"We’re here!"
The morning mist on the summit of Guniu Mountain had yet to dissipate. Xu Yunfan stood on the mountainside, gazing down at the bronze gates that snaked below like a giant python.
The silhouette of the chanical City was faintly visible through the thin mist. On its walls, three hundred and sixty Bronze Watchtowers glinted with a cold light. The roar of grinding gears was still clearly audible from miles away.
He gripped the True Inheritance Token at his waist, the unique chill of tal spreading through his palm. According to the rules of Celestial Craft Cave, one’s identity had to be verified upon entering the city, and not even True Disciples were exempt.
Today, however, sothing about the chanical City felt off.
The stream of rchant caravans at the city gates was as endless as ever, the chi of cal bells mingling with the clip-clop of horse hooves, just like any other day.
But as Xu Yunfan’s gaze swept over the crowd, it suddenly froze. The Foreign Affairs Hall disciples who were supposed to be inspecting Tokens at the gate had all been replaced by unfamiliar faces.
Although they wore the standard black short coats of Celestial Craft Cave, the bronze plaques hanging from their waists were slightly old and worn. So even had unwashed bloodstains on their cuffs.
The sight made his heart sink. He didn’t know all the disciples on duty, but these people just didn’t fit in with the disciples of Celestial Craft Cave. Their disguises were terrible.
’No wonder,’ he thought. ’No wonder that high-ranking mber of the Incense and Candle Sect in the Blood Exchange Realm said their preparations were rushed.’
"Senior Brother Xu, those aren’t disciples from the Foreign Affairs Hall of Celestial Craft Cave. The chanical Hall disciples should be on duty at the city gate today. The daily rotations are reviewed by the stewards of every departnt; it’s not sothing a single hall can control."
A hoarse female voice ca from behind him.
Xu Yunfan turned to et the searing gaze of Yan Yuwei, the head disciple of the lt Gold Hall. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with an unconcealable hatred, yet she kept it tightly suppressed, remaining unaffected.
Her entire family in Cui Bo City had been massacred, yet she hadn’t recklessly charged into the city. Instead, she had turned back toward Celestial Craft Cave. Aside from her initial frenzy upon seeing the slaughter in Cui Bo City, her every move now was calculated.
It could only be said that she was truly worthy of her title as the head disciple of the lt Gold Hall; both her temperant and aptitude were superb.
As they approached Celestial Craft City, the woman had stopped at an outpost to change her gear. She now wore the iconic Red Copper Armor of the lt Gold Hall, a rare sight. Beneath the Heavy Armor, a black martial arts uniform clung to her knotted muscles. Tucked at her waist was a teorite Iron Ore Pickaxe, its tip glowing with a dark red luster, clearly having been recently soaked in flammable oil.
Of course, Xu Yunfan knew nothing about these things. Ever since arriving at Celestial Craft Cave, he barely had enough ti for his daily training, let alone paying attention to such details.
Seeing Xu Yunfan’s silence, Yan Yuwei understood that he most likely didn’t know.
"I saw the Foreign Affairs Hall duty roster last month. The ones guarding the gate last ti should have been Qi Huan’s ’Cyan Blade Twelve Guards.’ But these people..." She paused. "They don’t even have the physique cultivated in the Hidden Blade Pavilion. With the city gate under their control, it’s impossible that no disciples have noticed. Yet everything is calm. I’m afraid..."
"Let’s get inside and see what’s happening first. Since they haven’t made a major move yet, there must be a chance to turn things around."
The two exchanged a look and separated without a word.
Yan Yuwei blended into a rchant caravan, her coarse fingers stroking the chanism on the hilt of her chanical Saber.
Xu Yunfan, anwhile, circled around to the western side of the city wall. There was a secret passage there that led directly to the Weapon Casting Hall. Zhan Yan had only told him about it the day before yesterday. It could be accessed with a True Inheritance Disciple Token.
Covered in moss and blending seamlessly with the surrounding mountain, the Profound Iron gate creaked open. Xu Yunfan reverse-gripped his Thunderfire Qilin Hamr as the dormant blood and qi in his body began to slowly surge.
The Fluorite Lamps inside the secret passage should have been constantly lit, but now they were all extinguished. The darkness was filled with the pungent sll of rust mixed with tar.
He closed his eyes, Concentrating Spirit. His ears twitched slightly. Thirty zhang away, at a fork in the path, he heard the faint sound of tal scraping.
"CLICK!"
Just as he took a few steps forward, the sound of a chanism springing ca from under his feet. Xu Yunfan imdiately shot back three steps. The ground where he had just been standing suddenly collapsed, revealing spikes below that glead with a sinister blue, poisonous light.
Almost simultaneously, dozens of holes opened in the stone walls on both sides, and Poisoned Crossbow Arrows poured out like a torrential downpour!
CLANG!
Xu Yunfan let out a low shout, and the muscles all over his body instantly tensed like iron and stone.
The Crossbow Arrows struck his bronze skin and Iron Bones, sending sparks flying. He used the montum to roll, swinging his Thunderfire Qilin Hamr out in a wide arc. The wind from the hamr, carrying a scorching heatwave, smashed one of the walls of holes into scrap tal.
Amidst the flying scrap tal, a black shadow lunged down from the ceiling, a Chain Blade in hand aid straight for his throat!
"The Ghost Twisting Chain?"
Xu Yunfan’s pupils contracted. ’A chanical Weapon developed by the chanical Hall.’
The copper spring at the end of the hamr’s handle suddenly sprang open. The mont the hamrhead slamd into the ground, the rebounding force knocked the Chain Blade three inches off course.
In that fleeting instant, he had already seen the attacker’s face clearly. It was none other than the Steward from the Foreign Affairs Hall, Wang Huan!
He rembered him clearly, as Wang Huan had been the one responsible for furnishing his courtyard. The man had been humble and polite.
At the very least, Xu Yunfan, with his extrely sharp six senses, had not detected any negative emotions from him at the ti. This made him hesitate for a mont, his Heavy Hamr slowing, and his heart sank even further.
This secret passage was known only to the True Disciples of each departnt, as well as the Chief Stewards and Elders of Celestial Craft Cave.
"Senior Brother Wang, you..."
Before he could finish, the whites of Wang Huan’s eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and the veins on his neck bulged and writhed like earthworms. His Chain Blade attack beca thirty percent faster, a clear sign he was fighting to the death.
Xu Yunfan’s expression quickly cald. He precisely struck Wang Huan’s Danzhong Acupoint with his hamrhead. Hidden Force penetrated the man’s body, and Wang Huan instantly went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Ripping open his collar, Xu Yunfan saw a dark purple bruise erge on Wang Huan’s chest, shaped like a Blood Lotus.
"The Incense and Candle Sect’s Heart-Eroding Pill!"
A strange look appeared in Xu Yunfan’s eyes.
He had seen soone who took this Elixir back in Wuzhou. Their internal organs were devoured by Elixir Worms, and they eventually beca walking corpses that knew only how to kill.
’He’s beyond saving.’
Xu Yunfan no longer hesitated. With a thunderous crash, he brought his hamr down.
Carrying the Thunderfire Qilin Hamr, Xu Yunfan charged out of the secret passage. He glanced back at the corpses strewn about inside.
These were all Celestial Craft Cave disciples who had been poisoned by the Heart-Eroding Pill, and among them were even a dozen or so Inner Sect Disciples.
He sprinted all the way into the depths of Celestial Craft Cave, arriving at the Thunderfire Cave to see Zhan Yan forging a weapon.
"Master!"
Zhan Yan turned around. When he saw it was Xu Yunfan, a smile couldn’t help but appear on his face. He set down the Red Copper Iron Hamr in his hand.
"Yunfan, you’ve co at a good ti. My luck has been quite good these past few days; I’ve forged several top-quality blades in a row... I went back to watch you forging iron yesterday and happened to think of a technique. It can force out over ninety percent of the impurities in Profound Iron. It’ll make it much easier to hamr into Thousand-Forged Steel."
"Master, let’s put that aside for now. Please, listen to first."
Xu Yunfan spoke first, telling Zhan Yan everything: how he and Yan Yuwei had gone to Cui Bo Tower, discovered the Incense and Candle Sect’s massacre of the city, and encountered Zhou Yuande, the Hall Master of the Foreign Affairs Hall, on their way back to Celestial Craft Cave.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yan naturally found it a bit fantastical. He frowned and said, "Never mind the Mortal Martial Artists and the Four Great Martial Arts Halls in Cui Bo City, but there’s also the city’s Governor, a Captain, and other Martial Arts Masters, not to ntion ten thousand elite garrison soldiers. How could they all be suddenly wiped out by the Incense and Candle Sect?"
Xu Yunfan said, "I didn’t believe it at first either, but it’s the truth."
Zhan Yan pondered for a mont, then glanced at the faint bloodstains on the Thunderfire Qilin Hamr in Xu Yunfan’s hand. He crushed the wine flask in his own hand to pieces.
(Overslept today, three more Chapters to co tonight. Writing like crazy right now.)
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