"Guang Biao?" The evil soul master's expression darkened at the sight of the black mecha.
Like soul rings, mechas were also classified into different levels: white, yellow, purple, black, and red.
Among them, black-grade mechas were crafted from special materials using unique designs and techniques.
They allowed a soul spirit to partially merge with the machine, making it feel like an extension of the pilot's own body.
Piloting a black-grade mecha required a soul master to have at least the cultivation of a Soul Emperor and spiritual power at the Spirit Sea Realm.
In the entire Eastsea Mecha Brigade, only one person met these requirements, Guang Biao.
The evil soul master hadn't expected the mecha brigade captain to arrive so quickly.
What was that useless companion of his doing?
Wasn't he supposed to be causing a commotion at the Mecha Master Association to divert their attention?
Where was he?
Annoyed but not about to sit idly by, the evil soul master swiftly grabbed Tang Ziran, pressing his staff against his neck while glaring at the black mecha.
"If you come any closer, I'll kill him."
"Dad!"
Tang Wulin, lying on the ground, gritted his teeth and tried to get up.
But then, he suddenly saw a figure appear behind the evil soul master, and his expression changed from despair to joy.
Seven soul rings and a mecha, was this the person Xie Xie had mentioned…?
The pale-faced Guang Long barely managed to open his eyes.
When he saw that figure, he revealed a faint smile before losing consciousness completely.
'Seriously, you're not the protagonist of a novel. Next time, don't cut it so close when saving people…'
The black-grade mecha remained silent, but when the evil soul master caught a glimpse of Tang Wulin's reaction, an ominous feeling crept over him.
Then, he suddenly remembered something.
Because he lacked a soul spirit, he had overlooked a crucial aspect of mechas, soul spirit piloting!
Ever since soul beasts had integrated into human society, certain individuals, mainly those from the Spirit Pagoda, had been researching how to equip soul beasts with battle armor and mechas.
After all, soul beasts were different from humans, and human-designed mechas and battle armor weren't naturally compatible with them.
The idea of soul spirits piloting mechas stemmed from this research.
Since soul spirits and soul beasts mainly differed in their existence form and power level, but not in intelligence, it was feasible.
If soul beasts could do it, then soul spirits certainly could.
And at the black-grade mecha level, a soul spirit could even merge with the mecha, leading to significant advancements in this technology.
By now, some thousand-year soul spirits had been trained to pilot mechas.
In fact, certain mecha master families possessed inherited soul spirits that were more skilled at piloting than novice mecha masters themselves.
(Xie Xie: That's right! This is exactly about me!)
Considering the strength of a black-grade mecha and its deep connection with its owner, a ten-thousand-year soul spirit could definitely pilot one.
So then… where was Guang Biao himself?
A large shadow loomed behind the evil soul master.
His body stiffened as he slowly turned his head, only to see two yellow, two purple, and three black soul rings.
Before he could even register the full image, his vision was filled with a fist covered in gleaming scales.
—Boom!
The evil soul master's body arced through the air before crashing heavily against a wall.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as shock and fear filled his eyes.
However, before he could recover from the pain, the black-grade mecha appeared before him like a shadow.
A metallic hand clamped onto his shoulder like an iron vise.
The mecha's glowing eyes flickered with an icy, predatory light, as if assessing its prey.
Then, the mecha's other hand swung upward—
Bang!
"Ah!!!"
The evil soul master barely had time to let out a short, pained cry before the heavy blow left him dizzy.
His vision blurred, and his consciousness began slipping away.
Yet, it seemed the ten-thousand-year soul spirit wasn't finished venting Guang Biao's fury.
It continued pounding him, again and again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!—
The terrifying sound of fists pummeling flesh echoed through the area, making the surrounding residents tremble in fear.
The beating continued until the evil soul master's face was covered in blood, his body utterly limp and unconscious. Only then did the mecha stop.
Tang San's divine consciousness: "…"
This mecha master clearly has a death wish!
Why did he arrive so quickly?!
This evil soul master was so weak, he also had a death wish!
If you're this weak, why even bother being an evil soul master?!
But most importantly… why was Wulin staring at that black-grade mecha and Guang Biao with such admiration?!
Watching Tang Wulin's eyes light up with excitement, Tang San's divine consciousness suddenly felt a deep sense of unease.
But now that Wulin's crisis had been resolved, although Tang San's divine consciousness felt somewhat unwilling, he ultimately chose to withdraw it.
Tang Wulin's body contained the Golden Dragon King Divine Core, which could replenish his divine sense to some extent.
However, this required Wulin to unlock his seals in order to absorb it.
Therefore, he had to use his divine sense wisely.
If he exhausted too much of it and actually lost his memory, just as he had feared before… that would be a disaster.
---
At the Mecha Brigade headquarters, Guang Biao brought his younger brother and Tang Wulin's family into the base.
After tossing the evil soul master to his subordinates for handling, he also arranged for a healing soul master to treat the wounded.
Then, he made his way to his office.
Inside, a middle-aged man was already waiting for him.
Guang Biao's expression was grim as he asked: "What did the investigation find? Why were they targeted by the evil soul masters?"
His mood was far from good. His fool of a younger brother had completely ignored his instructions.
If not for the warning from the Spirit Pagoda, he might have arrived too late, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.
But no matter how bad his mood was, business came first.
Hearing the question, the middle-aged man took out two files and handed them over.
"Captain, these are the records I retrieved from higher authorities. Tang Ziran and his wife were originally Mecha Designers and Pharmaceutical Researchers for the former Federation. However, for some unknown reason, they resigned from their positions and went into hiding. Only recently did they start working at the Mecha Master Association, seemingly to earn money."
"Oh?" Guang Biao raised an eyebrow, took the files, and began flipping through them.
As he read, he asked, "Are you saying the evil soul masters had their eyes on them ever since they were Federal researchers?"
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense, why would two former Federal researchers suddenly go into hiding?
Why would they now be so desperate for money that they had to work at the Mecha Master Association?
They probably didn't even dare to use their old bank accounts.
"That's correct." The middle-aged man frowned.
"But I haven't been able to determine the exact reason yet. We may need to question them directly to find out."
"I'll handle that later."
As Guang Biao flipped through Tang Ziran's background records, he suddenly noticed something surprising.
"He was originally from the Star Luo Federation?"
"Yes," the middle-aged man nodded.
"He illegally immigrated from Star Luo to the Federation. However, since he was recruited as a Federal researcher, there shouldn't be any issues with his background."
A thousand years ago, Sea God Tang San had briefly brought a halt to the war, but everyone knew it was only temporary.
The Sun Moon Empire, with its Silver Moon Douluo and its invincible Soul Engineer Legions, was unstoppable, even Shrek Academy couldn't hold them back.
The other nations had no choice but to find another way to survive.
In the end, the remnants of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire truly did find a way out.
They sailed across the ocean and discovered new continents.
After relocating their citizens, they claimed these lands and established new nations:
The Heaven Dou Continent, ruled by an Imperial Monarchy, becoming the Heaven Dou Empire.
The Star Luo Continent, which adopted a Federal system, transformed into the Star Luo Federation.
And Tang Ziran?
He was originally a citizen of the Star Luo Federation.