416: Chapter 417 The Mechanical Temple with Roaring Gears!

The soaring pillar of light gradually dissipated.

The massive building settled firmly onto the mountain peak's platform. The ground shook violently, and fragments of white bone tumbled into the abyss.

A mechanical palace constructed entirely of bronze and refined steel stood tall before everyone. The palace reached hundreds of feet high, its outer walls covered in countless giant gears. The gears meshed and turned with a thunderous mechanical roar, sounding like the heavy breathing of an ancient beast.

White steam mixed with dense Spiritual Qi billowed from the thick chimneys atop the palace. The entire Shenji Pavilion exuded an overwhelming sense of heavy metal pressure that transcended the era.

Su Yang stood with his hands in his casual pants' pockets, looking up at the mechanical behemoth with a calm expression.

Stepping forward with his long legs and treading upon the bone dust covering the ground, Su Yang walked directly toward the main entrance of the Shenji Pavilion.

Two heavy bronze doors were tightly shut. There were no carved patterns on the surface, only crisscrossing energy circuits. A circular indentation remained in the very center of the doors.

Su Yang raised his right hand and pressed the bronze disc left by the Green-Clad Dragon Lady directly into the indentation.

*Click.*

A perfect fit.

As soon as the disc was embedded, the energy circuits on the doors instantly lit up with a ghostly blue glow. The light spread rapidly along the lines, covering the entire palace in the blink of an eye.

A heavy sound of metal grinding rang out. The two bronze doors slowly slid open to either side.

A scent of old engine oil mixed with preservative chemicals wafted out from the gap between the doors.

"Let's go." Su Yang pulled out the bronze disc embedded in the door and led the way into the main hall.

Bai Li, Chu Ling, Mary, Qin Xueji, and two female Ghost Generals followed closely behind.

Qin Xueji's high heels clicked against the smooth metal floor. She looked around, her eyes filled with shock. There wasn't a single stone pillar inside the palace; it was entirely supported by thick steel beams. Densely packed pipes interlaced overhead, emitting a faint blue light.

"It's all just lumps of iron, not a hint of life," Mary said, flapping her black bat wings as she hovered in mid-air with a look of disdain. She wore tight black deep-V shorts, her impressive curves swaying slightly in the air. "I bet there's no tasty blood to be found in here."

Chu Ling's ice-blue dress fluttered in the wind, her exquisite face covered in a layer of frost.

"There are strong Formation fluctuations in the air. Everyone, be careful; something is hidden behind these iron walls," Chu Ling warned, her fair right hand already gripping the hilt of her ice sword.

No sooner had she spoken.

The metal walls on both sides of the passage suddenly flipped.

Hundreds of pitch-black square openings were revealed.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Dozens of dark shadows shot out from the openings and landed firmly in the center of the passage.

They were all Mechanical Leopards made of bronze!

These Mechanical Leopards were three meters long with streamlined bodies and thick, powerful limbs. Their mouths were filled with sharp refined steel serrations, and their eyes flickered with a dangerous red light.

"Unknown intruders detected. Executing purge command."

A synthesized mechanical voice came from within the leopards. The voice was cold and devoid of emotion.

The dozens of Mechanical Leopards pushed off with their four legs, their metal claws striking blinding sparks against the floor. They turned into bolts of bronze lightning and pounced directly at Su Yang's group.

"Leave them to me!"

Su Qingcheng, dressed in fiery red, was the first to charge out. She brandished her long sword, and a dozen red Sword Qis whistled forth, slashing fiercely at the Mechanical Leopards in the lead.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Sparks flew everywhere. The bronze shells of the Mechanical Leopards were exceptionally hard. The red Sword Qi only left a few shallow white marks on them, failing to cut through.

Braving the Sword Qi, a leopard opened its refined steel maw and lunged to bite Su Qingcheng's throat.

"What a hard shell!" Su Qingcheng shouted, her body flashing nimbly to the side to avoid the bite.

Jiang Yingxue threw out two Blood-colored Water Sleeves, which, like two wild dragons, instantly coiled around two Mechanical Leopards. The sleeves tightened suddenly, attempting to crush them.

A piercing sound of gears turning came from inside the Mechanical Leopards. A powerful mechanical force erupted, actually forcing open the restraint of the Blood-colored Water Sleeves.

"These things have great strength and are driven entirely by Formation cores. They don't tire," Jiang Yingxue said, a hint of seriousness appearing on her gentle face.

Chu Ling directly released her Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cold Qi. A ghostly blue cold current swept through the passage, instantly freezing a dozen Mechanical Leopards into ice sculptures.

However, a red light soon glowed on the surface of the ice sculptures. The heating devices inside the Mechanical Leopards activated, and the hard ice layer melted rapidly. A few seconds later, the leopards broke free from the Ice Seal and pounced once more.

"Step back. Don't waste time."

Su Yang's voice was flat, without the slightest ripple.

Stepping forward, Su Yang walked directly toward the dozens of Mechanical Leopards.

His hands hung at his sides. The muscles in his right arm suddenly bulged.

The dazzling golden Pure Yang True Fire erupted. The golden light illuminated the entire metal passage. The high temperature severely distorted the surrounding air.

"A pile of scrap metal."

Su Yang clenched his right fist and threw a punch with overwhelming force.

The golden fist radiance was like a cannonball leaving the barrel, carrying a peak Yang Qi that could incinerate everything as it smashed into the center of the Mechanical Leopards' Formation.

*Boom!*

A deafening sound of metal exploding echoed through the passage.

Pure Yang True Fire was the absolute nemesis of all mundane metals. The moment the bronze shells touched the golden flames, they melted into glowing molten iron like thin snow under a scorching sun.

A dozen Mechanical Leopards didn't even have a chance to resist before being instantly incinerated into molten iron that splashed onto the floor. The Formation cores inside them exploded on the spot under the high temperature.

Su Yang moved like lightning, weaving rapidly through the pack of leopards.

With every punch thrown, a Mechanical Leopard was blown apart. With every leg sweep, a massive metal body was turned into a cloud of burning fragments.

Fist met metal, and flames soared.

In less than two minutes.

Dozens of ferocious Mechanical Leopards were completely dismantled into scrap by Su Yang's bare hands. The floor was covered in smoldering wreckage and glowing molten iron.

Su Yang landed steadily and brushed the dust off his hands.

"Pathetic."

Behind him, Qin Xueji's beautiful eyes were filled with deep admiration. No matter how tough the monster, it was always as fragile as paper before her boss's iron fists.

Mary curled her lip. "They've all been melted into iron water; how boring. Boss is too fast."

Su Yang ignored her and continued walking deeper into the passage across the metal floor.

After passing through the long passage, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A vast circular hall appeared before them. The hall was hemispherical, its dome embedded with countless glowing crystals that illuminated the space like daylight.

In the very center of the hall, a giant metal sphere with a diameter of over ten meters was suspended.

The surface of the sphere was covered in red crystals, looking like a beating heart. The red light pulsed, emitting extremely massive energy fluctuations.

Hundreds of thick cables were connected to the surrounding walls. The other ends of the cables were all plugged into the metal sphere, continuously supplying spiritual energy.

"The power center of the Shenji Pavilion," Bai Li judged softly, her purple eyes shimmering.

Just as everyone stepped into the hall.

The red crystals on the surface of the metal sphere suddenly lit up with a blinding red light. A fan-shaped red scanning beam shot out from the bottom of the sphere, scanning directly over Su Yang and the other four.

A piercing alarm blared through the hall.

"Warning! Maximum level threat detected! Core defense protocol initiated!"

The synthesized mechanical voice echoed in the air.

The metal floor in the center of the hall suddenly split open, creating a massive gap.

The sound of heavy gears meshing was heard. A square elevator platform slowly rose from underground.

Standing on the platform was a twenty-meter-tall Golden Mechanical War General!

The war general was made entirely of dazzling gold, with incredibly thick armor. It had no facial features, only an inverted triangular black crystal screen for a face. It held a giant light sword over ten meters long in its hands, the blade flickering with blinding white light.

The terrifying pressure of the Late Stage Soul Transformation Stage bore down like a Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

The surrounding air instantly solidified. The heavy pressure made breathing difficult.

Qin Xueji's legs went weak, and she clung tightly to Bai Li's arm, her face pale. She was only at the Core Formation stage; facing pressure of this level, even standing was a struggle.

Bai Li quickly raised a purple demonic power shield, protecting everyone inside.

"Su Yang, the Formation core inside this war general is very Advanced. Its body is made of the rare Geng-Gold Divine Iron, and its physical defense is almost at the limit," Bai Li warned.

Su Yang stood with his hands in his pockets, looking up at the high-and-mighty Golden War General. A mocking smirk curled on his lips.

"Think you can block my fist just because you changed into a shiny golden shell?"

The black crystal screen on the Golden War General's face flashed red, locking onto Su Yang.

"Purge."

The emotionless voice fell.

The war general swung the giant light sword, creating a sonic boom that tore through the Void Realm as it slashed down fiercely toward Su Yang's head.

Before the light sword even arrived, the sharp Sword Qi had already carved a deep, unfathomable crack into the hard metal floor.

Su Yang pushed off powerfully with both feet.

*Bang!*

The ground instantly caved in. Su Yang turned into a bolt of golden lightning, soaring against the descending light sword.

The muscles in his right arm bulged. Pure Yang True Fire erupted, instantly enveloping his fist.

"Break for me!"

Su Yang smashed his fist fiercely against the side of the giant light sword.

A deafening sound of metal clashing exploded. The powerful counter-shock force turned into a physical shockwave that swept through the surroundings.

The light sword was knocked off course by the immense force, slashing fiercely into the adjacent wall. The entire hall shook violently.

Su Yang's body flipped nimbly in mid-air. His right leg was like a heaven-splitting battle-ax, carrying ten thousand catties of force as it whipped heavily against the Golden War General's chest.

*Boom!*

The Golden War General's massive body flew backward, smashing into the metal wall behind it. A large area of the wall dented, and debris flew everywhere.

However, only a shallow dent remained on the golden armor of the war general's chest. The defensive power of the Geng-Gold Divine Iron was indeed astonishing.

The war general quickly regained its footing, the red light on its face screen flashing wildly.

The armor in the center of its chest suddenly slid open, revealing a black cannon port two meters in diameter.

Deep within the cannon port, blinding white light gathered and compressed frantically. The destructive energy caused countless tiny cracks to appear in the surrounding space.