Ten minutes later.
Several towering mechas appeared silently above County 0321, their overwhelming aura sweeping across most of the county.
The Exotic Beasts on the ground simultaneously looked up at the sky. After a brief pause, they quickly retreated into nearby buildings.
Judging by their forms, these mechas belonged to the automotive class. For automotive mechas to achieve flight, their combat rank must have surpassed the sixth rank!
These mechas were all sixth-rank, and their quality was exceptionally high, making their combat power terrifyingly formidable.
Among them, Zhou Luo had seen two of these mechas when he left the city.
For a small county like 0321 to witness the appearance of several sixth-rank mechas was undoubtedly due to the incident involving Liu Qingxue, which had alarmed them.
The next moment, the void shattered. A spatial rift appeared before the mechas, and a pitch-black mecha stepped out. This mecha exuded a cold and formidable presence, casting everything around it into insignificance.
"That mecha is... the Berserker Destroyer! It's Deputy Liu!"
The mechas behind were momentarily stunned by the newcomer.
The sight of him made their hearts sink.
No one had expected the eldest son of the Liu family to be alerted this time. Judging by his travel-worn appearance, he must have torn through space from the military base.
To tear through space required at least seventh-rank strength.
Had the eldest son of the Liu family grown to such heights over the years?
"Where is my sister?" A voice of unquestionable authority rang out from the pitch-black mecha, leaving no room for defiance.
"Deputy Liu, we've only just arrived ourselves."
"We'll begin searching the city immediately!"
"No need. Energy Matrix—locate!"
Deputy Liu's mecha slowly raised its hand, and a massive Energy Matrix materialized before it.
"Found her!"
In an instant, he had pinpointed his sister's bloodline aura.
The Berserker Destroyer took a step forward, causing the void to tremble. With a flicker, it vanished from the spot, leaving the sixth-rank mechas scrambling to follow.
By the time they arrived, the Berserker Destroyer had already unleashed a punch, sending the entire ruins flying.
Lying in the deep crater was none other than the Ice Empress.
Seeing his sister unharmed, Liu Tiancheng let out a sigh of relief.
Hidden in the shadows, Zhang Hao and his group seethed with rage at the sight of the Ice Empress in the ruins.
After searching for so long, she had been right there all along!
The men behind him lowered their heads, their faces burning with shame.
"Damn bloodline tracking! Let's go!"
What else could they do now? Liu Tiancheng alone could slaughter them all, let alone the battle-hardened sixth-rank City Garrison Generals accompanying him.
Zhang Hao and his group quietly slipped out of County 0321.
Meanwhile, Liu Tiancheng cradled the Ice Empress in one arm and tore through the void to depart.
"What do we do now? Retreat?"
"Before we leave, let's hunt down the hidden Earth King. The attack on the Liu girl reeks of conspiracy."
"Agreed."
The Earth King, sensing their presence, had long since burrowed deep underground.
But flushing it out wouldn't be too difficult.
"War King True Form!" The Absolute Battlefield King roared as his three-meter-tall frame instantly expanded, manifesting like a Heaven and Earth Manifestation that towered between sky and ground. An eighty-meter-tall mecha now stood upon the earth.
"Come out!!"
The Absolute Battlefield King stomped the ground recklessly, unleashing devastating combat energy deep into the earth's core.
The Earth King couldn't hold out for more than a few seconds before being forced to surface.
But the moment it emerged, the Absolute Battlefield King seized its grotesque head.
"A mere fourth-tier monster dares to act so viciously? Die!"
With a single effortless squeeze, the Earth King's head exploded, splattering thick green-white matter with an unbearable stench.
The combat energy flowed into the Absolute Battlefield King's body, yet he showed no reaction whatsoever.
At his level, the amount of combat energy required to advance even a single rank was astronomical.
Several sixth-tier mechas departed through the skies one after another.
Handsome Zhou Luo remained unaware of these events, still deeply embroiled in his own battles elsewhere.
The next day!
Canglan Liu Family Residence.
Thanks to medicinal treatment, the Spirit Dissolving Powder in Liu Qingxue's system had been completely purged, and she finally regained consciousness.
Her long eyelashes fluttered twice before her beautiful eyes slowly opened to reveal her familiar bedroom.
"Little sister, you're awake," a steady voice reached Liu Qingxue's ears.
Recognizing the voice, Liu Qingxue immediately tried to sit up excitedly. "Big brother!"
Liu Tiancheng smiled gently at her reaction. "Though the Spirit Dissolving Powder has been eliminated from your system, your body remains weak. You'll need several days of rest."
"Oh~" Liu Qingxue's mood visibly dampened as she pulled the soft blanket up to cover half her face with both hands.
She had originally planned to head straight to the wilderness to battle for combat energy upon waking, never expecting this turn of events. Worse still, she hadn't even informed her family before taking her team out—she was definitely in for a scolding.
"Now, tell me exactly what happened!" Liu Tiancheng's demeanor suddenly shifted. Years of military combat had forged an undeniable authority into his every word and gesture.
Liu Qingxue held nothing back as she recounted the events.
"Those damned bastards!" Liu Tiancheng wished he could tear Wang Yan and Ji Lin limb from limb.
Just as he'd suspected—this was all orchestrated by members of the Dark Hall, targeting Liu Qingxue's Ice Empress.
"By the way, little sister, you said your classmate saved you in the end? Why didn't I see any classmates when we searched County 0321?" Liu Tiancheng asked suspiciously.
"That detestable Zhou Luo! He actually threw me into some ruins and abandoned me! Where he went afterward is none of my business!" Liu Qingxue's face flushed red at the mention of Zhou Luo as she continued grumbling about him.
Liu Tiancheng raised an eyebrow, studying his sister with newfound curiosity.
In all his memory, no one had ever been able to affect his sister's composure like this.
Something wasn't right here!
Liu Tiancheng's sharp instincts immediately detected something unusual—this Zhou Luo character definitely wasn't ordinary.
Realizing her slip, Liu Qingxue quickly tried changing the subject: "Big brother, the Mecha College Entrance Exams are just days away! If I don't hurry to raise my combat level, I'll fall behind the other geniuses!"
"Don't worry about that. The family will arrange for someone to help you level up. Even if there's a gap, it won't be significant—you'll catch up quickly."
Liu Tiancheng paid no heed to Liu Qingxue's concerns.
"But... but I don't want to grow up under the family's protection. I want to fight!"
"I am Canglan—"
Liu Qingxue suddenly fell silent.
"Canglan what?"
"It's nothing. Big brother, please leave. I need to rest."
"Fine."
Liu Tiancheng nodded indifferently and turned to exit Liu Qingxue's bedroom.
The moment he stepped out, he summoned a man to his side.
"Investigate Zhou Luo's background. Don't be detected, and don't provoke him. He saved my little sister's life."
"Understood."
The man's expression remained cold as he received the order and left the Liu residence.
(End of Chapter)