The elderly man in the high crown traveled along the underground passageway and took a night to return to Solitary Province, arriving at a palace platform near the upper levels. The moment he arrived, he felt the rumbling vibrations from above. Clearly, the Azure Yang Military Office's assault was still continuing.
He summoned a Gao-surnamed guard officer responsible for overseeing affairs here and asked, "How are things?"
Guard Officer Gao looked somewhat tense. "Reporting to the Chancellor, our uppermost level has already collapsed. It appears the second level will not hold for much longer either. If the second level is breached, we will have to face the Azure Yang Military Office's troops head-on." He clasped his fists. "This subordinate implores the Chancellor to quickly withdraw the fourth level!"
At that moment, an earth-shattering explosion rang out overhead. Everyone present involuntarily swayed, while sand and stones pattered down from above.
Everyone's expressions changed. In that instant, the rumbling outside had suddenly grown much louder. This indicated that the outermost section of the second level had most likely already been breached.
One attendant looked anxiously at the elderly man in the high crown. "Chancellor..."
Yet the elderly man remained perfectly calm. Standing still, he said, "What are you panicking for? Has everything I instructed you to do been carried out?"
Seeing how composed he was, Guard Officer Gao could not help but admire him. "Reporting to the Chancellor, it has all been arranged. All mystic weapons have been buried."
The elderly man turned and instructed a trusted guard, "Take a thousand armored soldiers to the Auxiliary State Residence and invite the Right Auxiliary State here. Also bring Master Artisan Chen and Master Artisan Zhao from the Celestial Mechanism Institute along with him. I will wait for them here."
The trusted guard hesitated,