64: Alchemy of life!

“You have successfully transitioned into a Fallen Arcanist, and your sanity remains intact. The only regret is the bone-piercing pain, which prevents you from ever sleeping peacefully again.”

“You began to replace sleep with meditating on pain. Unexpectedly, your sanity increased even faster. At this rate, it would take about half a year to reach the Arcane Envoy level.”

“In order to successfully transform Vivian into a human in the future, you decided to begin practicing the forbidden Arcane, Life Alchemy.”

“Through estimation, you learned that your lifespan is approximately two hundred years. Transforming a containment object of Arcane Envoy level into a human would cost you one hundred years of life.”

“Twenty years of lifespan to practice Life Alchemy, then one hundred years for Vivian, leaving eighty years to spend entirely with her—perfect.”

Meng Yun planned everything this way, his gaze once again sweeping through the forest, eyeing the trees.

“Wind.”

Through the hell scepter embedded with a demon suppression stone, Meng Yun unleashed a Wind Blade.

A mere second-level Arcane, with the scepter’s enhancement, it subtly exerted the power of a third-level Arcane.

A giant tree was severed from its roots.

Meng Yun casually cast Wind Blade, instantly cutting it into fine lumber.

With great interest, he took a section of wood for the body, then used a few small branches for the limbs.

After some thought, he took an iron rod and silently placed it beneath the body.

Finally, Meng Yun solemnly used wild mountain fruit to act as its head.

That’s right, Meng Yun intended to make a small wooden puppet and imbue it with life, using it to hone his Life Alchemy.

“This should be about right.”

Clapping his hands, Meng Yun looked at the small wooden puppet, less than two meters long, on the ground, feeling pleased.

Although it looked somewhat like an abnormal titan, it did not hinder Meng Yun from performing Alchemy.

All imperfections could be perfected through Alchemy.

Hellfire emerged from his body, dancing in his palm.

With the sky as the furnace and the earth as the cauldron, Life Alchemy was suddenly activated.

The small wooden puppet was gently enveloped by flames, its body and limb lines gradually softening and molding into the shape Meng Yun desired.

Through the flames, one could vaguely see that the puppet’s appearance was exactly like Luo Mian’s.

There was no other way, he had to make a face, right?

To avoid infringing on others’ portrait rights, he could only sacrifice his brother.

This refining process lasted about an hour, and finally, the puppet’s external form was completely shaped.

Putting away the flames, Meng Yun gently placed the puppet on the ground.

At this moment, the puppet, apart from some stiff and rough joints, was otherwise indistinguishable from a real person.

Subtly withdrawing his gaze from the lower part of the puppet’s body, Meng Yun nodded in satisfaction.

This was the most successful part Meng Yun had shaped.

“Now, I will bestow life upon you.”

“Awaken, my puppet!”

As if his internal origin had been severed, Meng Yun felt a slight emptiness within his body.

That was one year of his own lifespan.

One year of a half-step Arcane Envoy’s lifespan was more than enough to cultivate an Arcanist-level puppet.

White specks of light emerged from his body and, under Meng Yun’s control, went directly into the puppet’s body. Meng Yun activated Life Alchemy again, carving life transformation runes onto its body.

As the last stroke of the rune fell, a glow flashed.

The puppet, Meng Yun, trembled slightly and tentatively opened its eyes.

Its eyes were bewildered, carrying caution and scrutiny as it surveyed its surroundings.

A chill spread below its waist, and it suddenly covered its body.

Meng Yun: “…”

Without a sound, he generated a piece of clothing for it, and the puppet quickly put it on.

It stared blankly at Meng Yun, feeling that unique life connection, and finally spoke slowly:

“Greetings, Master…

Please, Master, name me.”

“You shall be called Number One,” Meng Yun said directly.

Number One symbolized both the beginning of Meng Yun’s Life Alchemy and the first member of his future army of artificial humans.

“Demonstrate your strongest Arcane for me now.”

“Yes.”

Number One silently got up, imitating Meng Yun’s spellcasting posture, and spread his right hand.

Rustle, rustle.

A blue-black flame quietly bloomed in his hand.

It was Hellfire.

Meng Yun’s pupils narrowed slightly.

Watching “Luo Mian” cast Arcane felt somewhat incongruous.

“I didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise.”

Although the flame dancing in Number One’s hand was at most Arcanist level, its extremely overpowered strength of Hellfire would definitely be more than enough to subdue an Arcane Master.

“After the great success of the Number One puppet, you decided to continue honing your Life Alchemy. You experimented with various materials such as soil, water, and even bricks and tiles, successively creating Number Two to Number Seven.”

“But to your disappointment, although your skills became more refined, their abilities were not as powerful as Number One’s. You believed that the materials limited you.”

“You set your sights on elemental crystals. This substance has a strong commonality with Vivian’s current form of existence. If crystals could be transformed into life, then Vivian would no longer be a problem.”

“But your Alchemy cannot generate this substance. After a month of living in the wild, you decided to enter the city again.”

“You dispatched Number One to Number Seven, letting them develop in various places to create a diversion. You yourself concealed your aura and entered a small town called Pavar, famous for its abundant elemental crystals.”

“On the second day after you left, a wind suddenly blew.”

Vivian landed gracefully on her Lightwheel 3000. To avoid hurting herself, she thoughtfully added a cushion and backrest to the broom.

She didn’t know why she was riding such a thing to travel, even though in her first life, she had cruelly complained to Meng Yun about it.

Perhaps it was to conserve stamina, or for comfort and convenience.

Or, perhaps, she was simply missing Meng Yun, missing her brother.

Connecting various memories through old objects, creating the illusion that her brother was still by her side.

But fortunately, she would soon find her brother.

This was a scarred, desolate clearing, with a hideous, ugly deep pit at its very center.

Vivian slowly paced through it, greedily inhaling the scent of damp earth and dew.

Meng Yun’s unique aura and elemental flow had not completely dissipated.

Vivian was certain that Meng Yun had been here.

She didn’t know what had happened here, but if her brother had made such a mess, he must have had his reasons.

Broken branches and debris, withered wood and ashes, bit by bit, Vivian silently pieced together the traces of Meng Yun’s life.

This must have been where her brother slept, right?

The campfire ashes over there must have been where her brother cooked, right?

But what was this pile of strangely shaped wood, resembling human limbs, for?

Vivian felt that Meng Yun seemed to have performed some peculiar ritual.

After lingering for a long time, Vivian finally got up.

The breeze carried a message—the scent of Meng Yun’s departure.

It was just strange that…

There were actually seven such auras.

“Brother is getting more cautious, too.”

Vivian chose a direction and left without looking back.

It was good if she found him, but it didn’t matter if she didn’t.

She would eventually meet him.

Because this was already written, a fated reunion.

A storm suddenly descended, cutting and shredding all traces of Meng Yun’s life.