The students of Shrek Academy, though startled, remained calm. "Quick! Get out first!" Tang Wulin roared. A flash of golden light erupted from his body as his Golden Dragon Claw instantly tore open the deformed train door. His Blue Silver Grass bound several nearby Star Luo students and pulled them out of the train.
Gu La's body was enveloped by a gravity field, halting the collapsing metal panels. The entire carriage deformed under the force of gravity, creating an opening. He calmly exited the carriage, saving those who were close to him along the way.
The others displayed their own unique abilities, using various methods to leave the carriage, showcasing their excellent crisis response skills.
And at this moment, the attackers appeared.
In the distant sky, two menacing black mechs hovered, exuding terrifying energy pressure!
Unlike the humanoid mechs commonly seen on the Douluo Continent, these took on ferocious beast-like forms. One resembled a towering bear standing upright, covered in thick dark-gold armor, its shoulders equipped with massive chainsaw-like weapons, radiating a sense of brute strength.
The other resembled a nimble giant ape, covered in streamlined black armor, with four spider-leg-like auxiliary mechanical arms extending from its back, wielding two short blades that vibrated with high-frequency energy fluctuations, appearing incredibly agile.
Surrounding these two black mechs were dozens of standard-issue Purple (Soul Emperor-level) and Yellow (Soul King-level) mechs, spreading out like a swarm. Various soul-guided beams and missiles rained down on the chaotic train wreckage and those attempting to organize resistance.
"It's the resistance army! 'Mountain Demon' Feng Linwan!"
Sima Lanxiao's face turned pale as he recognized the ape mech. He was somewhat famous in the Star Luo Empire—albeit through being wanted.
They belonged to the resistance group known as the Green Skull. Don't think the resistance would be weak; they were the original inhabitants of this continent. After the Star Luo Empire relocated here, they were oppressed and invaded, forcing them to retaliate. Eventually, outnumbered, they retreated to two strategically difficult provinces. Due to the remaining powerful individuals, they had never been eradicated by the Star Luo Empire.
(T/N: Known as Green Skeleton Rebellion on the wiki for anyone interested)
In recent years, as the Star Luo Empire developed, the pressure on the resistance increased. The sudden loss of contact with a malevolent soul master organization they had previously cooperated with further worsened the situation, leaving them under immense strain.
Thus, upon learning of the Sun Moon Federation's envoy, the Green Skull immediately decided to assassinate the delegation. At all costs, they aimed to provoke conflict between the Federation and the Empire to alleviate their own pressure.
"Hmph, ridiculous pests!"
Wu Zhangkong's icy voice rang out. His body was instantly covered by a magnificent two-word battle armor engraved with ice-blue patterns. A terrifying chill spread out, freezing the surrounding flames.
His figure flashed, transforming into a streak of ice-blue light, boldly charging toward the bear mech exuding a violent aura. Frosty sword qi surged forth, clashing fiercely with the bear mech's chainsaw weapon, producing deafening metallic clashes.
Meanwhile, Gu La's gaze locked onto the nimble and eerie ape mech—the "Mountain Demon."
He became intensely interested in the design philosophy and technology behind these unique beast-type mechs on the Star Luo Continent. This style was vastly different from what was seen on the Douluo Continent, seemingly placing greater emphasis on synergy with the pilot's martial soul and the explosive power of soul rings.
Perhaps due to a lack of forgers, it seemed like a forced choice. However, some of the underlying concepts were indeed commendable—otherwise, they wouldn't have been adopted by the resistance.
"Perfect. Let me test my skills against you, and by the way... borrow your mech for study." A flicker of excitement flashed in Gu La's eyes. He did not hold back!
With the Celebi martial soul activated, a surge of life force erupted.
"First Soul Skill, Endless Forest Sea Domain!"
Buzz!
A verdant green halo expanded instantly!
This time, the domain didn't summon endless forest illusions but instead condensed the light intensely. A towering "World Tree" shadow, compressed and condensed from countless ancient trees and resilient vines, crashed down dramatically!
This "World Tree" was not illusory—it was formed when Gu La first obtained the Forest Sea Endless Domain, using the energy from an entire combat space within the Spirit Pagoda. It had been nurtured within the Forest Sea Space, and this was its first appearance in battle.
Its wooden structure was compressed to the extreme under the domain's power, emanating a tangible weight akin to a mountain.
The trunk twisted like a dragon, with thick branches resembling the arms of giants, wrapped in metallic-green vines shimmering with vitality.
"Go!" With a thought, Gu La commanded the "World Tree" to engage in battle.
The hundred-meter-tall World Tree swung several massive branches like battering rams, smashing toward the airborne ape mech with an overwhelming force.
At the same time, the vines coiled around the branches shot out like animated pythons, wrapping around the mech's limbs and auxiliary mechanical arms.
"What the hell is this?!"
Feng Linwan's voice crackled with alarm over the comms. He maneuvered the ape mech "Mountain Demon," displaying remarkable agility.
The mech flipped and leaped in the air like a true ape, narrowly avoiding the crushing blows from the heavy branches. Its vibrating short blades swung, attempting to cut through the encroaching vines.
However, the vines, empowered by the Forest Sea Endless Domain, were unimaginably resilient. The vibrating blades struck sparks but left only shallow marks. The vines clung like parasites, severely restricting the "Mountain Demon's" mobility.
"Annoying vines!"
Feng Linwan cursed, trying to catch the vines and evade with flexibility, but the animated vines tightly bound him.
The four mechanical arms on the mech's back lit up, spewing high-temperature flames and strong acids, attempting to burn and corrode the vines. Shoulder-mounted soul-guided cannons fired beams, severing the vines. But new vines quickly replaced them, and even the thick branches bent, forming shackles to bind the ape mech.
As Feng Linwan struggled to deal with the entanglement of the World Tree and vines—
Gu La's eyes flashed coldly. He deliberately suppressed his Spirit Domain-level mental power, disguising it as peak Spirit Abyss intensity, piercing through space like an invisible needle, striking directly at the cockpit of the ape mech.
Mental Pierce!
"Agh!" Caught off guard, Feng Linwan felt a chilling, razor-sharp mental force pierce his mind, as if countless needles were stabbing him. The excruciating pain caused him to lose focus momentarily, resulting in a fatal delay in controlling the mech.
"Opportunity."
This was the moment Gu La had been waiting for.
His figure vanished like a ghost, reappearing pressed against the cockpit of the ape mech "Mountain Demon."
"Second Soul Skill—Myriad Forest Illusion, Mind Maze!"
Powerful mental force mixed with illusions surged into Feng Linwan's already agonized consciousness. Within his tormented mental world, countless twisted, looping horrific phantasms instantly materialized.
Guillotines, endless abysses, devouring maws… Feng Linwan's spirit was dragged into infinite fear and chaos, losing all sense of direction in an endless void, slipping into a "coma."
Without the pilot's effective control, the movements of the ape mech "Mountain Demon" became stiff and sluggish, like a marionette with its strings cut.
Gu La scanned the mech's structure with his mental force, easily prying open the emergency escape valve of the cockpit. He pulled out Feng Linwan, now deeply trapped in a hallucination and frothing at the mouth, like a child lifting a chicken, and casually tossed him to the approaching guards of the Star Luo Royal Academy.
He then entered the still-intact cockpit of the ape mech with great interest.
The complex Star Luo operating system and unique neural interface inside the cockpit made his eyes gleam. He quickly scanned the mech's structure, energy circuits, and weapon systems—like a child discovering a new toy.
The battle soon subsided.
With Wu Zhangkong suppressing the bear mech and the other Shrek students and Star Luo guards clearing most of the purple and yellow mechs, the sudden ambush finally ended.
The scene was a mess. The train wreckage burned, and the wounded groaned in pain.
Sima Lanxiao's face was pale, still shaken.
But when he saw Gu La summon the colossal ancient tree, unleash a mental soul skill to defeat the Black-grade mech, and especially when he emerged from the ape mech's cockpit with the enthusiasm of a child studying a new toy, his pupils contracted to pinpricks, and a chill ran from his soles to the crown of his head.
He knew Bai Yuan, Mu Yi, and the monstrous prodigies from Shrek who shone at the Sun Moon Academy.
But this youth—who effortlessly captured a black-grade beast mech and was now leisurely studying the spoils—just who was he?! There was no mention of him in the intelligence reports. How many more monsters was Shrek hiding?!
"Zhuo... Elder Zhuo Shi," Sima Lanxiao's voice was dry as he struggled to maintain composure, approaching Zhuo Shi while keeping his gaze fixed on Gu La, who had just exited the mech. "That... that young friend—is also one of your esteemed academy's disciples? His strength... truly astonishing! May I ask..."
Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er looked at Gu La, speechless. What was this guy up to now? Stealing a mech—and so blatantly.
"Cough, cough," Zhuo Shi cleared his throat awkwardly, waving his hand dismissively. "Oh, him? Gu La. He's also a student of our academy, um... a freshman. Normally quite low-key. Please excuse us."
He couldn't very well say this was the precious disciple of the Spirit Pagoda's Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, a monster leader harboring countless secrets, could he?
Cai Yue'er added coldly, "Lord Sima, the priority now is to treat the wounded, handle the scene, and ensure the safety of the subsequent journey. As for the students' origins, there's no need to delve deeper."
Sima Lanxiao looked at Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er's obviously evasive attitudes, then at Gu La, who was studying the ape mech's remains as if he had merely swatted a fly moments ago. His heart churned with shock.
The intelligence was severely outdated! Shrek's strength far exceeded expectations!
The emperor's order to invite them to the Youth Soul Master Competition... Had that move been a mistake?
Sima Lanxiao gazed at the wreckage of the black-grade mech easily taken down by Gu La, then thought about the ten-thousand-year soul bone prize for the individual championship. He suddenly felt a toothache.
This monster called Gu La... If he competed, how could any of the younger generation of the Star Luo Empire stand against him?! Wouldn't that soul bone be handed over for free?!
"No, no, there's still Dragon king Long Yue. He's the real monster. And Gu La has exposed himself, giving the empire a chance."
Sima Lanxiao consoled himself, then went to oversee the treatment of the wounded and notify the empire to send a new soul-guided train. Amidst the chaos, he soon forgot about Gu La.
Among the accompanying personnel, naturally, there were agents responsible for observing the Federation delegation and Shrek Academy. They meticulously relayed all the information to the emperor's hands.
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