A Preposterous Divide

After the light faded, an incomparably magnificent Vermilion Bird Profound Armor appeared before everyone. The surface of the Profound Armor shone brightly, as clear as a ruby, reflecting images. Although there were no flames burning, it gave people a sense of movement, and just looking at it made people feel that the surrounding temperature was rising.

Ying Zhou looked away, curled his lip, and said, "So it's the Vermilion Bird Profound Armor. Didn't you wear it before?"

"Wrong, this is 'Four Gods Summoning Souls? True? Vermilion Bird Profound Armor'!" Si Ming corrected him earnestly.

Compared to the previous Vermilion Bird Profound Armor, the Profound Armor Si Ming is wearing now has several modifications. The most noticeable one is the addition of a round shield on his left arm. Although it is not large, with a diameter of only thirty centimeters, it can be deployed as an energy defense barrier by injecting True Qi.

The right arm armor features a super alloy claw that normally retracts into the shape of a bracelet. When activated, it automatically slips onto the user's right hand fingers and has a high-frequency vibration function that can tear through armor.

The original shoulder-mounted energy cannons were removed, but the long-range firepower was not weakened. Instead, they were replaced with floating cannons, which were four precious jades floating behind the Profound Armor. The four characters "Dragon", "Tiger", "Sparrow" and "Martial" were written on the jades respectively, and they slowly rotated in a circular trajectory. Even laymen could feel the powerful spiritual fluctuations emanating from these four precious jades, and those with weak wills could not even speak.

These four precious jades are magical Law Treasure of the Technique Method type. The designer considered that the power of the Eternal Barrier has weakened, and everyone can use Technique Method. Pure energy weapons are not as flexible and versatile as Technique Method. After all, energy weapons can only be fired according to a set program, while Technique Method can be changed according to the user's wishes. In a sense, it was also tailor-made for Si Ming, who is proficient in both magic and martial arts.

Aside from these three most obvious changes, the rest are just minor adjustments, such as making the original angular armor more rounded so it is less prone to damage, and the wings made of individual sword blades can be tucked into the back.

All these changes were thanks to Si Ming secretly sending the Nation of Valor Profound Armor back to China. Researchers from the Profound Armor Department of the Mohist Academy of Science analyzed it, absorbed its essence, and thus improved the Vermilion Bird Machine.

Si Ming activated the Si Clan's Divine Arts, gathering water essence to condense into a mirror. He posed in front of the mirror several times, admiring the Vermilion Bird Profound Armor from different angles, and finally sighed, "Indeed, the protagonist must have a successor; a protagonist whose body cannot be strengthened is just trash."

The only downside is the lack of a female passenger in the front seat responsible for boob jiggling, which is a slight disappointment.

However, Si Ming also knew that he was using a transformation armor, which was fundamentally different from robots like Gundam and Zaku. The combat relied on the pilot's own abilities, not the robot's. In the context of Super Robot Wars, it would be like the treatment of Tekkaman, meaning there would be no co-pilot.

"No! Even without a co-pilot, we can use an electronic spirit. After all, I'm a magic user, so having a spirit partner is perfectly reasonable. Ideally, it would be a miniature, beautiful version. It seems this Profound Armor still has room for improvement. I need to find an opportunity to submit this suggestion and hope that the Mohist Academy of Science can find a way to create electronic spirits."

Xia Guanxue couldn't help but say, "It takes so long to get dressed, and you can't move during the process. If this happens in battle, the enemy will have already used their ultimate moves."

Si Ming scoffed at this. "Foolish idea! You're invincible during your transformation!"

Ying Zhou urged, "Didn't you say you were going to save someone? If you don't hurry, the Thunder King will be captured by the Demon Race."

"Hmph, I can hear the deep envy, jealousy, and hatred in your tone. Hahaha, go ahead and be jealous! Beautiful women are only for the strong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wings of the Vermilion Bird Profound Armor suddenly unfolded, and a red cloud spread out. Si Ming soared into the air, his speed increasing rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was no longer visible, transforming into a flying rainbow and disappearing into the horizon.

Murong Wu looked in the direction where Si Ming had disappeared and said helplessly, "They actually called Profound Armor a 'beauty'? I really don't understand the connection between the two. Brother Si Ming is usually very mature and reliable, but he becomes particularly childish when it comes to certain things. What do you guys think?"

"... I really want one."

Since the person was no longer there, Ying Zhou no longer concealed his envy, saying, "Those captivating lines, that delicate texture, that heroic bearing, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside—she was simply a stunning beauty who could topple kingdoms."

Murong Wu glanced sideways and said, "Brother Ying Zhou, why are you also..."

Xia Guanxue recalled, "Si Ming is wearing an experimental model, the only one of its kind in the world, custom-made for him by the Mohist Academy of Science. However, the original Vermilion Bird Profound Armor is said to have already entered mass production. Although considering the cost and cultivation requirements, it's impossible for it to be widely available to ordinary armored warriors, but it might become special equipment for elite armored warriors. In addition, Heaven Grade Mohist Knight Guard can apply for... well, our Shadow Hero Guard should have the same treatment. We can apply and see when we get back."

"Such a good thing! Damn it, I should have taken on as many missions as possible to raise the Mohist Knight Guard's rating. That guy Si Ming deliberately hid such a great benefit from me."

Ying Zhou angrily flung his hand away, then said wistfully, "However, compared to the Vermilion Bird Profound Armor, I still prefer the White Tiger Profound Armor. The Vermilion Bird Profound Armor is too flashy, its bright red color making it look like a peacock in heat, and the armor is too thin, making it easy to damage. In contrast, the White Tiger Profound Armor, which is mainly designed for close combat, looks more powerful and domineering, and has more of the connotation of a weapon of destruction."

Xia Guanxue said, "As far as I know, neither the White Tiger Profound Armor nor the Black Tortoise Profound Armor will be mass-produced because neither of these Profound Armor has the ability to fly, which greatly reduces their tactical value... No, the Black Tortoise Profound Armor, because it has the ability to dive, might be considered for mass production by the military to deal with the Demon Race, but there's really no hope for the White Tiger Profound Armor. If we just want to enhance combat power, ordinary armor and blades will suffice, as they are more cost-effective."

"No way! The people upstairs are so blind! Of the Four Gods Armor, only the White Tiger Profound Armor is acceptable. The others all have some flaws. The Vermilion Bird Armor is too flimsy, the Black Tortoise Black Tortoise Armor is too cumbersome, and the Azure Dragon Armor is too mediocre. Only the White Tiger Armor is the choice of a true man. Even putting performance aside, its powerful and handsome appearance alone is enough to make it irresistible."

"The Azure Dragon Profound Armor is actually quite good. It's well-rounded with no weaknesses, and according to internal information about the Profound Armor, the official version of the Azure Dragon Profound Armor has added optical camouflage capabilities. Combined with the original aura concealment, even hovering above an enemy's head won't necessarily be detected. Even a novice can become a master of stealth..."

The two chatted animatedly about the Profound Armor, completely devoid of their usual tense atmosphere. They were as close as old friends meeting in a foreign land, sometimes praising each other's views and sometimes arguing about their differing opinions.

At first, Master Qin was somewhat reserved, feeling that as an elder he shouldn't participate in the younger generation's conversations. However, he couldn't resist the urge and joined the discussion, even taking out a science magazine from the Su Kingdom. The cover prominently featured the Shennong Profound Armor, Su Kingdom's latest research and development.

Murong Wu tilted his head, utterly unable to understand these people's interests. Why were they all so fascinated by the Profound Armor, and why was their discussion focused primarily on its design? The Profound Armor was clearly meant to aid in combat, not for decoration.

It should be noted that the Mohist School initially created the Profound Armor to enhance the strength of lower-level martial artists; the stronger the martial artist, the weaker the effect of the Profound Armor.

For Spirit Transformation level martial artists, wearing Profound Armor is actually a burden, cumbersome and hindrance. Even the Four Gods Profound Armor, a specially made Profound Armor crafted at great expense, is only meant to compensate for certain deficiencies of Spirit Transformation artists. In terms of enhancing martial power alone, it is negligible and may not even be comparable to a Demon -Conquest Demon Saber.

"This is truly incomprehensible..."

Note: After the meeting of the feudal lords, Duke Huan of Qi, in order to set an example for the other feudal lords by showing respect to the Zhou emperor, said to Guan Zhong, "I wish to travel west to pay homage to the emperor, but I lack the funds to offer gifts. Does Uncle Zhong have a solution to this problem?"

Guan Zhong replied, "Please order the construction of a city in Yinli, requiring three layers of walls and nine gates. Under the guise of this construction project, send stonemasons to make stone walls within the city. The price for a stone wall is 10,000 coins for one foot, 8,000 coins for eight inches, 7,000 coins for seven inches, 4,000 coins for a jade disc, and 500 coins for a large-hole disc."

After all the stone tablets of various types were completed, Guan Zhong traveled west to meet the emperor and said, "In order to uphold the royal rites, the rulers of the lower states wish to lead their vassal states to pay homage at the ancestral temple of their former kings and to observe the rites at the Zhou emperor's court. We request Your Majesty to issue a decree requiring all vassal lords who come to pay homage at the ancestral temple of their former kings and to observe the rites at the Zhou emperor's court to bring a red bow and a stone tablet. Those who do not bring a red bow and a stone tablet will not be allowed to enter the court."

After the Zhou emperor agreed, he issued this order to all the vassal states. As a result, the vassal states all transported gold, pearls, grain, colored silk and cloth to the Qi Kingdom to purchase the stone bi. Thus, the stone bi of the Qi Kingdom was scattered throughout the world.

Chapter 823 Absurd Opposition

In the dense forest, Xing Daozhuang escorted dozens of people as they fled in a sorry state, making sure to conceal their tracks under the shade of the trees along the way.

"Fellow Daoist Xing, we can't run anymore. Everyone is exhausted. If we keep running, someone will inevitably give up and fall behind," Lord Yunxia, whose face was scarred, advised.

Xing Daozhuang glanced back. Among the dozens of people in the group were the head of the Rui State, representatives from the Su Kingdom and France, and a group of guards. After all, the organizers took the relationship between the countries into account when arranging the seats. The Mohist School had always been on good terms with the Merchant School, Agricultural School, and Legalist School, and their respective ideas were also similar, so they were naturally arranged to sit together—except for Lord Yunxia, who was seated next to Xing Daozhuang because of personal friendship.

When the powerful Demon Race launched a surprise attack on the International Building, the representatives of these friendly countries instinctively gravitated towards Xing Daozhuang. After all, he was one of the world's most powerful figures, and it would be safer to follow him. As it turned out, their idea was very correct. The other representatives, and even the diplomats from the host country Rui State, were either captured or killed by the Demon Race. Only Xing Daozhuang managed to fight his way out.

After three years, Xing Daozhuang absorbed and transformed the primordial power of the Monster Race from the Moth Emperor, and his strength was no less than that of the Demon King. In a one-on-one situation, he was even confident that he could fight the opponent to the death. However, considering that he also had to protect others, he had to choose to break through the encirclement. For this, he was hit by a palm from the enemy, but fortunately, the injury was not serious.

Xing Daozhuang originally intended to rest after arriving in the Su Kingdom, but seeing the lingering fatigue on everyone's faces, their panting, and their injuries, he hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

After all, most of these people were diplomats, unlike him. They were civilian rather than military personnel and lacked regular training. The reason they were able to persist in escaping for so long was not only because the guards helped carry them, but also because they had cultivation. Officials who could hold high positions, even if they were not naturally talented, would use medicine to raise their Internal Cultivation to the eighth level. Otherwise, people with low cultivation would not be able to rise to the rank of official.

"Commander Xing, are we safe now?"

The Su Kingdom representative walked in and asked, still somewhat shaken, after all, he had witnessed the Russia representative being blown apart by the Demon General.

Even a high-ranking official of a nation, under those circumstances, was no more resilient than a beggar. Status and position were meaningless and even brought greater danger—the powerful Demon Race would never deign to kill a beggar.

Xing Daozhuang pondered, "It's hard to say. It depends on what strategic goals the Demon Race wants to achieve. If they only want to disrupt the military alliance or delay the progress of the international alliance, then they have already achieved their goal, and continuing to pursue us is meaningless. However, if they want to take the initiative, give us a warning, and deter the Human Race from resisting, then they will think about expanding their gains... For example, killing me, the former commander of the allied forces, would definitely have a decisive effect and plunge everyone into panic."