308: Titan Army

"It's mostly settled."

"According to witnesses, almost all of those who defected were backstabbed. Now only the leader of the Veteran Gang remains, but he has also surrendered his power."

"Looking at it this way, are we in the clear?"

Yuan Chenling was a bit excited at this moment.

Having been a coward his whole life, it was rare to fight in such a large-scale battle, let alone be the protagonist.

This yuanwu xielü really let him have a blast; he could use Formations and Talismans, and his Sword Qi strikes could even deal fire damage—every slash was fiery, every strike a critical hit.

He could even support his teammates from time to time, providing shields and healing injuries for his side throughout the entire process.

He could even harvest faith while fighting; the more he fought, the more exhilarated he became, and the more he killed, the swifter he grew.

Now, Yuan Chenling finally understood what kind of life his boss usually led.

"Wait, something's wrong."

"Stupid Lion, how many Nascent Soul-level mechas did you say you destroyed just now?"

Qing Xuan's expression turned solemn.

"Four. Why?"

"Exactly one for each battlefield?"

Qing Xuan still felt something was off.

Logically, it was normal for big corporations to have hidden trump cards; having four when they claimed three wasn't surprising.

But setting aside the fact that no one knew where the city's inhabitants had gone—let's just assume they were evacuated and concentrated for now—the number of troops the company sent was simply wrong; it was barely more than those in the surrounding circle.

Even with four Nascent Soul mechas, there shouldn't be a lack of follow-up reinforcements.

According to Qing Xuan's calculations, these Nascent Soul mechas were equivalent to mass-produced Nascent Soul-level Magic Treasures, only more versatile and durable than ordinary ones.

So, facing the yuanwu xielü, it was naturally like a mouse meeting a cat; winning was impossible.

But they shouldn't have been this fragile. Moreover, that Uncle Fu from the Grace Group and those Demonic Path products didn't seem like they would be easily dealt with.

Could it be... Qing Xuan instinctively looked at Mo Ran, only then sensing something was wrong.

"Stupid Lion, move! He's not Mo Ran!"

Yuan Chenling instantly became alert, manipulating the yuanwu xielü to split into two streams of power.

One stream vanished underground to guard against a potentially compromised Qing Xuan, while the other used only seventy percent of its power to test the potentially problematic Mo Ran.

But Mo Ran soon underwent a transformation.

A shield clearly in the style of the Eastern Territory expanded, and then his appearance began to blur, flickering between Mo Ran and a robotic form.

At this moment, Yuan Chenling was certain the problem lay with Mo Ran.

The power hidden underground suddenly surged upward, striking Mo Ran directly, and the seventy percent of power he had held back was also fully released.

"Boom—crack, crack."

As "Mo Ran" revealed his true form, the surrounding sky cracked with countless lines like a mirror.

The illusion shattered with a bang.

The Pastoral Area resistance, who were still celebrating their survival, were instantly plunged into bewilderment.

The city was still the same city, but it was now completely surrounded by Titan mechas.

Densely packed Titans in the shape of Flood Dragons looked incredibly menacing.

They were several sizes smaller than the Grace Titans from before, but their sense of pressure and sheer numbers were even more terrifying.

And Mo Ran was currently being held in the hand of an old man standing below the cluster of Titans—it was Uncle Fu.

He still maintained an elegant posture, but his expression had soured slightly.

He gave a cold snort and spoke.

"Hmph, my part is done. You can go ahead and make your move."

"However, I will hold your superiors accountable afterward. This isn't over yet!"

After saying that, he vanished from the spot with the unconscious Mo Ran. Red lights flickered in the eyes of the remaining Titans as they looked at the surrounded people from the Pastoral Area.

"The troublesome old geezer is gone. Let's get to work and finish this quickly."

At the commander's order, all the Titans activated simultaneously. A massacre was about to begin.

Grace Group.

Wilde was sitting in a chair, his leg shaking incessantly, looking irritable as he bit his fingernails one by one.

He wasn't wearing his usual formal attire; his hair was tied up casually, and he wore a white short-sleeved shirt and black trousers.

Chu Tianci stood quietly to the side, waiting.

In the hall, many attendants and security personnel were hurriedly directing the transport of items.

"Young Master, the person has been brought back."

Uncle Fu suddenly appeared in the hall carrying Mo Ran, and only then did Wilde breathe a sigh of relief.

"Uncle Fu, you're finally back! Quickly extract this kid's Spiritual Root so we can evacuate. If it weren't for the sake of my father's Face, those lunatics would have started slaughtering the city long ago."

Uncle Fu shook his head.

"There's no time to swap Spiritual Roots now. We're leaving immediately; leave everything behind. Once this is over, I'll go to the Master to seek justice."

All of this had happened too suddenly.

Originally, Chu Tianci's mission was to gather the populace and reveal Mo Ran's location.

The plan was proceeding smoothly, despite a few hiccups—for instance, that god from the Taiyi Sect actually possessing Nascent Soul-level combat power.

But the think tank had a contingency plan; the mechas sent to other war zones weren't real Titan mechas, just disguises.

They intended to use pre-arranged Formations and Magic Treasures to create an illusionary array, capture Mo Ran first, and then use the remaining three Nascent Soul Titans and Uncle Fu to besiege that god, while Core Formation Cultivators led the army to suppress the resistance.

Originally, these forces, combined with the army sent by King Dong, should have been enough to handle it.

But unexpectedly, King Dong's side sent a large number of Nascent Soul-level Titans and directly threatened to slaughter the city.

Grace Group only had three Nascent Soul Titans and Uncle Fu; they couldn't possibly bargain in front of over a dozen more advanced Titans.

If it weren't for the presence of Wang Defu, a veteran Soul Transformation expert, and the fact that capturing Mo Ran hadn't taken much effort, they might have been driven out long ago.

Taking Mo Ran away had now exhausted those lunatics' patience; it would take only moments for the dozen or so Titans to massacre the people of the Pastoral Area.

Uncle Fu quickly explained the stakes to Wilde.

"Staying in the city any longer might lead to further complications."

"We'll take our confidants and leave first to ensure our own safety."

"Leave the rest to be escorted by the Titans. We'll wait until the Master returns to discuss everything else."

Wilde nodded heavily and hurriedly stood up to leave with Uncle Fu.

At this moment, Chu Tianci knew it was hopeless, yet he still harbored a sliver of hope:

"Wait, Young Master Wang, my wife and child."

Before he could finish, Wilde shot him in the head.

Wilde didn't say much, hurriedly stuffed the gun back into his coat, and quickly followed Uncle Fu to evacuate.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the situation was extremely dire.

The more desperate the people became, the stronger their faith grew; and the stronger the faith, the more apparent the power of the yuanwu xielü became.

Because of this, under the protection of the yuanwu xielü, the loss of life wasn't yet rapid.

But Yuan Chenling, facing over a dozen Nascent Soul-level mechas alone, was already starting to struggle.

These mechas were clearly stronger than those of the Grace Group; if it were one-on-one, Yuan Chenling would still have confidence, but their coordination made it difficult for this little lion, who wasn't skilled in slaughter, to hold his ground.

He had to split his attention between protecting the crowd and preventing the mechas from approaching.

Although there were many people from the Pastoral Area and they could launch some attacks, they couldn't even break through the opponents' shields.

Now, he finally realized how difficult it was for his boss.

As time passed, once the people's faith wavered, the front line would collapse in an instant.

The Titan pilots also saw this, and they acted like cats playing with mice—sometimes interfering to pick off those Yuan Chenling failed to protect, and sometimes joining forces to drain Yuan Chenling's power.

"These wild gods are still so easy to deal with. Just drag it out and they're done for. This mission is truly a breeze."

"Tell me about it. For a battle of this level, they even equipped us with such advanced mechas."

"Which company developed this new type of Titan? It's awesome! I really don't know what the higher-ups were thinking—using a cannon to kill a mosquito?"

"Come off it. Without this mission, would you ever get to pilot a Titan like this?"

"Probably someone just wanted combat data for the new model and decided to clean everything up while they were at it."

"When the slaughter starts later, can we not kill everyone right away? Let's round up a group and have some fun?"

"What time do you think it is to be thinking about that? We're here with a mission and equipment sponsored by big shots. You want to lose your life by wasting time?"

"Tsk, it's all the fault of those Grace Group people. If we didn't have to help them catch someone, we'd have finished long ago. I just bought a lottery ticket and I'm waiting to go back for the draw."

"Please, you actually believe in the Lianxing Pavilion's tricks? If you ask me, you're better off believing that wild god will suddenly explode and wipe us all out than believing you'll win the lottery, haha!"

"Don't be such a jerk, you bastard!"

They seemed very relaxed, even starting to joke around.

However, no one noticed that in the center of the battlefield, a seemingly harmless little boy untied the cloth covering his eyes, and his body was quietly undergoing a change.

Because that boy heard a voice.

"Open your mind. I am here."