Chapter 1 An Uncanny Bath

In the mountains outside of Anlogos County, in a temporary camp, a large bathtub steamed with white vapor.

Qiantiao lay languidly in the tub, enjoying a large bath of hot water all to herself.

But upon closer inspection, wisps of ink-like, eerie black gas emanated from the clear, warm water, the source of which was naturally Qiantiao.

At this moment, her skin did not have the ruddy complexion of the living but was instead a deathly dark cyan. Her aura was also half-human, half-ghost.

Suren wasn't surprised. One could only survive in the Yellow Springs Kingdom by being tainted with deathly aura.

Now that she was back, this strange condition would slowly fade away.

Qiantiao still had many unhealed, troublesome wounds, so he also helped treat them casually.

Through his Omni-Knowing Eye, Suren saw some dark energy on the wounds that he had never seen before. Curious, he asked casually, "Qiantiao-jie, what exactly is the Yellow Springs Kingdom like?"

High-level planes were not strange, but he was curious about the world where only the dead went. What kind of existence was it?

Judging from this never-before-seen dark energy alone, it had already subverted some of his understanding.

It was like suddenly discovering a new world. Everything gave people a novel feeling.

Life and death, the world of the living and the world of the dead...

This gave him a very special feeling, and he vaguely felt like he had grasped something.

"What's it like?"

Qiantiao closed her eyes and thought for a moment before replying, "Well... it's similar to the world we went to before, just much bigger. There are also people, monsters, just more powerful. Oh, and there are real gods."

Suren felt that this answer was too general and said, "No. I mean, what are the differences between the law level of the Yellow Springs Kingdom and the Alchemy Plane? Also, what are the differences between the laws and rules comprehended by the past masters you have seen and those of human professionals?"

"The for... differ?"

Hearing this, Qiantiao stammered and couldn't articulate it.

After racking her brains for a while without success, she decisively gave up and said with feeling, "How would I know? There are just a lot of powerful people and monsters. We fought them when we encountered them. Then we just kept killing and killing. That's how two years passed."

"...”

Suren was amused.

Mr. Mirror also couldn't help but chuckle.

He had originally hoped that Qiantiao, as someone who had personally experienced it, could say something about her experiences, but hearing this, it was completely hopeless.

This was far less informative than Suren reading Fujiwara Hayato's *Yellow Springs Kingdom* himself.

When the same beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers was seen, a great writer could describe "Cangshan Twilight Snow," "Surprised Birds Flying Away," and "Strange Peaks Rising"...

But in the mouths of some people, there was only one phrase: "Damn it," which could be used everywhere.

Qiantiao was obviously the latter.

Her understanding of the Yellow Springs Kingdom, after spending more than two years there and killing demigods, was not as detailed as the travelogue secretly observed and recorded by Fujiwara Hayato, who had smuggled himself in.

It wasn't that her understanding of the world was insufficient.

Rather, her path of cultivation was different from others. She improved her understanding through actual combat.

She could do it, but she couldn't necessarily say why she had to do it.

She also understood, but she couldn't describe it to others.

Suren smiled and didn't find it too surprising. He asked some other questions.

Fortunately, Qiantiao remembered clearly the opponents she had encountered, the great swordsmen she had fought, and the monsters she had killed.

Roughly summed up in one sentence: Kill, kill, kill...

Suren and Mr. Mirror also listened with great interest. From those descriptions, they could also get a glimpse of some real situations in the Yellow Springs Kingdom.

Several days later, in the southern part of the Imperial Strait, the Taganville Trench.

Several figures stood on the endless sea.

Suren, Mr. Mirror, Qiantiao, and Pandora, as well as Pestoa in the Rune Black Umbrella.

This was the ambush location they had chosen.

A demigod-level battle would affect hundreds of miles. This place was remote enough, and the sea was deep enough, so innocent people would not be affected, and the enemy would not escape.

This time, they were ambushing a demigod. Ninth-tier professionals and below were useless, so there were only the five of them.

Mr. Mirror observed the surrounding environment and said lightly, "Prepare to attack."

Everyone nodded to each other and began to set up formations on the nearby sea.

Mr. Mirror split into nine. With a condensed technique, the sea suddenly became stormy, and wood elements gathered madly. A god-level super alchemy formation [Emerald God Descends] was rapidly condensing.

Having fought before, they also knew that the Great Princess Octavia J. Fielding of the Celestial Clan was a Holy Light mage. Only wood-based techniques would have a better control effect on her.

Suren also took out various materials and arranged them in the sea.

These methods may not be able to trap a demigod, but preparing an ambush would increase the chances of winning the battle.

Before long, the ambush circle was ready.

The few people met again.

The net had been cast, and all that was needed was bait.

At this time, Suren raised his hand forward, and a black iron coffin slowly appeared from the black hole in his palm.

As the coffin slowly emerged from the spatial crack, everyone's eyes focused on it.

The black iron coffin was covered with mysterious sealing runes. A human face floated on the coffin lid, its features blurred, but the vertical pupil between its eyebrows was lifelike.

As soon as this coffin came out, a chilling, evil aura swept over them.

This was one of the god-forbidden objects that Suren had found in the inner chambers of the Lington Mirror Library.

Qiantiao frowned slightly as she looked at the coffin.

At this moment, she discovered that the death aura on her body faintly resonated with the aura on the coffin. She muttered, "This coffin is very evil... I feel like even the god I encountered in the Yellow Springs Kingdom wasn't this evil."

Pandora observed for a moment and analyzed, "Indeed, the power of faith overflowing from the coffin alone is definitely not something that ordinary gods can condense."

Suren also explained in a solemn tone, "Sealed inside is the corpse of a three-eyed god. It may not be an ordinary god."

Based on his current understanding of the world, the grade of the god's corpse in the coffin would be very high.

Therefore, even taking out this coffin was a great risk in itself.

If there wasn't a better way right now, he wouldn't have used this thing as bait.

The coffin was too high-grade. After studying it for a long time, everyone couldn't come to a definite conclusion.

At this time, Qiantiao asked again, "Are you sure that celestial demigod will come for such obvious bait?"

It was indeed a conspiracy in broad daylight.

Suddenly appearing with something like this at this juncture, it would be strange if the enemy didn't suspect it was a trap.

However, Suren showed a confident expression and said, "She will definitely come."

After a moment's pause, he explained, "This coffin is an item that the gods of the celestial plane have issued a divine decree to find, with a priority even above the [Mimir Spring]. And that woman is very arrogant, strong, and protected by gods. She will definitely think that no one in the Alchemy Plane can kill her. So even if she suspects it's a trick, she will definitely come."

Hearing this, Mr. Mirror also showed an approving look.

She had fought Octavia before, and she also agreed with this point.

Demigods also had the confidence of demigods, making it highly likely that she would be lured over.

Suren didn't say much more, looking at the coffin and saying, "Everyone, get ready. I'm going to open the coffin."

Mr. Mirror and the others also nodded, immediately pulled away, and guarded themselves with all their attention.

No one knew what would happen when the coffin was opened. It was best to be careful.

"Release!"

Suren shouted softly, and the technique seals in his hand changed rapidly.

He had already thoroughly researched the seals on the coffin. In that instant, the runes on the coffin lit up. It was as if a rusty iron door had been opened, and the sound of metal rubbing against metal, "ka-cha," "ka-cha," rang in his ears.

But at the same time, Suren immediately felt a coldness attacking his back, as if he was being stared at by some terrifying existence.

Suren didn't dare to completely release the seal, only slowly pushing the coffin lid open a crack.

But in that instant, it was as if the gates of hell had been opened, and an indescribable terror instantly rushed to his heart.

Mr. Mirror and the others in the distance obviously felt it as well, all with expressions as if facing a great enemy, fearing that some terrifying monster would jump out of the coffin.

Fortunately, he had been prepared. Suren only allowed a trace of aura from the existence within the coffin to leak out before pushing the coffin lid back and completely sealing off the great terror.

Looking again, he found that his back was already soaked with sweat.

Suren's eyes twitched violently. Recalling the feeling just now, he felt lingering fear: "What kind of existence is sealed inside this thing? How can it still have such terrifying divine power after so many deaths?"

He also sighed that the senior who made this coffin was thoughtful, not allowing the corpse in the coffin to have the possibility of giving birth to intelligence.

Otherwise, just now, a heaven-defying monster would have jumped out.

Suren didn't think much about it and had already put the coffin back into the Little Void Realm to seal it up.

Now that the aura had been leaked, all that was left was to wait for the bait to be taken.

......

Just as Suren and the others were setting up the trap, 800 nautical miles away in the central part of the Imperial Strait, a huge magic airship fleet was heading towards the mainland of Luoying in the west.

As far as the eye could see, the magic airships floating in the sky, large and small, numbered as many as a thousand. The magic runes on the airship airbags shone brightly, and there were sacred sun flags of the Essi Empire. They were like giant whales swimming in the sky. Wherever they passed, magic power rolled, and schools of fish avoided them.

The million-strong magic legion of the Celestial Plane did not divide its forces, choosing to march in a large group.

Wherever the million-strong army passed, no defensive position was a match for the magic legion.

In just a few days, they had destroyed several outer defense lines of the United Empire in the sea strait. The battle ended in one encounter. Not only were defensive fortifications, but even islands were directly blasted flat with magic, sweeping everything before them.

When the million-strong army arrived in Luoying, it would be a situation of sweeping all the way.

They would go straight to the imperial capital of Lington and destroy the alchemy civilization.

And in this group of magic airships, there was a main ship that was incomparably gorgeous with gold paint.

In the main ship's cabin, the Great Princess Octavia J. Fielding, wearing a golden mask, was closing her eyes to rest.

Suddenly, as if she had sensed something, she opened her eyes abruptly: "The aura of a god?"

In an instant, she immediately understood something. Her gaze passed through the porthole and looked south.

Although the aura was fleeting, she had clearly determined its location. She also distinguished the overflowing aura as that of their three-eyed Celestial Clan's ancestor!

A look of contemplation flashed across Octavia's eyes, and she instantly made a decision, saying, "I'll go over there."

Hearing this, an old man among a group of servants beside her stood up: "But, Your Highness, could it be a trap set by those natives?"

This person was none other than the ninth-tier thunder mage who had fought Suren in the Manny Hill mine.

Hearing this, Octavia said proudly, "So what if it is?"

Before she finished speaking, she had already disappeared from the spot.

She had also seen the top combat power of this alchemy plane before. Although it was a little stronger than expected, it was only to that extent and not enough to make her cower!

"This old servant will accompany Your Highness."

The ninth-tier thunder mage didn't dare to say much. With a flash of lightning, he disappeared from the spot as well.

......

On the other hand, after opening the coffin, Suren and Mr. Mirror were leisurely waiting on the sea.

Qiantiao had already wrapped herself in a shroud. Pestoa was in the Rune Black Umbrella, and Pandora was in the Little Void Realm...

The sea seemed calm.

Before long, the black crow on his shoulder croaked.

Suren suddenly opened his eyes from meditation and said, "Shijie, they're here!"

Mr. Mirror immediately entered battle mode upon hearing this.

Looking up, the two saw two figures suddenly appearing in the sky, one using spatial displacement and the other riding the wind and thunder.

They didn't hide their tracks at all, moving rapidly.

They had just been spotted on the horizon. In the blink of an eye, they had appeared before them.

Seeing the golden-masked female mage and the old thunder mage behind her, Suren and Mr. Mirror naturally recognized these old acquaintances.

Choosing such a distant ambush location was to guess that the enemy would be anxious to come and check the situation.

And the speed of a demigod was such that few followers could keep up.

As expected, Octavia, this demigod-level expert, was arrogant enough to come directly with a master and a servant.

......

Under the gaze of the three-eyed [Myriad Phenomena True Understanding], Suren and Mr. Mirror's mirror disguises were immediately seen through.

Seeing someone guarding here, the Great Princess of the Celestial Plane immediately knew it was an ambush.

But she didn't feel any surprise in her heart.

Because she had come this time to find the source of the ancestral aura she had just sensed. Now, looking at these two alchemy natives, she felt even better.

Then she could confirm that the source of the aura was on these two people.

Killing these two natives would not only find clues, but also directly eliminate the top experts of the alchemy civilization, killing two birds with one stone.

Even if she saw through the traps set up around them, she only saw indifference and disdain in her eyes.

She thought that these natives of the Alchemy Plane knew that destruction was imminent and were probably trying to make a desperate gamble.

After thinking about it, they could only assassinate herself, the commander, for there to be a slight chance of reversing the war.

Unfortunately, they were overestimating their abilities.

......

The two sides had fought a month ago and knew each other well.

Looking at her old opponent, Mr. Mirror was not polite. The other eight clones who had been lying in ambush all around simultaneously formed seals, "Divine Art - Emerald God Descent."

In an instant, huge objects stirred in the sea. The dense wood element power gathered on the sea surface. Countless thick vines immediately emerged from the originally calm sea surface. In the blink of an eye, an area of a dozen miles turned into an island formed of vines.

At the same time, Mr. Mirror changed her technique seals again, and the nine clones formed seals again: "Divine Art - Pitch Night Eternal Seal!"

Although they had only fought once a month ago, Mr. Mirror's strength was much different than before. After observing the stone tablet in the Burial God Land for a month, she had already touched the threshold of the mysteries of the rules.

Because she had been prepared, the two people from the Celestial Plane hadn't even had time to react before this super large barrier had been condensed.

Suren wasn't idle either. He directly took out a simple bronze lamp.

The iron hook connecting the bronze lamp was hooked forward, and two beams of light swept across, locking the souls of the two enemies within the range of the lamplight.

Once the [Tartarus Soul Imprisonment Lamp], a forbidden object, was used, it was either you die or I die. There was no third result.

In order to control the demigod, Suren even used his own soul as an anchor. Unless he killed him, the enemy would never be able to escape.

Seeing this, the Great Princess Octavia vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

She saw through the effect of the soul lamp, and her intuition told her that danger was coming.

Naturally, she was no ordinary person, having cultivated to the demigod realm. She directly lifted the golden mask, revealing the three eyes on her forehead.

The previous contempt vanished in an instant, and she attacked in her strongest state.

Looking again, the woman's expression suddenly became extremely solemn. At the same time, she began to chant a mysterious spell. The moment she opened her mouth, a dazzling divine light overflowed from her body!

After fighting once last time, Octavia knew very well that it would be difficult to kill the two natives in front of her with her strength.

Moreover, she obviously felt that something was wrong with the current situation.

So, in this first encounter, she chose to summon the descent of divine power. She had to kill them!

In that instant, an indescribable will seemed to break through the plane and descend. The summoning speed was unbelievably fast.

Even Suren was surprised.

Because this speed of divine descent was several times faster than the time in the plane passage.

It really exceeded expectations.

At the same time, Octavia, who had captured the change in Suren's expression, had a sneer on her face that was sure to win: Disappointed, natives!

She was Octavia, the Great Princess of the Essi Empire, a person protected by the gods!

With the blessing of the divine will, she could complete the summoning instantly without needing to chant for a long time.

She knew that someone was secretly watching during the plane passage last time, so she deliberately slowed down the time it took to summon the divine will.

It was to mislead these natives of the Alchemy Plane!

Now, they had really been fooled.

With the blessing of the divine will, she, Octavia, was invincible in the Alchemy Plane. Whatever traps were in her eyes were not worth mentioning!

However, what happened next disappointed this Great Princess.

......

Suren's surprise was only for an instant. He didn't seem to care whether the divine will descended early or late.

Once Mr. Mirror used the two divine-art-level restrictions, the ground was a sea of vines, and the sky was already pitch black.

The seal was complete.

Restricting the enemy, she transformed into a mirror light and rushed towards the Great Princess.

The ninth-tier thunder mage wanted to protect his master. Knowing that he couldn't stop Mr. Mirror, he rushed towards Suren as before.

The movements of a ninth-tier thunder magic saint were also very exaggerated. He transformed into lightning, and countless thunder snakes crackled and exploded in the darkness.

This thunder magic old man could fight, resist, and was fast. He was originally a top expert among the ninth tier.

If it was like last time, Suren wouldn't be able to do anything to this guy in a short time.

However, this time was different.

At the moment the old man broke through, the purple lightning suddenly changed color, strangely covered with a layer of dark red.

In an instant, the purple lightning turned into blood lightning, and a strong hellish aura swept through heaven and earth.

The lightning danced wildly, as if a demon god from a certain region was about to appear.

This movement even surpassed the Great Princess Octavia, who was summoning the descent of divine will in the distance!

"How is that possible?"

The old man's expression changed instantly!

Because he clearly sensed that a stronger control force had stripped away the lightning elements he had condensed.

This meant that there was a stronger thunder-type professional than him!

However, he was a ninth-tier thunder magic saint. Who could have stronger control over lightning?

The old man's eyes were stern, and he reacted extremely quickly. The robes all over his body bulged, and the thunder runes on his skin shone to the extreme, wanting to regain control of the lightning.

However, before he had this chance, Suren had already put his hands together and shouted softly, "Mystery - Ten Thousand Layers of Space Sealing!"

Originally, it would be difficult for him to control this old man who could teleport with lightning with this move. But at this moment, the lightning elements in the sky were in chaos, and the old man was frozen for a moment while using magic and was tightly restricted.

And this was just the beginning!

At this moment, an overbearing aura instantly appeared, as if someone was whispering in the dark, "Killing God One-Sword Style - Thunder Walk."

Looking again, in the endless darkness, a sharp sword energy suddenly slashed down from the void.

The thunder magic old man's pupils shrank sharply, and he also felt the deadly crisis. But unable to move, he could only mobilize magic power to pour into his whole body, "Secret Method - Thunder God Protects the Body!"

In the blink of an eye, the old man's skin revealed a bronze metallic luster, and he had entered the strongest defensive state.

Almost at the same time, the sword energy cut across his waist.

This old man was from the Rune Master lineage, and his flesh was as strong as a monster of the same level.

Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for him to be killed with one blow by physically resisting the attack of a ninth-tier professional.

However, as this sword energy swept past, the thunder magic old man looked down at the blood line on his waist with disbelief, murmuring something, but unable to make a sound.

Life was rapidly flowing away. He looked up at the direction from which the sword energy came.

In his vision, a six-armed golden Rakshasa with two heads stood holding a sword, as overbearing as a demon god.

In an instant, the old man's soul left his body, and he had died.