Chapter 555 540
Li Cunxu did not act recklessly by immediately seeking out the Mechanical Emperor.
Cautious planning was his usual approach.
The fact that the Mechanical Emperor survived the alliance's siege for a decade and maintained the Mechanical City proved he had more than just a few tricks up his sleeve.
Li Cunxu approached the ancestor from the Holy Lotus Family, the Holy Lotus Emperor, to inquire about why the alliance hadn't successfully besieged the Mechanical Emperor.
After some questioning, Li Cunxu was somewhat speechless to find out that the alliance's failure in besieging the Mechanical Emperor also had its own share of blame.
Li Cunxu had previously given the blueprints of the Mechanical Great Wall to the alliance. The Mechanical Emperor, as the foremost Mechanical Beastmaster, naturally recognized the immense potential of the Mechanical Great Wall. Consequently, he secretly used top-grade metals to build a Mechanical Great Wall surrounding the Mechanical Capital City underground.
The alliance emperors were then halted by the defensive barrier of the Mechanical Great Wall.
The alliance's emperors did manage to break through the Mechanical Great Wall once, at a great cost, but the Mechanical Emperor summoned the Crowned Mechanical God's divine descent.
With the Mechanical Emperor's physique accepting the divine descent, the Crowned Mechanical God's power could be unleashed to its fullest in the Divine Beast World.
The outcome was obvious: the alliance's emperors were driven away by the divinely descended Mechanical Emperor.
Li Cunxu asked, "Did the old president not take action?"
The Holy Lotus Emperor replied in a low voice, "The president hasn't shown himself in ten years; this matter is top secret within the alliance, do not tell others."
Li Cunxu nodded, suddenly thinking of a question.
"The Mechanical City has been ruled by the Mechanical Emperor who openly sided with the Evil God for a decade; wouldn't that mean everyone inside has become cultists?"
The Holy Lotus Emperor said, "Not exactly..."
Li Cunxu raised his eyebrows in surprise; the Mechanical Emperor hadn't turned the entire city into cultists.
The Holy Lotus Emperor continued, "Last time when we broke through the defenses of the Mechanical Great Wall and charged into the Mechanical City, the Mechanical Emperor sacrificed both those who became cultists and those who didn't to let the Crowned Mechanical God's power descend upon him."
Li Cunxu said, "Doesn't that mean the Mechanical City has become an empty city?"
"Yes."
"With no one left for sacrifice, why didn't the alliance organize a second breakthrough of the Mechanical Great Wall's defenses to besiege the Mechanical Emperor?"
"The last breakthrough of the Mechanical Great Wall's defenses cost the alliance dearly, using up much of its hidden strength. When broken once, the Mechanical Emperor would naturally be more cautious to strengthen the Mechanical Great Wall. Consequently, its defenses will be harder to break through, demanding a higher price to pay, and the alliance's hidden strength is not limitless and cannot be used recklessly often.
Moreover, although there are no more people for sacrifices, the last descent of the Crowned Mechanical God transformed the entire city of the Mechanical City into an evilized mechanical pet, greatly enhancing the Mechanical Emperor's strength.
Therefore, even if the Mechanical Great Wall is breached, it may result in nothing. Thus, the alliance is currently not planning to besiege the Mechanical Emperor."
The Holy Lotus Emperor suddenly looked at Li Cunxu and asked, "Why are you so concerned about the Mechanical Emperor?"
"Curious~"
...
Next morning, at dawn.
Li Cunxu suddenly appeared over the Mechanical City. Under the Mechanical Emperor's startled gaze, Li Cunxu ascended to the Emperor level, triggering a celestial tribulation.
Black clouds carrying a destructive aura enveloped the Mechanical City, from which three thunder-formed dragons emerged.
The first had scales and horns, shaped like a bull.
The second had a leopard's head and a dragon's body, with fierce eyes.
The third, beast-like, had a pair of wide and powerful wings.
Li Cunxu recognized these three dragons as Qiuniu, Yazi, and Chao Feng, offspring of the dragon.
Chao Feng approached Li Cunxu, opposing influences directed Qiuniu and Yazi towards the Evil Mechanical Beast·Mechanical City and the Mechanical Emperor.
Due to the interception by the Mechanical Great Wall's defensive barrier, Qiuniu and Yazi could only bombard the barriers outside the Mechanical City.
The Mechanical Emperor sneered disdainfully, "I even thought the alliance would employ some tactics; turns out they intend to use the power of the celestial tribulation to kill me. Such a cunning trick to deal with me, they clearly underestimate me!"
"However, this brat is indeed worth killing."
The Mechanical Emperor's cold mechanical eyes were filled with killing intent as they fixed on Li Cunxu. It was evident he recognized Li Cunxu and was shocked by Li Cunxu's potential to so swiftly ascend to Emperor level.
At the Mechanical Emperor's level, few things would cause him emotional fluctuations.
The alliance monitoring the Mechanical City was also shocked. The alliance emperors, observing through video, were all taken aback.
Ten years ago, Li Cunxu had just ascended to Monarch level, his own aura poorly contained. Ten years later, he was about to ascend to Emperor level.
It should be known that for a Beast Master, the later stages see a slower increase in rank.
Li Cunxu ignored Chao Feng, whose dragon claws whipped and thunderous gales lashed at the Chaos Shield. His gaze was on Qiuniu and Yazi, attacking the defensive barrier.
"The intensity of the celestial tribulation is lacking! The thunder beasts Qiuniu and the thunder beast Yazi only wield Emperor level strength. Has the Mechanical Emperor hidden his Evil God aura? It hasn't drawn a targeted response from heavenly will."
Thoughts racing in Li Cunxu's mind, he made a slight alteration to his original plan. Initially, he planned to traverse the tribulation while letting the tribulation create significant problems for the Mechanical Emperor. But now, with the Mechanical Emperor concealing his Evil God aura, the celestial tribulation treated him as a typical intruder, rather than an invading Evil God's apostle. These two scenarios faced completely different tribulations.
According to the original plan, the Mechanical Emperor would be restrained by the celestial tribulation, yet plans do not equate to reality. The reality was that the Mechanical Emperor was unaffected by the tribulation in the slightest, leading to a situation where the Mechanical Emperor had the capacity to cause trouble for Li Cunxu.
The celestial tribulation, rather than troubling the Mechanical Emperor, became a problem for Li Cunxu.
Looking upward, Li Cunxu gazed at the apocalypse-like oppressive tribulation cloud.
"New plan: swiftly pass through this tribulation."
The Emperor Tribulation lasts a hundred days, equating to three months. Li Cunxu lacked the patience to endure such a long tribulation, especially with the Mechanical Emperor watching with predatory intent nearby.
Li Cunxu opened the Chaos Gourd, which unleashed a terrifying suction, drawing Chao Feng, Qiuniu, and Yazi into it.
The terrifying suction incidentally also absorbed several nearby mountains.
"Go! Resolve the celestial tribulation."
The Chaos Gourd rose into the sky, immersed into the tribulation cloud, and astonishingly began sucking the tribulation cloud into itself.
The celestial tribulation roared in anger, the celestial thunder manifesting ancient divine beasts that once shone brightly and dominated realms.
Pulao, Suanni, Bixi, Bian, Fuxi, Chiwen...
But before the Chaos Gourd, they didn't last a second before being sucked in.
The celestial tribulation grew furious; yet after its wrath came a long silence. The celestial tribulation had no power over Li Cunxu anymore, its might had a limit that couldn't be exceeded, as per its foundational code.
After all, the Emperor Tribulation can't exactly emit a tribulation with god-slaying power.
Surpassing the constraint of might isn't impossible unless the celestial tribulation undergoes a substantial updated version.
The vast tribulation cloud, through the Chaos Gourd's devouring, gradually shrank until it vanished.
Just minutes before, the sky had been densely enveloped by tribulation clouds and black clouds overhung the city. After a few minutes, it was clear skies and a blue vault.
This manner of traversing a tribulation was a first for many.
It's not just the masses; even the emperors were witnessing it for the first time.
Jealousy, envy, and hatred indeed!
The emperors: "Back then, I endured being struck by lightning for three months, painfully resisting, what does that suffering even account for?"