Gu La was ushered into the Tang Sect branch office. As the group entered the building, they saw a young man dressed in black standing in the room, his chest adorned with an intricate emblem of the Tang Sect.
"Everyone from Shrek Academy, thank you for waiting." The young man clasped his hands in greeting, but his eyes were sharp as blades. "Yang Ming, External Affairs Officer of the Tang Sect, at your service."
Gu La noticed a peculiar ring on his right index finger, shimmering faintly with a metallic luster under the sunlight.
"Officer Yang, no need to be so polite," Gu La replied with a grin, showing little respect. "We're probably causing trouble for the Tang Sect anyway. Let's get this over with quickly."
Yang Ming's eyebrow twitched slightly.
He had a rough idea of the team's background—Yun Ming's direct disciple, the mysterious Abyssal Martial Soul, and the prodigy from the Spirit Pagoda. He had been explicitly instructed to "treat them well."
"Please follow me." Yang Ming turned and led the way, maintaining a facade of politeness.
Behind them, Xu Xiaoyan tugged gently on Gu La's sleeve. "Big Brother Gu, how should we fight?"
"Leave it to me," Bai Yuan interjected suddenly, his abyss-like pupils contracting slightly as he licked his lips. "I wonder if they'll use soul-guided weapons."
He hadn't tasted a soul-guided weapon yet.
Gu Yue snorted softly, her fingertips flashing with a silver light. Na'er rested her hand on her waist, flanking Gu La alongside Gu Yue, leaving Wu Sido confused about their relationship.
"Relax," Gu La transmitted through soul power to the entire team. "They're going to give us a show of force, and we'll return the favor."
After navigating through winding corridors, the group came upon an expansive training platform. The words "Tang Sect" were etched boldly on the archway above, exuding strength and precision. Beneath the arch stood more than twenty disciples clad in tight-fitting uniforms, with a white-haired middle-aged man at the forefront.
"Li Han, Branch Leader of the Tang Sect."
Li Han spoke with a booming voice, his piercing gaze locking onto the group. "Do you need time to prepare?"
"No need," Gu La replied, ignoring Li Han's intense stare. "Let's start. We're in a hurry."
"Very well."
Zhao Hansong waved his hand, and six individuals stepped forward, releasing yellow-tier mechas from their soul-guided devices. Even the wealthy Tang Sect couldn't afford to equip every disciple with a mecha-holding soul-guided device—this too was part of the intimidation tactic.
The six yellow-tier mechas lined up side by side, each towering four to five meters tall. Their imposing presence radiated authority, looking quite intimidating.
Boom—
The six yellow-tier mechas roared to life simultaneously, their soul-guided cores emitting a low hum. The metallic joints creaked with crisp clicks, and their steel frames gleamed coldly under the sun. Each mecha bore the unique cloud-pattern emblem of the Tang Sect, signifying their legitimate origins.
"These yellow-tier mechas are standard training equipment for our Tang Sect disciples," Li Han said, standing with his hands behind his back. He had already prepared his excuse—if they failed, it wouldn't mean much since they were only using training mechas.
"Each is equivalent to a five-ring Soul King in strength, equipped with the latest soul-guided cannons and close-combat weapon systems."
"You may use formal-grade mechas if you wish."
Gu La narrowed his eyes. Having practiced intermittently at the Mecha Association during the semester, he immediately recognized the approximate configuration of the six mechas.
Li Han hadn't been entirely truthful. Tang Sect missions were often dangerous, so even their training mechas were outfitted with relatively advanced weaponry and control systems.
---
Gu La quickly scanned the positioning of the six mechas. Three in front, three in the rear, forming a semi-circle. This was a standard small-team combat formation for mechas, allowing mutual cover while enabling flexible shifts between offense and defense.
"Xiaoyan, protect yourself," Gu La whispered, making a subtle gesture with his right hand behind his back.
Xu Xiaoyan nodded lightly, her eyes glowing faintly blue. Her Ice Staff martial soul emitted a chilling aura, spreading frost across the ground.
"Begin!" Ignoring Gu La, Li Han barked the command after both sides had prepared.
The three front mechas simultaneously raised their right arms, their soul-guided cannons glowing with blinding white light. The air surged with soul power as three beams shot out in a triangular formation toward the Shrek team.
"Scatter!"
At Gu La's command, the six members dispersed like fireworks in different directions. Almost simultaneously, the ground where they had stood erupted into a charred crater three meters wide.
Bai Yuan dodged while a flicker of excitement lit up his eyes. His pupils had completely turned into a deep black, resembling two bottomless abysses.
"Finally, I can taste a soul-guided weapon." He licked his lips, his voice barely audible.
"Bai Yuan, take the one on the left flank!" Gu La adjusted his posture mid-air, issuing commands. "Everyone else, proceed as usual!"
"Understood." A dangerous smirk curved Bai Yuan's lips. His body suddenly transformed into a black shadow, rushing toward the charging mecha on the left with unbelievable speed.
The mecha's pilot clearly hadn't expected anyone to dare approach so closely, hastily switching to close-combat mode. A two-meter-long soul-guided oscillation blade extended from the mecha's right arm, buzzing loudly as it slashed horizontally toward Bai Yuan.
"Too slow." Bai Yuan sneered, his body twisting unnaturally to narrowly evade the blade. His right hand suddenly swelled and morphed into a massive claw shrouded in black mist, slamming forcefully into the mecha's chest.
"Abyssal Maw—Devour!"
As Bai Yuan growled, a grotesque "mouth" split open in his palm, filled with rows of serrated teeth. The "mouth" clamped down on the mecha's soul-guided core, emitting a grating metallic screech.
The terrified pilot watched in horror as the energy readings on the dashboard plummeted at an alarming rate. The core's blue glow rapidly dimmed, as if its energy was being siphoned away.
"He's absorbing the mecha's stored soul power… what kind of martial soul is this?!"
Panicking, the pilot pushed the controls, trying desperately to break free from the terrifying black claw. But it was too late. With the last bit of energy drained, the mecha's glowing eyes went dark, leaving behind a motionless heap of scrap metal.
Bai Yuan retracted his hand with satisfaction, the horrifying "mouth" slowly closing before vanishing altogether.
He licked his lips, a glimmer of contentment flashing in his eyes, as the black maw on his shoulder swayed happily. "Not bad, though the metallic taste was a bit overpowering."
This scene sent chills down the spines of the observing Tang Sect disciples. Yang Ming clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. "To think he could directly devour soul-guided energy… enough to sustain a mecha in high-intensity combat for half an hour, drained in less than ten seconds. What kind of monster is this?"
Meanwhile, Gu Yue had silently approached another mecha. Her fingertips sparkled with silver light, and faint ripples appeared beneath her feet with every step she took.
"Spatial Restraint," she murmured softly, pushing her right hand forward.
The mecha, which had been aiming, suddenly froze as if bound by an invisible force. The horrified pilot realized that all control systems had ceased responding, as if the mecha had been encased in a massive block of amber.
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