Chapter 417: Really Cannot Provoke (3)
She knew exactly how she had come this far. This break marked her eighteenth death in this war. She had been killed, poisoned, bombarded into minced meat, dismembered and tortured, crushed by heavy mechs until she was nothing but pulp, and squeezed until she burst... Each death felt terrifyingly real.
In the past, she might have broken down. But she had endured, and grown stronger with each resurrection. This newfound strength was not just in combat ability. It was also in her spirit. Compared to the past, when she was known as the ‘Most Beautiful Woman of the Martial God Competition’, Su Qianni had become a true warrior.
She had fully mastered the Falling Blossom Divine Sword Palm. Her cultivation of the Yi Jin Jing increased her combat ability even further. It was even more astonishing how the technique truly cleansed her body and set her on the path of complete transformation.
“We’re going to win.” Su Qianni looked out at the rising red sun, her heart swelling with emotion.
Grandmaster of Heaven Ancient Martial Arts had held on. Surviving this ordeal was like weathering a great tribulation. The future was bright. Just then...
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
“Who is it?” Su Qianni murmured to herself as she checked the camera feed.
“Delivery.” A voice came through, and indeed, there stood a young man in a delivery uniform at her door.
Su Qianni opened the door. In that instant, a strange, subtle fragrance wafted through the air.
Su Qianni realized something was wrong immediately and quickly sealed her sense of smell and all her pores as she threw herself backward. But it was too late. The young man moved with lightning speed, seizing her wrist in a flash.
Su Qianni unleashed the Falling Blossom Divine Sword Palm, executing a rapid move called Whirling Leaves Return. With her current strength and combat experience, not even a Five Spirits Realm expert could withstand such a strike. Yet, the young man responded with ease.
He was, shockingly, a peak Golden Body Realm expert. After a brief struggle, the toxin coursing through Su Qianni’s body took full effect, and she collapsed, unconscious.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a vast, unfamiliar room, her wrists and ankles bound by electromagnetic shackles, sitting on an uncomfortably hard chair.
Around her were Zhou Yidao, Guo Zong'ao, Brother Dao, and the bald man along with his five brothers. All were shackled and their inner qi sealed.
The room was filled with dozens of men in sharp suits, exuding powerful auras that suggested they were far from ordinary individuals. Su Qianni glanced at her fellow disciples. Besides Ren Woyou, Ding Mingya, and Little Martial Uncle Zhang Zhihong, the rest of her senior and junior brothers were all captured and present.
They exchanged glances, their expressions revealing similar stories. They had all been ambushed, taken by surprise, and brought here under mysterious circumstances.
She took a moment to survey the room. At the far end stood an enormous mechanical sculpture of a clock hand. The sight of that iconic sculpture was enough for Su Qianni to instantly realize who was behind their abduction.
Mechanical Eternity! No one could have imagined that the war within the light-network virtual world would extend into reality. Truly, there were no limits to how far they would go.
“Apologies for bringing you all here in such a manner,” came a slightly raspy, aged voice.
The voice belonged to an elderly man sitting in a powered wheelchair. He appeared to be in his sixties, with distinguished features and neatly combed slicked back silver hair. He wore a pristine white suit, and an intricately designed black mechanical rose adorned his right chest.
“Who are you?” Su Qianni couldn’t help but ask.
The old man smiled, his voice hoarse as he said, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Michael.”
Michael!
Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat. This was the master of the Mechanical Eternity faction. Holder of numerous New Martial Arts patents and technologies, Michael was a mysterious and formidable billionaire who was rumored to have vast networks of influence and control over resources beyond most people's comprehension.
This was a man who rarely appeared in public; a real-world titan shrouded in secrecy. He was the mastermind behind the two powerful new martial arts conglomerates, Mythical Heavy Industry, known for producing heavy mech power suits, and Eternal Precision, famed for designing and manufacturing mechanical human organs.
Unlike Grandmaster of Heaven Ancient Martial Arts, these two conglomerates were not just major players online; their influence extended deeply into reality. It was said they regularly conducted business with the state and were regarded as esteemed guests by prominent Saint families.
“Why are you holding us captive?”
“This act violates national law. It’s illegal!”
“Despicable, using underhanded tactics.”
“Can’t handle losing?”
“A Great Xia citizen with a foreign-sounding name? What kind of name did your mother give you?”
The bald man and his brothers shouted insults, their voices brimming with defiance. Since they had the support of their Saint Slayer teacher, they were fearless and brazen. Michael did not get angry.
“What exactly is your teacher, Grandmaster of Heaven?” He maneuvered his wheelchair to float in the air and slowly approached them. “We’ve investigated extensively but found nothing substantial. Why don’t you enlighten me?”
The bald man snorted and replied, “I advise you not to ask.”
“Oh? And why is that?” Michael questioned.
The bald man smirked. “Because you’re not worthy. You may have a reputation in Xiajing City, but compared to my teacher, you’re just a mutt on the ground. If I told you his name, you’d probably drop dead from fright.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated.
“There is no such figure in the imperial capital or anywhere in the country,” he replied. “There are only a handful of figures in the ancient martial arts world, and most are either washed-up or disillusioned. There’s no one anywhere near this level. You’re lying.”
The young man with the yellow hair and earrings scoffed. “A frog at the bottom of a well, thinking it sees the whole sky... Old man, I suggest you let us go now. Settle things in the light-network where they belong. If you break that line and take action in the real world, your entire conglomerate will be doomed.”
Michael pondered for a moment, then turned to the others in the room. “What do you think?”
“There’s no turning back now.”
“If we don’t completely crush Grandmaster of Heaven Ancient Martial Arts, our losses will be catastrophic.”
“If there really is such a person in Xiajing City, then let him come. Mechanical Eternity fears no one.”
The influential figures in the room voiced their decisions.
“You heard them,” Michael said, looking at Su Qianni and the others. “Unfortunately, under these circumstances, we can’t release you until the guild war is over.”
“Cowardly.”
“So this is the so-called craftsmanship spirit of Mechanical Eternity?”
“Disgraceful.”
The bald man and Brother Dao couldn’t hold back, hurling insults once more. Their capture meant that the leaderless ancient martial artists would be in grave danger, and there was now a real chance that the Grandmaster of Heaven Ancient Martial Arts livestream room would be defeated.
“Young men, don’t be too impulsive.” Michael smiled and said, “As compensation for holding you captive, I will personally upgrade some of your body parts with Eternal Precision’s latest and most advanced mechanical organ inventions. You will instantly become powerful mechanized warriors!”
At those words, Su Qianni and the others’ faces turned pale with horror. Surgical modification! This was something no ancient martial artist could accept. That was a fate worse than death.
“I refuse! According to human rights law, you cannot perform organ replacement without the subject’s consent,” Brother Dao shouted.
“No, you will agree.” Michael’s smile widened. “Once you receive the latest mechanical brain implants, you will become the most loyal mechanized warriors of Mechanical Eternity. Your brains will surpass the capabilities of light-core processors, and will be endowed with unparalleled computational power... You will be a true masterpiece of God.”
“I come from a Saint family! Do you realize this means war?” Brother Dao struggled and shouted in fury.
Michael’s expression remained calm. “I believe your family will welcome a new and powerful warrior in their ranks. They have no reason to wage war against Mechanical Eternity for this.”
Brother Dao froze in disbelief. Suddenly, a fully equipped surgical table rose from beneath the floor. Brother Dao was placed on it first. The most advanced new martial arts surgeries were almost entirely performed by light-core machinery that surpassed human precision. There was no need for human surgeons.
As the fine, electric-like energy of the magnetic surgical scalpel slowly approached Brother Dao’s skull, despair washed over him. The high-profile figures around the room displayed anticipation and intense interest.
This was the first time the conglomerate’s groundbreaking brain replacement technology would be tested on a Golden Body Realm ancient martial artist.
What would the outcome be? They were eager to find out. Michael’s expression grew exhilarated. But just then..
Ding-dong.
A doorbell rang. The surgery halted, as a cyborg apprentice hurriedly stepped into the room.
“Honored sirs, I deeply apologize for interrupting your important experimental meeting, but there is a very urgent letter that requires your immediate attention.”
The apprentice presented an electronic document with both hands. Michael frowned as he took the document and read it, his expression growing increasingly serious.
Finally, he closed the document gently and asked, “Where is the messenger?”
“He has already left,” the apprentice replied.
Michael sighed.
“Congratulations, you may go.”
He glanced at Su Qianni and the others, and with a subtle gesture, the magnetic shackles binding them vanished. Even Brother Dao, who had been strapped to the surgical table, was set free.
The cyborg apprentice led the relieved and astonished Su Qianni and her companions out of the vast white room. It wasn’t until the door closed behind them that the room erupted in noise once again.
“Why did you release them?”
“We need a reasonable explanation.”
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“Are you, as the highest authority here, really going to forfeit the last chance at victory in this operation?”
The prominent figures in the room voiced their protests.
Michael’s expression remained grim as he spoke slowly, “The young man was right. Grandmaster of Heaven Ancient Martial Arts may truly be a force we cannot afford to provoke for now.”