Mechanical Alchemist

In the distance, the sky above the sea where the Eternal Night Emperor's flagship was located was filled with lightning and thunder, a terrifying spectacle resembling an apocalyptic disaster.

The battle had also started over there.

But Su Lun didn't spare it another glance.

The thunderous Sword Qi from afar, even though at such a distance, still exuded an oppressive sharpness. Those three poor souls who had gone looking for trouble were definitely not gaining any advantage.

Su Lun's cold gaze turned toward the three before him, and now, it was their turn.

Having swiftly killed the space Mage among these people just moments ago, these fellows were now unable to escape, no matter how fast they could run.

How could the three of them not understand this?

Facing Su Lun, their faces turned ashen.

And as they looked at the dominantly powerful Thunderous Sword Qi in the distance, amid their horror, they were also perplexed.

Why did every person they encountered have such frightening combat power?

According to the intelligence they had received, hadn't the top-tier professionals from "Dawn" been confirmed to be ten thousand miles away in the Sinodia province? Now, on a pirate ship that lacked even a Seventh-tier Mage, their team of seven Seventh-tier Magic Conductors had come to execute a siege but had ended up in such a dire situation?

Su Lun certainly wasn't going to give these men a chance to recover. After killing one of them, he stomped fiercely on the ground.

With a "pop," his entire body shot out like a cannonball once again.

Watching the residual image flash by, the three Mages hastily lifted their Magic Wands, chanting esoteric magical incantations.

Su Lun didn't understand the "Divine Plane Common Tongue" these people spoke, and he found their incantations to be a gibberish mess.

But he had just unraveled the language from the old man's memory, and he could understand everything all at once.

The dark-skinned female Mage touched the black crystal ball in her hand, and a field aura spread out from her. "Oh great omniscient and omnipotent god, grant me the power of darkness, summon mighty magical power to oppose evil will, and call upon the magic spell that imprisons everything..."

She shook her Magic Wand towards the ground, and a strange magical halo, like a bubble, covered a one-kilometer radius: "Black Magic Mystery · Magic Forbidden Zone!"

Though magic and Alchemy were not from the same system of techniques, some fundamental principles were the same.

Su Lun, listening to the incantations, had already vaguely guessed the nature of this spell. Glancing at the elemental vacuum around him, how could he not know this was some kind of Magic-Banishing Field?

But just as the magic was released, he was already face to face with the three.

His hand brandished a dark scythe, slashing down. The burly middle-aged Mage's body shone with a golden, runic luster. With a metallic clang, he actually managed to block the sharp blade.

"Rune Mage, huh…" Su Lun murmured to himself.

With the information he had stripped before, he was not unfamiliar with these people's techniques.

This was a magic plane, where Mages reigned supreme.

Pure melee professionals did exist, but they were few and not held in high regard.

Rune Mages usually served as the shields in a magic squad.

And it was this very man who had blocked Su Lun's dark scythe that now braced himself as another killing intent arrived. The man with the silver rune on his forehead finished his chant; the skull at the top of his Magic Wand flashed with dark light as another Seventh-tier spell was released: "Grimoire · Nightmare Erosion!"

Control, tank, and psychic attack…

The trio's coordination was impeccable, executing their combined techniques flawlessly.

Su Lun wasn't surprised, for these seven were from the same magic group from the Divine Plane.

A nightmare Mage specializing in psychic abilities, a rune Mage adept in melee combat, together with an all-rounded Mage capable of creating a Magic-Banishing Field—their abilities compensated for each other's weaknesses, making this small team equipped to handle the vast majority of enemies.

As the psychic assault came rushing in, normally all it would take was to control the target for a moment, and then the killing strikes would follow.

But since he already knew the enemy's strengths, the course of the battle could be predicted.

Su Lun had anticipated this scenario before even making his move.

An instant of confusion flitted through his eyes, though in his mind he mused: This spiritual power is quite mediocre.

Su Lun's spiritual power had already reached the overflowing limit of his physical body; even a Seventh-tier psychic Mage of this plane wouldn't necessarily be able to control him, let alone an Eighth-tier.

Indeed, they fell for it!

The opposing Rune Mage, seeing Su Lun affected, shifted from defense to offense in an instant. His right hand condensed a lightning magic blade, lunging straight for the vital points.

As the enemy took the bait, Su Lun's eyes briefly cleared, and he muttered softly in his heart, "Alchemy · Repel!"

A swift glance revealed that beneath the black scythe, as if by sleight of hand, a crimson dagger had appeared.

Being a melee Mage, the Rune Mage's reactions and combat experience were not lacking. Directly revealing the Dragon-slaying Dagger might not have guaranteed an injury.

Su Lun had been using the black scythe up until now, in part to imprint a fixed image on his foes, to let them assume that was the extent of his attack.

Now, catching them off guard was the opportune moment!

Countering the psychic control with reverse Alchemy, in an instant, he drew his dagger, and the Crimson Dagger made a cut across the Rune Mage's wrist.

"Swish!" A spray of blood erupted, and the Dragon-slaying Dagger, bolstered by a terrifying force, managed to sever the arm despite some resistance!

At the same time, a powerful repelling force struck, as the Magic-Banishing Mage instantly cast a "Resistance Aura."

Su Lun didn't get the chance to make another strike, as he was sent flying backward. Then, a follow-up burst of lightning magic hit, unavoidable, and "crack" it struck his body.

High-level confrontations are precisely like this, responding to each move. If you're even half a step slower in making a move, you must also prepare to counter half a move in advance from your opponent.

Especially since there were three opponents.

Su Lun took the lightning strike head-on, and suddenly his body swelled up, with the hint of runic light shimmering, his muscles bulging as if made of steel.

The amputated Rune Mage stared, dumbfounded, his expression seeming to say: A Rune Golden Body?

He couldn't have imagined that this native also possessed a runic physique no weaker than his own!

...

Confronted by three enemies, he would engage and then immediately withdraw.

Su Lun cut off one of their hands, seemingly not quite satisfied, he smacked his lips and said, "Didn't kill him, what a pity..."

After all, the opponent was a seventh-tier Magic Conductor, and it was only by taking advantage of the opponent's underestimation and a surprise attack that he had successfully killed one.

To face them head-on, especially these three with their well-coordinated efforts, they wouldn't be so easily killed.

However, compared to Su Lun's slight regret, the three men opposite him were already completely stunned.

The death of a comrade before could be attributed to their own complacency and to the enemy's surprise attack.

But now, they truly realized how terrifying the person before them was.

They could never have imagined that their collaborative spell, the Total Accounting Technique, wouldn't bother their opponent in the slightest?

With such formidable spiritual power and physical strength, just how powerful was this native?!

Su Lun looked at their astonished expressions and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

These guys must have mistaken him for one of those sixth-tier pirates from the Western Seas fleet.

If he had been an alchemist of that caliber, perhaps he really would have been easily killed.

But they did not realize that Su Lun, a sixth-tier, was different in combat power from those sixth-tier pirates.

The difference was probably... about a hundred floors' worth, so to speak.

Although both were sixth-tier, in this realm, there might not be a sixth-tier stronger than Su Lun.

These foreigners who got beat up really had no grounds for complaint.

...

The three mages from the otherworldly plane looked at how their joint efforts were still countered and one even lost a hand, erasing any trace of underestimating the enemy.

Each of them released various defensive spells, no longer planning to take the offensive.

"Damn it, how could there be such a huge gap in the intelligence! A sixth-tier alchemist in the Dawn Group has such combat power? And that guy's dagger might be a 'Fallen Divine Artifact.' This alchemy plane really is full of treasures everywhere, a mere sixth-tier magician has such a precious item..."

"Stop with the useless talk and summon the deity! Bridget and the others on the ship might be facing tough enemies too. If we don't hurry, we might capsize in the gutter..."

"Yes! That's the only way."

"..."

The three rapidly communicated telepathically while assuming defensive stances.

Around their bodies, magical shields swirled, and the various defensive magical runes on their robes lit up fully.

The redhead full-spectrum Magic Conductor had already opened his Magic Book and began chanting with a devout expression.

Su Lun's left eye illuminated as he identified what these men were doing; they were clearly calling for a divine presence.

But looking at that redhead's slowly gathering magic power, he surmised certain information, "Indeed, not everyone is treated like the 'Saint Heir' Frank. This guy's god-summoning spell will take at least several minutes to establish contact with the deity from another plane..."

With this insight, his last bit of concern vanished.

The arrival of a deity would take time, time which Su Lun would not afford them.

But the trio's combined defense was almost flawless, and he alone might not be able to kill them before they completed their chant.

"In that case, let's try multiple against multiple."

With a slap of the Suren Sorcerer's Seal, an alchemy formation lit up, and more than ten wax figures along with an alchemical stone gargoyle had already appeared by his side.

The moment the four elemental wax figures emerged, the four basic elements of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire surged out tumultuously.

"Magic-Banishing Field" could indeed limit almost all elemental-based spells, as its essence was to repel elements within its range.

But if the opponent's ability to gather elements was stronger than your ability to repel them, then the effect of that domain would be greatly diminished.

The four elemental wax figures, being extremely rare elemental corpses, had an affinity with the four elements that was already at the extreme for their tier. Once the more than ten wax figures appeared, they gathered the elements of the world around them like magnets, quickly enriching the atmosphere within the vast Magic-Banishing Field with all sorts of elements.

Seeing this, the faces of the three opponents changed starkly yet again!

A moment ago, they still thought that with three against one, even if they could not win, their combined defenses would at least hold for a while, enough for them to invite a deity to reverse the situation.

But now, looking at the more than ten ghastly wax figures, their twitching eye corners indicated they were bewildered.

Wasn't this guy a brute who fought in close combat?

How could he... also be a Necromancer?

No, it seemed he was also a Puppet Master?

Su Lun would not bother to explain anything to his enemies.

"William the Younger" under his control began to cast spells, and the domain along with the Wind Witch opened up. The seventh-tier arcane spell [Sea of Wind Blades] had already taken shape!

In an instant, a howling wind stormed within the Magic-Banishing Field.

Strands of storm formed sharp, visible blades, whirling through the stormy domain.

The domain was the knife, and the spells were the blades.

No matter how large the knife, if it wasn't sharp enough, its effectiveness in causing injury was compromised.

When clashed against, it could easily be broken by the enemy.

Although "William the Younger"'s domain was only an entry-level seventh-tier, it was still a cut above those of the three Magic Conductors before him.

Moreover, the four elemental wax figures excelled at combined attacks; the simultaneous casting from the more than ten figures almost turned all gathered elements into wind elements, infusing them into the onrushing vortex of wind blades.

The power of this spell was so terrifying that even Su Lun had to avoid its sharpness.

But the three opponents were now in a combined defense mode, and separating for evasion would surely lead to being defeated one by one, so they had to withstand the onslaught.

"Clang," "Clang," "Clang,"...

Countless blades struck the three people's defensive magic shields in an instant; as the sound of shattering rain burst forth, a dense shower of sparks flew.

The highly refined blades, although not breaking through the defensive barrier in one strike, gradually gnawed away at it.

This was purely a drain on magic power.

Three seventh-order Mages and a dozen element wax figures in a contest of endurance—the disadvantage was obvious.

Moreover, at the moment of clashing with the storm magic, the sorcerer who was the main defender felt an ominous premonition. Not to mention that he had just lost a hand, which severely reduced the efficiency of his spellcasting. Even in his prime, he couldn't have withstood the bone-scraping blades for long.

But at this point, they could only brace themselves.

Occasionally, they would release some thunder techniques or holy light techniques from the magic books...

As for the basic spells of Earth Wind Water Fire, they didn't dare to use them at all. In the face of enemies like the element wax figures, such magic was barely an annoyance.

And the previous numerical advantage had instantly turned into a disadvantage of being outnumbered and surrounded.

They fell into a disadvantage at the first encounter.

The three knew they stood no chance of victory and could only pray to last a bit longer for a divine response.

However, why would Su Lun let them off so easily?

While the wind blades were frantically eroding the defensive barrier, a burly figure teleported in and slammed a heavy fist onto the magic barrier.

A sensation like an earthquake made the faces of the three Mages inside the barrier change drastically as they cast spells in retaliation.

But the gargoyle, due to its material and structure, was almost immune to all types of magic.

Unless it was shattered instantly, the animated silver could regenerate it immediately to its original state.

Moreover, the gargoyle wasn't a living creature; it couldn't be killed.

This resulted in the three Mages' counterattacks against the gargoyle being almost completely ineffective.

They were instantly caught in a dilemma of whether to attack or retreat.

They couldn't kill it by attacking, nor could they just stand by without acting.

And the gargoyle continued its relentless assault, powered by the "Four-Color Element Heart" which was not affected by the magic-banishing field. Its fists, solidified with the "Spatial Fracture" technique, kept releasing, causing the space near the barrier to crack and snap...

Su Lun watched with unexpected joy as the gargoyle proved to be fiercely effective in combat.

Mainly because this gargoyle, which he had high hopes for, had been too inconspicuous previously.

He had encountered seventh-order legends several times before.

Each of those individuals specialized in a certain field to the extreme and had extremely tricky methods.

Such as "Punishment Lawyer" Amo E. Clair, "Undead Demon Monk" Rasputin, "Hymn Witch" Maria G. Ocasi...

None of them was a common professional.

The gargoyle seemed to pose no threat at all in their hands.

This gave Su Lun the subconscious illusion that the gargoyle was too weak.

But the truth proved it wasn't the puppet that was weak, but the opponents they faced before were too strong, exceeding the battle limit that a puppet of its class could handle.

Just like the three Mages before him, they were of the same seventh-order, but their methods were much more normal.

They couldn't kill the gargoyle, which gave it the space to execute its attacks.

To speed up the process, Su Lun summoned an improved version of the "Siren Dolls."

The terrifying dolls opened their mouths, and a beautiful song began to mix with the sound of the wind blades.

After gaining some insights from the "Music," the effectiveness of these singing dolls jumped in quality.

It was more than just a simple sonic attack, there was also a melody.

The voice of the original siren was already blessed with the creator's divine power, and with the addition of melody, it could lead people to die in an enchanted sleep.

...

The continuous attacks by the dozen element wax figures and the gargoyle, along with the pervasive sound waves, left the three Mages from another plane with no chance of winning.

Sheer numbers overpowered them, and they didn't stand a chance.

Moreover, there was Su Lun.

The three Mages had been completely bamboozled by the endless array of treasures they saw.

"Goddess Hel's Rune Soul Umbrella," "Alpha Laser Alchemical Eyeball," "Eros Wind Elf Bow," "Bow of Time"... as well as the black scythe and dragon-slaying dagger he was already using.

Any one of these treasures in someone else's hands would be enough for a qualitative leap in combat power, standing above the rest.

But this native just kept bringing them out one after another, without end!

While lamenting the abundance of treasures in the alchemy plane, the three also gradually lost all hope.

Outmatched in numbers, overpowered in combat, and outdone in treasures...

How could they survive?

It was only after these treasures appeared that the three realized it wasn't that the sixth-order alchemist of this plane was strong, but that the native they encountered was a monster!

In the end, the red-haired Mage who had attempted to summon a divine being didn't even finish his chant before Su Lun charged in and slayed all three of them.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Su Lun quickly returned to the Eternal Night.

By the time he arrived, three corpses were already lying on the deck.

Not just Qian Tiao, but others from the Dawn group were also far from weak; three Mages who were barely seventh-order in the alchemy plane could not stir up any trouble.

Seven corpses, four of which were still in good enough condition, were left behind to be turned into zombie wax figures, while the other three were used to feed the dragon-slaying dagger.

Su Lun had thought that after the dragon-slaying dagger fell into his hands, it would gradually become dull without daily killings to maintain its sharpness.

Yet unexpectedly, although he wasn't killing every day, those he killed were not ordinary people.

After absorbing the vital essence from several seventh-tier mages' corpses, the dragon-slaying dagger became even sharper than when Su Lun first obtained it.

Even when it was in Augustus' possession, the dragon-slaying dagger probably had never enjoyed such luxurious upkeep as sapping the essence of seventh-tier corpses.

There were also a pile of magic staves, magic books, and various other spoils of magic materials.

Alchemy magicians couldn't use much of it, but the materials were good when disassembled.

...

Although the voyage to Gold Digger Island was met with a few minor mishaps, just as Su Lun had planned, they annihilated the pioneer team from the divine celestial plane.

The Eternal Night Emperor turned in a new direction and continued to race toward the desolate seas in the west.

Su Lun harvested the souls of seven people, then sat in meditation on the deck.

Extricating those perceptions of the laws was one thing, but more importantly, he needed to extract that precious intelligence.

About half an hour later, Su Lun opened his eyes, which were full of sparkling intelligence. Infinite thoughts flashed through his mind, eventually converging into one complex sigh, "The world is indeed vast..."

Thousand Threads, who was beside him, heard this sigh and opened her eyes to ask, "What's wrong?"

Having just separated out too much information and fully understanding a new plane, Su Lun didn't know where to start for a moment.

After pondering for a while, he then said with deep emotion, "Thousand Threads, prepare for a large-scale interdimensional war that's coming..."

Hearing this, Thousand Threads' gaze became heavy.

...

"The divine celestial plane is a higher plane with boundless territories. In the memories I've harvested, I learned that there are three great empires, over a hundred kingdoms, and countless duchies...and just one small kingdom has a population nearly equal to the two great empires of Mafalu and Ying. Not only are the populations vast, but nearly every kingdom has divine beings. Although different countries wage wars against each other, all people share a common faith, which is the 'Divine Celestial Sect'."

"In that plane, religious belief supersedes all royal power. Those who can awaken the talent of 'All-Encompassing Enlightenment' are called the divine celestial tribe, which is usually a bloodline-inherited talent belonging to certain noble surnames and clans. The rarity of possessing a third eye is also referred to as 'Saint Heir,' an existence even more esteemed than an emperor. It signifies a certain probability of advancing to divinity..."

"..."

Su Lun slowly recounted.

Because the divine celestial tribe excelled in 'All-Encompassing Enlightenment,' they were more suited to the path of mages, which led to a highly developed mage inheritance system in that plane.

Seventh-tier mages are considered high-level mages in the divine celestial plane.

But due to the staggering population base of the divine celestial plane, the number of seventh-tier mages is terrifying, likely on par with the concept of third or fourth-tier professionals in the alchemy plane.

The powerful magical civilization also gave rise to some unique tactics.

That is the mage cluster!

The seven seventh-tier mages Su Lun faced posed no threat to him, but what about a mage legion composed of a hundred seventh-tiers?

What about a magic unit of ten thousand led by an eighth-tier great magic conductor?

And what of a super spellbinding group of one hundred thousand led by a ninth-tier Sage of Law?

A mage cluster attack is truly cataclysmic.

If an army were to press forth, the current military forces of the two great empires simply couldn't withstand them.

Moreover, those few seventh-tiers were just ordinary mages in the military.

The divine celestial plane also has exceptionally talented individuals, whose strength cannot be underestimated.

Those seven were members of the royal mage group from the Ascieden Empire, which was among the three great empires. Their deployment was near the interdimensional gateway, hence they were the first team sent to conquer the alchemy plane.

As Su Lun had guessed, upon discovering this plane, their mindset was like discovering a "cursed space."

About a hundred people came in the first wave.

They were tasked by their superiors to find the "Sealed Coffin" and the "Mimir's Well."

As for what those legendary treasures were, they didn't have a clear understanding themselves.

Their other mission was to gather as much intelligence as possible and then plunder whatever treasures remained from the ancient wars on the alchemy plane.

As for the invasion of the plane, that would have to wait until the interdimensional gateway was fully established.

....

Su Lun had harvested so much memory content that it wasn't easy to articulate in a short time.

And the plane was truly vast. Even the span of places these few seventh-tiers visited were just a few nearby kingdoms, estimating the known map's cultivation to be no more than 1%.

Thousand Threads listened with furrowed brows, deep in thought, but the gleam in her eyes grew increasingly sharp.

Though she remained silent, Su Lun could feel her spirited fighting will soar.

It was only after a good while that Thousand Threads murmured to herself, "Tsk, a higher plane...the world is truly fascinating."

"Yes."

Su Lun too, responded with enthusiasm.

Although the power of the divine celestial plane overwhelmingly surpassed the alchemy plane for now, amidst the crisis, they also glimpsed something else.

The ceiling that had once trapped countless talented alchemists to die within this broken plane was shattered, and as divinity truly became within reach...

A new era had begun!

Unable to change the fact that disaster was imminent, they decided to face it proactively.

In the eyes of Su Lun and his companion, they saw a much vaster world!