Chapter 75 The Roar of Steel in the Metal City
Gengxin City, known as the "Metal Capital," is forever shrouded in a thick layer of rust-colored soot. The massive forging furnaces blaze with fire, and the clanging of thousands of hammers striking metal constitutes the city's sole rhythm.
For ordinary soul masters, this place is noisy, dirty, and lacks spiritual energy; but for Ye Feng, every inch of air here is filled with the sweet scent of industrial civilization.
"Captain, the smell here... cough cough, it's even more pungent than the poisonous fog in Sunset Forest," Hu Yanli complained in a muffled voice. This genius of the Elephant Armor Sect, now the Glory Team's most solid tank, was carrying a huge steel box, leaving deep footprints on the bluestone pavement with every step.
During the breakout battle of Spirit City, Hu Yanli, due to Ye Feng's prior planning, did not remain loyal to the Spirit Hall as he was in the original story. On the contrary, after witnessing Ye Feng shake the Papal Palace with "mortal power," this burly man with a head as hard as granite became a complete believer in Ye Feng's "violent aesthetics."
"Ali, put the box down." Ye Feng stood in front of the old site of the Blacksmith Association headquarters, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated warehouses. "Here, we will forge weapons powerful enough to make even a Title Douluo tremble. Don't mind the strong smell; it's the smell of gold and power."
The carriages stopped one by one, and the members of the Glory team appeared one after another.
Although Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu were still wearing gorgeous long dresses, they each had several specially made leather pouches at their waists, containing high-explosive consumables developed by Ye Feng. Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, seemed somewhat excited. In her hand, she held a list of top-grade rare metals that she had acquired overnight using all the channels of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in Gengxin City.
"Captain, the 'Cold Iron Essence' and 'Deep Sea Silver Mother' you requested have all arrived." Ning Rongrong walked to Ye Feng's side, the light of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shining brightly on the dim street. "But my father is very worried. He said that the Spirit Hall's wanted notices have been sent all over the continent."
"A wanted poster?" Ye Feng sneered, opening his Thousand Chance Umbrella to shield his head from the falling iron filings. "Bibi Dong is currently busy repairing her Papal Palace. In her mind, we are just a bunch of fast rats. She would never imagine that these rats would dig a tunnel to her heart in the Metal City."
Inside the headquarters of the Blacksmiths' Association, Master Craftsman Si Long stared at the ledgers with a worried expression. The Spirit Hall's monopoly on the metal trade in recent years had made life extremely difficult for the blacksmiths.
When Ye Feng and his group pushed open the door and entered, Si Long instinctively wanted to refuse any deal.
"We don't take on private jobs, especially those that cause trouble." Si Long didn't even look up.
Ye Feng didn't waste any words. He took out a blueprint from his pocket and gently placed it on the table in front of Si Long.
It was a structural diagram of a "repeated-fire soul-power heavy crossbow," employing a complex gear meshing system and pressure-sensing module. Si Long glanced at it, and the quill pen in his hand fell to the ground.
"This level of precision…this design of the energy channel…who are you?" Silong's voice trembled.
"I am the one who can give blacksmiths the same status as Soul Masters in this era." Ye Feng looked directly into Si Long's eyes. "I don't need your loyalty, I need your furnace. In return, I will teach you how to turn 'ordinary iron' into 'divine armor'."
Inside the secret underground workshop in Gengxin City, the firelight illuminated everyone's faces.
"Ali, come here." Ye Feng pointed to a set of heavy armor weighing eight hundred pounds and entirely black on the test platform.
That was the "Reinforced Fortress" exoskeleton that Ye Feng specially designed for Hu Yanli. Hu Yanli's martial soul was the Diamond Mammoth, which possessed top-tier defensive capabilities, but agility had always been his Achilles' heel.
"Captain, if I wear this iron lump, will I still be able to move?" Hu Yanli scratched his head.
"This isn't a lump of iron; this is your second martial soul." Ye Feng personally attached the armor's connecting parts to Hu Yanli's joints. "This armor has six built-in miniature thrust pumps that can instantly unleash soul power. When you charge, it provides three times the initial velocity; when you defend, it creates a deflection field."
Ye Feng then installed two folding rotary machine guns on the arms of his armor. "From now on, you won't need to ram into anyone. You just need to stand firm and tear everything in front of you to shreds."
As Hu Yanli felt the heavy yet powerful mechanical structure, his eyes blazed with fanaticism. At that moment, he felt no longer like a clumsy mammoth, but a mobile steel fortress.
In the shadows of another corner, Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at the transparent blade in her hand, which was only an inch long.
"That's a 'high-frequency vibrating short blade'." Ye Feng walked behind her, his voice deep. "It can vibrate 30,000 times per second. You don't need to release your soul power; you just need to let it glide across the enemy's neck. Any soul power shield will be as fragile as tofu in front of it."
Zhu Zhuqing took the short blade and gently sliced it across the fine iron pillar used for testing. Without a sound, the upper half of the iron pillar slid off silently, the cut as smooth as a mirror.
"The pinnacle of a Shadow-type Soul Master is not strength, but 'deconstruction'." Ye Feng looked at her. "Zhu Qing, with your speed and this sword, even a Title Douluo above level 95 would be doomed if you got close to them."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her figure flickering as she disappeared into the darkness once more. She knew better than anyone that Ye Feng had given them not weapons, but a ticket to challenge divine authority.
Ye Feng had not forgotten the resources he brought out from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
He used the sophisticated purification equipment in Gengxin City to process the remaining fragments of the immortal herb into high-concentration "soul power hormones" and "nerve inhibitors".
"Bing'er, Huowu, you two are in charge of sorting these potions." Ye Feng handed the test tubes to the two girls. "If the Spirit Hall's assassins come after you, these potions can allow you to unleash 200% of your soul power for a short period of time. But remember, this is for desperate use, and the side effects will be severe."
Shui Bing'er took the test tube, a hint of determination shining through her cool eyes: "Captain, we understand. The explosion in Wuhun City has left us with no way out."
"Rongrong, can we completely control the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's caravan now?" Ye Feng turned around and looked at Ning Rongrong, who was organizing intelligence.
"Nominally, I still listen to my father, but he gave me permission to mobilize 30% of the funds around Gengxin City." Ning Rongrong pushed up her glasses (these were tactical goggles specially made for her by Ye Feng, which could filter out interference from complex environments).
"Very good. I want you to sweep up all the black iron and refined gold on the market within a week." Ye Feng's tone was ruthless. "The Spirit Hall wants to expand its army and wants to forge armor. We need to make sure they can't even buy a single iron nail."
Ning Rongrong pursed her lips: "Captain, do you want to fight a bloodless war?"
"Bloodshed is inevitable, but before that, I'll cripple their limbs." Ye Feng looked out the window at the busy workshop. "The Spirit Hall is powerful now, but its organizational structure is too bloated. As long as we cut off their supply lines, Bibi Dong's grand plans will be nothing but castles in the air."
Just as the Glory team was secretly gathering strength in Gengxin City, trouble still came knocking.
Bishop Miles, stationed in Gengxin City by the Spirit Hall, was a fool whose mind was consumed by nothing but gold coins and women. He had long coveted the wealth of the Blacksmiths' Guild, and the recent frequent transfers of metal within the guild had caught his attention.
"Old man Silong, I heard you recently invited a group of distinguished guests?" Miles arrogantly barged into the Blacksmiths' Guild with a squad of fully armed Templar Knights.
His gaze searched the workshop, finally landing on Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er, who were adjusting the equipment.
"Oh, these two young ladies are quite good-looking, much more pleasing to the eye than these scumbags from Gengxin City." Miles stretched out his fat hand, making a gesture as if to touch Huowu's chin.
"Ali." Ye Feng didn't even look up from the blueprints, simply calling out a name.
boom!
From the shadows deep within the workshop, a black monster standing two and a half meters tall suddenly leaped out.
That wasn't Huyan Force; that was Huyan Force in its fully armored state. The exoskeleton's thrust pump emitted a piercing screech, and the heavy metal boots carved a deep crack in the ground.
"You... what kind of monster are you?" Miles was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, forgetting even to activate his martial soul.
Huyanli did not speak. With a snap, the metal armor on his left arm flipped open, revealing the six dark cannon barrels.
Buzz—!
This is a "storm-driven" system specially developed by Ye Feng. It does not use real bullets, but rather relies on the strong wind pressure and metal powder ejected by high-pressure soul force.
Miles and his paladins didn't even have time to scream before they were swept out of the hall by the terrifying metal storm. Those knights with lower soul power were even knocked unconscious by the strong wind pressure.
"Next time, I'll use live ammunition." Hu Yanli's synthesized voice came from under his helmet, carrying a chilling metallic quality.
Ye Feng put down the blueprints in his hand and slowly walked to Miles, who was still dazed from the shock.
"Bishop Miles, I'd like to discuss a business with you." Ye Feng crouched down, toying with a slender knife in his hand. "It's about how you survived this 'unfortunate fire' and reported to His Holiness the Pope that everything in Gengxin City is normal."
Miles looked into Ye Feng's deep, cold eyes, then glanced at the "steel monsters" behind him that exuded murderous intent, and his pants instantly became half-wet.
"I…I understand. I will report that the missing metal was stolen by a band of bandits…"
"Smart people usually live longer." Ye Feng stood up and gestured for Zhu Zhuqing to take Miles away and deal with him. "But don't try anything funny. My 'floating cannon' will be with you the whole time. If you dare to misspell a single word, your head will be crushed faster than these pieces of iron slag."
With Miles backing down, the blacksmith resources of the entire Gengxin City were completely unblocked.
For the next month, Ye Feng worked almost non-stop. He used his understanding of the various professional skills in Full-Time Master to visualize them as a series of intricate mechanical structures.
The disciples of the Elephant Armor Sect were transferred to Gengxin City in batches. Under the leadership of Huyan Li, they began to receive the most brutal "mechanized coordinated combat" training.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's financial resources, the Blacksmith Association's technology, the Elephant Armor School's defensive capabilities, plus Ye Feng's tactical thinking that was ahead of its time.
An unprecedented force is quietly taking shape in this iron-gray ruin.
"Captain, the first batch of 'Divine Crossbow Cannons' has been assembled." Si Long wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with admiration. "With this kind of power, even a level 90 Title Douluo would suffer a great loss if he wasn't careful."
Ye Feng stroked the cold metal pipes, feeling the faint soul power flowing within them.
"This is just the beginning."
Night had fallen. Ye Feng stood atop the highest point of Gengxin City, the Thousand Chance Umbrella folded behind him.
He pulled a private letter from Hu Liena from his pocket. The letter contained only one sentence: "Your teacher is going to the Star Dou Great Forest in person, her target being that 100,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit. She wants you to die in that forest."
"You want me to die in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Ye Feng casually shattered the letter between his fingers.
"Then I'll be right there, preparing the grandest funeral for your 100,000-year soul ring."
He turned around and looked at the rows of fully armed, steel warriors behind him. Hu Yanli's helmet gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
"Everyone, let's go. Destination: the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest."
"We want the world to know that from today onward, victory will no longer be determined by divine favor, but by the steel in our hands!"
At Ye Feng's command, one after another, gliders powered by soul energy swooped down from the cliff. For the first time, the night sky over Gengxin City was completely torn apart by this technologically advanced sound of air being cut through.
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