Once a Mohist disciple attains the Foundation Establishment stage, they can craft Mechanical Beasts whose capabilities far surpass the simple mechanical men used in the initial stages.

Unless damaged in combat, these Mechanical Beasts are immune to the natural cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. They only dissolve into dust once their master perishes and the Heart of Spirit Resonance shatters.

However, some Mechanical Beasts, over long years spent alongside their masters, actually develop a nascent consciousness. After the master’s death, these sentient constructs can persist for vast stretches of time, sometimes until the metal structure rusts away into total decay.

Though powerful, these spirit-awakened Mechanical Beasts cannot fully control their inherent strength, rendering them unsuitable for actual combat. The Mohists generally regard them as companions rather than tools.

“Hmph!”

Mo Fenghuang scoffed at Zhang Qi’s words, leaping gracefully to perch atop the black bird.

“Wuluan, let’s go!”

“Roar!”

The black bird let out a cry that sounded like a leopard’s roar, shaking the very soul. It bore Mo Fenghuang and charged straight toward the center of Tianyuan. Along their path, bolts of heavenly lightning and earth-fire erupted, yet all were effortlessly deflected by the bird’s three tail feathers!

“How… how is this possible?”

Zhang Qi screamed in terror. This was supposedly just a sentient Mechanical Beast; how could it be used in battle? If the Mohist School had truly developed this method, wouldn't even their initial disciples be able to sweep across the land, making any other sect utterly incapable of competing?

Yet, as Mo Fenghuang charged through, despite not being directly attacked, her face grew increasingly pale and distressed. Her hands struggled to form seals, summoning an eight-star profound stone Mechanical Man.

“I see now! You are a reincarnated soul! Hmph, forcing a Mechanical Beast into battle by draining your own vital essence—are you Mohists all fools?”

Zhang Qi abruptly shifted his stance, wildly waving his hands. The formation immediately reconfigured, placing him several squares farther away from Mo Fenghuang.

“I should like to see just how much vital essence you have to burn through!”

Feng Zikang, initially surprised, now understood the situation clearly.

This young girl named Mo was indeed fueling the Mechanical Beast’s operations with her own lifeblood. Of course, not every Mohist disciple could employ this method; it was only possible under one specific circumstance.

That circumstance was that this sentient Mechanical Beast must have been crafted by Mo Fenghuang in her previous life. After she died and entered the cycle of reincarnation, this Mechanical Beast had gained sentience and remained in the world.

After Mo Fenghuang was reborn and rejoined the Mohist School, even though Wuluan was not something she could control at her current Qi Induction stage cultivation, she could temporarily wield it by willingly sacrificing her primordial spirit essence and blood to summon fragments of her past life's soul.

Had Zhang Qi been alone, he might have been annihilated within a few moves. But by utilizing the array’s shifting movements, he was merely trying to stall for time—a situation highly disadvantageous for Mo Fenghuang, whose life force was being depleted moment by moment.

The Mohists truly are all idiots…

Feng Zikang shook his head and sighed. Why did they always have to push things to this extreme? It almost made him feel awkward standing idly by.

Wuluan let out a heaven-shaking roar, its three tail feathers raised high. Under Mo Fenghuang’s desperate urging from its back, the beast moved like a bamboo splitting open, transforming into a streak of electric light and blasting across a dozen squares, arriving right before Zhang Qi!

“Not good!”

Zhang Qi tried to activate the formation change again to evade the movement, which seemed beyond mortal comprehension, but it was already too late!

Mo Fenghuang gritted her teeth and summoned with both hands. The chest of the Profound Stone Mechanical Man emitted a radiant light, shooting out a stream of crimson flame that twisted in the air, morphing into a fire dragon, baring its fangs and claws, and lunging toward Zhang Qi.

Zhang Qi rolled desperately on the ground, barely evading the dragon’s strike. His clothes and eyebrows were scorched beyond recognition, instantly shattering the composure usually emphasized by the School of Diplomatists.

“What a pity!” Mo Fenghuang forced out this final attack. Her body went limp, leaning against the back of the Mechanical Beast Wuluan, utterly drained. When she looked back, she saw Feng Zikang still standing frozen in place, having made no move to escape amidst the momentary chaos of the array.

“That blockhead…”

Mo Fenghuang didn’t assume he was too slow to react; she attributed his inaction to deep loyalty, unwilling to abandon her to save himself.

“Young man, hurry and run! This place isn't far from the military strategists at Dragon-Tiger Mountain. Go into the mountains and call for help; they wouldn't dare kill me there!”

“Run?”

Zhang Qi’s face contorted into a grimace, and he began to laugh wildly. “If that fellow had tried to run just now, he might have had a sliver of hope. But now…”

“Neither of you will escape!”

Having lost so much face in front of his junior brothers, Zhang Qi harbored deep resentment and showed absolutely no mercy.

“Ten Thousand Killings Jade Cage! Activate the formation!”

Zhang Qi snarled, unleashing the final killing phase of the Nineteen Lines of Diplomacy Array. In the sea of clouds, wind and clouds churned violently. The previously clear blue sky instantly turned a deep, oppressive black. Dark clouds rolled in, fierce winds howled, and the space between heaven and earth filled with an aura of lethal intent.

Within the massive chessboard, nineteen points gradually lit up, crookedly forming the character for ‘Kill’ ().

The character for ‘Kill’ continuously transformed: one became two, two became five, five became ten, ten became a hundred, a hundred became a thousand, and a thousand became ten thousand!

“Ten Thousand Killings!”

A deep roar echoed from within the formation, pervading the heavens. Even the sentient Mechanical Beast Wuluan trembled violently. Mo Fenghuang let out a long sigh and closed her eyes to await death.

“Is your performance over?”

Breaking the suffocating atmosphere was Feng Zikang’s calm voice.

“The acting was rather splendid… However, I said from the start that the formation you nineteen good-for-nothings set up isn't the Nineteen Lines of Diplomacy at all. At best, it’s just a loud play with gongs and drums!”

Feng Zikang leisurely drew his long sword.

“Now, prepare to die!”

“Qiming!” (Morning Star!)

Feng Zikang swung his sword once, unleashing the full essence of his Star Light Great Extinction Sword Art divine ability!

Only he truly understood the ultimate power of this so-called Yellow-Rank Third-Grade divine ability. Furthermore, during the transformations within the Nineteen Lines of Diplomacy Array, he had gained a sudden insight. Now, sensing the connection between heaven and earth, the sword light rose, directly targeting the nineteen lit stars!

“Agh!”

Zhang Qi’s face turned ashen white. He saw a white light slice through the darkness, scattering into nineteen beams, heading straight for all nineteen disciples, including himself. The overwhelming might and chilling cold of the strike rendered them utterly immobile; they could not even muster the thought of resisting.

They could only wait for annihilation!

With a hissing sound, the points of light were extinguished. Except for Zhang Qi’s loud, agonizing scream, the others made not even a single groan. As the formation broke, the killing aura vanished, the dark clouds dispersed, and once again, the clear blue sky and bright sun illuminated the world!

“A pity…”

Feng Zikang sighed, resting his hand on his sword. He had just achieved a sudden realization and connected with the essence of the world, allowing him to manifest that single blow’s power. He doubted he could conjure such a sword strike again in a short span.

Yet, the sword momentum still held flaws.

The other eighteen were killed instantly, but Zhang Qi, the one with the highest cultivation, was still rolling on the ground, grievously wounded but not yet dead.

Mo Fenghuang, slumped on Wuluan’s back, was momentarily stunned speechless by the scene.