Shou Yue gazed into the distance and said, "Bai Ye is formidable. In an instant, my eyesight couldn't keep up."
Kai stroked his chin. "Does he also master demonic arts? That form is a bit similar to my own demonic power."
Mulan shrugged. "Since he's already escaped, let him go. Kai, you should hurry to the Glorious Canyon first. Shou Yue, Dun Shan, and I will follow shortly."
Kai nodded. "Alright!"
...
On the other side, Bai Ye was running at full speed.
The speed of sound is 340 meters per second. The supersonic movement of the Devil's Strike lasts for 18 seconds, covering over six thousand meters, after which the boosters require a six-hour cooldown.
In truth, relying solely on this method to travel wouldn't significantly reduce the time.
However, even without the Devil's Regalia, Bai Ye's speed was already very fast. After all, his speed attribute had surpassed 160, and then...
"The first gene lock, unlocked!"
*Plop!*
A clear heartbeat sound!
The next moment, Bai Ye felt the blood flow within him suddenly accelerate, putting him in a state of considerable excitement.
Concurrently, with the unlocking of the first gene lock, Bai Ye's physical attributes began to increase. His speed became faster, and he continued to advance along the ancient path.
After an unknown period, a colossal canyon appeared before Bai Ye.
At the front of the canyon stood a massive bronze gateway. The mountain walls on either side were adorned with various types of flora.
Hundreds of meters of purplish-blue vines covered the mountain slopes, even twining around the bronze gateway.
The open space in front was filled with diverse plants.
Flowers resembling wind chimes, which indeed chimed like shaken bells upon contact.
Giant purple dandelions swayed in the wind, their pure white seeds scattering everywhere.
Further away were some large bushes, entwined with a smoky yellow luminescence. This glow diffused around the surroundings, forming spiral shapes.
Sunlight streamed down from the sky, causing the surrounding grass to shift between green, purple, and white hues.
The Glorious Canyon possessed a magical aura, exuding wonder everywhere, and...
There was a peculiar power!
Bai Ye couldn't quite define the power, but he could feel an invisible force entwining him as he entered the area.
Pondering this, Bai Ye stepped onto the grass and headed towards the entrance.
"Once I enter the bronze gateway, the hidden quest of the second ring should be considered complete, right?"
But at this very moment...
Ahead of Bai Ye, the ground suddenly trembled, and a fissure appeared, extending towards him.
Bai Ye quickly leaped to the side. But in the next instant, a massive hand emerged from the ground, striking down towards him.
*Boom!*
Bai Ye's toes pushed off the ground, creating distance once more.
The colossal hand slammed into the earth, creating a deafening roar, shattering the ground, and causing a section to collapse downwards.
Soon, a second enormous hand emerged from beneath the earth, bracing itself on the other side of the fissure, and then...
A mechanical figure, about four to five meters tall, crawled out of the crack.
"As expected..." Bai Ye muttered. "It's a hidden quest, after all. It wouldn't be completed just by traveling. However..."
Bai Ye suddenly spread his arms, unfurling the wingless black wings on his back.
With the golden-quality Devil's Regalia mechanical armor on him, a mere automaton wasn't something Bai Ye truly feared!
Almost instantly, the twelve sword blades that formed the wing bones flew forward simultaneously, bombarding the automaton.
*Clang, clang, clang...*
Each sword blade carried immense power, striking the automaton's body and forcing it to retreat.
After a round of attacks, the blades returned to Bai Ye's back, reforming into wings.
The next moment, the metal plates on Bai Ye's shoulders shifted, and a black shoulder cannon, about the size of two palms, rose.
Light Stream Energy Cannon!
Light Stream Energy Cannon (Rapidly converges solar energy to form a high-temperature light stream for cannon fire)
The top of the shoulder cannon had dark pads that emitted a glow. Following this, the surrounding sunlight seemed to be completely absorbed, wrapping around the Light Stream Energy Cannon.
At the cannon's muzzle, a large amount of golden luminescence appeared, gradually condensing.
Moments later, as the automaton stepped forward, Bai Ye waved and said, "Fire!"
*Boom!*
A golden beam of light appeared, streaking towards the automaton and striking its shoulder with a tremendous roar.
Immediately after, at the point of impact, a massive fireball erupted.
The automaton's arm shattered directly, breaking off at the shoulder and falling downwards, hitting the ground.
Bai Ye didn't pause, stepping forward. The Light Stream Energy Cannon was already beginning to absorb sunlight again, and the muzzle was reforming the beam.
Soon...
*Boom!*
A second deafening roar echoed, and the golden beam shot out again, terrifyingly fast, a mere flash, hitting the automaton's chest.
The moment the beam struck, a tremendous explosion sounded once more.
This time, a huge hole was blasted through the automaton's chest.
Looking into the hole from the outside, one could faintly discern array patterns etched within the automaton.
If nothing went wrong, although the model was different from the previous ones, it would have a power core as a weak point. But...
Bai Ye didn't care!
Just fight!
The automaton hadn't even regained its balance before the third shot arrived!
Bai Ye was like a small sun at this moment, enveloped by sunlight. The cannon muzzle was once again accumulating energy!
The power of the Light Stream Energy Cannon was not fixed, nor was its charging speed. It entirely depended on the intensity of the sunlight.
The stronger the sunlight, the greater the power of the Light Stream Energy Cannon and the faster its charging speed. It was even possible to achieve consecutive shots.
And today...
Bai Ye looked up at the sky.
The weather was excellent!
*Boom!*
The sound of the cannon fire rang out again, and the third beam shot forward.
This time, the beam directly hit the automaton's head. The sound of an explosion occurred the moment the beam struck.
Almost instantly, the automaton's head was blown into pieces. Its massive body then collapsed, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. It trembled for a moment before falling completely silent.
The automaton wasn't that weak; compared to the previous standardized models, it was clearly a level above.
However, in the face of the Devil's Regalia, it was still no match, a complete dimension-lowering strike.
Three shots and it was taken down!
...