Chapter 369: The Prototype of the Philosopher's Stone

A mucus-like object crawled slowly out through a manhole cover on the ground; it was a liquid metal lifeform with a jet-black luster. It paused on the concrete ground, flowing slowly, and before long, it transformed into a man wearing a white coat—the alchemist named Tianzhong Gong.

Not far ahead was a massive villa; this was the residence of Nangong Nayue. Originally, Nangong Nayue lived in a high-end apartment in the residential district of the artificial island's West District, but ever since Lingyun came to her home, Nangong Nayue had moved out of there and found a villa to live in. Given her status on Itogami Island, setting up a luxurious villa was absolutely no problem at all.

"It really is an iron wall," Tianzhong Gong remarked, gazing at the villa before him, unable to help but exclaim in admiration. "To be able to set up such a Defense Array, the owner of this villa is truly formidable!"

Ever since moving to this villa, Lingyun had continuously added various Defense Arrays around it, and now the entire villa was enveloped within all sorts of powerful arrays. These arrays were interlocked, forming a three-dimensional defensive net that possessed terrifying defensive power and lethality.

Faced with this powerful defensive system, even the Three Sages of the Lion King Organization or even Xiao Gucheng would be blocked for a period of time. And this time was enough for Lingyun and the others to prepare themselves and give the incoming enemy a head-on blow.

Tianzhong Gong had arrived here several hours ago and had been using various methods to try to bypass these layers of Defense Arrays to infiltrate the villa. But to his astonishment, these layered arrays were impenetrable; no matter what means he exhausted, he could not bypass this defensive net.

"Is a frontal assault the only way? But the Witch of the Void hidden within, and that unknown Vampire, are truly troublesome." Tianzhong Gong twisted his neck; although he spoke of trouble, his footsteps did not hesitate in the slightest as he walked toward the villa.

With a "hum," several Space Arrays suddenly opened in the Void, and golden chains shot out from the arrays, instantly binding Tianzhong Gong, who hadn't yet reacted, like a rice dumpling.

"You knew this was my territory and still dared to sneak in, you petty thief? If that's the case, your guts are truly not small!"

Appearing as if melting out of the Void was a petite figure wearing a gorgeous Western-style dress. With smooth, long black hair and snow-white skin, she held a parasol full of lace trim even though the sun had already set. Her appearance was like an exquisite Doll—very beautiful yet carrying a hint of terror. It was none other than the Witch of the Void—Nangong Nayue.

"Heh, are you the Demon Race killer, Nangong Nayue? You certainly live up to your reputation!" Tianzhong Gong's body instantly turned into liquid metal, breaking free from the chains.

"To be able to escape the 'Precept Chains' forged by the gods using such a method, it seems alchemists truly possess some skills that ordinary people cannot reach!" Nangong Nayue retracted her Precept Chains.

"Perhaps!" Tianzhong Gong chuckled, and his right hand instantly transformed into a long whip, extending toward Nangong Nayue's direction.

Nangong Nayue's body flashed, instantly disappearing from where she stood.

"If it were the former me, things like Material Recombination would be ineffective against me. But if I were to be entangled by you now, it would be a bit troublesome!" Nangong Nayue's body appeared in another location.

Tianzhong Gong quietly sized up the surrounding environment; if he were to clash with Nangong Nayue now, it would definitely not be a good thing.

"Rest assured, ever since you arrived here, an array to prevent you from escaping has already been laid out; you cannot run away!" Nangong Nayue said.

"So you had discovered me long ago; what a fine method!" Tianzhong Gong scanned his surroundings and couldn't help but curl his lip.

"At this point, do you still intend to attack Xia Yin? Haven't you already obtained what you wanted from her foster father?" Nangong Nayue asked with a frown.

"Because someone feels she is an eyesore. And, in the monastery at that time, she was the only one who survived; don't you think that is very unfair? Therefore, the tragedy of five years ago must be continued. Those people are all waiting for Yese Xiayin to reunite with them!" A broken smile appeared on Tianzhong Gong's face.

As he spoke, Tianzhong Gong's hand reached toward his own chest.

Suddenly, a streak of Sword Qi appeared in the air, instantly severing Tianzhong Gong's hand. Lingyun's figure suddenly appeared before Tianzhong Gong, his hand wreathed in a layer of silver light, and he snatched the gem from his chest with a violent tug.

"Gwah!" Tianzhong Gong's form twisted abruptly, turning into a true monster—a metal lifeform without a fixed shape. Countless tentacles suddenly extended from the monster's body, lashing out toward Lingyun, seemingly wanting to tear him to shreds.

"Ashtarte, I leave it to you!" Lingyun vanished from the spot while clutching the gem. Behind him, a slender figure appeared—it was Ashtarte.

"Order accepted. Executing, 'Rose's Fingertip'," Ashtarte said in a flat, mechanical voice, taking a step forward at the same time.

Seven-colored radiance flashed from her body, and a pair of massive wings spread from her back. The wings instantly transformed into a jade hand with the Golden ratio, punching the metal lifeform directly into the ground.

A terrifying devouring force transmitted from the hand, continuously consuming the metal lifeform's magic power. In just a moment's time, the metal lifeform lost its surface luster and cracked like a rusted piece of iron. Having completely lost its magic power, it had once again become an ordinary piece of iron.

"Even a self-replicating liquid metal lifeform, known for having an immortal body, only meets the fate of defeat when it encounters an opponent that counters it!" Nangong Nayue said softly, looking at the scrap metal on the ground.

"This seems to be something quite interesting." Lingyun toyed with the black gem in his hand, a smile appearing on his face. "That Great Alchemist seems to have inadvertently concocted something incredible!"

"What is it, Lingyun? Did you discover something?" Nangong Nayue looked at Lingyun with some curiosity.

"Na Yue, have you heard of the Philosopher's Stone?" Lingyun asked suddenly.

"Philosopher's Stone? Isn't that something from legends?" Nangong Nayue asked curiously.

"This thing, if it can be purified, can achieve the effects of the weakest Philosopher's Stone!" Lingyun said. "In other words, this thing is the prototype of a Philosopher's Stone!"

"Purified? Philosopher's Stone? That is an incredible thing." Nangong Nayue's brows lifted slightly. "If this news were to spread, I don't know how many people would set their sights on that guy. This is a panacea that can grant eternal life."

"Don't think of this matter too simply; purifying the spiritual blood of a sage is something even I cannot do right now." Lingyun put away the gem in his hand. "Moreover, with this level of purity of the sage's spiritual blood, the quantity required to purify a single Philosopher's Stone is immeasurable!"

"Since purification is unrealistic, what use is there in you holding onto this thing?" Nangong Nayue asked.

"Aren't you always getting a headache over how slippery that guy Tianzhong Gong is, like a loach? By borrowing this core in my hand, I can directly lock onto his location." Lingyun said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the headquarters of the Special Zone Security Bureau now!" Nangong Nayue immediately opened a Space Array and pulled Lingyun, disappearing into the space.