.

However, he eventually realized that the time remaining before the likely invasion wasn't enough for significant progress in that regard.

He could provide powerful arrays for both defense and offense, which would certainly help, but it wouldn't be enough to truly change the outcome.

The only silver lining was that at least 10 to 20 years remained before a potential invasion, based solely on the barrier that separated the three regions of the continent, keeping them isolated from one another.

Ethan could sense the barrier's presence but had little clarity about its nature, proof of its high level of strength.

At his current cultivation, he could undoubtedly face a peak fifth-stage cultivator head-on.

Bai Yu could do so even more effortlessly.

But even that wasn't reassuring.

Beyond the risk of corruption from demonic Qi, something only he currently had a solution for, the sheer number of enemies was a concern.

Ethan was confident he could handle one or even two fifth-stage cultivators at once.

But more? He wasn't so sure.

And he was certain that the demons wouldn't have just a few fifth-stage beings, they likely had more than the human race, perhaps even more than those of the humans and the beast race combined.

While that was worrying, it wasn't the biggest concern.

What truly troubled him was the possibility of someone who had already surpassed the mortal realm and stepped into the spiritual cultivation realm.

If even one such being existed, both Bai Yu and Ethan, at their current levels, would struggle to compete with them.

So, he had asked Bai Yu if it was possible for an entity of that level to remain in the mortal plane.

"The chances of someone like that being in their ranks are very low, but it's not entirely impossible," she had replied, confirming his fears.

Reaching the peak of the fifth stage within the next decade wasn't an issue for Ethan.

At that level, even a group of peak fifth-stage cultivators wouldn't be a challenge for him.

But beings who had transcended the mortal realm and entered the spiritual realm were a different matter entirely.

The gap in power between these two cultivation realms was something that even an anomaly like him couldn't overcome through talent alone.

This was something he understood all too well, so Bai Yu's response left him uneasy.

Thanks to his minor dimension, he was certain he could reach the peak of his current realm, but he couldn't be sure about progressing to the next.

That realm was uncharted territory for him, and he couldn't make any definitive claims about it.

Another problem was that even if he did succeed in ascending, he would be forcibly drawn to the celestial plane, a situation far worse in his current predicament.

Bai Yu had already warned him that in her case, she would almost certainly be pulled back to the celestial plane.

Since she was originally from that plane, her bond with it was far stronger than his.

Once Ethan reached the spiritual realm, even the last seal binding her would lose its effect, allowing her to recover her original cultivation.

At that point, it would be impossible for her to remain in the mortal plane unless she deliberately delayed breaking the seal, keeping it intact even after he reached the spiritual realm.

Ethan had many thoughts about this and realized that if he wanted to be absolutely certain of protecting the mortal plane from the demons before they could invade, he would have to reach the peak and attempt to break through while maintaining a strong enough connection to the mortal plane to extend his stay.

If he could delay his ascension for even a few years, he might succeed in eradicating nearly all traces of demonic Qi from the demon continent.

Thus, instead of focusing on marginally improving the forces of the three realms, he decided to focus entirely on his own strength.

After wrapping up his matters with the Peng family and settling a few debts he felt he owed the Phoenix Sect, he planned to seclude himself in his minor dimension for intensive cultivation.

His survival in the impending disaster was nearly guaranteed.

The same could not be said for the mortal plane.

Though he had reached a point in his cultivation where most mortal ties no longer held meaning for him, certain fundamental principles remained deeply ingrained.

He couldn't force himself to sever them.

From what he'd learned, forcibly breaking such ties might come back to haunt him later in his cultivation journey.

To cultivate, one needed a heart at peace, unburdened, strong, and unyielding to anything.

To achieve this, he had to follow what felt right for him now and cultivate with a light heart afterward.

This was the best path for him, and he knew it.

So, he resolved to take care of the second thing that weighed on him the most: his debt to the Phoenix Sect.

Currently, he was in the skies above the sect, and just moments ago, he had released some of his cultivation to signal the sect master.

She didn't take long to sense it and immediately ascended to the skies.

Ethan had decided to take his original adult form.

Now, he stood calmly in the air without a mask, watching as a beautiful woman dressed in a red robe with golden embroidery appeared 50 meters in front of him.

Feng Huang had recently returned from the meeting held in the empire's capital and had been lost in thought ever since, as no real solution to their problem had been found.

The most they could do was negotiate with the Beast Continent and see how far they could strengthen their forces in preparation for a possible invasion.

Though she was a battle maniac, Feng Huang knew the demons were not an enemy to be taken lightly.

Eliminating a few wouldn't solve anything, especially knowing they could never be eradicated entirely, a fact confirmed after learning the outcome of Long Hao's battle.

Lost in various thoughts, she suddenly felt the heavy aura of a fifth-stage cultivator.

Alarmed, she quickly tracked the source and rushed to investigate.

She fervently hoped it wasn't another fifth-stage entity emerging from nowhere to cause trouble for them, as their plate was already full.

When she arrived in the skies above the sect, where the aura had come from, she was greeted by the sight of a handsome man standing calmly in the air, gazing at her with a composed expression.

Seeing him, Feng Huang's eyes widened slightly as a thought crossed her mind.

"You're..."