"Hmph?"
A Rank Six Mecha Master beside Zhang Hao coldly snorted, and an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended, crushing down mercilessly on the two figures before them.
"Ugh!" The two felt as if a mountain's weight had been pressed upon them, their chests churning violently as they coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Just the sheer pressure alone pinned them firmly to the ground—such was the terror of a Rank Six Mecha Master!
Their Destined Mechas within them couldn't resonate under this terrifying pressure, rendering them no different from ordinary people without mechas at this moment.
This was the deterrence of a high-rank Mecha Master—dealing with lower ranks was like a higher-dimensional strike.
Unless their mechas granted them special abilities.
However.
Clearly, the two only possessed ordinary mechas, lacking such capabilities.
Feeling as though their ancestors were calling them from beyond, their expressions quickly changed into obsequious smiles.
"We pledge our lives to follow Zhang Xulie! Luring monsters is nothing—this mission is well within our capabilities!"
"Yes, yes! Spare us, my lord!"
Prostrating at Zhang Hao's feet, they begged for mercy, their faces full of pleading, though their minds were already calculating their own schemes.
"Take this. Once inside, you'll know what to do."
With a flip of his palm, Zhang Hao produced a sealed device. With a "hiss," it activated on its own, revealing a transparent, specially crafted glass container before the two.
Inside floated a vividly crimson flower.
"Dragon Blood Flower!" The two couldn't help but gulp at the sight of this striking yet eerie bloom.
The Dragon Blood Flower emitted an aura that attracted monsters. Moreover, it had a tremendous effect on Rank Seven monsters, capable of triggering their evolution into Rank Eight.
But this flower had a fatal flaw—humans couldn't use this Supreme Treasure Medicine of Rank Seven. Even slight contact with its energy could easily kill a low-rank Mecha Master.
The two understood Zhang Hao's intentions all too well.
He wanted them to lure out Rank Seven monsters!
But how could Zhang Hao be so sure there were Rank Seven monsters in this secret realm?
"Understood. We know what to do."
One of them reached out with trembling hands to take the sealed device. Under Zhang Hao's watchful gaze, the two limped their way into the secret realm.
"Zhang Xulie, these two harbor rebellious thoughts. They cannot be kept," the Rank Six Mecha Master said in a low voice.
Zhang Hao chuckled. "Just two insignificant ants dreaming of defiance. Let's hope these trash can lure out a few Rank Seven monsters. Dispose of them once they're out."
These two had previously joined his faction, but to Zhang Hao, Rank Four Mecha Masters were nothing more than disposable trash.
Everything he did was for the sake of obtaining Liu Qingxue's Rank Nine Mecha. He didn't care whether the Ice Empress was a woman's mecha or not.
A Supreme Mecha was a rare treasure beyond reach!
Zhang Hao had learned of this secret realm's existence from the branch temple. The Canglan Branch had sent people to investigate, but only one returned—because Rank Seven monsters had been detected inside.
Moreover, according to the intel, this secret realm was suspected to be one of the passages to a higher-level realm, though no one knew why it had appeared in S City.
After suffering the loss of personnel, a branch of the Dark Hall merely reported the incident and then let the matter drop.
The strongest combatant in a branch was only a fifth-rank Mecha Master, insufficient to explore this secret realm. Moreover, expending too much effort in such an unstable realm would be a waste with little gain.
The Dark Hall's hierarchy, from bottom to top, consisted of branch halls, main halls, and the central hall.
The strongest in a branch hall was fifth-rank, while a main hall's peak strength was eighth-rank. Those above eighth-rank were all in the central hall.
The Dark Hall's influence spanned the entire Blue Star. Unrestrained, its members routinely engaged in murder and theft, and luring monsters to destroy cities was standard practice. Precisely because they committed every evil imaginable, their strength grew at an alarming rate.
The reason they were despised by humanity, however, was their collaboration with unknown creatures.
Inside the Unknown Secret Realm.
The two were flung to the ground by the realm's rules, their heavy mechas crashing into the earth and leaving deep craters. Before them stretched an endless plain.
The dense wild grass stood over two meters tall, reaching up to the chests of their mechas. The shifting thickets gave the unsettling impression that something lurked within.
"Damn it! They have stronger fighters but sent the two of us here to die. You shouldn't have agreed to this. Now we're doomed to perish in this realm," one of them grumbled, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
"Hmph! As if we'd survive if we hadn't come. It's not over yet."
"What do you mean?"
"Breaking this deadlock depends on this!"
The mecha's head slowly lowered, its crimson eyes fixated on the Dragon Blood Flower clutched in its hand.
"Didn't Zhang Hao want us to lure out monsters? Then let's draw out some of the strongest ones and have them kill those bastards. Who knows—we might even absorb their combat energy!"
The man inside the mecha wore a look of utter madness.
"What a brilliant plan—using others to do the dirty work! Only you could think of that!"
"Hmph! Let's head deeper. We're dead either way—might as well go all out!"
"Let's go!!"
The two had completely lost their minds. This was their only chance. If the realm's portal closed, they'd be trapped forever—unless they were lucky enough for it to reopen.
But with their strength at the peak of fourth-rank, the odds of surviving in this unknown realm were practically zero.
They didn't want to gamble—nor did they dare.
Meanwhile, in an alley of County 0112, over a hundred kilometers from City S.
A blazing crimson mecha, Fire Thunder, sprinted through the alley, pursued by a pack of Shadow Wolves.
"Fire Thunder, not only did you fail to kill that old alpha wolf, but you had to provoke the prime one too?!" Zhou Luo calmly piloted Fire Thunder while complaining.
"But Master, I couldn't control my blade! Who knew that mutt's combat level was so high?"
"Besides, wasn't it you who made me slash it?"
Fire Thunder: No one's speaking up for me?
Fire Thunder moved swiftly, dragging the Frost Moon Blade behind him and carving a long scar into the ground.
Zhou Luo glanced back at the pursuing Shadow Wolves and smirked.
He and Fire Thunder had long achieved Mecha-God Unification. Though it seemed like they were fleeing, the Frost Moon Blade in his hand had already gathered terrifying power. The moment an opportunity arose, he'd turn and strike with a single, decisive slash!
A single wolf wasn't a big deal, but the most annoying part was the pack of wolves following behind it!
If Zhou Luo and Fire Thunder were at their peak, they would've taken them on long ago. However, after their battle with the old wolf king, their combat energy had dwindled to just 30%.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been chased this far by an eighth-level Shadow Wolf leading a pack of underlings.
[Mecha: Fire Thunder!]
[Level: Peak Seventh-Level!]
[Ultimate Move: Thunder Crescent Slash!]
[Combat energy below 30%. Not advisable for combat. Retreat immediately.]
Indeed, after a day of fierce battles, Fire Thunder and Zhou Luo had already reached the seventh level—their leveling speed was practically unmatched.
Even top-tier geniuses relying on their family's resources would likely only be around sixth or seventh level at this point.