Total Elimination — Eyes of Tender Care
On Barton's other flank.
Bai Lin transformed into white mist and surged off in the opposite direction.
He understood the logic well enough — splitting from Barton would divide the enemy's firepower between two fronts, easing the pressure on each of them.
But being an Elemental Type Gene Warrior, even in white mist form with his speed pushed to its peak, he was stopped cold by Yeye's four shadow clones.
Wave after wave of black sword light slashed out from the Shadow Swords in the clones' hands, cutting toward him from all directions.
Bai Lin was forced back out of his ice mist state.
He stared at the four shadow clones, brow furrowed, expression arctic.
"You think four clones are enough to stop me?"
His Staff swept through the air. Ice mist condensed and crystallized into spiraling ice spears that shot toward each clone simultaneously. At the same time, ice mist flowed across his body and crept outward toward all four of them.
The shadow clones weaved and dodged the spiraling projectiles, slashing sword light back at him — only to have each strike halted by the ice shield in front of Bai Lin.
As the ice mist spread, a creeping stiffness began to settle over the clones, slowing their movements.
A cold smirk crossed Bai Lin's face. Four pathetic clones trying to hold him — they were clearly underestimating him.
Then a wave of profound danger rose unbidden in his chest.
His expression shifted. His body dissolved into ice mist and vanished from the spot.
Where he had just been standing, a clump of violet metal dropped.
In the next instant, some distance away, Bai Lin's pupils blew wide.
The violet mass detonated. Savage thunderous force erupted in all directions.
Even dissolved into mist, he had slipped clear of the central blast zone — but not the spreading thunder that followed.
Devastating destructive power crashed over him. His ice shield shattered in pieces, and the next moment his body was launched through the air. Thunder tore into him, and his once-flawless frost-white frame charred slowly to black.
A single strike, and Bai Lin was at death's door.
From behind a rooftop not far away, tendrils of Tianrao Purple Vine shot out and instantly coiled the scorched Bai Lin into a tight bundle.
Terrifying Power Burst surged through the vines.
**Crack. Crack. Crack.**
Bai Lin — already little more than a charred husk — was crushed to pieces in an instant.
From behind the rooftop, Amy peeked cautiously at the dark mass in the distance, wariness still flickering in her eyes.
She thought it over, then produced another frost grenade with Second-rank Peak Lord Grade destructive power.
The Tianrao Purple Vine snatched the frost grenade and hurled it at the dark clump.
**BOOM!!**
The mass erupted under the tremendous force, shattering into scattered shards of frozen debris. Only then did Amy breathe out.
She stuck out her tongue and patted her little tablet, a trace of lingering unease in her expression:
"Worthy of a King Grade prodigy, honestly. Those spiral ice spears hit hard — a few of those and I definitely couldn't have held on. Thank goodness I came stocked with talismans and spirit bombs."
The one she'd used earlier was from the inventory they'd claimed from the ten-thousand-meter tower — an X1 Type Thunderstorm Bomb (Third-rank 100%): a Lord Grade spirit item.
She still had plenty of those. Enough to keep blowing things up for quite some time.
What Amy hadn't expected was just how devastating a Third-rank Peak Lord Grade spirit item could be.
One hit, and that King Grade prodigy was dead.
She'd already had more ready to throw.
A bit of a shame, really. She never got to try the other models.
Not that they'd be any weaker, probably.
Amy felt a quiet glow of satisfaction. Next time she'd have something fun to use.
Just then, four Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians came jogging over.
Their crimson eyes swept the surroundings. When they landed on the scattered frozen debris, those red eyes pulsed once.
"Beep. Beep. Target has been eliminated. Mission complete."
The four Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians turned and retraced their steps.
Amy looked at the enormous heap of items that had spilled out when the dark mass was destroyed.
The mountain of treasure made her eyes light up with barely contained delight.
"So much loot! This young lady can make money too! Absolutely expected of this young lady!"
Amy planted both hands on her hips and gave a proud little nod.
Then she ran over and swept everything into her storage.
Not far from Lu Yuan, only six Lord Grade prodigies remained.
They were locked in stalemate against six Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians — unable to win, unable to escape, barely hanging on.
Of the six, two were Green Demons, two were White Frost Race, one a Kaman, and one a Gnoll.
Credit where it was due — they were Lord Grade Gene Warriors, and their combat instincts were not to be underestimated. Even facing Peak Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians, they managed to hold out for several minutes through skill, technique, and whatever gear they'd accumulated along the way.
Then one of the Mechanical Guardians leveled its Spirit Cannon and fired. The shot landed square on a Green Demon in a mage's robe who was already heaving for breath.
**BOOM!!**
The blast sent the Elemental Type Green Demon screaming through the air and slamming into a tower wall. Blood sprayed. He slumped to the ground.
The Mechanical Guardians showed no mercy. Wave after wave of Spirit Cannon fire continued, the roaring blasts punctuated by the Green Demon's screams — and each one landed like a hammer blow on the hearts of the remaining five.
Their chests rang hollow. Cold settled deep in their bones.
The cannon fire eventually stopped. The Green Demon's body lay still at the bottom of a smoking crater.
The other five stared at the scene with red-rimmed eyes, helpless dread creeping through them. Their gazes locked onto Lu Yuan, standing motionless as he maintained the Electromagnetic Barrier.
The Gnoll Lord let out a furious roar:
"Human!! I heard you're Lord Grade too?! If you've got the guts, come fight me like a man!!"
Lu Yuan glanced at him. "Are you serious right now."
*I'm busy maintaining the Electromagnetic Barrier, you know.*
Rather than engaging, he simply redirected a Lord Grade Mechanical Guardian toward the Gnoll — the very one that had just finished off the Green Demon and was now free.
The Gnoll Lord had been burning with righteous fury. The moment he saw that Mechanical Guardian — the one that had just executed the Green Demon — swing its cannon barrel toward him, his eyes went wide and his mind went blank.
"What the — "
And then the Gnoll Lord was swallowed whole by Spirit Cannon fire.
The remaining four Lord Grade warriors felt the chill sink deeper, their skin crawling with dread.
One Lord Grade Mechanical Guardian was already more than they could handle. Now there were two more added to the mix.
Three against one — like sending three grown adults to wallop a single child.
They already knew there was no way out.
The Kaman's face twisted in terror. He looked to Lu Yuan:
"Human! Friend!! My Lord!! I only came because Barton ordered me — I had no choice! I'm innocent! Spare me, and I'll give you everything I have!"
Lu Yuan stared at the Kaman for a moment, then wordlessly directed two Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians toward him.
The Kaman's eyes shot wide. He didn't manage another word before the Spirit Cannons swallowed him whole.
Looking at the small mountain of items the Kaman had left behind, Lu Yuan couldn't help but mutter:
"Little charmer. Once you're dead, what's yours isn't yours anymore."
After all, the rules of the Aier Mechanical Ruins were the same for everyone: die inside, and everything spills out. Even the cultivation level you'd broken through to would roll back, and you'd lose a genuine Transcendent Gene on top of it.
Whatever you came in with is what you leave with — once you die here, everything you gained in the Land of Origin is gone.
The remaining Green Demon and the two White Frost warriors watched the Kaman die with cold, hollow eyes.
A beautiful White Frost girl fixed her gaze on Lu Yuan, her voice like winter frost:
"Human! Don't enjoy yourself for long — Young Lord Bai Lin will avenge us!"
The White Frost male beside her added with a sneer:
"Exactly. Our Young Lord will definitely come for us!"
Their words had barely faded when a silver-white flash streaked past, and four Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians came trotting in behind it.
Amy landed, her face bright with triumphant joy:
"Liar, liar! I blew up that White Frost King! He had so much good stuff! Though it's still a bit below what we have."
The two White Frost warriors: "???"
Their eyes went wide, every trace of composure stripped away.
The beautiful White Frost girl's gaze turned frantic. She shrieked:
"Impossible! Our Young Lord's talent is unrivaled under heaven — a born King! How could he die at the hands of a human like you?! You're lying to me!!"
Amy blinked her large violet eyes at the shrieking girl, then turned to Lu Yuan with a perfectly innocent expression: "What's wrong with her?"
Lu Yuan looked at the two nearly unhinged White Frost warriors, equally innocent:
"How would I know?"
Without further comment, he directed seven Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians toward the two of them — four of which had just returned with Amy, originally sent to help suppress Bai Lin.
As it turned out, Amy hadn't needed any of it. She'd just blown him apart.
The thought crossed his mind, and he asked almost casually:
"By the way, Amy — what did you use to kill him?"
Amy's eyes lit up with enthusiasm:
"I hit him with an X1 Type Thunderstorm Bomb and got him half-dead, then I was scared he might be playing dead, so I threw a frost grenade on top of that — and blew him to pieces!"
Lu Yuan: "..."
The moment he heard the first part, something sharp twisted in his chest.
*Seriously. You used a Third-rank Peak Lord Grade spirit bomb to take out a Second-rank low-tier King Grade warrior?!*
Watching Amy's bright, enthusiastic glow, Lu Yuan nearly choked on the spot.
Not that he could say anything — the bombs had been Amy's share of the loot, and he had no claim over what she did with them. All he could do was feel the ache of it.
This girl had absolutely no concept of frugality.
By now, both White Frost warriors were dead. The last surviving Green Demon was fighting desperately, but with this many Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians closing in, even one of them alone could flatten him.
He wasn't literally flattened in the end — but it was close.
A short while later, Yeye returned as well, accompanied by four Lord Grade Mechanical Guardians.
She said simply:
"Barton is dead."
Lu Yuan nodded, smiling. "Good work."
Before he'd finished speaking, Amy erupted in protest:
"Hey! You liar! You didn't say I worked hard!"
Lu Yuan: "???"
He stared at her, genuinely baffled.
*She tossed one bomb. What exactly was hard about that?!*
But faced with Amy's puffed-up, indignant pout, Lu Yuan kept a perfectly straight face:
"Amy, you're a capable, grown woman. A small thing like this — I didn't think it worth mentioning. If I said 'good work' to you, wouldn't that imply I still think you have growing to do?"
Amy blinked. She turned this over in her mind, then nodded:
"You know, that's not wrong. This young lady is fully grown. Mm-hm! I'll take it — you're quite thoughtful!"
Amy gave Lu Yuan a satisfied pat on the shoulder.
The corner of his mouth curved upward slightly. *Still so easy to handle.*
Beside them, Yeye glanced at Amy. Her expression gradually softened — and in her eyes, something warm and tender took shape, almost maternal.
Amy caught Yeye's gaze and looked back at her with slight confusion, a small frown forming:
"Yeye, why are you looking at me like that?"
Yeye was quiet for a moment, then asked with genuine curiosity: "Amy, how old are you?"
Amy grinned, her small face brimming with pride:
"This young lady is sixteen."
Yeye gave a slow, quiet nod. The warmth in her eyes deepened.
Lu Yuan noticed Yeye's expression too. The corner of his mouth twitched. He cleared his throat:
"Looks like all the prodigies have been dealt with. Let's go collect the loot."
"Yes!!"
Amy's eyes lit up. She leapt to her feet.
She was very, very fond of collecting loot.
Beside them, Yeye nodded as well — and continued watching the delighted Amy with that same warm, caring gaze.
While the three of them were gathering their spoils, some ten-odd kilometers from the battlefield.
A group of Kaman warriors stood pale-faced, shock etched plainly across their features.
At their head, Binbi — the Kaman Lord — stared in grave silence at the Communication Crystal, which had gone dark.
A dead hush fell over them.
After a long silence, a Chief Grade Kaman standing behind Binbi parted his lips, voice strained and rough:
"B-Binbi... this..."
Binbi's gaze flickered. The hand holding the Communication Crystal trembled faintly. His voice came out hoarse:
"The crystal won't connect. Barton is no longer in the Ruins."
He raised his eyes to the ghostly blue Electromagnetic Barrier glimmering at the far end of the street, disbelief raw on his face:
"He actually died in there..."
The Chief Grade Kaman at his side immediately pressed:
"Binbi! Try reaching Bai Lin! See if Bai Lin is still alive!"
Binbi nodded and reached out through the Communication Crystal.
But the moment he did, it went dark again.
Silence fell once more. Every Kaman stood slack-jawed, staring at the lifeless crystal.
"How is this possible?"
Someone breathed the words, barely audible.
"Both Barton and Bai Lin were King Grade prodigies... How could they die here? Here, of all places — where they stood at the very top."
Then, at that moment, the Electromagnetic Barrier in the distance suddenly dissipated. Binbi and the rest flinched hard, dread seizing their hearts.
When they saw no one emerge from the far end of the street, cold sweat broke on Binbi's brow:
"Move! Get out of here now! Less than a day left. If we see that diamond-shaped vessel, we run!"
The others nodded frantically. Every one of the Kamans exploded into a full sprint, racing away at top speed — wishing they'd been born with twice as many legs.
Beyond Binbi's group, six other search squads — each led by Lord Grade prodigies, each too late to join the siege on Lu Yuan's trio — had fallen behind. Now they too were discovering they could no longer reach Barton or Bai Lin.
Panic swept through their ranks. They struggled to accept the reality that Bai Lin and Barton were truly dead.
But it was the truth. And word was already spreading among them — that the Night King and those two human lords, ambushed by two King Grade warriors, had somehow reversed the outcome and killed them both instead.
Every survivor put distance between themselves and that stretch of the city. The story of how Lu Yuan's trio had been set upon by the two Kings, Bai Lin and Barton, and had killed them both, quietly rippled outward.