Mechanical Alchemist

Since Su Lun knew that another team was secretly coming to exorcise the demon from Princess Teresa, Mr. Jing naturally wouldn't overlook such crucial intelligence.

God's methods are ultimately unfathomable to ordinary humans, even if the divine fire has been sealed, one cannot know what incomprehensible abilities He may possess.

Therefore, rather than triggering a trap himself, it made more sense to let the enemy test the waters and consequently weaken their strength.

The folks at the Duke's mansion still thought that Princess Teresa was a victim of a common "evil spirit invasion."

....

While Su Lun was conversing with Pestoya, as soon as he put on the ring sent by Sereya, he heard a scream from afar.

It seemed some entity was trying to compel Pestoya to remove the ring, but Pestoya's face was full of struggle, obviously resisting with her strong will.

This was a gift from her mother.

She didn't want to take it off.

Moreover, it seemed the ring couldn't be removed.

Before she could struggle further, Pestoya's figure suddenly vanished.

It appeared she had returned to the host body of Princess Teresa.

Su Lun listened to the commotion from afar and glanced in that direction. Continue your adventure with empire

After a moment of thought, he quickly followed.

With Mr. Jing's image magic, he didn't have to worry about his life safety for the time being.

He wanted to observe the battle,

and also wanted to try his luck.

After all, there were many fourth-tier guards, and even a fifth-tier one, around Princess Teresa.

What if he found a few corpses and managed to extract some Soul Shards?

...

Su Lun's spiritual power was now considerable, and he was very sensitive to its fluctuations.

Feeling that terrifying pressure descend, he knew that the god had shown His face.

The exorcism team from the Duke's mansion seemed to be quite skilled, actually managing to force the Fallen Angel's spiritual body to appear.

Su Lun didn't know what Mr. Jing had done previously, but it seemed that he had successfully instigated a fight on the other side.

He cautiously approached, staying about a kilometer away to observe the battle, and found a sturdy cover to hide behind.

Su Lun hadn't forgotten Mr. Jing's advice; he closed his right eye and watched the battle solely with his left eye that held the All-knowing Eye.

He now also knew that this gift had a filtering and protective function, allowing him to avoid seeing some "unwatchable" beings.

Mortals cannot gaze upon God.

This was the warning left to later generations after Sir Isaac's great battle with the Fallen Angel.

...

It was clear that the exorcism team from the Duke's mansion came prepared.

When Su Lun arrived, he saw hundreds of people surrounding Teresa, looking like they were facing a formidable enemy.

But the ones who could actually get within a hundred meters of Princess Teresa were only about twenty individuals, all masters of the third tier and above.

At that moment, the leader, a red-bearded old man wearing a white robe resembling an exorcist, was holding a cross that emitted a blinding silver brilliance, confronting Princess Teresa.

Glancing at the Seven-Pointed Star beneath his feet, Su Lun could tell that this fellow was a fifth-tier professional as well.

On closer inspection, the old man's Holy Knight's Exorcism Cross in his hands turned out to be a sealed artifact-level treasure.

The silver light from the cross shone upon Princess Teresa, emitting threads of black gas.

Like light dispersing darkness, normal people didn't notice how the silver light was any different, but the princess's face contorted vilely, as if she were enduring immense pain, letting out piercing screams from her throat.

Under the Holy Light, it was as if her body was being scorched.

Teresa writhed under the searing Holy Light, her throat issuing agonized roars, "Foolish humans! You are angering a great deity!"

With the cross pressed against her face, the Fallen Angel knew she could no longer hide, and she made no attempt to.

But to the people of the Duke's mansion, her words meant nothing.

The red-bearded exorcist even spat a mouthful of old blood at the cross, causing the intensity of the Holy Light to surge dramatically.

No one took "Teresa's" words seriously; evil spirits were not uncommon in this world.

Those spiritual bodies formed for particular reasons often boasted themselves as gods to delude people, and exorcists had long since grown accustomed to it.

In fact, they were just higher-level spirits.

They thought that the situation with their princess was more or less the same.

But Su Lun knew that these guys were about to face great misfortune.

After all, this being was once genuinely of the divine tier!

...

The people from the Duke's mansion had taken so long because they were waiting for this sealed artifact, the cross, to arrive, to ensure infallibility.

Indeed, the object was quite effective, capable of driving away anomalous spiritual bodies within humans.

After all, a Fallen Angel that had lost both divine fire and physical body was no longer of the divine tier.

This cross, with its holy properties, was particularly harmful to dark entities.

It didn't take long under the Holy Light for Teresa's black qi to slowly converge into a shadowy figure of an evil spirit.

But what nobody expected was that this "evil spirit" shadow was not just human-shaped; it had a pair of black wings, spanning meters, protruding from His back.

With the emergence of these wings, a majestically evil presence suddenly descended.

On a closer look at the silhouette, it strikingly resembled the Fallen Angels from mythological tales.

The bystanders didn't understand and were visibly shocked.

From a distance, Su Lun murmured to himself, "So this is the Fallen Angel..."

The red-bearded exorcist, with ample experience in exorcism, barked loudly, "This is a demon's Illusion Technique. Guard your minds and do not be bewitched!"

His six disciples coordinated seamlessly, forming a hexagram pattern, and the rope binding "Teresa" remained taut, giving Him no chance to break free.

Just then, the old man holding the cross stomped his foot, and the Seven-Pointed Star Formation beneath him shone brightly with white light, a clear sign that he was ready to unleash a powerful move.

At this moment, he took out a crystal glass bottle and splashed the water towards "Teresa."

The Holy Water fell upon the phantom of the Fallen Angel, hissing and steaming like sulfuric acid.

By the looks of it, the plan was to exorcise the "demon" that had manifested on the spot.

"Ah... pitiful humans, you have succeeded in angering me!"

The voice of "Teresa" became exceptionally terrifying, filled with anger and overwhelming intent to kill.

If it were an ordinary evil spirit, by now it would have either been destroyed or expelled.

Unfortunately, this one was a True God.

His understanding of the various laws was something far beyond the grasp of these mortals.

He had been taken by surprise and attacked earlier, unable to get free from the light of the holy cross, but now, He had recovered!

Just as the soul was about to be expelled from Teresa's body, He made a move that baffled everyone.

A black fire suddenly burst from His right wrist, and the silver rope binding the wrist instantly turned pitch black. The darkness spread swiftly from the wrist, quickly reaching the exorcist holding the rope.

"Damn it, it's elemental theft!"

Seeing this, the red-bearded man's face changed dramatically, "Damn it, how could it forcibly reverse the divine power of the 'Binding Spirit Rope'?!"

Su Lun, watching from afar, was not particularly surprised.

This "elemental theft" was something Su Lun had seen before. It was used by Mr. Hei and his group when they killed a fifth-tier professional.

Mr. Hei had used the same technique to dissolve a fifth-tier incantation using fourth-tier power.

To use this technique required an extremely deep understanding of the laws.

The alchemical item "Binding Spirit Rope" contained sixth-tier solidifying runes. To transform the stable runes' divine power into dark power was more complicated than a simple technique, requiring at least a seventh or eighth-tier grasp of Holy Incantation.

Currently, there were few in the world who could achieve this.

But regrettably, this one could.

The red-bearded exorcist tried to take some remedial action,

But by then,

It was too late!

"Teresa" suddenly broke free with her right hand and plunged it into her own chest without hesitation, causing blood to spray out.

Did she commit suicide?

Su Lun, watching from a distance, was also somewhat confused.

It was a move that seemed puzzling.

Not just to him—everyone was visibly stunned at that moment.

The palace guards had come to save someone, and now the demon possessing their princess had made her commit suicide. What was going on?

And more horrifying was yet to come!

"Teresa" directly pulled out her own heart and, without any hesitation, crushed it.

With a "pop," it burst like a bag of plasma, with blood splattering everywhere.

Now, the once noble and elegant princess had become a terrifying blood-soaked figure.

Exorcism?

Continue the exorcism if you dare!

His soul was still there; Teresa wouldn't die yet.

Once expelled, Teresa without a heart would surely die.

At this point, everyone understood why the evil spirit behaved in such a manner.

....

From a distance, Su Lun marveled at the tactic: "Can a god actually live without a heart?"

He immediately thought of some research reports he had seen in the notes of forensic doctor Gerald.

That man also studied the topic: how to survive if crucial organs like the heart were destroyed.

The proposed solution in the notes was to create blood circulation with an external force if the pumping function of the heart wasn't needed.

But that remained a theoretical experiment, and now, there was a living example before his eyes.

Su Lun closely observed the changes in the body of "Teresa" with a bloody hole in her chest.

Having harvested Gerald's memories, he now had a profound expertise in human anatomy.

Noticing the faint signs of a pulse in the body, he speculated, "She must be using muscular contractions combined with dark spiritual power to create an alternative circulatory system. Hiss—Gerald's hypothetical solution seems to actually work."

Su Lun, as an observer, was taking it in stride, but the people from the palace were completely stunned, their faces pale with fear.

They never imagined the situation would turn out like this. An exorcism that seemed almost fail-proof turned into serious harm for the princess?

If she died, Duke would never forgive those responsible for her protection.

But the situation having reached this point, they had no choice but to fight to the death!

Not to say that they could certainly save the princess, but at the very least, they had to kill the "demon."

The man dressed in a military uniform and with a pale face decisively ordered, "Take action, seize the person first!"

Unfortunately, "Teresa" didn't just rupture her own heart to make the exorcist hesitate.

A massive amount of blood gushed out and rapidly coalesced in Her hands into a red blade.

The blade, forged entirely from red glints, with sanguine lightning flashing, was as if She clutched a bolt of lightning.

With a dagger in hand, He suddenly underwent a dramatic change in demeanor.

This Fallen Angel wasn't employing Alchemy, nor was there any alchemical Formation in sight. But Su Lun keenly noticed that some grey hairs had suddenly appeared among His black locks, surmising in his mind, "It seems He has used some kind of Forbidden Technique that sacrifices lifespan to condense a spiritual formation."

The body of that Princess Teresa was said to be of only the second rank, too weak despite being supported by the soul of a god.

...

In the blink of an eye, both parties were locked in fierce battle.

Su Lun had also come to understand a bit about the situation of the abyssal plane through conversations with his teacher, Seraya.

It was a realm with a brutally harsh environment for survival.

The hostile living conditions within this cavern were but a microcosm of that place.

However, correspondingly, it was full of formidable beings.

Those who could survive in the abyss were the elite of their kind.

This Fallen Angel from the abyss was naturally no exception.

Just by watching the fluid dagger techniques of "Teresa," Su Lun, the "Combat Master," couldn't spot a single flaw.

Not only was His combat experience impeccable, but the red thunderbolt dagger in His hand was also enigmatic. Upon contact, thunder exploded, slicing through ordinary weapons and mechanical gear as if they were soft mud. Even when blocked, that crimson electricity would completely transform into elemental thunder, catching people off guard and killing them instantly.

First and second-rank professionals were killed with a single slash, third-rank ones could only take a few moves, and only those fourth-rank professionals shielded with "Elemental Barriers" could barely cling to life under the Thunder Dagger when working together.

The people from Duke Rafael's mansion had initially hoped to capture the "Evil Spirit," but only now, amidst the battle, did they realize how naïve they had been.

Faintly, everyone began to sense that there might have been some truth to the Evil Spirit's earlier claim about being a divine being...

However,

nobody had ever seen what a god looked like,

the fight had already begun,

and they had no way to retreat.

As private soldiers of Duke Rafael's mansion, the lives of all of them combined weren't worth as much as Miss Teresa's.

The only option left was a fight to the death!

...

How terrifying is the battle among high-rank professionals?

For a time, all sorts of high-level incantations exploded throughout the ruins like a bomber dropping bombs incessantly, with shockwaves of the battle surging higher and higher.

Those millennia-old sturdy structures easily turned to dust, limbs flew through the air, and rivers of blood truly formed...

"This fighting power is truly outrageous..."

From a distance, Su Lun watched with grave eyes.

Even if He had used a life-shortening Forbidden Technique, this "Teresa" barely matched Mr. Jing's prediction of possessing the level of a fourth-rank professional.

But watching Him hold His own against two fifth-rank, plus over a dozen fourth-rank, and numerous second and third-rank professionals...

Who would dare believe this was only fourth-rank?

The equipment of those people from the Duke's mansion was by no means inferior; they were the top of the elite, several levels stronger than those from families like Oliver and Clark's.

All manner of ancient relics, alchemical objects, cursed items, and scrolls... were thrown out as if money were no object.

It was as if one could hear the sound of money cascading down...

Su Lun couldn't help but widen his eyes in amazement.

Indeed, in this world ruled by nobles, with the scariest reserves belonging to the wealthiest few, Duke Rafael's foundation was terrifying to behold!

However, even as money paved the way, the casualties among the Duke's entourage only continued to rise.

Corpses littered the ground, and clumps of "grey mist" waved at Su Lun enticingly as if calling out to him, eliciting great envy.

These were Duke Rafael's trusted aides, selected from among the best of the best.

One could only imagine the quality of their souls, right?

If all of these were harvested, it was estimated that at least ten to eighteen years of knowledge accumulation could be saved...

However, as much as he drooled over them, he didn't dare make the slightest move.

The core of the battlefield had now turned into a meat grinder, with third-rank professionals standing no chance of survival—and second-rank professionals facing mortal peril within moments.

Although Su Lun was a bit stronger than the average second-ranker, he was not so arrogant as to think he could take on the battle head-on.

"There are still two fifth-rankers, so many fourth-rankers..."

He chanted silently in his mind, consoling himself that the Soul Shards of those third-rank and higher professionals were the real treasures.

He also prayed that when Mr. Jing and the others arrived, those grey mist fragments wouldn't have completely dissipated.

...

Although the battle seemed one-sided, with several fourth-rankers already slain,

Su Lun gradually noticed something was amiss.

The lifespan of a human body is finite, which meant that "Teresa's" Forbidden Technique must have a time limit and couldn't be used repeatedly.

This fact became evident during the midst of the battle.

As the fight dragged on, "Teresa's" hair turned into a full head of silver.

Those from Duke Rafael's mansion evidently noticed this change as well.

The harder they pressed, the quicker Teresa would perish.

If Princess Teresa were to exhaust Her lifespan and die, the battle would lose its meaning.

Yet capturing Her alive was not feasible.

To fight or not to fight...

It was this hesitation that gave "Teresa" the chance to kill several more people. Even two fifth-rankers were wounded to various degrees under the unpredictable Thunder Knife.

It seemed to be a situation where both sides would suffer heavy losses.

It remained to be seen whether "Teresa" would run out of life first, or whether the Duke's people would all be killed.

...

But no one noticed that when "Teresa" killed, it almost always occurred on certain special nodes, the position of the corpses, as if aligned with some kind of formation.

As time passed, the blood of those who died in battle was quietly absorbed by the ground.

Su Lun watched from afar, his All-knowing Eye capturing everything in front of him.

Soon, he also detected the peculiar flow of blood in the air and identified it as a Forbidden Technique that was forming, thinking to himself, "Is He invoking some kind of forbidden spell?"

It wasn't described as super-order, but as "forbidden," that is... Divine Arts?

Discovering this, Su Lun wasn't at all surprised.

As a god-level powerhouse, it's impossible not to have some tricks up one's sleeve.

Moreover, he also felt that this "Teresa" must have guessed something.

Really being entangled and struggling to cope with these people was going to be even worse later on.

Was it these fellows that the Fallen Angel dreaded?

No!

From beginning to end, what He truly dreaded was Sir Isaac, who had defeated Him a thousand years ago!

Although Mr. Jing and the others hadn't shown their faces yet, some clues had already indicated that a conspiracy targeting Him was closing its net.

Just like Pestoya's ring earlier, and the oddly coincidental timing of being "exorcised"...

If it were Su Lun himself, he would have become alert long ago.

...

Su Lun speculated that "Teresa" was gathering Divine Arts.

Sure enough, just then, the sky hundreds of meters high suddenly became stormy.

The thick fog in the ruins converged into a swirling black cloud in the sky.

The vortex grew larger and larger, with the center condensing into a black hole dozens of meters in diameter.

This commotion was so extraordinary that the Duke's guards, who were in a fierce battle on the ground, stopped fighting and glanced at the sky with the corner of their eyes.

This upheaval was simply too exaggerated, and it couldn't be caused by any fifth or sixth-order Alchemy.

It was as if the end of the world had come.

At this moment, they were still completely unaware of what kind of being they were facing.

But they also had a vague guess.

At that time, the black hole slowly cracked open a gap, revealing a pupil emitting a strange, ghostly light.

It was a massive eye!

The very instant this huge eye opened, a sense of awe that made people want to worship surged from the bottom of everyone's hearts...

It was as if a deity was gazing down upon the world,

And everything,

Was mere ants.

Those who saw that giant eye, one after another, kneeled down.

Even two fifth-order professionals only held out for a moment before kneeling, powerless to resist.

On their faces, only piety and fanaticism remained.

Su Lun thought that "Teresa" would control these people to guard herself.

But unexpectedly...

Upon looking again, the Duke's entourage was seen uniformly drawing their swords and committing suicide on the spot!

Simply with one glance, they all perished!

Their blood and energy completely merged into the formation on the ground.

At this time, with the power of the formation absorbed, behind Teresa, a pair of solid black wings slowly formed, with an aura so overwhelming that one could no longer look directly at her.

"The power of lower beings is really weak..."

The whispers from the Abyss echoed in the ears, as if possessing a kind of magic power that made people convinced.

Su Lun felt that strange sensation, his left eye immediately identifying the text [???], and automatically blocked the forbidden power that would have made him lose his composure.

He instantly understood, "The divine cannot be looked upon directly... So that's how it is!"

Su Lun knew he had been discovered.

Just then, "Teresa" suddenly looked in his direction.

With just a gaze, Su Lun died violently on the spot.

However, there was no explosion of blood.

Like a shattered mirror, his body disintegrated into specks of light.

Yet, seeing this turn of events, that "Teresa" who had just been so self-satisfied, suddenly changed color.

Clearly, She recognized the origin of this "mirroring ability"!

....

It was at the moment the giant eye formed in the sky, in the far distance, inside that tower.

Mr. Jing, though not present on the battlefield, also felt that power that made people want to worship and was clear about what it was.

After all, she was the only person in this plane who had truly seen a "God"!

She murmured, "The Power of Faith... finally using this move, huh? With the divine flame gone and only a little Power of Faith left, it seems like He's preparing to fight to the death to escape back to the Abyss."

As the thought flickered through her mind, her figure vanished from the tower.