I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 309 A Chance Encounter (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Inside the labyrinthine caves of the Heavenly Craftsman.

Mo Liao released two monkey-like puppets that clung to the rock walls on both sides of the cave, keeping watch for potential dangers lurking in the shadows.

The Xuanjia soldiers led the way, while Mo Ling used her Bright Light Technique to illuminate the map in her hand and compare it with the forks in the road on both sides.

"Sister, are you really confident that you can find the secrets deep within the Heavenly Crafting Cave?"

Mo Ling said without looking up, "It took hundreds or even thousands of explorations by our ancestors over the generations to leave us with this map. In fact, we are already very close to the secrets of the depths of the Heavenly Crafting Cave. We are just one step away."

Mo Liao sighed, "But this one step has been unfinished for hundreds of years. Father said it depends on a person's luck."

"Even without luck, we must find it today!" Mo Ling turned to look at her foolish younger brother. "Our Mo family is not a sect but a clan. Whenever something good happens, the patriarch's lineage always benefits first. Last time, there was a strange event in the mountains near Mo Family Fortress. It was clearly our father who risked his life to rescue them, and in the end, he discovered a seal left by the Nine Ancient Emperors."

"As a result, our father was immediately excluded, and the uncles from the family head's lineage went to investigate. We shouldn't expect to get any of the benefits. Rather than hoping that the family head and uncles will give us something out of consideration for our father's brotherhood, we should try our best to find the things deep in the Heavenly Crafting Cave ourselves."

Mo Liao nodded, regrouping, "That's right! The 'Hundred Refinements of Heavenly Craftsmanship' left behind by the Heavenly Craftsmanship Sect supported the development and growth of my Mo family, making us one of the nine great immortal sects of the Northern Xuan. The things deep within the Heavenly Craftsmanship Maze may not necessarily be inferior to that so-called Nine Emperors' inheritance."

Mo Ling smiled with relief and led the way into a side road. "The Thousand Spider Nest is ahead. Let's get through quickly and not linger."

……

Less than half an hour after entering the labyrinth, Jiang Yi and the other three got lost.

Shen Puning tried to use the earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique in Chinese fantasy novels) on the pearl under her feet to pass directly through the mountain wall, but for some reason, she crashed into the mountain wall and fell flat on her back, seeing stars.

Shen Puning quickly picked up Baozhu, "It seems that the use of escape techniques is still prohibited here. Baozhu has already fused with the spine of the ancient ferocious beast Tanli, and her earth escape technique has reached the mastery level, but it still can't pass through this mountain wall."

Shang Shixu was releasing insects to scout ahead, remaining silent. Xin Wushuang knew she couldn't help, so she also stood aside without saying a word.

Hongli pressed her nose against the damp rock wall and sniffed repeatedly. Duanjin silently shook his head. The mountain walls were evenly distributed with metallic ores and some mechanisms, so Duanjin's sense of the earth's veins was not very useful here.

The two halves of Hua Gu spun around and then crashed into Jiang Yi's arms in dejection.

Left with no other choice, Jiang Yi took out the Heart-Piercing Mirror behind their backs, gently stroked its surface, and whispered, "Heart-Piercing Mirror, these are all my friends. Let's be a little more friendly. It's okay to insult people, but please don't publicly expose their embarrassing past, okay?"

Ripples spread across the mirror's surface as it flew from Jiang Yi's hand, reflecting off the three people present.

Shen Puning suddenly shuddered, and Shang Shixu pressed his dantian in astonishment, his Wuxiang Gu actually shrinking up.

Xin Wushuang felt a chill run down her spine, but her expression remained unchanged.

"Four people can't even muster a single useful brain, and they can't even find a way out. I suggest you pry open your skulls and use them as spittoons; at least they'll be useful containers!"

A sarcastic, mocking voice came from the mirror. Shen Puning's eyes widened in surprise, and her face flushed red.

Shang Shixu and Xin Wushuang were completely dumbfounded, while Jiang Yi covered her face in embarrassment. Good heavens, even she got caught in the insult.

Fortunately, the Heart-Piercing Mirror did not continue to mock them. The mirror projected the light and shadow of the passage they had just explored, in a three-dimensional and realistic way.

"Take eighteen steps forward along the left path, then turn back and you will find the way out."

After saying that, the Heart-Piercing Mirror went out of flame and fell back into Jiang Yi's hands.

Shen Puning was curious and wanted to ask Jiang Yi why the mirror was cursing, but Jiang Yi secretly shook her head to signal Shen Puning not to ask, and Shen Puning shut up awkwardly.

Following the instructions of the Heart-Piercing Mirror, the group took eighteen steps down the left passage and then turned back, where they indeed found a path they had never taken before.

With his Broken Gold Hand pressed against the mountain wall, he carefully sensed it. "I understand now. This maze itself is a huge mechanism, constantly in operation, and the path is always changing. Divine sense is ineffective here, and escape techniques cannot be used. We can only solve it by following the mechanism's operation."

Duan Jin had some insights, so she took out a notebook she had bound herself from the storage bag at her waist and started drawing as she walked.

Having found a breakthrough, Duanjin skillfully applied all the mechanical knowledge she had learned in "The Hundred Refinements of Heaven's Craftsmanship" to lead the way for everyone.

Although they took the wrong path at times, ending up in caves filled with spider golems, the group was generally getting closer to the depths of the labyrinth.

When Duan Jin truly doesn't know where to go, Jiang Yi will take out the powerful Zhu Xin Jian, paying the price of being pierced by the Zhu Xin Jian in exchange for guidance.

So much so that now whenever Shen Puning sees Jiang Yi about to take the Heart-Piercing Mirror, she quickly hides behind Wushuang.

The Heart-Piercing Mirror requires a thorough investigation of the surrounding area and recording of the terrain before analysis can be performed, while the Gold-Cutting Mirror sometimes relies on her intuition about mechanisms to directly choose the right path; each has its own advantages.

Four hours later...

"Did you hear that?" Duan Jin suddenly stopped and turned to ask the others.

In the narrow cave passage, the group maintained the illumination of the light while listening carefully. They could hear the crunching sounds of gnawing, accompanied by the faint sound of hammering.

Hum!

Baozhu nudged Shen Puning with her nose, and Shen Puning squatted down, exclaiming in surprise, "There's a mouse hole here. Baozhu said the sound came from here."

After the group gathered around and confirmed that the sound was indeed coming from the rat hole, Shen Puning rolled up his sleeves and said, "Let me smash a path through here."

"No!" Jiang Yi quickly stopped him. "Didn't Duan Jin just say that the entire labyrinth is a huge mechanism? You might not be able to split the mountain with one punch, and it would be bad if you triggered the mechanism and it attacked us." Although the puppets in the Heavenly Craft Labyrinth are not difficult to deal with, their sheer number can still be a headache.

"Let me do it," Shang Shixu said gently, reaching his hand to the entrance of the hole. A group of golden ants emerged from his sleeve and quickly entered the mouse hole.

But less than fifteen minutes later, Shang Shixu suddenly frowned.

“There were many rats in the hole, and they ate all my insects.”

Like a cat, Hongli stretched out her claws and scratched at the hole, but found nothing.

Duan Jin said regretfully, "I haven't learned how to make miniature puppets yet, otherwise I could control them to go in. This place must be just like the test at the entrance to the forbidden area, where you need to use puppets to solve problems in order to open the mechanisms and find the way."

Whoosh!

Hua Gu walked around to the front of the crowd, patted her chest with her misty hand, and quickly transformed into the shape of a leaf.

Jiang Yi handed over the leaf that she had just taken out. She was about to say something when Hua Gu came up with her own idea.

Having absorbed the illusion of being blinded by a single leaf, Hua Gu quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.

The hidden flower maiden walked through the rat hole, and the damp, musty smell mixed with the smell of rusting metal hit her. The inner walls of the passage were covered with fine teeth marks.

Suddenly, a burst of blazing white steam shot out from the crack in the ground. Fortunately, Hua Gu was protected by the power of the Ice Phoenix and was not afraid of the high-temperature steam.

More steam vents flickered in the darkness. Hua Gu carefully dodged them, and after rushing for a moment, a huge, honeycomb-like cave suddenly appeared before her.

Thousands upon thousands of rat puppets huddled together, using their serrated incisors to dismantle the puppet remains dragged from who-knows-where. The metal shavings they chewed emitted a pure golden luster and were scattered all over the ground.

The palm-sized spider puppet nimbly moved among the rats, carrying metal scraps to the corners of the cave, piling them into several small hills.

Other spider golems emerged from the honeycomb holes, their tails trailing finished parts on steel wires, and the sound of hammering metal came from those holes.

The spider puppet walked into the swarm of rats and precisely pressed the parts into the damaged back of the rat puppet.

Hua Gu used the recording stone inside her body to record these scenes. Turning her head, she saw a giant rat puppet, the size of an ox, lying in the corner of the cave. Its back was covered with sharp steel blades that formed fur, making it look extremely ferocious.

The giant rat puppet lay motionless on the ground, with a stone slab under its paws that was clearly different from the rest of the stone, with complex runes engraved on it.

call!
Hua Gu nodded silently. That must be the mechanism that needs to be activated. If a normal Mo family puppeteer came in, he would probably have to destroy all the rat puppets and defeat the giant rat puppet to pass the level.

But it doesn't need to. It sneaks up, presses the button, and runs away. But before that... Hua Gu rushes towards the few small metal hills in the corner without hesitation.

)*︵▼Go for it!

……

Outside the rat hole, Hua Gu had only been inside for less than fifteen minutes.

Outside the rat hole, a cold wind carrying the smell of rust swept in. Jiang Yi was dozing off against a bronze remnant covered in teeth marks, while Shen Puning and Xin Wushuang squatted at the entrance of the hole, studying the claw marks left by Hua Gu. Shang Shixu closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, with a few traceless insects quietly hovering at his fingertips.

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently, and gravel tumbled down.

"The earth shook?" Shen Puning looked up abruptly.

Dust billowed in the distance, and two dark figures sped towards them—it was Mo Ling and Mo Liao.

Mo Ling's black clothes were stained with blood, and her hair was disheveled. Mo Liao was even more disheveled, with half of his sleeve torn and a deep wound on his arm that exposed the bone.

Behind the two, a colossal creature crushed the rock wall, causing rocks to crumble and the earth to split wherever it passed!
The centipede-shaped puppet was ten zhang long, with each segment of its back protruding like a drawn sword. When it charged, its hundred legs flew, and the sword-like spines sliced ​​through the air with a piercing shriek, making it look like a runaway steel chariot.

When Mo Ling saw Jiang Yi and the others, she was very surprised. She had no intention of bringing danger to them, but there was only one path here. This dragon-spine centipede was more ferocious than the gatekeeper warrior puppet, and it was followed by a group of small centipede puppets. Her Xuanjia soldiers had been dismantled by the centipede.

"Get out of the way!"

Mo Ling roared to remind the others, then turned to fight the Dragon Spine Centipede, buying Mo Liao and Jiang Yi time to escape.

Just then, a light spring rain began to fall from above, instantly healing Mo Ling's injuries and rapidly restoring her depleted true energy from the previous battle.

"Look at the fist!"

Shen Puning rushed past Mo Ling in one stride, standing in front of her to directly confront the Dragon Spine Centipede.

As Shang Shixu played his jade flute, swarms of insects surged like a tide. Xin Wushuang's arrows were already nocked, his bow taut as full as a full moon.

A great battle was about to break out. Just as everyone was preparing to attack the Dragon Spine Centipede, the ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed without warning. Mo Ling, Mo Liao, Jiang Yi, and the other three, as well as Bao Zhu, Duan Jin, and Hong Li, all fell into the bottomless darkness below without warning.

A moment later, Hua Gu, who had returned laden with spoils and successfully activated the mechanism to escape, emerged from the rat hole, stunned.

(⊙⊙) Huh? Where is everyone?

(End of this chapter)