Chapter 79: Mechanical Sovereign

Chapter 79: Mechanical Sovereign (Third Update, Subscriptions & Monthly Votes Needed)

A blood moon hung overhead as ash resembling drifting willow fluff fell like snow, eating into the earth. Countless malevolent spirits surged like a tidal wave across the Dizhong Mountain Range.

North of the Ancient Battlefield, within the geological fissure forge region...

Qi Sheng gazed down from the skies, observing clusters of players gathered below. They fought desperately against the black tide of malevolent spirits advancing from the front, while reinforcements continuously replenished depleted ranks.

Twenty-five hours earlier, a group of players exploring the fissure forge region had stumbled upon something bizarre. The rampaging spirits were systematically digging underground for spirit stones, transporting them northward in bulk.

While players couldn't decipher the spirits' motives, they certainly understood the value of seizing these spirit ores. After a brutal clash, the squad claimed a substantial haul of ores carried by the spirits, reaping impressive rewards through sacrificial offerings.

This news, posted on the forums, caught the attention of major guilds, sparking organized raids. Today marked the largest coordinated operation yet.

Qi Sheng’s consciousness followed the ore-carrying spirits, discovering their final destination: the tower where Di Nian’s malevolent spirits resided. The ores were fed into a massive furnace at the tower’s core, refined into energy fueling the black tide’s growth.

Yet this puzzled Qi Sheng—why transport the ores when the black tide could devour them directly? Guide provided clarity: during low tide phases, the black tide’s conversion efficiency dropped sharply when consuming stable materials like spirit ores. Transporting them to the malevolent eye tower for refinement maximized energy yield. This explained the tower’s purpose. The mature black tide required no tools—it was already the ultimate energy converter.

Understanding this, Qi Sheng turned his focus to the players’ raids. Over 25 hours, Di Nian’s spirits had noticed the thefts, deploying heavier black tide forces to escort the ores. The escalating resistance forced guilds into uneasy alliances.

Across the volcanic foothills, dozens of fresh craters scarred the land—dug by the spirits in search of subterranean spirit ores. Each time a shipment emerged, players surged toward the source, desperate to claim spoils.

But as dense obsidian mists gathered, the player coalition buckled. Casualties soared.

The regional voice channel buzzed:

"Brothers, I’m tapped out—heading to the solo cube for an hour. Catch you later!"
"Anyone nearby got a healing potion? I’ll push on! Just need a sliver of XP to level—I’ll go mad if I don’t!"
"Mirror fireball mage builds are insane! Sure, I’m burning through mental energy potions fast, but this is the strongest Aoe spec in the game. Would’ve kept going if my tanks hadn’t crumbled—seriously, y’all need to tank better!"
"Calling it—we’ve looted tons! Can’t wait to divvy up the ores after respawns, hehe."
"Clear out, mates! Gonna self-destruct and take another wave of these bastards with me!"

As the raid’s momentum waned and Qi Sheng prepared to shift perspectives, catastrophe struck.

A colossal black vortex split the sky, its edges fracturing into countless obsidian cracks. Roiling clouds shredded under invisible force, warping space itself.

From the rift poured countless dark-gold humanoid shadows.

Zooming in, Qi Sheng identified them as mechanical beings. Upon landing, the ironclad warriors launched a relentless purge, targeting players and spirits alike.

Armed with beam sabers or energy cannons, their limbs morphed into various weapon forms mid-strike. Neither players nor malevolent spirits could withstand their onslaught.

The unexpected arrival shattered the already faltering player coalition, leaving them utterly defenseless.

Curses flooded the voice channel as players hurled inventive curses at the new threat. Others demanded answers.

The battle lasted less than a minute—before the chaos, the field lay empty, all life erased.

Di Nian’s spirits, manipulating the black tide, recoiled in panic. The encroaching obsidian mist clusters reversed course, fleeing northward.

Qi Sheng, intrigued, barked: "Guide—analyze!"

[Understood.]

A flood of data materialized in his mind:

[Iron Soul]:
Hunting Rank: 83
Target Overview: Living metal warriors representing the pinnacle of bioengineering. The Mechanical Sovereign fused cold machinery with organic resilience, creating hybrid combatants dubbed "iron souls." These entities could enhance themselves by consuming iron ores.

As Guide spoke, a 3D projection formed before Qi Sheng.

The iron soul stood 2.5 meters tall, its dark-gold shell etched with glowing translucent lines. Every inch embodied precision—mechanical intricacy blended with organic fluidity. Its head resembled a coiled panther, red electronic eyes burning beneath a central sensor node.

The projection rotated. Retractable blades sliced from its fingertips, accompanied by a low hum from its core. Under microscopic analysis, Qi Sheng saw seamless integration between synthetic muscle and metal—a masterpiece of design.

"Guide, can we hack them?"

[Tried. No external network interface detected—likely operating on isolated internal systems. Alternatively, they might be shielded by fundamental laws, resisting neural infiltration.]

Nodding, Qi Sheng refocused on the battlefield.

Having cleared all threats, the iron souls scattered into defensive formations. A crimson energy ripple erupted from the sky’s black hole, pulsing outward like a charged storm. Moments later, a dark-red beam lanced down, piercing the earth.

From Qi Sheng’s perspective, underground spirit ores dissolved upon contact, their essence siphoned upward into the vortex.

The beam functioned like a cosmic straw, draining the region’s lifeblood. Qi Sheng inwardly cursed.

The Dizhong Mountains’ resources had been his for the taking—even if Di Nian’s spirits temporarily hoarded them, players would eventually convert the ores into sacrificial power. But this... this was outright theft.

The extraction lasted thirty minutes before the crimson beam vanished. The iron souls ascended into the swirling void.

"Guide—let’s follow." Qi Sheng ordered.

Guided by the mechanical swarm through a kaleidoscopic spatial tunnel, Qi Sheng beheld a sight that stole his breath—a lunar-sized artificial construct hovered above the world. A metallic planetoid, continuously tearing rifts in reality to dispatch iron souls into distant realms. From its depths, beams of light pierced the vortex, harvesting ores from afar.

Guide’s analysis flooded in:

[Mechanical Sovereign]:
Hunting Rank: Demigod-Tier
Target Overview: The ultimate weapon of the Star Sea Mirage world—a mechanical titan infused with a fragment of cosmic law, wielding demigod-tier combat strength.

World Law Feature: Godforged Essence
Ability Overview: Transmutes metals into "living metal" capable of growth and regeneration. When solidified, damages are repaired via metal consumption, restoring original form/function. (Living metal strength/healing rate increases with consumed metal volume.)

“Hiss, Demigod-tier!”

Qi Sheng’s eyes widened in shock as he saw the words “Semi-God” in the Mechanical Sovereign’s hunting rank assessment.

He had intended to observe which arrogant faction dared plunder the Spirit Ore resources in the Dizhong Mountain Range, but never imagined the adversary would be a Demigod-tier cultivator from another world—a mechanical lifeform.

Demigod-tier strength was something Qi Sheng had only encountered once in the Monster World.

That was Frostblade—now merely an empty shell.

In other words, the Mechanical Sovereign’s power had reached a level comparable to Frostblade’s.

But compared to Frostblade, this ultimate weapon held one massive advantage.

It wielded a fragment of world rules, its power amplified by the laws of existence themselves.

As for how Guide could analyze information beyond the Monster World, including the characteristics of other worlds’ rules, Qi Sheng wasn’t surprised.

Guide was one of the four supreme rules controlling the Monster World. All substances entering the Monster World were registered in the World Information Database, which Guide could access and analyze.

One could say the operational Monster World contained a database storing all information. Every new life born within it was recorded, including beings from other worlds.

Any entity entering the Monster World’s system was automatically analyzed and cataloged.

As one of the four divine entities governing the Monster World’s operations, Guide’s abilities included accessing the World Information Database.

This rule functioned effectively even in other worlds, though with reduced efficiency. It required forcefully breaching the World Information Database to access its data.

“Let’s go inside.”

Guided by their protector, Qi Sheng’s consciousness entered the Mechanical Sovereign, delving deeper into its structure.

Along the way, intricate metal frameworks and complex energy defense systems layered upon one another, guarding the core like nested shells.

Weapon factories, energy converters, mechanical research labs… Qi Sheng marveled at the absence of any organic life signs within this colossal weapon.

Engineering Iron Souls, combat Iron Souls, medical Iron Souls… within the vast mechanical fortress, only countless Iron Soul machines operated, as though stepping into a mechanized empire woven from metal and circuitry.

“Head to the deepest chamber.”

Guide’s speed suddenly surged, piercing through layers of metal barriers to reach the Mechanical Sovereign’s core.

Before Qi Sheng appeared a rudimentary room, starkly contrasting the advanced mechanical aesthetics outside. In a corner rested a metal workbench, beside which lay a humanoid skeleton draped in a black robe. Long dead, its flesh had disintegrated, leaving only a faintly glowing skeleton.

Qi Sheng’s consciousness wandered the room before stopping at the remains, turning to Guide curiously.

“Guide, can you retrieve any useful information from this skeleton?”

“Yes. By consuming Sacrificial Power, I can reconstruct fragmented information from its final moments in this world.”

“How much Sacrificial Power will this require?”

“The subject’s life force wasn’t strong. One hundred thousand units should suffice.”

“Proceed.”

Guide Water Orb nodded, activating its analysis. Countless ethereal fragments extracted from the World Information Database began reconstructing the corpse’s former appearance.

As the deceased humanoid’s shattered memories flooded Qi Sheng’s mind, the scenery around him shifted.

The memories displayed the same environment, but now a holographic screen on the wall revealed a chilling sight—a world engulfed by countless black, decaying tendrils.

This was an external projection.

The scene showed invisible forces stripping away celestial clarity. Once-brilliant stars dimmed like dying embers. Nebulas resembled polluted watercolors—chaotic and corrupted.

This vision was all too familiar to Qi Sheng.

He’d witnessed similar devastation numerous times while traveling with Yan Ming to locate habitable worlds.

This was the aftermath of complete Black Tide annihilation.

Looking afar, the Black Tide rift resembled a gaping abyss, devouring light and matter alike while multiplying relentlessly.

As the process unfolded, the world’s colors faded into monochrome darkness.

Turning, Qi Sheng saw a grotesquely twisted visage—a humanoid with a long horn crowned by a dark crimson pearl atop its forehead.

“We’ve fallen, but the war isn’t over.”

The figure faced a golden hologram, voice rasping with desperation.

“Mechanical Sovereign, you were created at the cost of our race’s total resources. We’ve lost, but your journey continues. The final world rule has merged into your being. Follow the Black Tide to their world—a higher-tier existence teeming with exploitable energy. There, you’ll evolve infinitely, create endless Iron Soul warriors, and destroy their world until the Black Tide is eradicated.”

As the figure screamed, the gargantuan Mechanical Sovereign drifted toward the dark spatial vortex.

“Annihilation, growth, destruction… Mechanical Sovereign, carry our race’s final fury to obliterate everything there. Avenge us!”

Amidst the designer’s frenzied roar, the Mechanical Sovereign pierced the Obsidian Mists, merging into the Black Tide vortex.

The memory fragmented.

Qi Sheng witnessed the Mechanical Sovereign traversing the darkness, descending onto the Quaking Earth Continent of the Monster World.

Then, it was merely two football fields in size—far smaller than its current moon-like scale. But from here, its exponential growth began.

Torrents of Iron Soul engineers rained down, pulverizing Spirit Ore resources across the continent to fuel the Sovereign’s evolution.

Though their hunting ranks were low initially, the Iron Souls’ growth rate was terrifying.

Under the Sovereign’s control, these machines rapidly consumed the Monster World’s resources.

Its form expanded continuously, initial technology iterations occurring every three days. Except for the core chamber housing the designer’s remains, the Sovereign evolved daily, eventually reaching its present scale.

During this time, countless lives perished on the Quaking Earth Continent—including Black Tide forces spreading there.

The Mechanical Sovereign recognized no allies; all energy and material were targets.

Its ultimate goal was total world destruction.

In the final memory, the Mechanical Sovereign had become one of the Quaking Earth Continent’s supreme powers, undefeated despite endless wars.

Yet now, the projection ended. Qi Sheng gazed at the skeleton, expression resigned.

Through these memories, he understood the Mechanical Sovereign’s origin.

A dying race’s final masterpiece—a weapon of vengeance against the Black Tide.

But events diverged from the designer’s intent.

They’d invaded the wrong world.

The plan was for the Sovereign to enter the Black Tide’s realm, evolving rapidly there.

However, after passing through the vortex, it had arrived not in the Black Tide’s world, but in the Monster World created by Imperial Omen.

Thus, the final command—“destroy that world utterly”—shifted to annihilating the Monster World.

Presently, the Black Tide was merely a faction within this world, not its entirety.

With its ultimate goal of universal destruction, Qi Sheng classified the Mechanical Sovereign as enemy number one.

“This opponent isn’t to be underestimated. It has integrated a rule fragment from the Star Sea Mirage World, granting theoretical godhood potential… Though compared to us four deities, it’s far inferior. We command the Monster World’s fundamental rules—far surpassing the laws of minor realms like Star Sea Mirage. The world’s very fabric is on a different scale.”

Qi Sheng chuckled at this, nodding.

“Understood. Let’s head back.”

“Right. Home we go.”

The view rapidly zoomed out from the designer’s chamber, intricate mechanical structures shrinking behind them as the colossal moon-sized Mechanical Sovereign reappeared before Qi Sheng’s eyes.

A faint smile played on his lips.

“Guide, it seems the Monster World’s situation is far more complex than we imagined. Beyond the ultimate target of the Black Tide, there are other hidden challenges awaiting us—revenant forces like the Mechanical Sovereign descending from other worlds… With countless powerful races converging here, the future promises to be fascinating.”

“Boss, none of them can match you. Lead the player legions and crush them all!”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end