The most shameless alchemist in history

At the same time, everyone looked over and indeed heard footsteps and a noisy argument coming from the entrance of the cave.

"Hey, stop slacking off! I can feel that the Star Stone is just ahead. If you slow us down, someone else might take it away!" Shifting the gaze to the cave entrance, one could see Nan Yin moving quickly and urging Du Lei on loudly.

"Ha, I'm so slow! I was the one who went into this cave. Why did you have to go the other way? Who said we were going to part ways? Miss, can't we keep our word? You could have just left me behind." Du Lei said sarcastically.

At the previous fork in the road, he took the lead and walked to the right entrance of the cave, determined to go his separate ways with Nan Yin. However, not long after, Nan Yin caught up with him and took the initiative to talk to him. Although she didn't say anything nice, it showed her attitude to some extent.

However, Du Lei was always the kind of person who would become overjoyed if given a little encouragement. He deliberately slowed down, which made Nan Yin anxious and wished she could chop him up.

"I've already let bygones be bygones with what you did before, are you ever going to stop? You're not leaving, are you? Fine, I'm leaving!" Nan Yin was almost driven mad by Du Lei's attitude. She angrily quickened her pace, the star stone she had been dreaming of was not far ahead.

"Well then, Miss, take care and don't see me off," Du Lei said slowly, waving to Nan Yin as if he were a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

But at that moment, he suddenly became alert. He suddenly sped up and blocked Nan Yin in front of him, pulling her to the right and knocking her to the ground. This action was so fast that it made Nan Yin extremely angry.

"What are you going to do now? Do you really think I won't kill you? What is that thing?" Nan Yin was already seething with anger and was about to explode when she clearly sensed something flying past her and tearing her sleeve.

"Hey, it seems we were indeed a step too late. Someone got here first." Du Lei no longer cared about Nan Yin's fierce words. The bright red firelight reflected on his profile and his bleeding arm. After going through many hardships, they finally arrived at the Star Stone Chamber.

030 Kill them.

The appearance of Du Lei and Nan Yin immediately made them the focus of attention among the Star Stones. However, their attention wasn't due to their cool and stylish entrance, but rather because Kashu threw a playing card at them, which nearly killed Du Lei.

Fortunately, Du Lei reacted quickly and pulled Nan Yin aside in time, so he only suffered a minor injury to his arm. If he had been even a fraction slower, the playing card would have done more than just cut his arm; it would have definitely severed his throat, causing him to bleed on the spot.

"There's not a trace of magical energy emanating from your body, yet you managed to evade my attacks. Is it because you sensed the killing intent, a natural intuition? Hehehe, how interesting." Kashu squinted at Du Lei and Nan Yin as they approached, focusing his gaze on the former.

“Although I know you are competitors, it’s a bit too rude of you to attack without even a greeting. Isn’t it said that you should be polite before resorting to force?” Du Lei was injured in the attack and was a victim, but he did not curse because of it. He walked over calmly.

"What attacked us just now was a playing card. I didn't even notice it beforehand. What is this? Hey, are you alright?" Nan Yin recalled the attack. If Du Lei hadn't reacted quickly and pulled her away, she might have been hit. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.

"It's nothing, just a minor scratch. Let me count, one, two, three... Oh, so many people have arrived already? Black Wind, you were on your way too. Didn't we agree to team up and pull off a big heist? But suddenly you haven't contacted me. What does that mean?"

Dure clutched his arm, tore off a strip of cloth, skillfully bandaged it, and then bit the thread with his teeth to indicate that he was fine. More than the person who attacked him, Kashu, was Black Wind standing behind Riley, because Black Wind was the only one among these people he knew, and they were quite familiar with each other.

"Can't you see for yourself what I mean? A wise man submits to circumstances. Now that Boss Riley is about to seize the Star Stone and become a powerful figure, of course I'm following Boss Riley. Let me tell you, I've put up with you for a long time. Don't talk to me like that again." Black Wind shrank back.

Although Riley was protecting him, he could tell that there were several strong people in the arena, and Riley's chances of winning against them were slim. So his words were somewhat blustering, but this was only directed at Night Raven and the others. He was still very confident when facing Dure'e.

"Ha, Black Wind, you're something else, pulling this stunt now. Don't forget you've never won a fight against me since we were kids. Believe me or not, I'll come over right now and beat you to a pulp!" Du Lei was enraged by Black Wind and immediately charged forward, trying to teach Black Wind a lesson.

"Let me tell you, I'm working for Boss Riley now. If you hit me, it's the same as slapping Boss Riley in the face. Do you think you'll get away with that? Boss, that guy named Du Lei has been a scoundrel since he was a child. Don't be polite to him. Go ahead and hit him with the axe." Black Wind was getting anxious.

Although he was a year older than Dure, he had been bullied by that guy since childhood. This time, Dure's angry arrival awakened his childhood fear of being dominated, and he was a little scared. He immediately took a step back and asked Riley for help.

"Tch, I thought some powerful characters would appear, but it's just two weaklings fighting. No fun, really no fun. Hey, you pervert, just kill them both. It's so annoying to hear them chattering away." Red Sparrow looked at Du Lei and Black Wind, yawning with boredom.

"Oh, since you find them noisy, why don't you do it yourself? You could easily kill them, right?" Kashu turned to look at Red Sparrow, still resentful that he hadn't had a proper fight with Night Raven and Red Sparrow before, his eyes gleaming.

"I wanted to help too, but Night Raven, that wicked guy, didn't say anything, so I couldn't do it. Otherwise, he'd take away my candy again. Waaah, why does he have to send you on missions with me? It's so annoying, so annoying!" Red Sparrow had a lot of complaints about Night Raven and started to get emotional.

“Red Sparrow, in the instant you're distracted to attack them, I think that man will suddenly launch an attack. That would be fatal for us, so don't worry about them for now. He's the biggest enemy. You must stay calm.” Night Raven kept her eyes fixed on Kashu.

He has always been a calm and rational person, always able to make the right decision at the right time. Even though there was a complete Star Stone in the arena, he knew very well that in order to obtain the Star Stone, he had to remove Kashu, the biggest obstacle, otherwise he would not only gain nothing but also lose his life.

"Keep calm, keep calm. If you keep saying that, the candy will melt. Hey, you two weaklings, why don't you fight? Just kill one of them, or you can both die. That way, the world will be free of two noisy flies."

Red Sparrow was extremely depressed due to the lack of sugar. After being rebuffed by Night Raven, she vented her frustration on Dure and Black Wind. At this moment, the two were exchanging insults from a distance of four or five meters, spitting everywhere, but they did not fight.

"Hey, stop calling me a weakling. Aren't you a tiny girl yourself? I suggest you eat less sugar and drink more milk, or you'll never grow tall. That's right, never grow tall." Du Lei, who was arguing with Black Wind, stopped and turned to Red Sparrow.

Du Lei was a man who could insult anyone in Hot Spring Village without fear, so how could he be at a disadvantage in a war of words with Red Sparrow? He quickly seized on Red Sparrow's most fatal weakness, namely his height, and attacked it, emphasizing the words "not tall enough" and drawing out the last syllable.

"What did you say? Who's the little girl? You dwarf man, you're only 1.6 meters tall yourself, how dare you talk back to me? Who gave you the courage?" Red Sparrow was enraged when Du Lei touched a nerve, and she unleashed a torrent of abuse at him. How dare a mere weakling like him criticize her?

"I'm at least not 1.4 meters tall. Oh, right, I'm afraid you're not even 1.4 meters tall. Oh dear, I'm still young, my body is still developing. I've grown a full five centimeters this year compared to last year. Compare that to how much you've grown since last year. Have you grown even a centimeter less?"

Du Lei spoke calmly and casually, while the more anxious Red Sparrow became, the more unhurried he remained. Such a demeanor could drive a person mad.

"You're talking nonsense. It's clearly one centimeter. I measure it every day," Red Sparrow quickly defended herself, as her height was a major weakness.

"So that means you only grow one centimeter a year? At this rate, congratulations, you might grow to 1.45 meters in five years. But 1.45 meters seems like that's still quite short. Sigh, what a pity. Let me calculate how tall I'll be in five years... I'll definitely be 1.9 meters!"

Dure rested his chin on his hand and calculated that he and Black Wind were now in a temporary truce, and they were directing all their firepower at Red Sparrow.

031 I've disliked him for a long time.

Red Sparrow didn't take Du Lei and Black Wind seriously at all, because these two had no magical energy fluctuations and their combat ability was extremely limited. At best, they were just two errand boys. She had seen countless such errand boys before, and once a fight broke out, they would be as quick as cutting leeks.

But now, these lowly lackeys not only dared to openly contradict her, but also angered her to the point of vomiting blood. This was the first time in a long time that she had suffered a loss in a war of words, especially since the other party kept using the words "little girl" on his lips, which made Hongque's anger rise rapidly.

"Unforgivable, utterly unforgivable! I'm going to kill you right now, cut you in half at the waist, then you won't even be 1.4 meters tall!" Red Sparrow, unable to contain her rage, ignored her companion Night Raven's pleas and charged towards Dure, brandishing her black umbrella, attempting to kill him instantly.

"You idiot, you said you wouldn't hold me back or cause trouble, so what's going on now? I don't want to deal with this kind of idiot." Just as Du Lei was about to be hit, Nan Yin, who was following behind him, drew her sword and rushed up in time, blocking in front of him and forcefully stopping the fast-charging Red Sparrow.

"Oh, you look like someone from the Eastern Continent. Oh right, that annoying guy also looks like someone from the Eastern Continent, right? Are you two in cahoots? Tch, then I might as well just kill you both." Hongque was intercepted by Nanyin, and she was taken aback when she saw Nanyin's facial features.

After comparing Nanyin and Dulei, she realized that they were residents from the Eastern Continent. Due to geographical reasons, people living in different regions have different skin colors and hair colors. Hongque had been to many regions and knew that people from the Eastern Continent had distinctive black hair.

"Who's in cahoots with him?" Both Nan Yin and Du Lei reacted strongly to this question, denying it.

"Ha, you're not in cahoots, so why did you save him?" The two people's reactions left Red Sparrow somewhat bewildered. Under Nan Yin's defense, her attack failed, and she took two steps back, but she still maintained a posture ready to attack at any time. She would not let Du Lei off easily.

"I just don't want to owe that guy a favor, so if you want to kill him, you'll have to get past me first." Nan Yin's attitude was very firm. Even though she had wanted to kill Du Lei more than once on her way to the Star Stone, she still chose to stand up at the crucial moment.

"Red Sparrow, now is not the time to cause trouble. Our biggest enemy is not them. Retreat quickly." Night Raven stared intently at Kashu's every move, not daring to be careless in the slightest. He dared not stop Red Sparrow's reckless actions, because he knew very well that once he relaxed his guard, he would be in trouble.

Kashu would not hesitate to launch a fierce attack on them, and if he really fell into that situation, the consequences would be beyond his ability to bear.

"I'll be back after I kill that annoying guy. Night Raven, when did you become so long-winded? Hmph, so you're only so arrogant because you have a woman backing you up? But if you think she can protect you, you're sorely mistaken." Red Sparrow ignored Night Raven's advice.

She was a very persistent person, and anyone she set her sights on would inevitably be killed. After gathering her strength for a moment, she once again swung her black umbrella and stabbed at Nan Yin, this time at a much faster speed than before. Without a doubt, Nan Yin was an opponent she was willing to take seriously.

"Who needs a woman to protect them? It's really annoying." Du Lei was furious when he saw Hong Que fighting with Nan Yin.

"This is too reckless, Kashu, don't even think about making a move." Night Raven was worried about his willful companion. He glanced back unintentionally, wanting to check on Red Sparrow's condition, but in that instant, the composed Kashu suddenly moved.

"Oh my, you reacted pretty quickly. You guys got away before, but you won't be so lucky this time. Come on, let's fight to the death! Show us all your skills, or you'll die here and become a cold corpse, gugugugu." Kashu's laughter was particularly sharp.

He had been keeping a distance of about ten meters from Night Raven, but he closed the distance instantly and engaged Night Raven in close combat. He had already judged that Night Raven was good at long-range combat, and once he got close, it would be difficult for him to exert his abilities. Having lost the initiative, Night Raven could only retreat with difficulty and was caught in a fierce battle.

"Boss Riley, they're all fighting now, now's the time! Go get the Star Stone, I'll hold off Dure!" Black Wind seized the opportunity when everyone was in a brawl and shouted at Riley in a low voice. The latter hadn't recovered from the shock yet, and was jolted awake by the shout.

"Black Wind, you change your mind faster than flipping through a book. You've just sided with that guy named Riley. Get out of my way!" Du Lei stepped forward, quickly pulling a dagger from his boot, and confronted his childhood friend from a distance. He had always been very confident in facing Black Wind.

“I understand the Star Stone. I’ll go get it now. Is it alright to leave this to you?” Riley looked around and realized that no one could control him for the time being. He immediately led his men to the altar to retrieve the Star Stone, but before going up, he asked Black Wind a question.

"Boss Riley, don't worry. I've had my eye on Dure for a long time. Dure, do you think I'm content to stay in this little mountain village forever? Now that I've met Boss Riley, my chance has come. As long as I leave the village with Boss Riley, I can make something of myself!"

Black Wind held a rusty iron sword in his hand, something he had carried with him since childhood. His face was filled with excitement. Even though he had followed Du Lei all his life, he was now using this iron sword to block Du Lei from advancing an inch.

“Then I’ll leave this place to you. Come with me. Once we return to the Dog Kingdom and things are settled, the position of cadre will be yours,” Riley promised Black Wind. Then he led his men up the altar. Dure tried to catch up, but Black Wind blocked him at the bottom of the steps, and the two were locked in a standoff.

"Black Wind, you've never beaten me since we were kids. Are you sure you want to go against me? I won't hold back." Du Lei gripped his dagger, blade against blade, giving Black Wind a final warning out of past friendship, signaling him not to do anything foolish.

"I want to return the favor to you verbatim, Du Lei. You've had all the good things since we were kids, but I have to share the blame. You have your dreams and want to leave this village, but don't I want to leave too? We're just trying to find our own opportunities."

Black Wind remained motionless, venting all his dissatisfaction in one go, blocking Du Lei outside.

"So you've finally said it? All these years of grievances. So, are we going to turn against each other right here?" Du Lei stopped in his tracks and squinted at Hei Feng. He understood that even though the two of them were usually very close, they had drifted apart at some point.

032 Game time is over

As more and more people poured into the Star Stones, chaos ensued. Kashu, who arrived first, clashed with Night Raven, whose origins were unknown. Kashu used his close-combat advantage to close the distance with Night Raven, which made the latter quite embarrassed. However, Night Raven was clearly no pushover either.

After withstanding the pressure and avoiding significant losses, he quickly pulled away, leaping high onto a nearby stone statue. From his elevated position, he spread his arms wide, unleashing a barrage of dense black feathers that rained down on Kashu, resulting in a stalemate in the battle.

Meanwhile, Nan Yin intercepted Red Sparrow's sniping attempt on Du Lei. Nan Yin drew her sword to block Red Sparrow's black umbrella. Her demonic sword, named "Red Lotus," was wreathed in scorching flames. Although she launched a series of attacks and temporarily suppressed Red Sparrow, making it difficult for her to move an inch, Nan Yin managed to block Red Sparrow's attack.

However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Nan Yin was all bark and no bite. When she passed through the lava lake earlier, she used most of her magic power on the Crimson Lotus Armor to resist the damage from the lava. Now, she was using her remaining magic power to suppress the Crimson Sparrow in order to catch her off guard.

In no more than a few minutes, the situation will be reversed. Red Sparrow also saw this and avoided attacking, allowing Nan Yin to wear down as much as possible. When Nan Yin could no longer hold on, that would be the moment of her defeat. Therefore, the situation on this side is clearer than that on Kashu and Night Raven's side.

As for Dure and Black Wind, childhood friends who grew up together, they were now at odds with each other for different interests. However, they were not the focus of attention among the Star Stones. The real focus, Riley, had already climbed the steps and was running wildly towards the altar, finally arriving at the edge of the altar.

"Hehehehe, so this is the Star Stone? With its power, I no longer need to swallow my pride or act according to anyone's wishes. I can kill all those who oppose me. What incredible power this is! With it, the world will submit to me."

Riley looked excitedly at the diamond-shaped, crimson crystal in front of him, which was about the size of a fist. He had only heard rumors about star stones near the hot spring village before he came here. He didn't have high hopes, after all, star stones were extremely rare.

Let alone a huge and complete piece like the one in front of him, even a tiny, impure star stone the size of a fingernail could cause quite a stir. While congratulating himself on his incredible luck, Riley had already begun to fantasize about the wonderful future he would have after obtaining this power.

"Boss Riley, let's get the Star Stone and leave quickly. This is not a place to stay for long. Those guys over there don't look like easy targets, and they'll be difficult to deal with." Black Wind turned around and glanced at Riley, loudly reminding him to leave quickly. He knew very well that neither Kashu nor Night Raven was more powerful than Riley.

"Difficult to deal with? Now that I have the power of the Star Stone, do you think I still take them seriously? Just watch how I use this unparalleled power to subdue them. So, Star Stone of Flame, I am now your master. Quickly lend me your power!"

Riley chuckled and reached out to grasp the Star Stone in his hand. A continuous stream of magical energy emanated from the Star Stone, and the feeling of controlling power excited Riley. He tried to use the power of the Star Stone to eliminate all of Kashu and his gang who dared to compete with him.

"What's going on with this Star Stone? It clearly contains powerful magical energy fluctuations, but why can't I use it? What's wrong with it?" In Riley's imagination, he could use the power of the Star Stone to destroy everything, but in reality, even if he held the Star Stone firmly in his hand...

Aside from the warm feeling in his palm, nothing unusual happened, which puzzled him greatly. He patted the star stone a few more times, but it remained unresponsive, just like an ordinary stone that could only be used for decoration. This completely stunned Riley.

"Idiot, you don't even know how to use the Star Stone. Do you really think you can unleash its power by shouting it a couple of times? Hey, Night Raven, are we just going to sit idly by and watch the Star Stone fall into the hands of an idiot old man?" Red Sparrow scoffed at Riley's actions.

“The Star Stone is in his hands, or it is in Kashu’s hands. Which outcome do you think is better, Red Sparrow? Stop dawdling and quickly deal with your opponent. Kashu is more troublesome than I thought. I need your help.” Night Raven moved quickly using his speed.

The giant stone statue he had just stood on cracked instantly as Kashu slashed at it, bursting apart and completely turning into a pile of fragments.

"Coo coo coo coo, now is not the time for idle chatter. Well done, you managed to dodge my attack. It seems you have at least the strength of the Steel Rank. To encounter an opponent of this caliber in a small mountain village, it seems this trip was worthwhile. So, what should we do next?" Kashu followed closely.

Since he began fighting Night Raven, he hadn't glanced at Riley twice, focusing entirely on how to kill Night Raven. In contrast, Night Raven, already at a disadvantage, had to be distracted by Riley. With one side gaining ground and the other losing ground, the room for maneuver left for Night Raven was getting narrower and narrower.

"Even someone like Night Raven is struggling? Tch, I see. Alright, now it's time for me to get serious. Game time is over. Come out, my puppet soldiers." Red Sparrow glanced in Night Raven's direction.

Although she verbally mocked Night Raven, who was her companion, she was still very worried about Night Raven's situation. For this reason, she stopped attacking Nan Yin, which greatly reduced the pressure on Nan Yin. She immediately retreated more than ten steps away, widening the distance between herself and Red Sparrow. For a moment, she couldn't figure out what Red Sparrow was up to.

It wasn't until Red Sparrow slammed the black umbrella in its hand into the ground that the sharp tip of the umbrella pierced a crack in the ground, and rocks began to spread along the crack, forcing Nan Yin to retreat even further. At first, Nan Yin thought it was Red Sparrow's earth-attribute attack, but she soon realized that something was not quite right.

"No, her magical armor shouldn't be earth-based. What is she waiting for? What are these things?" Just as Nan Yin was filled with doubt, she suddenly noticed that something was emerging from the crack, and there were dozens of them.

"Are you scared? These are all my lovely doll soldiers. I don't have time to play with an ugly woman like you right now. Go, destroy that woman!" Red Sparrow pointed at the bewildered Nan Yin and gave the order to the large number of half-human-sized doll soldiers she had summoned.

The puppet soldiers carrying Mauser rifles raised their guns and, before Nan Yin could even react, pulled the triggers.

033 Toy soldiers to play with you

Riley, who thought he was finally about to reach the pinnacle of his life, was completely stunned by the Star Stone's lack of response. According to his plan, he only needed to lift the Star Stone high to channel its power into his body, thereby gaining unparalleled strength to ruthlessly destroy everything.

However, the star stone he had finally obtained after going through so much trouble had become nothing more than an ornamental item. This sense of frustration—having a treasure but being unable to use it—left him stunned for a moment, unable to recover for a long time. It was Black Wind who reacted quickly and shouted at Riley when he saw that things were not going well.

“Boss Riley, once we get our hands on the item, we won’t have to worry about not being able to unleash its power. Leaving here now is the best course of action. Let’s get out of here while they’re all fighting.” Black Wind stood in front of Dure, confronting his former friend. Neither of them made the first move, and the situation was on the verge of erupting.