The most shameless alchemist in history

But he soon realized he was wrong. The reason was simple: the densely packed characters beneath his feet suddenly emitted a black light. Each character seemed to come alive, and the black light overflowed from the ground. Thousands of characters began to form a cage, like black lightning flashing across the ground from time to time.

"What's going on with this barrier? Did I accidentally enter the center of a barrier? Oh no, this is bad, I have to leave here immediately. What's with this Ash Tower? There's a barrier at the top of the tower, and another one underground." Dure realized something was wrong.

He immediately turned and ran, trying to escape this dangerous place. He wasn't stupid; he figured out his current situation in the first instant.

"No, I can't move my legs, they're bound by these things. Are these really writings? They're like ghosts! Hey, we agreed before that I'd listen to you, that I'd go wherever you told me to go. Now I'm in danger, don't play dead!"

Dure shouted at the egg on his chest. At this moment, his hands and feet were bound by black characters that overflowed from the ground. These characters all revealed gaping mouths and ferocious fangs, like demons crawling out of hell. Wailing ghostly sounds came from all around, and the brazier flickered.

The egg that brought him here was his only hope, but no matter how much he shouted, the egg remained unmoved and unresponsive.

"Damn it, you're going to kill me! Am I going to die here? What are these things? What else is hidden in the Ash Tower? Get out of here! Get out of here!" Dure struggled desperately, but he was like someone trapped in a swamp; the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.

"I'm doomed. I feel like my body is being torn apart and devoured. I really regret it. I should have known better than to come to this damn place. Hmm, there are people in that light over there." Dure felt a wave of despair. He knew very well that if things continued like this, he would be finished in just a few seconds.

But just as his life hung in the balance, he suddenly noticed a light emerging from outside the circular black cage not far away. Unlike the eerie black light, this golden light was approaching him step by step, while the black ghost tried to block his path.

Countless ghosts shot towards him like black arrows, determined to pierce his heart with a thousand arrows.

But before the ghost could arrive, it was repelled by the golden light shield. Dure carefully examined it and recognized a person inside the golden light shield. He was a handsome man who looked to be in his early twenties. He ignored the black ghost's attack and walked over step by step.

"Not just here, but over here too, there's another woman... who is she?" Du Lei hadn't recovered from his shock when he noticed another woman walking over from the other side. This woman was dressed in white light and was also around twenty years old. She looked somewhat familiar to him.

The two men pressed towards the center of the circle from the left and right, which greatly reduced the pressure on Dure, who was in the center of the circle. He was able to move his limbs with difficulty. Just when Dure thought he was saved, the ground suddenly began to shake, and a series of wailing and howling sounds came from it.

Something big is about to crawl out from underground.

212 Gate of the Void

At this moment, Du Lei realized how insignificant he was. Faced with this immense power rising from the ground, he had no chance to resist. If it weren't for a man and a woman approaching him from his left and right sides, removing the force that was suppressing him, he would have been completely defeated.

Dure had every reason to believe that he had long been dragged into the darkest abyss of hell by the dense, dark tentacles that spewed from the ground. However, the situation did not improve because of the appearance of the young couple. On the contrary, amidst a series of ghostly wails, it showed signs of getting worse.

Dure witnessed a gigantic black hand emerge from the ground, black lightning bolts dancing wildly like electric snakes throughout the vast underground palace, and a soul-piercing wail filling the air. This rendered Dure immobile, and he watched helplessly as a hideous, grotesque creature burst forth from the ground.

"What is this thing? No way! If this continues, the entire underground palace will be destroyed. I can't move at all, I can't even struggle!" Du Lei was extremely anxious. He tried to escape this dangerous place, but he couldn't move his body at all.

Soon, the creature that crawled out of the ground revealed its full form. It was like a huge shadow, pitch black, with a body length of more than ten meters. Its back reached the dome of the underground palace, and its thick arms smashed a huge crater into the ground. Boulders fell from all around like rain.

"This is not a place for you. Go back to where you belong." To Du Lei's left, a young man bathed in golden light remained unmoved by the threat of the giant beast. Instead, he slowly approached it, as a boulder crashed directly into his head.

This caused Du Lei to exclaim in surprise. Any normal person would be unable to withstand such a huge rock hitting them, and their head would definitely be smashed open. However, when the rock was still half a meter away from the man's head, it seemed to hit a hard object and broke apart on its own, being bounced off by the golden light shield.

"Hundreds of years of slumber have consumed too much of your power. Don't even think about causing trouble again, Jeff. Now's the time. Quickly open the Gate of the Abyss." The young woman to Dure's right also withstood the pressure and slowly approached. She attracted the giant beast's attacks, and the giant beast pounded down on her with punch after punch.

However, her body was enveloped in white light, like a curtain of water. Even when attacked by the giant beast, the surface of the light shield only showed dents and did not shatter completely. This greatly displeased the giant beast, which roared continuously, and even the air was compressed and made to make popping sounds.

But just as it was distracted by attacking the young woman, a black crack appeared in the air behind it, as if space itself had been torn open. Inside the crack, huge black ball-shaped lightning emitted a hissing sound. Du Lei glanced at it from afar.

Even though it was just a slit in space, what he saw through it seemed to be the greatest, most vast, and most terrifying existence in the world. No, it didn't belong to this world; it was a towering being that transcended this world. Numerous cracks appeared in the air, hissing incessantly.

The ferocious beast, which had just crawled out of the ground, began to move towards the crack, as if an invisible giant hand was pulling it. It let out a unwilling cry, and each of its roars was accompanied by an explosion of air, as if the sky was about to collapse and the earth was about to crack open.

"Give up struggling! This is a bondage you cannot resist. Go back!" the young man roared. A large amount of rubble was swept up by the gale and smashed against the wall, causing numerous cracks to appear. The ground shook violently, and the ancient characters originally carved on the ground all turned into countless small black hands.

They burrowed into the black behemoth, trying to convert into its power to resist the suction from the spatial rift. But the more they supported it, the stronger the suction became. Before long, half of the behemoth's body was pulled in. It stretched out its huge hand and firmly gripped the edge of the rift.

It was unwilling to compromise like this; it wanted to stay here. But its resistance was futile. After only two breaths, its body was completely engulfed. The torn spacetime rift grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared and returned to normal.

"It's been sucked in! What's going on? What kind of monster is it? And what about you guys?" Du Lei was finally able to move his body. He plopped down on the ground, drenched in sweat. He had just endured immense pressure.

Several times he felt like all the blood vessels in his body were about to burst, and he simply couldn't hold on any longer.

"It's just returning to where it belongs, back to the Abyss." Behind Dure, a young man slowly walked over and said softly.

"Is it a Void Abyss creature?" Du Lei was taken aback. He was not unfamiliar with Void Abyss creatures, not because he had seen them before, but because he had learned about them from Nono during the day. He had originally thought that Void Abyss creatures were far removed from him.

But to his surprise, not long after, he witnessed it firsthand and was almost completely devoured by it.

“That’s right, it’s a creature from the Void Abyss, merely a marginal creature within the Void Abyss, which is why we were able to barely drive it back.” The woman with the young man nodded as she spoke, her face pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and she was visibly exhausted.

"What? Just a marginal creature has such power? If the core main force came, wouldn't it be...?" Du Lei was startled by her words. He wasn't one to make a fuss over nothing, but such words were truly too shocking.

Let alone him, he believed that even Nono, who prided herself on being knowledgeable and worldly-wise, wouldn't be able to remain calm in such a situation.

“Every invasion by the Void Abyss creatures brings destruction. In recent centuries, the invasions by the Void Abyss creatures have become more and more frequent. I’m really worried that one day it will really happen.” The young man was worried. Du Lei carefully observed his facial features, not knowing whether it was due to the light or something else.

It always feels blurry and unclear, I can't see it clearly.

“Jeff, don’t worry about these things. After all, we’ve been dead for three hundred years, and even the last wisp of our souls will soon dissipate. What’s the use of worrying about these things?” The woman next to him walked over and patted his shoulder, gently comforting him.

"What did you say about a soul that has been dead for three hundred years? What is going on? Who are you? You wouldn't be..." Du Lei was already confused, and after hearing her say this, he could no longer hold back.

213 Keep this a secret

Regarding what had just happened, Du Lei could only be a spectator. He had no ability to interfere, nor could he even struggle. He could only watch helplessly as the colossal beast, carrying world-destroying power, rose from the ground and wantonly destroyed everything around it.

Fortunately, the young couple appeared and together they defeated the giant beast and pulled it into the spatial rift. Dure was not stupid; on the contrary, he was very smart and could apply what he learned to other situations. While witnessing all of this, his mind was also rapidly thinking.

He used all the information he had gathered in the shortest amount of time to try and explain the situation, but after the young woman uttered those words, he never imagined that they were not real people at all, but merely a wisp of remnant souls left over from three hundred years ago.

"So that's how it is. You are the young king who built this Ash Tower three hundred years ago, and also a famous alchemist. And you are her sister." Dure considered himself a strong-willed person. After taking a deep breath, he couldn't calm down for a long time.

This conjecture was truly absurd, and the "she" he mentioned was naturally the girl who breathed dragon flames that he and Nono encountered at the top of the Ash Tower during the day. At that time, the girl gave them a lot of trouble, and he later learned that the girl's true form was an unknown high-level magical beast.

"Is she... you mean Nam?" the young woman said, her expression showing some delight.

“I don’t know her name. She was sealed at the top of the Ash Tower, but now she has been released from the seal, and the Ash Tower no longer exists.” Dure guessed that the person he was talking about was probably the same person the young woman was talking about, so he tried to describe her as accurately as possible.

“Yes, that’s right, she is Muna, my sister. I’m so glad she’s still alive and well.” She nodded happily.

"But what exactly is going on? She said you should all be dead, and what about that Void Abyss creature that appeared before? Shouldn't it have been destroyed?" Dure had countless questions in his mind. He thought he had already learned the truth.

It is a different kind of "truth" from the ancient story that Nono first told him when he was a child. But judging from Jeff and Sister Muna's behavior, the "truth" that Muna told him seems to be slightly different from the real "truth".

The young woman hesitated for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed and unsure how to answer Durei.

“Let me answer you. We are indeed dead. What we are now are just clones created from the remaining magical energy and remnants of our souls. Soon, Musa and I will disappear completely,” the young King Jeff stepped forward to answer the question for his companion.

“Then I’ll go and inform Muna now, and have her come to see you.” Dure immediately turned around and tried to leave. He knew how important Muna’s sister, the young woman Musa in front of him, was to her, and how much she wanted to see her sister again.

“No need, it’s too late. Jeff and I will disappear before Muna appears. Besides, Muna’s power is currently blocked. She should be in a sealed place that can isolate magical energy. I can’t sense her presence. This is fine as it is.” Musa gently shook her head.

"How could that be? She clearly missed you so much and longed to see you again." Du Lei said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

“What can a person destined to disappear bring to the living, other than deeper sorrow and more unbearable longing, if they reappear before them? So thank you for your kindness, but please don’t tell Muna that I ever appeared,” Musa said earnestly.

“I understand. If this is your wish, I will keep it a secret for you.” Du Lei nodded and agreed.

“Besides keeping Musa’s secret, there’s one more thing I need to ask you to do,” Jeff suddenly said from the side.

"What do you need me to do?" Du Lei was taken aback, wondering what he could possibly need to ask of him.

"Here's the thing, behind the fourth brazier behind you, there's a hidden compartment on the ground. You can open it by tapping it four times with your finger. Inside is a scroll, and I hope you can give it to a man called Viper." Jeff pointed to the location of the brazier behind Dure.

"Where is Viper? And haven't you been dead for three hundred years? How do you know there's someone in this world called Viper?" Du Lei felt somewhat bewildered; the time span was far too long.

“He has no fixed abode and wanders the continent. I don’t know where to find him. As for why I know such a person exists, I think you’ll understand when you meet him one day.” Jeff shook his head; he also knew nothing about the address.

“But I’m not sure if I can find him, what if I can’t fulfill your request?” Dure hesitated.

“I understand your concerns, but Musa and I will be disappearing soon. I can’t find anyone else to ask for help besides you. Even if this matter cannot be completed, it doesn’t matter. I just hope that if you have the opportunity to do it, you can do it for me,” Jeff said solemnly.

“How about this, I’ll tell someone else about this and let them do it for you. My strength is insignificant, but there are many powerful people in the academy. They can definitely do it, and they might even know where that viper is.” Du Lei thought for a moment and made a compromise suggestion.

“No, this matter must not be known to anyone else. I believe you are a person who keeps your promises. You must not let anyone else know.” Jeff said “absolutely” twice in a row. His stern expression made Dure take the matter seriously.

"Okay, I understand. I'll try my best to do it myself." After thinking for a moment, Du Lei nodded in agreement.

"I am so grateful and thankful that you agreed. As a reward, besides the scroll, there are two other things in the hidden compartment that I left behind before my death. Consider this a token of my gratitude. This place will soon collapse, and Musa and I will disappear soon. Please leave quickly."

Jeff gave Dure a grateful look. Meanwhile, the collapse of the underground palace continued. Previously, due to the destruction by the Void creatures, the entire hall was covered with cracks. Now all the cracks were connected, and a large number of rubble fell down. Soon, the place would completely collapse.

214 Viper Breath

Dure didn't want to be buried with this underground palace, so he quickly went behind the brazier and followed Jeff's directions to find the secret compartment. Just as Jeff had said, there was a scroll and two boxes about the size of a palm in the compartment. Normally, Dure would have opened them to take a closer look.

But in this situation, he had no time for that. He quickly stuffed the scroll and the two boxes into his pocket. At this moment, the collapse of the underground palace was intensifying. He glanced back at Jeff and Musa. After Jeff gave him a reassuring look, he rushed toward the exit.

A large number of boulders fell down, but fortunately Dure ran fast enough to leave the passage before the exit was completely blocked. Jeff and Musa, on the other hand, remained standing in the center of the underground palace, letting the boulders fall on them. They were not like Dure, who was a person of flesh and blood.

They were merely products of remnants of souls and magical energy. In the battle against the creatures of the Void Abyss, their magical energy had long been exhausted, and they would soon disappear. Without a physical form, the boulder could not harm them in any way; they simply waited calmly for the moment of their demise.

“Jeff, how could you entrust such an important matter to a complete stranger? Are you sure he can really do it?” Although Musa hadn’t objected when Jeff made the decision, she still expressed some concern now.

"Misa, don't worry, he can definitely do it. He will definitely deliver the scroll to Viper," Jeff said confidently and decisively.

“I don’t understand, Jeff. Why do you trust him so much? And I even have doubts about whether Viper is still alive. Three hundred years have passed. Viper…” Musa had many worries, not only about Dure himself, but also about their old friend named Viper.

“Muna is still alive and well, and Viper must be alive too. So why am I so sure he can find Viper Musa? Is it because too much time has passed and your sense of smell has deteriorated?” Jeff faced the collapsing underground palace, still maintaining a gentle smile.

“Smell Jeff, why would you suddenly say that?” Musa couldn’t understand it.

“It’s the scent of a viper.” Jeff stopped beating around the bush and patted Musa’s head, telling her the answer directly.

Neither he nor Musa had a physical form, so his touch naturally missed. But the moment he reached out, it was as if he had really touched her. He could still recall the long-lost feeling of her soft hair in his memory. She used to love this gesture the most.

“The aura of a viper, Jeff, what is this?” Musa was taken aback; she couldn’t sense her old friend’s aura anywhere.

“Although it’s very faint, there’s no doubt about it. There’s a viper’s aura on that boy. I’m not sure if he has some kind of connection with vipers. Judging from his reaction, he probably doesn’t know vipers, but this aura will definitely link them together.” Jeff was certain.

"I see. I still don't quite understand, but I think any decision you make, Jeff, must be correct. Anyway, I'm not good at thinking, so as long as it's your decision, that's fine." Musa nodded thoughtfully and leaned into Jeff's untouchable embrace.

"Are you really not planning to take a look at Muna? Actually, it's something we can still do before we completely disappear, right? Even just sneaking a peek wouldn't hurt," Jeff reminded Musa, hoping she wouldn't regret it.

“No need. As long as Muna can live a good life, I’ll be happy. As for us…” Musa paused here.

“She must hate me, thinking I’m the one who ruined you. But then again, her hatred makes a lot of sense. If it weren’t for me, you…” Jeff chuckled. He thought that if he hadn’t appeared, Musa could be living a good life like Muna right now.

“Jeff, don’t say those things. With you, I’ve experienced a happiness I’ve never felt before, even if it’s brief. I’m so happy. If I had to choose again, I would still choose you without hesitation.” Musa knew what he was going to say and interrupted Jeff.

"Is my body starting to dissipate and coming to an end? I'm really a little reluctant to let go." Jeff looked down at his body. Originally without a physical form, his body began to become ethereal and blurry as his magical energy was depleted.

"I'm sorry, I promised you we'd go to see a lot of places, but it looks like I'll have to break my promise." Jeff sighed, looking somewhat melancholy.

“It’s okay, we’ll be together in life and together in death.” Mussa tried to grab Jeff’s arm, but she herself was dissipating.

"That's wonderful." Jeff smiled tenderly. He and Musa looked into each other's eyes, and soon they both vanished into nothingness, and the underground palace collapsed with a rumble.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Dure ran wildly and finally escaped before the underground palace completely collapsed. A loud "boom" came from behind him, and the whole ground trembled. When he had exhausted all his strength and could no longer run, he sat down on the ground and looked back at the Ash Tower.

The Ash Tower, which had already collapsed once during the day and was now only about ten meters tall, had completely sunk underground. Large areas of the surrounding land had also been completely submerged, creating a huge crater that was more than ten meters deep. This massive crater looked as if a huge rock had crashed down from the sky.