Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 639 - 638: I Have Killed a Demigod

In the southern part of Anlogos County, Su Lun and Mr. Jing were camping in a forest on the outskirts of the city.

Recently, the "Archmage of Evil" Constantine Reiloz from the Divine Plane had been moving around the major cities in the south, launching surprise attacks. The two of them were also lying in wait nearby, hoping to get lucky and ambush him.

However, instead of encountering the enemy, they received a communication from Chi'en.

"Sister Chi'en, you... you're back?"

Upon hearing this news, Su Lun's expression immediately shook.

Two years ago, when he had adventured to the Dragon Country Waters, Chi'en had unhesitatingly boarded the Ghost Train to the Netherworld in pursuit of her Sword Dao.

Since then, there had been no news from her.

As Fujiwara Hayato described in his travel notes, the Netherworld is the final resting place for the deceased. It is a higher plane of the underworld and a forbidden zone for all living beings.

Su Lun had been worried about Chi'en encountering some accident but was powerless to do anything about it.

Now, hearing this familiar voice, he felt as if the oppressive cloud of bad news that had recently surrounded him suddenly cleared, and his mood brightened.

The voice on the other end of the communicator replied lazily, "Yeah. I'm not really sure where I am right now; the Ghost Train dropped me off when it reached its station. Hmm... Looks like I'm still somewhere in the Dragon Country Waters."

Su Lun replied, "Okay, wait for me, I'll come to pick you up right away."

Mr. Jing, seeing his excitement, looked at him with an inquiring gaze.

Su Lun explained briefly, "Sister Chi'en has returned."

Hearing this, a hint of joy appeared on Mr. Jing's face, "Oh? She's back, huh."

...

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Meanwhile, in the Dragon Country Waters, it was precisely midnight.

A thick fog blanketed the sea surface, and the dark waters were dull and devoid of light. In the misty shadows, one could faintly see a steam train speeding past, then disappearing into thin air like a ghost.

After the Ghost Train vanished, the fog over the sea began to thin somewhat.

Upon closer inspection, there was now a swordsman on the sea, wearing a conical hat and tattered Sword Dao robes, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.

With his high-tied green hair and his spirited face, if it wasn't Chi'en, then who could it be?

She put down the communicator, took a couple of deep breaths, and mumbled to herself, "Ah, there's nothing like the air of the human world, so comfortable to breathe. Not like in the Netherworld where every breath feels like swallowing ice daggers..."

Chi'en had just returned from the Netherworld, and if anyone could see death Qi, they would notice a thick layer of dark Qi swirling around her like steaming flames.

This dark Qi was entirely incompatible with the living world, like water and fire.

Chi'en glanced at her own body and, upon realizing the issue, slightly raised her eyebrows but didn't seem too concerned about it.

It would take some time for Su Lun to arrive to pick her up, so she appeared somewhat bored.

She casually walked a few steps on the sea, looking around for any islands where she might rest.

Suddenly, a sharp gleam passed through her eyes, and she murmured to herself, "Hmm? The death Qi has attracted some big ones."

This was the Dragon Country Waters, home to countless terrifying sea monsters.

It hadn't been long since she got off the train when she noticed several powerful presences had locked onto her.

But she was not surprised.

It was just like when she first went to the Netherworld; the essence of the living was a fatal attraction to the dead. Now, the death Qi on her was like a beacon in the night, detectable from a great distance.

Chi'en paid no mind to the sensation of being observed by powerful entities. Her hand rested on her sword's hilt while she continued to tread lazily across the surface of the sea.

She had not walked far when suddenly, a shadow appeared under the sea water beneath her feet.

The shadow grew larger and larger until, with a "whoosh" of water, a huge deep-sea monster with sharp teeth leaped out of the water, as if it intended to swallow her whole.

Chi'en's face showed not even a hint of fear as her finger on the hilt of her sword gave a slight flick.

A sound of clanking metal rang out,

With a flash of cold light, the giant sea monster about to close its jaws around her split in two in an instant.

Sea water and blood rained down from the sky, landing on the conical hat and falling into the sea.

This was a seventh-tier sea monster with a Titan bloodline, a Lord-level creature.

Chi'en didn't even spare it a second glance; in the underworld Netherworld, killing was a basic skill for survival, and drawing her blade was pure instinct. A seventh-tier monster wasn't worth her concern.

A few more steps and a breeze blew by, thinning the fog further.

Only then did she see a towering mountain in the distance, which allowed her to recognize her rough location, "West of the Hell Volcano, Dragon Territory. Looks like I'm in a bit of trouble..."

The dangers of the Dragon Country Waters were nothing new to the Dawn Group, who had learned of them long ago. Dangerous high-tier Lord-level sea monsters were rampant throughout these waters.

The most troublesome of all were the dragons.

But without a ship or an island in sight, she had nowhere to go.

It would still take some time for Su Lun to get there.

So Chi'en continued walking east, trying to avoid the dragons' territory.

However, things did not go as she wished.

The deathly aura emanating from her was even more likely to attract powerful monsters than the scent of blood.

Suddenly, a high-pitched dragon's roar resounded through the night sky.

Qian Tiao looked up at the rapidly approaching massive shadow in the sky, pursing her lips slightly.

Su Lun had no idea when he would be able to arrive, and it seemed he would have to wait quite a long time.

In these waters, she really did not want to provoke a giant dragon.

However, facing the oppressive Dragon Might, it was clear that the eighth-tier red dragon in the sky had no intention of giving up on its "delicious food," or perhaps, it coveted the precious death aura from the Netherworld.

An eighth-tier pure-blooded giant dragon, that's equivalent to a level nine combatant's strength.

Qian Tiao's eyes still lacked any particular luster, lazy and indifferent.

Looking at her expression, it seemed her only concern was the hassle.

As for any other thoughts, there were none at all.

The Rakshasa Woman, born for slaughter.

If you dare to come, I dare to draw my sword.

Having been to the Netherworld, she harbored no fear in her heart.

It was just as this thought flashed by that the eighth-tier red dragon was already a few hundred meters away, its neck scales fiercely parting, gathering power before spitting out a terrifying Dragon Breath.

The scorching Dragon Breath swept over the sea surface, the intense heat causing a large amount of steam to rise from the sea. The Dragon Might that caused all life in the vicinity to shiver in fear slammed down like a mountain, yet Qian Tiao's face remained entirely unchanged.

The strong wind blew at her robes, rustling fiercely, and her fighting hat stirred slightly.

She reached out a hand to hold down her hat while the other hand, which grasped the hilt of the Famed Sword "Fó Tú," suddenly exerted force.

With a sudden draw of the sword, thunder roared in the sky.

In an instant, it was as if gods and demons of Hell had descended, exuding a domineering and unrivaled aura that enveloped the sea.

Qian Tiao's eyes sharpened with murderous intent, and she softly chanted, "Lei Ming Ichidō Ryū·Whisper!"

On a second glance, lightning burst from the blade, turning into a crescent moon Sword Qi that slashed towards the front.

With that one sword, it was as though space itself had been cleaved apart.

Sea water, the sky, Dragon Breath, and the ferocious fire-breathing dragon hundreds of meters away... Everything the Sword Qi touched was bisected with a single cut!

"Crash" the sea water split open, the Sword Qi swept across the seabed, and even carved a smooth crack hundreds of meters deep into the ocean floor.

As if some mysterious force was preventing the sea water from closing, the kilometer-long gash on the sea surface was slow to subside.

And coincidentally, at this moment, a spatial fluctuation flashed, and a figure appeared not far from Qian Tiao, just in time to witness this astonishing scene.

...

It was a long distance from Ruying to the Dragon Country Waters.

Although Su Lun did not delay and teleported multiple times, he only just managed to get there.

However, for his last teleportation, he confirmed Qian Tiao's spatial coordinates, and just after he performed Directed Displacement, he was immediately met with a terrifying Dragon Might.

Su Lun instantly recognized it as a high-tier giant dragon.

Just as he thought he was going to encounter some trouble, an unrivaled Sword Qi suddenly descended.

And the Dragon Might dissipated as if blown out by the wind.

Then he saw the amazing sight: Qian Tiao sheathing her sword, a dragon falling from the sky, and a kilometer-long huge fissure appearing on the sea surface.

Su Lun's eyes twitched involuntarily, somewhat incredulous: An eighth-tier giant dragon, killed with one sword?

He himself could kill one, but it definitely wouldn't be this easy.

It was in that momentary daze that Qian Tiao had already looked over.

As if she completely disregarded the exaggeration of the sword she had just swung, she arched an eyebrow and said, "Yo, Su Lun, you've arrived. I thought you would be a bit later."

Two years ago, indeed, it would have taken him quite a while to arrive, but now Su Lun's strength had increased, and naturally, his traveling speed was much faster.

But this wasn't the point.

Su Lun asked curiously, "Sister Qian Tiao, have you advanced to level nine?"

With his All-knowing Eye, how could he not see the deathly aura steaming from Qian Tiao's body?

At this moment, Qian Tiao seemed not so much a living person but more accurately a reanimated corpse, existing in a very strange state.

It was as if she had merged with the laws of heaven and earth, returning to a primordial state.

And that sword she had just swung had already cut through the threads of laws. That was clearly the realm of a Sword God!

But to so casually slay an eighth-tier giant dragon, this was not the capacity of an ordinary Sword God. Even the current peak eighth-tier Old Sword God Bartolo would find it difficult to make such a slash.

Qian Tiao, hearing this, lazily glanced at him and said, "Yeah."

After pondering for a moment, she added meaningfully, "In that place, if you don't become stronger... you really will die."

Her tone was nonchalant.

But one could hear in that voice a sense of composure that came from familiarity with the utmost darkness of the world, as if there were no difficulty left insurmountable.

At those words, the shock in Su Lun's eyes subsided, replaced by joy. With a light sigh, he said, "It's good to have you back."

After more than two years, Qian Tiao seemed unchanged, except for the heroism between her brows, now three parts fiercer.

Su Lun walked over and touched Qian Tiao's body, feeling the death energy that had become increasingly faint, "Is this the real Netherworld energy?"

The Netherworld belonged to a part of the underworld, and he was curious about what the final resting place of the deceased was really like.

Qian Tiao did not respond directly, but upon seeing Su Lun unaffected by the death energy, she expressed her surprise, "Yo~ Su Lun, long time no see. You have become much stronger."

With that, she hooked Su Lun's arm, just like old times.

Su Lun smiled faintly, sensing the surroundings and noticing several dragon roars rising, "Let's head back to Luying first. This isn't a place for chatting."

Qian Tiao nodded.

A fluctuation of space blinked, and the two disappeared from the sea surface.

Along with them, vanished the corpse of the eighth-order red dragon.

....

Before long, in the forests on the outskirts of Anlogos County in the southern part of Luying.

The campfire burned brightly when suddenly, Su Lun and Qian Tiao materialized out of thin air.

Mr. Jing looked up from his meditation at their return, a slight smile in his eyes as he opened them, "Odilea, you're back."

"Yeah."

Qian Tiao greeted Mr. Jing.

But as she looked around the woods, she immediately complained, "Ah... why are you living out in the middle of nowhere? I thought you were in an apartment. I wanted to take a bath when I got back. You have no idea, everything's fine in the Netherworld except the living conditions are absolutely dreadful for humans. The rivers flow with blood, and the rain is always gloomy; there's just no way to bathe... I haven't had a proper bath in two years, and I'm completely pickled."

Mr. Jing listened, his gentle gaze rippling with laughter as he casually explained, "We have to be on guard against enemy attacks, so we've camped out in the wilderness."

No sooner had he spoken than Su Lun noticed that Qian Tiao's Sword Dao robe was not only tattered but nearly encrusted.

Some liquid—blood or otherwise—had solidified into clumps, covering the original color of the clothing and emanating a strong aura of death.

The underworld is the final destination for the deceased, rumored to be the convergence of all that is filthy, dark, and debased in the world; a normal human life simply wouldn't be possible.

For someone of Qian Tiao's temperament not to bathe for two years was sheer torture.

"Ah... Su Lun, hurry up and get a bathtub ready. I can't stand it any longer," Qian Tiao clamored, before stopping as if remembering something and then asked, "Right, what enemy?"

Su Lun replied, "In the time you've been in the Netherworld these two years, there's been a lot of movement on the divine plane... Now a demigod has infiltrated Luying and is attacking cities everywhere, causing quite a headache for the imperial authorities... Sister and I have been dealing with that guy these past few days..."

As he described the recent war of the planes, he took out a large bathtub from the minor void realm, and also a water heater on the side.

These items were plentiful in the minor void realm, and he quickly assembled an outdoor bath.

After some adjustments, hot water gushed from the brass showerhead.

With no outsiders around, Qian Tiao felt no shyness as she stripped off her ragged Swordsman robe in front of Su Lun and Mr. Jing, standing bare under the shower, reveling in the long-missed warmth of the water. Droplets formed chains as they slid down her skin, washing away the clinging death energy.

Her unabashed boldness caused Mr. Jing to look on with a slight sense of resignation.

Su Lun, however, was used to it, though his gaze sharpened a bit upon seeing the unhealed scars on Qian Tiao's body. It was clear to him that these wounds hadn't healed because they had been eroded by high-level laws. Whoever dealt those injuries was of a very high rank!

Qian Tiao seemed entirely unconcerned by the eyes on her body, simply savoring the pleasure as the hot water ran over her. With a contented sigh, she murmured, "Ah... it feels great to be alive."

As she spoke, she seemed to recall the earlier topic, interjecting, "Right, that 'demigod' you mentioned... Is that the kind of being that's a bit more powerful than ninth-tiers, but not quite at the divine level?"

Su Lun nodded, "Yeah. Did you encounter any in the Netherworld, sister Qian Tiao?"

"Mhm. I saw some," Qian Tiao answered.

Su Lun wasn't surprised.

He knew a bit about the Netherworld and figured that a higher plane like that would have demigods.

However, as their conversation continued, he never expected Qian Tiao to add, "I've killed one before. He was quite tough."

Upon her words, it was as if time had hit the pause button.

Su Lun: "..."

Mr. Jing: "..."

Both men turned their heads to look at her, utterly astonished.

Quite tough...

And killed one?

The statement seemed paradoxical.

A tic formed at the corner of Su Lun's eye as he asked in disbelief, "Sister Qian Tiao, you've killed a demigod?"

"Yes, a demon, a 'Gravebane Maggot.' It's said to be a death god, but not quite at the level of a true deity,"

Qiān Tiáo seemed unimpressed.

As she spoke, hot water cascaded down from above, soaking her blue hair and clinging to her skin.

After a pause, she continued, "The Netherworld is the destination of the deceased, not just for our plane, but I've even met many formidable individuals there. Oh, you might not understand that feeling, those exceptional swordsmen who died hundreds, even thousands of years ago, they're all in the Netherworld. Experts from different eras, masters of various schools, I found almost all the origins of Sword Dao there. It was utterly exhilarating, do you know? To exchange swordplay with those masters was the most magical experience of my life..."

"..."

Su Lun and Mr. Jing could not miss the excitement in her tone.

For swordsmen, nothing is better than finding an opponent to exchange Sword Dao with, especially one stronger than themselves.

And in the Netherworld, time accumulates innumerable deceased swordsmen, theoretically providing access to everything about Sword Dao.

But before they could inquire further about what exactly the Netherworld is, Su Lun was curious about something else.

He asked, "Sister Qiān Tiáo, have you seen a deity?"

Qiān Tiáo replied, "I've seen them from a distance. Can't beat them, so I just avoided them."

Hearing this, Su Lun and Mr. Jing exchanged a look, shock apparent in their eyes.

Having seen a deity...

At that moment, Su Lun asked another question, "Sister Qiān Tiáo, have you realized your own 'rule' yet?"

In his mind, anyone who could slay a demigod must have grasped the profundity of rules and might already be a demigod themselves.

However, Qiān Tiáo gave an unexpected answer.

She countered, "Rule? What's that?"

Su Lun explained, "'Rule' is, well, above laws, a special existence in the universe, um... you could say it's a power that only demigods and deities can grasp."

"Rule" is hard to explain in words; if you've not reached that realm, descriptions are futile.

Listening, Qiān Tiáo nodded repeatedly, "Oh..."

Su Lun tried to describe "rule" using his intellect, thinking she might understand.

But to his surprise, after nodding, Qiān Tiáo asked again, "So... what exactly is that thing?"

"..."

Su Lun's eyes twitched as he asked somberly, "You haven't grasped it? But how did you manage to slay that eighth-tier giant dragon before? By slashing through the realm of rules, right?"

Qiān Tiáo, who was lathering her hair, made a knife-hand gesture offhandedly, "Just like that, a casual slash, and it was dead."

With those words, the conversation lapsed into silence again.

Su Lun: "..."

Mr. Jing: "..."

A breeze wafted through, rustling the leaves, while a crow cawed "caw caw" from a treetop.

It was then that the two realized Qiān Tiáo truly didn't know what "rule" meant. Her combat ability was more based on instinct and intuition, rather than intellectual understanding.

But one thing was certain: Qiān Tiáo's current strength could kill a demigod.

With this thought, an idea struck Su Lun suddenly, "Sister, I've got a plan!"

They had been lacking some means to slay a demigod previously, but now with Qiān Tiáo's return, they had filled that gap.

Mr. Jing caught on to what he meant and said, "You mean... not to assassinate this 'Archmage of Evil' Constantine Reiloz, but to ambush Princess Octavia J. Fielding instead?"

Su Lun nodded, "Yes."

The enemy was daring to infiltrate Ru Ying to create havoc, confident that the Alchemy Plane lacked top combat power.

But with Qiān Tiáo here, the Dawn Brigade now truly had the power to kill a demigod.

And this intelligence was a blind spot for the enemy.

If Qiān Tiáo were to show herself, the enemy would certainly be on guard next time.

Therefore, the surprise strike plan could only be used once.

If that was the case, they should go big for this one time!

Killing an ordinary demigod compared to slaying a Grand Princess of an empire, the latter would clearly yield greater gains!

Eliminating the demigod Octavia and then defeating Constantine wouldn't be difficult, and might even allow Su Lun and his allies to confront the million-strong Mage Legion without hesitation.

If the plan succeeded, with the current strength of the Alchemy Plane, they might indeed be able to deal a significant blow to the grand warfare plans of the Celestial Plane!

Mr. Jing also realized this in a flash.

Though the plan was perfect, she thought of a very practical problem, "But Princess Octavia is currently the commander of a million-strong legion; she won't engage lightly. It won't be easy to lure her out alone."

Su Lun's eyes flickered with a ready plan, "Under normal circumstances, it's true we can't draw her out. But I have a divine taboo item in my little void realm that if revealed, will surely bait her."

At this, Mr. Jing obviously realized something, her bright eyes gleaming.

The plan was absolutely feasible!