421: Chapter 421 Ready to Depart, Everyone in High Spirits

The morning light had just topped the drill ground's flagpole, and the residual warmth on the square had not yet dissipated.

The roars of last night's oath seemed trapped in the crevices of the eaves, buzzing whenever the wind blew.

Chen Wuwang stood before the mecha formation, his boots crushing the remaining ash on the floor tiles as he walked forward step by step.

He didn't speak, merely waving his hand.

"Clank!"

Three hundred combat-model mechas activated simultaneously, their shoulder cannons locking onto the horizon and treads slowly gripping the ground with a low metallic grinding sound.

Crimson eye lights lit up one by one, like a forest of iron being set ablaze.

"Energy readings?" he asked.

"Full load!" A gravelly voice came from the left. It was Chen Dalei, the elite captain of the Chen Family, his helmet visor half-open to reveal a face reddened by the sun. "Psionic core stable, charging at 127%."

"Armor seal?"

"Full inspection complete. No cracks, no loosening, and the anti-spiritual wave coating is intact." Another warrior patted his breastplate. "Not even a mosquito could squeeze in."

Chen Wuwang nodded and continued walking forward.

The ranks were neatly lined on both sides, a dense mass of war armor. Sabers and swords were drawn but not yet sheathed, and the hum of Spiritual Qi resonating with machinery rippled slightly in the air.

He stopped when he reached the third row.

A young clansman was gripping the control lever tightly, his knuckles white and his shoulders trembling slightly.

The mecha hadn't started yet, but the warning light in the cockpit had already flashed twice—emotional fluctuations exceeding the limit.

Chen Wuwang reached out and patted his shoulder armor.

"First time?"

The youth looked up sharply, eyes panicked, his lips moving but unable to speak.

"Don't be afraid." Chen Wuwang's voice wasn't loud, but it was as steady as the base of a mountain. "Just make sure your blade is faster than mine."

The youth froze, staring at him for two seconds, then suddenly straightened his back and roared: "Yes!"

The corners of Chen Wuwang's mouth curled slightly. He said no more and turned to leap onto the high platform.

"All units!" He opened the global communication, blue light flowing in his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye. "Complete final tuning within three minutes. Preheat engines, lock weapons, and calibrate navigation. We will tear through the darkness with our sharpest form."

The moment the command fell, the drill ground erupted into activity.

"Click! Click!"

"Vrrr—"

"Beep! System self-check passed!"

The sound of wrenches hitting the ground, the hum of energy pipes charging, and the hydraulic sounds of mecha joints moving blended together.

Members of the Alliance also moved. Chuanyun Sect Disciples added tracking talismans to their Flying Swords, Leiyin Pavilion warriors embedded sonic Formation Plates into their arm guards, Cangling Clan's giant shields were lifted onto transport mechas, and the Beipo Liu Clan trio was checking the spiritual power conductivity of their scimitars.

"Old Li! Is that crappy mecha of yours fixed yet?" a young man in leather armor shouted toward the distance.

"Bullshit! This is 'Setting Sun No. 3', not a crappy mecha!"

Old Li crawled out from the belly of the mecha, his face covered in oil. "I spent all night tuning the psionic circuits. Now it can sense even an ant crawling!"

"Then make it stand up!"

"Stand up your head!" Old Li kicked the tread. "Wait for me to restart the main control chip—done!"

The mecha rose with a boom, arms spreading, shoulder cannons rotating once to lock onto the sky.

Laughter erupted around them.

Chen Wuwang watched this scene, neither laughing nor frowning. He simply raised his right hand and clenched it lightly.

The communication channel went silent instantly.

He stood on the high platform, his silver hair swept by the wind, the three old scars on his right cheek glinting coldly in the sunlight.

The Mechanical Prosthetic Eye in his left eye slowly switched modes, blue light scanning every mecha and every warrior.

"I know some of you are afraid," he suddenly spoke, his voice not loud but penetrating the entire field. "I am also afraid—afraid of not seeing familiar smiles when I return, afraid of the children asking me 'Where is my father?'"

The crowd fell silent.

A sparrow fluttered from the direction of the Medicinal Field and landed on the tip of the flagpole, tilting its head to look at the iron flood below.

"But what I fear more is doing nothing!" Chen Wuwang suddenly raised his hand, pointing toward Dry Bone Valley, his voice exploding. "I fear the enemy standing at our doorstep tomorrow, pointing at a child's forehead and saying—it's your turn!"

"For the Family! For the Alliance!" he roared the final sentence.

"Willing to go through fire and water for the Head of the Family!"

"Slay evil and eliminate darkness, not yielding an inch!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A thousand people roared together, the sound waves soaring to the sky and making the distant mountain walls buzz.

A war flag suddenly broke free from its rope, swept into the air by the wind, then caught by a Chuanyun Sect Disciple mid-air and slammed back into its base.

"Depart!" Chen Wuwang leaped down from the high platform and headed straight for the "eye of wuwang" mecha.

This main battle mecha was nine zhang tall and entirely black, with six runic missile pods embedded in the shoulders, a pair of electromagnetic wings folded on its back, and treads forged from Psionic Steel that could crush mountain rocks with every step.

He stepped onto the boarding ladder, and the cockpit opened automatically.

"System, record today's expedition list," he said softly.

"Synchronized." Deep in his consciousness, the family rise system interface flashed silently, and three heavenly secret instructions floated quietly:

[Spiritual field mutation tide in three days]

[Cracks in new Materials at the Artifact Refining Workshop]

[Opening of the Youth Group trial passage]

He didn't even look, marking the first one in red and forwarding it to the Teaching Office, while setting the other two as warnings.

The hatch closed, blue light scanning the area and automatically marking the route.

"Target: Perimeter of Dry Bone Valley. Speed: Medium advance. Level one combat readiness," he ordered.

"Understood," the System responded.

The mecha stepped forward, treads crushing the bluestone road with a dull roar.

Behind him, three hundred combat-model mechas started in sequence, engines roaring and exhaust spitting foot-long tongues of flame.

The Alliance forces followed closely.

Chuanyun Sect's Flying Sword formation took to the sky, forming a triangular escort formation; Leiyin Pavilion's sonic warriors were positioned in the center, holding vibration drums;

Cangling Clan giant shield-bearers brought up the rear, each step leaving deep pits in the ground; the Beipo Liu Clan trio rode Sand-walking Beasts, leading the way as scouts.

The army, like a black iron stream, slowly flowed out of the Chen Family Main City.

At the city gate, a group of children crowded on the wall.

"Dad! You must win!" a little boy jumped and shouted.

A warrior looked back, took off his helmet and waved, grinning: "Wait for me to come back and bring you a Demon Race skull as a toy!"

The children laughed.

By the Medicinal Field, several old craftsmen stood leaning on canes, watching the departing army.

"This time... how many will come back alive?" one asked in a low voice.

"I don't know." The old man next to him tapped his pipe. "But as long as they dare touch our children—not a single one of them should expect to live."

The wind grew stronger.

War flags fluttered, and blades reflected the morning sun, flashing with piercing light.

The army moved further away, the iron stream rolling, crushing the wilderness and advancing toward Dry Bone Valley.

Chen Wuwang sat in the cockpit, his fingers unconsciously tapping the console.

Before him was the flat wilderness, with the shadows of distant mountains blurred.

On the communication channel, the various squads reported in one after another.

"Left wing vanguard, Chen Dalei, in position."

"Aerial reconnaissance, Li Qing of Chuanyun Sect, clear vision."

"Logistics support, Wang Hu of Cangling Clan, supplies complete."

He listened and nodded without speaking.

Not until the army had completely left the main city area and entered the wilderness did he softly say, "It's time to pull in the net."

As the words fell, the mecha suddenly vibrated.

On the horizon ahead, a very faint gray mist quietly rose, like dust blown by the wind, yet also like the start of some signal.

Chen Wuwang narrowed his eyes, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye automatically zoomed in.

In the gray mist, something seemed to be moving.