My health recovery is incredibly fast.

"I'm not sure if he's dead or if he escaped the battlefield using some kind of elemental magic."

"After that, my life will change drastically. The Demon Hunter School, the Inquisition, and the arcane mages will come one after another. I am exhausted from dealing with the constant interrogations and have no choice but to escape from it all. I changed my identity and live in other parts of the Western Continent."

"Is this the ending you wanted?" Little Golden Bauhinia asked.

"You are not alone. You have other ties: your lover, your companions, your colleagues in the pure-blood mage faction... They will all be affected by your actions to some extent. Are you sure you want to take this step and fight the faceless ones? Even if you will be very lonely in the future."

“Anru will come with me.” Xia Zuo’s lips curled into a smile:

"She's made up her mind to change her life and start a new one with me. The reason I've been staying at the academy lately is to do the final cleanup work. To ensure that Beatrice and the others' lives won't be severely disrupted after the sudden disappearance of the bloodline connection."

"What about the pseudo-blood mage legion?" Little Golden Thorn asked. "Will their bloodline marks disappear once you disappear?"

“No.” Xia Zuo shook his head. “I have already placed Rexor’s bloodline authority into a separate magical clone sealed underground. As long as that clone lives, Rexor will retain the abilities of a pseudo-blood mage, and the pseudo-blood mages associated with him will not be affected.”

"It seems you've made up your mind and are determined to leave the temple's sight."

“Yes.” Xia Zuo let out a long sigh of relief. “I long for a life of anonymity and freedom, to restrain myself with my own morality and principles, instead of being controlled by the Temple or other organizations, and to have my loved one by my side. As long as no one comes to disrupt this life, I can continue to live like this forever.”

"Then what should I do?" Little Golden Vitex asked, tilting her "head" back.

Xia Zuo thought for a moment and replied, "As for you... I would probably put it with Christor or Headmistress Beatrice."

The reason for not taking the little golden thorn flower with me is simple: it and its kind clearly have intricate connections with the temple, and carrying it around would be like carrying a time bomb.

"No, no!" The little golden chaste tree shook its buds violently.

It clapped its hands and said:

"Let's make a deal."

"We'll help you transport heavy weapons, erase all traces of the battle, and keep all your secrets. All you have to do is take me with you."

"If you manage things properly, you might be able to retain your current temple identity. As for whether you use your main body or a magical clone to continue playing your current temple role, that's up to you. I can accept using a magical clone to carry me around like this."

"Anyway, you have to take me with you. You promised Selena you'd take good care of me, how can you go back on your word halfway through?"

Little Golden Bauhinia's voice, though still young, was incredibly resolute.

Xia Zuo touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, "Uh... let me think about it some more."

The little golden jujube flower, holding its bud, said:

"This is a proposal that is beneficial to both of us. Do you remember the sacred oath I mentioned to you before?"

“Of course.” Xia Zuo nodded.

"Let me tell you about the contents of this sacred oath. I'm sure you won't refuse after you hear it..."

Chapter 37 Engine Roar

Nearly half a month has passed since several disappearances occurred overnight in the Starry Night Kingdom.

With the one-month deadline agreed upon by Xia Zuo and the Faceless Man fast approaching, only 7 days remain.

In the southern part of the Wild Hammer Kingdom, on a desert scorched by the sun and high temperatures, the air is filled with the scorching smell of burnt earth.

Breathing in the air here is as dangerous as kissing a flame.

The southern border of the Wild Hammer Kingdom is divided according to water resources.

The kingdom's territory extends north of the southernmost river, while the area south of the river's end is excluded from its borders as there are no readily available river resources.

Fifty kilometers south of the border, in an absolutely desolate place devoid of any human activity, a large group of blood-element servants draped in reflective alchemical cloth are inspecting a newly built heavy weapons launch platform under the command of flesh-and-blood clones.

To ensure that the heavy weapons could operate normally in the hot environment, Xia Zuo spent more time modifying the core components with [Blood Dissolves Iron] to ensure that every firing process could operate normally with an abundant supply of life force.

After using the [Space-Time Phase Simulator] to simulate the consequences of accepting the Golden Vitex's proposal, Xia Zuo finally decided to accept the sacred oath proposed by the Golden Vitex clan and form an alliance with them to help him transport heavy weapons.

The oath-taking process was unremarkable, with no ceremony and no witnesses.

Xia Zuo and Xiao Jin Jing Hua, like playing house, recited their vows face to face, swearing by their own names.

This seemingly hasty oath is incredibly powerful.

After forming an alliance with the Golden Bauhinia tribe, Xia Zuo was surprised to discover a strange phenomenon in the [Spacetime Phase Simulator]:

Regardless of what plans he makes before deducing the future, "Xia Zuo" in the future timeline will inevitably carry the Little Golden Thorn Flower!

When Xia Zuo asked Xiao Jinjinghua about this phenomenon, she just chuckled smugly and didn't reveal any more information.

Thus, the oath was formally established.

The Golden Vitex clan assisted Xia Zuo in eliminating future troubles.

In return, Xia Zuo will have to use magical clones to carry Little Golden Vitex from now on. If he has the opportunity to travel to other planets in the future, he must also take Little Golden Vitex with him, as it is the seed of their clan left behind by Xia Zuo.

The Golden Vitex tribe's method of transporting heavy weapons across the ocean was simpler than Xia Zuo had anticipated.

They sent a group of plants with round, bead-like fruits to Xia Zuo, who then stuffed an alchemical pouch containing heavy weapons into the hollow fruits.

This plant, with its large fruit and juicy, delicious flesh, was sent to the Botanical Research Institute of the Eastern Continent for cultivation to study the feasibility of artificial cultivation.

Xia Zuo's flesh and blood clone waited for a short while near the Botanical Research Institute, and several brownish-gray tree roots emerged from the soil, handing the fruits containing alchemy pouches to the clone.

A total of 60 brand-new heavy weapons and a full 500 cubic meters of full-power ammunition were brought to the Eastern Continent by the Golden Thorn Clan without a single item being lost. This directly increased Xia Zuo's chances of winning the battle by 5%, making it well worth the money.

Within 1 kilometer south of the southern border of the Wild Hammer Kingdom, in the area numbered 899 to 903.

A fleet of drilling vehicles carrying drill bits is moving slowly.

One of the drilling vehicles broke away from the group, stopped on the border, drilled a hole in place, and hid underground.

The remaining drilling vehicles continued north, heading straight for the area directly above the Faceless Man's underground base.

Today is the best time to fight the Faceless Men, a conclusion Xia Zuo reached after repeated deductions.

The Faceless Man's base is located about 500 meters underground. The route from the surface to the underground cave complex is entirely composed of hard rock and bizarre protective magic arrays.

In the timeline from [Future.36] to [Future.318], "Xia Zuo" dispatched a team of Blood Element servants to infiltrate the underground. After countless failures, they summarized the entire underground defense system structure.

An incredibly detailed map of the protective magic array was already imprinted in Xia Zuo's mind and distributed to the flesh and blood clones responsible for the underground drilling work.

After the drilling convoy arrived at the designated target location, it dispersed, with nine vehicles starting to drill from nine different directions.

Eight relatively small drilling vehicles, equipped with ultra-high-speed alchemy drill bits, are designed for mobility and can drill down at extremely high speeds to create tunnels about one meter wide.

Like groundhogs digging holes, they kicked up clouds of dust and gravel before quickly burrowing underground, their low rumbling accompanied by faint tremors spreading along the border of the Wild Hammer Kingdom.

There's no need to worry that the sound and vibrations from drilling will alert the Faceless Man.

The faceless man is currently in a critical period of deep meditation and it is difficult for him to wake up from his meditation. It is for this reason that Xia Zuo chose to make his move today.

The only thing that could hinder the operation was the underground protective array.

The fast-moving small drilling vehicles are used to destroy the energy nodes of the protective magic array.

After drilling straight down to the designated depth, they immediately turned around and moved horizontally, using their multi-enchanted drills to break through the metal outer wall of the protective magic circle. Amidst the ear-scratching, piercing noise, they struck the core of the magic circle, tearing apart the radiant energy nodes with their rapidly spinning drills.

"Bang...bang...bang..."

A faint sound of nodes exploding came from the dark opening.

The only remaining super-large drilling rig on the ground immediately went into full power.

The alchemy engine roared with a powerful burst of air and a deafening explosion, as dazzling flames shot out of its exhaust pipes, causing the surrounding air temperature to rise dramatically.

The hydraulic transmission rods are powerful, and the eight metal brackets installed around the drilling vehicle are inserted into the ground with a "clanging" sound. More than a dozen metal hooks are launched from the brackets and embedded into the ground, stabilizing the chassis center of gravity of the drilling vehicle from all directions.

The incredibly heavy, all-metal enchanted drill bit is eight meters tall and weighs a staggering 1300 tons, making it impossible to drive or transport using physical means. It can only be propelled by an anti-gravity array mounted on a super-large drilling vehicle.

"Boom! Boom!"

The alchemy engine roared fiercely, like a raging beast.

The anti-gravity array was infused with several times its normal energy, and the giant drill, pulled by the mechanical arm, slowly changed from a lying position to a vertical one.

The metal tank containing the giant drill bit splits in the middle, allowing the vertically downward-pointing giant drill bit to be directly in front of the ground.

"Boom boom boom!"

The alchemy engine trembled violently, overloaded with energy, and spewed flames.

A regular magnetic field appears in the anti-gravity array, attracting the permanent magnets inside the giant drill bit, and the powerful magnetic field makes the giant drill bit spin rapidly.

"Buzzing..." The muffled acceleration sound grew more and more rapid, and the mechanical arm and anti-gravity array gradually became unable to restrain the enormous power of the giant drill.

The flesh-and-blood clone guarding the cab of the super-large drilling vehicle pounded its chest in salute to the boundless desert and roared:

"For Master's victory!!"

The robotic arm instantly detached from the giant drill bit, the alchemy engine exhausted the last bit of energy from the energy storage device, and the anti-gravity array failed at the same time.

The giant drill, now freed from its restraints, made intimate contact with the earth with a fierce and unstoppable momentum.

A large area of ​​ground collapsed due to the impact of the giant drill bit. The super-large drilling vehicle was instantly swept into the tunnel by the airflow stirred up by the giant drill bit. Anything that came into direct contact with the giant drill bit was turned into dust in just 0.1 seconds.

On a heavy weapon launch platform 50 kilometers away, the flesh-and-blood clone stood in a makeshift command post, shouting to the blood-element servants guarding the control panel:

"For the master's victory! Launch! Launch! Launch all according to the preset sequence!"

The silent, blood-elemental servants executed their master's plans with precision.

Several long, thin blood vessels extended from their spherical bodies, and they pressed the launch button on the control panel in turn.

The first to depart was the Alchemy Missile, which had a slower initial flight speed and needed more time to climb to a high altitude and accumulate potential energy.

They slowly rose from their silos, trailing golden-white flames as they flew into the clear blue sky, quickly becoming tiny white dots against the backdrop of the blue sky.

Next to set off was the alchemical catapult, flying in a parabolic trajectory. The heavy boulder, equipped with a blood element servant guidance module, was launched with the help of an energy accumulator woven from resilient blood threads.

These boulders are no ordinary rocks.

They integrate an omnidirectional jet accelerator that can stabilize flight attitude and further increase flight speed.

Amidst crackling sparks, the heavy boulder rapidly adjusted its flight attitude and landing point, then unleashed all its power, transforming into a fiery meteor that hurtled straight towards the vertical tunnel drilled out by the giant drill bit.

The alchemical flying saucer set off after the heavy boulder, but arrived at the entrance to the tunnel first.

These tiny creatures, no bigger than a football, resembling buzzing mosquitoes, are extremely annoying to opponents.

Their shells are highly elastic, allowing them to bounce continuously in narrow, enclosed spaces, spraying various forms of energy that adhere to the surfaces of objects along the way, eroding everything in their path, and finally, when their energy is exhausted, they explode in a spectacular display of fireworks.

After being modified by "Blood Dissolves Iron," the corrosive energy sprayed by the alchemical flying saucer has become an even more insidious and vicious poison. More than a dozen deadly and maiming poisons are enough to destroy all the elemental servants in the Faceless Man's underground base.