169: Chapter 169 God-Slaying Sword

In the tunnel of the 12th level, dull thuds echoed like a dense rhythm of drums.

Twelve Cyber Iron Guards formed a steel defensive line in front of Gu Shen, desperately holding back the violent onslaught of thirteen Pioneers. These Pioneers were all Mortals when alive, relying purely on their astonishing radiation-mutated Physical Body and the constant supply of nuclear energy from The Mainframe to unleash destructive power comparable to the Early Stage of a Golden Core.

The titanium-tungsten alloy armor of Iron Guard No. 7 was covered in dented fist marks, and the chest bone of the Golden-Horned Rhinoceros Beast emitted a teeth-grinding friction sound under extreme pressure.

Gu Shen stood at the rear, his eyes tightly closed.

He discarded the surrounding sounds of metal clashing and the scorching heat waves brought by the high-pressure radiation. His entire focus had already sunk deep into his Sea of Consciousness.

The technique of the "Soul-Shocking Spike" circulated rapidly in his consciousness. The core essence of this extremely niche Divine Sense attack method lay in "compression" and "penetration." It involved compressing a vast amount of Divine Sense into a single point to instantly pierce the enemy's Sea of Consciousness defense.

But when facing the Pioneers, this method failed.

The Pioneers had long lost their complete Divine Soul structure within their bodies. What remained in their minds was merely a cluster of pure obsession. This obsession was like an intangible mist floating within an empty shell; the spike would pass through the mist, leaving only a hole that healed instantly, unable to shake its foundation.

The key to breaking the deadlock lay in imbuing the Divine Sense with a peerless sharpness that embodied the concept of "severing."

Gu Shen's intent stirred slightly, and the Geng Metal Qi dormant within his Dantian was instantly drawn out.

The Geng Metal Sword Qi contained within the "Golden Light Finger" governed the ultimate slaughter and sharpness among the Five Elements. Introducing this violent, physical Sword Qi into the fragile Sea of Consciousness would, with the slightest carelessness, result in the destruction of his own Divine Soul.

"Gu Shen utilized the AI Crystal to quickly establish an isolation zone for the Fusion of Divine Sense and Geng Metal Qi."

His brain rapidly issued commands. Deep within his brow, the AI Crystal erupted with a deep blue light, and dozens of logic threads spread out instantly, constructing layers of precise data firewalls within his Sea of Consciousness.

A sliver of sharp, pale golden Geng Metal Sword Qi slowly probed into his Sea of Consciousness along his Meridians.

Agonizing pain.

It felt as if countless tiny steel needles were frantically piercing his brain. Gu Shen's body trembled slightly, but relying on the terrifying endurance brought by the Major Achievement of the "Bone Refining Art," he forcefully suppressed his body's instinctive spasms.

The power of his Divine Sense was constantly tempered with the assistance of the AI Crystal. That originally short and solid Soul-Shocking Spike slowly merged with that sliver of Geng Metal Sword Qi.

Divine Sense as the iron, Geng Metal as the edge, and willpower as the hammer.

"Compress, elongate, sharpen."

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the violent energy fluctuations gradually stabilized. A pale golden little sword, about an inch long and translucent, slowly took shape in the center of Gu Shen's Sea of Consciousness.

This little sword discarded crude penetrating power, and the edges of the blade shimmered with an extreme sharpness capable of cutting through delusions and severing mental bonds.

"God-Slaying Sword," complete!

Gu Shen suddenly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, a flash of sharp golden light vanished in an instant.

Directly in front, a Pioneer withstood the high-temperature toxic fire spewed by No. 9 Iron Guard, its withered arms clamped onto the Iron Guard's head, preparing to exert force to twist it off. In the energy pipeline at its nape, violent nuclear energy was operating at peak capacity.

"Sever."

Gu Shen parted his lips slightly and spat out a cold syllable.

A pale golden streak of light, impossible for the naked eye to capture, shot out from between Gu Shen's brows.

It ignored the high-frequency radiation in the tunnel, pierced the Pioneer's mutated skull, and silently submerged deep into its withered mind.

In the Pioneer's mind, that cluster of pure obsession supporting its actions was split in two and instantly dissipated under the sharpness of the God-Slaying Sword.

That was a dimensional cut that transcended material boundaries.

The moment the obsession dissipated, the Pioneer's body stiffened abruptly.

The massive nuclear energy pouring into the pipeline at the nape of its neck lost the "core program" that guided its target, instantly triggering an uncontrolled energy turbulence within its body.

"Snap."

The Pioneer's hands, which had been tightly clamping No. 9 Iron Guard, fell limply. The ghostly green flame that had danced in its eye sockets for long ages was extinguished completely, like a candle flame being doused. The withered body lost all support and slammed heavily onto the lead-steel floor of the tunnel, without any further movement.

The Pioneer, having lost its pure obsession, was ultimately just an empty shell.

With the strike successful, Gu Shen's expression remained calm, and he immediately recalled the "God-Slaying Sword."

"No. 11, No. 12, restrict the target's movement."

Gu Shen issued the command again.

Two Iron Guards on the periphery lunged forward, one on the left and one on the right, tightly hugging the legs of another Pioneer. No. 3 Iron Guard (Thunder Cloud Snow Leopard) descended from above, suppressing it to the ground.

The Pioneer struggled frantically, its immense strength tearing at the Iron Guard's armor with a harsh, grating sound.

The pale golden streak of light shot out from Gu Shen's brow again.

The "God-Slaying Sword" entered the brain precisely, severing the obsession. The second Pioneer was instantly paralyzed.

Having mastered a means of dimensional strikes, the battle situation saw a one-sided reversal.

The twelve Cyber Iron Guards abandoned attempts to inflict substantial damage and shifted entirely to grappling and control. Utilizing their formidable demon bones and titanium-tungsten armor, they used the crudest wrestling-style moves to pin the Pioneers to the ground one by one.

Gu Shen moved with steady steps along the edge of the battlefield; with every pause, the obsession of one Pioneer was completely erased by the "God-Slaying Sword."

These Pioneers, who had sacrificed everything for the Ascension Project, finally found true rest after hundreds of years of painful servitude.

The time of an incense stick passed.

The tunnel of the 12th level returned to dead silence.

The remains of thirteen Pioneers lay scattered across the tunnel, and the energy pipelines at their napes emitted slight sparks due to the loss of load.

Gu Shen withdrew the God-Slaying Sword and breathed slightly heavily. A fine, stinging sensation came from his Sea of Consciousness, which was the normal feedback from the continuous overload of his Divine Sense.

The consumption of the God-Slaying Sword was immense; even with the assistance of the AI Crystal, continuous casting would still place a heavy burden on the Sea of Consciousness.

These Pioneer remains contained extremely high levels of nuclear radiation, and their bodies had undergone extreme alienation; the Impurities within had completely fused with their bone marrow, making them unsuitable for refining into conventional spiritual materials using the [Heaven and Earth Furnace].

Gu Shen did not stay here.

He stepped over the withered remains covering the ground and, accompanied by the twelve Iron Guards whose armor was extensively damaged but still standing strong, walked toward the end of the tunnel.

There, a giant gate cast from a single piece of special lead-steel stood quietly in the darkness.