Mechanical Alchemist

"Sister Qian, let's head to the south. There's a ten-thousand-foot cliff behind the ruined temple where we stayed before. I'll take you down!"

"Okay!"

Su Lun had anticipated that they might be pursued.

His plan was to use the terrain to shake off their pursuers.

With the eight-armed spider spear, he could nearly ignore any terrain obstacle. With Qian Tiao clearing the way in front, he could look for opportunities to break through. Occasionally, using the silk thread to pull Qian Tiao along, their combined speed was definitely not slow. Even those ghosts flying in the sky could hardly catch up with them.

Just like right now.

At the beginning of the battle, this plan seemed to have no issues. It appeared that Su Lun and his partner were in danger, but there was actually a good chance of escaping to safety.

But gradually, problems began to arise.

This was the land of the Yellow Springs, home not only to monsters but also to that unfathomable King, Izanami.

That "divine being" clearly would not let them escape so easily.

Su Lun had not expected that Their methods could alter the course of mountains and rivers, making the sky fall and the earth collapse...

The terrain had turned into an obstacle for Su Lun and his companion's escape.

...

Before long, Su Lun and his partner reached the abyssal cliff which they had scouted before.

They had once spent the night in this ruined temple.

Behind the temple was an ancient pine tree, beside which stood a rudimentary stone table carved with a chessboard. From there, one used to be able to see the bottomless ten-thousand-foot cliff.

Su Lun had long thought of descending from there, following the river downstream through the depths. Such complex terrain would be difficult for the ghosts to follow.

But now, hope turned into despair when they looked.

The cliff...

Had actually disappeared without a trace!

In its place was a barren and bumpy landscape.

Seeing the cliff that had vanished without a trace, the faces of Su Lun and his partner turned very grim.

Although they did not know how Izanami managed to do it, it was no longer important.

This escape route was completely hopeless.

And what was worse, in the shared sight of the crows in the sky, the "Gate of the Yellow Springs" in the heavens continued to spew out ghosts without end. It was as if a hole had opened in the sky, and a black tide was pouring out from all sides.

Su Lun's face was somber.

This moment, he found himself in an unprecedented mental dilemma.

He could think of no strategy that could allow them to escape under this "absolute control."

Qian Tiao glanced at him and guessed what was happening, her expression hardly changing.

The two stopped running and did not continue.

They leaned against the ancient pine tree, gasping for breath.

Their furious flight had depleted their spiritual power considerably. Qian Tiao, whose sword Qi could slash hundreds of meters and who had slain several "Ghost Kings," was actually using moves that drained almost all her spiritual power.

She had been persisting only because Su Lun had told her there was a way out here.

However,

It turned out that there was no escape.

Qian Tiao calmed her heavy breathing and did not dwell on matters of life and death. Instead, she noticed that Su Lun was not himself and asked, "Su Lun, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Although Su Lun said that, an eerie gleam appeared in his eyes.

He knew exactly why Qian Tiao was asking.

Because the identification panel clearly showed several negative status effects like "Mild Corruption by the Qi of the Yellow Springs," "Moderate Pollution by Demon Qi," "Severe Pollution by Ghost Qi," and so on.

As Qian Tiao had fought her way through and Su Lun had reaped along his path, in a short time, he had absorbed a massive amount of demonic qi.

This qi was mixed with the Power of Faith, impurities, negative energy... and many other strange existences. It was too much to handle in one go, and his body simply couldn't digest it healthily.

By forcibly absorbing it, the demonic qi directly corroded his body and soul.

Su Lun's current condition seemed to be teetering on the edge of "half-human, half-ghost."

It was an emergency that threatened his life, even worse than the previous "mental aberration" condition.

But Su Lun had no choice.

His intuition told him that improving his "death rule" would be the key to breaking out of this situation.

Now that Izanami had confirmed it was impossible to communicate and had shown hostility, if Su Lun desperately didn't absorb that demonic energy, even if he escaped, he couldn't think of any other sliver of possibility to get out of this cursed space!

But now, it's still just a little...

Su Lun felt that he still needed a large amount of demonic energy, perhaps to see some "opportunity".

But at present, whether it was him or Qian Tiao, both were at their limits; it simply wasn't possible.

Besides, what if he bet wrong?

....

Is this where it ends?

Yes.

It seems there's no other way.

When one choses to face death head-on, no desperate situation will induce fear in her anymore.

With this thought, Qian Tiao's previously extremely solemn expression suddenly relaxed.

She noticed the hint of frenzy in Su Lun's brows and spoke calmly, "Su Lun, you've always been very composed and rational at any time before. It's this distinct quality of yours that gave me... a kind of indescribable sense of security. Don't blame yourself, you've already done very well."

Su Lun remained silent upon hearing this.

He did indeed blame himself.

He blamed himself for being powerless.

It was the same with the Princess before, and now with Qian Tiao as well.

After a pause,

Qian Tiao thought it was the end of her life, and it seemed like she should say something.

It seemed she recalled something, her eyes shimmering, she continued to speak, "Before, the Princess asked me if I liked you, I felt that was not the case. Later on, when I thought about it carefully, it wasn't that I didn't like you, but it wasn't that ambiguous feeling between a man and a woman either. To me, you are very special. If I had to say, perhaps, you are the most important man in my life? Yes... important enough for me to entrust my life with you."

At this point, she smiled sweetly, "So... even though I find some of your actions a bit dull, I didn't reject you either."

For the first time, Qian Tiao "confessed".

As she spoke, her always spirited and handsome face showed a hint of tenderness.

Her tone was very calm, and she didn't speak quickly.

But the calmer she was,

the more uncontrollable the frenzy in Su Lun's heart became, and the demonic red glint in his eyes grew harder to suppress.

Looking at the faint smile on Qian Tiao's face, he seemed to see the Princess's last parting smile.

A strong sense of desolation surged up.

He knew, he was about to lose something very, very important in his life.

Qian Tiao looked towards the approaching "wave of evil spirits" and thought there probably wasn't time to say much more, so she just said, "Su Lun, we definitely won't be able to escape like this. I know that without me, you actually have a chance to survive. If there's even a sliver of a chance to live, you... must find a way to survive."

Fury raged silently in Su Lun's heart; he wanted to do something but realized he was powerless.

The Eclipse Totem on his chest was burning hot, and the beast inside him seemed about to break out of its cage. He struggled to control his emotions, "Sister Qian Tiao, what are you talking about..."

Even if there was a real chance, how could I possibly abandon you and live alone?!

Qian Tiao understood his thoughts very well.

But she knew all the better that her dark spiritual power was already depleted, absolutely without the ability to make another charge like before.

When the monsters would enclose them, it would be their time of death.

It was time to make a choice.

She said directly, "My Rakshasa Woman talent has a secret technique that can 'seize all beings' essence and energy', this will be my strongest stance in this life. To die in battle is the fate of a Rakshasa Woman. In this lifetime, with the Sword Dao and friends, I have no regrets."

"I will try my best to create... even if it's just a sliver of an opportunity for you."

After a pause, she looked at Su Lun's near-ferocious expression, afraid that he would do something foolish, and added another sentence, "You are someone worthy of my entrusting my life to. Don't let my death... be in vain."

...

Close-combat professionals more or less all have a desperate secret technique, Su Lun has the Hormonal Burst, and Qian Tiao naturally has one as well.

Qian Tiao said this and took out a fist-sized rune case from the pocket she carried with her.

Su Lun had seen this kind of case before; it was once used by Mr. Jing to seal the limbs of the Fallen Angel.

Every member of the Jing organization had one of these.

Qian Tiao took out the rune case, without any hesitation, she made a hand seal with one hand and uttered softly, "Release!"

The runic glow on the case lit up as if triggering some mechanism, and the case opened.

In an instant, a flood of dark spiritual power burst out from the case!

Upon closer inspection, two jet-black finger segments were inside.

Even with just a finger, an intimidating pressure that made one's scalp tingle instantly swept through the area.

Qian Tiao gathered Gang Qi in her hand and took the finger out.

After a glance, she slightly raised her eyebrows, flicked her finger, and popped the two segments of the finger into her mouth, swallowing them directly.

At this point, Su Lun finally understood what she was doing.

She had cut off her own retreat.

The "Fallen Angel" was a true god-tier being. How could a fifth-order professional withstand the energy and laws contained in just one of its fingers?

It was like a radiation source; you can slowly draw energy from it, but you can't just devour it all at once.

No matter what the secret technique was, in the end, Qian Tiao was bound to die without a doubt.

Su Lun wanted to stop her from this crazy suicidal act.

But... it was too late.

And he couldn't bring himself to say it.

In the current situation, if they didn't fight with all they had, they would die all the same.

Neither of them had a choice.

...

After swallowing the finger of the Fallen Angel, Qian Tiao's body curled violently like a shrimp, and the veins on her forehead bulged instantly.

It seemed she was enduring immense pain, clenching her teeth tightly and emitting a low growl from her throat.

But at the same time, an absurdly overwhelming dark Spiritual Power, far beyond her rank, was erupting out like an avalanche, and it was getting more and more exaggerated!

And behind her, the almost collapsing second form of Rakshasa's shadow suddenly solidified.

Not just solidifying, the six-armed Rakshasa shadow, with flaming spikes and armored hide, eyes flashing like lightning, full of life, with the three magatama behind it glowing in the Radiance of Thunder, lit up the dilapidated temple with a purple-red glow.

Once this shadow appeared, it brought an overwhelming sensation as if a demon from hell had arrived.

Qian Tiao's six arms detached from her armor, holding six blades, her eyes fierce. The wild dark Spiritual Power surging through her was like flames, blazing furiously.

That wild Spiritual Power was ten times, dozens of times higher than before!

The uncontrolled outflow of dark Spiritual Power created shockwaves one after another, sending dust and pebbles flying and tiles shattering within the ruined temple.

However, as a consequence, her skin began to show patches of black energy spots, a sign of physical mutation.

....

A few breaths later, Qian Tiao seemed to have adapted to that violent energy.

She turned her head to look at Su Lun for the last time, smiled faintly, and said, "I'm going!"

With that, she stomped fiercely on the ground and with a "snap," the boulder where she stood shattered like a spider web into countless fragments.

At another glance, the shadow dispersed.

She had transformed into a purplish-red thunder dragon, charging into the ghost tide without any hesitation.

That figure, striding away sword in hand, was so proud and aloof.

Watching her figure, Su Lun had no thoughts of trying to escape for his own life.

"Sister Qian Tiao, if you're willing to die for me, how could I, Su Lun, be a coward who fears death?!" he thought with a fierce sneer in his heart, pulling out a spatial scroll, and instantly made a hand seal, "Seal·Release!"

With a "boom," a mecha armed with the Ship-Cutter landed heavily on the ground, naturally, it was the "Colonel-level Ship-Cutter IX Mechanical Armor."

The Mecha's defense was very strong, and it wouldn't be defeated by a common Ghost King in a short time.

But once this suit of armor was donned, it also meant losing the possibility of escape.

Once surrounded, there was nothing left but to fight to the end.

Just in the brief moment they delayed, the first batch of evil ghosts had already caught up and were ferociously attacking.

Su Lun was half a step slow in covering himself with the Mecha. With a "click," the helmet and the main body armor merged, and his eyes also showed a determination as sharp as a blade's edge.

After the steam boiler charged up with a "whoo" emitting white smoke, the pressure relief valve opened, and the heavy steel body charged like a truck straight into the ghost tide.

The Mecha, known as the "battlefield meat grinder," wasn't just for show.

The several meters long Ship-Cutter swung like a giant windmill; with every swing, it was sure to take dozens of lower-level monsters with it.

No demon dared to withstand the special vibrations of the Ship-Cutter.

Like a flesh-and-blood millstone, wherever Su Lun passed, he left behind a trail of severed limbs and broken bodies.

Even the spectral monsters that could ignore the steel armor and penetrate the cockpit could do nothing to him.

With Su Lun's current spiritual power, those spectral ghosts would find it hard to control him!

Amidst the horde of ghosts, Qian Tiao's might was even more exaggerated.

A massacre in all directions, no one dared to stand in the way.

After swallowing the "finger," she no longer worried about the darkness Spiritual Power.

Around her, in the sky of the region several miles around, there was lightning and thunder, with Sword Qi carrying the Sword Intent of "Radiance of Thunder" slashing down, and tens of thousands of bolts of lightning exploded from the sky towards the ground.

The "boom" sound was deafening, and a thousands of six-armed swords hacked through the horde of ghosts, creating storms of lightning and thunder.

Under the Ghost King, almost no ghost could be her match in a single strike. Above the Ghost King, there were few who dared to touch its sharpness.

Wherever she passed, corpses were strewn everywhere, filled with the stench of ghostly blood and severed limbs...

After the Demon Blade "Guimaru Hyakume Zongzheng" tasted blood, its power was even greater, and only now did it display the true might of a hellish demon weapon.

The two cleaved their way through like cutting vegetables, charging relentlessly.

Yet even with such fierceness, the two were like two drops of cold water in a pot of boiling oil. Although they caused a violent, boiling reaction, how could that extinguish the rolling oil?

Far from decreasing, the number of monsters was growing.

Su Lun's eyes were already bloodshot with killing.

He was still recklessly absorbing the demonic Qi and ghostly Qi from those monster corpses...

Hoping to grasp the last chance of a turnaround.
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The feeling in his heart became clearer and clearer, but he was still a bit short.

It seemed there was no chance to see the true face of this cursed space world.

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

The defensive shields on the battle Mecha emitted piercing cracks, as runes and plating layers were rapidly consumed.

Su Lun knew he couldn't last much longer.

It was the same for Qian Tiao.

Despite her ferocious appearance, with such an intense level of darkness Spiritual Power, her body could collapse at any moment.

Even though almost no demon dared to directly confront her, every time she slashed out with the "Radiance of Thunder," she couldn't help but spit out blood.

Her body simply couldn't withstand such an exaggerated energy surge.

Moreover, it was probably because of Izanami that those monsters, even though they knew death awaited, still rushed into the Radiance of Thunder Hell like moths to a flame.

They gave Qian Tiao no opportunity to catch her breath.

Su Lun looked at the figure fighting among the monsters, his heart filled with all sorts of unpleasant emotions.

To watch someone important to him die before his eyes, powerless to help, how utterly desperate.

Black Crow watched from a corner, sharing vision, and he saw in the sky that Izanami, filled with mockery.

This "deity" seemed to be watching a play, one that added not light but excitement to the underworld.

As for those ghosts, no matter how many died, she wasn't moved in the slightest.

...

Qian Tiao was very clear about her current state as well.

Just then, through the communicator, her last transmission came: "Su Lun, I've just had an epiphany, it seems I can break through to the third stage of Rakshasa Woman. I can probably create a chance for you. But I don't want you to see me in the state of a wretched death. You must find a way to survive..."

It was a farewell.

Her tone was tender like never before.

There was no hysteria, as if she was narrating something very ordinary.

It was like... the last words of an old friend.

Upon hearing her words, Su Lun, who had been bloodshot with killing, suddenly sobered up.

Looking again at the figure standing with a sword not far away, his eyes moistened.

It was right after the transmission ended that the Bodhi bead hanging from Qian Tiao's waist made a crisp sound as it shattered,

A dark golden Buddhist light infused into the Rakshasa phantom looming behind her.

In an instant, the Rakshasa phantom went from illusory to solid, seeming like it was cast from pure gold.

With a majestic appearance, it was fierce on one side, Buddhalike on the other.

Rakshasa Golden Body!

Seeing this, Su Lun was deeply shaken.

Qian Tiao had an epiphany just before her death, breaking through the third stage of Rakshasa Woman!

At that moment, the wind and clouds surged between heaven and earth.

Qian Tiao pointed her sword to the sky, laughed freely and heartily, and shouted loudly, "Izanami, do you dare to take my strike!"