Time passed slowly, and the corridor remained utterly silent. Everyone slowed their breathing, waiting for Master Yuanshǐ to complete his divination. After a few minutes, the impatient Red Chicken Brother couldn't hold it any longer. He gently tapped the back of Sun Miao Miao's hand and whispered, "Is the stargazing technique that time-consuming?" "This is nothing. My grandfather stargazes—he does it all night long." Sun Miao Miao looked full of admiration. "Stargazing is the core skill of the Star Officials. It allows one to perceive all things and turn misfortunes into blessings, but it can only be performed at night. I didn't expect Master Yuanshǐ to have such a top-tier tool." During the Star Official stage, stargazing is exclusively possible at night—no exceptions. Only when one reaches the Day-Wandering God stage can stargazing be assisted by drawing array diagrams, making it time-independent. Therefore, Sun Miao Miao and Zhao Chenghuang never imagined Master Yuanshǐ could use stargazing to deduce battle strategies, especially since it was still daytime. One hour later, as Red Chicken Brother's stomach began to make its usual gurgling sounds, Zhang Yuanqing He raised a finger to the group, his tone low and weathered: "I've seen one million four hundred and sixty-five thousand possible futures, and we have only one chance to win." Guan Ya kicked him. "Stop playing games—get to the point." Her expression lightened instantly. The fact that the man had time to chat and joke proved he had confidence. Zhang Yuanqing spoke seriously: "We must eliminate the boss in the first round. If we delay until the second round, casualties will inevitably occur. From here on, I'll detail every step of the battle process. Each phase must be flawless—any mistake, and we lose everything. Understood?" The team members were both excited and serious, settling into quiet meditation. Half an hour later, Hong Ji and Tian Xia Gui, carrying the "Italian cannon" assembled by Xue Hou Ao Tian, hurried at the rear of the group, rushing toward the mountain's core. The group moved with clear purpose toward the central plaza, but encountered numerous obstacles, with accumulated bricks, tiles, and debris severely impeding their progress. Fortunately, the saints' bodies are no mere weaklings—especially the fire masters. Under the weight of the great iron constructs, Tian Xia Gui Huo and Hong Ji Ge leap and dodge through the ruins. —According to Xiahou Aotian, in fact, this cannon is a mechanical creation, rather than strictly a prop. Not long after, they reached the bronze-encased Bagua Square. "Thud!" Tian Xia Gui Huo and Hong Ji Ge set down the massive iron cannon, producing a deep, resonant sound. Then, the two fire masters launched waves of flame into the ruins, igniting the wooden structures and setting the ancient city ablaze. The timer, Sun Miao Miao, immediately shouted, "Two minutes! One minute left! Prepare for the mechanical beasts!" "It's you who need to prepare for the mechanical beasts," Zhang Yuanqing said, fastening the Qing Di jade belt around his waist and charging toward the armored figure standing upon the Yin-Yang fish. During the process, he activated his "Beast Form" skill, his muscles swelling until they tore through his clothing, coarse black fur piercing his skin, circular ears sprouting atop his head, and his palms and soles expanding into massive, clawed surfaces. With a roar, droplets of saliva cascaded like rain. A black bear, towering over two meters, charged toward the mecha warrior. Noticing the enemy approaching, the mecha warrior adjusted his posture, aligning himself with the furious bear and raising his right arm equipped with the arrow rack. With a crisp "crack," a swift arrow shot through the bear's chest, piercing it. Undeterred by its courage, the bear surged forward, swinging its right paw to deflect the mecha's iron-long blade. In the next instant, the steel giant was firmly embraced by the bear. The two locked in silent struggle—cracking sounds of grinding metal emanated from the mecha's body, while the bear's arms were gradually pushed apart. Outside the Bagua diagram, a resolute woman's voice came from Princess Yin Yao's satchel: "Commander, fire! Don't make me lose respect for you..." Summer Hou Ao Tian pressed the trigger without hesitation. Boom! A miniature sun detached from the cannon and swallowed the intertwined mechs and the black bear whole. Tactical Step One: Penetrate the Armor! According to the observations from the Art of Stargazing, the mechs possess specialized defenses against mental attacks—such as illusions, psychic assaults, dream manipulation, and the ability of spiritual attendants to pass through walls—making these effects entirely ineffective. Therefore, to eliminate the life forms within the mechs, one must first breach their armor. Under the overwhelming force of the commander's assault, the black bear's body cracked and collapsed, revealing Zhang Yuanqing's true form, which was then thrown violently by the shockwave. He rolled on the ground for over a dozen rotations, his bones shattered, skin blackened, and he gasped out large volumes of blood. The mecha's heavy frame retreated with a steady thud, its metal body puffing white steam, like a machine with damaged wiring. Its war blade turned red and warped, yet the outer shell remained undamaged. The master-level attack failed to penetrate the armor... Zhang Yuanqing and the others were not surprised. Though the mecha hadn't reached master rank, it was certainly capable of withstanding a single master-level strike. Otherwise, what good would its size be? Sun Miao-miao shouted, "Twelve seconds!" Zhang Yuanqing, severely wounded, felt a sudden surge of alertness and immediately activated the longevity technique of the Qing Di jade belt. His body swiftly repaired itself in a gentle green glow. He quickly retrieved his yin-yang robe, his sliding shoes, and his purple-gold shield, then rose and executed a smooth slide. At that moment, the mecha charged forward with a series of solid steps, its red-hot forged blade forcefully cutting down. The two passed each other. Zhang Yuanqing quickly rose again, as if having practiced this maneuver countless times, turned, raised his shield, and just in time, blocked the mecha's swift counter-attack. Thud! The Zijin Shield cracked dramatically, and Zhang Yuanqing's right arm—only recently healed—fractured again under the immense rebound force. As he was launched backward, he clenched a ball of fire and hurled it at the mecha. Shouting, "The non-offensive phase is over!" The fire struck squarely at the mecha's chest, exploding with a thunderous "boom." Tianxia Guihuo and Hongji Ge emerged from the expanding flames. Tianxia Guihuo projected a surge of flame from his palm, shaping it into a high-temperature blade, which he then swiftly slashed. The curved flame blade "popped" into the mecha's chest, further weakening the already heated and brittle bronze plating. Immediately afterward, Hongji Ge ignited fierce flames in both fists and charged forward. A resonant "duang" echoed, interlaced with the crisp snapping of broken finger bones. The bronze armor visibly twisted and deformed. Ignoring the pain, the two firemasters quickly retreated, one to the left and one to the right. "Hhmm..." The propeller-like flutter of wings sounded at the right moment. Minoru lifted the Japanese girl, then gently released her as she drifted freely, descending in a free fall to the head of the mecha person. With the ice-soul blade raised high above her, Minami shouted the incantation: "Frost descends!" The blade, etched with intricate ice-crystal patterns, gradually formed a thick, shimmering layer of ice, radiating a visible coldness. At the same time, Minami's skin took on a dreamlike ice-blue hue, and her long hair, flowing gently without a breeze, spread out like strands of silver threads, each one adorned with star-like ice crystals. The cold spread out in waves, condensing moisture in the air and forming a thin layer of ice on the opposite side of the metal Ba-Gua diagram. The mecha person's long sword plunged upward, piercing the girl who could not avoid it, splashing a wide arc of water. On the other side, Guan Ya, wielding her Han Ba Fang ancient sword, charged forward with powerful, graceful strides, moving with the agility of a graceful female leopard. The mecha-person immediately raised his left arm, firing arrows toward her, while simultaneously opening the abdominal panel to reveal a series of black gun barrels spewing flames and creating a wide, sweeping barrage. But Guan Ya anticipated his attack, weaving through the barrage and advancing through the blazing fire, delivering a sword strike whose blade sang like a dragon's roar. "Crack!" The thick bronze shield on the mecha-person's chest shattered, and so too did Guan Ya's Han Ba Fang ancient sword. At that moment, Zhao Chenghuang from outside shouted, "Forty-seven seconds—retreat!" Tianxia Guihuo and Hong Ji Ge simultaneously activated their fire elements, their bodies enveloped in surging crimson flames, and instantly materialized within the blazing ruins. The ruins were ignited precisely for this purpose. The mecha-person abandoned his cast-iron long sword, extended his arms, and each one aimed directly at the retreating Shina Ryō and Guan Ya. His left arm launched arrows half a meter long, while his right arm's palm shield was drawn aside, revealing the hollow gun barrels, which flashed with flame. Arrows and projectiles shot toward the backs of Asano Ryō and Guan Ya. At the crucial moment, Okumi, like a diving hawk, swooped down and carried off Asano Ryō. The arrows skimmed past the two. On the other side, brilliant starlight surged up behind Guan Ya, and Zhang Yuanqing emerged from the light, holding a circular shield. Boom! The shield deflected the projectile, but the shockwave sent him staggering. As he retreated, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out a rotating disk—neither gold, iron, nor jade—about the size of a basin, and hurled it forcefully. The disk spun rapidly and landed at the side of the mecha figure, its pointer whirling swiftly. After throwing the disk, Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers once, and with the Star-Flight technique, vanished from the octagonal plaza, spanning a hundred meters. When the fifty seconds elapsed, "Jianai" delivered its timely penalty, leaving the plaza empty. The mecha figure stood bewildered. Zhang Yuanqing counted aloud, "one, two, three," then snapped his fingers once, and starlight rose from before the mecha figure. He then held a large-bore thunderstorm cannon, thirty The Shizhen rapidly coalesced, launching as a spherical lightning bolt. At the same time, the armor's chest plate slid open, revealing a row of gun barrels all aimed precisely at Zhang Yuanqing, each one triggering its trigger. "Pfft, pfft, pfft..." The dense stream of projectiles pierced his body, splashing water as the water-goblin passive effect embedded in his yin-yang robe absorbed the impacts. "Boom!" The spherical lightning struck the armored figure simultaneously, completely tearing through the already-cracked bronze plating. Above the Yin-Yang wheel, a dialogue box visible only to spiritual realm travelers materialized: [Pointer: Black] [Note 1: Answer the wheel's questions. Correct answers allow you to reposition the pointer, accumulating three white markings will lift the ban.] [Note 2: Incorrect answers result in immediate death.] At the same time, the mechanical creaking sounded, as a "five-member machine" slid out from the opening on the left mountain wall, and various mechanical constructs leapt forth from the opening on the right. Together, the total number exceeded a hundred—significantly more than in any previous instance. Sun Miao-miao exclaimed, "Unfortunate! There are so many mechanical creatures this time!"