213: Chapter 213 Dual-Track Army: Ushering in the Era of AFK Farming

Above the scorched, isolated Peak of the basalt magnetic Ore, the tribulation clouds had dispersed, but the embers were not yet extinguished.

Gu Shen stood upon the blackened rock plate, a dark golden halo flowing around his body.

He took a deep look at the seemingly clear but actually strictly regulated firmament of the Great Yu Cultivation World; deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the ancient and heavy [Heaven and Earth Furnace] emitted a long cry that shook the Void Realm.

Pale white flames of rules surged from the Void Realm, instantly enveloping his entire form.

Light and shadow intertwined, and the Void Realm inverted.

When his feet once again stepped onto solid ground, what met his eyes was the vast arsenal hall on the 6th Underground Level of Shelter No. 7.

The familiar, pungent scent of engine oil and metallic rust rushed towards him, and dozens of fully automated assembly lines around him were in a silent standby state.

The light cast by the emergency lamps on the hall's dome illuminated this industrial fortress that belonged solely to him.

Gu Shen sank his Qi into his Dantian and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He waved his large sleeve, and his Storage Ring shone with a bright cyan light.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Ten massive mass-produced mechanical iron guards, covered in titanium-tungsten alloy armor, slammed down in succession onto the steel plaza of the arsenal.

These steel behemoths, which had only appeared for an instant in the Cultivation World before drawing down a lightning tribulation, were now in the Wasteland world, their mechanical bodies operating extremely smoothly, without the slightest hesitation.

Gu Shen stood with his hands behind his back in front of these ten steel behemoths, his gaze deep and gloomy as an abyss.

"Crab, reconnect to the network and take over these ten mass-produced units." His voice was steady as he issued the decree.

The black iron buckle at his collar flashed with a faint, eerie light, and the mechanical spider sub-unit leaped onto the control console nearby.

"As you command, Master. Local area network connection complete; all physical parameters of the units are at Peak thresholds. That high-dimensional energy lock just now did not cause substantial damage to the spirit-gathering array patterns." The Crab's electronic voice carried the certainty of post-calculation.

Gu Shen nodded slightly, walked up the steps, and sat steadily at the central master control and supervision console in the arsenal.

The life-and-death moment of the Heavenly Dao auditing the accounts made him see the future strategic situation clearly.

The Great Yu Cultivation World was by no means a lawless land where creations from another world could run wild; if he wanted to gain a foothold in that world, he could never resort to such unmasked, reckless behavior.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the ten mass-produced mechanical iron guards and landing on the nine Demon Bone Iron Guards standing quietly by his side.

These nine tower-like guardian Puppets were embedded with the spirit-nullifying bones of great demons and covered with anti-vibration and sound-insulating coatings; inside their chests, high-energy miniature fusion batteries provided near-endless power.

Their existence perfectly deceived the perception of the Cultivation World's Heavenly Dao, and they were the sharpest and most expensive sword currently in Gu Shen's hands.

"Dual-track parallelism is the true path."

Gu Shen tapped the armrest of his seat, the grand vision in his heart gradually becoming clear. "These nine Demon Bone Iron Guards can ignore most Five Elements spells and sonic resonance. From now on, they will follow the elite route, accompanying me on cross-world conquests, specializing in attacking fortified positions, seizing treasures, and assassinations. Their miniature batteries must not be easily depleted; good steel must be used on the blade's edge."

His gaze slowly moved down, re-locking onto the ten mass-produced mechanical iron guards on the plaza, with their rough styling and interlocking tracks and multiple legs.

These units were cast entirely from the Wasteland's high-carbon steel and titanium-tungsten alloy, with cores driven entirely by the spirit-gathering array patterns he hand-carved and Medium Grade Spirit Stones. They were cheap to produce and could be easily mass-produced through the arsenal's assembly lines.

"As for these mass-produced units..."

A subtle arc appeared at the corner of Gu Shen's mouth. "Since the Heavenly Dao does not allow them to appear in the world, then they shall all remain on the surface of the Wasteland. Although this world is rampant with radiation, it contains endless pre-war supplies and mutated spirit materials."

He extended his Divine Sense to communicate with the mechanical spider on the control console.

"Crab, heed my order."

"Subordinate is here."

"From this day forth, Shelter No. 7 shall officially transition into a fully automated collection sequence."

Gu Shen extended his finger and heavily marked several coordinates on the holographic Wasteland terrain map. These were the previously scouted nests of the Tier 3 Aberration Earth Dragons, as well as the deeply buried seismic military reserve depot below.

"These ten mass-produced mechanical iron guards are to be incorporated into the surface vanguard defense army. They are responsible for commanding those three hundred t-7 heavy purgers, tirelessly exploring the Wasteland territories day and night. The primary task is to hollow out that pre-war heavy industrial arsenal and transport all titanium-tungsten armor plates and high-carbon steel ingots back to the arsenal."

"The secondary task is to hunt all low-tier Aberrations along the way and collect mutated fungi and radioactive Spiritual Plants. All obtained flesh, remains, and spirit materials are to be piled up on the first floor plaza, waiting for my return to be collectively refined by the Great Furnace."

Gu Shen's voice echoed in the empty hall; every word was an ironclad rule for laying the foundation of his enterprise.

"As you command! Logistics collection and defense orders have been written into the master control core. The array pattern power output of the mass-produced units is stable, and the current Spirit Stone reserves are sufficient to maintain long-term, high-intensity operations." The Crab's articulated limbs tapped rapidly on the control panel, and directives were sent like electric currents to all mechanical units.

Boom—!

The ten mass-produced mechanical iron guards on the plaza vibrated in unison, their track bases emitting a steady, deep, and heavy crushing sound. They turned in unison, their massive metal bodies rumbling towards the wide passage leading to the surface.

Gu Shen sat high on the supervision console, watching quietly as this torrent of steel disappeared at the end of the passage.

A perfectly automated System had already fully taken shape in this sunless underground world.

He would fight and plunder in the Cultivation World, obtaining Medium Grade and even High-Grade Spirit Stones; he would bring the Spirit Stones back to the Wasteland and embed them into the array eyes of the mass-produced mechanical iron guards; once the Iron Guards had power, they could mine Ore and hunt mutated Spirit Medicine on the radioactive Wasteland day and night; a continuous stream of Wasteland resources transported back to the base could not only produce more mass-produced mechanical iron guards through the assembly lines, but could also be refined via the [Heaven and Earth Furnace] into flawless treasures that were worth thousands of gold in the Cultivation World.

The cycle repeated, endless and ceaseless.

As long as he returned regularly to replenish the Spirit Stones needed for power, this massive farming System would be like a snowball rolling down a high mountain, growing larger in volume and more terrifying in potential energy.

"Given time, when this arsenal roars day and night, and thousands of mass-produced mechanical iron guards sweep across the Wasteland, this masterless world will be my most solid base camp."

Gu Shen stood up, his deep cyan poisonous evil True Essence surging incessantly around his body.

The Wasteland foundation was secured, and the worries of logistics were completely eliminated. The spine of the extreme Body Cultivator stood straight at this moment.

However, such massive consumption could definitely not be sustained for long with just the dozen or so Medium Grade Spirit Stones currently in his Storage Ring. If the assembly lines were to run at full power, he must plunder even greater wealth from the Cultivation World.

His thoughts drifted back again to that scorched, isolated Peak of the basalt magnetic Ore, back to the Ten Thousand Mang Mountains burned by heavenly fire.

The Beast Taming Sect's Core Disciple Qin Wuyan.

Relying on his Sect's foundation, this person had used sonic waves to injure his internal organs and had even set up an inescapable net to kill him. How could this vengeance for obstructing his Dao be wiped away just because of a temporary retreat?

"Core Disciple Qin Wuyan carries the Legacy of a great Sect, so he must be carrying a massive amount of Spirit Stones and heavy treasures. He is certainly in the heart of Mang Mountain right now, besieging that young Mountain-Quaking Kui Ox, and would never expect that a person who died under the heavenly fire would return to the world as a life-reaping Asura."

Gu Shen coldly raised his hand and gripped the hilt of the thunder pattern gold-slaying blade at his waist.

The cold, top-grade fierce metal transmitted a domineering Thunder-Magnetic Force.

He strode down from the supervision console, with the nine Demon Bone Iron Guards, looking like demon gods, following closely behind.