Longzang

Chapter 235 Freshmen
Above the newly formed outline of the Witch City, several high shamans stood in the air, silently watching squads of soldiers march into the city.

Boats kept entering several waterways. Although the cargo ships were not large, they were all fully loaded and stretched as far as the eye could see.

On the other side of Wucheng, in the distance, one could faintly see a light curtain that stretched from the ground to the sky. The light curtain was clear and bright, and several great witches felt that the light was a bit dazzling, far less comfortable than the deep green of the Wu Domain.

From Wucheng's perspective, Qingming appears as if a piece of heaven and earth has been forcibly ripped out from the middle.

On the walls of the witch clan's city, countless slaves toiled, carrying cut stones up the wall, constantly increasing its height and thickness. With each layer of bricks laid, a witch doctor would step forward, sprinkling blood and chanting incantations. The blood would seep into the bricks, turning them a pale dark red. This blood was primarily human, mixed with other kinds of foul and poisonous blood, specifically designed to destroy the pure energy of the human realm.

However, the great shamans still looked worried. One of them said, "The city's defenses are far from sufficient. They can't withstand Yue Jinshan's attack."

"The old man's first strike was too fierce; whoever tries to block it will die. We might as well let him attack the city."

"Lord Kureha is pressing us hard. Shall we launch another attack?"

"No, what if that old scoundrel Yue attacks at this time? That old bastard is very cunning."

As the high priests were discussing, a sudden gust of wind arose, and a massive, mountain-like figure appeared before them.

He was shirtless, with long manes growing on his head and back, and two enormous fangs protruding from his mouth. He was twice the height of any other great shaman, and carried an extremely heavy hexagonal club.

He stopped in front of the witches, and the terrifying pressure made them instinctively retreat.

The high priests bowed in unison: "High Priest of Rockheart."

Yan Xin's six eyes coldly swept over the assembled shamans, and he said, "His Majesty the Holy Heart has ordered an immediate attack on Qingming!"

The high priests looked at each other, none of them answering.

"What, what's the problem?"

A high shaman, forcing a smile, said, "The humans have prepared methods inside that can easily annihilate us. We will be terrified and our spiritual senses will warn us as soon as we get close. I think it would be best to use ordinary troops to wear down their strength. Once we wipe out their army or trick them into revealing their hidden methods, we will be able to win."

However, the army is currently on guard against a surprise attack from the Western Jin Dynasty, and its numbers are far from sufficient. Lord Hongye has promised to replenish the troops by 300,000 within three months. Only then will the attack be foolproof.

Another high shaman said, "This region is barren, with nothing of value. The most valuable thing is human sacrifice. But after several years of war, less than one in ten human sacrifices survived, and most of the survivors are not even fit to be sacrifices. It would be better to let Qingming feed them for us."

Yan Xin immediately became impatient and angrily said, "Are you all making excuses because you think you can't conquer this small territory that you only established a little over a month ago, or do you think you can disobey Lord Sheng Xin's orders?"

The shamans remained silent.

Suddenly, Yan Xin spat on the face of the Great Shaman in front of him and said, "Shu Li and Hong Ye are useless, and their subordinates are all useless too!"

A powerful shaman roared, his aura surging, "How dare you insult Uncle Li and Lady Hongye?"

Rockheart's long mane bristled, and a giant claw gripped the great shaman's neck, lifting him up like a chick. He roared at the shaman's face, "They're two pieces of trash too! What, you're not convinced?"

The great shaman's face turned ashen, and he struggled desperately, but before Yan Xin's terrifying magic, he was as fragile as a larva. Yan Xin's roar made him dizzy, and spittle sprayed all over his face.

Yan Xin burst into laughter: "You think Shu Li can protect you? I've called his name several times already, did you get a response?"

The high priests remained silent.

Yan Xin tossed the great shaman aside and sneered, "A few pieces of trash think they're important? In fact, Lord Shengxin didn't expect you to do anything."

This time, all you need to do is lure that human out so I can cast the special spell made by the Holy Heart onto him. As for the extermination methods within the realm, you don't need to bear the brunt; I'll handle that!

The high priests all breathed a sigh of relief. Yan Xin snorted and said, "Red Leaf will give you important positions; no wonder you're getting worse and worse off."

At this moment, a high shaman standing at the very back said, "Lord Yanxin, I know quite a bit about the human race and have even planted a few spies. Why don't I make a trip to the Western Jin Dynasty? Perhaps I can stop them from aiding Qingming."

Yan Xin looked at the great shaman, searching his memory, and said, "You're Phantom? Fine, go ahead and try. You're not much use on the battlefield anyway."

After bowing, the phantom left immediately, not lingering for even a moment longer. Yan Xin shook his head and said to the remaining high priests, "You all come from large tribes, why are you always hanging out with her?"

A high priest said, "Lord Yanxin, why don't we wait three more days? Ten thousand more warriors will arrive in three days, and by then, Phantom should have already taken effect. If she can indeed stop Yue Jinshan from coming to his aid, your mission will be easier to complete."

Upon hearing the name Yue Jinshan, Yan Xin, unusually, did not get angry and nodded slowly after a moment.

In the Azure Forging Grounds, Yu Zhizhuo was assembling a strange machine. Wei Yuan and all the cultivators from the Primordial Palace were present and watching.

The machine had a frame that held a massive iron hammer weighing over a thousand kilograms, with a rocker arm on each side. Yu Zhizhuo assembled the machine while simultaneously manufacturing parts on-site, adjusting any parts that were the wrong size on the spot. Wisps of pale golden sword energy shot from his fingertips as he continuously sliced, causing thin, cicada-wing-like slices to float down from the parts, gradually bringing their dimensions closer to the predetermined range.

Although these slices are made of steel, they are so thin that they can float in the air; dozens of slices together are no more than the thickness of a hair. This one move alone shows how profound Yu Zhizhuo's swordsmanship is.

Fortunately, the equipment he was installing wasn't precision machinery; it was just rough work, which didn't require the meticulous attention to detail he was currently doing. So, Zhang Sheng didn't have a chance to make a move from beginning to end.

Zhang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.

The equipment was quickly assembled, and two cultivators carried over a huge, specially made anvil and placed it below. Yu Zhizhuo took an iron ingot, held it in his hand for a few breaths until it turned red-hot, and placed it on the anvil.

Then Yu Zhizhuo cranked the handle, raising the hammer through various transmission mechanisms. Once it reached the predetermined height, the mechanism automatically opened, and the hammer fell, striking the iron block heavily.

Yu Zhizhuo adjusted the height of the hammer, and after a few more strikes, the iron block was stretched and began to take the shape of a steel plate. Yu Zhizhuo picked up the still red-hot steel plate with his bare hands to check its quality, and was finally satisfied.

Yu Zhizhuo turned around and said, "With this machine, there's no need to swing a hammer when forging steel billets. Just turn the mechanism to hoist the hammer up, and it will fall naturally. The hammer I'm making now only weighs a little over a thousand jin. It's hoisted up to a height of over ten feet, and the force of its fall is roughly equivalent to that of cultivators like you in the early stages of the Foundation Establishment realm. Moreover, the force of each hammer blow is the same. The crank arm only requires a little strength; it doesn't matter if it's fast or slow. So, let the Body Forging cultivators do it."

Upon seeing this machine, Wei Yuan was utterly astonished. Yu Zhizhuo had used neither magic arrays nor rare materials; he had only used the most common steel and wood. As long as a Body Forging cultivator operated it, it could achieve the same effect as a Hammer-wielding Dao Foundation cultivator.

Upon further reflection, Wei Yuan realized that this device was actually far more effective than a hammer-wielding Foundation Establishment cultivator. Foundation Establishment cultivators were, after all, still human, and would inevitably experience fatigue and moments of carelessness. Even when fully focused, the force of their hammer blows would vary slightly. But with this device, every strike was identical, without deviation, and it wouldn't cause fatigue.

The number of Body Forging cultivators is dozens of times greater than that of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even if hundreds of these machines were made, Wei Yuan would have plenty of people to operate them, ensuring that they would run day and night without stopping, even when people were resting.

Although precise calculations haven't been done yet, Wei Yuan estimates that the efficiency of this machine is roughly equivalent to three hammer-wielding Dao Foundations. After all, a Dao Foundation can only work for eight hours a day.

Wei Yuan immediately ordered Cui Yu to organize a large-scale production of these machines. Yu Zhizhuo then said, "You are probably not good at making things. Let my junior brothers lend a hand, and we can make them faster."

Wei Yuan had no reason to refuse. Cui Yu then led four senior uncles from the Heavenly Crafts Hall and gathered over a hundred Dao Foundation cultivators to cut wood and smelt iron to manufacture machinery.

After everyone had left in a flurry, Wei Yuan approached Yu Zhizhuo, bowed deeply, and said, "Uncle-Master is truly a genius! We've looked at these materials every day, countless times, and we never thought of these things. Uncle-Master's design is like a ripple on a calm lake, a thunderclap in silence. It's so simple yet so efficient; I truly admire it!"

Yu Zhizhuo, whose face had been dark with displeasure, was already overjoyed. He chuckled and said, "It's just a little trinket I made on the spur of the moment. Since you like it, I'll give it to you."

"This...isn't that inappropriate?"

Yu Zhizhuo chuckled and said, "There's nothing wrong with it; it's just reciprocity."

Zhang Sheng remained expressionless.

At that moment, in the distant quarry, Cui Yu swung his sword, instantly shaving ten large logs in front of him into pieces one foot square and two zhang long. Each log was perfectly shaped. The other Dao Foundation cultivators were either shaving wood or forging iron, creating parts one by one under the guidance of the Heavenly Crafts Hall cultivators.

Newly promoted Dao Foundation cultivators can swing an iron hammer continuously for eight hours with their abilities and Dao being of one nature, so processing these parts is a piece of cake for them, not to mention the Heavenly Foundation cultivators such as Cui Yu, Wang Yu, and Xu Yi.

At this moment, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were using all their magical artifacts and various Daoist techniques to process the parts with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the Body Forging cultivators were carrying materials back and forth and moving the processed parts to the weapon forging workshop.

After discussion, the cultivators gave this machine a name that had a distinctly otherworldly feel: Iron Forging Machine.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the forging workshop. Wei Yuan reorganized the layout, reserving space for 300 forging machines in the first batch, and deciding on 800 or 1,000 machines for the second batch later.

The forging machine has a simple structure and is sturdy and durable. It is estimated that one hundred machines can be assembled overnight. Although the steel plates produced by the forging machine are only rough materials and still require final finishing work by the monks, this saves 90% of the effort.

Each forging machine can produce ten steel plates per hour, so one hundred machines would produce over ten thousand steel plates per day. Once all three hundred machines are in place by tomorrow, it will only take three or four days to equip everyone in the region with a steel-pipe gun.

A cultivator specializing in Body Forging can equip three weapons!
Wei Yuan now wishes he could put a gun in the mouth of every cultivator.

The Heavenly Crafts Hall truly lived up to its reputation; Yu Zhizhuo immediately made a breakthrough upon his arrival. The iron forging machine seemed unremarkable after being examined, not difficult at all, but before seeing it, no one could have imagined it.

Wei Yuan's mind raced; he knew he was about to face a new problem. They had enough high-quality steel plates, but they were running out of iron and gunpowder.

Wei Yuan felt it was necessary to have a serious talk with Sun Yu, to have him put aside the elixir amoxicillin for now and think about how to produce more gunpowder.

Having established Qingming for so long, for the first time, Wei Yuan felt that everything was moving in a positive direction, and there was finally light ahead. It seemed that Yu Zhizhuo's earlier phrase, "reciprocity," had another meaning, though he didn't know what it meant.

Suddenly, Wei Yuan felt a surge of spiritual energy in a certain part of the vast land, and then several streams of azure energy slowly formed.

He felt something and looked into the distance.

A loud cry suddenly rang out from a shanty in Yong'an City; a baby was born. This was the first child born in Qingming.

(End of this chapter)