Demon Bible

Chapter 105: Alchemist

Upon hearing this, the robust man finally showed some reaction.

"Anyone can talk, but most people can never keep their promises." His voice trembled the moment he spoke. It sounded as though he was enduring some immense pain, making every word a struggle.

"I managed to single you out from the crowd. Does that not count as capability?"

"And after finding you, I refrained from reporting you to the Church. I believe I have already shown you a considerable amount of leniency."

Nemus tilted his head slightly, his long white hair slipping from behind his ear. His fingers slowly curled the white hair into a loop before pulling it straight again.

"It is not enough. The Floating World Society and I merely share a cooperative relationship, yet you demand absolute submission!" the robust man declared. Reaching beneath his black robe, he retrieved a set of scales.

"An Alchemist?" Nemus remarked, a hint of pleasant surprise in his tone. He truly had not expected the man standing before him to practice such a craft.

"While combat is not my forte, I would still like to test my strength against yours."

"If I win, in accordance with the Principle of Equivalent Exchange, I will seal away your cognition of my identity." As the Alchemist finished speaking, one side of the scales he held immediately dipped.

"And if I lose, then as you requested, I will submit to you." Following his vow, an invisible weight dropped onto the other side of the scales, bringing the instrument into perfect balance."Is this an Alchemic Pact?" Nemus murmured, his closed eyes seeming to flutter open just a fraction. He plucked a single strand of his white hair. "Then I accept."

The moment those words were spoken, the robust man slammed both hands into the earth. Mental Power surged out in a frenzy, plunging deep into the soil below.

It created a paradoxical sensation—the Alchemist suddenly felt incredibly insignificant, yet simultaneously immensely vast.

He acted as a living bridge, forging a profound connection between the heavens and the earth.

Soon after, the Great Earth began to tremble, rapidly distorting and mutating.

The ground churned like ocean waves as massive clumps of mud violently condensed together, forming a colossal hand that swatted down toward Nemus.

"You have some skill," Nemus evaluated. With a casual flick of his finger, the strand of white hair shot forward like a dart.

In the next instant, the hair writhed in the air before being completely engulfed by the giant earthen hand.

"The Divine Does Not Mix with the Mortal!" Nemus chanted softly. Immediately, starting from the exact point where the hair had been absorbed, the mud began to undergo a rapid transformation.

Rays of radiant light pierced through the massive hand. The once-fluid earth found its structural integrity severely compromised.

By the time it loomed over Nemus, the earth had entirely broken free from the Alchemist's control. The giant hand crumbled into a torrential downpour of dirt, raising a thick cloud of dust that stopped exactly a hair's breadth away from Nemus's face.

The Alchemist, who had been bridging the ethereal and material planes through the principle of "as above, so below," underwent a drastic shift in expression.

Gritting his teeth in refusal to accept defeat, he squeezed his eyes shut once more. His consciousness plunged deep into the fluctuating currents of the world, desperately grasping for the mechanisms of a higher power.

No matter the cost, he refused to lose.

The moment the connection was reestablished, the ethereal and material realms exchanged properties. The mundane wind, previously stirred by the falling dirt, suddenly began to exude a deeply ominous aura.

The gales whipped into a frenzy, forming an inescapable vortex that rapidly closed in on Nemus.

"Astral Wind!" He had fundamentally altered the properties of the material wind, temporarily imbuing it with the traits of the Astral Realm.

As he channeled the technique, the Alchemist let out an agonizing roar. It was as though countless invisible blades were violently carving and scraping the inside of his skull.

An Alchemist was essentially a Spellcaster. According to Lao Mushi's theories, the absolute core of any Spellcaster was the concept of connection.

The Alchemist actively forged profound links between physical matter and the higher dimensions of the Astral Realm and the Aether Layer.

Through these ethereal links, Alchemy could freely alter the intrinsic properties of matter. However, executing such miraculous adjustments demanded the user to serve as the physical bridge, forcing them to bear the agonizing metaphysical recoil of the transformation.

"Commendable courage!" Nemus praised before taking a slow, deep breath.

The howling Astral Wind was instantly inhaled by Nemus. The torrential mental impact crashed into him like waves breaking against solid steel, leaving absolutely no trace of damage. The Astral Wind was a tempest of the mind, a psychic storm capable of severely devastating a person's psyche.

Yet, even ignoring the incomprehensible structure of Nemus's True Spirit, the physical vessel he currently inhabited was more than enough to render him completely immune to this level of Astral Wind.

After all, the Cherubim were biological weapons engineered by the Gods specifically to wage war against other divine entities or beings of the Mythic Rank.

Moreover, the vast majority of these apocalyptic battles took place within the unforgiving environments of the Astral Realm or the Aether Layer.

If they lacked the innate ability to shrug off the lethal Astral Winds that constantly raged through those dimensions, their purpose as elite combat units would be completely meaningless.

"That is enough. Stop," Nemus commanded. His body flickered like a ray of light, instantaneously materializing right in front of the Alchemist. His hand, shimmering with a soft brilliance, gently landed on the man's head.

The agonizing mental strain caused by channeling the Astral Wind was immediately and drastically alleviated.

"Although an Alchemist is the Supernatural profession least dependent on The Number, when the numerical gap is simply too massive, even Alchemy cannot bridge the chasm between our strengths," Nemus explained earnestly.

With those words, he officially secured his absolute victory in their brief clash.

Nemus casually flexed his willpower, deliberately suppressing and slowing the torrent of Precept information that threatened to surge into his consciousness.

He then turned his gaze toward the surrounding onlookers.

"Join the Construct Protocol. No matter what personal ambitions you harbor, the Construct Protocol has the capacity to embrace you all."

The majority of the crowd consisted of former members of the Floating World Society, operating directly under the Alchemist's jurisdiction.

Having just witnessed their esteemed elder's defeat, and knowing that the Floating World Society was now completely defunct, they desperately needed a new organization to provide a platform for their survival.

Thus, the vast majority of them chose to pledge their allegiance, officially joining the new Religious Order established by Nemus—the Construct Protocol.

With the influx of new followers, his Precepts underwent yet another evolution.

[Precepts Updated]

[Main Precept: Oath-keeping]

[Precept Feedback: New Addition — (Nature Transformation): The Qi Instrument is now capable of undergoing a certain degree of Nature Transformation.]

[Main Rule: Absolution]

[Precept Feedback: New Addition (Construct Protocol) — Construct Protocol: Establishes multifaceted agreements with members, ensuring all pacts are seamlessly unified. This guarantees the absolute efficacy of the agreements, drastically facilitating the administration and control of the faction's members.]

'Oh? It can actually generate corresponding Traits based on the new faction I established,' Nemus mused, feeling a surge of genuine delight. This was yet another fascinating discovery.

'If I can fully decipher the underlying laws of this mechanic, I might be able to artificially manufacture the exact Traits I require.'

Shifting his focus, Nemus turned his attention toward the absolute greatest prize of this encounter—the Alchemist himself.

Alchemists were primarily production-oriented individuals, uniquely capable of refining an endless array of magical artifacts and potent Potions.

The craft bore a passing resemblance to Shaping Spells, yet the core mechanics were fundamentally different.

While Shaping Spells relied on overwhelming Mental Power to forcibly subjugate one or more Elements, an Alchemist strictly adhered to the philosophical maxim: 'As above, so below; as below, so above.'

They dedicated their lives to unraveling the deepest Cosmic Principles, leveraging these truths to harmonize the ethereal and material planes. Their ultimate, overarching ambition was to synthesize the legendary Philosopher's Stone.

It was said that the fabled Philosopher's Stone possessed the miraculous ability to grant immortality and transmute base lead into pure gold.

In other words, as long as one successfully refined the Philosopher's Stone, they could effortlessly elevate anyone to the Golden Rank, ushering Mankind into a new Golden Age.