Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 335 - 334: A Beam of Light From the Sky

Su Lun had now confirmed that the "Death Novel: Netherworld" curse space was connected to reality.

Moreover, he had distinguished two types of "natives".

One kind was the monsters like Shuten-doji, which had always existed in this space.

The other kind was people like Granny Aju and Akutagawa Ryuichi, who had died in Mountain Hermit and come here.

Although Su Lun didn’t understand how that "Princess of Night Handling" managed to do it.

But the question arose.

What was her purpose in creating such a cursed space? It certainly wasn’t just to lure outsiders in and kill them. Figuring out her motive might reveal how to get out of this space.

Also, the space itself was full of oddities.

Normally, the plot within a cursed space would be a segment of pre-mortem memories of a certain "main will".

But what was strange here was that the plot wasn’t something that had already occurred but had a complete timeline. It was still developing over time.

In all the ghostly memories that Su Lun had peeled away, whoever it was felt that this "Netherworld" was the Netherworld that had existed for countless years in the myths.

And yet, the fact was that Fujiwara Hayato wrote this novel within the last thirty years. Experience more content on novelbuddy

Could it be that the great writer wrote the history of countless years for this world with his pen?

To do so without any flaws was incredibly difficult.

However, as a transmigrator, Su Lun didn’t find it especially unbelievable.

After much thought, he came up with a relatively reasonable explanation.

That was that the cognitive abilities of the creatures in this world were restricted by something, such as: dimensions!

Every illusion did not avoid one premise: this is a world within a book.

Su Lun then thought, if they truly couldn’t get out, then in that "Death Novel," would there be an additional phrase: "Su Lun and Chisen ultimately could not walk out of the Netherworld and remained there forever..."

Two living people, in this dimension, were summed up in just a few sentences.

Thinking about this, Su Lun felt slightly wistful, but also found it very interesting.

Could the so-called real world also be just a story within a novel?

....

Snowflakes drifted through the sky in the courtyard of Senso-ji Temple.

Chisen was still in the snowy ground, appreciating the Sword Dao she had comprehended.

Under the eaves, Akutagawa Ryuichi’s aged hands were steadily carving the outline of a Buddha statue out of wood with a carving knife.

The sound of the blade embedding into the wood was very subtle, "swish," "swish..."

Wood shavings fell to the ground, piece by piece.

Su Lun took out a half-finished curious puppet next to him and patiently sought advice.

Although he didn’t understand swordsmanship, he had some insights into sculpting.

And since he had previously read a lot of Mountain Hermit country’s literature, there wasn’t much barrier in their communication. He could speak a few sentences on any topic, and they got along quickly.

"Mr. Akutagawa, does your Buddha carving relate to your ’Draw-sword Hell Sword Intent’?"

"Hmm. Swordsmen who cultivate the path of hell emphasize killing. Without a compassionate heart, one will sooner or later fall into the demonic path. Moreover, after I entered the Saint Realm in my later years and began carving Buddhas, I realized that the Buddha nature does not suppress my Sword Intent from killing that rose from the path of hell, but instead took my Sword Dao a step further. A realm is like a tub of water, when the tub is full, you need higher walls to hold more water. The higher the Buddha nature, the higher the Sword Dao. Your friend has a great talent, but she still needs some enlightenment. Your situation is similar..."

"..."

Su Lun knew although the old man was speaking to him, he was actually always providing guidance to Chisen, and he nodded from time to time.

He also asked about some matters concerning the Netherworld, but didn’t get many clues that he wanted.

Even for the Sword Saint, who was a top-notch powerhouse of Mountain Hermit in his lifetime, in his cognition, this was the real Netherworld.

Moreover, the residents of Mountain Hermit had an ineffable divine worship for "Izanami", as if the sun should exist in the sky, a solidified cognition. Not to mention inquiring about what tier the Yomi Country Lord was, it was even taboo to discuss lightly.

The only thing that could be confirmed was that the Yomi Country Lord was "unfathomable".

```

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Su Lun and Senjo had been staying at the Asakusa Temple, and because of the temple’s sanctity and the Mud Ball, no demons or ghosts had come to disturb them.

With a Sword Saint constantly providing guidance, Senjo had been willing to stay, practicing her swordsmanship in the courtyard every day.

In her words, as long as she could comprehend the true essence of the Sword Dao, she wouldn’t mind even if she couldn’t find a way out.

Su Lun had not been idle either; once his wounds had healed, he had sneaked into the city infested with all manner of demons and ghosts several times to gather more information about the Yomi Country Lord and look for a way out.

Because he had made preparations in advance, his forays into the city had been thrilling but without incident.

However, despite his several visits, while he had encountered a variety of bizarre monsters in the Netherworld, he had made very little progress.

The information he had obtained was extremely limited.

The only way out he could think of was still to go directly to Izanami.

But the King was so mysterious that Su Lun felt it was best not to take any risks before he was certain.

On this day, as usual,

Akutagawa Ryuichi, the "Sword Saint," would leave to find suitable wood after carving Buddha statues every now and then.

Leaving only Su Lun and Senjo in Asakusa.

In the courtyard, Senjo was still practicing her swordsmanship day in and day out.

"Swoosh," "swoosh," "swoosh"...

The sound of Sword Qi tearing through the air was incessant.

Unlike her usual forceful strikes, Senjo was now holding her sword as if she were "playing" with it. A dry leaf dancing along the blade’s edge, each time it was about to touch the ground, was lifted by a burst of Sword Qi, with the force measured so precisely it seemed to float up and down like a feather.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the leaf bore a pattern etched by the Sword Qi.

Su Lun, carving an enigmatic puppet under the eaves, glanced over and rolled his eyes.

The pattern on the leaf seemed to be a crude depiction of himself, Su someone, but wasn’t it a bit too shabby?

Just then, a crow flew over the sky, and with a "whoosh," Senjo used too much force on her Sword Qi, splitting the leaf in two.

Seeing this, Senjo grimaced and muttered in annoyance, "Ah... I failed again."

Su Lun laughed and said, "Senjo, why don’t you take a break? Your Qi seems a bit disturbed."

He naturally knew this was a highly sophisticated method of finely controlling Sword Qi.

This advanced Secret Technique was something that someone of Su Lun’s fourth-tier profession shouldn’t have been able to understand or comment on.

But fortunately, after previously stripping away the "Imperial Flow Overbearing Body," he actually knew what was going on.

This was Akutagawa Ittoryu’s Secret Technique of swordplay, requiring a sense of control over Sword Qi that was incredibly precise.

It was very difficult to master.

However, once one mastered this Secret Technique, even facing creatures like the "Rot Monsters," which were nearly immune to physical attacks, ordinary Sword Qi could inflict significant damage.

From a scientific perspective, this Secret Technique transformed the slash from a "single line" to a "particle-level" slash, using Qi to disrupt the target’s structural integrity.

Watching Senjo’s frustrated look, Su Lun gestured with his carving knife and advised, "You should try doing it like this first, then like that..."

Senjo gave him a dismissive look, and although she thought he made sense, she couldn’t help but retort, "Do you think everyone has your kind of talent?"

The Secret Technique sounded simple, but grasping that sensation was incredibly difficult. One had to keep trying over and over until the body learned and developed muscle memory, eventually leading to stable output.

She exhaled a deep breath of turbid air and picked up another dry leaf from the ground to start anew.

Su Lun watched her increasingly skilled strikes and couldn’t help but smile at the corners of his eyes.

He, of course, knew how important it was to have a good teacher, especially at certain significant bottlenecks that required comprehension.

These days, Akutagawa Ryuichi, the "Sword Saint," had been instructing her, and Senjo’s swordsmanship had visibly improved rapidly. Her understanding of "Sword Intent" seemed to be on the verge of breaking through.

It was no wonder Senjo didn’t want to go anywhere else. Coming to the "Netherworld" turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as meeting a Sword Saint long passed in the real world was indeed a rare opportunity.

```

....

Before long, Su Lun glanced at his pocket watch, and it was already twelve o’clock noon.

Every day at this time, he would go out for a wander, looking for some clues.

He tidied up the puppet and stood up, "Sister Chitaba, today, I plan to take another trip into the city."

As Chitaba chopped leaves, she asked, "Do you want me to accompany you?"

Su Lun shook his head, "No need, this time I’m not going to encounter any significant monsters, just going for a stroll."

If it weren’t for being trapped, he was actually quite fascinated by this strange world.

The laws of Netherworld within the book were flawless and fraught with dangers, but that also meant that, like the outside world, there were many hidden treasures and secrets to uncover here.

There were many materials in the Yomi Country that contained the principles of death, which were scarce in the real world. And then there were those fairies and goblins, rarely seen outside, yet one could encounter countless exotic varieties just by walking the streets here, a top-tier scarce resource.

In half a month’s time, Su Lun had exchanged some of his own stock for Netherworld materials worth billions. These materials would fetch a hundred times, or even a thousand times their price in the real world.

He felt that, if he could really make it out alive, he could also write a travelogue, titled "My Life as a Profiteer in the Netherworld."

Chitaba didn’t say much, just nodded, "Hmm."

Both were clear that if they were discovered in the city, they would have to flee.

Two people were not as well off as one alone.

After a pause, she gave Su Lun a glance and added, "Be careful."

"Hmm."

Su Lun, draped in his cloak, picked up the Rune Umbrella and, as usual, first sent out the black crow to scout ahead, then headed towards the dilapidated gate of the temple.

But having taken just a few steps, suddenly, a white light shone in the sky, illuminating the eastern part of the city!

That beam of white light, in this dim world, was as eye-catching as a falling meteor.

Chitaba sharply turned her head to look at the light and exclaimed softly, "What is that!"

Su Lun’s eyes flickered with anticipation, and he immediately said, "Let’s go, let’s check it out!"

All this time they had been searching for a way out, but this world seemed like a circle, with a completely closed loop, utterly devoid of any flaws.

But such a strange event...

It seemed like sunlight?

How could there be sunlight in Netherworld?

....

Su Lun and Chitaba left Asakusa Temple, making their way east towards the city.

However, the celestial event was not insignificant. Along the way, they also noticed other demons being drawn to the site.

As they were on the outskirts of the city, the two of them moved quickly, but as they approached, they noticed an increasing number of demons around them, some of them quite powerful presences.

The two didn’t rush to get closer but watched the commotion from a distance, hidden in the surrounding woods alongside some minor specters there for the spectacle.

Although they were far away, their view was clear enough.

The sky appeared punctured by a large hole, with a "spotlight" shining down, illuminating the hilltop like a monk’s shaved head.

Su Lun studied the location of the hilltop and felt it was familiar, muttering, "The place where that beam of light is falling, isn’t that the location of Iga Shrine?"

Chitaba also realized this point, "It couldn’t be the Princess’s doing, could it?"

In the Mountain Hermit, the sun was synonymous with Amaterasu Omikami, and Shinfuku Mitsuko was a shrine maiden who served the deities.

They also hadn’t forgotten that when they entered, there was supposed to be a great battle unfolding outside in Edo Castle.

Although half a month had passed inside the cursed space, it wasn’t necessarily the case that much time had passed outside.

With so many coincidences, it was probable they had guessed correctly.

"Hiss, if it’s the Princess, don’t we stand a chance of getting out?"

As Su Lun spoke, he glanced at the streak of golden light that streaked across the sky.

But perhaps he had inadvertently jinxed it, just as he finished speaking, the gap in the sky suddenly closed up, and the "spotlight" went dark!

Su Lun "..."

Sanjo "..."

The two exchanged glances, each seeing in the other’s eyes a speechlessness.

The situation seemed very much like someone had thrown another "thing" in from the outside.

Sanjo guessed, "Could it be that something happened on the Princess’s side?"

"It’s highly likely."

Su Lun also frowned slightly, "Let’s go, we should check it out."

The probability was high.

The people of the Takeda shogunate had chosen to launch a war during the "Black Sun Grand Festival," employing a plot to contaminate the sun and deal with all foreigners, a sign that they were confident in their actions.

Even without knowing the details of the battle outside, one could guess the outcome.

Sanjo nodded.

The two of them then climbed down from the tree and crept over.

....

The yokai of Yomi Country were all very afraid of sunlight, with none daring to approach the mountaintop.

Even without the "spotlight," the mountaintop still had a lingering glow like that of a luminous pearl.

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Su Lun and Sanjo walked over and indeed saw a mirage of a palace.

"It’s the Iga Shrine! It must be a projection from the real world..."

Su Lun looked at the mirage, his eyes grew sharp.

There were no shrines in Yomi Country, and even if there were, they would be as dilapidated as the Asakusa Temple’s shrine.

Sanjo clenched the sword in his hand and asked, "Shall we go and take a look?"

Su Lun nodded.

Whether it was the Princess or some other situation, they needed to investigate clearly.

The two walked towards the glowing mountaintop.

The light and palace mirage on the mountaintop were fading visibly fast due to the lack of external light beams for replenishment, and the outer edges of the mirage began to disperse, shrinking in area.

With the absence of sunlight, the surrounding ghosts went mad and surged towards the mountaintop.

The mountaintop seemed to have a scent that was very attractive to these ghosts.

The two noticed this and rushed over quickly.

Being human, they were unaffected by the light and got directly to the mountaintop where the palace was located.

There was indeed a dilapidated shrine there.

And the ghosts that could reach this place all had the strength of a fourth or fifth tier professional.

The number was not too many, but not few.

A giant head [Big Head], an ugly snake-faced [Candle Shadow], a blue-skinned monk with one eye [Ao Bozu], [Pig Demon], [Mushroom Demon], [Octopus Demon]...

During these days, Su Lun had encountered many monsters that existed only in stories and saw a few familiar great demons.

When the two arrived, some monsters had already braved the non-blinding sunlight and charged in.

Intense fighting sounds came from the dilapidated shrine.

Su Lun and his companion did not approach rashly; he released a black crow to overlook everything from the sky.

Sharing the crow’s vision, they saw that inside the shrine, several yokai were besieging a human, and the battle was fierce.

Looking at the black-haired girl wielding a bow and arrow, dressed in red and white miko attire, Su Lun recognized her in an instant, if not Shinfuku Mitsuko, then who?