456: Chapter 456 The Mechanical Race

Xuanwu Temple.

It wasn't as grand as the Vermilion Bird Divine Hall, nor did it have the height and divinity of the Azure Dragon Divine Hall; instead, it was somewhat dilapidated.

At first glance, it looked like a long-neglected ruin. If the architectural style hadn't been similar to the Azure Dragon Divine Hall, Xiao Weiqing would have doubted if he had come to the wrong place.

Standing before the main gate.

Xiao Weiqing could clearly see the damage to the temple walls; this damage didn't look like it was caused by battle.

For instance, the two doors in front of him had obvious marks of being cut by humans, and there were even gaps resembling bite marks from teeth.

From inside the doors, the sound of something gnawing could be heard from time to time.

"Could it be the Yao Race?"

"But what kind of Yao Race would feed on metal?" Xiao Weiqing pondered to himself.

Given the situation, Xiao Weiqing could only attribute this to the Yao Race; only a Yao Race demigod would be capable of detaining Dongfang Baichen.

Filled with doubt, Xiao Weiqing slowly stepped inside the gate.

The main hall of the Xuanwu Temple was massive.

But the sight before him shocked Xiao Weiqing immensely.

Inside the hall.

Dozens of Mechanical Lifeforms, shaped like ants, were gnawing on the metal walls, pillars, and floor of the hall.

The entire hall was riddled with holes and small cavities, all the handiwork of these Mechanical Lifeforms.

These Mechanical Lifeforms were less than a foot tall and half a meter long, with wing bones on their backs and sharp limbs that dug deep into the walls as they continuously gnawed on the metal with their mandibles.

With every feeding, their bodies glowed slightly, and their abdomens would swell for a short time.

Crunch, crunch...

This feeding was accompanied by low-frequency hissing, making Xiao Weiqing's scalp tingle.

"Where did these Mechanical Lifeforms come from?"

Xiao Weiqing never expected to see such a scene inside the Xuanwu Temple.

Just then.

Ding~ Ding~ Ding~~

A dense sound of metal clashing came from deep within the temple.

He saw.

Inside the temple corridor, dozens of Mechanical Lifeforms were rapidly crawling out along the floor and walls.

Meanwhile, the Mechanical Lifeforms in the hall all gathered and swarmed into the depths of the temple.

Xiao Weiqing narrowed his eyes, a glint flashing through them. This looked organized no matter how he saw it; what exactly was going on inside?

Deep in the corridor ahead, a faint, eerie light shimmered. After considering for a moment, Xiao Weiqing decided to go in and take a look; entering the Ninth Realm had given him great confidence.

Using a purple feather to conceal his aura, Xiao Weiqing's figure vanished into the darkness.

After walking for about three minutes.

The view changed.

At this moment.

Before Xiao Weiqing was a massive pit, several kilometers in diameter, larger than the entire temple. He hadn't expected that the ground beneath the current Xuanwu Temple had already been hollowed out.

Inside the pit.

Countless Mechanical Lifeforms were digging downward.

And floating above the pit was a... person, a giant.

No, not a member of the Human Race.

It was a Mechanical Lifeform, though it looked no different from a human, but its aura was different. With his powerful Mental Energy, Xiao Weiqing could easily distinguish it.

The Mechanical Lifeform was a full ten meters tall and was currently in a static state.

On its body were dozens of ant-type Mechanical Lifeforms, the same ones Xiao Weiqing had seen in the hall earlier.

At this moment, these ant-type Mechanical Lifeforms were using slender tubes in their mouths, similar to beaks, to transfer energy from their bodies into the giant.

While Xiao Weiqing was in shock.

The giant opened its eyes, and then a red light emitted from them.

The red light quickly swept across the entire space.

The next moment.

The giant turned its head to look in Xiao Weiqing's direction.

Xiao Weiqing was greatly alarmed; he felt like he had been locked onto by the giant.

But how was this possible?

Back then, even the Blood Moon Star Lord couldn't discover him. Could this giant be even stronger than the Blood Moon Star Lord?

To verify his suspicion, Xiao Weiqing didn't move, only remaining secretly alert.

"Who are you?"

The giant's mouth moved slightly, emitting a mechanically synthesized electronic voice, its eyes fixed on the direction where Xiao Weiqing was.

Xiao Weiqing still didn't move; he wasn't sure if the giant was bluffing.

"You have a treasure on you that evades Divine Soul detection, but to me, it is meaningless."

"I can determine your position through changes in light; these are the most basic physical rules of the Universe."

The giant continued to speak.

Xiao Weiqing frowned. The purple feather could indeed conceal his aura, but it didn't hide his Physical Body.

When the giant's red light swept past just now, there were indeed subtle changes in the light, which exposed Xiao Weiqing's position.

Helpless.

Xiao Weiqing revealed his true form.

"It's you?"

"I remember you, Blue Planet human."

The giant said.

This sentence left Xiao Weiqing a bit dazed; he didn't remember having met this giant.

"Who are you? We've met?"

The giant appeared thoughtful, "I am..."

After a few seconds of pause, the giant continued:

"You can call me... Cam. I suppose I'm of the Mechanical Race."

Xiao Weiqing complained in his heart, You just thought of that name on the spot, didn't you? And what do you mean by 'suppose' you're of the Mechanical Race? You either are or you aren't.

"How did you get here?"

"I followed them here."

A white light flashed from the giant's chest, projecting the faces of several people. The image showed a group of people escaping from the main gate, with a few carrying the corpses of some Mechanical Lifeforms. Judging by their appearance, those people seemed to be from Sakura Prefecture.

Xiao Weiqing narrowed his eyes. He was very familiar with the training ground in the image; it was the Azure Dragon Training Camp inside the Star Dome. But he clearly remembered welding the door shut—how did those people get in?

"You know me?"

Xiao Weiqing asked again.

"Yes. A few years ago, at the place where the Azure Dragon Star Lord fell, I saw you fighting a Spirit Beast alongside another woman."

Xiao Weiqing recalled; the giant must be talking about him and Yin Linna.

"But I didn't see you then."

Xiao Weiqing was certain he hadn't discovered any other creatures back then. Could it be that this giant was hidden at that time?

After all, three years ago, Xiao Weiqing's strength was very weak, and he hadn't undergone his Second Awakening yet, so it was normal not to have noticed.

"I was also in a hazy state back then, having just gained consciousness; I couldn't even be considered a lifeform."

"Then how did you become like this?"

"primal divine light," the giant replied. "In my hazy state, I unintentionally merged with the portion of primal light you were fighting for. Later, instinct drove me to make myself stronger."

"And then, I followed those people here."

Xiao Weiqing roughly understood the situation.

This fellow's birth was a complete accident.

Originally a low-level Mechanical Lifeform, it happened to fuse with that portion of the Azure Dragon Star Lord's primal divine light by chance.

Then it was brought out by those Sakura Prefecture Trainees in the Xuanwu Training Camp.

"What is your current state, and what is your strength?"

Xiao Weiqing asked. This was what he cared about. Although he was certain the other party was no match for him, it was better to be clear.

In this Incubation Ground, even if Cam had absorbed the Azure Dragon Star Lord's primal divine light, he wouldn't be able to break through to become a Star Lord. As long as he wasn't a Star Lord, it was unlikely he'd be Xiao Weiqing's match.

"Do you want to kill me?"

Cam said indifferently.

Xiao Weiqing was startled. Intelligent life was indeed different, easily seeing through his intentions.

But he certainly couldn't admit it.

"I don't. I've just never seen a Mechanical Lifeform like you before and was curious."