CHAPTER 8: THE ALCHEMIST'S AWAKENING AND THE WITHERING HARVEST
The atmosphere within the Blue Cloud Sect—now renamed the Sanctuary of the Architect—had become so dense with spiritual energy that a faint, violet mist perpetually clung to the ground. This was the result of the Empress's sacrifice, her "Heart of the Eternal Sword" feeding the very earth. But for Li Xiao, this was merely the beginning of the infrastructure. He sat in the silent darkness of the Grand Hall, his violet eyes reflecting the shifting patterns of the "Fate-Severing" interface.
[ Ding! New Talent Detected at the Mountain Gate. ]
[ Soul Signature: 89% Match with 'Yan Feng', the Alchemist of the Forsaken Kingdom. ]
[ Simulation Resonance: Active. ]
"Bring him in," Li Xiao's voice drifted through the hall, colder than the ice on Cloud-Mist Peak.
Elder Gu, whose own aura had become unnaturally bloated due to the parasitic system, led a young man into the hall. The youth, Yan Feng, was a pathetic sight. His left sleeve was empty, pinned to his chest, and his face was a map of burn scars. Yet, his right eye—the only one he could open—held a spark of madness that Li Xiao recognized instantly. It was the same spark he had seen in the second simulation, where he had spent three hundred years as a disgraced Alchemist King, training this boy to refine the "Blood of Gods" before being betrayed by the very kingdom they sought to save.
Yan Feng fell to his knees, not out of respect, but because the pressure in the hall was like a physical weight. He looked up at Li Xiao, and for a moment, his breath hitched. He didn't see a young Golden Core Master; he saw the phantom of a man who once stood amidst a sea of fire, holding a golden furnace.
"You..." Yan Feng whispered, his voice dry and cracked. "In my dreams... you were the one who told me that a missing limb is just a missing shackle."
Li Xiao leaned forward, his gaze piercing through Yan Feng's soul. "In your dreams, I was a man who believed in the nobility of the craft. In this reality, I am the one who will give you back your arm, and in return, I will take your destiny. Do you accept the bargain, Yan Feng?"
"I have nothing left to lose," Yan Feng laughed, a hollow, jagged sound. "I came here to die or to become a demon. If you are the devil, then give me the contract."
Li Xiao flicked his wrist. A crystalline orb of deep crimson light materialized in the air, swirling with alchemical runes that seemed to scream. This was a 'Second-Generation Parasitic System'—The Blood-Refining Sovereign System.
"This system will allow you to refine the very air into spirit liquid. It will regrow your arm using the vitality of your enemies. But know this: every drop of essence you refine, a portion will flow back to the source. I am the source."
Li Xiao didn't wait for an answer. He slammed the orb into Yan Feng's chest. The youth's scream echoed through the mountain, a sound of pure agony as his DNA was rewritten by the simulation's logic. His empty sleeve began to writhe as a new limb, formed from dark, pulsating energy, began to sprout.
[ Ding! System Successfully Implanted. ]
[ Initial Harvesting Rate set to 70%. ]
[ Connection to Simulation 'The Alchemist' established. ]
While Yan Feng was undergoing his transformation, Li Xiao turned his attention to the mountain gate. He could feel her—Lin Yue. She was standing there, her sword unsheathed, acting as a literal shield against the world. She had felt the surge of dark energy from the hall, and though it horrified her righteous Dao, she didn't move. Her regret had reached a level of fanaticism; if Li Xiao wanted to raise demons, she would guard the gates of hell for him.
However, the world was not silent. The disappearance of the Empress and the "Heart of the Eternal Sword" had sent shockwaves through the other Great Sects.
High above the clouds, three massive silhouettes were approaching the Sanctuary. These were the "Void-Sailing Ships" of the Holy Light Sect, the primary rival of the Eternal Sword Empire. They had sensed the weakening of the Empire's luck and had come to investigate the "demon" who had captivated the Empress.
Li Xiao stood up, his long robes flowing behind him. He didn't need to look at the sky to know they were there. "Gu," he spoke, his voice echoing with a terrifying calm. "Our first harvest from the outside world has arrived. The Holy Light Sect thinks they can 'purify' my sanctuary."
"Master, shall I prepare the defense formations?" Elder Gu asked, his eyes glowing with a violet, unnatural hunger.
"No," Li Xiao replied, walking toward the balcony. "The Empress is at the gate. Let her show them why she was once called the Invincible Sword Goddess. And as they fall, make sure to 'invite' the survivors. I need more vessels for my third-generation systems."
He looked at Yan Feng, who was now standing, his new dark arm gleaming with a metallic sheen. The boy was breathing heavily, his cultivation base jumping from the Body Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage in a matter of minutes.
"The simulation of the real world is expanding," Li Xiao whispered to himself. "First the Empress, then the Alchemist... one by one, the characters of my past lives will return to pay their debts. And I... I will be the only one left standing when the final curtain falls."
Lin Yue, at the gate, felt the approach of the Holy Light Sect. She looked up, her golden eyes flashing with a murderous intent. She didn't care about their "righteousness." She only cared about the silence Li Xiao had demanded.
"Anyone who disturbs his peace," she whispered, her voice carrying a sharp, imperial authority that sliced through the wind, "shall find their soul extinguished before it can even beg for mercy."
The sky began to glow with a blinding white light as the Holy Light Sect's ships prepared their "Heavenly Purification Beam." But before they could fire, a single, golden sword qi—pure, cold, and filled with five hundred years of regret—sliced through the clouds, bisecting the lead ship in a single strike.
Li Xiao watched from the shadows of his pavilion, a cold smile on his face. The Empress was fighting his war, the Alchemist was growing his power, and the world was unknowingly stepping into his furnace. The Architect was no longer just a man; he was a
plague of fate, and the harvest had only just begun.