I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Look, He’s Showing Off Again!

It was just a glance in the crowd.

But that was all Zhang Yangqing needed to find his target for this encounter.

Sometimes, a single glance can speak volumes.

Just as the beastman warrior brothers were trembling with fear, the Mechanical God before them had vanished.

This made them even more panicked. Could it be that the Mechanical God had run away?

If even the Mechanical God ran, what chance did they have of surviving?
God, you just put on such an impressive show, and then you leave right after?
The next second, a mechanical being with a powerful aura appeared in front of the twenty-meter-tall colossal figure.

The dark, heavy metal texture of his body exuded a unique presence, making one’s breath feel heavy.

The golden patterns on his mechanical frame highlighted his extraordinary nature.

The hum emanating from his power core was intensely oppressive.

It was like the engine of an emperor starting up, shaking all subjects in every direction!

No matter how powerful the elite half-beast warriors nearby were, no matter how terrifying the black bear was.

The moment he appeared, he became the master of heaven and earth!
As the overlord of this region, the black bear saw this mechanical being, less than two meters tall, swaggering right in front of him.

Not only was he being challenged, but the challenger was also this… good-looking?

This was unbearable!
The black bear flew into a rage, took a step forward, shaking the ground.

A roar filled with shocking force made heaven and earth tremble!

With a sweep of its paw, it seemed intent on smashing this insolent intruder to pieces.

The bear’s paw moved with astonishing speed, whipping up a howling gale.

Immense energy filled the space between heaven and earth.

It caused many nearby half-beasts to scatter, afraid of being caught in the shockwave.

Seeing that his blow was about to land on this mechanical body, the black bear felt a sense of triumph.

You can’t dodge; you’re doomed.

He would make this insolent mechanical being understand what true bear strength is!
But the next moment, its body felt as if it had been struck by a tremendous force, losing its balance.

Its massive frame was thrown aside by this mechanical being less than two meters tall.

BOOM!
A thunderous crash echoed through the primeval forest.

For a moment, the earth cracked, and mud splattered everywhere.

All the half-beast warriors were dumbfounded, as if witnessing an unbelievable scene.

Everyone felt the black bear’s strength should surpass the mechanical being’s. How could it be thrown by the mechanical being?

Many elite half-beast warriors rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.

In this place where pure strength ruled, such an absurd thing shouldn’t happen.

However, most viewers in the Dragon Nation recognized it: this was using minimal force to deflect a much greater force.

But recognizing it was one thing; they couldn’t do it themselves.

Not to mention ordinary people, even superhumans couldn’t perform such a move with such precision and natural ease.

Su Muyu sighed in admiration; that move was master-level force redirection.

No wonder his master had only taught him for three days back then before stopping his basic training.

So he had already reached this level.

What happened next left the natives even more stunned.

The twenty-meter-tall behemoth was being tossed around by this mechanical being like a sandbag.

Before long, over a dozen huge craters dotted the area.

This scene directly terrified the elite warriors of the half-beast tribes.

They didn’t dare intervene; they just stood there watching.

If Zhang Yangqing had attacked anyone else, they might have helped.

But now, the overlord of this region was being played with like a toy; they were scared too.

The beastman warrior brothers quickly climbed a tree, afraid of being hit by flying debris.

The scene before them shattered their worldview.

The invincible black bear was being toyed with by the Mechanical God like this?
Initially, when they called Zhang Yangqing the Mechanical God or Divine One, it was just flattery.

In their hearts, they didn’t truly believe he was a god.

It was just necessary for survival at that time.

But now, what else could he be if not a god?
The brothers even suspected that this Mechanical God wasn’t even using his full strength.

Actually, they didn’t need to suspect that.

“No wonder the Divine One dared to come here alone. I thought it was a raid, but it turns out he’s just slaughtering everything.”

The older beastman warrior seemed a bit smarter; he had realized something.

At first, he thought this Mechanical God was just planning a surprise attack, with fewer people to avoid attention.

With the Mechanical God’s great skills, sneaking in to get some Queen Bee Crystal shouldn’t be a problem.

After all, that thing was the ultimate treasure in the half-beast region.

It was also the black bear’s favorite thing. Rumor had it that the black bear became so powerful because it obtained the Queen Bee Crystal.

The Green Skins had calculated the time; the Queen Bee Crystal was about to appear, so they came to seize it.

“If the Divine One flipped the ground upside down right now, I wouldn’t find it strange!”

The younger beastman brother’s heart was stirred by what he saw.

When he witnessed what truly irresistible power was, he felt worship.

Before, they could say they had no choice, but now their respect for the Mechanical God grew immensely.

But even if they were becoming more perceptive, they were still just average in Zhang Yangqing’s eyes.

It wasn’t that they weren’t good enough; it was that the previous follower was too outstanding, making them seem lacking.

Because the previous follower, after seeing Zhang Yangqing take action, would just stand still, unmoving.

That was absolute trust in the boss—no need to dodge, no need to hide.

While the natives were discussing among themselves, the black bear had already given up resisting.

At first, after being thrown once, it wasn’t convinced.

Now, after being thrown fourteen times, it was convinced!
If it remained unconvinced, it felt its bones would shatter.

Because the mechanical being’s strength seemed to increase with each throw, dazing it with the impacts.

Since becoming the overlord of this region, this was the first time the black bear had been so humiliated.

It started to doubt its bear life.

Weren’t mechanical beings supposed to be dumb, standing still and shooting? How was this one so ridiculously strong?

Why was it so powerful? The black bear couldn’t figure it out.

And didn’t want to think about it.

It had one big question.

With so many people here, why are you only hitting me?
What did I do to offend you, boss?
Was it just because I looked at you? Was that worth a beating?
You could have at least said something before hitting me!
What people fear most are these ferocious giant beasts because they are unreasonable.

But ferocious giant beasts also fear a certain type of person—the kind who hits you without saying a word, leaving you wondering why you’re being beaten.

When the black bear saw this powerful mechanical being approach, its bear backside scooted backward until it hit a large tree, then stopped.

You could see how scared it was now.

Especially that emperor-like engine hum, which sounded like a death knell.

“Relax, I can’t be bothered to kill you. I just happen to need a means of transportation.”

Zhang Yangqing looked the black bear over and spoke.

He was also telling it: The reason I can’t be bothered to kill you is that you’re still somewhat useful to me.

Don’t be ungrateful!

The black bear naturally understood human speech. Hearing this, its trembling bear body relaxed with a sigh of relief.

So this big boss wants me as a mount? That’s simple.

As long as you don’t kill me, you can treat me like a dog!

After hearing this, the black bear lay down on the ground, showing submission.

Actually, this black bear was quite lucky.

Because the rules stated that only killing elite half-beast warriors gave contribution points; killing the black bear did not.

If it had been worth even a single contribution point, the black bear wouldn’t have survived until now.

Next, Zhang Yangqing’s actions made everyone’s scalps tingle.

Whether commanding people or boss-level creatures here, Zhang Yangqing maximized the utility of other species.

Just as other challengers should run when they see elite half-beast troops.

The elite half-beast troops actually had a chance to survive when they saw Zhang Yangqing take action.

At this point, Zhang Yangqing summoned his weapon, the Ink Dragon Flying Sword, and gripped it with one mechanical arm.

Then, he detached that mechanical arm from his body.

He had the black bear hold his mechanical arm and go kill the nearby elite half-beast warriors.

This way, when the black bear killed other elite warriors, his goggles would record it, counting as his kills.

These elite half-beast warriors might look intimidating, but they were no match for the region’s strongest black bear.

The black bear, already furious from being beaten by Zhang Yangqing, now vented all its anger.

It grabbed the lower body of an elite Minotaur warrior with one paw and used the sword on the mechanical arm to chop off the bull’s head.

Not satisfied, the black bear chopped a few more times, cutting the elite Minotaur warrior into steak pieces.

Zhang Yangqing had taken laziness to the extreme; if he could avoid doing it himself, he absolutely would.

The ‘hand’ was being used by the black bear.

It made the audience feel that this guy basically just ordered the natives around everywhere he went.

So now, the screens showed two extremes.

Other challengers were being chased all over the place by black bears and elite half-beast warriors.

Zhang Yangqing was riding a black bear, chasing elite half-beast warriors around to kill them.

In just a short while, ten elite half-beast warriors had already died; the rest had long since fled.

Zhang Yangqing felt that this black bear was quite smart, at least smarter than those two beastman warriors.

Just by giving it the weapon and a look, it could understand his meaning.

In Zhang Yangqing’s eyes, this was a talent with potential.

While Zhang Yangqing continued to take it easy this round, other challengers were having a tough time.

Somewhere, one squad initiated an attack first. Seeing the black bear appear, the Argentine challenger Ramirez, acting as Lieutenant, quickly led his team away.

In his eyes, that thing wasn’t something they could contend with.

He remembered that the Green Skins’ firepower couldn’t even defeat the beastmen’s guardian beasts.

Ramirez judged that this black bear was probably at a similar level as a guardian beast.

Better to hide. While others attracted its attention, he could capture some weaker half-beasts.

This was the team combat approach. He chose to capture half-beast prisoners, the more the better.

As for the Spanish challenger Braden, who was fighting alone as a regular challenger, his approach required assistance.

This level’s success or failure hinged on the black bear.

There was no helping it; how difficult was it for an ordinary challenger to solo an elite half-beast warrior?

They might even get themselves killed.

At this stage, setting traps required a lot of time, and surprise attacks were very risky.

Without heavy firepower coverage, it was impossible to kill an elite half-beast warrior.

So Braden’s strategy was to wait for an opportunity to strike.

As the fiercest existence in the half-beast region, the black bear was top-tier in speed, strength, and defense.

The sound of its roar could make birds and beasts scatter in all directions.

Its twenty-meter-tall massive body, when standing up, seemed able to block out the sun.

Calling it a small mountain wasn’t an exaggeration.

Its deterrence was enough to make the hero-level figures of the nearby half-beast tribes step aside.

Enough to proclaim its dominance over this region.

In the setting of the Strange Tale world, it was a ‘theoretically’ undefeatable existence.

This included ordinary challengers and elite half-beast warriors.

In other words, even if an ordinary person maxed out the rewards obtainable this time, reaching over a hundred in all attributes, they would still be far inferior to the black bear.

The black bear’s stats at this time were around two hundred.

Without relying on weapons, traps, or techniques, a challenger relying solely on brute force certainly couldn’t defeat it.

Just like the guardian beasts in the first level, those two fierce wolf beasts were theoretically indestructible.

This was what Braden observed from a high vantage point afar.

The elite half-beast warriors were also strong, but much weaker than the black bear.

And in this Strange Tale world, the Green Skins had maxed out their hatred level.

In fact, many half-beast tribes here had conflicts with each other. But when a conflicting group encounters a common enemy, they will unite to fight that enemy first.

The Green Skins were undoubtedly the race that could trigger this.

When the Green Skins’ mechanical legions appeared, these half-beast tribes and the beastmen here would be drawn to them.

The situations other challengers found themselves in with their squads… well, they overthought it. They weren’t specifically used as bait. It was just that whichever of the five team captains attacked first would inevitably be surrounded.

That’s why Rule 2 said not to believe the Captain.

Any command he gave was the beginning of a wipeout.

At that time, the other teams could go attack the half-beast settlements, plunder resources, and take prisoners.

Because the Green Skins’ mechanical legions had about three hundred mechanical guards with extremely strong defenses, the elite half-beast warriors couldn’t kill them all immediately.

But after finishing them off? Without a common target, these elite half-beast warriors and the black bear would erupt into major conflicts.

The reason the Strange Tale world gave challengers the option to kill elite half-beast warriors was to make them observe carefully.

There would definitely be opportunities to take down the elite warriors.

During the siege of the mechanical legion, these elite half-beast warriors would get injured, clash with each other, and eventually start fighting among themselves.

At that point, the challenger needed to track an injured, fleeing elite half-beast warrior.

Using their own abilities and weapons to deliver a fatal blow would mean passing this level.

And the reason the Strange Tale world gave challengers mechanical bodies was precisely to give them sufficient combat power.

Braden specifically picked easy targets. After the chaotic battle on-site, he followed a stag-headed man who had lost a horn.

In this level, there were still two potential conditions for supernatural manifestation: challengers needed to constantly watch if a full moon appeared in the sky and avoid feline creatures.

Braden followed for a long time without attacking. He could see the elite Stag-head warrior was still very vigilant.

He waited until the elite Stag-head warrior paused to rest and let its guard down.

Braden saw his chance. He leaped down from high in the treetops.

The heavy cannon on his back had been charging up in advance.

BOOM!
He delivered a stroke of heavenly justice from above.

The elite Stag-head warrior only felt a dazzling white light flash above its head.

Its injured body was pierced by two beams of light.

Then an explosion followed, and the elite Stag-head warrior’s body began to break apart.

Here, Braden intelligence showed. He didn’t stop to look at his ‘achievement’; instead, he used his mechanical body’s agility to land steadily on a pre-determined branch on another tree.

Then he kicked off again, leaving the area.

The explosion could attract other elite half-beast warriors.

Leaving early was absolutely the best choice.

However, achieving his first kill of such a powerful elite half-beast warrior, Braden felt a bit smug.

After all, in the Strange Tale world, except for superhumans, other challengers were usually the ones being chased around.

A glorious achievement like his would be quite impressive back home, right?

He wondered if the folks back home saw his brilliant performance.

Thinking this, he even struck a few cool poses.

But he wasn’t the only one who could do this; among the challengers, there were some quite extraordinary professional experts.

If he could think of it, many other challengers could too.

Everyone’s performances had their own merits.

Apart from the Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master’s explosive performance, the Argentine challenger Ramirez’s performance also received widespread praise.

Because he obtained command authority and didn’t need to fight personally; he could direct the mechanical guards in battle.

The feeling of commanding a mechanical legion made many viewers yearn for it.

Moreover, the difficulty for Ramirez this round wasn’t high. After capturing enough half-beast prisoners, Ramirez had fifty-plus mechanical guards escort the prisoners away. He himself led over two hundred mechanical guards to search for this level’s ultimate treasure.

Ramirez guessed correctly that Rule 3 and Rule 6, concerning the full moon and feline creatures, might be related to the Queen Bee’s vicinity.

It had to be said, with the enhancement of the mechanical bodies, the challengers’ courage gradually grew.

In other Strange Tale worlds, except for superhumans, no one would even think of looking for special rewards.

All fear stems from insufficient firepower.

And on the Dragon Nation’s screen, Zhang Yangqing returned riding the colossal beast.

Although the black bear was imposing, before Zhang Yangqing, it was obedient and docile.

Even when walking, it was careful, afraid that jostling might displease the big boss on its back.

It could be said that in its role as a ‘mount,’ it performed quite well.

Like the snake-pupiled follower, the black bear also tried its best to please Zhang Yangqing.

This slightly satisfied Zhang Yangqing.

Many viewers were moved by this scene. The Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master truly was an absolutely supreme existence wherever he went!

Inside the Strange Tale world, seeing Zhang Yangqing return victorious, riding the bear after a great slaughter.

The two beastman brothers excitedly jumped down from the tree and enthusiastically went to greet him.

“Divine One, you actually won! That’s simply amazing! You are the strongest person I’ve ever seen, bar none!”

“Huh? Divine One, why do you look unhappy? You’ve made the entire half-beast tribes tremble in fear just by your name!”

Hearing this, Zhang Yangqing’s mechanical face showed an expression of confusion unique to handsome guys, and he replied, “Me winning is normal, isn’t it? What’s there to be happy about?”

Both the beastman brothers and the audience outside were left speechless.

Su Muyu sighed, thinking to himself: You two asked for it. Look, he’s showing off again!