Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 322 - 321 The Mysterious President of the Black Dragon Society

Make adjustments before changes. Two of the Koga’s top three ninjas arrived, and even Kato Danzo, an "elite-class" ninja who had long faded from the public eye, was present. This lineup was sufficient to assassinate any Daimyo from the Mountain Hermit nation.

Furthermore, considering the troops that might be barricading the main roads, the Takeda Shogunate was decidedly set on winning this round.

Unfortunately, they had underestimated the strength of Su Lun and his companions.

Or rather, they had not anticipated the variable at the Princess’s side, one capable of taming the Demon Blade Zongzheng — a Chihiro, and one Su Lun.

As Su Lun ran, he also weighed the pros and cons.

A royal princess of the current era, who had almost no connection to the right of imperial succession. Therefore, if Takeda Nobuyasu went to such lengths to kill her, it was very likely because of the "Black Sun Grand Festival."

Su Lun was also curious about what role the Princess would play in the ritual that made the Shogunate’s people so determined to kill her.

On the other side, Chihiro’s battle with "Shadow Buddha" Kato Danzo was of such a level that even elite ninjas had no right to interfere. Therefore, when Su Lun fled, he also attracted the pursuit of nearly all Koga ninjas following him.

In fact, they weren’t coming for him.

But because of the "Shinfuku Mitsuko" he had at his side.

As long as the target was there, those pursuers were relentless.

However, upon closer inspection, the expression in the eyes of the "Princess" next to Su Lun seemed slightly stiff.

...

Behind them, the sounds of "bang" and "bang" were ceaseless.

All kinds of pellets, ninja darts, shuriken, flying needles... whipped past him.

Although these Mountain Hermit ninjas were without advanced firearms, they wielded all sorts of peculiar fire tubes.

Don’t be fooled by these firearms that seem crude, taking half a minute to reload after each shot; their destructive power is far from small. The secret-formula gunpowder creates poisonous smoke and some special shrapnel upon ignition, and their damage is no less than that of a grenade.

Luckily for Su Lun who was tough-skinned, this shrapnel couldn’t penetrate the protective "Rune Vajra" he wore.

With a tell-tale bird sharing its vision from the sky, Su Lun wasn’t worried about being surrounded.

He continuously switched directions in the forest, always managing to avoid the encirclement of his enemies.

But the dangers were real, and several times he was almost caught by his pursuers.

Actually.

Su Lun had had the opportunity to shake off those chasing him.

After his advancement, the curse properties of his eight-limbed spider lance had also increased, and now his mountain Spatial Displacement ability had also greatly improved, his speed not the slightest bit inferior to those ninjas skilled in various Escape Techniques.

Besides, he had Spatial Displacement.

He wasn’t escaping with all his might simply because he was deliberately creating the illusion to those behind him that they could catch up.

After all, in Plan B, adept at strategic retreat, he was merely "bait."

Because the "Shinfuku Mitsuko" at his side, was also a fake!

It was a life-sized puppet and an illusion created with "Robert’s Monocle."

...

Having spent day and night together these days, Su Lun naturally knew thoroughly the appearance and figure of Shinfuku Mitsuko, so the illusion he conjured up could easily deceive the eye.

Moreover, the puppet was also plastered with the Princess’s "stand-in paper figure," making it difficult for the sensory ninjas to distinguish true from false by aura.

As for the real Princess, she had taken the chaos earlier as a chance to hide away.

The longer Su Lun drew the pursuers away, the more time the Princess had to escape.

But ultimately, it was a fake, and after some time, it began to show flaws.

With the overwhelming number of pursuers, no matter how careful Su Lun was, he could protect himself, but not the "Princess."

```

Two special Jonin’s moves were not simple either, as they seemed to have also sensed something fishy, making multiple probes. Finally, "Demon Hand" Ueno Sasaki blew a series of wind spells haphazardly, the "Princess" couldn’t avoid them in time and had a leg sliced off.

Looking at the blood gushing from the severed leg of the "Princess," the illusion expert "Sakurahime" Kobe Kaoru finally realized the problem and shouted, "Damn it, we’ve been tricked! It’s an illusion!"

Upon hearing this, dozens of ninjas stood frozen in place.

An awkward silence filled the air, as if a flock of crows were "caw-caw-cawing" as they flew by.

Hmm... there actually was a black crow.

Su Lun listened as his ruse was exposed, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. He thought his bloody illusion had been rather convincing and didn’t know how it was discovered.

However, having delayed for so long was enough.

By now, the Princess should already be safe.

Given the current situation, it was time for these Koga ninjas to be caught in a dilemma.

With their chase target gone, pursuing Su Lun no longer made much sense.

But then again, it seemed, going back didn’t hold much meaning either.

The old man Sasaki made a swift decision, ordering in a light voice, "Kaoru, take the men back to search for them! I’ll go kill him!"

Kobe Kaoru thought of her brief encounter with Su Lun in the Sword Forging Village and a touch of worry flashed through her eyes.

She knew that the guy in front of her didn’t seem too strong, but his methods were very unorthodox.

It appeared he was even more formidable than before.

But now was not the time for talk, she responded sharply, "Yes! Senior, be careful."

Saying so, she turned with her team and retraced their steps.

....

In the blink of an eye, dozens of Koga ninjas were reduced to just that old man with the rosacea nose.

With the numerical advantage gone, the pressure on Su Lun was suddenly lifted.

The man before him was skilled in wind ninjutsu, could run fast, and was one of the three great ninja, a bona fide fifth-tier professional.

Normally, Su Lun’s most prudent course of action would be to flee with all his might.

With his ability for Spatial Displacement, escaping wouldn’t be difficult.

But, after hesitating for a moment, he stopped in his tracks.

Su Lun thought of the scene where Senjo confronted Kato Danzo before.

Even when facing an enemy stronger than herself, she was fearless.

Only by facing adversity in life can one feel the kind of pressure that transforms a person.

It was like a renowned saying in alchemy: True gold is tested by fire.

Su Lun knew this was what he lacked.

His character was too cautious and prudent, but it lacked a bit of "spirit".

With this thought, Su Lun looked towards the elderly ninja standing before him.

He had never faced such a high-level opponent alone and had no assurance.

To fight might not mean a loss.

But to avoid battle, he would definitely not "win".

As this thought arose, a fighting spirit surged within him.

The moment Su Lun decided to stay, it was from this old man before him that he truly felt a tangible sense of oppression.

```

This was the sense of crisis that he had been chasing for so long, without feeling the slightest hint of it.

The murderous intent below him made his hairs stand on end.

It seemed like a long time...

Since he had felt the dance of swords.

Su Lun had an inexplicable familiarity with it.

His body took pleasure in this sensation, and a hint of excitement began to rise within him.

"Hehe..."

Su Lun’s mouth stretched into a grin, revealing a sinister smile at the corners.

Seeing Su Lun stand still, Ueno Sasaki felt a bit surprised and snorted coldly.

Once again, his feet generated wind, and his entire figure turned into a blur, charging fiercely forward.

Su Lun lured his opponent into the dense forest, then suddenly raised his hand as if presenting a chessboard, and a beam of light enveloped Ueno Sasaki.

A second look showed that the surroundings had already become a space of black and white chessboard squares.

If he had decided to fight properly, then he shouldn’t allow outside interference.

....

Realizing he was trapped within a chessboard space, Ueno Sasaki’s gaze turned cold, but he did not panic.

"Ninjutsu: Wind Barrier Barrier!"

"Secret Technique: Puppet Theater!"

Both sides were unyielding, forming seals at the same time.

Just as the alchemy formation lit up, and a giant cross slowly condensed in the sky, Su Lun felt the air around his body suddenly become as viscous as asphalt.

And it was solidifying rapidly!

This made every movement he made feel as though he was bound by a weight of a thousand pounds.

"Area control? What a masterful counter!"

A sharp flash passed through Su Lun’s eyes.

This Ueno Sasaki, facing a limited space, also used an area control ninjutsu,, making it so neither side seemed to have a definite advantage.

Su Lun was not panicked either, he raised his hand with the "Rune Human Skin Umbrella" and with a "bang," opened it up, the sorcerer’s seals in his hands changing once more.

But at that moment, Ueno Sasaki didn’t give him the chance to form seals, his figure flickered several times in an approaching rush. His steel claws glittered coldly, grabbing towards Su Lun.

The edge was menacing, and Su Lun hurriedly performed a Flash retreat several meters, only to see the afterimage in front of him being ripped into pieces by the sharp claws.

"Wrong!"

Although Su Lun had dodged that strike, at that moment, his back hairs stood on end.

One’s vision could be deceived, but within his soul perception, he clearly sensed that this old man in front of him was just an illusion!

Even without turning around, he knew perfectly well that his enemy was behind him.

"Such a high speed!"

A chill ran through Su Lun’s heart.

Flash allowed him to quickly avoid danger, but it was not without an interval time. The enemy had accounted for this, predicting that after one strike failed, another lethal move would follow.

The technique was clearly the very advanced Ninjutsu "Double Illusory Flash"!

The pressure on his back was like a mountain collapsing, and Su Lun immediately felt a sense of death closing in.

When facing such a true expert, no matter how many tricks you have, the threat is limited.

Because the adversary simply won’t let you use them!

Su Lun had intended to use the Rune Black Umbrella to strip his opponent of his senses, not expecting that before the sorcerer’s seals in his hands could be formed, he would receive such a heavy blow.

He caught sight of the enemy, but his body couldn’t keep up with his reaction, forcing him to change hand signals, "Puppet Substitute!"

The next instant, with a "clink" of a subtle cutting sound, "Su Lun’s" body was suddenly cut into three sections by the sharp steel claws.

With two strikes, his opponent had broken both his lifesaving techniques.

But at almost the same time, Su Lun’s expression shifted anew a few meters away, because at that moment he saw a second "Ueno Sasaki" suddenly appear beside him!

There was no soul fluctuation, only "qi."

"Wind Shadow Clone!"

Su Lun immediately grasped what was happening, deserving of his status as a top-level killer, his opponent’s techniques flowed one after another in succession.

But as he realized this, the clone had already launched its attack.

These three desperate moves took only a second or two in total, leaving no time for reaction!

At this extremely critical moment, Su Lun’s fingers pulled, and several strands of thread suddenly converged, pulling his body off to one side.

But even so, the claw still struck his back.

"Creak..."

A grating sound, like a metal blade cutting, erupted, and Su Lun was sent flying backward.

Although the claw failed to breach the defense of the "Rune Vajra," the immense force penetrated his organs, causing his blood to surge violently.

Unable to hold back, he spat out a mouthful of blood as he flew backward.

...

"The body is too weak..."

Only when up against a true master did Su Lun fully realize his shortcoming.

His neural response was sufficient, but his physical response simply couldn’t keep up.

He had thought his body was strong compared to other Puppet Masters, but now he saw that, in front of a true master, it was still far from enough.

A prestigious Puppeteer, unable to use even a single puppet, was nearly killed.

Luckily for him, he had many lifesaving techniques. Had it been an ordinary Puppet Master, even of the fifth rank, they would have already been captured as a dead soul by now.

Su Lun’s thoughts flashed through his mind as his body was thrown backward.

Just then, leveraging the force from being thrown, he finally managed to pull out three puppets in mid-air, guarding himself with them.

These were rune puppets he had refined after advancing to the fourth rank, barely possessing forth rank combat power.

Against such agile opponents, a strategy of quantity over quality with lower-ranking puppets would not hold any advantage. Even if he brought out mechanical armors, besides passively getting hit, they wouldn’t be of much use!

For a moment, tactical thoughts whirled in Su Lun’s mind.

....

Seeing Su Lun continuously dodge three lethal techniques, "Demon Hand" Ueno Sasaki was also greatly surprised. He had killed many enemies stronger than the one before him with this one move over his years as an assassin, yet this man had escaped?

High explosive physical techniques took their toll on the body, and having used "Double Illusory Flash," Ueno Sasaki wasn’t able to perform the triple strike tactic he had previously executed in such a short period.

But his motion paused only for an instant before he vanished from the spot like a wisp of breeze.

Su Lun watched the dissipating light and shadow in front of him, and behind him, he suddenly pulled back the eight-armed spider lance, "Silk Control Secret Method - Flower Waterfall!"

In an instant, numerous threads converged like a white waterfall, closely enveloping him.

This move was for defense, but it also trapped the enemy!

Yet, since the reaction was so swift, the figure still charged in.

"Squeak..."

There was another piercing sound of metal being torn apart.

Su Lun’s limbs didn’t have enough time to dodge when he felt a burning pain in his chest.

The blade-encased cyclone steel claws didn’t slice him into pieces, but they left three bloody gashes on his gold-painted skin.

"These steel claws are also of famous ninja tool quality!"

A thought flashed through Su Lun’s mind, and he endured the severe pain, yanking hard on the silk threads, but upon looking again, that Ueno Sasaki had already dropped two smoke bombs and disappeared without a trace.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Two explosions rang out.

Purple toxic smoke instantly spread everywhere.

Su Lun covered himself with a plague doctor mask, and to make the other party suffer as well, he also threw out two poison gas bombs.

The hissing sound of gas leaking was incessant, and within moments, the vast chessboard space was covered in purple and black smoke.

The other party was silent, obviously also holding back a major move.

Su Lun didn’t dare to delay, and the sorcerer’s seals in his hands rapidly formed and changed.

He didn’t think that the opponent would be unable to track his position without sight! Such a top-tier ninja’s hearing and sense of smell were too keen.

He must strip this guy’s senses to stand a chance at victory!

The Rune Vajra umbrella was the only tactic Su Lun could think of as feasible.

Otherwise, even if he played his trump card, the "Xiupunos’s Scythe of Night," it would not change the situation!

As Su Lun was concentrating on the spellcasting gestures, the opponent was naturally not idle either.

Suddenly, cries that resembled ghosts howling and wolves wailing surrounded him.

"It’s a wide-ranged wind magic spell after all..."

Su Lun’s expression grew very solemn, yet he wasn’t the least bit surprised inwardly.

In a closed space, there was no avoiding wind-style ninjutsu!

If he were that Ueno Sasaki, he would naturally choose such a method as well.

"Ninjutsu: Mountain Gale Wild Boar Technique!"

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Su Lun’s hands didn’t cease weaving the magician’s seals, but just then, he suddenly felt countless wind blades slicing towards him.

Even if there was a waterfall of hair woven into a wall by his side, it was as fragile as paper mache in front of the wind blades, instantly shredded to pieces.

"Such formidable cutting power..."

Su Lun felt the wall of threads being instantly slashed and lamented in his mind.

It was much stronger than his own "Wind Elemental Cutting" ability.

The wind blades also snuck through the gaps in the threads, "scraping" across Su Lun’s body, producing a sharp noise that made one’s scalp tingle.

Peering through the gaps, he saw a strange wild boar demon head in the sky, faintly showing signs of dispersing his Puppet Theater’s crucifix!

This was a suppression of spell rank...

Agonizing pain assaulted Su Lun as if countless steel blades were scraping his bones. He clenched his teeth, choosing to tough it out against the spell.

Without the "Golden Dragon Runes" engraved over the past two days, even the [Rune Vajra] Secret Technique, condensed from fifth-tier principles, would not have held.

But the wind seemed endless, showing no sign of subsiding.

Just when Su Lun felt he was about to collapse and be "dissected," his last sorcerer’s seal finally materialized in his hands.

If this attempt were interrupted as well, he’d immediately choose to flee!

Fortunately, as soon as the complex set of sorcerer’s seals was completed, Su Lun’s momentum abruptly soared, and the phantom of the Grim Reaper surged behind him, sweeping through the whole space with the breath of death. In a low voice, he intoned, "Dark Domain: Nightfall!"

With the spell achieved, a dark tide as pitch as asphalt swept across the entire chessboard space from the black umbrella at its center.

Countless malicious spirits with fierce faces rushed towards the one hidden in the wind nearby.

....

In the confined space, it was also an unavoidable, area-wide attack.

The darkness of the night obscured everything, and Ueno Sasaki instantly felt like he had lost his vision. Not only was his sight stripped away, but his hearing and touch vanished too.

He couldn’t even feel his own body, nor the presence of the wind.

It was as if he had stepped into hell, where countless demons beneath were reaching out to pull him into an endless abyss...

Shock flashed through Ueno Sasaki’s mind.

Being a potential "special higher ninja," he too had undergone various grueling training. During the psychological control, he bit his tongue hard, momentarily regaining clarity of perception.

Seizing the moment, he spat out a mouthful of crimson blood and burst a Ninjutsu Scroll, forming sword fingers with both hands and shouting before his five senses were stripped away again: "Spiritualism Technique: Wind God Eye Connect!"

No sooner had the Ninjutsu been deployed than a violent wind swept through the sealed chessboard space.

Su Lun was immediately annoyed.

Because, once again, he sensed the will of a god.

Though weak, it was real.

Without a doubt, that guy opposite must have summoned some creature of faith, a "monster" or so to say, "god."

(PS. There are tens of thousands of gods revered by the Mountain Hermit, none of which are of the divine rank)

As expected, another glance revealed a gathering whirlwind amidst flying dust and rocks, the poison was also sucked in, and the visibility cleared up, rapidly forming a vortex in the air.

The whirlwind in the sky visibly enlarged and then transformed into a terrifying eye nearly ten meters in diameter.

He just opened his left eye, a stream of light circling as he looked over.

[Wind God Eye Connect]

Explanatory note: One of the myriad gods manifested by the Mountain Hermit’s faith, responsible for the domain of wind, able to use wind as eyes to perceive the shape of objects; fears the energy of Acorus calamus.

Only when Su Lun saw this did he finally take a deep breath in relief.

If it weren’t for the will being not too strong, he would have already released the spell and fled.

Many of the Mountain Hermit’s "Mountain Gods" and "Water Gods" are not true gods, rather "special monsters" with various bizarre abilities, also possessing weaknesses.

Those weaknesses, besides the knowledgeable Onmyoji and shrine maidens, are rarely known, especially to those outside the Mountain Hermit.

But Su Lun possessed the All-knowing Eye.

He looked at the identified information, his heart leaping with joy. The Princess had given him more material, and there was plenty of Acorus calamus left.

Moreover, he sharply caught onto something, "wind" could only sense solid objects!

....

Ueno Sasaki’s eyes were lifeless, his pupils unable to focus, seeing that his body was indeed affected by the "Nightfall Domain."

But somehow, this guy regained control of his body by some means, and the moment he summoned the eye of the storm in the sky, his aura surged several times over without hesitation, and he charged fiercely towards Su Lun.

Su Lun had a moment to breathe and used Flash to avoid him.

In the instant of the Spatial Displacement, several space scrolls simultaneously exploded in the chessboard space, and hundreds of puppets appeared out of thin air.

There were humanoid objects everywhere.

At that moment, Ueno Sasaki suddenly froze, clearly unable to discern where the target was.

Seeing this, Su Lun felt a surge of joy in his heart, "That’s right!"

It was in that instant that he finally saw the possibility of defeating his enemy.

Ueno Sasaki didn’t understand why so many "people" had suddenly appeared, but he didn’t stop his hand movements, forming ninja seals and exclaiming, "Ninjutsu: Peacock Dance!"

As soon as he formed the seal, dense Wind Blades, like peacock feathers, condensed behind him, and he pointed ahead, "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," as if darts were flying towards the humanoid objects filling the space.

The area attack instantly sliced through the group of puppets, but unfortunately, without hearing and sight, even if the Wind Blade hit Su Lun, it was hard for Ueno Sasaki to tell which one was the real body.

Su Lun wouldn’t give him a chance to tell either; every time he used Flash, a bunch of puppets would appear at the same time.

Besides, even with area ninjutsu, there was still a primary and secondary target.

Unable to catch Su Lun’s real body and attacking hundreds of targets at once, the damage caused was nothing more than a scratch.

Su Lun hid among the puppets and began to counterattack.

.....

After a fierce battle for over half an hour, the outcome was finally decided.

One of the three great Ninja of Koga, "Demon Hand" Ueno Sasaki, perished on the spot.

But there was no denying that this guy was truly strong.

Especially after summoning that "Wind God Eye Connect," his Wind Escape Ninjutsu was absurdly powerful.

Even stripped of his five senses by Su Lun, his combat ability remained fearsomely strong.

Meticulous in thought, rich in combat experience, he also knew various tactics to lure the enemy. If he caught even a slight opportunity, he would deliver a fatal blow.

Under normal circumstances, even a fifth-order professional who encountered him would likely have little chance of survival.

Unfortunately for him, Su Lun, with stripped emotions, was as calm as a machine.

He was the kind of person who simply didn’t make mistakes or slip-ups in battle!

From the moment Ueno Sasaki failed to distinguish his real body, the outcome of the fight had actually been destined.

No matter how strong he was, human physical strength had its limits.

Su Lun was in no hurry to take action and didn’t engage directly. He just used various puppets and undead to wear his opponent down, never giving him a chance to breathe.

The two tested each other, using their wits and bravery. Ueno Sasaki, facing an opponent who never made mistakes, ultimately exhausted all his strength.

Su Lun used a black scythe to kill him.

....

Su Lun, amidst the wreckage of the chessboard space, glanced again at the bisected corpse on the ground, deeply moved, "So strong..."

Having lost hundreds of puppets and sustained numerous wounds himself, it was a narrow victory.

This was also the first time he had killed a fifth-order combatant using only his own strength.

This battle was extreme; relying on numerous cursed items, he had luckily won.

In a head-to-head fight, Su Lun would still have a long way to go.

However, for an Alchemist, there was nothing shameful about this.

Making good use of cursed items was also a part of an Alchemist’s fighting strength.

This battle provided tremendous gains.

However, it had also exposed his shortcomings.

His Dark Spiritual Power wasn’t strong enough...

His defenses weren’t strong enough...

His bodily reactions weren’t quick enough...

His "normal attack" methods lacked lethality...

As a Puppeteer, when facing professionals who could directly confront him, his survival tactics were still insufficient...

In an instant, Su Lun’s mind flashed through the scenes of the recent battle, and he fully recognized his deficiencies.

Fortunately, knowing his shortcomings, he now had directions for improvement.

But now was not the time to review the battle. He composed himself and stripped the soul from the corpse.

"You have stripped the soul of ’Ueno Sasaki’ and gained a wealth of ’Ninjutsu’ inheritance knowledge."

"You have comprehended the spell insights related to ’Wind Escape.’"

"You have gained knowledge and insights related to ’Mountain Hermit Divine Path.’"

"You have learned some top-secret information: ’The Black Dragon Association has a very mysterious chairman’..."

"..."

Su Lun had thought he might strip away some profound insights into the "Wind Elemental Laws."

But clearly, he had thought too much.

The Ninjas from Mountain Hermit were also devout believers; their Ninjutsu consisted just of a few spells and seals, far simpler than the casting processes of an Alchemist. But despite this "rudimentary" nature, they achieved incredible effects.

Upon investigation, it was the power of the divine system they believed in that empowered them.

With this stripping, Su Lun understood the whole Ninjutsu system, which didn’t delve into the principles but focused on application.

Without knowing the principles, there were few Ninjutsu he, as an Alchemist, could use.

Even the few he could use wouldn’t be as powerful as those wielded by Ninjas.

However, certain experiences could be correlated, and he still gained quite a lot.

Moreover, Su Lun had obtained a sensational piece of information from Ueno Sasaki’s memories: The chairman of the Black Dragon Association was actually the one known as "the most beautiful princess in the world," Shinfuku Mitsuko?!

This connected perfectly with the previous speculations of his allies.

After their assassination attempt failed, a "mysterious person" appeared behind Shogunate General Takeda Nobuyasu and turned the tide.

Now that the Black Dragon Association was actually under the control of this "Princess Yoru Hime," everything made sense.

But how could a geisha be the boss of the Black Dragon Association?

Moreover, she seemed to have a significant relationship with Takeda’s shogunate!

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Why specifically her?

Having remained hidden for so many years without discovery, what was she plotting?

Too many questions arose, but Su Lun didn’t think about them in depth.

The answers could only be found in Edo.

With the dissolution of the chessboard space, he quickly disappeared into the mountains.