Mechanical Alchemist

Death came unexpectedly.

The Princess gave up her own life, with a determined attitude that was heart-wrenching.

Su Lun watched the pink cherry blossoms disperse on the altar, his eyes filled with countless emotions.

At that moment, scenes of his acquaintance with the Princess flashed through his mind. This serene and elegant shrine maiden always presented herself with impeccable manners—pure, kind, fresh, and with an "antiquated" charm that often became the subject of teasing. When teased, her cheeks would blush; although a princess always waited on by others, she would clumsily assist him with his daily affairs; even though she had the chance to survive, she gave that chance away...

Although they hadn't known each other long, Su Lun had come to regard her as a very, very important friend.

Now, her life was fixed before him, dispersing with the drifting petals, never to return.

Su Lun raised his hand to catch some, but the petals slipped through his fingers. In his mind, he saw the Princess's tragically beautiful smile as she looked back at him.

Somehow, Su Lun felt an overwhelming sense of loss.

This was the first time he had experienced the death of someone very important to him.

It came so suddenly.

So unexpectedly.

It made him suddenly realize that life was indeed so pale, so fragile.

Like a breeze that had passed by, and upon reflection, she was no longer there.

Qian Tiao by his side was equally sorrowful.

The Princess had used her own life to provide them with a chance to leave.

But they didn't want it.

...

Just then, a mocking laughter came from the sky.

"Have you decided who you want me, the 'Yomi Country Lord,' to send away from the Netherworld?" She urged.

Every word in that sentence was filled with arrogance and sarcasm.

In Her eyes, whether Su Lun and his companion lived was merely a matter of Her benevolence.

Their lives, as insignificant as ants, hardly mattered.

Hearing this, Su Lun sneered inwardly.

No wonder they say that in the eyes of the gods, lowly humans are like ants.

Reminded by this, his swirling thoughts instantly cleared, and with a hand on his chest, he bowed and said, "Your Excellency, Yomi Country Lord, may I offer a price for you to send both my friend and me out of the Netherworld?"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the entity in the sky seemed not at all surprised.

She did not hide her scorn as she said, "Greedy humans, do you really think you are worthy of speaking with me? If it were not for that foolish shrine maiden's choice to use her life to open a path for you, you would not even be worthy to stand before me."

In the eyes of Izanami, the entire Netherworld was Hers, including Su Lun and Qian Tiao at present. The two humans naturally had no bargaining power.

"..."

Su Lun remained unfazed upon hearing this.

Indeed, it had been a good decision not to go directly to the shrine to find this King; the choice was correct.

This negotiation was in no way equal, and they had nothing of interest to offer Her.

Rather, they were still alive probably because this deity was momentarily amused by playing with human nature and had indulged in extra conversation.

But...

Was She really a deity?

No, something must be wrong.
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Even though Fujiwara Hayato was powerful, he could not surpass the rank of a "demigod" in this world, and the characters he created were definitely not "gods"!

Qian Tiao glanced at Su Lun.

She wanted Su Lun to agree to leave first.

But the words reached her lips and then retreated back down her throat.

Who would leave?

Nobody would.

There was an unspoken understanding between them that they would absolutely not abandon each other's lives just to survive alone.

Since there was no room for negotiation, Su Lun had no intention of wasting any more time on this path.

"If that's the case, Your Majesty, the great King, we give up the choice," he replied, still politely.

"Heh heh... Do you know what that means?"

Upon hearing this, Izanami's tone turned even colder, as if the sight of human nature twisted did not amuse her as she had hoped.

"Give up this opportunity, and your foolish friends on the other side will have died in vain," She said.

When Su Lun heard Her mentioning the Princess again, his face showed a slight change, and he said in a deep voice, "Yes, we've made our decision."

Pausing for a moment, knowing it was not wise to linger, he once again folded his arms across his chest in a salute and gestured to Qiantiao to prepare to leave.

But it was this attitude of shared life and death that seemed to completely infuriate the psychologically twisted deity. She thundered angrily, "Foolish humans, what if I insist on making you choose?"

In dialogue with a deity, one can only comply, there is no choice!

No sooner had the words fallen than a mountainous oppressive force instantly descended upon them.

It felt as if a mountain had been pressed down upon them both, leaving them gasping for breath.

This was tangible murderous intent!

If they did not choose, they would die.

...

Feeling this domineering and oppressive murderous intent, Su Lun's expression was very calm as he murmured to himself, "So we've finally come to this point..."

A violent glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

It was as if all the endless rage had been provoked.

This was the scenario he had anticipated!

His life was his to fight for, not for the Princess to exchange with her own life!

Also, could Qiantiao's prophecy of death truly not be averted?

At this moment, there was a sense of impotent fury in Su Lun's heart.

If he were stronger, could he change everything?

He was very aware that from start to finish in the eyes of Izanami, they were ants that could be crushed at any moment.

It seemed as though they had a choice, but in reality, there was none.

Izanami would certainly not settle for an "incomplete ending."

However, this was also the worst-case scenario they had been prepared for from the very beginning.

"Heh..."

Su Lun's lips suddenly curled into an indifferent smirk.

Ignoring the presence above, he glanced at Qiantiao and spoke in a seemingly trivial manner, "I once asked my senior sister how to gather supremacy, and she asked me back whether I had ever risked my life for someone in this lifetime. I said no."

After a pause, he looked at Qiantiao's valiant face and smiled, "Now, I do."

If he had to live while bearing the lives of two friends,

He, Su Lun,

was not that spineless.

Hearing this, Qiantiao also smiled in response and shook her head, "Su Lun, I know you would definitely join me in death, and I would do the same. But if there's a chance, I want you to live well."

Red glints flared in Su Lun's eyes, unable to heed her words.

He bared his white teeth in a spiteful grin, the fury in his heart igniting instantly, and sneered, "Then let's fight for our lives first!"

If you've never risked your life for someone else, how can you peacefully allow someone else to die for you!

Just as he spoke, the phantom of the Reaper holding a scythe suddenly rose up behind him.

In an instant, the pressure vanished, and control over their bodies was regained immediately.

"Good! Then let's fight!"

Next to him, Qiantiao shouted valiantly, the Raksasha phantom with flames on its back appeared abruptly behind her. Her hand rested on the Demon Blade, and the Magatama thunder drums gathered instantly, with lightning snakes of dominance dancing all around her.

....

The two of them suddenly sprang into action, without any hesitation, turning around and charging fiercely towards the foot of Cangshan.

Watching their fleeing figures, Izanami in the sky let out a chilling, strange laugh, "Hahaha..."

Her jealousy of all the beautiful emotions in the world was now being performed one after another right before her eyes.

The attitudes of Su Lun and his companion had offended a supreme deity!

The voice of Izanami was almost twisted, "Foolish humans, do you think you can come and go as you please before the true presence of this deity!"

Now that the face had been torn off, there was no need for Su Lun to be polite.

He looked back, his left eye, the All-knowing Eye, directly challenging the existence in the sky.

He gazed upon the deity who had, perhaps, never been truly seen by humans.

And then, his pupils suddenly constricted.

It was this look that seemed to expose him to unspeakably horrific things.

"Indeed, it is the 'Great Terror' of legend..."

Su Lun trembled violently in his heart.

He couldn't describe the terrifying scene he had witnessed, even filtered through the All-knowing Eye, it remained ineffable.

If he hadn't been able to strip away his fear, this single look would have probably paralyzed him on the spot.

Legend had it that even Izanagi had been frightened by the decayed body of this Yomi Country Lord, this so-called "Great Terror" of the world was as the tales foretold!

It was this very look that brought a furious roar from the skies.

"Mortal, you dare to look directly at me! Ah... cursed be..."

Her exceedingly hideous body, to be seen by others?

And to look directly at it without being dominated by fear?

...

Hmph!

Su Lun sneered in his heart.

Out of sight, out of mind, but with this look, he found that the level of the Death laws concentrated by this Yomi Country Lord wasn't much higher than his own.

It was like comparing heights; although he fell short, he could see that Their height wasn't that much greater!

A divine tier?

Therein lay the problem!

In all other aspects, there were no flaws, but on the level of laws, They definitely did not reach the divine tier.

Su Lun felt that this might be one of his chances to break through.

The more critical the moment, the clearer his mind became.

Various countermeasures flashed rapidly through Su Lun's mind as he ran, his hands forming sorcerer's seals without cessation. The "Eight-Armed Spider Spear" and "Rune Vajra" spells were ready, poised for battle at any moment.

....

Su Lun and Qiantiao ran down the mountain at breakneck speed, as swift as fleeting light. In just a few breaths, the two of them had already reached the foot of Cangshan.

But at that moment, the infuriated Izanami moved!

It's unclear if it was out of disdain or some other limitation, but She did not kill them outright.

But then, suddenly, the skies stormed, and an exceedingly exaggerated surge of ghostly energy emerged near Cangshan.

Seventh tier?

Eighth tier?

Or even higher?

Su Lun had never seen such an exaggerated fluctuation of energy. He was greatly puzzled: How could Her realm of laws support summoning such an immense amount of ghostly energy?

In comparison, their two energies were like a frail boat always on the verge of capsizing amidst a tsunami.

This technique was beyond their capacity to resist.

Qiantiao's face showed a sudden change, and with a light shout, "Be careful!"

Before Su Lun could grasp why Izanami had such an almost "unanswerable" move at her disposal, the two of them saw the billowing evil aura form into a massive stone gate thousands of meters tall right in front of them.

The stone gate was ancient and thick, as if summoned from an aeon ago. The door was carved with countless ferocious ghost head reliefs, with various demons and monsters from Mountain Hermit intricately included. Standing in the void, it exuded a strong and mystical aura.

Su Lun couldn't make sense of the purpose behind the appearance of this massive gate. Upon appraisal, he realized it was a summoning spell—Divine Technique: Gate of Yomi.

In that moment, the stone gate slowly opened, like a dam releasing its waters, a myriad of evil spirits revealed themselves from behind the door.

An instant later, Qiantiao also understood the situation.

Behind the door was a vast, thick crowd of ghosts and demons, with various ghostly eyes shining with oily gleam—green, red, white... swarming in countless numbers.

This door had summoned all the evil spirits of the Yomi Country.

At the front, six of the "Eight Great Ghost Kings" of Ghost Town remained: River Red Child, Mirage Monster, Ghost Weasel, Seeing Over Hermit, Red Tongue, all present.

There were also various legendary Ghost Kings from hiding, such as the Nine-Tailed Tamamo-no-Mae, the Godly Great Tengu, the Ugly Hour Demoness, the Flying Head Barbarian...

Moreover, there were many legendary figures from history, all of whom could be seen.

Yomi Country Lord's summoning, all sorts of ghosts and demons responded without fail.

And behind these Ghost Kings, there were a million ghostly followers!

In an instant, a million ghosts poured out like a broken dam, turning the entire sky black with their ghastly qi, so dark that one couldn't see their own hand in front of them.

Upon seeing this, both Su Lun and Qian Tiao's faces drastically changed at the same time.

They thought they were facing a single enemy, but what they were facing was... the entire Netherworld!

....

Ghosts were wailing and wolves were howling, while chilly winds howled.

The two looked at each other.

Su Lun said, "Qian Tiao sister, this looks pretty bad..."

Qian Tiao's eyes blazed with a surging will to battle, showing no fear, "Didn't we anticipate this already?"

Her Sword Intent became sharper and sharper, like a spearhead charging towards the distant tide of ghosts and crashing into them.

Su Lun followed her with a wry smile.

Differently from the first day they arrived in Yomi Country, where they had been desperately trapped without escape, they had arranged a retreat in advance. The bombs Su Lun had placed in various canyons and ravines had also been effective, allowing them to escape along the way, setting off explosions.

"Boom-boom-boom~"

"Boom-boom-boom~"

"Boom-boom-boom~"

"..."

The mountains were collapsing and the earth was splitting, mountains exploded and collapsed, roads destroyed, bridges shattered...

Su Lun, having anticipated similar scenarios, made arrangements that were sufficiently capable of stopping a million-strong army.

Despite this, at least several dozen "Ghost King" level ghosts and those skilled in Escape Technique, still pursued them.

Without Izanami's summoning, Su Lun wouldn't have known the Netherworld was hiding so many formidable beings.

And an endless stream of ghosts continued to pour forth from the "Gate of Yomi".

Even though Su Lun and Qian Tiao were incredibly fast, the few Ghost Kings that entangled them slowed them down.

The Ghost King River Red Child had the ability to change mountains, rivers, and lakes, releasing a spell that transformed the terrain before them into a swamp...

Mirage Monster could conjure a mirage that left one in a fog, clueless of direction...

Ghost Weasel controlled the omnipresent ghost flames, unafraid of slashes...

Their methods were endless.

To become a Ghost King, each had their own cunning, causing endless troubles for Su Lun and Qian Tiao.

No matter which power they used, they would always encounter monsters that could counter them.

Luckily, Qian Tiao's Sword Intent had matured, making her combat prowess unparalleled.

With the Thunderous Hell in her hands, her Sword Qi cut hundreds of meters, clearing a path with a single stroke. Even those claiming to be indestructible like Shuten-doji had to avoid her sharp edge.

Otherwise, if they were at their previous strength when they first arrived, upon the opening of Yomi's doors, they would have been instantly overwhelmed by the deluge of ghosts.

Su Lun followed Qian Tiao, reaping the ghostly qi and Soul Shards of the ghosts they passed. The once-elusive Ghost Kings were now aplenty, which greatly boosted his "experience". The shadow of the Reaper behind him solidified more and more.

As his comprehension of the laws of Death increased, the feeling that was once like gazing through fog became clearer in Su Lun's heart.

He always felt that this was the key to breaking the situation!

...

But unfortunately, human effort has its limits.

Though Qian Tiao's slashes were ferocious, the wave of monsters showed no sign of diminishing.

Despite their best efforts to flee, Su Lun and Qian Tiao were ultimately surrounded and cut off by ghosts coming from all directions.