105: The true battlefield of all races

The countdown ended, but Shen Xiaochuan was still standing on the city wall. His hands were in the pockets of his overalls, and he hadn't taken out the parchment scroll yet.

The sky suddenly split open.

A beam of golden light shone down, enveloping the entire city. The ground began to shake, and the concrete road rippled like water. The lights on the city wall turned on, flashing alternately in red and blue. The chimneys of the steam factory spewed white mist, and all the machines stopped.

The System's voice rang out.

[Novice period ended]

[Regional Fusion complete]

[Officially entering the core area of the Myriad Races Battlefield]

The ground beneath Shen Xiaochuan's feet vanished, and his whole body flew up. The city was lifted, passing through an invisible layer. There was a piercing sound in his ears, which quieted down after a few seconds.

He landed back on the ground, bending his knees to steady himself. He looked up at the sky; the positions of the stars had completely changed. The Big Dipper he once recognized was gone; now, there were three groups of stars slowly rotating.

"We've arrived?" he said.

The ground was no longer the same as before. It was reddish in color and felt very hard underfoot. The mountains in the distance were also different; some had flat tops, as if they had been sliced off.

There was a smell of rust in the air, making it slightly uncomfortable to breathe.

He opened the System interface; his faith points were still rising.

1,582,768

1,582,769

1,582,770

Increasing by 3 points per second, they kept rising.

"The mall is usable," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "The Energy Center is also fine."

Just as he was about to open the map, he suddenly heard a massive roar.

Boom!

The ground shook, and a large cloud of dust rose in the distance. A massive beast ran over; its legs were as thick as bridge piers, and purple lightning flashed on its back. With every step it took, a crack appeared in the ground.

Shen Xiaochuan squinted as he looked over.

[Target identification in progress...]

[Name: Purple Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex]

[combat power estimate: 480]

[Status: Wild, wandering]

"480?" He frowned. "It's almost at the Transcendent level."

He jumped onto the watchtower and activated the prototype Grandmist Heavenly Eye. His field of vision instantly expanded, and he could clearly see the terrain within thirty kilometers. There were ten times more exotic beasts than before, moving in groups in the wild. There were also flying ones in the sky, circling abandoned cities.

"The weak won't survive," he said in a low voice.

At this moment, a System notification popped up.

[Myriad Races Battlefield map unlocked]

[Novice termination gift pack distributed (claimed)]

[Obtained: Three-day invincible protection period (remaining 71:59:42)]

He immediately opened the map.

The global distribution of Divine Domains appeared before his eyes. Blue represented allies or neutrals, red represented enemies, and gray represented unactivated areas.

The Huaxia Divine Domain was in the southeast, with a dozen red dots scattered there, like soldiers being surrounded.

He looked toward the Japanese Gods' area.

His eyes widened sharply.

The location of Skydome City was right in the middle of the Japanese Gods' headquarters. It was surrounded by red dots; over twenty King-level Divine Domains were enclosing him. The nearest one was only seventeen kilometers away.

The System stated:

[Current area: Japanese Gods' Divine Domain core area]

[Number of hostile deities: 2360]

[Warning: You have entered a high-risk zone]

"Surrounded?" Instead of worrying, the corners of his mouth curled up. "Interesting."

He checked his faith points; over 1.5 million. It was enough to upgrade his equipment. Nuclear Fusion hadn't been developed yet, but artillery and power armor could be mass-produced.

"It's fine not to be in first place," his gaze turned cold. "If no one notices me, I can develop in secret."

Just as he was about to give the order to start production, the city wall surveillance sounded.

An army appeared three kilometers to the southeast.

He switched the view and saw them clearly. Three hundred soldiers were walking over, wearing black armor with red cherry blossom emblems on their shoulders. Leading them was a woman wearing a modified kimono, with a sword at her waist, walking silently.

[Target identified: Kyukokawa Eiyori]

[combat power: 423]

[Identity: Japanese Gods' mid-tier deity]

"Coming to investigate me?" Shen Xiaochuan's eyes turned cold. "They move fast."

He didn't order an attack, but instead turned on the city-wide broadcast.

"Raise the alert level to two."

"All artillery prepare."

"Pressurize the steam main shaft, prepare to release the high-pressure fog barrier."

The city immediately sprang into action. Machines in the Industrial Zone whirred, and energy was transmitted through underground pipes. Twelve automatic artillery cannons rose from the walls, their barrels aimed to the southeast.

Kyukokawa Eiyori led her people to a stop at the 1,500-meter mark.

She looked up at this suddenly appeared steel city, her brows furrowed tightly. The tall chimneys, tracks, and brightly lit factories were different from any Divine Domain she had ever seen.

"Is this from Huaxia?" she asked her adjutant. "Since when did they have such a Divine Kingdom?"

The adjutant shook his head. "Intelligence has no record of it. It might be a newly promoted King-level, but it shouldn't be here."

"Can't track the energy source?"

"Cannot track it. The shielding is too strong."

Kyukokawa Eiyori raised her hand, and a glowing energy ball appeared in her palm, preparing to use a reconnaissance spell.

Just as she was about to strike—

Rumble!

The city gate suddenly opened.

High-pressure steam erupted, turning into a white blast of air that blocked their view. The twelve artillery cannons were fully exposed, their barrels glowing red, aimed at her position.

The ground shook as three heavy mechs walked out of the city gate, leaving footprints on the ground with every step.

Kyukokawa Eiyori immediately took three steps back, the energy ball in her hand not dissipating.

"They are demonstrating," the adjutant said, his voice trembling. "This is a provocation!"

"No," she stared at the gate. "This is a warning."

She looked deep into the city gate, as if she could see the person inside.

"A god who dares to barge into our center alone..." she gritted her teeth. "Must report this."

She picked up the communicator: "This is Kyukokawa Eiyori, discovered an anomalous Divine Domain, coordinates X-7, Y-9, requesting support! Repeat, requesting support!"

Before she could finish, a voice came from the city, transmitting directly into her ears.

"Since you're here, don't be in such a rush to leave. Let me show you what a true Industrial Divine Kingdom is!"

Kyukokawa Eiyori looked up.

The voice continued to sound.

"Since you're here, don't leave. See what a true Industrial Divine Kingdom is."

Her expression changed, and she shouted: "Shen Xiaochuan! I know it's you! You think a few machines can scare us? This is the heart of the Japanese Gods! You are already being watched by over two thousand gods!"

On the city wall, Shen Xiaochuan stood leaning against a gun turret, the copper gear pendant on his cuff swaying gently.

He looked at the enemy on the screen and said softly, "The heart? Then today, I will dig this heart out."

He pressed a button.

The alarm in the city sounded.

All production lines accelerated, hammers struck rapidly, and sparks flew everywhere. Lolia stood at the console operating it, while behind her, workers were assembling new power armor.

"The first batch of thirty sets will be completed in two hours," she reported.

"Very fast," Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Add another fifty sets. I want the Japanese people to know what firepower suppression is."

He walked to the main control room and opened the Faith Mall.

Input: [Heavy Machine Gun · Squad Type]

Price: 8000 faith points/unit

Convertible quantity: 197

He exchanged for twenty units.

Input again: [Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifle]

Price: 12000 faith points/unit

Exchanged for five units.

Finally, he looked for [Electromagnetic Railgun · Prototype]

Price: 500,000 faith points

Cooldown time: 72 hours

Status: Not exchangeable

"Wait until the three-day protection period is over," he stared at the screen. "The first shot will be a big gift for you."

He walked to the window and looked toward the southeast.

Kyukokawa Eiyori's troops hadn't left yet, but they had set up camp three kilometers away.

He picked up the communicator.

"Notify all legion commanders, meeting tomorrow at nine in the morning."

"I want to set the first attack plan."

"Target—Japanese peripheral resource area."

The other side asked: "Should we notify other Huaxia Divine Domains to join?"

"No need," he said. "I will fight this battle alone."

He hung up and walked to the sand table.

His finger pressed on a spot.

It had three words written there: Black Stone Mine.

He had long had his eyes on this place.

He looked at the sand table and stood there for a long time.

The wind picked up outside, blowing through his hair.

The sun set, and the last ray of light disappeared.

The city was brightly lit, and the sound of machines was constant.

He raised his hand and looked at the copper gear on his cuff.

Then he turned around and walked into the war room.

The door closed behind him.

On the city wall, the barrel of an artillery cannon hung low, and a single drop of water fell from its metal surface.

Plop.