Zhao Chenghuang took several deep breaths to calm his complex emotions, his expression regained its stern composure, and spoke in a calm tone: "I have no brothers, I've never married, and my father doesn't need to borrow high-interest loans. Yet, just now, I was truly overwhelmed—so overwhelmed that I almost wanted to commit suicide..." He steadied himself and continued: "During my investigation, two key points have been confirmed. First, this is indeed the final stage—the armored exoskeleton is the final boss of this quest. There are three stone steles standing beside the Eight-Section Square—something we've misunderstood. The enemy is not the ancient war god of Jinting, but rather the armored units of the Mo family. Second, the ability of 'Jianai'—'Mutual Love'—causes people to lose their fighting spirit. Even if the enemy raises their swords to slaughter you, you will have no resistance, and may even feel sorrow, because those who fight against you are your own brothers, your dearest friends and family." How could one lose their fighting spirit? The group now found themselves deeply troubled—facing enemies of only moderate dominance, such a loss of morale often meant certain On top of the already challenging principle of "mutual love," there are still three more rules. Red Chicken Brother drew a deep breath, speaking frankly, "Well, I think half of us will have to die, won't we?" This statement only added to the pressure, and the team members' expressions grew even more somber. Shinoyama Ryō, the weakest in terms of strength, kept her face tight, quietly gripping her Ice-Soul Blade. If casualties were inevitable, she knew she would be the first to go. The number of Japanese spiritual travelers in the heavenly realm was scarce, and the supply of equipment was even more limited. Though her team leaders and deputy leaders often patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Ryō, do your best—your future lies in the future of the Minamikawa group," in reality, the major artifacts recovered from the high heavens had never been given to her. She had received one artifact of Saint-level quality, but it was of ordinary strength—neither particularly offensive nor defensive—merely a supportive item. What could it possibly do? At that moment, Haruka Asano, her nerves taut, felt her ears twitch as she heard a dense series of mechanical "clicks" and the steady hum of rapidly turning gears. Startled, she turned toward the source—the sound came from the numerous, tunnel-like openings scattered across the stone walls. "Alert! Enemy attack!" Xiahou Aotian immediately recognized the sound as that of mechanical weaponry. "Numerous units," he said. As he spoke, drones began to slide out from the openings on her left. Designed like unmanned aircraft, they had steel skeletons and membrane wings, with black iron tubes extending from their undersides—resembling the barrels of flintlock guns. Thirty or so drones emerged, gliding and circling above the ancient city, adjusting their positions and aligning their empty barrels precisely toward the crowd. The next instant, a continuous series of "thuds" erupted as the barrels burst into flame, launching black projectiles toward the people below. A projectile struck beside Hongji Ge, exploding with a thunderous "boom." The expanding flame and violent gusts of wind launched him bodily, tearing his clothes and leaving his skin a deep red-black—severely wounded by just one hit. "Boom... boom... boom..." One after another, projectiles detonated around the group, delivering scorching heat and devastating gusts that struck the deceased team with relentless force. Within just one round, every member was injured. "Why would there be drones in a Song Dynasty-themed quest? Did the Song Dynasty invent gunpowder? Did they develop bombers? How come the Mo Sect is so impressive yet hasn't conquered the world?" Hongji Ge roared. "Now isn't the time for complaints," Zhang Yuanqing said, raising his small shield to protect Guan Ya. Sun Miao Miao and Zhao Chenghuang instantly transformed into streaks of light and withdrew from the area as the shockwaves hit. Xiao Yuan, in an instant, activated her spirit form, becoming the strikingly elegant yellow bee woman, and used her unmatched speed to evade the subsequent bombardments. Rei Asano was blown out like a drowned spirit, hastily summoning two shikigami to absorb the relentless barrage. The drones screamed past the crowd, soaring upward toward the higher reaches of the cavern, then gliding in a circular path before reversing course. "This isn't good enough!" Taikō Kōri shouted. "Stupid ones—did they die? Or just fail to act!" With that, he stepped forward, channeling a surge of crimson flame from his palm, shaping it into a long blade that radiated intense heat and distorted the surrounding air. He swept it across the sky with a powerful motion. A wave-like wall of fire arced across the vast cavern space. "Boom! Boom! Boom…" The projectiles were engulfed by the flames, expanding into bursts of blossoming fireworks, causing the entire cavern to tremble as dust and pebbles cascaded down. Meanwhile, Red Chicken donned his crimson gloves, hurling fireballs toward the sky with precise control, successfully deflecting the remaining projectiles. A strong, scorching wind surged throughout the cavern. The second wave of projectiles was repelled, and the drones passed overhead, drifting upward once more. Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly donned the Jifeng gloves, summoning gusts of strong wind. Yet the cavernous interior was vast, and the drones soared too high; the winds only made them waver momentarily. Undeterred, Zhang Yuanqing launched two more wind blades, cleaving down two drones. Guan Ya and Zhao Chenghuang both drew their rifles, but this clearly could not withstand the third wave of incoming projectiles—no matter how swift their aim, they could not bring down over thirty mechanical constructs within seconds. At that moment, a howling wind surged, and Sun Miaomiao exhaled a long, steady stream of cool qi. One after another, her spiritual attendants emerged from her mouth, drifting gracefully toward the drones. Immediately, the sharp creaking sounds of steel skeletons bending arose. Against these ordinary mechanical beings lacking any supernatural qualities, the most basic ability of the spiritual attendants—controlling objects—proved sufficient. The only condition, however, was that there were enough of them. One by one, the drones fell from the sky, crashing down across the city like ruins. "It's over..." Reiji Asano sighed with relief, released his shen-shi, and bowed to Sun Miao-miao: "Ariado, Sun-san." "No need to thank us. This is just the beginning. We haven't even fought the boss yet, and we've already been driven into such a mess by these mere foot soldiers." Sun Miao-miao returned via the Star Dashing Technique, her round, sweet-faced expression now serious. "We can now confirm that there are mechanisms and mechanical beings hidden within the rock walls. Unless something unexpected happens, this is merely the first wave." Brother Red Chicken staggered forward, staring at Tianxia Guihuo, utterly astonished: "What was that technique you just used? How can a Level 4 Saint possess such abundant spiritual energy and such refined control over fire?" Outsiders see the spectacle; insiders see the subtleties. To an outsider, Tianxia Guihuo's flame-sword strike simply appeared as a wide-spreading fire deluge. But to a fire master, it was as if a practitioner of the One-Arm Technique had encountered one of the Six Meridian Sword Techniques. He couldn't help but feel compelled to kneel. Tianxia Guihuo Xiaohou Aotian beside him sneered, "Stupid Fire Master— you always manage to make things awkward for yourself." "You, the weakling Daoist, keep undermining me. Is that because you have a grudge against me?" Red Chicken Brother was furious. "I don't have a grudge against you. What I mean is, every single one of you is a complete waste." Xiaohou Aotian spoke with lofty disdain. "Though I know you're playing with words, you've truly embodied the spirit of being ungracious and out of sorts." As the two were about to engage in a heated exchange, the petite round-faced one calmly interjected, "Though I've tried to remain silent throughout the journey, your professional demeanor has left me questioning how you both ascended to the Saint Realm. Could you please reduce the pointless chatter and offer more substantive, actionable feedback?" Recognizing the personalities of both parties, Tianxia Guihuo promptly stepped in, saying, "Issues related to tactics won't benefit from asking either of you." He then turned to the Master of the Fellowship, Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn, and asked, "Master, what are your thoughts on our next course of action?" Besides Hong Ji Ge, everyone immediately grasped the intent of unifying the realm under Fire. With the combat prowess and resources of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn, and given the elite caliber of this team, securing victory was certainly achievable. Yet achieving zero casualties would not be accomplished simply by rallying everyone to charge ahead—such an approach would likely result in half the team being wounded. At this critical juncture, the leader's strategic coordination and command abilities became indispensable. The moment had arrived to truly test Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's leadership capabilities. Though he might be a brilliant genius, he may not yet be a fully competent leader. I'm not even Yuan Fang—what could I possibly say? Zhang Yuanqing quietly muttered. If the Five Elements Experience Card hadn't been entrusted to Fu Qingyang, he would have been able to stand up against even a genuine Dominator, let alone a weaker one. But if the Five Elements Experience Cards and the Sovereign-tier items aren't delivered to Fu Qingyang, then the bosses within the Mechanized City might truly be Sovereign-tier—perhaps even the black-robed spirit we encountered earlier is only a weak Sovereign-tier. A few clever tactics and minor maneuvers won't be enough to stall the spiritual realm's inherent bugs. "Any plan requires solid intelligence as its foundation. Right now, our understanding of the mechs is still quite limited, so our primary task moving forward will be gathering intelligence—knowing both yourself and your opponent ensures victory in battle." Zhang Yuanqing spoke with calm composure, radiating the steady confidence of someone orchestrating a grand strategy. "I no longer have any Yin corpses." Zhao Chenghuang said, his expression serious. Along the way, he had lost three Yin corpses at the Transcendent level, leaving only two at the Level 4 stage. These were among his core combat forces, and to use them merely as expendable units would be a great waste. "Then let's make do with what we have on hand," Zhang Yuanqing suggested. "Six Water, Xiao Zhao—have you brought the materials for training the corpses?" Zhao Chenghuang "Sun Miaomiao asked in puzzlement, "Are you calling me?" "Who else has so much water?" Zhang Yuanqing smiled. Sun Miaomiao growled, biting her teeth, "You're not allowed to give people nicknames without permission!" She glared at him and then said, "I've brought a little too, but less than Zhao Chenghuang—only two at most." "We'll be able to train five sets of corpses, ten shadow corpses plus Zhao Chenghuang's soldiers, and that should be enough as a reserve force," Zhang Yuanqing said, turning to leave. "Back to the valley—we'll have plenty of shadow corpses there. Though they may lack limbs, we never expected them to fight; using them as expendable reserves is just perfect. Once I gather more intelligence on the mechs, I'll outline our battle strategy—then I'll have a clearer plan." Thus, the group returned to the valley. The three star officials carefully selected ten shadow corpses of good condition, preserving their full bodies, and demonstrated their on-the-spot corpse-training techniques to the team. The gap between the three was clearly and vividly evident to all. Zhang Yuanqing had finished refining five shadow corpses, while Zhao Chenguang had only refined two, and Sun Miao Miao had just completed her diagram for the corpse-refining array. ——The refining of corpses differs from the refining of spirits. After completing the refinement of the shadow corpses, the group returned to the mountain's core. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Miao Miao, take the lead. From now on, record everything you see, hear, and do—every detail—until the exploration is complete, and then share everything with Guan Ya." "Guanyi, you take charge of the analysis." Miao Miao and Guan Ya nodded. Miao Miao closed her eyes and allocated half of her spiritual essence into the body of one of the shadow corpses, taking control of it. Then, she guided the armless corpse toward the city's deeper reaches. After about ten minutes, she opened her eyes and said, "I now understand the mechanism of Non-Attack. It matches its name—its ability is to refrain from attacking the target." Then, she maneuvered the second shadow corpse toward the city's deeper areas. The group remained in place, still waiting for Sun Miaomiao's second wave of intelligence, when once again the sound of the mechanism clicking and the hum of rapidly rotating gears came through the opening. The drone assault had returned. With experience gained from the previous encounter, the Dead Team easily neutralized the threat posed by the bombers. Sun Miaomiao's second shadow corpse soon fell. "This time, I didn't launch a direct attack—I chose to observe—but it still cut me down, and I was also subjected to 'kamui'." Sun Miaomiao said, her face filled with sorrow. "You too were taken in by your father's high-interest loans and ended up with your boyfriend being unfaithful, right?" Zhang Yuanqing thought with sympathy, then pondered, "So, not attacking triggers 'kamui'?" Guan Ya shook her head. "Not exactly. The core mechanism isn't that. Miaomiao, you mentioned that this time you didn't attack directly—so, during the first encounter, did you attack right from the start?" Sun Miaomiao nodded. Guan Ya then asked, "When exactly did you experience 'kamui'? What was the specific time?" Sun Miaomiao thought for a moment and said, "Not more than a minute." Guan Ya turned to Zhao Chenghuang, "And you?" "Several minutes," Zhao Chenghuang replied, as if remembering something, adding, "I observed from the shadows along the street for a few minutes and didn't encounter any danger. But once I stepped into the Bagua diagram, it seemed I was attacked within less than a minute." Guan Ya nodded in satisfaction. "So far, both 'Mutual Love' and 'Non-Attack' appear to have time intervals. The former takes about a minute, while the latter is even shorter. The more precise timing will require you two to explore further." A pattern has been established... The team felt a surge of excitement.