Zhao Chenghuang carefully pondered the meanings of "non-aggression" and "mutual love," then volunteered, "The Jade Emperor specializes in conquering objectives—let him handle this one." Zhang Yuanqing looked at him with suspicion. "Are you trying to make me look foolish?" Zhao Chenghuang replied, "In serious matters, we shouldn't resort to such elementary jokes." Zhang Yuanqing turned to Guan Ya, who nodded. "He's actually hoping you'll stumble." Zhao Chenghuang's expression stiffened. This man appears cold and composed on the surface, yet has a rather mean heart... Everyone fell silent, watching Zhao Chenghuang. Zhang Yuanqing smiled cheerfully and selected a well-proportioned, headless corpse with intact limbs, guiding it along the chaotic streets, charging deep into the city. The journey of 1.2 kilometers was completed in an instant. He spotted the vast Baogu Square in the distance, the armored units standing atop the Yin-Yang fish. Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing stepped into the Bagua pattern and began counting in his mind. One, two, three, four... At the fourth second, he reached the mecha's front, slid past to the side, and with a burst of muscle tension along his shoulders and spine, delivered a powerful jab that crashed into the mecha's knee joint. The shadow corpse's fist shattered instantly, splattering rotten flesh and revealing broken finger bones. The struck mecha retreated one step, establishing distance, then swung its iron-bladed sword— The sword was nearly two meters long, which limited close-range combat; it required the mecha to maintain distance to effectively attack. Zhang Yuanqing rolled, feeling the wind of the blade roar overhead. He used the roll to close the gap, staying tightly engaged with the mecha, and then delivered a solid left punch. Crack! The punch shattered again. At this moment, he silently counted to fifteen. Zhang Yuanqing's fighting resolve suddenly collapsed, and he stood motionless. The very next second, he regained his composure, leapt with a powerful leg drive, and shot to the left— A sharp spark erupted where he had stood, the mecha's strike missing. After dodging the attack, Zhang Yuanqing used his agile movements to roll and slide around the mecha, avoiding direct confrontation while continuing to count down. At this point, he had broken free from his non-offensive state—his initial lack of attack stemmed from the limited strength of the shadow corpses, which struggled to penetrate his defenses. When his countdown reached 50, he felt a sudden mental lapse, and the towering mecha figure before him seemed to transform into his beloved relatives and close friends. Watching them raise their blades against him, he was filled with profound sorrow and grief, with no thought of resistance at all. The duration of Non-Attack is one second. Jiang Ai doesn't know this, because at the very instant of Jiang Ai's action, I have already died—yet it should also last exactly one second, just like Non-Attack. "Unfortunately, the effects of Shang-Tong and Tian-Zhi have not manifested." As soon as these words were spoken, the tunnel openings in the mountain wall once again echoed with the crisp clicking of mechanical mechanisms. Then, one after another, various mechanical constructs emerged—not drones, but oddly shaped automata. There were mechanical dogs carrying honeycomb-style crossbow cases, leaping effortlessly across the ruins. There were mechanical warriors wielding bronze swords, launching themselves three meters high, like legendary swordsmen. There were also strange, spindly constructs resembling tops, their bodies encrusted with sharp blades. A total of fifty-plus units appeared. "So many?" Red Chicken's voice rose in astonishment, as a mechanical dog composed of bronze and wood stopped just about fifteen meters away, the sound of steel spikes driving into the ground resonating beneath its feet. The very next moment, the honeycomb crossbow case carried by the mechanical dogs emitted a dense, sharp clicking sound. Arrows rained down like a curtain, enveloping Red Chicken Brother. "Whoa!" A burst of flame erupted, and Red Chicken Brother transformed into a stream of flame, narrowly escaping the arrow barrage. The arrows splashed down with dull "pffft" sounds, stirring up a cloud of dust. These arrows possessed exceptional penetration power; their tips glowed with a deep, dim sheen, clearly poisoned. "Ah-ah-ah..." The wind howled fiercely, and Sun Miao Miao summoned her spectral attendants, who wailed and cried, advancing toward the mechanical constructs. Zhang Yuanqing and Zhao Chenghuang quickly dispatched their own spectral servants to join the effort, while Guan Ya took shelter behind her boyfriend's shield, firing arrows. Asano Ryō summoned his kami for assistance. Xiao Yuan, Tian Xia Gui Huo, and Red Chicken Brother, leveraging their speed, engaged in close combat with the melee automatons. The two sides exchanged intense fire, and after fifteen minutes, finally defeated this wave of mechanical creations. As the battle concluded, Xiahou Aotian rushed out from the corridor, shouting, "I understand now, Shang Tong. These mechanical beings represent Shang Tong. They work in harmony, as if sharing a unified mindset and responding to a single command." To emphasize his own role, he added, "For instance, I am the core of the team—the one you all follow." Though the others overlooked his final remark, Zhang Yuanqing, while recalling his spiritual servants, said, "That means we now only lack the rules of 'Tianzhi.' Excellent. Xiao Zhao, let's proceed." Ten minutes later, the scattered 'waste' gathered in the valley was exhausted, and they finally uncovered all the rules and mechanisms of this stage. Rule one: Non-aggression triggers after fifteen seconds. Rule two: Mutual love triggers after fifty seconds. Rule three: Shang Tong triggers every three minutes. Rule four: Tianzhi triggers every five minutes, lasting thirty seconds. —The rules of Tianzhi originate from the Eight Trigrams. The mechs will gain abilities such as earth, water, wind, fire, thunder, and teleportation. Five: The first, second, and fourth rules activate upon entering the Bagua diagram; the third rule activates once inside the mountain's core. Six: After each cycle of rules concludes, the next cycle begins. Once all the rules have been clearly outlined, the deceased team falls into silence. The armored personnel are sturdy as bronze and iron, impervious to blades and projectiles, delivering one blow per person, and are equipped with crossbows, miniature energy cannons, and other devices. At this level of intensity, achieving a zero-casualty victory is utterly impossible. "I have an idea," Xue Hou Ao Tian says, "Let us first exhaust the mechanical weapons hidden within the stone walls. That way, 'Shang Tong' will be dealt with, and our pressure will significantly ease." Sun Miao Miao shakes her head, saying, "You haven't participated in combat, so you haven't fully grasped one key point—the strength of the mechanical beasts is steadily increasing. The early drones were easily destroyed by my spiritual attendants. In the most recent encounter, however, even my spiritual attendants can no longer break their steel bodies." "Beyond the walls, we're still uncertain about the exact number of mechanical beasts stored inside," Tian Xia added. "If we don't clear them within a single day, imagine how formidable they'll be when the time comes." Xiahou Aotian remained speechless. "Then what do we do?" Red Chicken Brother glanced around, turning first to the cunning Fire Master, whose brows were furrowed and expression serious. Then he looked at Xiahou Aotian, the scholar of vast learning, whose eyes were glazed over, seemingly lost in thought. He then scanned the others—Sun Miao Miao, Zhao Chenghuang, Guan Ya, and the villainous specialist Xiao Yuan—each of whom now bore a serious, silent demeanor. Red Chicken Brother drew a deep breath: "Are we all completely at a loss?" "It truly is unsolvable," Zhang Yuanqing said, "and we'll need lives to pay the price." Red Chicken Brother frowned. "That sounds more like lukewarm advice than urgent action." Guan Ya immediately turned to her boyfriend, only to see his serious expression ease and his demeanor lighten. She smiled with relief: "You've got a plan now?" The group, pondering their options, immediately turned to Zhang Yuanqing, their eyes filled with anticipation. "Not quite," he shook his head, "but there is a direction we can try—first, let's leave this area, to avoid triggering the mechanical beasts." The team members were instantly energized and began to exit the mountain's interior space. Sun Miaomiao immediately raised her hand: "I'll take care of it. I have my spiritual attendants and firearms, which can quickly deal with the mechanical beasts. But you and Zhao Chenghuang's spiritual attendants will have to be handed over to me." Her spiritual attendants are numerous but not particularly high-ranked. "Agreed," said Zhang Yuanqing. "The mechanical beasts will be handled by Sun Miaomiao. Now it's time for the Heavenly Will. The armored personnel are exceptionally strong; with the divine abilities of the Heavenly Will, we will surely suffer casualties within thirty seconds—this is something I haven't yet figured out." He looked at Xiaohou Aotian. "But I know one thing for certain: the protagonist will never let us down." His words sounded so pleasant... Xiaohou Aotian straightened his posture, remained motionless—quietly communicating with his ring's old master. After a few seconds, he said, "I'll take charge of it. The Eight Trigrams Array operates according to a set pattern, and I'll use my jetpack to observe from above..." As he spoke, he turned to Yin Yao, the Princess: "When the time comes, you'll use that horn of Although he has several types of headphones, the quantity is limited and they often come loose during combat, so they're not considered. Instead, the bright female corpse's handheld speaker can amplify his voice, ensuring everyone can hear his cues. Yin Yao, the Princess of Silver Yao, remained silent and tapped her waist pouch. The Cat King speaker emitted a bright, resonant female voice: "Are you alright?" Zhang Yuanqing raised his palm. "Try being even more indirect and sarcastic one more time." The Princess tapped her waist pouch again, and the Cat King speaker responded with a particularly cheeky laugh: "Hahahaha—just one word: absolutely!" Zhang Yuanqing lowered his palm and turned to Xiahou Aotian. "Alright, she's on board." At that moment, Tianxu Guihuo, who had remained silent throughout, spoke up in a measured tone: "Yuanshǐ, this is merely the most fundamental contingency plan—the risks remain significant. Moreover, you've overlooked the mech personnel themselves." The strategies formulated by Yuanshǐ Tianzun are all basic, rule-of-thumb operational plans—nothing particularly outstanding—and even Tianxu Guihuo could have conceived of them. Others can certainly do the same. Moreover, throughout the entire plan, there's no mention of any strategy specifically targeting the mechs. Such a plan feels like a mere fantasy—it might collapse under pressure if the mechs suddenly erupt, suffering heavy casualties in the first wave. "I haven't finished yet," Zhang Yuanqing said calmly. "The protagonist, did you bring your Italian cannon?" Xia Hou Ao Tian smoothly picked up the reference. "I did, but only with one round left. Last time, we used seven." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "For the mechs, I have two options. First, use Xia Hou Ao Tian's Italian cannon as the core to tear through their armor. Second, destroy the living organisms inside the mechs—there must be people operating them from within. The second option serves as a backup should the first fail." Zhao Chenghuang's嘴角抽动了一下. "The Holy Infant is indeed effective, but it will also weaken our combat strength." The group instinctively clutched their stomachs, their expressions not particularly encouraging. Zhang Yuan Qing raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Who says I have to use the Sacred Infant? I've brought the Gangster's Disk. Oh, the Yin-Yang Rotating Disk from the Jianghu Division." Summer Hou Ao Tian and Hong Ji Ge, who had witnessed the Gangster's Disk's power, were delighted, "You've actually brought this out?" Those who had never seen the Gangster's Disk, like Sun Miao Miao, looked on with curiosity. Tianxia Guihuo suddenly said, "That's the device only gangsters can master, right? I heard your Gangster Supreme Deity's nickname comes from that." ...Zhang Yuan Qing spoke seriously, "In formal settings, we shouldn't make such elementary jokes." Zhao Chenghuang gave him a sideways glance. Hong Ji Ge urged, "Our plan is well thought out. Let's go back and execute it—earlier we clear the path, sooner we return." Everyone else agreed the strategy was sound and they were ready to commit, yet Zhang Yuan Qing shook his head slightly, "If it's just that, then as Head of the Association, I'm far from doing my duty. I must ensure zero casualties "After formulating the tactics, the next step is to simulate their feasibility, ensuring everything works flawlessly," Zhang Yuanqing gently traced the star chart with his palm, channeling the power of the stars. On the dark circular disk, silver stars emerged, shimmering like a grand, dreamlike 3D projection. The celestial constellations spun in the air, forming a vortex that poured steadily into Zhang Yuanqing's brow. Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao watched in eager admiration, their eyes filled with longing and envy.