Mechanical Alchemist

In the mountain forest outside Anlogos County, at the temporary campsite, a giant bathtub was emitting wisps of white steam.

Qian Tiao lay lazily in the bathtub, enjoying a large tub of hot water all by herself.

But on closer inspection, the clear warm water was tinged with strands of eerie black air, clearly emanating from Qian Tiao.

At this moment, her skin wasn't the healthy rosy hue of the living; rather, it resembled the dark cyan of the undead, her aura something between human and ghost.

Su Lun was not surprised; only by contracting the aura of death in the Netherworld could she have survived.

Now that she was back, this abnormality would gradually fade away.

Qian Tiao still had many troublesome wounds that hadn't healed, and he took the opportunity to tend to them.

Through the All-knowing Eye, Su Lun noticed some dark energies in the wounds that he had never seen before. Curious, he casually asked, "Sister Qian Tiao, what exactly is the Netherworld like?"

A higher dimensional plane wasn't odd to him, but he was curious about what a world only the dead visit was truly like.

Just from these unseen dark energies, it was clear they challenged some of his existing beliefs.

It was like he had suddenly discovered a new world, everything felt remarkably novel.

Life and death, the worlds of the living and the departed...

It gave him a unique insight, as if he was on the verge of grasping something.

"What's it like?"

Qian Tiao closed her eyes and thought for a moment before responding, "Mmm... it's similar to the novel worlds we've visited before but much larger. There are people there, and monsters, just more formidable. Oh, and real gods too."

Su Lun found this answer too vague, and he continued, "No, I mean, what are the differences in the rules and alchemical laws between the Netherworld and the alchemical planes? And those deceased masters you encountered, how do their comprehensions of laws and rules differ from those of human professionals?"

"Ah... different laws?"

At this question, Qian Tiao stammered and couldn't describe it immediately.

After trying to organize her thoughts to no avail, she gave up decisively and grumbled, "How would I know? There are just a lot of formidable people and monsters. When we meet them, we fight... just killing our way through... that's been the last two years for me."

"..."

Su Lun couldn't help but laugh and cry at her response.

Mr. Jing too couldn't resist chuckling lightly.

They had hoped that Qian Tiao, having experienced it firsthand, could share some insights, but from her response, it was clearly not going to happen.

This was far less informative than what Su Lun could gather from reading "Netherworld" by Fujiwara Hayato himself.

Faced with beautiful landscapes, a great literati could describe the scene as "dusky snow on blue mountains," write about "birds startled into flight," and "dramatic peaks"...

But when described by some others, it was just crude expletives all the way.

Qian Tiao clearly belonged to the latter.

Her two-year experience in the Netherworld as a grand swordmaster who had slain demigods didn't provide as detailed a travelogue as Fujiwara Hayato's stealthy observations and records.

It wasn't to say her understanding of the world was insufficient.

It was just that her path in cultivation differed from others'—she improved through actual combat.

She could do it, but she couldn't necessarily articulate why she had to do it that way.

She understood, but couldn't describe it to others.

Listening to her, Su Lun chuckled, not too surprised, and continued asking about other matters.

Fortunately, Qian Tiao remembered clearly the opponents she had encountered, those grand swordmasters she had fought, and the monsters she had slain.

It could all be summed up in one word: Slaughter...

Su Lun and Mr. Jing indeed found delight in these descriptions, as they too could glean some real glimpses into the Netherworld from them.

....

A few days later, in the southern part of the Imperial Strait, Taganweier Trench.

Several figures stood on the endless sea.

Su Lun, Mr. Jing, Qian Tiao, along with Pandora and Pestroya under a rune-etched black umbrella.

This was their chosen ambush location.

A battle with a demigod could affect hundreds of miles around; this spot was sufficiently remote and the water deep enough that it wouldn't harm the innocent or allow the enemy to escape.

They were here to ambush a demigod, and since class levels below ninth had little role to play, it was just the five of them.

Mr. Jing surveyed the surroundings and softly declared, "Let's get ready to move."

Everyone nodded to each other and began to set up formations on the nearby sea surface.

Mr. Jing split himself into nine, and with a gesture, the sea became turbulent as wood elements wildly converged, forming a divine-scale super alchemical formation [Emerald God's Descent] that was rapidly coalescing.

Having fought before, they knew that Heavenly Imperial Grand Princess Octavia J. Fielding was a Holy Light Mage; only a wood-based ritual would have a better controlling effect on her.

Su Lun also took out various materials and arranged them in the sea.

These measures might not trap a demigod, but with a prepared ambush, they could increase their chances of victory.

The ambush was already prepared.

They met again.

The net had been cast, and all that was missing was the bait.

At that moment, Su Lun raised his hand forward, and from the black void in his palm slowly emerged an iron-coated coffin.

As the coffin slowly emerged from the spatial crack, everyone's gaze focused on it.

The iron coffin was covered in mysterious sealing runes, and its lid bore a human face relief, its features blurred but the vertical pupil in the brow strikingly vivid.

As soon as the coffin appeared, an eerie, bone-chilling aura enveloped the area.

This was one of the royal treasures containing forbidden divine items that Su Lun had once found in the Lingdun Mirror Library.

Qian Tiao frowned slightly at the sight of the coffin.

At that moment, she realized that the deadly aura on her body subtly resonated with that of the coffin, and she muttered, "This coffin is rather ominous... I feel that even the deity I encountered in the Netherworld wasn't as sinister."

Pandora observed for a moment and analyzed as well, "Indeed. The mere essence of the Power of Faith emanating from the coffin could not be condensed by an ordinary deity."

Su Lun explained gravely, "It contains the corpse of a deity from the Three-eyed tribe. And it might not be just any ordinary deity."

According to his current understanding of the world, the rank of the divine corpse inside the coffin was extremely high.

Thus, bringing out the coffin itself posed a great risk.

If there had been a better option at hand, he wouldn't have used this item as bait.

The rank of the coffin was so high that even after a long discussion, no one could fully understand it.

At this point, Qian Tiao asked, "With such an obvious bait, are you sure that the celestial demigod will definitely come?"

It was indeed a transparent stratagem.

Suddenly displaying such an item at this critical juncture, the enemy would be suspicious if they didn't think it was a trap.

Yet, Su Lun's face showed unwavering confidence as he spoke, "She will definitely come."

Pausing for a moment, he further explained, "This coffin is an object from the celestial dimension that the deities have decreed must be found, its priority even above the 'Well of Mimir.' That woman is overly confident, strong, and has the protection of deities, so she will undoubtedly believe that no one in the alchemic dimension could kill her. Even if she suspects a trap, she will still come."

Hearing this, Mr. Jing also showed a look of agreement.

She had fought with that Octavia before and fully agreed with this point.

A demigod's arrogance gave substantial confidence to the lure, making it highly likely to succeed.

Su Lun said nothing more, looking at the coffin, "Everyone, prepare yourselves, I am going to open the coffin."

Mr. Jing and the others nodded, immediately distancing themselves and preparing with full alertness.

No one knew what would happen when the coffin was opened, so caution was paramount.

"Release!"

Su Lun let out a soft command; the sorcerer's seals in his hand swiftly changed.

He had thoroughly studied the seals on the coffin, and at that instant, the runes on the coffin lit up. It was as if a rusty iron door was being opened with a "click click" sound of metal friction near his ears.

But at the same time, Su Lun immediately felt a chilling force attack from behind, as if some terrifying entity had locked onto him.

Su Lun didn't dare to completely break the seal, only cautiously pushing the coffin lid open a crack.

But even in that instant, it felt as if a gate to hell had opened, a terrifying horror striking instantly.

Not far away, Mr. Jing and the others clearly felt it too, all showing a readiness for a significant threat, fearing that some monstrous creature might jump out of the coffin.

Fortunately, having been prepared, Su Lun let only a hint of the presence within the coffin leak out before quickly shutting the lid, sealing away the immense terror.

Upon looking again, he found that his back was drenched with sweat.

A twitch in the corner of Su Lun's eye as he recalled that moment's sensation, his heart pounding, "What exactly is sealed inside that even after so many have died, it still holds such terrifying divine might?"

He also felt relieved that the predecessor who made the coffin had been thorough, preventing the possibility of the corpse within gaining sentience.

Otherwise, from that earlier moment, a monstrosity capable of obliterating everything might have directly emerged.

Su Lun pondered no longer, having already placed the coffin back into the small void realm for safekeeping.

Now that the aura had been emitted, it was just a matter of waiting for the bait to be taken.

...

While Su Lun and his companions were setting the trap, eight hundred nautical miles away in the middle of the Imperial Strait, a massive fleet of magical airships was majestically heading west towards the mainland of Ruthenia.

Looking around, the sky was filled with magical airships, large and small, numbering in the thousands. The magic runes on the airships' gasbags shone brightly, painted with the sacred sun flag of the Ascieden Empire. They resembled giant whales soaring through the sky, their passage stirring magic power turbulently, causing schools of fish to scatter in haste.

The divine dimension's million-strong magic legion hadn't split up, opting instead for a mass march in a large formation.

Wherever the million-strong army passed, no defensive positions could withstand a single blow from the magic legion.

In just a few days, they had already destroyed several of the United Empire's outer defense lines across the Cross-Sea Strait. Engagements concluded after a mere encounter. Not just fortifications, but even islands were flattened with magic, their advance unstoppable.

As the million-strong army neared Ruthenian territory, it was a situation of relentless advance.

They would head straight to Lingdun, the capital, to obliterate the alchemic civilization.

Amidst this fleet of magic airships, there was one flagship, magnificently adorned with gold paint.

In the cabin of the flagship, Princess Oktaavia J. Fielding, wearing a golden mask, had her eyes closed.

However, suddenly, as if sensing something, she abruptly opened her eyes, "The presence of the gods?"

In an instant, she understood something, her gaze piercing the south through the viewport.

The essence was fleeting, but she had clearly identified the direction and discerned the emanating essence as that of the ancestors of their three-eye celestial tribe!

A thought flitted through Oktaavia's eyes, and she made her decision instantly, "I'll go check it out."

Upon hearing this, an elderly servant from the group around her stood up, "But, Your Royal Highness Princess, could it be a trap set by the natives?"

This person was none other than the ninth-tier Thunder Mage who had battled with Su Lun in the mines of Manuel Hill.

Oktaavia responded proudly, "So what if it is?"

Before the words had even finished, she had already vanished from the spot.

She had previously witnessed the pinnacle of combat power in this alchemical plane; while it was somewhat more formidable than expected, it still wasn't enough to make her hesitate!

"Your old servant will accompany Your Royal Highness."

The ninth-tier Thunder Mage did not dare to say more, and with a flash of lightning, he too vanished from the spot.

...

Meanwhile, after opening the coffin, Su Lun and Mr. Jing were leisurely waiting on the ocean surface.

Qiantiao was already wrapped in mortuary cloth, Pestroya was in the rune-covered umbrella, Pandora was in her little void realm...

The ocean surface appeared calm and unruffled.

Barely waiting long, the black crow on the shoulder called out with a "caw."

Su Lun suddenly opened his eyes from his meditation and said, "Sister, they're here!"

Mr. Jing also immediately entered combat mode upon hearing this.

The two of them looked up and suddenly, two figures appeared on the horizon, one using Spatial Displacement and the other riding the winds and thunder.

They made no attempt to conceal their tracks, moving rapidly through teleportation.

Just when they were seen at the horizon, in the blink of an eye, the two figures had already appeared in front of them.

Seeing the female mage with the golden mask and the Thunder Mage old man behind her, Su Lun and Mr. Jing immediately recognized these old acquaintances.

Choosing such a distant ambush location was because they guessed that the enemy would be eager to come and check the situation.

And with the speed of a demigod, hardly any entourage could keep up.

Just as expected, Octavia, the demigod-strength powerhouse, was confident enough to come with just a servant.

...

Under the scrutiny of the All-knowing Eye, the disguise of Su Lun and Mr. Jing was seen through in an instant.

Seeing someone guarding the place, this great princess from the divine plane knew immediately it was an ambush.

But she was not surprised.

Because she had come here to find more about the source of the ancestral essence detected just now.

Now, looking at these two alchemical natives, she felt even better.

Thus, she could confirm that the source of that essence was indeed on these two.

By killing these two natives, not only could the clues be found, but it would also directly eradicate the top experts of the alchemical civilization, once and for all.

Even knowing the traps were set all around, only cold disdain was visible in her eyes.

In her mind, these alchemical natives knew destruction was imminent and probably wanted to make a desperate gamble.

By her calculations, assassinating her, the commanding officer, was the only chance to reverse the outcome of the war.

Unfortunately, it was futile.

...

A month ago, the two sides had fought, knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Seeing his old opponent, Mr. Jing didn't hold back either; the eight clones that had been lying in wait around simultaneously formed seals, "Divine Spell: Emerald God's Descent."

Suddenly, a gigantic entity stirred in the sea, the dense energy of the Wood elemental force converged on the ocean surface, and in the blink of an eye, countless thick vines emerged from beneath the calm sea, swiftly transforming the area into an island formed of vines.

Simultaneously, Mr. Jing altered the sorcerer's seals again, the nine clones once more channeling, "Divine Spell: Eternal Night's Seal!"

Although it had only been a month since their last clash, Mr. Jing's strength had significantly improved.

After observing the stele at the God Burial Ground for a month, he had come close to touching the threshold of the secrets of the rules.

As he was well prepared, the two from the divine plane hadn't even realized before the enormous barrier had already solidified into place.

Su Lun was not idle either; he directly took out an ancient bronze lamp.

The hook connected to the bronze lamp stretched forward, and two beams swept across, astonishingly locking the souls of the two enemies within the range of the lamp's light.

"[Tartaros's Soul Binding Lantern]Once this sealed artifact is used, either you die or I perish, with no third outcome."

To control the demigod, Su Lun used his own soul as the anchor, ensuring that without him being killed, the enemy could not escape."

At this point, Princess Octavia also faintly sensed that something was amiss.

She saw through the effects of the Soul Lantern, her intuition telling her that danger was imminent.

Being a demigod was no small feat, she immediately lifted her Golden Mask, revealing the third eye on her forehead.

Her previous contempt was drowned in an instant, and she struck with her strongest state!

Looking again, the woman's expression was utterly solemn, and she began chanting a mysterious incantation. The moment she opened her mouth, dazzling Divine Light suddenly overflowed from her body!

Having fought before, Octavia knew very well that her strength was not enough to kill the two natives before her, and she clearly sensed that something was off.

So, at this encounter, she chose to summon the Divine Power, aiming for a sure kill!

In that instant, an indescribable will seemed to break through the dimensions, its arrival so fast it was unimaginable.

Even Su Lun was surprised.

Because this speed of divine invocation was several times faster than the dimensional passage before.

Indeed, it was beyond expectation.

Meanwhile, capturing the change in Su Lun's expression, Octavia had already revealed a cold smirk filled with certainty: disappointed, are you, natives!

She was Octavia, Princess of the Ascieden Empire, sheltered by the gods!

Her current realm allowed her to summon the will of the gods instantly, without any need for chanting!

The last time with the dimensional passage, she knew someone was secretly watching, so she deliberately slowed down the summoning time.

It was to mislead the alchemists of this plane!

Now, they had indeed been fooled.

With the will of the gods bolstering her, Princess Octavia was invincible across the alchemic plane!

However, what followed disappointed the Princess greatly.

Su Lun's surprise was just momentary; it seemed that to him, the arrival of the divine will sooner or later, did not matter.

Mr. Jing, using two divine spells instantly, created a sea of vines on the ground, and the sky had already turned pitch black.

The seal was formed.

She restricted the enemy and transformed into a beam of reflective light, charging at the Princess.

The ninth-tier thunder old man wanted to protect his master. Knowing he could not stop Mr. Jing, he charged at Su Lun just like before.

The move of this ninth-tier thunder Sage was quite dramatic; he turned into lightning itself, with snakes of thunder crackling all over the dark sky.

This thunder old man was strong, resilient, and fast, and if it were like the last time, Su Lun wouldn't be able to handle him swiftly.

However, just as the old man made his move, the thunder in the sky, which was purple, suddenly changed, unnervingly coating itself in a layer of dark red.

In an instant, a dense aura of hell swept between heaven and earth.

The frenzy of lightning was as if a regional demon god was about to appear.

This commotion even overshadowed Princess Octavia, who was summoning the divine will in the distance!

"How is this possible?"

The old man's face changed instantly!

Because he clearly sensed that a stronger force had stripped away the control of the thunder he had gathered.

This meant that there was a thunder practitioner stronger than him!

But he himself was a ninth-tier thunder Sage, who else could have greater control over thunder?

The old man's eyes were fierce, his robes billowed, and the thunder runes on his skin glowed to their utmost, as he tried to wrest back control of the thunder.

However, before he had the chance, Su Lun had already brought his hands together, and shouted, "Secret Technique: Hundred Thousand Layers Spatial Seal!"

Normally, this move to control the old man, capable of Thunderclap Teleport, would be difficult. But at this moment, with all the thunder elements in disarray, the old man's use of magic stiffened for an instant, trapping him completely.

And this was just the beginning!

At that moment, as if commanded by fate, someone softly chanted, "God-slaying Single Strike Style - Thunder Walk."

Looking again, amidst the endless darkness, a powerful Sword Qi suddenly slashed down from the void.

The thunder old man couldn't move and felt the lethal danger; magic power surged, and his skin faintly glistened with a bronze metallic sheen.

A moment later, the Sword Qi crossed his waist.

This old man was a rune mage, tough enough to rival dragons; under normal circumstances, his physical body resisting an attack from a ninth-tier professional wouldn't be fatal.

Yet, as the Sword Qi swept past, the thunder old man incredulously looked down at the bloodline at his waist, muttering something, but unable to make a sound.

His life rapidly faded, and he looked towards the direction from which the Sword Qi had come. There, a dual-headed, six-armed golden-bodied rakshasa stood with a sword, domineering like a god or devil.

In an instant, the old man's soul left his body, and he was breathless.