Tick tock... tick tock...
In the deep underground palace passage, cold water droplets fell one after another on the masonry floor.
Li Yan followed Yuan Feng, looking around from time to time.
The further you go in, the heavier the cold moisture seeps out from the cracks in the bricks on the floor.
Although Yuan Feng was a bit drunk, he was extremely cautious when letting him go, and only he was allowed to go deep.
There are strict guards along the way, and many checkpoints must be checked before arriving.
This huge dome-shaped cave was obviously transformed from a natural cave in the mountain.
The huge bell-shaped Steam Engine prototype has been completely disassembled. On the ten-meter-long old elm table next to it, the gear parts are divided into categories and stacked in an orderly manner.
In the center of the cave, the scene is even more amazing:
Twelve shirtless Mo Sect craftsmen stand in the Bagua direction, suspending a huge bronze cylinder with levers.
Several Old Taoist held steel cones, carefully etched runes on the surface, and then carefully applied them with paint mixed with cinnabar... Li Yan suddenly stopped, with astonishment written on their faces.
The Steam Engine has clearly been disassembled, but the huge cylinder seems to still be operating independently!
Water vapor condensed on the thick metal skin, turning into dewdrops and rolling down.
Chi--Chi--
The moment the dewdrops fell to the ground, they stirred up wisps of acrid white smoke, and a thin layer of frost formed on the ground.
This is...
Li Yan frowned, pinched the seal with his fingers, and took a deep breath.
"Senior! This... is actually Innate Gangsha Two Qi?!"
He suddenly turned his head and looked at Yuan Feng in shock.
An indescribable feeling came - inside the cylinder, the interplay of yin and yang Gangsha Two Qi was flowing endlessly, completely natural, like a living Tai Chi vortex.
This is clearly the spiritual aura that Blessed Grotto-Heavens only has!
His arm guard "Qian Nian" was also woven with warp and weft threads to simulate the spiritual orifice, with Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin as the core driver, but the birth was only an ordinary and complex Celestial Fiend Qi, and it never gave birth to Spiritual Charm.
Is this... still the bulky Steam Engine?
When I first put it together, I didn't notice the mystery at all!
"Hahaha..." Yuan Feng smiled while stroking his beard, with a look that couldn't hide his pride and sigh, "Ju Zi Wang Su back then was really a genius! If we hadn't brought this treasure back and dismantled it for research, we wouldn't have been able to understand the secret."
"What is the wonderful use of this thing?" Li Yan was even more curious.
"Strength can penetrate everything, turn everything into something mysterious!" Yuan Feng said it without hesitation.
No wonder...Li Yan suddenly felt enlightened.
This has gone beyond the scope of ordinary machinery! The difference is as different as clouds and mud.
What wonders will Steam Engine... drive Gangsha Two Qi... bring?
If such skills were widely spread...
Where will civilization in this world go?
When I thought of this, Li Yan suddenly felt that the road ahead was filled with fog and it was difficult to predict.
"How can such a method be achieved?" He quickly asked Yuan Feng.
Yuan Feng shook his head, with admiration and regret in his eyes. "This thing is cast in one piece, and it is tightly sealed without any gaps. If it is forcibly demolished, the mystery inside will collapse... Although we have some speculation, but--"
He changed the topic and said, "Ordinary restriction formations are definitely not as powerful as this. They must have cost the extremely rare world Spiritual Material."
"So... the core secret... has not been cracked yet?" Li Yan frowned.
Yuan Feng spoke so firmly that he thought the other party had completely grasped it, but unexpectedly he didn't even understand the principle.
It would be reckless to rush into promotion without knowing the foundation.
"Haha, no need to worry."
Yuan Feng laughed dumbly and seemed not to be worried. He led Li Yan closer to the huge cylinder, "Brother Li, do you know that there was a feudal lord National Teacher Matteo Ricci in the past?"
Li Yan nodded. "I heard a little bit about him and heard that he was buried in the suburbs of the capital after his death."
This man was quite famous, and according to the court, he came from Italy, the Western Kingdom.
"Not bad," Yuan Feng walked to the cylinder and pointed to the runes on it that were being carefully carved by Old Taoist, "Although National Teacher is Foreign Lands priest, but he has the power to change, and is not completely opposite to my Divine Land Daoism. His painting <Complete Map of Ten Thousand Nations> is quite beneficial to the great cause of opening up the sea."
"However, this person is curious by nature, and is often invited to observe, but he does not understand our taboos," Yuan Feng said with a hint of helplessness and ridicule. "He actually put the secret techniques he saw into writing and wrote <Ten Chapters on Peculiar People> and spread it outside..."
Li Yan is puzzled. "How does this... have anything to do with this treasure?"
Yuan Feng stroked the densely packed gilded runes on the surface of the cylinder, filled with cinnabar, and his expression suddenly became extremely solemn. "That day, you once said to me: 'Those elusive and unpredictable Orthodox gods who are high in the sky are just the gods of others. This thing is the true god of the world where I, Mo Sect, set foot!'"
"When I first heard these words, I felt like hearing the voice of heaven!"
Yuan Feng's voice trembled slightly, as if he was excited at the time, "I sincerely follow our ancient rituals and worship this treasure as a god. On the way to transport the treasure to Beijing, no matter the wind, rain or darkness, I must perform incense and offer sacrifices every morning and dusk, and I dare not slack off in the slightest."
"I thought it was just a pious rule... who knew..."
He was so excited that his words were somewhat choked.
Li Yan's pupils shrank suddenly, "It's done?"
"It's done!"
Yuan Feng nodded heavily, and said after calming down a little, "Perhaps the Unseen has a feeling. Even if he enters the palace to study, the incense Attendant has not been cut off. I am like a god with the help of the apocalypse, and I have solved the structural principle of Steam Engine years ago! Several other disciples... have also discovered this mystery."
"How dare Mo Sect keep such a shocking thing secret?"
Yuan Feng Su Rong said, "Immediately report to the Holy One, so that today's grand opening ceremony can be held. On that day, Directorate of Astronomy reported: 'The guest star is like a wheel, appearing in Taiwei Yuan'! The celestial phenomena confirmed it, His Majesty Long Yan was delighted, and he personally gave the god's name: 'Suilun, Water and Fire True Lord'!"
"Suilun...True Lord?" Li Yan's Adam's apple rolled and he was speechless for a moment.
He looked again at the bronze cylinder with Gangsha Two Qi flowing freely. "What about this thing...?"
"This is the 'heart' of the artifact!"
Yuan Feng explained, "We will enshrine it into the golden body of True Lord with the secret method of 'Filling the Statues'."
"The His Majesty Holy Priest has established the True Lord god in Sheji Ancestral Temple to enjoy the grand ceremony of national sacrifice! From now on, whenever the prefecture or county government sets up a factory to cast a machine, a 'True Lord Temple' must be erected. During the solar terms ceremony, the people will sacrifice Attendant and all people will sacrifice together. Don't slack off!"
As he spoke, the almost obsessive and fanatical light ignited in his eyes again:
"Human Path The great ship has set sail, and the momentum is vast! Instead of being timid, how can we obey the fate of God?! What's the harm in releasing the magic weapon to the world?"
"The people will be rich if the weapons are used, and the country will prosper if the people are prosperous! From today on, wherever we declare the territory, a roar of Steam Engine will add one more stick of incense to True Lord - the power of all the people to live and work is the destiny of Spirit Transformation state... Immortal firewood!"
Looking at Yuan Feng's almost crazy expression, Li Yan felt a chill running from his back to his scalp.
He had an inexplicable feeling that he seemed to have bent the timeline...
"There are such bizarre things?!"
In Rouyuan Posthouse, Sha LiFei grabbed his shiny bald head and his eyes widened.
After returning to the post house and the hustle and bustle of the opening ceremony had dissipated, Li Yan recounted what he saw and heard.
When everyone heard this, they were all shocked and turned pale.
Wang Dao Xuan was twirling his beard, with worry on his face. "Good luck and misfortunes are unpredictable, and dangers... are uncertain..."
Don't blame them for being worried, even Li Yan feels that there is a fog ahead at this moment.
"That's all, why do you want to think so much?"
Sha LiFei shook his head and said, "The court has laid out the plan. After the opening ceremony, all forces will take action. If the word "profit" is used, it means there will be many killings and catastrophes. After all, we are people in the world and cannot interfere. Anyway, if the sky falls, there will be big men to hold it up."
"Speaking of which, has Yuan Jianzheng agreed?"
"Don't worry, I agreed."
Li Yan said in a deep voice, "We will move to the academy tomorrow. The academy owes us a lot of favors about <Seeking Immortality Chapters> and Steam Engine. Your firearms and magic weapons, as well as other people's magic weapons, are all handled by the academy."
"The academy will be responsible for the required spiritual items, but it won't be possible next time."
"That's enough this time, that's enough this time!" Sha LiFei was immediately happy when he heard this.
They refine magic weapons and use spiritual objects, which consume a lot of money.
The academy can provide it, so at least you don't have to worry about money for the time being.
Wang Dao Xuan next to him frowned and said, "What about Zhao Qingxu? Do you have any clues?"
Li Yan shook his head, with the same confusion on his face, "He is still missing."
"I have already asked. Huo Yin will personally guard the steam engine from the academy until it is transported to the Sheji Temple. In addition, there are experts from the Zongren Mansion and several national teachers cooperating, plus the sharpshooters of the Duwei Division, it can be said that it is airtight."
Lu San said thoughtfully, "Could it be that Zhao Qingxu released false news? He has other agendas?"
"Maybe."
Li Yan turned to look out the window and said in a deep voice, "Luo MingZi and the others have already sent people to the other sacred mountains recorded in <Seeking Immortality Chapters>. Once all the things in 'Ascension Array' are taken out, they will not be able to topple the sky!"
As Li Yan expected, the turmoil caused by the opening ceremony has just begun.
In the early morning of the next day, Li Yan and his entourage packed up their bags and headed straight to the academy, while the streets of the capital city were already boiling.
"Crack!"
Xingmu slapped the table hard, and the storyteller in the teahouse was glowing red. "It is said that there were auspicious clouds lingering at that time, Purple Qi Comes From the East, His Majesty were sitting on the immortal dragon chariot..."
There was a crowd of people below, and the people huddled together with the traffickers, exchanging rumors and rumors. "'Fire-breathing iron beast'? I heard from the butcher Zhang next door, and saw with my own eyes that Iron Ox Cart's eyes spit out sparks, and its belly can swallow a thousand pounds of black coal!"
"Hey, who knows if it's true or not? But it's true that the contract price of a coal mine soared yesterday! How many wealthy businessmen are vying for the head... Well, it's a pity that we are short of money, otherwise we would have to buy in even if we sell iron! It's a huge profit!"
"Hmph! What fun are you having?"
A drunken man groaned in a high-pitched voice, "My uncle works as an errand in the Ministry of Industry. Inside information! That 'artifact' can support thousands of coolies! The shops are vying to buy it. Will there be a way for us little people to survive in the workshop in the future? We all have to drink the northwest wind!"
As soon as these words came out, the surroundings suddenly became silent, and everyone looked at each other in shock.
"No... that's not the case, right?"
Someone nearby smiled and tried to smooth things over, "I am a kiln brickmaker, so I have to work hard with my hands! The bricks are not porcelain solid, and they will be useless as soon as they are passed through the furnace! And my mother-in-law works at Jinmen embroidery workshop, and her needlework is very clever. Is it possible that the iron lump can also thread needles and threads?"
"That's right! The imperial court has obtained a treasure. It is for the country and the country. Why should we compete with the common people for food?"
"I heard," a swarthy man lowered his voice, "Jin Prefecture Merchant Guild wants to build the 'Shinto' Chidao that 'Iron Ox Cart' runs, and they are recruiting people from all over the world! After this job, you won't have to worry about chewing gum for several years!"
"What?! You damn thing didn't tell me earlier!"
"Go! Go quickly!"
When they heard that work was about to start, several men immediately jumped up and rushed out of the teahouse like a gust of wind.
In a dark corner of the teahouse, a short man sat alone by the window. The brim of his gray cloth hat was pushed down very low, but his ears trembled slightly like a raccoon slave.
He listened to the half-true and false comments and silently wrote them down.
After a while, he dropped a few coins, got up and left.
This person left the teahouse, turned around and plunged into East City.
East City is adjacent to Canal Wharf, which is a mixed pond.
Dragon Head Luo Gong Sheng, who was nicknamed "Iron Anchor Society", lost his head at the entrance of the market. This once-prominent behemoth was like a wasp that had its nest stabbed, and it instantly became a mess.
Senior executives with some connections have already packed up their bags and fled far away.
Only a group of red-eyed desperadoes were left, currently fighting for territory on the long street.
"Kill these bastards!"
Angry curses and pitiful howls intertwined. How could the former urban foxes and social rats care about the unspoken rule of "not causing harm to human lives" at this time?
The sticks have become decorations, the sharp blades and the small axes used to cut bones are just focused on attacking the opponent's vital points.
Pfft! Someone was punched in the chest, and fell into a pool of blood without even making a sound.
Plop! The bloody corpse was thrown into the muddy ditch.
The people screamed and ran away, and Yamen Runner's rapid shouting and chaotic footsteps came from the distance...
Looking at this bloody chaos, a strong sneer flashed across the eyes of the short man, as if he was watching a swarm of flies fighting over each other.
He pressed down the brim of his hat and slid sideways into the narrow alley next to him.
The people living here are all poor families in Beijing.
The alley was filled with an indescribable mixture of turbid smell - the smell of damp musty, stale urine smell, and the pungent stench from the tanning of rawhide in the small workshop in the corner, which made people's brains swell.
Low, dilapidated houses are like crooked building blocks, crowded on the muddy paths filled with water and potholes.
The man lowered his head, twisting and turning in the narrow alleys that were densely covered with spider webs.
He stepped on sewage mud with every step he took, and from time to time he would vigilantly scatter some colorless powder behind him.
A few wild dogs that were rummaging through the garbage had just come closer and sniffed, and suddenly their hair was like a hedgehog, and they ran away with their tails between their legs and howled.
Finally, he stopped in front of a dilapidated compound with grass reaching his knees.
Several beggars in ragged clothes and empty eyes were squatting next to the collapsed screen wall, using broken earthen pots with holes to boil the sour water and moldy cornstarch they had collected from everywhere. The stench spread in the wind and was enough to knock a living person off his head.
"Get away!" The man covered his mouth and nose tightly, shouted in disgust, and threw out a few copper coins.
The beggars picked up the coins numbly and dragged the broken straw mats out of the way.
Flashing into the woodshed in the backyard, he listened attentively for a moment to make sure there was no one around, and then he uncovered a heavy, moss-covered cellar partition in the corner.
A turbid current mixed with rotten soil and cold moisture suddenly gushes out.
The short man did not hesitate, and disappeared into the darkness with just one Leap of the Falcon.
The narrow tunnel was damp and cold. He turned left and right in the dark with familiarity. After about a stick of incense, his eyes suddenly opened up and an underground cave appeared. It looked like it had been a place where private salt dealers stocked up their goods.
Under the dim glow of the flickering oil lamp, more than twenty figures sitting cross-legged were clearly reflected.
Although they were dressed in coarse Han Chinese clothing, all of them had "tsukiyo heads" with the middle hair shaved off, and their long, hard ribs were inserted diagonally from their waists.
The sharp and sinister eyes of the bird of prey swept over me, like a pack of evil wolves dormant in their lair.
The short man didn't hide it anymore, knelt on the ground and kowtowed:
"The Lord of the Law will meet the Lord of the Law!"
In the dark place, a cold voice sounded:
"How about it, is there any news about Zhao Qingxu?"