Chapter 274: Ancient Immortal Sect

Tie Tu's mechanical foot was still pressing on A Qi's chest.

All motion froze.

There were no heaven-shaking visions, no brilliant, vast spells.

A pure pressure surpassing the technological understanding of the Heavenly Pivot Source Realm and the flawed heavenly dao laws descended silently upon this narrow black-market passage.

The alarm on Tie Tu's chest-mounted fourth-tier energy-gathering engine blared shrilly, and the azure spiritual qi instantly solidified, ceasing to flow.

He tried to lift that mechanical leg, but found his body unable to move.

It wasn't a mechanical failure; he had been forbidden!

"Plop."

The two lackeys holding the saws fell rigidly to their knees on the ground.

Their shoddy prosthetics cracked and splintered under the weight, metal parts flying, oil mixing with blood as it streamed across the floor.

Immediately, all Iron Blood Society members at both ends of the passage, together with those five hoverbikes, were pressed flat by an invisible force into the puddles.

Tie Tu was the only one still barely able to stand.

His high-precision tactical prosthetic eye flickered wildly with red light, his vision filled with garbled code and error messages.

【Warning: Unknown energy field covering.】

【Warning: Spiritual qi conduction path severed.】

【Warning: Body damage rate 30%……50%……】

Terror covered Tie Tu's half-flesh, half-machine face.

He had lived eighty years, rising from the lowest miner to the black market overlord, having seen the elite of the consortium's internal security forces, and also witnessed Nascent Soul cultivators equipped with fifth-tier crystals, even Spirit Transformation cultivators of the sixth tier!

But he had never seen power like this.

A Qi slowly crawled up from the ground.

His fractured ribs, wrapped in some warm, moist energy, quickly realigned.

He opened his eyes, his pupils swirling with a layer of seven-colored light.

That was not A Qi's gaze.

Gu Yuan temporarily took over this body.

He moved his neck slightly, feeling the frailty of this carbon-based flesh.

It was too weak, barely able to bear even one ten-millionth of his soul's power.

Gu Yuan lifted his eyelids, looking toward Tie Tu.

Tie Tu only felt a booming resonance like a great bell ringing in his mind.

The fourth-tier engine he prided himself on, under the gaze of those eyes, directly cracked, forming several fine fissures.

"Who… what exactly are you?" Tie Tu's voice lost its synthetic coldness, leaving only primal human trembling.

Gu Yuan did not answer his question.

He stepped forward, walking up to Tie Tu.

With each step, a piece of Tie Tu's armor peeled away.

By the time Gu Yuan reached him, Tie Tu's left-side heavy armor had completely disintegrated, leaving only the metal framework attached to flesh and blood.

"President of the Iron Blood Society."

Gu Yuan spoke calmly, "The ruler of the underground black market in Heavenly Pivot Eleven City, who controls three smuggling routes, two scrap recycling stations, and an underground arena."

Tie Tu felt icy cold all over.

The opponent not only possessed overwhelming power, but also knew his background inside out.

"Who… are you? You're not A Qi!"

Tie Tu gritted his teeth; he wasn't stupid.

Someone with this kind of power couldn't be a lowly scrap peddler in the black market.

Gu Yuan raised his right hand, lightly pressing his index finger against Tie Tu's chest-mounted energy-gathering engine.

"Crack."

The engine casing shattered.

Inside, the small lump of highly compressed spiritual qi crystal was exposed to the air.

"Such a crude method of controlling heavenly and earthly spiritual qi is the greatest insult to the two words 'cultivation immortality.'"

Gu Yuan's fingertip twitched, and the crystal turned to powder.

Tie Tu lost his power source and collapsed heavily to his knees.

The mechanical ascension path he prided himself on looked, before his opponent, like a child's toy—laughable.

Tie Tu lifted his head.

He heard what?

Cultivation immortality?!

He… is he one of those ancient immortals recorded in the history crystals, wiped out by the consortium?

Those who, without relying on machinery, can unleash power not inferior to his own—immortals?!

Gu Yuan's gaze was indifferent, without a trace of pity.

He slowly raised his hand, his fingertip entwined with a wisp of terrifying killing intent capable of utterly erasing Tie Tu together with his soul.

At that moment of life and death, Tie Tu's half-flesh, half-machine face twisted to the extreme; the instinct to survive overwhelmed all dignity. He violently slammed his head into the muddy water, hoarsely and urgently shouting:

"Lord! Immortal! Spare my life! I, Tie Tu, am willing to submit! The Iron Blood Society, from top to bottom, will serve you as ox and horse, lay down our lives for you!"

Gu Yuan's fingertip killing intent paused slightly.

His eyes, swirling with seven-colored light, lowered to gaze at Tie Tu lying like a dead dog on the ground; after a brief weigh-up, he found this reasoning acceptable.

Aqi is too weak.

Not only is his strength merely at the first realm, but more deadly is the foolishness and naivety that appears especially laughable on the wasteland.

Expecting such a pauper who just crawled out of a trash heap to handle affairs, the efficiency is really too low.

He doesn't have time here to slowly plot some rebellion, cultivating that path.

And this Iron Butcher before us, although he follows a deformed cultivation path, is at least a local tyrant, holding connections, resources, and existing power in his hands—using him as a stepping stone couldn't be more fitting.

"Yes."

Gu Yuan slowly lowered his hand, that suffocating pressure consequently eased a bit, considered as having accepted this acceptance.

Aqi watched all this in his sea of consciousness, filled with incomprehension and shock.

He personally witnessed the Iron Butcher just moments ago wanting to dissect him alive, yet now he was easily let go, and he couldn't help asking in his mind:

"Immortal... why didn't you kill him? He's a tyrant of the black market; keeping him, aren't you afraid he'll bite back?"

"I don't have time to stay in z this, nor am I interested in personally handling those trivial matters."

Gu Yuan's tone was languid and matter-of-factly: "Since I've taken him in, from now on, he and his Iron Blood Society will be your tools to lend a hand."

Gu Yuan did not voice his true considerations.

Since he borrowed Aqi's body and karma as an anchor to invest in this world, he will naturally take responsibility to the end, protecting this boy completely and bestowing upon him a fortune.

As for whether this boy can comprehend it, it's all up to his luck.

Upon hearing Gu Yuan's lofty words, Aqi opened his mouth, and the resentment he'd been feeling was instantly suppressed.

He looked at the Iron Butcher kneeling on the ground, ultimately saying nothing, merely swallowing all his doubts in silence.

With Gu Yuan's consciousness withdrawing.

The Iron Butcher lifted his head, looking at the boy whose demeanor had instantly changed.

He knew that the terrifying will from just moments ago had retreated behind the scenes; now standing before him was merely a chosen agent.

But he dared not act rashly.

"Sir, may I ask how should I address you and that other sir?" Tie Tu asked respectfully.

A Qi, following Gu Yuan's instructions, spoke up: "Take me to your base, gather all the leaders of the Iron Blood Society. Tonight, the rules will change."

Tie Tu rose, dragging his powerless half-body, and led the way.

The group swaggered through the black market's core area, attracting countless furtive glances.

But seeing Tie Tu's miserable state, no one dared to step forward to stop them.

The Iron Blood Society's base is located in an abandoned air-raid shelter deep within the black market.

The interior of the air-raid shelter has been remodeled into a massive fortress.

Everywhere are stacked arms, smuggled crystal cores, and mutant beasts locked in iron cages.

Tie Tu escorted A Qi into the central meeting room.

Half an hour later, all eight core leaders of the Iron Blood Society had arrived.

Two of those core leaders each brought many followers.

They looked at the poor youth seated in the chairman's seat, and at Tie Tu standing respectfully to the side like a servant, exchanging glances.

"Chairman, who is this kid? Why are you letting him sit in your seat?" a leader equipped with dual-blade prosthetics couldn't help asking.

Tie Tu gave no explanation, merely staring coldly at him.

A Qi sat in the large leather chair, his palms sweating.

He took a deep breath and repeated the words Gu Yuan had taught him.

"From today on, the Iron Blood Society is disbanded." A Qi looked around at everyone: "In its place is the Ancient Immortal Sect; I am the sect leader, and Tie Tu is the vice sect leader."