Mechanical Alchemist

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Su Lun peered cautiously through the ventilation opening and immediately saw the giant humanoid monster towering over thirty meters tall.

It resembled an ancient soldier, with a round-topped, wide-brimmed ancient bronze helmet on its head, and shattered metal armor of the same hue on its shoulders and legs. Its robe was long decayed, revealing dark brown, corpse-like skin...

What caught the eye most was the hexagonal copper lamp it held in its hand, with a black rod attached.

The lamp was of a quaint design, with profound engravings on its body. The dark yellow glazed lampshade was smoked black, faintly revealing a flickering dim yellow flame that shone out, forming a halo nearly ten meters around the lamp...

It was this faint halo that gave off an extremely terrifying feeling, as if anything touched by the light would turn to ashes and smoke.

"A tyrant-level oddity?"

Looking at the monster, Su Lun's pupils suddenly constricted.

The All-knowing Eye identified the information of this monster; it was actually a tyrant-level oddity, a tier above the lord-level!

[The Lamp Bearer of Dawn City's Cemetery]

Explanation: An aberrant monster formed from the aggregation of resentment of ancient soldiers, a tyrant-level zombie species with superior strength, adept at controlling fire, extremely dangerous;

(Note: Anything above the third tier is considered 'superior' in the protagonist's current knowledge.)

This was the strongest oddity Su Lun had ever encountered in the ruins!

The pressure, mountainous in its intensity, caused a shiver that seemed to originate from one's very soul.

So strong that he felt even the lord-level Wailing Witch, in front of this being, would be reduced to ashes and smoke in an instant.

Even with the black sickle in hand, Su Lun felt he had no chance of winning.

The first thing he thought of upon seeing it was definitely to escape.

Because not only did he possess a forbidden item, but the lamp in the hands of this monster was one too!

[Volgan's Furnace Lamp]

Quality: Legendary

Description: Those who play with fire will eventually get burned;

Cursed Attributes: It can forge alchemical items out of the ordinary, possessing flames that can burn everything; using this lamp can activate a wide range of 'Ulken Lava Fire' to incinerate any material not ranked higher in law than the lamp itself; however, the fire attacks indiscriminately, scorching the user as well;

Explanation: An ancient lamp forged by alchemists imitating a divine artifact, it possesses powerful sealing capabilities; the lamp contains a strand of 'Ulken Core Flame,' capable of crafting extremely high-quality alchemical items; it can also be used as advanced materials for fire-based alchemy magicians;

Su Lun looked at this ancient lamp, feeling even more alarmed than when he first saw the black sickle.

At least the damage from the black sickle was controllable, and the curse backlash somewhat predictable...

But this lamp was an indiscriminate attacker.

Looking at it, Su Lun only saw four words—mutual destruction.

However, judging by the function identified for the hexagonal copper lamp, it seemed primarily to be an auxiliary forbidden item for forging, or perhaps for some top-tier alchemists with supreme fire control abilities to use in battle?

...

It was only after the All-knowing Eye identified the combination of the tyrant-level monster and the forbidden item that Su Lun felt this thing was simply beyond human capability to fight against.

Therefore, he was so surprised that someone dared to target it.

Scavengers?

Clearly not.

Even the largest scavenger groups, even those few top-tier groups that had third-tier professionals, Su Lun thought this monster could effortlessly wipe them out.

Yet in the foggy shadows before him, those several figures in black cloaks continued to provoke the monster.

It seemed they had a clear division of labor, with some luring the monster out from the center city walls, others disturbing it, and others taking action...

In just the moment that Su Lun looked over, the monster had already chased those figures to the vicinity of the central ring of walls.

Then, at what seemed to be the predetermined ambush site, one of the figures in black cloaks made their move!

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He suddenly clasped his hands together at a rapid pace, forming a series of complex sorcerer's seals so bewildering that even Su Lun found them dizzying to watch. Beneath his feet, a complicated triple-mark suddenly illuminated; the innermost layer was an ouroboros, the middle was a double pentagram, and the outermost layer was a seven-pointed star...

"A Seven-Pointed Star Alchemy Formation?"

Su Lun watched the brown alchemy formation beneath the man's feet, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Normally, formations for Arts below the third-tier are pentagrams or hexagrams; a seven-pointed star only appeared in some advanced alchemy knowledge.

The moment this guy made a move, he opted for such a tactic?

The man in the black robe caused his garment to billow as if caught in an unfelt wind, and as the Seven-Pointed Star Formation lit up under him, his aura grew more and more powerful.

Just moments ago, he seemed as insignificant as an ant, but now his presence could stand toe to toe with that of the domineering and eerie overlord.

As Su Lun observed the pattern of the alchemy formation, he guessed something: "Super-tier Earth System Arts?"

The energy in the alchemy formation under the robed man shifted rapidly, with the earth elements nearby visibly condensing into specks of ochre spiritual light that surged towards him. In the blink of an eye, the ground underfoot of the "Dawn City's Graveyard Lamp Bearer" also manifested an expanded tenfold Seven-Pointed Star Alchemy Formation. The light grew intensely bright, and the alchemy formation altered the cohesion of the earth elements, turning the hard ground into mud.

Another blink, and it had transformed into a vast, dark swamp.

The monster's body was too large to avoid the trap and its legs sank into the swamp up to the knees instantly.

And it didn't end there!

After casting what was recognized as the super-tier Earth-based Alchemy "Great Swamp Technique," the man in the black robe changed his sorcerer's seals again; the earthen brown light of the Seven-Pointed Star Formation at his feet grew more blinding and seamlessly transformed into a completely different and complex Gold System Art.

Once the Art changed, the swampy morass began to harden incredibly quickly...

...

From a distance, inside the bastion, Su Lun watched this masterful display in awe: "A compound Art from Earth to Gold System? A third-tier magician may not even be able to smoothly transition between two different third-tier spells, yet this guy effortlessly shifts between two 'super-tier spells'? Just how powerful is he?"

At this point, he didn't even know how to articulate his feelings.

Although Su Lun had never witnessed a third-tier professional in action firsthand, he had gleaned some information from various texts and memories he had collected, giving him a rough concept.

"Multi-elemental transformation" is one of the highest level casting techniques within the realm of spell-oriented alchemists.

The smoother the transformation, the more it requires an exceptional understanding and control over elemental spells.

A normal third-tier professional talented enough to smoothly master the transition between two different third-tier elemental Arts is already considered a top-tier expert.

Yet, this cloaked figure had just consecutively cast two "super-tier spells" with what seemed like ease?

As the Art changed, the dense earth elements in the swamp pit abruptly turned into gold elements, and the brown muck in the blink of an eye solidified into a lustrous, gold-like metal solid.

With that, the huge soldier-like monster could no longer move its feet and was immediately immobilized.

The ability to transmute materials in alchemy was displayed to perfection by this robed individual.

....

"This mastery of spells is simply astounding; to think that Old Lington City had such an expert hidden within..."

Su Lun felt he might have underestimated the top-tier professionals of Old Lington.

He had previously thought that the Cross Society's boss Chak, a third-tier professional, was already one of the strongest in Old Lington.

Now it looked like at least this cloaked person was even stronger than Chak.

Initially, when Su Lun assessed the information about the overlord-level aberrant creature, he thought these people were "overestimating their abilities" and had misjudged the creature's tier.

But now, watching the robed man cast two super-tier control spells in succession, he realized that these people were not mistaken but rather came prepared, seemingly confident in taking down the creature and securing the item it was sealing.

However, even with its feet fixed by the metallic substance and unable to move, the colossal soldier-like overlord was not bereft of fighting power.

While the hand holding the lamp remained still, its other hand clenching the rusted greatsword suddenly swung a mighty blow towards the black-robed caster.

In the face of absolute strength, all tactics seem feeble and ineffective.

With the sword coming down, Su Lun figured it could easily bisect a ten-story building.

Moreover, it was not just a mere physical attack; a layer of fierce wind elements, visible to the naked eye, enshrouded the blade of the greatsword.

The swing of the over twenty-meter long sword appeared slow, but in reality, it was fast as a tornado, making evasion impossible.

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Large swathes of wind elemental Sword Qi covered the area, pressing so heavily on the robed figure casting the spell that his robes whistled with the strain, and his form was rooted to the spot.
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Even before the sword fell upon his head, the ground around had been crushed into layers of cracks by the terrifying Sword Qi, an extreme horror to behold.

Even the fortress hundreds of meters away where Su Lun lay hidden seemed like it was about to collapse from an earthquake, as dense cracks began to form above and sand and stones fell like rain.

Su Lun's eyelids twitched as he looked on. The fortress, which had withstood numerous bizarre lights without faltering, was about to be crushed by a mere wisp of Sword Qi?

Just how terrifying was this sword strike?

Before he could decide whether to run out now, Su Lun suddenly saw another robed figure, holding a dagger and fearlessly meeting the giant sword swinging down toward him.

Almost at the same moment, the spell-casting robed figure changed the seals with his hands again, and the golden Seven-Pointed Star Formation at his feet turned into a blue one of wind elements!

Su Lun's gaze was intense, "Still going? A three-element switch?"

The moment the wind elemental alchemy array activated, it seemed not to be forcefully blocking the attack, but more like channeling irrigation, directly guiding the destroy-the-heavens-and-shatter-the-earth Sword Qi on the giant sword into a tornado's spiraling form.

Once the Sword Qi tornado took shape, the ground cracked as if plowed by an iron blade.

However, the two people at the core of the alchemy formation seemed to be completely unaffected!

"Clang!"

A sharp metallic clang resounded throughout the ruins.

The robed figure wielding the short dagger had an astonishing power, his slender body, dozens of times smaller, firmly caught the giant's sword strike.

The instant the dagger and sword touched, a shockwave exploded from the center of contact, forming a visible air wave that sent sand and stones flying.

Even hundreds of meters away inside the fortress, Su Lun was unsteady from the blast that whistled through the vents, and he exclaimed in shock, "Is this the might of a top-tier fighter..."

It was this strike that made him feel that if a third-tier fighter were here, they would not die but would be severely injured by the slash, yet it was casually resolved by the cooperation of the two cloaked figures.

....

"They used a super-tier wind elemental control again. That magician must be skilled in at least three elements of spells..."

Watching, Su Lun's pupils quivered, finding himself at a loss for words to describe this robed magician.

They operated like a textbook example, with sorcerer's seals to their spellcasting, condensing elements with unassailable skill.

Su Lun found it hard to imagine just what identity this robed person possessed, to be skilled in at least three elemental spells.

He even suspected that this person might, like him, have awakened some talent that allowed them to harvest abilities from others.

Otherwise, how could it be so exaggerated?

Under normal circumstances, alchemy magicians specialize in only one elemental spell.

After all, human energy is limited. Only through specialization can one grow stronger and reach higher realms.

Therefore, the well-known second-tier masters in Old Lington City are usually magicians specializing in a single system, such as the mainstream earth, wind, water, fire...

Very few specialize in two systems.

Because to delve into an additional system, a magician must invest many times more time and effort.

But if it's "multi-elemental" beyond two...

Under normal circumstances, if not absolutely brilliant, such greedy and overreaching individuals are called "useless multi-elemental magicians."

And to cast super-tier spells, it definitely means that the magician must "master" that elemental spell.

....

However, Su Lun thought it was already inconceivable for the cloaked figure to master three super-tier elemental spells.

But it turned out that it wasn't over yet.

Right then, the Seven-Pointed Star Formation under the feet of the cloaked magician lit up again.

The light shifted from the blue of the wind system to the green of the wood system.

Although the transition took a few seconds and seemed a bit strenuous this time...

However, four consecutive elemental conversions were already at a level that is "unimaginable."

Watching one high-tier spell after another, Su Lun was surprisingly calm, only muttering to himself, "Four elements have been converted, how many elemental spells does this guy actually master..."

Then, he saw the cloaked figure throw a green bean into the alchemy formation.

The green light of the Alchemy flashed, and suddenly a green vine burst forth from the earth, growing rapidly in the wind. The frenzied power of the wood element wildly bolstered the vine. From a small sprout, it rapidly swelled in size, from the thickness of an arm to that of a water barrel, and then to something several people could barely embrace...

Then the main vine began to fork, branches spreading, growing thicker, continuing to fork, growing thicker still...

In the blink of an eye, the vine expanded hundreds of times in size and became a lush, towering, sky-reaching giant vine.

As the vine grew, it wrapped around the giant like a python coiling around a giant's limbs, and by the time the vine had reached full growth, it had already wound tightly around the tall soldier.

The creature tried to struggle, but the vine only grew thicker and its bindings tighter.

In that moment, Su Lun identified four high-tier alchemy spells: the "Earth System: Great Swamp Technique," the "Gold System: Transmute to Gold," the "Wind System: Tornado Technique," and the "Wood System Mysteries: Sky-reaching Vine..."

However, the aim of subduing the monster was naturally to kill it.

The creature probably intended to release the "Volgan Lava Fire" from the hexagonal ancient lamp it held, but before the flame could burst from the furnace, a pale blue dodecahedron with a purple seal suddenly appeared on the lantern.

Then, the flash of a sword, and the arm holding the lamp suddenly had a smooth incision.

The bizarre forearm was severed, dropping to the ground.

Without the ancient lamp, the monster was no longer a threat.

What followed was a straightforward execution...

.....

Su Lun counted, there were a total of five people in black.

Only three of them took action.

After seeing how brutal the methods of the cloaked magician were, he knew this battle had lost its suspense.

They had come prepared, familiar with everything about the monster, its means of attack, and familiar items for sealing it...

The tactical plan was flawless.

Before it could use its powerful move, the giant soldier's body had already perished amidst the vine's entanglement.

However, it was certainly comfortable to watch the excitement.

Su Lun also realized that those people had noticed him.

High-level practitioners like these could not have been observed for so long without them being aware.

Still, Su Lun was not panicked.

Because he had guessed the identity of these cloaked individuals.

He could think of only two forces in Old Lington capable of assembling such an extraordinary hunting array.

Either the Black Tower,

Or that mysterious "third party force."

Clearly, these people were not from the Black Tower.

One reason was that people from the Black Tower didn't need to hide...

The second reason was that Su Lun recognized two of them among the five.

When he saw that black-robed magician casting high-tier spells at will, a strong sense of familiarity came over him, this "all-knowing, all-powerful" sensation immediately reminded him of someone he knew—Mr. Hei.

And the one who could physically withstand the greatsword, he just didn't seem to have an ordinary body, especially with the mechanical jet propulsion sounds of "hiss" "hiss" during movement. If he wasn't mistaken, she was the super-mechanical warrior—Number Nineteen.

Su Lun looked at them appearing before him, his expression quite complicated.

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