Rise of the Alchemy God

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Ethan didn't waste any time trying to change Da Shu's mind but instead highlighted another point.

"Even if you take it, your chances of handling that group even for a second are slim.

With their strength, just facing one of them will be a challenge for you, let alone all four of them," he said with a sigh.

"But…" Da Shu wanted to argue, but he knew Ethan was right.

Just as he was losing hope, Ethan spoke again.

"But, we can still use this plan, only you won't be the one executing it; I'll be the bait," he said.

Da Shu, hearing this, didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He thought that if even Ethan, who was stronger, had slim chances of succeeding with the pill, what chance did he have, being weaker?

Ethan knew what Da Shu was thinking and couldn't really blame him.

He shook his head and sighed as if making a decision.

Then he closed his eyes, and just as Da Shu was about to say something, Ethan reopened them.

Da Shu, on the verge of speaking, suddenly stopped as he felt a heavy aura descending upon him.

He felt a shiver run down his spine, and for a moment, he was immobilized.

The pressure lasted less than a second, but to Da Shu, it felt like much longer.

When he finally came out of his trance, he looked at Ethan with a horrified expression, asking with a trembling voice,

"W-what level are you at now?"

From that single pressure, he could tell that his friend had reached a level much higher than his own.

The shocking thing wasn't that Ethan had surpassed him but how quickly he had done it.

It had only been a few months since Ethan had broken through to the first level of Body Refining.

How was it possible that he had already reached this level of power?

Ethan had already decided to reveal his strength, so he didn't think much before saying,

"I'm already at the Qi Refining stage."

Hearing this, Da Shu was petrified once again. He felt as if life had lost all meaning.

Unconcerned with Da Shu's reaction, Ethan continued.

"I might be strong, but I'm not sure I can handle the one with the object in his hand," he said seriously.

"But I have a plan. It will be a bit risky, but we have a better chance of saving them this way."

Ethan had decided to opt for a surprise attack, something like a hit-and-run.

With his current strength, he could eliminate at least one of them with a single attack, and if he was lucky, maybe even a second one.

He knew he had little hope against the one at the third stage of cultivation, but he was confident he could at least hold him off for a while and then escape safely.

In the end, Da Shu agreed.

Ethan told him that he had a way to stun the enemy for a few seconds and that they should use that moment to attack and eliminate at least two of them.

And so they did.

Ethan knew that his Dragon Gaze would work well on the three Qi Refining cultivators, but he wasn't sure about its effectiveness on the stronger one, so he chose to target the weaker ones first.

Both of them managed to take down one opponent each.

By a twist of fate or perhaps just coincidence, the ones left alive were the strongest and the weakest of the enemies.

Ethan could tell that the weakest one was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and as much as he wanted to deal with him immediately, he didn't get the chance as the cultivator at the third stage attacked him instead.

He was pushed back a few steps. Fortunately, he managed to block the attack in time with his sword, so he didn't take much damage.

'Just as I thought.

He shook off the effects of Dragon Gaze much faster than the other cultivator,' he thought, looking at his sword hand, which was trembling a bit.

The sword had cracks where it had been hit, which was normal since it was a low-level sword.

Ethan had never worried about getting a stronger weapon before, and now he was regretting it a bit.

Throwing it aside, he pulled out another sword and aimed it at his opponent, who was momentarily surprised that Ethan had remained unharmed from his attack.

He wondered who the heck these two were who had suddenly attacked him, but then his gaze shifted to their clothing, and he understood.

"So they're disciples of the Phoenix Sect.

Tch, why do they keep showing up one after another?" he said, a bit stressed.

Earlier, when his team had finally found the group of disciples who had escaped with the merchant, they had sensed several auras converging on this point.

One of them was so strong that they had to call for the help of an elder to hold it back.

The rest of the newcomers were held by his stronger teammates.

Only he and the weaker ones were left to handle the situation.

They had decided to take the object and eliminate the small group with the merchant and leave, but once again, they were obstructed by other disciples of the sect.

'How many reinforcements have they sent?' he thought, a bit frustrated.

The only consolation in the current situation was that one of the two was too weak, while the other was barely able to withstand his attacks.

At this point, he could only fight and eliminate the other side or escape with the object.

Just as he was making his decision, he felt that heavy pressure descending on him once again.

Although it was the second time, he still felt an immense fear, as if a fierce beast was watching an ant.

As before, he managed to come out of his daze quickly enough, but as soon as he did, he realized that the boy was no longer there.

'Where—'

At that moment, he sensed a danger coming from the side.

His instincts told him that he couldn't fully withstand the attack.

Swoosh!

A sharp sound echoed through the air, and a severed arm flew into the sky.

Argh.

The cloaked man managed to move his body out of the attack's trajectory in time, losing an arm in the process.

'What's happening?'

The man was confused. Who was targeting him continuously?

Could another elder from the Phoenix Sect have arrived as well?

Questions like these began to plague his mind, but he had no time to think as Ethan, having finished his attack, charged at him once more.

As the battle between Ethan and the enemy cultivator started to intensify, Da Shu, who had managed to take down an enemy with Ethan earlier, was now focusing on the remaining one.

He had just finished exchanging a few blows with the enemy and had discovered that the enemy was still slightly stronger than him.

'Damn, at this rate, I'll lose,' he said while searching for ways to turn the situation around.

His weapon was good enough, allowing him to withstand the enemy's attacks.

This, combined with the strength he had gained from taking the pill, was enough to handle the opponent safely.

Unfortunately for him, the enemy also had hidden cards, so to speak.

A faint red aura covered the enemy's weapon, allowing it to gain the upper hand over Da Shu's.

He wasn't sure what technique it was, but he knew that the situation was far from favorable for him.

At that moment, while preparing to receive another attack from the enemy, he felt someone running beside him.

He didn't need to shift his gaze to see who it was.

He knew the aura all too well.

It was Lin Huo Li.

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FRANK_LEE_JUNIOR:

Here's today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. ⬇️