A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 463 Attack
In a dense forest within the city of the Mohists, a group of Mohist disciples were on patrol. Suddenly, the last disciple vanished, and a dark figure swiftly filled his place. The others were completely unaware. Just then, a signal appeared on the horizon. The leading disciple paused, immediately sending out a signal. Soon after, signals appeared in the sky, like beacon fires relaying messages.

"Yinfu and Lin'er have already made their move."

Bai Feng, who was standing on a tall tree, landed gracefully and spoke to Wei Zhuang.

"The hunt has begun. Once we have the master plan for the mechanism, the mechanical city will surely fall within three days."

"News has come from Gongshu Chou's side that the Mo family's reinforcements are on their way, but there's no need to worry, the Yin Yang family is already waiting for them."

Chi Lian spoke softly, and Wei Zhuang nodded in agreement. "The Mo family is getting worse with each generation. How can someone like Gao Jianli become the second-best expert in the Mo family and break through the Mechanized City? I want to see what this Shui Hanjian, ranked seventh on the sword manual, can do."

"I've heard that Gao Jianli's signature move, 'The wind howls and the Yi River is cold,' is a unique skill in the martial arts world, known for its speed and deadly strikes. I'd like to see it for myself."

Bai Feng spoke calmly, and Wei Zhuang glanced at him and said calmly, "It's rare that you're interested. I'll leave this person to you to deal with, which will save me some effort."

"Thank you very much."

Listening to their conversation, Chi Lian chuckled softly. Gazing at the rolling river ahead, she was overwhelmed with sorrow. The cold moon in the sky and the howling wind seemed to extinguish the last embers of passion in her heart.

Inside the Mechanized City, news of Big Iron Hammer's injury reached Xue Nu and the others. Duanmu Rong, who had just set up the defenses, immediately rushed to the main hall. Seeing Big Iron Hammer covered in blood, Duanmu Rong's heart sank. She told everyone to disperse, and after checking his injuries, she took out silver needles and inserted them into several acupoints on Big Iron Hammer's body. As she flicked the silver needles with her fingers, Big Iron Hammer's face contorted in pain. Although he clenched his teeth, his whole body trembled uncontrollably, as if he were suffering immense pain.

"Hold him down!"

Duanmu Rong gave a deep shout, and Gao Jianli and Dao Zhi each held down Da Tiechui's limbs. Master Ban and Master Xu were also very worried about Da Tiechui's condition. At Duanmu Rong's instruction, Xue Nu played a soothing and calming tune. The melodious flute music, enhanced by internal energy, flowed into Da Tiechui's body through his ears.

"It's done."

A moment later, Duanmu Rong looked at the black blood that had stopped flowing, reached out and pulled out the silver needles. After giving an order to the others, they stopped. Seeing that Da Tiechui's complexion had returned to normal, Master Ban and Master Xu finally felt relieved.

"The person who could injure the big iron hammer like this is no ordinary fighter. Xiao Gao, who is this person?"

Master Xu looked at the horrific wounds on the big iron hammer's body, which seemed to have been inflicted by the claws of some kind of bird.

"It's a hidden bat from the quicksand."

"No wonder. But logically speaking, even if Big Iron Hammer was no match for this person, he shouldn't be injured like this. He's completely powerless to fight back. Is there some hidden reason behind this?"

"The Hidden Bat Martial Arts is only considered average among the martial arts in Quicksand, but this person has mastered the long-lost 'Bat Blood Skill'. This technique is ruthless and vicious, and it is impossible to defend against. Moreover, it was at night. Big Iron Hammer's hard skills have met their match."

After Duanmu Rong's explanation, Master Ban and Master Xu finally understood. Then, the two frowned again. If this person continued to invade like this, the Mechanized City would be thrown into chaos.

“Yin Fu has already been struck by my sword light. Even if Wei Zhuang heals him, he will be unable to fight for seven days. This person is no longer a threat. What I am worried about is that Yin Fu’s blatant appearance this time is not just about seriously injuring Da Tie Chui or killing ordinary disciples.”

Gao Jianli asked the others to carry the large iron hammer away to rest, and then watched as the commanders shared their guesses. Xue Nu nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, the Quicksand organization always operates in a meticulously planned manner. The fact that Hidden Bat came into our view and was severely injured by the Water Cold Sword will inevitably make us a little complacent. In this way, Quicksand’s backup plan will come in handy.”

"Among the members of the Quicksand organization, Wei Zhuang is the most skilled in martial arts, but the most mysterious is Mo Yu Qilin. This person is an expert in disguise. If he were to infiltrate the Mechanized City, he would be extremely difficult to guard against. Perhaps he has already entered the Mechanized City and is just waiting for the right moment to strike with lightning speed!"

Dao Zhi seemed to have thought of a possibility, his expression turned serious, and he spoke to the crowd.

"The moon is dark and the wind is cold. He is invisible and deadly, and his appearance is unpredictable. He is the number one assassin under Wei Zhuang. It is said that he is invisible and can transform into all living beings. He is proficient in the art of shrinking bones and changing his appearance. He can imitate other people's voices, mannerisms and even martial arts moves. Even close friends would find it difficult to detect him. If he were to infiltrate, he would be a great threat to us."

Upon hearing this, Master Ban's heart skipped a beat. The Mechanical City was least afraid of being attacked by a large army, so it was not very effective against these assassins. Moreover, this person must have had a purpose in sneaking in.

"The most important thing now is to find this person, but we must not search for him in a high-profile manner. Xiao Gao, you and Xue Nu should hand over the patrol duties to Dao Zhi and the others for the time being. The sooner we find the Mo Yu Qilin, the sooner we can put our minds at ease. If I'm not mistaken, this person infiltrated either to poison someone or to take the opportunity to steal the master plan of the mechanism. The surveillance in this water room needs to be strengthened by one generation, and a few more guards need to be added around Old Man Ban. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. We can only ask Old Man Ban to make do for the time being."

Master Xu stroked his beard and said something that startled everyone present. The more Gao Jianli thought about it, the more he felt that the two possibilities were extremely likely. After exchanging a glance with Xue Nu, Gao Jianli nodded and then left with Xue Nu.

"If anything happens to Big Hammer, let me know immediately. The setup at the water room will continue."

After bowing to Master Xu, Master Ban, and Dao Zhi, Duanmu Rong turned and left. Dao Zhi watched Duanmu Rong's figure disappear before reluctantly turning his gaze away.

"The person has left."

Master Xu looked at Dao Zhi with a slight smile. Dao Zhi looked a little embarrassed, but quickly returned to his nonchalant demeanor.

"Master Xu, Old Man Ban, I have to go on patrol now, farewell."

With a whoosh, Dao Zhi vanished before their eyes, leaving them amused.

"Robber Zhi's intentions were destined to fail."

Master Ban sighed, while Master Xu remained silent. After exchanging a few more words, the two parted ways.

The night passed quickly. On the surface, the city of mechanisms appeared calm, but beneath the surface, undercurrents were surging, and murderous intent lurked in the shadows.

On this day, Master Xu told Tianming and Yue'er, who were playing at the Sword Casting Pool, the story of Canhong slaying the dragon, and also the origin of Canhong and Yuanhong.

"So that's how Uncle's sword came about. Master Xu, if Uncle's Yuanhong sword is ranked second, then who is ranked first?"

Tianming thought the uncle's sword was the most powerful, but it wasn't even number one, which made him a little unconvinced. He wondered if the sword manual was just randomly ranked.

"The first one is Tianwen, but this sword is very mysterious and has never been involved in the martial arts world. Moreover, it has great symbolic significance. In addition, the owner of the sword manual highly praised it, so this sword was ranked first. Ying Zheng was the owner of this sword."

"Tianwen, I feel like I've seen this sword before?"

When Tianming heard Master Xu mention the Tianwen Sword, a memory suddenly flashed through his mind. He seemed to be able to see the Tianwen Sword in a deep palace. However, this memory was like a pebble thrown into water, quickly becoming blurred. Tianming shook his head, and Yue'er quickly grabbed his hand.

"Tianming, what's wrong with you?" Master Xu was also startled when he saw Tianming's strange expression. Just as he was about to make a move, a mysterious aura flashed by on Tianming's body, pulling Tianming back from the chaos.

"The air in here is too stuffy, you should go outside."

Seeing that Tianming was alright, Master Xu breathed a sigh of relief. Fearing that something might happen to Tianming again, Master Xu told the two of them to go for a stroll elsewhere.

"It's weird. It's weird."

Watching the two leave, Master Xu recalled the aura he had felt earlier and stroked his beard in thought.

Another day passed. That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high. A layer of dark clouds covered the sky above the Mechanized City, and the first signs of a gale appeared. The river around the mountains was rushing, and there was a strong sense that a storm was about to break. That night, Master Ban was found unconscious in the water room. To make matters worse, the overall layout map of the Mechanized City's defenses had also disappeared.

"Black Jade Qilin!"

Gao Jianli's face was very grim. They were conducting an investigation when Mo Yu Qilin acted so swiftly, losing the defensive map of the mechanism, and the mechanism city was in grave danger.

"Don't worry for now. The map of the mechanical defenses that was taken away is fake. If Gongshu Chou attacks my mechanical city based on that map, he will surely die. Let's just wait and see. However, this map of the mechanical defenses can't be kept secret for long. I just hope that the Grand Master and the others can arrive as soon as possible."

Upon waking up, Master Ban saw the anxious looks on everyone's faces and, realizing that no one else was around, carefully told Gao Jianli and the others the truth.

"I see."

Gao Jianli and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, while Dao Zhi looked at Old Man Ban with disbelief, "Old Man Ban, when did you learn to do this?"

"Sigh, knowing that enemies have infiltrated, we should still take extra precautions. It's enough for just a few of us to know about this. The Mechanized City has been at peace for a long time. When foreign enemies invade, they always rely on defensive mechanisms. If we continue to rely too much on external things, it will do more harm than good to the Mohists. This time, we should change our way of fighting."

After Master Ban finished speaking, Gao Jianli and the others nodded in agreement. Although doing so would result in the loss of some disciples, they could bear the price for the sake of the future plan. In fact, if all else failed, they, as commanders, were ready to sacrifice their lives.

Outside the city of the machine, the river surged and crashed against the shore. Wei Zhuang, dressed in a black robe, blended into the night. If it weren't for his white hair, you wouldn't have been able to see him standing there.

"Lin'er has already delivered the master plan of the mechanism, and I have handed it over to Gongshu Chou. We are now preparing for the first round of attacks and are ready to forcibly break through the city."

"Yeah, stupid."

Wei Zhuang replied calmly.

Chi Lian remained silent upon hearing this, standing beside him and keeping him company in the cold wind.

"What an ingenious layout of mechanisms! The Mo Family's Mechanized City is indeed a masterpiece of craftsmanship. If we hadn't obtained this master plan of mechanisms, breaking through the city would have been as difficult as cutting off rivers and moving mountains and filling seas."

Gongshu Chou looked at the mechanical defense map in his hand and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. However, when he thought about how the Mo family's stronghold, which had been built up for hundreds of years, was about to be destroyed in his hands, Gongshu Chou felt an endless surge of pride. He laughed a few times, pointed to the outer defensive circle of the mechanical city, and said to a black-armored general, "Send men to dismantle these warning defenses for me."

"Yes."

The black-armored general memorized those locations and then dispatched soldiers. First, he used the cross-sea bridge built by the Gongshu family and took advantage of the bad weather to send elite troops to the opposite shore. After half an hour and dozens of casualties, the warning defenses were finally dismantled. Upon seeing the signal from the other side, the black-armored general immediately reported back to Gongshu Chou.

"Without this first layer of warning defense, we can maximize our advantages. Have your men prepare; at dawn tomorrow, I will launch a full-scale attack on the Mechanized City!"

Gongshu Chou's confident expression relieved the black-armored general. If they failed to capture the Mechanized City within the deadline, they would probably be sent to the northwest like the previous three hundred Dragon Tiger Cavalry.

"Lord Wei Zhuang, the city of the mechanical city is about to fall. We will have to trouble the experts of the Quicksand to deal with those rebels."

Looking at the confident Gongshu Chou, Wei Zhuang asked, "Even with the overall map in hand, a direct attack is still a poor strategy. Lord Gongshu, are you using the power of the empire to wipe away the humiliation and crush the Mo family under your feet?"

"Lord Wei Zhuang is absolutely right. The Gongshu family is isolated and outnumbered. If they want revenge, they will naturally use all available forces. The Mo family dares to confront the empire with their own strength. They are simply overestimating their own abilities. As their opponents, the Gongshu family should be allowed to leave more peacefully and suffer less. Lord Wei Zhuang, don't you agree?"

"Heh, I just hope you don't make things worse. Let's see whose teeth break first, this tough nut to crack, the Mo family."

After saying this, Wei Zhuang turned and left. Chi Lian glanced at Gongshu Chou and said in a deep voice, "Wouldn't it be more appropriate to weaken the internal forces first before launching a strong attack?"

"A duel of mechanical arts should be fair and square. If the Gongshu family is to win, they should win convincingly. You guys from Liusha should think about how to deal with the enemy when the city falls."

Upon hearing this, Chi Lian shook her head. Gongshu Chou was too arrogant and would suffer a great loss sooner or later. However, this had nothing to do with her. She was only reminding him out of concern for Wei Zhuang. But then she thought about Wei Zhuang's personality and realized that her actions might not be approved by him.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking and a light drizzle was falling, the Mohist disciples who were patrolling the mountains suddenly discovered that more than a dozen trestle bridges spanned the river and extended to the opposite bank.

"This is bad! Quickly inform the commanders that the enemy is attacking!"

Outside the surrounding mountains, the Black Armor Army, under Gongshu Chou's command, quickly advanced one mile. Further ahead lay the second trap, which was referred to as "Earth Crack" on the overall map.

"A ground fissure is nothing more than a collapse. To deal with such a mechanism, something heavy and powerful is most suitable. Push the stones away."

Gongshu Chou pointed, and the soldiers picked up the stones they had prepared beforehand. Outside the safety line, they threw the stones forward. One by one, the stones landed with a loud crash, and about ten feet ahead, a bottomless pit collapsed. The pit was several feet in diameter, and only a small path on the side could lead around it. If it hadn't been for the general's guidance, dozens of people would have been killed trying to get through.

"keep going."

Gongshu Chou gave a calm reply, and the soldiers prepared to walk along the side path. But at that moment, arrows rained down from the trees on the high ground. Some soldiers were caught off guard and were riddled with arrows. In an instant, more than ten soldiers had been killed.

"Shield formation!"

The black-armored general was startled by the sudden change, but he reacted quickly, drawing his longsword and shouting. The soldiers, who were in a state of chaos, immediately formed a circle and covered each other with shields. The rain of arrows only left white marks on them.

"Ha, that's all the Mohists have to offer."

Gongshu Chou scoffed and gave another order. The soldiers covered by shields moved in small steps, and the rain of arrows disappeared in just a moment. Before long, Gongshu Chou, Wei Zhuang and the others had broken through the second line of defense. In front of them was a dense forest, silent and still.

(End of this chapter)