Mechanical Alchemist

The harbinger of death's crisis warning was even half a step ahead of the aggressor's movements.

But after Su Lun heard the crow's caw, a brief moment of contemplation flickered in his eyes, and for some reason, he was half a beat slow.

In that brief moment, a "swoosh" of cleaving air rushed towards him from the darkness.

As Su Lun dodged to the side, an elemental arrow of wind with a force more terrifying than a heavy sniper bullet whizzed past his shoulder.

Despite his utmost effort to dodge, the elemental arrow, carrying a sharp vigor, directly carved a bloody gash in his arm. A spray of blood jetted out.

In the darkness, the blood dripped to the ground, soaked into the stones, and eerily disappeared.

Su Lun seemed as if he hadn't noticed.

He glanced at his wound and muttered in his heart, "Huh... has that guy advanced to the seventh tier?"

To breach his sixth-tier elemental armor so effortlessly, in addition to a weapon's enhancement, it must certainly be a matter of tier suppression.

He hadn't expected that in just a few days, Young Master William had turned grief and indignation into strength and advanced to the seventh tier?

How much of his lifespan had been consumed on that "Blasphemy Crown"?

In an instant, Su Lun felt that Yekaterina's assessment of William was quite accurate, facing adversity, that young man indeed seemed like his world was falling apart.

However... it wasn't a big problem.

If it had only been the sixth-tier before, Su Lun would have thought his acting upon being shot was too perfunctory.

More so, a new idea quickly sprouted in his mind.

....

It was only after Su Lun took an arrow to his arm that he seemed to react.

The fine blades of wind elements at the wound were like poison, still madly tearing at the gash, sending a heart-piercing agony surging through him.

But he didn't care. Pinching a sorcerer's seal, runes glimmered and flowed across his body, and the phantom of Death itself rose up behind him.

With another teleportation, he appeared hundreds of meters away, following the direction the arrow had come from, on a hillside.

Looking at the man in the cloak before him, how could he not recognize that this was Young Master William?

This man hadn't fled after his sneak attack; it was as if he was waiting for Su Lun to come to him.

Pretending not to know, Su Lun asked in a deep voice, "Who are you, and why would you ambush me?"

"Heh, who am I?"

William chuckled coldly, throwing off his cloak to reveal the twisted expression on his face, and said through gritted teeth, "Now do you know who I am?"

Finally, it had come!

Finally, it had come!

Do you have any idea how I've been living these past few days?

Every day, I've endured reports of you and her in Rose Manor being so affectionate, each one like someone carving flesh and sprinkling salt over my heart.

Every ounce of my rage has turned into strength, and I'm determined to grind you and that wench into ashes!

Even though Su Lun knew it was Young Master William, looking at the man before him with his head of white hair and an expression twisted like a food-guarding canine, he couldn't help but maliciously think: How explosive does one's temperament have to be to get this angry?

It seemed Yekaterina truly had the ultimate grasp on human emotions; she hadn't even stayed a few days at the manor.

"It's you!"

Su Lun, without further ado, knew the full act had to be played out.

When mortal enemies met, strikes were fatal from the start.

He raised his hand, and a black scythe carried a domineering slash through the air, then he teleported to a safe distance.

Unexpectedly, just as Su Lun had teleported a hundred meters away, the wind elemental in front of him followed suit, immediately coalescing into a human shape again.

William, noticing the astonishment in Su Lun's eyes, let out a strange laugh, "Hehehehe, thinking that just because you have some spatial displacement ability, you can truly escape? Before you might have been able to, but now... hehehe..."

Su Lun, looking at the wings behind him, raised his eyebrows.

Wind professionals are naturally the best at displacement, and the legendary gear, the "Feathers of the Wind God Bird," significantly boosts their ability, especially when combined with the innate talents of an "A-003 Wind Speaker."

William at the sixth tier hadn't been able to keep Su Lun, but now...

This guy's flying speed was not a bit slower than spatial teleportation!

Teleportation techniques were essentially energy exchanged for distance, and even with the exceptional displacement qualities of spatial techniques, they followed the "law of equivalent exchange."

For instance, with the same energy expenditure, Su Lun could teleport a hundred meters through space, while wind techniques only covered sixty meters.

But with tier suppression and an endless supply of wind elements, this gap was instantly bridged.

Thus theoretically, if Su Lun didn't use external force to teleport, he likely wouldn't be able to escape from William now at the seventh tier.

...

However, Su Lun looked not the least bit intimidated; he pinched a sorcerer's seal with both hands, his eyes flashing like lightning: "Hormonal Rampage - Six Unleashed!"

Another look at his golden body brimming with runes, his dark spiritual power surged out as if steam were billowing from flames.

With a "snap," he stepped on the air, rushing forward like a phantom.

William watched with a mocking smile full of scorn, "A desperate struggle!"

He clasped his hands together to form sorcerer's seals, and with a light shout, he called forth: "Infinite Samurai: Wind Witch!"

Another look, and behind William appeared a massive witch's phantom, a top-tier Wind secret technique, the ultimate form of the mysterious "Infinite Samurai."

He changed the sorcerer's seals in his hands, once again forming a seventh-level spell: "Domain of Wind: Void Forbidden Domain!"

Su Lun had just boldly charged forward when suddenly he felt the space around him bristling with sharpness.

Before he could react, it was as if he had plunged into a mire of wind elements, his body stalling.

The omnipresent breezes had already condensed into countless sharp wind blades, a storm brewing in an instant, like a meat grinder.

Even with Dominator's Bodyguard, Su Lun felt the pain drilling into his bones.

"So strong, the threshold of the seventh level truly is a qualitative change..."

Inside, Su Lun roared, but did not hesitate to face the difficulty head-on.

"Clang," "Clang," "Clang"...

The sound of metal striking was relentless.

In an instant, the entire sky was filled with the figures of their fierce battle.

...

Meanwhile, in a village filled with corpses, a big-bearded man in a black and white robe was leisurely drawing a blood ritual formation.

Many of the dark arts of Curse Magic require fresh live humans; this village was perfect for that.

This man was none other than one of the top ten Legendary Bounty Hunters, the "Undead Demon Monk" Rash Pujing.

Watching the battle in the distance, Rash Pujing clicked his tongue in wonder: "Yo, yo, yo... 'Death' was able to kill Heideman Elpuso, indeed his strength is not bad. William must think that by forcing his way into the seventh level, victory is in his grasp. Laughable, laughable..."

The Legendary Hunter, who had soaked in the seventh level for many years, clearly saw more to the situation, and he chuckled darkly: "Tsk tsk, quite scheming, still planning to use someone as a whetstone at this point. If it hadn't been for my arrival, even another seventh-level professional might not have been able to leave you behind..."

As the blood ritual formation neared completion, the demon monk seemed to remember something and muttered to himself: "Once the Terror Wax Museum is out, that young master William will have to call for help, I should get ready. The Regaith family will be of great use to me in the future, this young master cannot die here..."

The demon monk's demeanor was relaxed, utterly confident that tonight's target was doomed.

Because in his hand, he had just received a clump of blood.

Upon sensing and confirming, it was indeed that of the young master "Fick."

Without this blood, he still felt there was a slight chance for someone to use teleportation magic and escape. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

But now... no matter how Fick tries to flee, his death is certain!

Thinking of something, Rash Pujing turned his gaze to the Steam Castle not far away.

As if he had already envisioned a series of delightful scenes, his eyes gleamed with lascivious glee: "Tsk tsk, I've long heard that the fourth miss of the Lans family was an exceptional beauty rarely seen in the world, and today I'm in for a treat. A few years ago it was lacking in flavor, but she's married now – the taste of a young wife is just delightful..."

...

Inside the Steam Castle, Yekaterina was playing with an astrological disk.

It was a top-tier relic passed down through generations of Astrology sorcerers.

She moved several meteorite pieces around like in a chess game, her expression was as calm as ever.

She was making astrological predictions and interfering with some mystical techniques.

Suddenly, she sensed a foul malice from a nearby village. Her brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly returned to composure.

Her deep gaze seemed to be contemplating even more distant matters.

As the din of the nearby battle grew louder, the driver at the front spoke with a grave tone, "Miss, the situation over there doesn't seem good, should your subordinate help?"

Yekaterina said indifferently, "No need. Let them fight a little longer, he will resolve it."

...

The battle on the hillside was becoming fiercer and fiercer.

No matter how Su Lun employed Spatial Displacement, William managed to rapidly stick to him like a haunting ghost.

As a result, Su Lun was forced into close-quarters combat.

But with the seventh level suppressing the sixth, Su Lun was at a great disadvantage.

The top-tier cursed item in William's possession, the "Eros Wind Elf Bow" passed down from the Regaith family, was like a tracking sniper, shooting wind element arrows that bent around corners, making them impossible to dodge.

It hadn't been long since they'd started, and Su Lun was already retreating steadily, looking extremely battered.

Even though the enhancement of "Rune Vajra" and the protective Dominator's Bodyguard kept him from any fatal injuries, it seemed only to delay his inevitable death.

Whether it was treasures or talents, young master William was the cream of the crop among his peers.

"Aren't you the famed 'Death'? Why not bring out those ragged puppets for me to see, eh? What's the matter, you know it's no use anyway?"

"Last time I failed to kill you, and you stole my beloved... The old fools in my family even thought about supporting you. Despicable, despicable... Everything in Regaith is mine, and so is Katya!"

"Damn it, you and that bitch are going to die tonight! Both of you are going to die!"

"..."

As William fought, he howled madly.

He wasn't in a hurry to kill Su Lun; instead, he wanted to torture him to death slowly to vent the pent-up malice in his heart.

That was precisely why their battle had lasted so long.

...

Suddenly, after another clash, a figure flew backward and crashed into a small hill, shattering it.

Dust billowed.

Amidst the pile of dirt, Su Lun, with his robe in tatters, stood up.

This time he didn't rush forward but muttered to himself, "The pressure this guy can apply is about all there is. It's time to end this..."

He didn't care about William's incessant babbling,

But he knew it was almost time.

Having been beaten for so long, he had truly felt the oppressive aura of a seventh-tier professional.

If he didn't get serious soon, he would really be severely injured.

Indeed, from beginning to end, Su Lun had been using this William to practice.

Seventh-tier was a significant threshold, and the best shortcut was to find an opponent who could exert life-threatening pressure on him and learn to advance through battle.

But his current strength was awkward.

He was almost invincible among his peers at the sixth tier, but he couldn't beat those at the seventh tier.

It was difficult to find an opponent who could pose a threat of death to him.

He hadn't expected to encounter a newly advanced seventh-tier William who hadn't even fused his growth gear.

He was perfect for practice.

But killing with a puppet wouldn't significantly enhance his own perception, which is why he fought that battle just now.

...

At that moment, Su Lun suddenly formed a sorcerer's seal with both hands.

William, seemingly assured of his victory, didn't care what kind of Necromancy Su Lun was about to summon.

In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are null and void.

An arrow shot out.

Just then, Su Lun's sorcerer's seal coalesced, and he slammed a single hand on the ground, forming a Seven-Pointed Star Formation: "Necromancy: Terror Wax Museum!"

The scenery around them changed instantly, and the two found themselves standing in front of a decrepit building, having been in the rural hills just moments before.

William's teleportation speed was extremely fast, which meant that if Su Lun wanted to kill him, he had to restrict the space!

...

William looked around at the changing scenery, and behind him, the phantom of the "Wind Witch" surged wildly, while the range of the Domain of Wind beneath him shrank to protect him inside it.

He immediately realized he was trapped in a special space.

But after a quick glance around, there was no hint of fear on his face. He surveyed the area with a sneer, "You think by trapping me here, you can change the impending fate of your death?"

Su Lun had no intention of wasting words with him. With a gesture, lights began to shine from the ruined building behind him.

Right at the moment William's words ended, as if he saw something unbelievable, his wild expression froze in an instant.

In the thirty-two windows, although only a dozen wax figures remained, these were the elemental wax figures left from before.

Across in the sky, a crucifix lit up. Su Lun casually gestured, and beside him, a terrifying wax figure formed.

After a surge of wind element, a phantom "Wind Witch" even materialized behind the wax figure!

Upon closer inspection, it even appeared more solid than the one behind William!

Seeing this, William's face changed abruptly, realizing the terrifying surge of wind element.

Though he didn't know what was up with the wax figure, upon seeing the face of the wax figure, he immediately recognized it: "Grandfather Herman!"

Wasn't this the "Wind God" Herman Regaith, a family member who had died in battle 20 years ago at eighth-tier? How could he appear here?!

However, his look of shock hadn't fully surfaced on his face before

Three more wax figures coalesced next to Su Lun.

Infinite Samurai: Emperor of Flames, Rain Samurai: Teardemon Witch, Mountain Servant - Will of Uraya...

Behind the other three wax figures, mysterious shadows of the four Servants also emerged!

As the four elemental wax figures rose, their essences complemented each other, seemingly taking control of the elements within the entire space.

William the Younger watched the scene unfold, his eyes filled with shock.

How could he have ever imagined that his "Brother Fick" would have such a terrifying puppet hidden away!

The Terror Wax Museum was a necromantic secret technique, rarely heard of, let alone seen.

Even Su Lun was significantly surprised when he saw it for the first time.

Beyond his shock, William also truly felt the threat of death.

He distinctly felt that the "wind" he could control had been suppressed by seventy percent in an instant, greatly restricting even his ability to elementalize.

Panic showed on his face for the first time, "You... you..."

Seeing this, how could he not realize that the other party had had the means to kill him all along, but simply hadn't used them?

At the same time, a cold gleam flashed in William's eyes as he quietly shattered a rune crystal he wore on his body with the power of wind element.

Su Lun appeared not to notice his subtle movement and had no interest in explaining anything further to a man about to die.

He raised his hand, and more than a dozen puppets rushed forward instantly.

These days practicing with the Puppetry Technique to control the wax figures, he had made good progress.

Although not as skillful as the "Curator" Heideman, a necromancer, it was completely sufficient to kill a half-baked seventh order assassin.

These more than a dozen wax figures gave William no chance whatsoever of survival!

...

The very moment William vanished on the hillside, the "Undead Demon Monk" Raspur Gin in the village noticed it.

Without surprise, he muttered, "Well, finally using the wax museum, huh. That means William the Younger must be calling for help..."

Indeed, before his words had even finished, Raspur Gin watched the rune crystal beside him also shatter.

"Tsk, tsk, I thought he was going to put up a fight. To think he is calling for help just as he enters; William the Younger really does prize his own life..."

The demon monk murmured under his breath but his hands moved swiftly.

With blood as the guide, he fervently chanted the profound and mysterious curses, and the magic formation at his feet lit up with an eerie black glow.

With the final syllable of the curse uttered, the surrounding air temperature seemed to drop sharply, and he shouted, "Curse Magic: Gaze of Nash Molo!"

As Raspur Gin's spell completed, an empty eye opened within the black light of the magic formation, like the eye of a deity.

As the pupil focused, a strange black light shot out from the hut.

In an instant, the beam of black light completely ignored the spatial barrier and appeared inside the wax museum.

Seeing the incoming curse of black light, William the Younger was ecstatic, clutching at it as if it were a lifeline.

However, Su Lun's expression remained very calm; the medium for the curse magic was his own blood, making it unavoidable.

Unexpectedly, when the light of the curse fell upon him, Su Lun only felt as if his soul had been bumped into and then...

He was fine; the one who bumped into him disbanded.

Su Lun showed an expression of mild discomfort, clearly having anticipated this.

This was the difference in intelligence.

William was still proudly thinking he had ambushed Su Lun.

Little did he know, the intelligence department had been alerted to his contact with Raspur Gin days ago.

Su Lun turned his head and saw William the Younger being surrounded and attacked by more than a dozen puppets, his shocked gaze saying it all: Why aren't you dead!

Su Lun, without any more nonsense, commanded the wax figures to kill.

...

The nature of nearly all curse magics that act in an instant towards death is a direct collision between the fates of the caster and the target.

To put it simply, it's a bit like an egg hitting another egg.

When they collide, the side that shatters dies.

Curse magicians have some secret techniques to reinforce their "fate" to make it "harder".

But even so, if they fail to kill the opponent, the same backlash can cause the caster to die from the recoil.

And "fate" is something no one can clearly define; it's not guaranteed that a lower-ranking professional you encounter doesn't have a powerful destiny.

Therefore, nearly all curse magicians come to a bad end.

Just when the "Gaze of Nash Molo" was fully concentrated and Raspur Gin thought he could easily curse his target to death,

Suddenly, an overwhelming force of backlash came crashing over like a flood tide, and Raspur Gin, caught off guard, vomited blood and fell backward with a thud.

He hit the ground hard, breathless, and died on the spot.

However, a strange scene immediately followed.

After a few breaths, the "corpse" suddenly opened its eyes, and Raspur Gin, having resurrected, exclaimed in shock, "How is it possible! How could the fate of a man fated to die be so terrifying!"