Chapter 126: The Mechanism Master

Xu Feng felt a chill in his heart as he glanced at the two tall figures not far away. This time, death was only seconds away. If he had taken seven or eight more steps forward, he would have entered the alert range of the Undead Guardians. Once trapped in the illusion, he would have been killed without a chance to fight back.

“I walked less than ten meters after entering the illusion before I broke free, and it only increased my Spirit Attribute by two points,” Li Jin approached and whispered. “You stayed in the illusion for so long, so your Spirit Attribute must have increased a lot.”

Xu Feng nodded but said nothing. He did not think gaining ten points in Spirit Attribute was anything remarkable, especially since he had nearly died for it.

“Alright, calm yourself first. I’ll go in ahead and wait for you inside,” Li Jin said. After speaking, he entered a stealth state and moved forward cautiously.

When he was about ten meters away from the two Undead Guardians, Li Jin picked up a small stone. With a flick of his right hand, a white light enveloped the stone as it shot toward the left rock wall.

With a sharp crack, the two Undead Guardians instinctively turned their attention toward the source of the sound.

Immediately after, they quickly ran in that direction to investigate.

A white light flashed under Li Jin’s feet as he sprinted toward the gate of the Ancient Castle. As he ran, afterimages trailed behind him.

Finding nothing, the two Undead Guardians turned back and resumed their positions. By then, Li Jin had already disappeared through the Ancient Castle gate.

These two undead creatures were humanoid, nearly three meters tall. They wore bone armor, with their face guards down, obscuring their features. Only two faint, flickering green flames could be seen where their eyes should be.

Bone Spikes, nearly a meter long, extended from the shoulders and elbows of the Undead Guardians, glinting with a metallic coldness. One held a heavy halberd, while the other wielded a large two-handed axe, standing like door gods on either side of the Ancient Castle gate.

Xu Feng had already devised a plan to enter the Ancient Castle along the way. His method was similar to Li Jin’s: first distract the Undead Guardians, then slip inside. However, he lacked a speed skill, so it would take him longer.

Xu Feng retrieved a Gold Quality long whip from his Storage Ring and began the Sacrificial Art.

The whip was entirely made of bone, resembling a spine with interlocking segments. When swung, it produced a creaking sound like grinding bones.

The long whip was an uncommon weapon, rarely used by anyone. Moreover, this whip required a melee class to wield but increased magical damage, making it even less desirable. It had become a useless item, perfect for offering.

As he performed the Sacrificial Art, the Gold Quality long whip in his hand transformed into a golden light and vanished.

Shortly after, a translucent screen appeared before Xu Feng, listing all the creatures interested in the weapon and responding to the call of the Sacrificial Art.

Next, Xu Feng needed to select one from the list and use the Summoning Art to bring it to his side, tasking it with luring away the two Three-Star Elite monsters.

“One Star, One Star, Two Stars, Three-Star, Three-Star Peak…” Xu Feng scanned the interface and couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile.

The Sacrificial Art was too random. Last time, using just a Black Iron Grade weapon, he had summoned a Four-Star being. But this time, with a Gold Grade weapon, the highest response was only from creatures with Three-Star Peak strength.

Xu Feng needed a being capable of withstanding the attacks of two Three-Star Elite monsters long enough to draw them away, which required holding out for at least twenty seconds. Even a Three-Star Peak existence would struggle to accomplish that.

“A Three-Star Peak would probably be sliced to pieces by the two Undead Guardians in an instant,” Xu Feng thought with a rueful smile.

Just as Xu Feng was about to end this Sacrificial Art, a creature with Six-Star Strength suddenly appeared on the interface list, responding to the call.

“Huh, a Mechanism Master?” Xu Feng read the description of this creature, and his eyes lit up.

There were only five seconds left for the Sacrificial Art. Without hesitation, Xu Feng selected the Six-Star Mechanism Master and cast the Summoning Art.

A Light Gate appeared beside Xu Feng, and a creature with pointed ears, less than half a meter tall, stepped out.

“H-hello, thank you for coming to help me,” Xu Feng said, bowing slightly.

Although he had once been a Six-Star being himself, Xu Feng was now only Three-Star. Showing proper respect to a Six-Star was necessary.

“Hello, I am Gehil, of the Earth Spirit Tribe,” the dwarf said with a smile. “A new planet, oh, it seems to be facing an invasion…”

“Yes, my Home Planet has just entered the greater universe and is currently being invaded by other planets. I hope to receive your assistance,” Xu Feng replied.

“Ah, the Earth Spirit Tribe only follows the Sacred cosmic trade laws. I wonder what I must offer this time?” Gehil asked with a laugh.

In Earth terms, the so-called cosmic trade laws meant you get what you pay for—effort must match the reward.

Xu Feng sighed inwardly. While many peace-loving aliens didn’t mind offering extra help to invaded planets’ Chosen Ones, more, like Gehil, were only willing to work within the bounds of their payment.

“Eliminate those two Three-Star Elite monsters at the gate, and the trade will be complete,” Xu Feng said, pointing at the Undead Guards by the Ancient Castle entrance.

If he had summoned a being with Three-Star Elite or ordinary Four-Star Strength, Xu Feng would have only asked it to lure the two undead creatures away for twenty seconds. But since the summon was a Six-Star Mechanism Master, defeating two Three-Star Elites should be simple. Since it had responded to the call, the low-tier Gold Quality long whip might hold special value for it.

“Hmm, two Three-Star Elite undead creatures,” Gehil pondered for a moment. “Alright, but you must give me that Gold weapon in advance. Also, any materials dropped by these two undead beings belong to me.”

The item Xu Feng sacrificed did not go directly into the hands of the trading partner but was held by a third party, akin to a contract deity. The item would only be transferred upon completion of the trade.

Xu Feng hesitated. If he gave the sacrificed item in advance, there was a risk the other party might take it and not fulfill their end.

But considering the other was a Six-Star being, Xu Feng ultimately nodded in agreement.

For a creature of Six-Star Strength, eliminating two Three-Star Elites should be an easy task. It was unlikely they would do something so dishonorable… right?

“Very well.”

Seeing Xu Feng agree, Gehil nodded, reached into the void, and pulled out the Gold Quality long whip.

Gehil carefully examined every inch of the whip, scrutinizing its materials.

After a long while, Gehil let out a deep breath and said, “It really is quite suitable.”