Chapter 76 The Steel Ambush Deep in the Forest, Resounding with the Roar of the Mammoth
Star Dou Great Forest, a paradise for soul beasts, a forbidden zone for humans.
The trees here soar into the clouds, their dense foliage blocking out the sun, making the forest dark and secluded even in the daytime. But today, this ancient forest has welcomed a group of uninvited guests.
Unlike the usual cautious Soul Master groups that relied on fluctuations of Soul Power, this team moved at an extremely fast speed, yet strangely, no Soul Power leaked out. Their movements were mechanical and precise, and each person carried enormous black metal wings on their back.
"Fifteen kilometers from the core area." Ye Feng stopped on a horizontal branch of a giant tree, his fingertips lightly tapping the communicator beside his ear.
This wasn't a soul skill, but rather a microwave vibration communication system he developed in Gengxin City using the highly conductive "Lingxi Ore." In the complex and disruptive forest environment, this physical communication was more stable than soul power transmission.
"Huyanli, is your heavy-duty formation in place?"
"Hey, Captain, this 'iron lump' of mine runs much faster in the mud than before!"
The bushes beneath the forest exploded open with a deafening roar, revealing Hu Yanli's massive body. He was now completely encased in a heavy, angular, jet-black exoskeleton armor. Tiny streams of blue flame occasionally shot from the armor's joints, offsetting the resistance posed by the forest's complex terrain.
Behind him, twelve disciples of the Elephant Armor Sect, also equipped with makeshift exoskeletons, stood silently. They were no longer mere human shields, but rather silent steel sculptures.
"Stop being sarcastic." Ye Feng looked at the various indicators flashing on his tactical goggles. "The Spirit Hall's 'Hunting Operation Team' has entered the ambush zone. Leading them are Yue Guan and Gui Mei, followed by Hu Liena. Bibi Dong should still be holding the line; she's the 'feast' we'll save for last."
"Hehe, Captain, don't worry. My 'Storm Drive' has been itching for a long time." Hu Yanli patted the six dark cannon barrels on his arm, which was the source of his confidence.
Meanwhile, less than three kilometers from Ye Feng's ambush site, Yue Guan was hacking away at the vines blocking his path with a look of disgust.
"Ghost, don't you think this forest is a little too quiet?" Yue Guan stopped, the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum faintly visible in his palm. "Where have all those high-level soul beasts gone? There isn't even a bird chirping."
A ghostly figure flickered in and out of the shadows, his voice carrying a hint of coldness: "There's a smell of rust in the air. It's faint, but it's definitely there. Be careful; I haven't forgotten how that kid blew up half a street in Wuhun City."
"You mean Ye Feng?" Hu Liena stepped forward from behind, her eyes filled with complex emotions. Ever since their defeat in the finals, Ye Feng had been like a persistent shadow, looming over her mental world.
"No matter how monstrous he is, he's still just a Soul Master. We have two Title Douluos here, and a secret order from His Holiness the Pope. He can't turn the world upside down."
boom--!
Without warning, the ground beneath Yue Guan's feet began to tremble violently.
It wasn't some powerful soul skill, but rather an extremely dense explosion with high-frequency vibrations. Countless tiny steel balls, pushed together by the shockwave, transformed into a dense metallic storm that instantly swept over the Spirit Hall's vanguard.
"Defend!" Yue Guan roared, his soul power erupting instantly, golden petals weaving into a round shield.
However, those steel balls seemed to be coated with some kind of "inhibitor" against soul power. At the moment they hit the soul power shield, they actually produced a tiny explosion, forcibly depleting his soul power reserves.
"These bizarre and ingenious tricks again!" Yue Guan laughed angrily. "Ye Feng, come out and face your death!"
"I'll grant your wish."
Ye Feng's voice came from all directions, as if the entire forest was responding.
"Ali, activate 'Mammoth Ramming' and charge!"
"Understood!"
Huyan Li roared, and the four main thrusters on the back of his exoskeleton spewed out tongues of fire three meters long. He transformed into a black meteor, smashing through all the towering trees in his path, and hurtling towards the Moon Gate at a speed that defied the laws of physics.
"Diamond Mammoth, defend! Recharge Mode—activate!"
Driven by soul power, the metal plates around Hu Yanli instantly widened and thickened, forming a huge V-shaped ramming angle.
Bang--!
A Spirit Hall Soul Saint who attempted to intercept was struck head-on. Even with his Spirit True Body activated, he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string in the face of the terrifying physical kinetic energy and propulsion. The sound of his ribs shattering could be clearly heard in the forest.
"This...this is Huyanli?" Yue Guan stared at the steel monster before him, his eyes twitching wildly.
"Fire!"
Hu Yanli didn't give the other side time to think. He shook his arms, and the twelve-barrel rotary machine gun roared simultaneously.
Countless specially crafted soul-energy projectiles were unleashed. The projectiles were embedded with "soul-devouring sand" excavated from the ground of Gengxin City. Once they came into contact with the soul-energy barrier, they would frantically absorb it and cause regional collapse.
The Spirit Hall's formation of spirit masters was instantly thrown into disarray. They were used to the clash of spirit skills, but had never seen such dense, continuous, and unreasonable physical firepower suppression.
"Third Soul Skill - Frost Imprisonment!" Shui Bing'er's figure appeared in mid-air.
"Fourth Soul Skill - Crimson Lotus Hell!" Huo Wu followed closely behind.
Under the cover of steel firepower, the two extreme energies of ice and fire once again converged at the center of the battlefield. The temperature difference and pressure generated by the explosion completely turned the once dense forest into scorched earth.
"You clown, die!"
The ghost seized the moment when Shui Bing'er was casting a spell, its form transforming into a jet-black blade aimed directly at her throat.
However, just as he was about to succeed, a shadow deeper and colder than his emerged from the void.
bite!
A crisp metallic clang rang out. Zhu Zhuqing, wielding two high-frequency vibrating short blades, unleashed thirty-six consecutive strikes in that single second, each one striking precisely at the point where the ghostly soul power was being executed.
"What?" Ghost was shocked. He discovered that his soul power could not pass through his body; the vibration frequency of the two short blades was actually canceling out his soul power transmission.
"Your speed is too slow in my eyes." Zhu Zhuqing's heterochromatic pupils flashed with a cold light. Amplified by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, her current nerve reaction speed had reached a level never before attained by a human.
In the center of the battlefield, Yue Guan was preparing to activate his Martial Soul True Form to forcefully break the deadlock.
"Senior Yue Guan, look up."
Ye Feng had appeared directly above Yue Guan without anyone noticing. The Thousand Chance Umbrella in his hand had transformed into a massive canopy, covering an area of hundreds of meters in radius.
"Thousand Transformations - Mechanic Form - Magnetic Gravity Field!"
The twelve magnetic crystals inside the umbrella lit up simultaneously. Yue Guan felt a sudden weight on his shoulders, as if the entire weight of the Star Dou Great Forest was pressing down on him. His knees involuntarily bent, and the once smooth execution of his soul power became incredibly difficult.
"This isn't a soul skill... this is a magic array?" Yue Guan raised his head with difficulty.
"This is called science, senior." Ye Feng landed steadily on the ground, and the Thousand Chance Umbrella was retracted, transforming into a long battle spear. "The laws of physics state that all beings are equal. Even a Title Douluo is just an ordinary mortal in the face of strong magnetic gravity."
"This farce should end."
A cold shout, like thunder from the heavens, instantly shattered the gravity field set up by Ye Feng.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. A purple figure emerged from the void, Bibi Dong holding a scepter, her nine inescapable spirit rings slowly pulsating. Her appearance instantly plunged the fierce battlefield into deathly silence.
"Ye Feng, you have indeed surprised me." Bibi Dong looked down at the boy below, her eyes revealing an arrogance that looked down on ants. "The steel of Gengxin City is indeed harder than I imagined. But in the face of absolute power, these are nothing but toys."
She raised her scepter and pointed it at Huyanli.
"Death Spider King, strip away."
A purple ripple spread out, and the heavy armor on Huyanli's body actually groaned in pain, the originally sturdy metal components began to twist in the face of the spatial tear.
Faced with Bibi Dong's arrival, the members of the Glory team felt unprecedented pressure. It was a tremor from the depths of their souls.
"Ali, step back!" Ye Feng shouted.
He walked to the front of the line and took out a small, transparent sphere with a speck of dust floating in the center from a hidden compartment on his back.
"Bibi Dong, do you think this forest can withstand a god-level explosion?" Ye Feng asked, surprising everyone.
"What is that?" Bibi Dong's eyes twitched slightly. She could sense a terrifying energy emanating from that small sphere, an energy powerful enough to make even her divine nature tremble.
"This is the 'fragment of law' that I found deep within the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, which I used to create the Antimatter Annihilation Bomb in conjunction with the Soul Power Collapse Device I developed." Ye Feng said calmly, his fingers lightly tapping the detonator.
"As long as I press this button, all matter within a ten-kilometer radius will be wiped out at the atomic level. Including you, me, and the rabbit you're trying to catch."
Bibi Dong fell silent. In all her years of life, she had never seen anyone dare to threaten her with such methods.
"You're bluffing," Bibi Dong said coldly, but she did not launch an attack.
"You can try." Ye Feng laughed, a wild and arrogant laugh. "Anyway, my life is worthless. Being able to drag the Pope of the Spirit Hall down with me is a worthwhile deal."
The scene fell into an extremely strange stalemate.
Hu Yanli gripped the machine gun tightly, his palms sweating profusely. He knew Ye Feng was a madman, but he never expected Ye Feng to dare risk his life against the Pope.
"Name your terms," Bibi Dong finally conceded. As Pope, she couldn't take this risk. The Spirit Hall's great cause was at a critical juncture; she couldn't afford to fail here.
"It's simple." Ye Feng put away the annihilation bomb. "Take your people and withdraw from the central area of the Star Dou Great Forest. The things here today do not belong to the Spirit Hall, nor to Tang San. They belong to me."
Bibi Dong gave Ye Feng a deep look, and finally waved her scepter.
"Walk."
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance. Although they were filled with resentment, they dared not disobey the Pope's order. The Spirit Hall's troops retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind only a devastated battlefield.
"Captain... is that thing of yours real?" Hu Yanli plopped down on the ground, the armor making a screeching sound.
Ye Feng casually tossed the sphere to Hu Yanli.
"It's fake." Ye Feng exhaled a breath of stale air, his face turning deathly pale instantly. "It was just an induction device filled with a high concentration of firefly grass powder. But Bibi Dong is too suspicious; she wouldn't dare gamble on that one percent possibility."
The women all breathed a sigh of relief, and Ning Rongrong almost burst into tears.
"Alright, before they react, let's go see the 'King of the Forest'." Ye Feng reopened the Thousand Chance Umbrella and looked deeper into the forest.
Beside the lake there, a giant Titan ape let out a deep roar, seemingly responding to the boy who brought the "steel roar" to the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Ali, get your scanner ready," Ye Feng said softly. "What we need to do is not sacrifice, but 'reconstruction'."
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