# Chapter 349: Lu Yuan's Proposal

"Follow me! They're all here right now — I'll take you to meet them."

Kro transmitted as he led Lu Yuan and Nuxing toward the massive mechanical fortress.

The fortress had numerous entry points. Kro led them through one of the larger entrances, and after traversing a series of metallic corridors, they arrived at an enormous metal plaza.

Lu Yuan swept his gaze across the area and spotted several mechanical warships docked throughout the plaza, along with numerous Mechanical Lifeforms on patrol.

He also noticed that these Mechanical Lifeforms radiated formidable power — the one at their head was actually a Battle Saint-level powerhouse.

*Wait — with my Mechanical God gene, couldn't I take control of all of them whenever I wanted?*

Though curious about the gene's full capabilities, he had no intention of actually testing it here. They weren't enemies, after all. He'd never do something like that.

As the three of them passed through, the Mechanical Guardians all saluted, deeply respectful.

Kro glanced at them without much concern and explained, "This is the counteroffensive headquarters. It's heavily guarded by Mechanical Warriors. We're reinforcements, after all — they're treating us well enough."

Lu Yuan and Nuxing exchanged a glance and nodded.

The corridors inside the fortress twisted and turned. The three moved quickly, and after winding through several passages, they arrived before a massive metal door.

Two Battle Saint-level Mechanical Lifeforms stood guard outside. Upon seeing Kro approach with Lu Yuan and Nuxing, they quickly saluted.

The one on the left — a Mechanical Battle Saint with a white metal shell and crimson stripes — greeted them: "My Lord Kro!"

Then he turned to Lu Yuan and Nuxing. "And these two, My Lord...?"

"This is Nuxing, and this is Lu Yuan — War Gods of the Human Race. I'm bringing them to the meeting. Is everyone here?"

The Mechanical Battle Saint replied, "Lord Mados and his group have arrived, as has Lord Bingling's contingent. Lord Yingu's party... should still be on the way. Lord Bu Chang is already waiting inside."

He paused briefly when mentioning Yingu.

Kro nodded. "Good. We'll head in first."

"Of course," the guard said quickly.

He and his companion opened the doors.

Kro led Lu Yuan and Nuxing inside.

The conference chamber was enormous — several hundred meters across, built entirely of metal like the rest of the fortress, exuding an air of advanced technology. The central area was an open space ringed by metal tables and rows of high-backed chairs.

Lu Yuan scanned the room upon entering and found it already occupied by a considerable number of beings, each radiating immense power. Six belonged to the Mechanical Race, five to the Elf Race, and in the Human Race's section sat a slender, purple-skinned War God. In another section, a colossal golden python lay coiled.

When the doors opened and the three entered, every eye turned toward them. The combined attention of so many War Gods sent waves of pressure rippling through the room.

Lu Yuan's expression didn't change. He remained perfectly calm.

*Their auras seem powerful, but... none of them are stronger than me.*

After all, he now possessed a full ten Divine Grade genes — and every single one was extraordinarily rare. The base attributes from those genes alone were enough to crush every War God in this room.

Kro led them to Bu Chang's side, where they took their seats.

Bu Chang had been watching them since they entered. He was well acquainted with Nuxing — his attention was fixed on Lu Yuan. Only after Lu Yuan sat down did he smile.

"Lu Yuan? I'm Bu Chang. I heard you led Ruoshui and Nuxing to destroy the Heavenly Calamity Cult? Brilliantly done!"

His first words, like Kro's, were about the Cult's destruction. For all of them, the Heavenly Calamity Cult had been a persistent thorn in their side.

Lu Yuan accepted the praise with a modest smile. "You flatter me, Senior Bu Chang."

Bu Chang shook his head. "That's no flattery. I don't know if Kro mentioned it, but the Mechanical Kingdom's current devastation was caused by Blood of Machinery. With that cautionary tale right before our eyes, the Heavenly Calamity Cult was a cancer festering in Human territory. Cutting it out in one stroke — you have no idea how much that means to us."

His voice carried genuine feeling.

While they spoke, the Mechanical, Elf, and Beast Race War Gods all turned their attention to Lu Yuan. Bu Chang hadn't bothered lowering his voice, so naturally they overheard. Their eyes flickered with surprise and uncertainty.

After a moment of silence, the golden python flicked its forked tongue, its voice cold and raspy. "Brother Bu Chang, your Human Race's Aberration cult has actually been eliminated? He did it? Who is this War God? I've never seen him before."

Its slitted pupils studied Lu Yuan with open curiosity. The Feral Beast War God wasn't alone — everyone else was staring at Lu Yuan with equal interest.

At the War God level, the universe wasn't all that vast. Over hundreds of millions of years, the War Gods of all four races had inevitably crossed paths. Everyone more or less knew each other.

But Lu Yuan was a face none of them recognized.

Bingling, an Elf Race War God whose body appeared to be formed entirely of frost, spoke up. "A newly ascended War God of the Human Race? Congratulations."

Bu Chang and Nuxing both smiled.

"Allow me to introduce him," Bu Chang said. "This is the Human Race's newest War God — Lu Yuan."

Lu Yuan swept his gaze across the room and nodded to the assembly. "Greetings, seniors."

Mados, a Mechanical Race War God, looked at Lu Yuan with undisguised urgency. "War God Lu Yuan — how did you find the Heavenly Calamity Cult's headquarters?"

His question made the Elf and Beast Race War Gods' eyes sharpen, their curiosity intensifying.

Every one of the four racial territories harbored organizations that worshipped the Aberrant Beast Mother Nest. Their members had been working in the shadows to destabilize the universe's equilibrium, hoping to hasten the Mother Nest's arrival and let Corruption consume everything.

Because each race still had powerful War Gods standing guard, these organizations had caused damage but nothing truly catastrophic.

But that was before.

After witnessing what Blood of Machinery had wrought, the Mechanical Race's hatred went beyond words. Even the Beast and Elf Races had grown deeply wary of the heretical organizations within their own borders. None of them wanted to follow in the Mechanical Race's footsteps.

War Gods they might be, but even they had limits. Against shadow organizations operating in secret, total control was impossible. The unknown was always terrifying.

Worse still, no one knew how long this counteroffensive would drag on. If those heretical organizations chose this moment to make their move, the consequences would be catastrophic.

So when they heard that Lu Yuan's group had completely annihilated the Heavenly Calamity Cult, every War God in the room felt a stir of hope. If possible, they wanted to destroy the heretical organizations in their own territories too.

Seeing the eager anticipation on their faces, Lu Yuan considered for a moment, then smiled. "I have a special method that let me locate the Heavenly Calamity Cult's headquarters. Once you've found the headquarters, the rest is simple."

He didn't hide anything. After what Blood of Machinery had done, he too believed it was time to purge the traitors lurking within their ranks. When the real war against the Aberration finally came, being stabbed in the back by traitors would be intolerable.

Breathing quickened around the room.

A blood-red light flickered in Mados's mechanical eyes, and a faint wave of savage killing intent leaked from his body. He didn't ask what the method was. He simply drew a deep breath.

"...Brother Lu Yuan, can this method of yours find Blood of Machinery? If you can locate their headquarters — whatever you want, name it. The entire Mechanical Race will spare no effort to grant your wish."

The damage Blood of Machinery had inflicted on the Mechanical Kingdom was immense. The fallen breach had allowed hordes of Aberrant Beasts to flood into the kingdom. Entire star systems had been invaded, corrupted, and destroyed. The Mechanical Race had been forced to consolidate their scattered populations into clusters just to prevent further losses.

Of the three non-Human races, the one that harbored the deepest hatred for these Aberration organizations was unquestionably the Mechanical Race.

Hearing the cold weight behind Mados's words, Kro, Bu Chang, and the Elf and Beast Race War Gods all turned to look. None of them spoke.

A heavy silence settled over the room. All eyes were on Lu Yuan, waiting.

Beside him, Nuxing recalled the horrifying psychic shrieks when Lu Yuan had burned Heavenly Calamity Star with Radiant Fire — the Mother Nest's will that had penetrated so deeply. He turned and transmitted privately: "Lu Yuan, if you can, give it a try. Remember the Mother Nest's will that surfaced during the Heavenly Calamity Star purge? It might exist here too."

Lu Yuan had been thinking the same thing.

His eyes flickered briefly before he looked at Mados. "I can only say I'll try my best. There's no guarantee I'll find them."

Fate, after all, was something that even the Wheel of Fate couldn't fully control. He hadn't forgotten — push fate's course beyond a certain threshold, and it would push back. Those who toyed with fate could just as easily find fate toying with them.

All he could do was try.

The room fell quiet. Mados exchanged glances with the other five Mechanical War Gods, communicating silently.

Before long, Mados addressed the assembly. "Everyone — now that reinforcements have arrived, I should note that our counteroffensive has not been going smoothly. Losing even one War God from the front means reduced combat strength, which could impact the campaign. However, Blood of Machinery may very well act during our counteroffensive. If we could eliminate them preemptively, we'd no longer need to worry about threats from behind and could focus entirely on the breach. The question is: should we prioritize Blood of Machinery, or the counteroffensive?"

A contemplative silence fell.

Bingling's frigid voice broke it first. "You've all seen it — the number of Aberrant Beasts pouring through the breach is growing, and they're getting stronger. More will come. Stronger ones will emerge. Reclaiming the breach cannot wait. I say we retake it first, then deal with Blood of Machinery."

The golden python flicked its tongue and spoke slowly. "I disagree. Blood of Machinery has several War Gods among their ranks. They've been quiet so far, but if they strike at a critical moment during the counteroffensive, the damage could be devastating."

The python's words silenced the room.

Bu Chang furrowed his brow. "Jinka makes a valid point. They're in the shadows while we're in the open — the disadvantage is severe. If they strike at a critical juncture, forget whether the counteroffensive succeeds — we might actually lose people. If it comes to that, we'll be in real trouble."

Wisps of frost circled around Bingling's body. "Jinka's reasoning is sound, but what if the number of Divine Grade Aberrant Beasts at the breach increases while we're occupied? What then?"

"That..."

The War Gods looked at one another uneasily. They were caught in a dilemma with no clear answer.

Mados and the other Mechanical War Gods remained silent — they'd already debated this among themselves and reached no conclusion.

Into the silence, Lu Yuan spoke.

"How about this — give me some time, and I'll handle Blood of Machinery alone. The rest of you can commit fully to the counteroffensive. I have a Spatial Type Divine Grade gene, so I'm extremely fast. Even if I'm away from the border, I can return to provide support the instant anything goes wrong. And if I manage to destroy Blood of Machinery, none of us will need to worry about a knife in the back."

The room went still. Every War God stared at Lu Yuan in shock — Kro and Bu Chang included, with only Nuxing as the exception.

Mados's aura fluctuated. "Brother Lu Yuan, are you joking?! Blood of Machinery has four War God-level powerhouses! Two of them rival War Gods who've tempered their Divine Grade genes to perfection, and the other two — while somewhat weaker — are still genuine War Gods! How can you possibly face all four alone?"

Jinka studied Lu Yuan, tongue flicking. "A calf that's never seen a tiger knows no fear."

Bingling's cold voice followed. "A Spatial Type Divine Grade gene is impressive, but taking on four War Gods? That's naive. There are no weaklings among War Gods."

Bu Chang and Kro watched Lu Yuan's easy smile and, unlike the others, felt something different. They knew him better — knew that his inscribed Divine Grade genes numbered far more than one or two, and that his true strength was staggering.

Bu Chang's eyes glinted. After a brief pause, he asked, "Lu Yuan — are you certain you can handle four Mechanical War Gods?"

Lu Yuan smiled.

"No problem."