34: Chapter 34 Mechanical Swordsman Wang Chen

Wang Chen leaned his back against the rock wall, his body wreathed in flowing, pearlescent white spiritual energy, while his nano-protective suit shimmered with a faint blue luster.

He was a researcher at Xing Shu Academy, utilizing technology to assist his foundation in the Sword Dao; his spiritual meridians were fused with mechanical circuits, and his sword qi coexisted with energy pulses. With his mastery of immortal flying sword techniques, he had never before fallen into such a desperate and pathetic predicament.

At this moment, a deep gash had torn through the nano-protective suit on his left shoulder; it was slowly repairing itself, while a stream of faint blue energy leaked out along the fissure, mixed with the faint scent of blood.

Clearly, when Wang Chen had broken the seal just moments ago, he had suffered too much backlash from the ancient prohibitions.

His chest heaved violently as his internal spiritual meridians and mechanical circuits clashed, each breath bringing tearing pain. Yet, his gaze remained as sharp as a sword, locked firmly on the members of the Blood Killing Hall encircling him, without a hint of retreat.

All this trouble stemmed from the energy crystal mine sealed beneath his feet.

As a sword cultivator, Wang Chen's spiritual sense was fused with his detector, allowing him to see through the vast majority of the world's secrets.

Upon stepping into this ancient immortal cultivation secret realm, he had detected pure energy hidden deep underground that far surpassed all spiritual veins in the world. Spending three days, he used his own sword qi combined with decryption programs to dismantle the layers of seals laid down by ancient cultivators bit by bit.

The moment the final spiritual inscription seal shattered, the entire valley shook violently. The pure energy surging from underground shot straight into the sky, transforming into a pillar of golden light that pierced the firmament of the secret realm, its dazzling radiance visible from ten miles away.

And what lay buried deep underground was none other than a top-tier energy crystal mine left behind by the ancient immortal cultivation world.

The energy crystals nurtured within the vein were smooth and lustrous like jade, glowing with a faint golden spiritual light. The energy contained within held the pure spiritual essence of the ancient immortal cultivation world, which could be directly absorbed and refined by cultivators to break through realms and temper their immortal bones.

It could also be converted into the purest energy core, providing endless power for mechanical and Ability User devices. It was a peerless treasure spanning both the immortal cultivation and technological systems, its value far exceeding any other heaven-sent treasure in the world.

Wang Chen had intended to immediately conceal his aura, seal the mine, and report it to the headquarters of the Alliance, in accordance with the laws jointly established by the immortal cultivation world and the Fragment World Alliance.

But he was ultimately a step too slow. That golden pillar of energy piercing the sky could not be completely hidden, and it instantly attracted the cultivators of the Blood Killing Hall, who were entrenched at the edge of the secret realm, burning, killing, and looting everywhere.

Within moments, seven or eight figures shrouded in thick, baleful blood qi descended through the air, landing at the entrance of the valley and encircling the entire energy crystal mine area completely.

The leader was a deacon of the Blood Killing Hall, "Blood Hand" Tuxuan. Dressed in a dark red Daoist robe embroidered with skulls, he was surrounded by such dense, baleful blood qi that it seemed impossible to disperse. He stepped on a blood-stained flying sword, and when his eyes landed on the energy crystals scattered everywhere, the greed almost overflowed from them, completely undisguised.

"Hahaha, I wondered what kind of treasure had emerged; it turns out to be an energy crystal mine sealed by the ancients!"

Tuxuan laughed loudly, his voice carrying the chilling coldness of baleful blood qi.

"Wang Chen, you certainly have good luck to be able to find such a top-tier mine that has gone extinct in the immortal cultivation world. Heaven truly aids my Blood Killing Hall!"

Wang Chen slowly raised the energy sword in his hand. Spiritual energy and power surged at his fingertips, and the blade shimmered with a layer of intertwined blue and gold light.

"Tuxuan, I discovered this energy crystal mine first. According to the laws jointly established by the Alliance and the immortal cultivation world, the discoverer enjoys priority mining rights after reporting it. If your Blood Killing Hall is sensible, leave this place immediately, and I can let bygones be bygones."

"Let bygones be bygones?" Tuxuan acted as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.

The group of Blood Killing Hall cultivators behind him also sneered, their eyes full of mockery and disdain. "Wang Chen, you are nothing but an incongruous sword cultivator, relying on unorthodox technology to forge your body. How dare you talk about laws in front of us Ability Users?"

"This ancient secret realm was originally a place of inheritance for the immortal cultivation world, and the energy crystal mine is a treasure of the immortal cultivation world. Do you, a mere individual, deserve to possess it?"

A Blood Killing Hall disciple stepped forward, gripping a blood-colored long saber, and shouted sternly, "If you're sensible, hand over control of the mine immediately, cripple your own spiritual meridians, let us erase your memories, and get out of the secret realm. Otherwise, today will be your day of death!"

"Day of death?"

A cold smile curled onto Wang Chen's lips. The Floating Eye beside him activated instantly, and a pale blue scanning beam swept across the entire area.

The blue and gold sword qi around his body suddenly surged. "Just by relying on you bunch of rats who only know how to kill the innocent and plunder resources, you think you're qualified to talk about killing me?"

"Arrogant!"

Tuxuan's expression sank abruptly, his eyes instantly turning malicious. "Alliance laws? In this ancient secret realm, strength is the law! If you had obediently reported it, this mine would have been divided up by the Alliance. It is better to let it benefit my Blood Killing Hall instead.

Today, not only will you not get the priority mining rights, but your life and this entire energy crystal mine must all be left behind!"

He had long coveted the resources of this ancient secret realm, and he was even more aware of the heaven-defying value of the energy crystals.

If he could monopolize this energy crystal mine, the cultivation of the Blood Killing Hall members would surely advance by leaps and bounds, and he himself would be able to break through the realm he had been stuck in for many years. At that time, in the border zone between the Fragment World and the immortal cultivation world, no power would be able to contend with them.

The so-called Alliance laws were nothing but a piece of waste paper in the face of such immense benefits.

"Stop wasting time talking to him. The Hall Master has given the order: seize all treasures in the secret realm, and anyone who blocks the way shall be killed without mercy!" Another member of the Blood Killing Hall shouted sternly. Baleful blood qi surged around him as he took the lead in unleashing a blood-colored flying fork, thrusting it straight at Wang Chen.

Wherever the flying fork passed, the air was corroded by the baleful blood qi, emitting a hissing sound. With an unstoppable force, it aimed straight for Wang Chen's heart.

"Well come!"

Wang Chen's eyes narrowed; he dared not be careless.

He had just broken the ancient seal and had already consumed more than half of his spiritual energy and power. His internal spiritual meridians and mechanical circuits were still suffering from the backlash of the prohibitions, and his combat power was greatly compromised.

But as a sword cultivator, he had no reason to ever retreat in the face of battle.

The thrusters at Wang Chen's feet activated instantly, and his figure transformed into a blue and gold afterimage, narrowly dodging the blood-colored flying fork. At the same time, he formed a seal with his left hand and drew his immortal sword with his right. A cyan sword qi, condensed to the extreme, tore through the air, heading straight for the Ability User who had attacked.

This sword strike fused the agility of immortal sword-controlling techniques with the sharpness of energy, its speed reaching the extreme, leaving only a faint sword mark in the air.

The cultivator had not expected Wang Chen to be so swift despite his severe injuries and hurriedly waved his saber to defend. However, the sword qi struck the blood-colored long saber, instantly shattering the blade, and with its remaining momentum undiminished, it pierced straight through his shoulder, causing blood to gush out.

"Useless trash!" Tuxuan's eyes grew colder upon seeing this. "Attack together, finish this quickly, don't delay the mining of the energy crystals!"

As the words fell, all the remaining members of the Blood Killing Hall launched their attacks.

In an instant, blood-colored flying swords, baleful blood saber qi, and blood-devouring seals flew everywhere, filling the sky. The thick, baleful blood qi enveloped the entire valley, completely covering the golden light of the energy crystals.

The members of the Blood Killing Hall all practiced sinister and poisonous baleful blood cultivation techniques. Every move they made was lethal, their techniques were incomparably ruthless, and they coordinated with tacit understanding, forming a killing formation that completely sealed off all of Wang Chen's room for evasion.

Wang Chen was alone, trapped in a heavy encirclement.

He controlled his immortal sword with his left hand, employing sword-controlling techniques to weave through the baleful blood attacks, while cyan sword qi crisscrossed to resist the overwhelming offensive.

His right hand condensed a cyber light sword. The deep blue energy blade shattered the incoming blood-devouring seals, while his mechanical circuits operated at full power, constantly releasing energy pulses to interfere with the opponent's spiritual energy circulation.

Sword qi collided with baleful blood, emitting a deafening roar. Energy shockwaves swept in all directions, causing the boulders in the valley to shatter one after another and destroying all the spiritual herbs.

Wang Chen's figure constantly dodged amidst the siege, but the opponents were numerous, and their offensive was continuous. Ultimately, his physical strength failed him, and his spiritual energy and power were rapidly depleted.

The nano-protective suit on his left shoulder was struck again by a baleful blood saber, widening the crack. Most of the structure was exposed, the leakage of deep blue energy became increasingly severe, and the self-repair function almost completely stopped.

His right leg was grazed by a blood-colored flying fork, and baleful blood qi invaded his body, spreading along his spiritual meridians. Wherever it passed, the circulation of spiritual energy became sluggish, waves of sharp pain radiated from his flesh, and even his mechanical circuits experienced brief malfunctions.

"Hahaha, a Sword Immortal is nothing more than this!" Tuxuan stood outside the formation, watching coldly from the sidelines, his tone full of mockery.

"Wang Chen, even if you wanted to report it to the Alliance now, you have no chance! Today, no one can save you. Obediently accept your death, and you might suffer a little less torture!"

A Blood Killing Hall disciple took the opportunity to circle behind Wang Chen. The blood-colored long saber, carrying thick, baleful blood qi, slashed straight at his heart, intending to kill him in one blow.

Wang Chen sensed the crisis and forcibly twisted his body, using his sword to block the strike. However, the immense force shook him, causing him to stagger back repeatedly. A mouthful of blood gushed out, spraying onto the energy crystals in front of him, where the golden light and blood color intertwined, appearing exceptionally jarring.

With his back against the energy crystal mine wall, he had nowhere left to retreat.

The Floating Eye flashed red continuously, signaling insufficient energy. His spiritual meridians were being eroded by the baleful blood qi, causing unbearable pain, and the immortal sword in his hand trembled incessantly, making it difficult to condense sword qi.

The members of the Blood Killing Hall who were surrounding him grew increasingly greedy and ruthless, approaching step by step, looking at him as if he were a dead object.

"Give up the resistance; you are simply no match for us."

"A mere researcher from a tiny academy, wanting to monopolize an ancient energy crystal mine? It's simply overestimating yourself!"

"Kill him, dig up the energy crystal mine, and go back to claim the reward!"

The sounds of mockery and killing intent drilled into Wang Chen's ears.

He knew deeply that if he continued to resist today, there would only be a dead end, and this heaven-defying energy crystal mine would inevitably fall into the hands of evil sects like the Blood Killing Hall. By then, more innocent people would surely be slaughtered.