: The Power of Mechanisms!

The two armies faced off!

Dark clouds churned in the sky, as if stained with ink. This was the residual energy from the previous battle between Lei Qingyang and the Blood Shadow Cave Master.

The fight between Li Jiuju and Mo Yechen was still ongoing.

At Lord Long's command, nearly ten Nascent Soul-level cultivators stepped forward together, shouting challenges in unison.

A female cultivator flew out from the Two Pillars Kingdom camp. She wore a mask, her right arm replaced by a mechanical prosthesis. Her long hair was gray-white, indicating she was not young.

She quickly ascended. Beneath the dark clouds, her robes fluttered, her face stern as iron, and she provocatively declared, "Come at me together!"

Around her, over a hundred flying mechanical celestial maidens whirled and danced, guarding her at the center.

Faced with such a challenge, the nearly ten Nascent Soul cultivators from the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance halted their advance, exchanging glances.

They couldn't possibly all rush in at once!

The strategy of issuing challenges was just that; ideally, it involved a one-on-one duel at the same level. Only such an outcome could truly shake morale and the army's spirit.

Fighting many against one, even if victorious, would have limited impact on morale and military resolve.

Conversely, defeating many with few, or the weak overcoming the strong—such as a Golden Core cultivator defeating a Nascent Soul—would have a much more drastic and fierce effect on morale.

Therefore, if these Nascent Soul cultivators truly swarmed in and defeated the Mechanical Princess, the gains would be minimal.

They all knew where their own advantages lay and wouldn't commit a large force against Shuang Ling. Doing so would nullify their numerical advantage in high-level cultivators!

After a moment of exchanged glances, they rapidly communicated via divine sense.

"Lone Fang of the Cangyue Tribe is here!" shouted this blue-haired barbarian general, pushed forward by the others to actively engage Shuang Ling.

He sped through the air, drew the giant wolf-toothed club from his back, activated a spell, and summoned hundreds of mountain wolf phantoms.

The wolf pack fiercely charged the mechanical maidens. The wolves bit and tore, while the maidens whipped their silks, strangling them.

Soon, the wolf pack suffered heavy losses, while the mechanical maidens remained numerous.

Countless eyes were fixed on the clash between the two.

Just as the soldiers in the Two Pillars Kingdom camp had feared Li Jiuju earlier, the many cultivators of the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance also regarded Shuang Ling with apprehension.

Shuang Ling—the Mechanical Princess!

Her reputation was no less than Li Jiuju's, perhaps even greater.

She was the face of the Two Pillars Kingdom at the Nascent Soul level, representing the dignity of an entire cultivation nation!

Inside the mechanical roaming dragon, both Sun and Ning watched intently.

Ning Zhuo was especially focused, not blinking an eye.

Although Shuang Ling had clashed with him before and they had been adversaries in the past, as a renowned mechanical cultivator, Ning Zhuo maintained a humble attitude, intending to learn carefully from Shuang Ling.

In the initial probing exchange, Lone Fang was clearly outmatched, immediately showing a significant disadvantage.

Shuang Ling frowned slightly, dissatisfied with this result.

She knew the serious disadvantage her side faced. If the enemy were allowed to leverage their numerical advantage in Nascent Soul cultivators, it would severely impact the entire battle situation.

Therefore, she had to display even greater momentum to draw other cultivators into fighting her.

The opportunity was right now.

If others believed that Lone Fang could hold his own and engage Shuang Ling in a war of attrition, those observing would surely continue issuing challenges, forcing the Two Pillars Kingdom army into a dilemma.

So, in the next moment, Shuang Ling coldly snorted and released twenty hovering repeating crossbows.

The crossbows arrayed themselves neatly in a square formation to her right.

In the next instant, the dark golden seal scripts on the crossbow magazines lit up brightly.

"Fire Arrows, release!"

The bowstrings vibrated like zither strings. Within moments, each crossbow shot ten long arrows.

The arrows interwove, forming dense volleys that rained down on the rear half of the wolf pack.

It was too fast; Lone Fang had only just begun casting a defensive spell.

The wolf pack rapidly disintegrated under the arrow rain, clearing a large area.

Lone Fang's face turned ashen. Barely able to protect himself, he wildly swung his wolf-toothed club, deflecting the arrows shooting toward him, looking quite disheveled.

The arrow rain continued relentlessly, forcing Lone Fang to retreat repeatedly.

He cast defensive spells to protect himself, swung his club continuously, and released wave after wave of wolf phantoms.

But no matter how many he released, the wolf phantoms were shot down.

The mechanical maidens still surrounded Shuang Ling tightly, not pressing the advantage.

Lone Fang roared, his body suddenly swelling by thirty percent, and summoned three Golden Core-level alpha wolves.

The alpha wolves fought desperately, paws treading on wind, howling continuously, sharing much of the pressure for their master.

Only then did Lone Fang stabilize his position.

Seeing this, Shuang Ling immediately released twelve Void Bell Guards. These bronze mechanisms were humanoid, with three heads and six arms, each holding a large bell.

The bells were inverted, their mouths facing upward, their surfaces carved with intricate star charts.

Dang, dang, dang...

The six arms waved constantly, fists and palms striking the bell surfaces, producing a series of chimes.

Simultaneously, indigo-blue energy waves gushed from the bell mouths.

The energy waves, combined with the chimes, swept through the surroundings.

They not only enveloped Lone Fang but also included the other Nascent Soul-level cultivators.

Lone Fang, who had just stabilized, faltered again under the chimes and energy waves, thrown into disarray.

Most cultivators, aware of Shuang Ling's scheme, snorted coldly, unwilling to fall for it, and retreated successively.

Bi Tengyi, however, had a strong temperament and was provoked to anger: "Mechanical Princess, since you seek death, this old woman will grant your wish!"

Bi Tengyi growled, and large vines extended from her body.

The green vines spiraled and condensed high in the air, forming nine vine pythons that charged at Shuang Ling.

Where the vine pythons passed, they shed countless emerald-scale toxins. As they broke through the line of mechanical maidens, the toxins immediately contaminated them, causing the mechanical maidens to fall from the sky like dropping dumplings.

Seeing her line动摇, Shuang Ling took out two batches of mechanisms from her storage treasure.

The first batch consisted of twenty-four Ice-Fire Mantises, the blades on their forelimbs glowing with frost on the left and burning with flame on the right. The mechanical mantises, extremely agile, charged at Lone Fang.

Joining the battle, they immediately slew Lone Fang's three Golden Core alpha wolves. Lone Fang had no choice but to retreat frantically, his situation critical.

The second batch was thirty-six Mysterious Armor Plates. The plates spun rapidly before Shuang Ling, like a fan, creating a powerful suction force.

In the next moment, almost all the emerald-scale toxins were sucked onto the plates, dyeing them a oily green.

The plates quickly assembled into a giant shield. The tortoise-shell patterns on the shield lit up with silver light.

Mechanical Art—Mysterious Turtle Heavenly Light Shield Reflection!

In the next instant, a massive beam of light erupted from the shield's surface, carrying all the concentrated toxins.

The beam was terrifyingly powerful, directly severing one vine python and aiming straight for Bi Tengyi.

Bi Tengyi's expression changed dramatically. She shrieked, pulled out her magical vine staff, and swung it fiercely before her.

Instantly, a giant man-eating demon flower grew wildly from the staff's head.

The flower's mouth gaped wide, like a beast's maw, and swallowed the entire light beam.

After swallowing it, the demon flower's body swelled over ten times. Its purplish-red form began turning green all over, struggling to digest the astonishing attack.

The assembled giant shield returned to its normal form, then disassembled back into plates, guarding Shuang Ling's sides.

Shuang Ling extended her mechanical right arm. Twelve mechanical copper balls engraved with thunder patterns shot out from her forearm.

The copper balls flew swiftly, weaving arcs of lightning in the air, forming an electric net.

Mechanical Art—Electric Net Startles the Hibernation!

The net swept toward Bi Tengyi.

Bi Tengyi continuously cast spells, but all attacks against the electric net were neutralized.

She retreated in disarray, not daring to face its锋芒.

"Truly worthy of being the Nascent Soul representative of a nation, her methods are impressive!" Gao Cuo sighed inwardly upon seeing this.

An aged voice sounded in his mind: "The prospects of this grand battle are unclear. The Ginseng Whisker Dragon King hasn't confirmed participation, yet we are besieging the enemy's front-line camp. Remember, Du Tiechuan is recuperating within this camp."

"Gao Cuo, this is no place to linger."

"If you want to withdraw, now is a good opportunity!"

Gao Cuo nodded: "Sword Elder speaks wisely. I'm going in."

He composed himself, made his decision, and stepped forward loudly, advancing toward Shuang Ling: "Mechanical Princess, I am Gao Cuo, here to learn from your esteemed techniques!"

Seeing a third Nascent Soul cultivator attacking, Shuang Ling was not alarmed but pleased. This proved she had shown enough threat to make the Thousand Peaks Forest side restless.

Gao Cuo's figure flickered, splitting into over a hundred illusions that suddenly scattered, attacking Shuang Ling from all directions.

The illusions cast various spells—some real, some fake, some strong, some weak.

For a moment, the battlefield was filled with colorful lights and sounds, extremely dazzling.

This scene stirred Lin Bufan, watching from a hidden corner. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't be sure.

Shuang Ling's expression darkened slightly.

This illusion technique was quite troublesome; she had tried three methods but failed to see through it.

If she couldn't penetrate it, she would have to defend against everything, drastically increasing her consumption.

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Sword Elder immediately warned: "Gao Cuo, hold back a bit more!"

Gao Cuo immediately secretly restrained his power.

Shuang Ling's spirits lifted; she finally found a way to see through the illusion. She shouted softly and took out a mechanism.

The mechanism resembled an armillary sphere, called a Star Dial, emitting starlight that illuminated the surroundings. Any false illusions quickly dissipated under the stellar radiance.

Instantly, the scene of dazzling spell bombardments vanished, leaving only two or three real spells as the actual attacks.

Shuang Ling took a deep breath, fixed her gaze on Gao Cuo's true body, and released seven North Star Swordsmen.

Her right arm shot out seven control threads, which accurately connected to the puppets.

Manipulated by the threads, the North Star Swordsmen immediately formed the Big Dipper formation and charged at Gao Cuo.

Gao Cuo engaged them but was soon outmatched, blood covering his body.

Seeing his critical situation, the Demonic Heart Cave Master immediately intervened, entering the battlefield.

Gao Cuo gritted his teeth and, at the critical moment, activated a Void Escape Talisman, traversing space, blood spraying in the air, and withdrew from the battle.

The Demonic Heart Cave Master cursed bitterly but had no choice but to take his place, facing the围攻 of the North Star Swordsmen.

The Demonic Heart Cave Master was far more aggressive than Gao Cuo. He unleashed demonic arts, activating various demonic spells, meeting attack with attack, his momentum terrifying.

Preferring to suffer sword wounds, he destroyed most of the seven North Star Swordsmen.

Seeing this, the Mechanical Princess smiled slightly. However many swordsmen she lost, she immediately replenished them.

Seeing the Demonic Heart Cave Master's fierce fighting spirit and rampant attacks, she directly threw out the Star Dial mechanism.

The Star Dial hovered high, scattering starlight that fell upon the North Star Swordsmen puppets, drastically increasing their combat power, speed, and sharpness.

The combat power of the seven puppets surged simultaneously, putting immense pressure on the Demonic Heart Cave Master, who was suddenly forced into a disadvantage.

"Truly worthy of the Mechanical Princess!"

"Fighting one against four, she has already repelled Gao Cuo, whose fate is unknown."

The many observing cultivators focused their attention on Shuang Ling.

This princess of the Two Pillars Kingdom displayed remarkably powerful combat strength, demanding respect.

Seeing her suppress three cultivators single-handedly, the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance had to dispatch more Nascent Souls to围攻 Shuang Ling.

One, two, three!

Six Nascent Soul-level cultivators jointly battled Shuang Ling.

Alone, Shuang Ling engaged six times the number of enemy experts, relieving significant pressure from the Two Pillars Kingdom army.

Zhao Xi breathed a great sigh of relief, calmly dispatching Nascent Soul cultivators to respond to the remaining challengers.

For a time, six or seven battle groups formed in the central area between the two armies, each fighting their own duel.

Li Jiuju held the upper hand; Mo Yechen struggled to hold on.

The Mechanical Princess Shuang Ling suppressed six Nascent Soul cultivators, her own line unwavering.

The other battle groups, fighting one-on-one, each had their own brilliant moments.

Soldiers on both sides were dazzled.

Inside the mechanical roaming dragon, Sun and Ning also felt their eyes were insufficient.

Watching battles at the Nascent Soul level was a rare eye-opening feast for them. Normally, Nascent Soul conflicts were hard to witness. But now, not only could they see them, there were too many to take in!

For them, merely observing was a rare opportunity, allowing them to see the prowess of higher levels, clarify their own direction, and make more accurate judgments of strengths and weaknesses.

Ning Zhuo's eyes sparkled with brilliance, his tone full of admiration: "So strong, truly so strong!"

"Is this the风采 of a mechanical cultivator?"

"Fighting one against many, so easily. I can tell Shuang Ling still has strength to spare!"

Sun Lingtong analyzed: "Although the Mechanical Art is considered the least among the hundred arts, it's only because the requirements to start, master, and perfect it are too numerous and the standards too high."

"Once truly cultivated, its combat power is exceptionally超标!"

"A mechanical cultivator is an army unto themselves. Like Shuang Ling, she not only uses mechanical arts but also applies military strategy, leveraging military force to gain greater leverage, thus enhancing her combat power further."

Ordinary cultivators in a duel could only utilize their own strength, with low leverage ratios.

But mechanical cultivators were different. Mechanical creations were costly to make, incorporating techniques from artifact refining, alchemy, array formation, talisman making, and other cultivation arts. The creations themselves fully utilized resources, leveraging significant combat power.

On these mechanical creations, mechanical cultivators could also employ various tactics, using mechanical arts, military strategies, etc.

Leveraging upon leverage wasn't simple addition but exponential growth!

A battle opportunity!

Shuang Ling suddenly exerted force. The mantises self-destructed, forming a deadly offensive.

Lone Fang's face was full of panic, already heavily wounded, watching himself on the verge of death.

Seeing this, Bi Tengyi held back no longer, decisively using her trump card!

Divine Ability—Ten Thousand Withered Emerald Phosphorus Curse!

Sparse emerald phosphorus flames appeared, yet their power was supreme. Wherever they passed, mechanical creations were destroyed, turning into more phosphorus flames.

Skeletal phantoms faintly appeared within the flames, rampant with killing intent and deathly aura.

The defensive line around Shuang Ling immediately disintegrated by half, threatening her life.

The alliance side's morale soared. This was the first time since the battle began that Shuang Ling was genuinely threatened!

Shuang Ling chuckled: "Come!"

Divine Ability—Golden Fire World-Purifying Wheel!

Three hundred and sixty specially made World-Purifying Lotus Platforms were released instantly.

The bronze lotus platforms were lifelike, their petals carved with the "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - Evil Expelling ." Kunlun Cold Jade pearls were inlaid at the centers.

In the next moment, cyan-white flames shot from the platforms' bases, and three thousand six hundred Heavenly Physician golden needles shot from the platforms' holes.

The mixed flames and needles scattered, instantly dispersing the phosphorus flames, then pressed the advantage, killing Bi Tengyi amid her shrill screams.

(End of )