Mechanical Alchemist

This brick-carrying lasted nearly half a month.

Su Lun and his four companions blended into the slave team, moving stones day in and day out, adding bricks and tiles to those pyramids.

The overseers did not demand the slaves to work quickly, only that they kept working non-stop.

Just half a month, and Su Lun estimated that he had consumed at least a year or two of his life span. Had it not been for the various Bloodline Potions that greatly enhanced his physical attributes earlier, an ordinary ninth-tier human's body would have truly been unable to withstand it.

Those pyramids were like monsters devouring human lifespans, constantly sucking the souls of hundreds of millions of slaves dry.

Fortunately, these lifespans were not wasted in vain.

The death rate among the slaves was extremely high, and during this time, Su Lun had collected too many souls.

With those memories, he was like a frog that had leaped out of a well, suddenly realizing that the world was indeed very, very large!

Through the memories within those souls, he also came to understand the true situation of the Tares god race.

According to the information known so far, Tares was even more powerful than the deity planes, which was why they dared to call themselves "god race".

They waged wars in all directions, conquering otherworldly planes, and then sent the war slaves here to construct mausoleums.

Yes, the entire sandy plane that Su Lun had come to... was none other than the ancestral mausoleum of the Tares god race!

Although it was a broken minor plane, to use an entire plane as a mausoleum, what a grand undertaking it was?

Clearly, this was no simple mausoleum.

Observing for half a month, Su Lun also discovered a problem, those pyramids were not merely for burying corpses, but also contained profound principles of Death and Life that were completely incomprehensible.

And using the lifespans of slaves to "irrigate" the pyramids seemed to be related to some kind of Divine Arts that could resurrect the dead?

Su Lun understood a small part of it, but was more often than not, perplexed.

And then thinking about the demon god who had summoned them here, this must entail secrets of higher deities, which made him even more curious about this mausoleum.

However, without access, no understanding could be gleaned from the outside.

Outside were all below the deity grade, but what was sealed within those pyramids held secrets above the deity grade.

This was a very special plane.

....

One day, at dusk.

After the sunset, the overseers did not require the slaves to work, and the slaves, dragging their exhausted bodies, ate a bit of simple food and water and lay on the sandy ground to rest.

The three suns set in succession, and only then did that burning sensation ease.

No slave in the mausoleum could live past a year.

Su Lun did not appear too unusual; the daily toil had made even him, a ninth-tier being, slim down.

He lay on the mound of sand, looking up at the sky.

There were still traces of twilight, and several airships continued to patrol in the sky.

The Tares civilization may not have anything that could be called technology, but these sun-wind-powered ships had caught Su Lun's eye. Their special construction and runes allowed the ships to harness solar power for navigation, utilizing "solar energy" that was rarely used even in the alchemy planes.

Every several days, these ships would bring in millions of war slaves, in an endless cycle.

Su Lun lay back on the sand, regulating his excessively drained vital energy.

Gradually, the twilight faded, and the sky became resplendent.

As Su Lun watched the stars for half a month, he did not see any of the familiar constellations observable from the alchemy plane.

It was clear that planes were not within the same universe.

At least, the alchemy plane and this sandy plane were fundamentally disconnected.

Lowering his gaze, next to the super-large pyramid which had been under construction for tens of thousands of years and was still not capped, there was a dazzling Golden Palace.

Yes, a palace constructed of pure gold!

The architectural style had the unique smoothness of the Tares god race; the palaces resembled flattened gourds. In addition to gold, there was also a shimmering peacock blue-green, which combined, radiated a sense of utmost sanctity.

That was the "Sun Temple".

Su Lun and his companions' mission this time was to kill Pharaoh Cleopatra IX inside the palace and take the [Key of Immortality] from her hands.

However, Su Lun had discovered some interesting information from the memories of some war slaves.

That was that Pharaoh Cleopatra IX was widely known for her enchanting beauty and was adept at cultivation techniques, earning the nickname "the Seductive Queen".

It was said that she had drained an important figure from another god race with her beauty and was then assigned by the upper echelons of the Tares god race to guard the royal tomb, taking refuge from the scandal.

Although Su Lun had not found any memories concerning the combat capabilities of this Pharaoh, various clues pointed to the fact that this "Demi-god" possessed some very special abilities.

Especially since there were several hundred thousand troops guarding the Sun Temple, killing her would not be easy.

Su Lun entered a state of meditation.

It was eerily quiet all around.

Originally, he thought the night would pass just like this.

But unexpectedly, he suddenly sensed a call from the hidden depths.

"Finally!"

Su Lun abruptly opened his eyes, well aware that some demon god had sent a directive.

He discreetly observed the surroundings.

Only a few low-level overseers were patrolling on high grounds.

However, even with a slave collar on, such low-level surveillance was useless against him.

In a flash of light and shadow, he melded into the darkness.

....

In a small stone hut a few hundred meters away, an eighth-tier hawk-headed overseer lay fast asleep, snoring heavily.

Hawk heads, dog heads, crocodile heads, lion heads... anyone who could awaken their bloodline to revert to their ancestral form was considered a pureblood of the Tares god race.

Here, not a single beast-headed overseer was below the seventh tier.

The tomb's defensive forces were not weak.

When Su Lun arrived, three people were already in the room: the Battling Saint Jay, the Barbarian Ralph, and the Dragon Maiden Masia.

The few people said nothing, and before long, the Centaur Makamul also arrived quietly.

Five keys lay on the table—these were the keys to the slave collars.

Since they had become slaves, the demon had not shown his face again, probably too afraid to do so.

No one knew how the keys had come to be there.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Battling Saint Jay was the first to speak, "My friends, we're going to take action today. Tomorrow morning, before Sunrise, Pharaoh Cleopatra IX will perform her routine sacrifices. During that time, when she leaves the palace for the altar, that will be our best chance to kill her."

As he spoke, he looked at the few people in the room and continued, "Based on my observations, Cleopatra the Ninth is guarded by four ninth-tier personal bodyguards. If we want to kill her, this will pose a great problem. In addition, there are at least three hundred thousand troops near the Sun Temple, along with many experts. Therefore, the best time to take her down is on her way from leaving the temple to the altar."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun and the others remained silent.

Jay had trained in the fighting spirit system and possessed a powerful ability to sense "energy." He had been engaging in reconnaissance over the past half-month, and his conclusions were similar to what Su Lun had observed.

The five shared a common goal—to join forces to complete their mission and resolve their demonic contracts.

So when he spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.

At this point, the most powerful among them, the Barbarian Ralph, asked, "Do we have a combat plan?"

Battling Saint Jay shook his head, "As it stands, our only option seems to be a forced attack. Once we unlock our slave collars, it's very likely we'll be immediately discovered, so we have to charge in."

While saying this, he also expressed his stance, "The qi around those four personal guards of Cleopatra the Ninth doesn't seem too strong. I'm confident that I can hold off two or three of them. Maybe even all four."

Because they didn't really understand each other, their coordination was practically non-existent. Now that battle was approaching, they had to roughly state their own combat capabilities.

With this said, the Dragon Maiden Masia also stated her stance, "If you can hold off three of them, then together we should be able to quickly kill the guards. As for the Demi-god Pharaoh..."

The room fell silent for a moment at this point.

After all, the Pharaoh was a demi-god powerhouse, not an easy opponent to deal with.

However, unexpectedly, the Barbarian Ralph broke the silence, "I'm confident I can beat that woman Pharaoh, but I'm not sure about killing her."

At this statement, everyone looked at him.

Beat a demigod?

Hearing his certain tone, they all realized that Ralph's combat power might be quite formidable.

If outsiders had been present, they would have been shocked by this conversation.

Though they were all ninth-tier, none considered ordinary ninth-tier as a challenge, discussing taking down two or three as a starting point.

"Ordinary ninth-tier" had become a mere unit of measure for combat strength in their discussions.

It was a bit outrageous.

Even so, Su Lun saw clearly that each of the seasoned schemers was holding back.

No one would lay out all their cards.

The demon chose them because he felt confident that together they could kill a demi-god.

But now that three had declared their capabilities, Su Lun thought about it and offered a conservative estimate, "I... could probably also handle two or three ninth-tiers."

"Handle" was said in a vague manner.

Once these words were spoken, the expressions of the four people in the room shifted subtly, but no more was said.

It was only the Centaur Makamul who had not yet spoken.

...

Four pairs of eyes turned towards him.

The mythic centaur Archer did not mention how many he could fight. Instead, he spoke very seriously, "I've observed that the closest ambush point to the temple is at least five kilometers away. If we choose to attack forcefully, the assault will inevitably be disrupted. If we startle the Pharaoh, she might return to the temple. And we only have one chance, we can't afford any mistakes."

This was an Archer's instinct; he had already surveyed all the possible sniping locations.

Listening to him, everyone's expressions turned grave.

This was indeed a big problem.

If they could not kill with one strike, there would be no chance of survival on this sand-covered plane.

All four knew that since he spoke up in such a manner, Makamul must have some thoughts on it. They each looked at him with inquiring eyes, "So?"

The Centaur Makamul pondered for a moment before letting out a breath, as if getting his thoughts in order before revealing his long-kept secret. He spoke gravely, "I have one arrow that can kill a demi-god."

"!!!"

At these words, the eyes of the four sharpened at once.

Even Su Lun looked over in surprise.

Previously, he thought that the strongest among them was the Barbarian Ralph, but apparently, the true master was hidden among them?

Even with his own combat power, he wasn't sure he could kill an unfamiliar demi-god powerhouse.

And here Makamul confidently claimed he could, with "one arrow"?

If someone could kill Pharaoh Cleopatra IX, wouldn't that simplify matters?

Clearly, there was more to this one arrow.

The Centaur Makamul, watching them, spoke solemnly, "Even if I don't kill her, the likelihood of delivering a critical blow with that one arrow is very high. However, the cost of using that technique is steep—after loosing it, I will be very weak for a long time..."

With that, everyone understood.

Once weakened, he would need protection.

No one wanted to gamble with a life-risking shot only to become prey to others.

After a brief silence, the ever amiable Battling Saint Jay spoke up, "It's best if we can kill her, but if not, we might still need to strike again, and we'll also need to retrieve the keys. So the plan to attack forcefully still needs to go ahead..."

As he said this, as if an idea had formed, he turned to the other four, "I think we can split into two groups. One team with Mr. Makamul will snipe from a distance, and the other will strike the final blow and retrieve the 'Key to Eternal Life' to open the tomb's main gate. That will free us from our contracts. Afterwards, whether we can survive will be up to each person's skill."

The plan was indeed without fault.

Snipe from a distance, then strike the final blow.

But the question was, who would stay to protect the vulnerable Kamul?

Everyone present was confident in their own survival, but if they had to look after a burden, that was no certainty.

The moment this plan was proposed, the atmosphere turned cold again.

...

Su Lun observed the expressions of the four people in the room and took the initiative to speak, "How about I stay with Mr. Kamul?"

By now, how could he not have noticed the implicit understanding among the formidable Jay, the centaur Kamul, and the Dragon Maiden Masia?

It seemed these three had already formed some kind of small alliance.

Some races are not adept at lying, like the mountain dwarves, the Dalu, and the centaurs he had met.

Among them, Su Lun noted that the centaur appeared to lack schemes and depth.

Moreover, Su Lun had his own plans in making this choice.

If Kamul could kill the Pharaoh with one arrow, that would be great, but what if there were other unforeseen events?

Over these tens of thousands of years, that demon god must have recruited many people, all to no avail, indicating significant unknown risks lurking.

Whether one chose to be part of the assault team or the sniping team, the risk was bound to be great.

Accordingly, Su Lun felt that not coming into contact with that Pharaoh might pose a slightly smaller risk.

Furthermore, since those three had already formed their own small team, even if Su Lun wanted to force his way in, he was likely to be easily outsmarted.

"This..."

Upon hearing this, the centaur Kamul glanced at Su Lun, his eyes flickering slightly.

Although he felt that the ideal bodyguard would be the strongest barbarian, Ralph, the latter had shown no intention of speaking up.

Without saying much, he looked at Su Lun and said, "Then I'll trouble Mr. Nicolas."

But after a pause, he added, "If you don't mind, my centaur race has a protective Blood Covenant..."

Trusting one's life to a stranger wasn't as simple as just saying it.

As these words were spoken, that eerie atmosphere of mistrust resurfaced in the room.

However, contrary to what the others expected, Su Lun simply glanced and agreed readily, "That's fine. I'll protect your life to the best of my ability."

The contract's content wasn't excessive—just to do his utmost to protect the archer during his period of vulnerability.

With his own small void realm, protecting someone was still manageable.

Hearing Su Lun's agreement, everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief.

After signing the contract, Kamul dared to let go and take a risk.

The other three members of the small alliance also felt it suited their desires.

The atmosphere became relaxed in an instant.

After the division of labor was settled, the plan for the upcoming battle was simplified.

After a few words of instruction, people took their keys and left separately.

....

Stepping out of the small room, Su Lun quietly returned to his own resting spot.

As long as no disturbances arose, those Taris divine beings in charge of supervision couldn't care less where the slaves slept.

After all, with the slave collars binding them, even the most powerful slaves couldn't stir up much trouble.

Su Lun sat cross-legged, and as soon as he closed his eyes, his mind conjured a vast sand table, dotted with pyramids and the Golden Temple. Threads of clues entered, and he began to deduce countless potential outcomes of the battle to come in five hours.

Unconsciously, the sky turned pale, heralding the dawn.

Su Lun suddenly opened his eyes.

He looked around at the other slaves, deep in sleep, not disturbing them, and silently stood up.

The towering pyramids around him blocked the light, and darkness still prevailed.

Su Lun effortlessly arrived at a spot where materials were piled up.

The centaur Kamul had almost arrived at the same time.

The two exchanged a glance and said nothing.

Their chosen location didn't offer the best view, obstructed by several pyramids, barely offering sight of the Sun Temple.

But a close observation would reveal a very narrow gap between the pyramids, perfectly aligning with the path from the temple to the altar.

This was Kamul's chosen sniping point.

Concealed, safe, sufficiently distant.

Only a divine archer could seize that fleeting opportunity to shoot.

Su Lun also thought it was a good choice, taking out his black umbrella and scythe to meditate beside him,

thinking that even if something unexpected happened, he could go and finish the job himself.

The Raven quietly perched on his shoulder, and all around was dead silence.

Kamul's eyes, like those of Hawkeye, were fully focused on the distant gap. After waiting for less than two minutes, he suddenly exclaimed, "Here they come!"

Even without opening his eyes, the Raven had already captured the scene—several kilometers away from the Sun Temple, a woman with brown skin in a golden dress slowly emerged.

She was Pharaoh Cleopatra IX!

Time waits for no one, Kamul glanced at Su Lun and said, "Mr. Nicolas, after my arrow, it's all up to you."

Su Lun nodded, "Right."

At that moment, Kamul took out a key and decisively unlocked the slave collar around his neck.

Without the collar's restriction, a terrifying force of destruction rose from his body and then focused into his hands.

He made a bow-drawing gesture, and in a blink, a bow of the elemental divine palace condensed in his hands.

A flash of light flickered in Su Lun's eyes as he inwardly remarked, "An arrow that breaks the rules? So powerful..."

Indeed, the arrow that could kill a demigod was outrageously powerful.

Just to speak of this fluctuation, it was absolutely the strongest single attack Su Lun had ever seen!

However, with his indifferent attitude, Dalu asked doubtfully from beside him, "You?"

Su Lun naturally knew he was referring to the slave collar and responded lightly, "No need for it now."

He had been deducing all along that since the devil had been recruiting for tens of thousands of years, it was not impossible that he had recruited others stronger than this group of five, but still without success.

So, where could the failure in the process lie?

Su Lun felt that the slave collar might be the very first major trouble, because when he tried to break it earlier, he found some unintelligible runes inside it.

It wasn't for imprisonment, nor was it to restrict magic. Su Lun guessed it might have a special purpose.

The devil probably didn't warn them because he thought that if they couldn't even solve this, they wouldn't be able to complete the task.

"..."

Dalu listened with a slight frown, as if he thought Su Lun was being a bit too confident.

But he didn't say anything.

At this critical juncture, it was too late to say anything.

After all, they had signed a contract.

In that instant, the arrow known as the "God Slayer Arrow" in his hand was fully charged, and almost at the same time, a ray of sunlight happened to shine through a gap in the distant pyramid.

"Swoosh~"

Then an amazing scene unfolded, the dark arrow concealed within that sliver of light, and silently shot out.

"What a crafty arrow!"

Su Lun couldn't help but marvel as well.

If not for death-predicting abilities, he wouldn't have been able to dodge it either.

The moment it was aimed, was also the moment it was destined to strike.

And as the arrow was shot, Dalu's presence significantly weakened.

Fortunately, the arrow hit its target squarely!

At the edge of their field of vision, Pharaoh Cleopatra IX almost came to her end as the bowstring was released.

"Is she killed just like that?"

It seemed to Su Lun too good to believe that everything had gone so smoothly.

Although this arrow did indeed possess the might to kill a demigod, his instincts told him something felt off.

However, before he could think too deeply, Jay, Ralph, and the Dragon Maiden Masia from the other ambush party charged forward. The terrifying power burst forth from them: one's fighting spirit blazed like flames, another's body was blood red, while one transformed into a half-dragon. They sliced through the Pharaoh's guards like cutting melons and vegetables. Even the four rank-nine personal guards couldn't stop them.

The power they exhibited in battle was even stronger than when they had discussed it earlier.

Ordinary rank-nines posed no threat whatsoever.

"We did it!"

Seeing the three retrieve the key from the body, a joy also flashed in Su Lun's eyes!

As long as they used the key to open the tomb's grand entrance, their contract would come to an end.

But just then, another unexpected scene occurred.

...

The plan had gone very smoothly, and the group of five, including Su Lun, had together slain the Pharaoh and obtained the "Key of Eternal Life."

The original plan was for them to split into two teams to break through, then head to the largest pyramid to open the doors to the underground palace.

Dalu's shot had already revealed their position, and hundreds of thousands of guards were closing in.

Normally, both teams breaking out would divide some of the pressure.

However, in that moment, Su Lun just watched from a distance as a strange flame suddenly erupted around the Battle Saint Jay. This flame actually burned a large hole in the void itself, through which the three vanished in a puff of smoke, disappearing from sight.

Fled?

This escape was significant because once Jay and his team vanished, all the pursuing pressure fell on Su Lun and his remaining companion.

Dalu's face changed drastically, recognizing something in those flames, and exclaimed in shock, "The strange fire from the Dou Qi Continent? He actually has the second-ranked 'Void Poison Flame'!"

Jay had concealed this trump card all along, so how could Dalu not realize he had been played?

Yet, as Su Lun observed the void-scorching flames, he raised an eyebrow with a slight ripple in his heart, "Heh, interesting."

Although he had long suspected that those three had ulterior motives, the flames indeed exceeded expectations.

Dalu was far from calm, fuming over the broken promise to break through together—now all the pressure was on them, especially since he himself was weakened!

He looked at Su Lun and asked solemnly, "Mr. Nicholas, what do we do now?"

In contrast, Su Lun seemed a bit too composed.

He picked up the black scythe nonchalantly and without any expression, replied, "We can only charge through. They will need some time to open the tomb's grand entrance, just enough for us to break through as well."

His words sounded cold, as if the encirclement did not involve them.

Dalu frowned, wanting to say more: "But..."

Su Lun didn't intend to explain further.

Even though they had been expectedly betrayed, he was not the least bit irritated.

The contract mission was not yet complete, and with those three drawing the guards' attention, there was a better chance of success in opening the grand entrance.

Although it seemed the pressure was all on the two of them.

But...

Su Lun glanced at the surrounding pursuers closing in, feeling no disturbance in his heart.

If no beings of divine rank take part, how could they possibly keep me here?!