Bai Ye raced to the top of the altar and was met with a truly astonishing sight.
It was a colossal mechanical human, so immense that its entire body was embedded within the mountain wall directly in front of the altar.
This altar, at least a hundred meters high, only reached the ancient mechanical giant's chest.
The floating stones Bai Ye had seen earlier were actually parts of the ancient mechanical giant's body. They were now drifting in from all directions, converging before the giant, gradually piecing together its form.
Standing before the ancient mechanical giant were five individuals.
There was the blond man Bai Ye had encountered before, a man clad in white armor wielding a massive scythe, a man dressed as a Fusang swordsman with twin blades at his waist, and a man adorned in imperial robes, floating in the air.
Judging by their attire, the leader should have been the one dressed as an emperor. However...
Bai Ye's gaze moved past the four and fell upon the fifth man at the very front.
He wore a white Taoist robe embroidered with peonies. Red petals constantly swirled around him. With one hand resting at his shoulder, he held a square crystal block that radiated light!
Bai Ye's pupils contracted.
The Heart of Dawn!
That Taoist was the true leader of the group!
"Hand it over!"
Bai Ye bellowed, charging forward immediately.
Stop the ancient mechanical giant?
How could he stop it?
He just needed to get the Heart of Dawn!
But the moment Bai Ye charged forward...
"Show, time!"
The blond man raised his twin guns and began firing towards Bai Ye's direction.
Bai Ye had sparred with this man before and knew his prowess. He absolutely could not take the bullets head-on and needed to dodge. Thus...
"Teleport!"
Bai Ye's figure vanished instantly. The next moment, he reappeared ten meters to the side.
However...
As soon as Bai Ye materialized, the man in armor wielding the scythe suddenly appeared before him.
The white scythe in his hand descended, aimed at Bai Ye's head.
This guy...
How could he know where Bai Ye would teleport to?
Bai Ye showed a hint of surprise before swiftly raising his hand, his Steel Slime solidifying into the renowned sword, Bloodthirst.
*Clang!*
A crisp clashing sound echoed as their weapons met, sending sparks of gold flying.
The next instant, the ground beneath Bai Ye's feet cracked, splintering into countless lines.
The immense force assaulted him, making Bai Ye grit his teeth.
Such oppressive power!
Bai Ye cast a look of surprise at his opponent. This oppressive feeling...
It felt strangely familiar.
On Bai Ye's chest, the Steel Slime began to wriggle rapidly, forming a bio-mask on his face.
Biological scan initiated...
Biological scan concluded...
God of Slaughter Bai Qi (Native) (Health Status): 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: ??
Held Items (Incomplete): ??
Abilities (Incomplete): ??
...
Looking at the information displayed, Bai Ye finally understood why the oppressive feeling was so familiar.
Once, a man named Lu Bu had, through a possession ability, shown Bai Ye what true pressure felt like. However, on that occasion, it was Bai Ye who exerted pressure on others.
But this time...
Bai Ye felt the same oppressive aura emanating from this opponent.
It was because one was known as the God of War.
And the other, by the world, was called the God of Slaughter.
*Clang!*
Another crisp clashing sound. The immense force was overwhelming for Bai Ye, and the white scythe swept Bloodthirst from his hand.
Immediately after...
Bai Qi, like a beast, slammed into Bai Ye's chest, sending him flying backward in an instant.
His body tumbled through the air. Bai Ye's back thrusters ignited, spewing blue flames and forcefully stabilizing his body.
But the moment Bai Ye landed...
The man with the twin blades instantly appeared before him, his blades slashing towards Bai Ye.
*Clang!*
Bai Ye swiftly swung Bloodthirst, parrying the opponent's weapon, before landing back on the ground.
As he touched down, the Steel Slime on Bai Ye's body began to writhe, manifesting seven flying swords which shot forward through the air.
However...
"Empty Void Slash!"
The man in the samurai outfit, wielding twin blades, one held forward and the other reversed, crossed them and slashed forward with great force.
A crescent-shaped blade energy shot forward, colliding with Bai Ye's seven swords.
Almost instantly, Bai Ye's seven swords were annihilated within the blade energy, and even...
"Your weapon, Seven-Colored Rainbow, has been destroyed and can no longer be materialized."
Seven-Colored Rainbow was gone!
The Steel Slime could indeed prevent consumed items from being damaged by combat.
However, combat damage and destruction were two different things.
Combat damage referred to wear and tear during battle. When the Steel Slime materialized an item, it did so in its original state, so as long as it could be materialized again, there was no combat damage.
But if an item, once materialized, was completely destroyed in combat, then there would be no next time.
Items, if utterly broken, could no longer be materialized.
But the problem was...
Bai Ye looked at the scattered fragments around him.
With a single slash, his Seven-Colored Rainbow was rendered useless?
Bai Ye couldn't help but look up at the man in the samurai attire.
Biological scan initiated...
Biological scan concluded...
Miyamoto Musashi (Native) (Health Status): A hero from Fusang, the foremost swordsman of Fusang, Miyamoto Musashi, unrivaled under heaven.
Strength: ??
Speed: ??
...
Bai Ye suddenly felt like life was a joke.
One God of Slaughter wasn't enough, and now there was an "unrivaled under heaven"?
These two were clearly heroes with gold-tier possession abilities, just like Lu Bu!
Could this hidden quest be completed by a human?
Bai Ye couldn't help but swallow.
He had originally thought he was invincible after obtaining the Devil's Robe from a gold-tier gacha, but...
Turns out, he was still a nobody.
"The clanging is deafeningly annoying," the man in imperial robes said with an impatient expression. "You're noisy and giving me a headache. Kill them quickly."
Bai Ye nodded, shouldered the white scythe, and strode towards Bai Ye.
Then...
He raised the white scythe high and brought it down towards Bai Ye.
But at that moment...
A gust of wind suddenly arose!
A spinning azure crystal blade appeared out of nowhere, striking the scythe's blade just as it descended!
...