As everyone knows, according to the law of smoke without harm:
The larger the smoke created by an attack, the lower the damage.
As the dust slowly settled, Qiao Yu reappeared, unscathed, wielding the Orient Loong God Crescent Blade.
The ground around him looked as if it had been plowed by an old ox, with craters blasted everywhere.
The towering mech took two steps back, seemingly in disbelief that Qiao Yu could withstand missiles.
Unconvinced, it fired several more missiles at Qiao Yu's location.
Qiao Yu swung the Orient Loong God Crescent Blade with both hands, spinning it like a staff into a full circle.
Not a single incoming missile could breach Qiao Yu's defense.
"Tian Ji, is it? If that's all you've got, then it's my turn."
Qiao Yu charged forward with his blade.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
With three strikes, the ten-meter-tall mech was sliced into a heap of scrap metal by Qiao Yu.
"Ahhh! It hurts!"
A young boy's voice cried out, trapped beneath the shattered mech parts.
Qiao Yu moved the debris aside and lifted the boy with one hand.
"You're the Tian Ji of the third defense line? Why are you just a kid?" Qiao Yu asked.
And Tian Ji's strength was far too weak, much worse than the previous Tian Xuan.
As Qiao Yu pondered, the entire desert trembled again, with yellow sand swirling everywhere.
Qiao Yu looked up, seeing a figure seemingly riding the waves of a sea beast, propelled by a powerful force driving the sand waves aside.
"Intruding on the third defense line is a capital offense!"
A stern shout echoed, and the figure in the sand sea revealed itself.
It was a thin, sinister man, standing atop a ten-meter-long mechanical centipede.
No!
Not standing on it!
Qiao Yu squinted slightly, realizing that the man was actually fused with the mechanical centipede beneath him!
This was clearly a mechanical monster.
"Lord Tian Ji, Lord Tian Ji, please save me! This kid is an intruder!"
The boy in Qiao Yu's hand shouted desperately.
The mechanical centipede's tendrils lashed out, snatching the boy from Qiao Yu's grasp.
Before the boy could express his relief, he saw Tian Ji's grim face.
"Useless trash has no right to live."
With those words, Tian Ji tossed the boy into the mechanical centipede's mouth.
The centipede opened its steel jaws, swallowing the boy whole.
The boy didn't even have time to scream before being dissolved by the strong acid in the centipede's mouth.
"Hmph! Humans are so weak and pathetic! Now it's your turn!"
Tian Ji turned his gaze to Qiao Yu, and the centipede's tendrils began to move.
Qiao Yu swung the Orient Loong God Crescent Blade, sidestepping the tendrils and striking the mechanical centipede with a powerful blow.
Clang!
The terrifying recoil numbed Qiao Yu's arms; the centipede's defense was so strong that even he couldn't break through!
"Wow! What kind of creature is this?"
Qiao Yu couldn't help but smack his lips; it was the first time he encountered a shell he couldn't cut through.
"Hmph! Give up. My Tian Ji's centipede shell is said to be the strongest defense in the Mechanical Kingdom! You can't possibly break it!"
Tian Ji seemed to notice Qiao Yu's predicament and immediately mocked him.
"Is that so? Is your body as tough as your shell?"
Qiao Yu shifted his target to Tian Ji himself, leaping high and slashing fiercely at Tian Ji's neck.
To Qiao Yu's surprise, Tian Ji retracted into the centipede shell like a turtle!
The strike hit nothing but air!
"Heh heh heh, kid, you underestimated me! You've fallen into my trap!"
Tian Ji sneered, extending half his head, and the mechanical centipede immediately turned its head, opening its mouth to bite Qiao Yu.
"Oh no, I'm in trouble."
As Qiao Yu, suspended in the air with nowhere to leverage, finished speaking, he was swallowed by the mechanical centipede.
"Sizzle!"
As soon as Qiao Yu fell into the centipede's mouth, countless high-concentration acids began corroding his skin.
His skin started to char, and his health bar continued to drop. At this rate, it wouldn't take long for Qiao Yu to be dissolved, eventually becoming a pile of waste for the mechanical centipede.
"Damn! How long has it been since this damn centipede brushed its teeth? Such bad breath."
"Let's see if your insides are as strong as your defense."
Qiao Yu, disgusted, covered his mouth and nose, then took the Orient Loong God Crescent Blade in hand and thrust it upward with all his might.
Outside, Tian Ji was unaware of the impending doom about to befall him.
If Tian Ji had read the part in "Journey to the West" where the Iron Fan Princess swallowed Sun Wukong, he probably wouldn't have chosen to swallow Qiao Yu.
Tian Ji stroked the mechanical centipede's massive head, showing a doting expression.
"Good boy, today you get an extra treat with two humans as snacks. Enjoy your meal!"
However, Tian Ji soon realized something was wrong. The mechanical centipede beneath him suddenly began to thrash wildly.
"Good boy, what's wrong, good boy?" Tian Ji's face was full of concern.
The next second, a magnificent blade light pierced through the mechanical centipede's body, creating a large hole in its shell.
"Critical Hit! -2200!"
Qiao Yu's attack from inside the mechanical centipede resulted in a critical hit, instantly depleting the centipede's health.
The mechanical centipede writhed a few times before exploding into a sky full of fireworks in the desert.
[Detected that player Qiao Yu resolved NPC Tian Ji through melee combat, rewarded with 15 free attribute points, experience +75]
"Cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough! The Mechanical Seven Generals truly live up to their reputation."
Qiao Yu coughed as he emerged from the dust, his condition not too good.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".
The centipede's acid had corroded his clothes and skin, and the recent explosion had left him with significant injuries.
No wonder the guides he received all suggested obtaining a high-ranking general's eye; taking on the Mechanical Seven Generals alone was incredibly difficult.
Each of these mechanical generals had strength not inferior to Xun Dong.
"Big brother, that kid seems injured! Should we...?"
Not far away, three men were secretly observing Qiao Yu from a sand dune.
One of them, a young man with black hair, made a throat-slitting gesture.
"No!"
The man referred to as "big brother" by the black-haired youth waved to stop him.
"We've been following this kid all the way, watching him kill Tian Xuan and Tian Ji. I suspect the missing Tian Shu was also killed by this kid!"
"We don't need to show ourselves and alert him. After all, our mission is to eliminate the Mechanical Seven Generals. Following this kid to complete the mission counts as completion!"
"When it's over, we'll deal with this kid, and all the equipment and skill rewards that drop will be ours!"
After hearing big brother Zhou Hao's words, the other two men's eyes lit up. This plan was brilliant!
The three were known as the Zhou Family Brothers: the eldest, Zhou Hao; the second, Zhou Yuan; and the third, Zhou Xiang.
The three often engaged in robbery and murder.
"Big brother, you're so thoughtful! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!" Zhou Yuan said.
"Indeed, but big brother, besides us, no one else should have taken the task to eliminate the Seven Generals. Why would this kid come alone to challenge the Mechanical Seven Generals?" Zhou Xiang asked.
Zhou Hao pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I'm not sure either, but this kid is so young and already so strong. He's probably a talented student from some university or a wealthy heir."
"When we make our move, make sure it's clean! One strike to kill, don't let this kid see our faces!"
"Yes, big brother!"
The three men grinned as they looked at Qiao Yu, who was recovering with potions. All three were Beginner Tier powerhouses.
With a calculated plan and an unprepared target, dealing with this kid would be as easy as reaching into a bag.