Mechanical Alchemist

"Soul immortality means I can be like that guy, where even if my body dies, my soul won't dissipate? And brain domain expansion implies I can integrate a higher quality 'Isaac Blasphemer'..."

Looking at the "Descartes' Crystal Skull," Su Lun's mind raced with countless thoughts.

He had earlier planned for himself an advancement path as a Reaper Puppeteer, and the only piece of equipment missing was the 'Isaac Blasphemer' he intended to integrate at the eighth rank.

However, judging by the feedback from Dora and her teacher, Lucien Pepys Grandmaster, after their integration, this piece of equipment had very high requirements for brain domain development and cognitive abilities.

Under normal circumstances, Su Lun estimated that he would only be able to fuse with one silver-quality 'Blasphemer' piece of equipment of the same rank upon reaching the eighth rank.

He had been thinking about seeking professional advancement materials that could improve the conditions for equipment fusion.

But the materials available in his small void storage had never met expectations, so he had been without a clue.

Little did he expect that, by a fortunate coincidence, he would come across it in this cursed space.

Moreover, the effects of the skull far exceeded his expectations!

...

The Skeleton Sword Deity was the undead mage Yale Robbins, and there was extra hostility when enemies met.

The hollow eye sockets burning with soul fire stared at Su Lun, as if there were genuinely eyes gazing over, locking on to him directly.

One was lying in ambush, the other was waiting to be ambushed; both were well prepared.

The moment their gazes met, both men almost simultaneously made their moves.

With a flip of his hand, Su Lun summoned a bronze ancient lamp tethered with an iron chain.

Once Spiritual Power was infused, the ancient lamp immediately ignited, casting out a green beam of light.

In the temple, the skeleton somehow produced an iron hook that also seemed to be made of bronze, emitting a slightly paler green beam of light.

Both men took out their treasures at the same time and made their moves at the same time; neither could avoid it and were struck by the beams they each released.

"Eh... This iron hook is actually part of the soul lamp!"

However, just then, Su Lun's heart fluttered with surprise, as he had identified what the skeleton was holding—an iron hook called "Tartalus' Forbidden Soul Hook."

And coincidentally, the bronze lamp he held in his hand was the "Tartalus' Forbidden Soul Lamp," which he had obtained after blowing up a divine being in the capital of the silver dragon kingdom, Aikrensa.

It had been damaged in the explosion and discarded in his small void realm; he had combined it with the original iron chain component and had it repaired by the mountain dwarf clan.

Just a few days ago, it had been fully restored, regaining the majority of the cursed object's effects.

This thing had one main use: to lock a target's soul within a certain range.

Undead Great Magus Yale Robbins had escaped once before, and Su Lun did not want him to escape again, so the plan before coming here was precisely this—to confine the opponent's soul within a range upon first encounter.

The effect was as ideal as he hoped, locking the target immediately upon contact.

What Su Lun did not expect was that this guy would use exactly the same method!

Even the means employed were identical.

The iron hook was a piece of the soul lamp, not only capable of locking a soul but also possessing a special "soul-hooking" effect.

When Su Lun was hit by that beam of light, his status panel showed a soul-locking state, and in that moment, he felt as if his soul was being pulled out of his body by a force.

Only when his aura enveloped his entire body did this sensation instantly vanish.

....

"Heh, this is quite the coincidence."

Su Lun knitted his brows and murmured to himself.

Now, neither of them could run away.

They must kill each other to have a chance to leave.

However, since Dawn Group had set the trap with the resolve to deal with this guy, Su Lun didn't mind being locked down.

Yet, when the Skeleton Sword Deity realized his soul was locked down, his heart was significantly alarmed.

At this point, both sides knew the fight was to the death.

However, at that moment, one moved faster.

She had been waiting for this guy for a long time!

Just as Su Lun and the skeleton each made their move, the air suddenly erupted with the sounds of rapid footfall.

"Pop," "Pop," "Pop"...

Multiple figures surged forward, charging toward the temple.

The Skeleton Sword Deity had not even had time to lower the bronze iron hook before a Thunderous Sword Qi appeared less than a meter from his face.

"Clang!"

A sharp metallic sound rang out.

The famed sword "Buddha Slayer" had already been unsheathed, brandished in front to block the incoming Sword Qi.

Although it was blocked, the soul flame in the eye sockets of the Skeleton Sword Deity also trembled, clearly caught by surprise.

He didn't seem to understand why this woman had grown so much stronger after only half a month?

Before he could ponder any further, Qian Tiao had already rushed forward into the temple. The shadow of the Rakshasa Golden Body formed solidly behind her, dispelling the dense undead curses around, and she struck down with another slash of Thunderous Sword Qi.

"Clang~"

A sharp clash of metal resounded as the domineering "Onimaru Hyakume Zokusei" collided with the soul flame of "Buddha Slayer," sending sparks flying.

The skeleton figure was forced to retreat dozens of meters.

Qian Tiao, already aware of the potency of the soul flame from their last encounter, immediately withdrew upon contact, deftly avoiding the splattering soul flame. She extended the distance between them and then slashed again with Thunderous Sword Qi.

She made three consecutive slashes, smoothly executed in one breath.

At the same time, the skeleton, knowing it was at a disadvantage, immediately had the soul flame in its eye sockets become numb, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Outside the temple, Su Lun's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this.

Others might not notice, but Su Lun clearly perceived that the guy's soul had transferred away from the Skeleton Sword Deity.

His gaze instantly shifted to the crystal skull on the ground, thinking to himself, "Being able to switch soul containers at any moment, this guy's 'Death God's Fire' secret technique must have been perfected to the point of mastery. He fears he's already obtained the power to advance to the ninth order..."

But this was just perfect.

After the harvest, it would all be his!

Su Lun wasn't idle either. He raised his hand and summoned Tanni and the others, drawing them all into a miniature void realm.

This battlefield was no place for those who hadn't comprehended the concept of domination.

Almost instantly, countless bizarre ghostly creatures emerged from all around the temple: ghostly tentacle monsters, ghostly whales, ghostly dragons, ghostly giants...

However, these ghost creatures were not in their normal form; instead, they were grotesquely deformed.

There were tens of thousands of them.

Driven by some force, these ghostly creatures surged towards Su Lun with ferocious intensity.

As soon as they appeared, a faint blue silver light immediately illuminated the entire city.

Gathering like a torrent, a mighty soul shockwave surged forth like a dam bursting.

However, Su Lun's expression didn't show the slightest bit of panic. In his hand, the Rune Umbrella opened with a "swoosh," and he chanted softly, "Nightfall Domain – Open!"

In an instant, night fell, and a bizarre pitch-black domain rapidly expanded several hundred meters around Su Lun.

An astonishing scene unfolded as the onrushing ghostly creatures, which could easily crush the soul of a top professional, became trapped in the dark domain and vanished without a trace.

"Goddess Hel's Rune Soul Umbrella" was designed specifically to counteract souls, possessing a powerful ability to capture and imprison them. The more souls it contained, the stronger its effect became.

After all, ghostly beings were very rare in the world, and Su Lun had a hard time encountering even a few ghost creatures outside, but in this cursed space, there were as many ghosts as there were other creature types, infinite and unending!

Originally, there were already more than a hundred thousand ghosts in the Rune Umbrella, and now, with these additional ghosts, the number instantly broke through two hundred thousand!

And as the holder of the umbrella, Su Lun was not only unaffected by the tide of ghosts, but his Soul Power also grew stronger.

At the same time, he didn't try to avoid the monster tide. Instead, he poured all his Spiritual Power into the "Bronze Lamp of Tartarus."

In the blink of an eye, the ancient lamp's green light flourished, illuminating several kilometers around the temple.

The ghost species illuminated by the ancient lamp's soul light were no longer able to escape the area.

The Bronze Lamp limited their escape, and the black umbrella captured souls – this was the foundation of Su Lun's plan!

With two curse artifacts specializing in souls in hand, even myriads of ghost creatures were powerless against him.

Su Lun had been worried about the presence of ultra-high-level soul creatures here, but seeing the undead Mage Yale Robbins choose to ambush here, that final fatal risk vanished.

This guy was left with only his soul, daring to come here meant that most likely, there were no creatures here higher than him.

...

Qian Tiao had already pushed the Skeleton Sword Deity out of the temple; the fight was extremely intense.

Last time they fought, Qian Tiao was slightly at a disadvantage. But now, after a half month of incredible progress and firmly standing at a half step into the Sword Deity realm, her momentum was in no way inferior.

The clash of sword and saber resounded through the void, emitting a shrill and sharp sound.

Su Lun glanced over and noticed that Qian Tiao was using the Skeleton Sword Deity as a whetstone. Her Thunderous Sword Intent was gradually transforming during the battle and was now able to clash directly with the Skeleton Sword Deity's Demonic Buddha Sword Intent without yielding.

Su Lun took a look and didn't bother to watch further.

Holding the black umbrella, he stood outside the temple, continuously devouring the attacking creatures.

This was also to help Qiantiao attract the attention of these evil spirit monsters, creating a better environment for her to gain insights.

It was the moment Qiantiao rushed in that Su Lun sensed the presence of a ghost with a strong soul force fluctuation lying in ambush inside the temple.

Now that both parties had been locked onto by souls, there was no point in considering escape; they could only fight to the death.

So, he was in no hurry, simply waiting for the enemy to take the initiative to attack.

If the enemy didn't come out, it would be even better. Once the Rune Umbrella had absorbed all the lower-tier ghosts in the area and the soul power had reached its peak, Su Lun's umbrella could likely kill a seventh-tier ghost with a single tap imbued with soul force.

Clearly, the necromancer Yale Robbins was not foolish either.

Being one who had mastered secret soul techniques, he definitely sensed that the Rune Umbrella in Su Lun's hand was growing stronger.

After seeing that the numerical advantage of ghosts was of no use, the guy started to panic.

The crystal skull he was inhabiting suddenly cracked and began to move, chanting a magic incantation as green phosphorescent light flared up significantly: "Forbidden Technique - Heroic Spirits' Transit!"

Once more, it seemed as though a massive gate to hell had opened in the temple hall.

The incantation was still echoing in the air when suddenly the "clang clank" sound of a marching army rang out in unison.

Su Lun looked over and saw an army of ghosts, armed with spears and clad in armor and helms, marching out of the magic gate opened by the spell, in neat formation.

If the previously scattered ghosts were like loose sand, then this was a regular army before his eyes.

Numbering in the tens of thousands, they coalesced into a terrifying oppressive force of soul power.

Among this ghost army, there were also a dozen soul beasts with soul force fluctuations comparable to eighth-tier professionals.

Hellhounds with three heads, war behemoths, nightmares, hydra, hell wolves...

These ghostly creatures appeared to be the top aberrant monsters that had died in this cursed space over countless years, their souls attracted by that crystal skull, preserved to this day.

Robbins had somehow mastered that crystal skull, thus also controlling the spectral monsters enslaved by the skull.

Tens of thousands of ghost soldiers and a dozen seventh- and eighth-tier spectral creatures would be an almost certain death trap for anyone else.

One hundred percent immune to physical and magical damage, and capable of psychic attacks, this was nearly unsolvable.

Even professionals who comprehended the concept of dominance would inflict limited damage.

But to Su Lun, it seemed routine, and in his mind, he even quipped, "Heh, they really do deliver themselves..."

Now he was sure that the guy knew of the talent "S-004-Reaper," but it was clear he didn't know about all the capabilities of the talent when it unfolded its second layer, otherwise he wouldn't have used this move.

After the second unfold of the S-class talent Reaper, it would be a super powerful ability that could deal real damage to Spiritual Bodies!

To Su Lun, the released souls were the best tonic.

As the dozen or so ghostly creatures charged at him, the shadow of the Reaper suddenly loomed large behind Su Lun. His gaze sharpened, and the shadow behind him also burst with dark brilliance.

By the time those beasts charged at him, Su Lun had already teleported amidst the ghost army.

With the Reaper's shadow flourishing behind him, as soon as he touched the ground, the nearby ghost army was instantly cleared out by a significant margin. To Su Lun, these ghosts were like biting into a cloud, easily done without the slightest crunch.

Although the undead army had military skills, Su Lun didn't give them a chance to use their tactics, ramming and disrupting the battle formation amidst the ghosts.

Wherever he passed, it was like tearing through withered vines; the ghosts were either devoured or absorbed by the Rune Umbrella.

"You have stripped 'Ghost Soldier' of its soul, spiritual power +14."

"You have stripped 'Ghost Legion Commander' of its soul, spiritual power +254."

"You have stripped 'Ghost General' of its soul, spiritual power +1136."

"..."

The ghost army was actually not weak; even eighth-tier professionals would typically avoid it.

Now, being harvested like wheat, it was only because Su Lun was too special.

His soul was now as strong as any ghost here, thus those psychic influences, illusions, whispers, and such had almost no effect on him.

Those seventh and eighth-tier ghost bosses did pose a certain threat to Su Lun, but he didn't confront them head-on.

Su Lun was merely preying on various lesser ghosts, which also made his Umbrella increasingly saturated, reducing the threat more and more.

He went on a rampage near the temple like this.

It wasn't that he was too strong, overpowering his enemies.

It was really because prepared combat made his response much easier.

Over these days, Su Lun along with Mr. Hei had almost gone through all the records of spoils of war they had on hand, and they had a very thorough understanding of the "Divine Soul Fire" lineage of undead magic.

It could be said that they had an absolutely clear grasp of any spell that Yale Robbins knew.

Su Lun and Mr. Hei had even deduced various battle situations based on this, what secret techniques that guy would use under what circumstances, what desperate moves he would use when cornered... They had anticipated nearly everything.

Looking at it now, from the start of the battle to the present, there had been nothing outside their expectations.

Necromancers only have a few tricks up their sleeve, controlling the dead and souls.

This guy's body had been killed, stripping him of the ability to cast other magics.

The remaining methods he could deploy were predictable.

He couldn't do anything to Su Lun even in his prime, and now it was even less likely.

However, that guy's innate Death God's Fire was quite troublesome.

Su Lun was in no hurry to clash head-on.

He planned to slowly harvest souls to strengthen himself since the enemy was the one in a rush.

...

Indeed.

Su Lun was slaughtering left and right among the ghost legions, and Robbins, hidden inside the crystal skull, was getting more anxious.

When he realized all his methods couldn't kill his opponent, the situation immediately became a dead end for him.

Robbins, watching the figure still wildly reaping ghosts, fumed in his heart, "The Reaper's talent actually suppresses high-order Spiritual Bodies, and that black umbrella is a high-tier treasure that restrains ghosts; this native's fortune really makes one jealous! Eh, this is bad now..."

He didn't understand why the situation had deteriorated so badly.

It was as if all his techniques were being countered.

But... it shouldn't be like this!

Previously, he had used divination to predict that the native fleet would pass through this route.

And this ruin was filled with countless ghosts, his home ground.

Robbins had also guessed that with so many ghosts in the ruins, there must be a soul treasure.

He also joyfully found this "Descartes' Crystal Skull" and gained the ability to control all the spirits in the ruins.

All this was initially hugely in his favor.

But why was he being forced back step by step?

But now, as the souls of both parties had locked on to each other, the result could only be a fight to the death.

The ghost legion not only failed to deal with the enemy but was being devoured in greater numbers, which only made the enemy stronger.

Once the ghost legion was cleared out, there would truly be no chance of turning things around.

Seeing this, Robbins's eyes flashed with determination.

Then, he began chanting an incredibly arcane spell, "Great Death God above, please grant strength to your most loyal servant..."

As a lengthy spell finished, Robbins softly chanted in his heart, "God Incantation Technique - Death's Gaze!"

...

The moment the spell began, Su Lun sensed a divine will descending into the temple.

But without guessing what spell the chant was meant for, he had already figured it out, "So this guy is finally resorting to using the power of the gods to cast Curse Magic, huh..."

Su Lun was thoroughly familiar with the spells Robbins knew.

Now that various methods had been ineffective against him, ultimately, this guy wouldn't be able to harm him either.

Therefore, at the beginning, Su Lun and Mr. Hei had deduced that the only option this guy would have when cornered was to borrow the power of the gods.

And Su Lun also knew now that the techniques wielded by a divine will were limited by the capabilities of the host itself.

A Spiritual Body could only erupt with a few types of methods – soul attacks, Illusion Techniques, and the like...

And to kill with a single strike, Su Lun and Mr. Hei had always believed that the guy would use "Curse Magic".

After all, this secret technique was one of the specialties of the lineage of the 'Holy Soul Fire' necromancer.

Another point was that Curse Magic required a targeted mark.

The enemy's planning had actually been quite thorough, as Su Lun had just decimated so many ghosts, he didn't notice an extra "Soul Mark" status on his attribute panel.

This was the enemy's trap set in advance.

Now, it really had come!

Seeing this, Su Lun also felt it was time to decide the outcome.

The Divine Arts level of Curse Magic didn't play by the rules, once marked it was unavoidable.

But fortunately, there had been prior experience.

And at this moment, Su Lun's aura began to grow more yin and feminine, "Pestoya, I'm counting on you once again."