Chapter Eighty-Four: The Shell of the Buddha

The black-gold mech vanished without a trace, reduced to nothing but flying ash.

Yet, in the time he had bought, on the ancient ship, all the metal parts that had fallen from the mechanical war Buddha reassembled themselves, forming a massive elliptical shell that shielded the eight warships.

Erto’s eyes crackled with lightning as he wielded the Thunder God’s Hammer, summoning a storm of thunder, but he could not stop the flying mechanical fragments.

After all, it was a combat mech at the Lord of the Way level. Though only a prototype, all the materials used in its construction were genuine Lord of the Way-grade, imbued with innate power, making it difficult for even these Heavenly Kings to halt.

The milky-white beam launched by Baijale struck the metal shell formed by the war Buddha, leaving not a single mark.

Finally, the metal prison that had separated from the Lord of the Way in the explosion reverted back into nine mechanical spheres, which merged with the elliptical shell to form nine enormous jet ports.

Boom!

A torrent of energy erupted forth. The elliptical shell shuddered and almost transformed into a streak of light, shooting toward the Forsaken Land. Wherever it passed, the void was torn apart.

Baijale and the others’ faces were grim. After paying such a steep price, their opponent still managed to escape, losing only a single Heavenly King in the process.

Thinking this, they all glanced at the great Lord of the Way nearby in unison. It was his fault. If he had acted with full force from the start and suppressed the enemy with thunderous might, none of these complications would have arisen. Instead, he insisted on posturing, and now the situation was botched.

The Lord of the Way’s expression was equally sour. The people behind Baijale had paid dearly to enlist his faction’s help, and his failure had cost not only his reputation but that of the powerful figures backing him.

With a thunderous roar, thousands upon thousands of crimson divine feathers manifested around him, transforming into peerless celestial arrows, densely packed. These were arrows at the Lord of the Way level, each made from his divine feathers, brimming with boundless power. A single feathered arrow could annihilate an entire world, let alone so many.

The bronze divine spear in his hands radiated a hazy brilliance, covered in intricate symbols that floated before him. Both his hands unleashed endless runes, and he spat golden blood from his mouth with reckless abandon. This was blood from his heart, containing immeasurable essence—a forbidden supreme technique requiring a hefty price. The bronze spear was dyed crimson, radiating an overwhelming aura of slaughter.

Boom!

Thousands of feathered arrows, together with the crimson divine spear, shot forward. The ripples unleashed in this place could shatter worlds.

Infinite crimson feathered arrows cleared the path, and the crimson spear followed closely, its speed climbing ever higher until it surpassed the limits of sight, transcending space itself.

The elliptical metal shell formed by the mechanical war Buddha, augmented by the nine mechanical spheres’ jet ports, now moved with astonishing speed, entirely outpacing the Lord of the Way’s full-speed pursuit. This was because the mechanical war Buddha had abandoned all other functions, channeling every ounce of energy into accelerating.

This was also why the Lord of the Way did not give chase—he simply could not catch up. Even if he paid the price to boost his speed and reach them, it would be almost impossible to breach the metal shell. It was more reliable to use his energy from the start to unleash forbidden divine arts.

The distance to the Forsaken Land grew shorter and shorter. What would have taken nearly a day to approach now shrank to almost a fraction, and at this pace, they would arrive within half an hour.

Inside the elliptical metal shell, the golden array enveloping the eight warships was riddled with cracks. It had nearly been breached by Baijale and the others, and now the terrifying speed of the mechanical war Buddha was further exacerbating the strain with its immense tearing force.

Yet, before Zhou Xunchuan and the others could worry that the array might shatter and expose them to this destructive force, they noticed the mechanical war Buddha was gradually slowing.

“This war Buddha is only a prototype, with many incomplete aspects. Without a controller, it’s hard to maintain that speed,” Worman said painfully. The one who had just sacrificed himself was their faction’s Holy King, bound to him in countless ways—how could he not grieve? But he knew it was the only way; had he not been tasked with bringing the war Buddha to collect divine fragments, they’d all be doomed.

“Can any of us control it?” asked Wei Chuan’s grandfather. At that moment, he was being supported by Wei Chuan, barely holding on. Earlier, he, the purple-robed Taoist, and the white-robed assassin had used the gap created by the black-gold mech’s self-destruction and the fireball attack to escape onto the ancient ship, employing the war Buddha’s parts and their own techniques.

“No. This war Buddha was restricted—only mechanical force can operate it. I don’t have the authority to lift the restriction,” Worman replied helplessly. When he brought the war Buddha, the higher-ups of the Artifact Nation had set the permissions in the intelligent brain; only mechanical force could control it. While it was possible to lift the restriction, the required authorization was far beyond his reach.

Mechanical force was the Artifact Nation’s unique path, combining spiritual energy and the way of machinery. It fit mechanical constructs perfectly and greatly amplified their power, but only the people of the Artifact Nation could cultivate it.

If he tried to take control, he would likely be torn apart in an instant—there was no other possibility.

Before they could devise a countermeasure, the space within the mechanical shell began to tremble.

Clang! Clang!

Outside, as the mechanical war Buddha decelerated and the crimson divine feathers accelerated, they finally caught up.

Divine feathers struck the metal shell, producing a series of clanging sounds. The mere sound waves cleared the surrounding void storms. Though a single feather could do little harm, there were millions upon millions of arrows behind it.

The Lord of the Way understood well the strategy of concentrating force; he did not disperse the power, but focused all arrows on the same spot.

The pristine metal surface showed a white mark, which soon expanded into a small pit. The crimson divine feathers rained down, rapidly enlarging and deepening the pit, exposing the blood-red patterns in the inner metal—a famous material in the outside world.

The mechanical war Buddha’s shell was thick, but under the relentless barrage of crimson feathers, it was nearly breached. At last, all the feathers were spent, leaving only a thin layer unpierced.

Boom!

The crimson divine spear followed, the feathers having opened the way for its passage.

The spear struck the remaining thin shell, sending dazzling sparks flying. Yet how could that last sliver withstand the formidable power of the crimson spear? It did not endure long before the metal shattered.

The people aboard the ancient ship turned pale, all staring at the crimson spear that had pierced through. To ease its passage, the spear had shrunk to its original thickness, only about ten feet long. Still, everyone felt as though a fishbone was stuck in their throat, their backs drenched in cold sweat, scalps tingling.

In unison, the purple-robed Taoist, Wei Chuan’s grandfather, and the white-robed assassin unleashed their vast magical power, runes pouring forth. Ignoring their injuries, they channeled endless energy into the golden array.