"What's wrong with Helmsman Qingzhu? Why did she issue an order like that?"
"Who knows? Anyway, just do as she says. You can't go wrong following orders."
"Right, I'll go destroy my automatons!"
"Huh? Why destroy them? Don't you just have to keep an eye on them?"
"Are you stupid? Watching them is such a hassle. If you destroy them, you won't have to keep an eye on them anymore. The Manifest Existence Army is watching the ones in the streets. We're just ordinary civilians who can barely lift a finger, with no real fighting strength."
The two hit it off and went home to clear out their automatons. Fortunately, the Xianzhou had only recently set sail again, so there weren't many automatons in use. Even getting rid of them wouldn't affect daily life.
They weren't the only ones doing so. All over the streets, automatons were being dismantled and their cores dug out and destroyed before the Manifest Existence Army sent them to the Artisanship Commission.
Qi Tianque, who was strolling through the streets, took it all in. His people used very few automatons, though-one could even say they used none-so he wasn't worried about the situation among his people.
The Divination Commission
Wanmeng sat cross-legged on a cushion, wearing a robe. She had already learned what it did from Ayinai: it could provide protection and help with divination and constructing star charts. To her, it was the perfect support item.
Not to mention that Ayinai had given it to her personally. She couldn't have loved it more.
"Lord Diviner, you've been sitting here all morning. It's time you took a break."
Wanmeng opened her eyes and shook her head. "No, the Xianzhou is at a critical stage. We absolutely can't afford the slightest carelessness."
"But..."
"Wait! Don't speak!"
Wanmeng suddenly cut her off. With her eyes tightly shut, she traced out a star chart with her hands. Then her eyes flew open, her expression grave.
"The change! It's here!"
No sooner had Wanmeng spoken than the automaton beasts in the Divination Commission suddenly went berserk and pounced on her. Wanmeng raised a hand, and a star chart appeared in her palm. The charging beasts were immediately slapped away and reduced to piles of scrap metal.
"Just as I thought, the automatons have gone berserk. Fortunately, Qingzhu ordered most of the Divination Commission's automatons destroyed in advance."
As the Master Diviner, she wasn't afraid of these automatons, but what about everyone else? Many people here were ordinary staff members. Though empowered by Existence, they were still green recruits who had never been on a battlefield.
Thanks to Qingzhu's advance order, few automatons remained in the Divination Commission. The moment they went berserk, Manifest Existence Army soldiers hacked them to pieces on the spot.
"Lord Diviner, all the automatons that went berserk within the Divination Commission have been destroyed. There were no casualties among the commission's personnel."
A Manifest Existence Army squad captain entered the Divination Commission's central formation and reported the situation. Wanmeng nodded. According to her divination, the most dangerous place on the Xianzhou was the Artisanship Commission.
Wanmeng gave the order and led the Manifest Existence Army squad stationed at the Divination Commission to the Artisanship Commission, leaving over a dozen people behind to protect the commission's remaining staff.
Exalting Sanctum
"Brother Xiahou, have you finished dealing with things over there?"
Qi Tianque stepped down from the piano and put it back into the ring on his finger.
Xiahou Chan planted the long halberd in his hand beside him. "That's right. I finished up faster because I was at the barracks. Qingzhu has taken care of things on her end too, but she has to coordinate everything, so she won't be coming to the Artisanship Commission with us."
Qi Tianque said, "I understand. Sister Qingzhu's work is more important than ours. Brother Xiahou, let's go to the Artisanship Commission. There's no time to lose."
Xiahou Chan understood how urgent things were too, so he led the Manifest Existence Army toward the Artisanship Commission.
By now, the Artisanship Commission was already fully engaged in battle.
Automatons and Manifest Existence soldiers were fighting everywhere, but while the wreckage of automatons littered the area, there were no bodies of Manifest Existence soldiers to be seen.
As for why...
The long blade on a towering golden automaton's arm stabbed into the body of the Manifest Existence soldier in front of it. The soldier merely paused for a moment, then raised the long saber in his hand and chopped through the blade. He turned and cut the golden automaton in half with another stroke.
The golden automaton crashed to the ground. The soldier calmly pulled the blade from his abdomen, then took out a pill supplied by the Alchemy Commission under the shocked gazes of the Halovians who had come to help and plunged back into the fight against the golden automatons.
The same scene was playing out all around them, leaving the Halovians feeling as though they weren't really needed-until an exhausted Manifest Existence soldier came over to them.
"Brother, help me adjust my Path power. It got a little out of order during the fighting, and it feels pretty awful."
"Ah, oh, all right."
The young Halovian raised his hand and began Tuning the disordered Path power inside him, topping up his depleted Path power while he was at it.
The Tuning took just over ten seconds. The boy had only just breathed a sigh of relief when the Manifest Existence soldier grabbed his hand and dragged him straight into the battlefield.
"I'll borrow this kid for a while! Don't worry, I'll bring him back safe!"
The other Halovians stared blankly as the boy was dragged away. They soon came to their senses and split up, heading into different parts of the battlefield.
"Brother! Help me Tune it, it's stuck!"
"Brother, I don't have time to absorb Path power! Give me a hand!"
"Brother! Don't go too far forward! Stay in the middle of us!"
The cries of Manifest Existence soldiers rang out all over the battlefield, all for the sake of keeping these incredibly powerful support personnel safe.
There were so many automaton creations and golden automatons that half of them still remained when Xiahou Chan arrived with the main force of the Manifest Existence Army.
Qi Shige also led other members of his people onto the battlefield alongside Xiahou Chan's army. Qi Tianque's support covered the entire battlefield, and the battle soon became a crushing rout as they swept forward.
When they reached the Artisanship Commission's core area, they stared in astonishment at the square before them. Automaton wreckage littered the ground, and a group of shirtless old men and burly men, their muscular bodies on full display, were pounding away at the wrecked automatons.
"Th-these people are craftsmen? Why do they seem more like soldiers?"
Qi Tianque leaned close to Xiahou Chan's ear to ask. Xiahou Chan gave a helpless smile. It was embarrassing to admit, but soldiers like him weren't as well built as these metalworkers.
"Ahem, Elder Shi Mo, stop hitting them! It's already over!"
Wanmeng shouted. The craftsmen present stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
"Hahaha, so it's little Wanmeng. What brings a homebody like you to see this old man?"
A burst of aged but hearty laughter came from behind the tallest heap of metal, which rose like a small hill.
The next moment, an old man with a kindly face and the physique of a wrathful guardian deity emerged from behind the metal hill.
"Wow~ What a muscular... old man."
Qi Tianque stared in amazement. This was the most muscular old man he had ever seen!
He looked at himself, then at Shi Mo, and felt inadequate. He was a young man, yet he wasn't as strong or muscular as the old man.
"Hahaha, young Xiahou, little Wanmeng, it's been a while since you came to see this old man, hasn't it? Oh? Is this the new young genius?"
Qi Tianque scratched his head. "Hehe, that's just what people out there are saying. You shouldn't take it seriously."
"Hahaha, you're a modest kid. Good, good. Not like young Xiahou here-he used to be unbelievably arrogant."