Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 265 Devouring the Energy Core
Gula was welcomed into the Tang Clan branch office. As they entered the building, they saw a young man dressed in a black outfit with an exquisite Tang Clan emblem embroidered on his chest.

"Shrek friends, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." The young man clasped his hands in a salute, but his eyes were sharp as knives. "Yang Ming, the outer sect steward of the Tang Sect, is here to receive you on orders."

Gula noticed that he was wearing a uniquely shaped ring on his right index finger, which gleamed faintly with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.

"Deacon Yang, you're too kind." Gula returned the greeting with a grin, seemingly without much respect. "We're afraid we're causing trouble for the Tang Clan. Let's get started."

Yang Ming's eye twitched.

He roughly knew the background of this team—Yun Ming's personal disciple, a mysterious Abyss Martial Soul, a genius from the Spirit Pagoda... They had been specifically instructed to "treat them well."

"Please follow me." Yang Ming turned and led the way, maintaining a semblance of politeness.

Xu Xiaoyan, who was walking behind, quietly tugged at Gula's sleeve: "Brother Gu, how are we going to fight later?"

"Leave it to me." Bai Yuan suddenly interjected, his abyss-like pupils slightly contracting as he licked his lips. "I wonder if they can use soul tools."

He's never used a soul tool before.

Gu Yue gave a soft hum, a flash of silver light passing through her fingertips. Na'er's hands were on her waist, and she and Gu Yue stood on either side of Gula, leaving Wu Siduo confused about their relationship.

"Relax." Gula transmitted his soul power to the whole team, "They're going to give us a hard time later, so we should return the favor."

After navigating the winding stairwells, the view suddenly opened up before them.

An ancient training platform came into view, with the words "Tang Clan" written in bold, vigorous strokes. Standing beneath the archway were more than twenty disciples dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with a middle-aged man with white hair and beard at the very front.

"Li Han, the branch manager of the Tang Clan."

Li Han's voice boomed like a bell, his eyes gleaming with a sharp, piercing light: "Do you need time to prepare?"

“No need.” Gula ignored Li Han’s gaze. “Let’s get started. We’re in a hurry.”

"it is good."

Zhao Hansong raised his hand, and six people stepped forward, releasing their mechs from their soul tools. Of course, even the wealthy Tang Sect couldn't equip every disciple with a soul tool to store their mechs; this was part of their show of force.

The four- or five-meter-tall yellow-level mechs lined up in a row, their imposing presence quite intimidating.

"boom--"

Six Yellow-grade mechs activated simultaneously, their soul-guided cores emitting a deep hum. The metal joints clicked crisply as they rubbed together, their four-to-five-meter-tall steel bodies gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Each mech bore the distinctive cloud-patterned emblem of the Tang Sect engraved on its chest, signifying its authentic lineage.

"Yellow-level mechs are the training equipment for my Tang Sect disciples." Li Han stood with his hands behind his back, first preparing his escape route. Even if he failed, it wouldn't mean anything, after all, they were only using training mechs.

"Each one is equivalent to a five-ring Soul King, equipped with the latest Soul Guidance Cannon and melee weapon system."

"You can use the official mechs."

Gula squinted. He had been practicing at the Mech Association intermittently during the semester, and he could tell at a glance that the six mechs were roughly the configuration.

Li Han wasn't telling the truth. Tang Sect's missions were often quite dangerous, and even their training mechs were equipped with advanced weapons and control systems. He quickly scanned the positions of the six mechs. Three in front and three behind, forming a semi-encirclement. A standard mech squad battle formation, capable of mutual cover and quick shifts between offense and defense.

"Xiao Yan, protect yourself," Gula whispered, making a gesture behind his back with his right hand.

Xu Xiaoyan nodded slightly, a faint blue light appearing in her eyes. The Ice Staff Martial Soul emitted a chilling aura, and a circle of frost spread across the ground.

"Begin!" Ignoring Gula, Li Han suddenly shouted once both sides were ready.

The three foremost mechs simultaneously raised their right arms, their soul-guided cannons gleaming with blinding white light. Soul energy surged violently in the air as three beams of light shot towards the Shrek Seven Devils in a triangular formation.

"Disperse!"

At Gula's command, the six scattered in different directions like fireworks. Almost simultaneously, a charred crater three meters in diameter was blasted into the ground where they had been standing.

As Bai Yuan dodged, a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes. His pupils turned a deep black, like two bottomless abysses.

"Finally, I can taste the soul tool." He licked his lips, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"Bai Yuan, the left wing unit is yours!" Gula adjusted his posture in mid-air and gave the order at the same time, "Everyone else, proceed as usual!"

"Understood." A dangerous smile appeared on Bai Yuan's lips. His body suddenly transformed into a black shadow, rushing toward the mecha that was charging on the left at incredible speed.

The pilot of the mech was clearly caught off guard by someone daring to get close, and hastily switched to melee mode. A two-meter-long soul-guided vibration blade shot out from the mech's right arm, sweeping towards Bai Yuan with a piercing buzz.

"Too slow." Bai Yuan sneered, his body twisting strangely as he almost brushed past the blade. His right hand suddenly swelled and deformed, transforming into a giant claw covered in black mist, which slammed into the mecha's chest.

"Giant Maw of the Abyss—Devour!"

With Bai Yuan's low shout, a ferocious "mouth" suddenly split open in his palm, revealing layers upon layers of sharp teeth. The "mouth" fiercely bit into the soul guidance core on the mecha's chest, emitting a sickening metallic twisting sound.

The mech pilot was horrified to discover that the energy readings on the instrument panel were dropping at an alarming rate. The blue light emanating from the soul core dimmed rapidly, as if it were being sucked away by something.

"He's absorbing the mech's soul power reserves... what kind of martial soul is this?!"

The pilot frantically pushed the control stick, trying to shake off the terrifying black claw. But it was too late—as the last bit of energy was drained, the light in the mech's eyes went out completely, turning it into a pile of immobile scrap metal.

Bai Yuan withdrew his right hand with satisfaction, and the terrifying "mouth" slowly closed and finally disappeared.

He licked his lips, a satisfied glint in his eyes, and the massive black maw on his shoulder swayed merrily: "It tastes good, but the metallic flavor is too strong."

This scene caused the Tang Sect disciples watching to gasp in astonishment. Yang Ming clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white: "It can actually directly absorb soul guidance energy, enough to sustain a mech in high-intensity combat for half an hour, and it's all drained in less than ten seconds. What kind of monster is this?"

At the same time, Gu Yue had already silently approached another mech. Her fingertips shimmered with silver light, and with each step she took, faint silver ripples appeared beneath her feet.

"Spatial confinement," she murmured, pushing her right hand forward.

The mech that was aiming suddenly froze, as if bound by an invisible force. The pilot was horrified to discover that all control systems had lost response, and the mech was frozen inside a giant piece of amber.

(End of this chapter)