Bai Ye rushed to the top of the altar and was immediately met with a shocking sight.
It was a colossal automaton, unimaginably large, its entire body embedded within the mountain face directly in front of the altar.
The altar itself was at least a hundred meters high, yet it only reached the chest of this ancient mechanical giant.
The floating stones Bai Ye had seen before were actually part of the ancient automaton's body. They were now drifting in from all directions, converging before the giant, gradually piecing its form together.
And standing before the ancient automaton were five figures.
There was the blond man Bai Ye had encountered before, a man in white armor wielding a massive scythe, a man in a Fuso samurai outfit with two swords at his waist, and a man in imperial attire, floating in the air.
Looking at them, the leader should have been the man dressed as an emperor. However...
Bai Ye's gaze passed over the four, settling on the fifth man at the very front.
He wore a white Taoist robe embroidered with peonies. Red petals constantly swirled around him. One palm rested at his shoulder, and in his hand, he held a cubic crystal, emitting a radiant glow!
Bai Ye's pupils contracted.
The Heart of Dawn!
That Taoist was the true leader of this group!
"Hand it over!"
Bai Ye roared, charging forward.
Stop the ancient automaton?
How could he possibly stop it?
But if he got the Heart of Dawn, that would be enough!
However, the instant Bai Ye charged forward…
"Showtime!"
The blond man raised his dual pistols and began firing in Bai Ye's direction.
Bai Ye had fought this man before and knew how dangerous he was. He couldn't possibly withstand the bullets head-on and needed to dodge. So…
"Teleportation!"
Bai Ye's figure vanished instantly, reappearing ten meters to the side.
However...
The moment Bai Ye reappeared, the man in armor wielding the scythe suddenly materialized in front of him.
His white scythe descended from above, aimed at Bai Ye.
This guy…
How could he know where Bai Ye would reappear after teleporting?
Bai Ye showed a hint of surprise. He quickly raised his hand and condensed a famous blade, Bloodthirst, from his Steel Slime.
Clang!
A crisp metallic clash echoed, and golden sparks flew.
The next instant, the ground beneath Bai Ye's feet cracked, a section splintering open.
A tremendous force struck him, making Bai Ye grit his teeth.
Such oppressive power!
Bai Ye glanced at his opponent with some astonishment. This oppressive feeling…
It felt strangely familiar.
On Bai Ye's chest, the Steel Slime writhed, forming a bio-mask on his face.
Biological scan initiated…
Biological scan complete…
God of Slaughter Bai Qi (Native) (Healthy): A hero from Xuan Yong, known as the ultimate weapon. Those who know his name call him the God of Slaughter.
Strength: ??
Speed: ??
Stamina: ??
Spirit: ??
Intelligence: ??
Weakness Search: ??
Possessions (Incomplete): ??
Abilities (Incomplete): ??
…
Looking at the displayed information, Bai Ye finally understood why the oppressive feeling was so familiar.
Once, a man named Lu Bu, through an assimilation ability, had made Bai Ye understand what true pressure felt like. However, that time, it was Bai Ye who was exerting the pressure.
But this time…
Bai Ye felt the same oppressive sensation emanating from this opponent.
Because one was known as the God of War,
And the other was called the God of Slaughter by the world.
Clang!
A clear ringing sound, and the immense force was more than Bai Ye could resist. The white scythe was swung aside, knocking away Bai Ye's Bloodthirst.
Immediately after…
Bai Qi, like a wild beast, slammed into Bai Ye's chest, sending him flying backward.
His body tumbled through the air. Boosters appeared on Bai Ye's back, expelling blue flames, forcefully stabilizing his body.
But the moment Bai Ye landed…
The man wielding dual swords instantly appeared before him, his blades slashing at Bai Ye.
Clang!
Bai Ye rapidly swung Bloodthirst, parrying his opponent's weapon, before landing back on the ground.
As he landed, the Steel Slime on Bai Ye's body continued to writhe. Seven flying swords were condensed by Bai Ye and shot forward like a barrage.
However…
"Void Slash!"
The man in the samurai outfit, holding his dual swords crossed, one forward and one backward, brought them down with force.
A crescent-shaped blade of energy shot forward, colliding with Bai Ye's seven swords.
Almost instantly, Bai Ye's seven swords were annihilated within the energy slash. Even…
"Your weapon, the Seven-Colored Rainbow, has been destroyed and cannot be condensed again."
The Seven-Colored Rainbow was ruined!
The Steel Slime indeed prevented items from being permanently damaged by combat wear.
However, combat wear and destruction were two different things.
Combat wear referred to damage sustained during battle, and when the Steel Slime condensed items, it did so based on their original state. Therefore, as long as it could be re-condensed, there was no combat wear.
But if an item was completely destroyed in battle after being condensed, there would be no next time.
Items that were utterly broken could no longer be condensed.
But the problem was…
Bai Ye looked at the scattered fragments around him.
With just one slash, his Seven-Colored Rainbow was ruined?
Bai Ye couldn't help but look up at the man in the samurai attire.
Biological scan initiated…
Biological scan complete…
Miyamoto Musashi (Native) (Healthy): A hero from Fuso, the foremost swordsman of Fuso, Miyamoto Musashi, peerless in the world.
Strength: ??
Speed: ??
…
Bai Ye suddenly felt as though his life was a joke.
One God of Slaughter wasn't enough; now there was also a peerless swordsman?
These two were clearly heroes with golden assimilation abilities, just like Lu Bu!
Was this hidden quest even meant for humans to complete?
Bai Ye couldn't help but swallow.
He had thought he was invincible after getting the Devil's Clothes from the golden gacha, but…
It turned out he was still just a nobody.
"Such a noisy clanging is unbearable," said the man in imperial attire, his expression growing impatient. "You're giving me a headache. Kill them quickly."
Bai Ye nodded, slinging the white scythe over his shoulder and striding towards Bai Ye.
Then…
The white scythe was raised high and swung down towards Bai Ye.
But at that very moment…
A strong gust of wind suddenly arose!
A spinning, cyan crystal blade appeared out of nowhere, striking the blade of the scythe just as it was about to fall upon Bai Ye!
…