Mechanical Alchemist

Others may not understand why this sudden great battle occurred.

But Su Lun knew.

A thousand years ago, Sir Isaac and Lady Isaac had always possessed the ability to annihilate the soul of that Fallen Angel.

However, they let him live to this day, not for anything else, but to revive Pesutoya.

That Fallen Angel clearly guessed this point as well.

Thus, the Pesutoya card, a lifeline, he would definitely not give up.

The two winged silhouettes were still fiercely battling in the sky, fighting from the edge of the ruins to the very center of the city.

Su Lun's All-knowing Eye had extraordinary vision, and even from afar, he could observe the battle.

Previously, the fog obscured his view, and he thought there might be some special structures in the city center. But due to the battle, the fog that blocked the view had also been dispersed.

Upon seeing the center, he was also greatly shocked.

The core area of the city was actually a huge pit that was one to two kilometers in diameter and bottomless!

It was like a spring eye, from which the fog in the ruins and those distorted beings and abyssal monsters continuously emerged from this cavernous hole.

"Is that the passage to the abyssal plane?"

Su Lun looked on with speculation in his heart.

Looking at the edge of the pit and its irregular, pockmarked traces, it was obviously caused by external forces.

It was probably the catastrophe that destroyed Dawn City a thousand years ago that caused the center of Dawn City to collapse into this large hole.

Su Lun, seeing that "Teresa" had no intention of fighting any longer, also guessed the god's purpose: "Does she want to escape into the abyss?"

....

Mr. Jing was entangling "Teresa," gradually forcing her to the skies above the city center.

After all, her original body was only at the second rank, and the high-intensity battle left her with no chance to catch her breath. The secret technique that consumed her lifespan was also gradually becoming strenuous, and not only did the hair of this young lady from the Duke's mansion turn white, but her body also began to rapidly deteriorate, unable to control such terrifying law power anymore.

Finally, her arm holding the lightning suddenly crumbled, and the skin on the other parts of her body cracked open, scattering like flying dandelion seeds.

"Teresa" knew her body had reached its limit, her face suddenly set, and she ballooned like an overstretched balloon. Visibly, streams of red lightning surged within her, and the red glow became clearer through the cracks of her skin...

"Is she going to detonate herself?"

From a distance, Su Lun watched with trepidation and quickly pulled a few puppets to protect himself.

Although this distance was already quite far, he prepared himself to flee at any moment.

Seeing this, even Mr. Jing had to spread his wings and fly, quickly putting a safe distance between them.

"Boom!"

The next instant, Teresa's body exploded with a deafening sound, and red lightning serpents surged through the sky.

It was this explosion that, like breaking a critical point, caused the ground to shake violently and a volcanic eruption-like roar echoed through the skies above the ruins.

At the same time, the ground trembled fiercely, and an ink-like black fog burst out from the abyssal entrance, shooting straight up to a thousand meters at the top of the cavern.

In the midst of the dense fog, one could faintly see a large number of abyssal monster silhouettes emerging from the hole.

"The fog tide has erupted again..."

Su Lun narrowed his eyes slightly.

Having experienced a "fog tide" before, he was naturally familiar with it.

This kind of anomaly happened from time to time within the ruins. He used to be unclear about the cause, but now he knew it was the occasional rupture of the seals that released a large amount of dark spiritual power from the abyss, also randomly "ejecting" some abyssal monsters.

This time, the volume that surged out was exceptionally shocking.

Su Lun, looking at the shadows of the abyssal monsters tens of meters tall within the fog, knew that he could no longer just watch and quickly retreated.

He also guessed that the Fallen Angel probably wanted to use these monsters to free himself.

But was it possible?

This was a battle that might have accidents, but the outcome was already ordained.

How could the Demigod, who had mastered "Fate" and schemed for a thousand years, let him escape?

...

Su Lun retreated toward the outskirts of the ruins, his view gradually obscured by the dense fog.

Indeed, at the same time as the explosion, a Fallen Angel's soul illuminated with black luminescence flashed by in an instant, taking advantage of Mr. Jing's evasive opportunity to plunge headlong into that deep pit.

Unfortunately, he was completely unaware that, during the two's battle, six mysterious individuals in Gold-Patterned Cloaks had quietly appeared in six directions around the pit, each with a rune-etched casket before them.

It was all to wait for his soul to leave the body!

Watching the moment the explosion occurred, the six individuals simultaneously performed hand seals and uttered in unison, "Release!"

Almost simultaneously, six streaks of rune-etched chains appeared, stretching rapidly to an infinite length.

They moved as quick as lightning, and as if equipped with trackers, no matter how the Fallen Angel's soul tried to flee, the chains flexibly weaved and changed direction to accurately secure it tightly.

As the rune-etched chains bound the target, all six individuals collected their spells, and the chains went taut in an instant.

Like fishing, they pulled him out from the deep dark hole.

High in the sky, without any sound waves, but Su Lun, who was evacuating, heard a clear roar: "Kill me, and she will die too!"

This god, once again experiencing the oppressive sensation of death's approach that she felt a thousand years ago.

"She" naturally referred to Pesutoya.

A thousand years ago, this Fallen Angel had used this amulet to survive to the present.

He now wanted to use the same method to continue living.

What a pity.
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Mr. Jing simply didn't give Him any chance and pulled out a silver mirror.

Thrown into the air, the mirror split into eight thousand, filling the sky with reflections.

With the final sorcerer's seal completed in Mr. Jing's hand, he softly chanted, "Sealing Technique·Eight Thousand Mirror Images!"

Blazing white light, like eight thousand moons in the sky, beams focused on the Fallen Angel bound by rune chains.

For a moment, it scarcely dimmed the divine pressure of a god.

In this instant, the Fallen Angel finally understood and roared, "You want my soul origin to pave the way for her? Hahaha... Even in death, you will not succeed!"

Unfortunately, Sir Isaac had anticipated this a thousand years ago.

It was as the Fallen Angel was ready to detonate its soul that a shadowy figure suddenly appeared beside the Fallen Angel's soul, becoming more and more solid.

She stretched out her arms, embracing the whole world. In an instant, the ferocious expression of the Fallen Angel turned into that of an obedient little girl. Those confused eyes gradually became clear.

For the first time, Pestoya's soul overwhelmed the will of the Fallen Angel, taking control.

Looking at the familiar figure before her, with tears streaking her face, she reached out to touch it.

Celestia gave a slight smile, but had already dissipated.

....

"Teacher..."

Su Lun looked up at the compassionate white-clad phantom deep in the mist, his heart sighing softly.

Back in the cursed space, Celestia had given two rings, one of which was "Celestia's Blessing" for him.

The other was "Celestia's Protection" for Pestoya, and this ring had a purpose, to protect Pestoya's soul from dissipating.

Now, Su Lun had fully understood this millennium-long arrangement.

Had he waited a thousand years just to kill the soul of the Fallen Angel?

No, not just that.

Mr. and Mrs. Isaac had left their daughter another gift,

The soul origin of an abyssal deity!

With this, Pestoya's path to the highest echelons was smoothed, nine out of ten obstacles removed.

She wouldn't even need to toil in meditation; her future extraordinary status would be frighteningly high.

And at that moment, a voice suddenly came from the communication ring that Su Lun wore, specially provided by the mirror organization, "The Mist Tide has erupted, everyone, evacuate the ruins quickly!"

Hearing this serious warning, the eight-armed spider lance on Su Lun's back revolved at breakneck speed, and he ran far away in a puff of smoke.

Having experienced a "Mist Tide" firsthand, he understood the terror of the abyssal creatures that emerged from within. Moreover, this eruption seemed far more exaggerated than the last.

A glance was enough to spot several gigantic creatures.

An "Abyssal Volcano Turtle" with a volcano on its back that erupted as it moved...

A "Nine-Headed Heart Thief·Odule" resembling nine eels stitched together...

A creature entwined with several thick vines, "Kasantan's Treant"...

Named creatures usually meant they weren't low in intelligence and were all "lord monsters."

And there were countless lesser creatures, like blood-thirsty giant bats, illusionary poison beasts, copper ghost black pythons, and green-tailed two-headed lizards, swarming together.

It was not only monsters below the third rank; there were also fourth, fifth, sixth ranks...

These abyssal creatures, spewed out by the Mist Tide, were like a tsunami's fish, dense and overwhelming.

One alone might not be a big problem, but with such a staggering number, no Scavenger team could withstand them.

Even Mr. Jing and his associates had to avoid their sharp edges.

The black mist erupted from the pit, rapidly spreading to the surroundings of the ruins, like locusts passing by, leaving behind screams and gunfire.

With eight legs and the ability for Spatial Displacement, Su Lun ran quickly and felt no immediate danger.

But soon, the crisis arrived.

He thought the ruins had been mostly cleared and nothing would obstruct his way.

However, unexpected to him, with the "Mist Tide" release, the entire cavern boiled over, as the abyssal creatures and mutants hidden in the deep recesses also scurried out.

The Scavenger teams had only cleared the surface dwelling monsters; the ruins' complex sewer system hid various swarms of creatures.

As Su Lun sprinted with his eight-armed spider lance, the ground suddenly began to roll.

Wormlike tendrils, as large as giants, and coated with wet, corrosive mucus, sprang up from the ground like bamboo shoots after a rain. It was as if he had stumbled into a pink seaweed zone, an ocean of tentacles everywhere, wrapping around any living creature that passed and pulling them underground.

Su Lun, witnessing the tentacle monster that spanned several blocks, felt a chill down his spine.

And it was unknown how massive the creature's body buried deep in the ground was.

Luckily, he had teleportation; sensing the scent of live flesh, the tentacles began to surround him, but he teleported away just in time.

Identifying those tentacles revealed them to belong to a fifth-ranked "Overlord" abyssal creature, "Abbas the Flesh Mountain"!

It was the source of contamination that led to Brooke's mutation in the "Bell Tower Monster" cursed space.

This creature was so vast; its body was all soft flesh, virtually all weak spots, but at the same time had no weaknesses. Even with a black sickle, there was no way to attack.

Su Lun dared not provoke it further. After several consecutive teleports, he hurriedly fled.

....

This time's "Mist Tide" was not like the localized diffusion in the ruins before; the black mist, mixed with countless creatures, was like a hundred-meter-tall tsunami, spreading from the center of the ruins outward.

Su Lun left the creature-infested Ruins City and only then did the hair-raising sense of danger dissipate.

The monster was indeed fast, but it was nearly not as swift as his eight-legged sprint.

Before long, the outline of the Scavenger camp had already appeared in his sight.

There were many non-combatants in the camp, like professional merchants, noblewomen, and their servants and maids.

They too had already noticed the anomaly within the ruins.

Those with quick wits had already taken to their heels, while those still observing were now only filled with despair. To these people, the camp that once seemed as fortified as an "iron hedgehog" now had its defenses look as feeble as a thin sheet of paper in the face of the black tsunami.

Su Lun didn't enter the city but instead darted directly towards the cave leading back to Old Lington.

Before long, the mist engulfed the entire camp, and although invisible to the eye, one could still hear the incessant gunfire.

Su Lun's hearing was very sensitive, and he noticed that the sound of gunfire within the camp had dissipated in a very short span of time.

By the looks of it, the Scavenger camp was thoroughly destroyed.

Moreover, the Dawn Relic would be a "forbidden zone" for a very long time to come.

However, the good news was that the monsters that had just emerged from the abyss seemed to require a high concentration of "mist," and they would not actively rush out of the mist-covered area. It was like fish would not leave water.

And as the mist seeped into the extensive network of caves, its spread slowed down, and the marauding monsters didn't catch up.

Su Lun let out a long sigh of relief.

He happened upon a group of several hundred refugees and, putting away his eight-armed spider spear, he followed the large party as they slowly made their escape.

Along the way, they encountered even more fleeing people.

After an entire day of escape, those noble lords and ladies could not run anymore, and they encountered a merchant caravan camp that had departed for the city half a day before. They decided to stop moving forward.

Thousands of people came together, finally feeling a sense of safety.

Everyone began to make fire and set up camp.

Su Lun also mingled in the camp, setting up a tent for himself.

Before long, clusters of campfires illuminated the entire camp, the light shimmering and the smell of food wafting through the air.

But within the camp, there was only wailing.

The Scavengers were accustomed to this, life and death were routine, but

those from the upper classes had never experienced such hardship, each one of them grumbled endlessly.

After a whole day of fleeing, even with guards assisting and carrying them, everyone was utterly exhausted.

"Ah, I just hope the Duke won't blame us Scavengers for the poor hunt this time. This isn't desertion on the battlefield."

"How could he lay blame? The camp has been destroyed. I've always heard of the 'fog tide' in the ruins, but I never expected it to be this terrifying..."

"I reckon that for a short while, the 'fog tide' won't dissipate, and the excavation of Dawn City's relic..."

"I heard that Princess Teresa also went to the relic, I wonder if she encountered any danger..."

"The Duke's manor has so many experts, there's no need for us to worry. We should think about what to say when we get back to the city. The major families have suffered heavy losses this time; Old Lington might be severely weakened..."

"..."

The fog tide came suddenly, and no one knew what exactly happened at the center of the ruin.

These noble lords and ladies huddled together, discussing the aftermath and plans for returning to the city.

From a distance, Su Lun silently listened.

He also saw the woman chatting with a group of rich people; her shiny red hair was particularly striking under the light of the fire. After all, being a major general of the Umbrella organization, even when fleeing, her face still maintained composure.

Sabina naturally noticed Su Lun as well.

The succubus master-servant contract allowed them to sense each other within a certain distance, and even with Su Lun wearing a mask, she recognized him at a glance and threw him a meaningful, seductive wink with an ambiguous smile.

Perhaps exhausted from the escape, the noise quickly subdued, and people returned to their tents one by one to rest.

....

Su Lun returned to his own tent.

He meditated inside the tent.

About half an hour later, he heard the sound of light footsteps approaching from the distance.

Su Lun sensed who it was and remained still.

It was then that a person shrouded in a cloak quietly slipped into the tent that had been lifted.

Upon lifting the cloak, it was indeed the voluptuous red-haired woman, Sabina.

This Gang Lady usually always had underlings around her, but this time, the steam faction's experts who came hunting with their financiers had nearly all died in the relic. There was only one first-order squad leader and more than ten ordinary gang members left.

But Sabina, proficient in mental secret techniques, could leave unnoticed by those people, so she boldly took the initiative to find Su Lun.

Upon entering the tent, she casually set up a soundproof barrier.

As it was a single-person tent, the space was quite cramped, and another person made it very crowded.

Sabina, unceremonious, removed her cloak and clung to him.

Beneath the cloak, she wore a scanty, sultry, low-cut silk gown—it seemed she had dressed up with care before coming. The touch was warm and soft, an expanse of smooth skin beneath his grasp.

Perhaps because they had grown accustomed to each other, Sabina had also come to understand her master's temperament and became increasingly "indulgent."

She did not skimp on showing off her stunning body, wrapping her arms around Su Lun, yet made it very clear about her position, cooing in a servant-like manner, "Oh, sir~ I was worried you might have encountered danger... Seeing you is such a relief."

As she spoke, whether it was accidental or intentional, a strap of her gown suddenly slipped down.

Sabina didn't mind at all, blinked, and asked in a soft voice, "Sir, you've been walking all day. Would you like me to give you a massage?"

"Hmm."

Su Lun smiled and nodded, lying down on the sleeping bag.

Sabrina smiled charmingly, her slender hands gently massaging the muscles of Su Lun's body.

For a moment, a faint pink fragrance filled the tent.

The tent was protected by a soundproofing barrier, so no one outside could hear the seductive sounds.

Because people frequently sought refuge in the camp, the slight movements inside the tent went unnoticed.

....

Before long,

Inside the tent,

Sabrina was drenched in fragrant sweat, her skin glowing with the distinctive pink luminance of a succubus. On her face was a radiant, special sheen.

Suddenly, she sensed something and a peculiar emotion flashed in her eyes. With coquettish charm, she said, "Ah~ Master, why do I feel like you've suddenly become so strong~"

"Hehe..."

Su Lun, who was lying on his back, chuckled upon hearing Sabrina's words.

He thought she was just using seductive flattery.

But unexpectedly, her flattery was real, and so were her words.

"I'm serious~"

Sabrina blinked, realizing he had misunderstood, and said with a playful smile, "I feel like you're much stronger than before in terms of power."

"???"

Upon hearing the serious tone of her voice, Su Lun was somewhat puzzled.

This trip to the relic had allowed him to harvest many abilities and comprehend a great deal of knowledge of high-order laws. He had finally mastered spiritual secret techniques, and his power had indeed skyrocketed.

But how could she know when he hadn't said anything about it?

Sabrina said, "Didn't I tell you before... Our succubus talent includes some innate secret techniques. When you, Master, become stronger, your servant benefits as well. Just now, I suddenly felt a realm that hadn't budged for a long time break through."

Hearing this, Su Lun's curiosity was piqued, and he recalled Sabrina mentioning something about those secret cultivation methods.

After giving it some thought, Sabrina recounted her experience and confirmed, "It's amazing... I seem to have suddenly understood some of the third-tier law forces. Huh~ Strange, Master, did you break through to the third tier?"

She paused for a moment, then looked at Su Lun with a hint of ambiguity in her shimmering eyes and added, "I'm not quite sure... but I feel that this enlightenment came from you, sir."

"..."

Hearing this, Su Lun finally understood.

Having reaped the souls of several high-tier professionals, he indeed possessed insights into third-tier laws, and even fragments of the fourth and fifth tiers.

Third-tier professionals needed to comprehend certain aspects of laws, which are matters of insight and understanding—too abstract to articulate clearly. Even if spoken, others might not grasp it; it requires personal "enlightenment."

Therefore, the third tier was a significant threshold.

Otherwise, the third-tier professionals in Old Lington wouldn't be called the "ceiling" of professionals, and be so rare.

But now, Sabrina had personally experienced it?!

Looking at it this way...

The talent of the succubus and his [Death Reaper] had some uncanny similarities!

Su Lun was fully aware that his knowledge was abundant,

And it seemed like the understanding had been "shared,"

Through the secret cultivation method of the succubus race,

Sabrina had suddenly comprehended it.

"Hehe..."

Thinking of this, Su Lun smiled.

Sabrina, discerning the meaning behind his smile, blinked with delight and exclaimed, "Ah, sir, have you really reached the third tier?"

Su Lun shook his head, "No, I haven't advanced to the third tier. However, the insights you felt did come from me."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Sabrina blinked her crystalline eyes with curiosity.

This wasn't doubt but rather joy.

But she was also intelligent, not prying into Su Lun's secrets, and only said with an ambiguous tone, "Sir, may I come to see you often in the future?"

The fate of a succubus, indeed, is to rely on a powerful demon lord.

"Tsk..."

Su Lun didn't reply, but patted her head like rewarding an obedient maid.

Sabrina understood the gesture and displayed a full, seductive smile, "Thank you, sir."

At that moment, something occurred to Su Lun, and he said, "By the way, there's something you might want to know. Servis Gerard is dead. Also, the entire team of Princess Teresa has been annihilated."

At these words, Sabrina's face instantly erupted into a kaleidoscope of colors, "You... You killed Servis Gerard?!"

She distinctly remembered that the sole condition for signing the master-recognition pact was to take down the leader of the umbrella organization.

She didn't expect that in such a short time,

He... had actually done it?

And Princess Teresa is dead too?

Impossible!