Who let him join the Sword Sect!

Chapter 444 Mr. Zhang's Limited Matryoshka Doll
Petty thieves naturally need a target, and the thief who sneaked into the Thousand Machine Pavilion targeted the facility known as the Black Tower.

An ordinary-looking cultivator from the Thousand Machines Pavilion walked in through the main gate, proceeding as if he were in an empty place.

Soon after, he stood in the middle of an open space.

We've arrived at the Black Tower.

The open space was deserted at the moment, the patrolling sword spirits had been reassigned elsewhere, and the elders who had been watching this place shifted their gazes for a moment.

Through a series of coincidences, fourteen breaths passed, and no one in the area paid any attention.

The ordinary-looking cultivator didn't linger; he turned into a puddle of black water and sank to the bottom.

He entered the Black Tower.

……

As the core of the Thousand Machine Pavilion, this place, though called the Black Tower, is actually an upside-down, downward-facing black well that plunges straight into the ground.

What exactly is hidden inside is unknown even to many cultivators of the Thousand Machines Sect, but the origin of the name "Inverted Heavenly Gang" is not a secret.

The reason it's called Black Tower instead of Black Well is because it was originally a tower, except that it had seven floors above ground and eighty floors underground.

The above-ground portion had already been completely demolished two years ago.

The demolished above-ground portion was nothing special; it was just an empty shell with nothing inside.

Demolishing it won't bother anyone except Lily.

The existence of this useless thing is purely a result of Lily abusing her power.

She was obsessed with spectacle and wanted to build a tower for fun, so the Black Tower came about.

Logically speaking, since the evil Lady Lily holds absolute power in the Thousand Machine Pavilion, this Black Tower should exist for eternity.

Unfortunately, Lily has someone in her life.

There is Zhang Ze.

On a bright and sunny night, Zhang Ze's fascination with spectacle kicked in.

When the urge struck, he built an even taller, but equally useless, solid white tower behind the black tower.

After the white pagoda was built, Zhang Ze felt that the black blob standing in front of his white pagoda was unsightly, so he abused his power and, with a stroke of his pen, completely demolished the ground part of the black pagoda on the grounds that it was unsightly.

The Black Tower turned into a Black Well.

However, because they were used to the name, they were too lazy to change it, so the name Black Tower continued to be used.

……

The Black Tower has thirty-eight levels.

Zhang Ze and Chen Qin stood in front of a gate.

The gate was tightly closed, sealed with spatial magic, with golden lotuses blooming on it and countless incantations engraved on it. This gate was a top-tier sacred object for suppression.

Only a select few can verify the internal situation through divine soul verification, accompanied by incantations.

Standing in front of the gate, Zhang Ze formed a hand seal, and a ray of spiritual light bloomed from his forehead, transforming into a golden lotus and merging into the gate.

A moment later, a ripple spread, and the golden gate, which had been illusory, became transparent, revealing the true form of what was sealed behind it.

It was Emperor Xiao Jing's severed limb.

Its eyeball, right hand, and hairy leg were all suppressed by multiple arrays and sealed within golden crystals, showing no signs of movement.

Seeing that everything inside was safe and sound, Zhang Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong? Why are you here?" Chen Qin asked, puzzled.

“I suspect there’s something wrong with Little Walnut. The person who just received the message wasn’t Senior Sister Xiaoxue,” Zhang Ze said, frowning.

Chen Qin, "How did you find out?"

"You know that Senior Sister Xiaoxue doesn't like magic tools. She only used her little walnut twice during the Qinghe Gathering, and that was to secretly take pictures of Shi Xiu in her female attire. After that, she lost it somewhere. How could it possibly work on the first try?"

“A few days ago I asked Lao Tang what happened in Changzhou, and his reply was a bit strange.”

"Old Tang can't possibly be so quiet. Even when he has nothing to do, he can chatter on and on for half a day."

As Zhang Ze spoke, he pointed to his forehead and withdrew the golden lotus that had entered the door.

"There's something wrong with the little walnut... You suspect Xiao Jing did it?" Chen Qin realized this at this moment.

“That’s right, I suspect he’s done something again,” Zhang Ze nodded.

The fact that the small walnut was copied was not a secret within the Thousand Machines Pavilion.

Its predecessor was the Black King Token of the Hundred Demon Sect. Although it was later revealed to have been modified beyond recognition and multiple layers of ciphertext were added during transmission, some of the most core elements still have commonalities.

Therefore, the abnormality of Little Walnut must be inextricably linked to the true mastermind behind the Hundred Demon Sect.

"I……"

Just as Zhang Ze was about to say something, he suddenly felt empty beside him; his junior sister had vanished.

Zhang Ze turned around and saw a Thousand Machines cultivator he had never seen before standing not far behind him.

Behind this person floated an ice coffin, within which Chen Qin was sealed, her eyes closed, her fate unknown.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar Thousand Machine cultivator, Zhang Ze felt the spiritual energy around him solidify into a tangible form, and everything almost came to a standstill, as if he were falling from the starry sky.

Black chains had somehow wrapped around his entire body, rendering Zhang Ze unable to move.

Seeing that he had succeeded, the unfamiliar cultivator with the Thousand Machines cultivation technique smiled as he walked towards Zhang Ze. As he stepped forward, his ordinary face gradually began to change, becoming chaotic and distorted.

Finally, it transformed into the appearance of Emperor Xiao Jing.

This time, what came was not an illusion, but a Dharma body blessed by divine thought.

"You're smart, but unfortunately, you're still too weak."

With victory assured, Emperor Xiao Jing stood before Zhang Ze, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I know what you're thinking. You want to use your innate Dao Body to stall for time, and then summon your elders..."

He looked at Zhang Ze with a mocking gaze, "Go ahead and try, and see if anyone comes to save you this time."

However, despite saying this, he did not unlock the chains binding Zhang Ze.

"Fourteen breaths. I have diverted the attention of all the Mahayana cultivators who are watching this place. During this time, no one will come to save you."

After saying that, he shut his mouth, stopped looking at Zhang Ze, and began to seriously study the golden door.

Time passed second by second, and several fourteen breaths had gone by, but nothing happened.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." Xiao Jing's affected voice rang out again.

"The fourteen breaths I spoke of are in relation to the outside world, but this place is my domain. Time is measured by me; fourteen days, fourteen years, are all within my control."

After Emperor Xiao Jing finished speaking, he wanted to turn around and take a look at Zhang Ze's desperate expression.

However, Zhang Ze remained frozen in that state, not moving an inch.

Emperor Xiao Jing was somewhat disappointed to find that his deliberate attempt to create a flaw had not provoked Zhang Ze to launch a desperate counterattack.

He took a few steps back, conjured a dragon throne, shook his robes and sat down. Then, Emperor Xiao Jing flicked his finger and released the restriction on Zhang Ze's head.

"Aren't you usually so sharp-tongued? Tell me, let me hear what you have to say now."

"You've pleased me, so I'll release you today."

Zhang Ze just looked at him without saying a word.

Seeing that Zhang Ze remained silent, Emperor Xiao Jing was not in a hurry. He said calmly, "Since you are unwilling to chat, let's change the terms. Open this door for me now, and I will release you."

"Why should I believe you?" Zhang Ze finally spoke.

Emperor Xiao Jing leaned back on the dragon throne, quite relaxed. "My words are law, and I always keep my word. Whether you believe me or not is your problem."

"What would happen if I didn't do that?" Zhang Ze asked again.

"Not good. Since we can't retrieve my divine body today, we'll try again another day."

"If the plan fails, then commit murder instead."

"Start with the two of you, then the Thousand Machine Cultivators here, and then that little dragon. Kill as many as you can."

"This is just a wisp of divine consciousness. Although it is very troublesome to descend, it is fine to just abandon it."

Zhang Ze stared intently at Xiao Jing. "You've already made your move, haven't you? Draw attention away from here. A few false rumors from Little Walnut aren't enough; something big needs to happen."

"Who knows? I've already said that this place is different from the outside world. Now, if you follow my orders, you might be able to save a few people."

After saying that, Emperor Xiao Jing waved his hand, and the ice coffin behind him crashed to the ground. He tapped the lid of the ice coffin and said coldly.

"Open the door, or start with her."

Zhang Ze looked at Xiao Jing, then glanced at Chen Qin, who was sealed in the ice coffin, and asked.

"How many doors do I need to open in total?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xiao Jing seemed very happy, and he clapped his hands and laughed.

“Clever, truly clever. Since you are so clever, then I will also compromise. Give me the seventy floors of the eighty-story Black Tower, and I will release you.”

"Which seventy floors?" Zhang Ze asked.

Emperor Xiao Jing: "Whatever."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Ze asked, puzzled.

"I said it's up to you." Emperor Xiao Jing didn't want to explain, but he found the cat-and-mouse game amusing, so he spoke up again with a sarcastic remark.

"Only my unique method is the way to heaven, while the art of a thousand machines, such minor methods, should not exist in this world."

"I destroyed them for you; you should kneel down and thank me."

Emperor Xiao Jing rose from his dragon throne and approached Zhang Ze.

"Ants are still ants. What's the point of gathering so many of you?"

"The law will be passed down for ten thousand generations, how laughable."

"The path to heaven can only be traversed by me alone."

Zhang Ze tilted his head and looked at him, seemingly lost in thought. "You've found the path after Mahayana?"

Emperor Xiao Jing: "Hahaha, who knows? Open the door, and I'll tell you after you open it."

Looking at Emperor Xiao Jing spouting nonsense, Zhang Ze didn't bother to ask any more questions. He composed himself, seemingly adjusting his state of mind, and then looked up at Emperor Xiao Jing's eyes with a mocking tone.

"You call us ants? Then how did you manage to be driven to the heavens by a swarm of ants like dogs? Where is your land-based divine kingdom, your eternal foundation? Where are your Heavenly Guardians, your Hundred Demon Sect?"

"If you're so powerful, why don't you descend in your true form?"

"Don't tell me it's because you're kind-hearted and don't want to come down."

Having said his piece, Zhang Ze tilted his head and looked at Emperor Xiao Jing with a smile.

Emperor Xiao Jing's face turned cold. He took a step back and placed his hand on the ice coffin.

"Open the door, or I'll kill her right now."

Zhang Ze sighed, but didn't panic. Instead, he turned his head to the side, seemingly unable to bear watching what would happen next.

"Go ahead and kill. But I'll stay far away so I don't get splattered with blood."

"Alright, alright, you... um?" Emperor Xiao Jing was stunned for a moment, doubting his own ears.

Emperor Xiao Jing believed himself to be a man of vast experience and keen insight, never making a mistake in judging others. In his view, Zhang Ze was the complete opposite of him.

This threat was like a fart to him, but to someone like Zhang Ze, it was incredibly effective and torturous.

However, the reality seems to be quite different.

"What did you say?" Emperor Xiao Jing asked again.

"I said kill her, but don't splatter my blood. That woman is really annoying. If you kill her, I'll have some peace and quiet later."

Zhang Ze looked at Emperor Xiao Jing indifferently and urged him on.

"Get to work! What are you dawdling about?"

Zhang Ze's gaze left Emperor Xiao Jing momentarily confused, unsure whether Zhang Ze was feigning retreat or had some other plan.

Emperor Xiao Jing: "You...don't care about her? What about your little dragon? Your friends from the Beast Taming Sect?"

Zhang Ze: "Whatever, do whatever you want."

Xiao Jing, "Then your master?"

Zhang Ze: "That's great, the salary can be wiped out in one go, saving money."

Xiao Jing, "?"

"How can you be so heartless?" Emperor Xiao Jing, who was at a loss for words after being tricked by Zhang Ze, suddenly said this.

Chen Qin chimed in, "Exactly, exactly, how can you be so heartless? Is our friendship of so many years worthless? Sigh... people's hearts have changed so much, they've gone astray in their cultivation of immortality, how pathetic and lamentable."

Emperor Xiao Jing was about to nod in agreement when he paused for a moment.

'No, who's talking?'

Turning his head, Emperor Xiao Jing saw that the little girl who had been sealed in the ice coffin had changed her appearance.

The person sealed in the ice coffin had a face just like his.

"Kill me! Hurry up and do it, or I'll do it myself!" Emperor Xiao Jing smiled and opened his mouth as he saw himself in the coffin.

In an instant, Emperor Xiao Jing lost all traces of the cat-and-mouse game he had just played. He made a grasping motion in the air, causing the ice coffin to collapse inward, and then turned and fled.

However, the almost boundless sword intent stopped him.

This world has changed hands, but the sword remains forever.

The finite space began to expand infinitely, and the lightless universe turned into a wasteland in the blink of an eye.

On the desolate plains, broken swords lay scattered, their blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Above, the black moon hangs high in the sky, reigning supreme for eternity.

The golden gate that suppressed Emperor Xiao Jing's remains had disappeared, but 'Zhang Ze' remained in the same spot.

Zhang Ze exhaled softly, and the black chains binding him were instantly shattered into dust by countless sword energies.

Along with it, the illusion, like a mirage, was also shattered.

The illusions dissipated, and Mo Jingchun stood there, holding a blood-red longsword.

'It's a real pity.' Mo Jingchun sighed inwardly.

'I could never imitate Zhang Ze's cunning and despicable nature, otherwise I might have been able to extract more useful information from him.'

Behind Emperor Xiao Jing, the shattered ice coffin remained suspended in mid-air, like an ice flower. Lu Yuzhou leaned against the ice coffin with his arms crossed and yawned.

"How boring. I thought it would be the real body, or at least a finger. I didn't expect it to be just a wisp of divine thought."

Emperor Xiao Jing's expression was uncertain. He took a step back, his eyes filled with doubt.

Lu Yuzhou said, "What are you looking at? Tianzong is your ancestor. If you could see through my methods, how could I be ranked as the number one in the world alongside her husband?"

Mo Jingchun glared at Lu Yuzhou, "Stop trying to get close to me. Are you that familiar with Commander Qian?"

Lu Yuzhou: "Tch."

In the blink of an eye, starlight twinkled, a dazzling galaxy surrounded the black moon in the sky, and the broken sword on the wasteland, reflecting the power of the stars, slashed towards Emperor Xiao Jing.

The remaining lightless cosmic domain surrounding Emperor Xiao Jing was instantly shattered.

The starlight entered his body, freezing the wisp of his original soul that had been separated from his main body.

At that moment, the gate that sealed his remains reappeared, flashing with golden light, and the door opened wide.

Thousands of true words wrapped around his body like chains, dragging him into them.

He didn't understand why these two people were here, or when they had switched places, even though he had been watching them the whole time...

Emperor Xiao Jing: "Why? When exactly?!"

Lu Yuzhou: "I'm not your father, why should I tell you? Guess for yourself."

……

The whole family.

In that man-made, desolate place, Zhang Ze and his junior sister were sniping each other on the banana path.

The isolation of the Land of Severed Spirits works both internally and externally. Several times, I entered and exited the Land of Severed Spirits under Xiangxiang's cover, changing my identity to deliver the goods quietly.

"What made you realize something was wrong?" The junior sister, who had just been shot in the head, threw down her mouse and tilted her head to look at Zhang Ze sitting opposite her.

"I discovered it a long time ago." Zhang Ze also tossed the mouse aside, picked up a bowl of fruit, and started eating the melon.

"Do you want some?" Zhang Ze handed another piece of melon to his junior sister.

"No, tell me about Little Walnut first. I won't feel at ease until I understand it." The junior sister pushed hard on the table with both hands, and the chair with wheels slid to Zhang Ze's side.

"Tell me quickly," the junior sister, who was sitting cross-legged on the chair, asked.

After Zhang Ze returned, the elders conducted a thorough and necessary inspection of Zhang Ze and the spirits and cultivators who returned with him.

However, it was done secretly.

On the very night of the party, Sect Master Lu sent out a wisp of his divine sense, which transformed into a tuft of firefly hair. While Ah Li was performing the act of eating ten pigs in three bites, the firefly looked over everyone in the courtyard and found nothing unusual.

No one showed any signs of being possessed.

So the junior sister didn't understand where that wisp of Emperor Xiao Jing's divine thought came from, or how he had so badly offended Little Walnut.

"It was a setup in Changzhou. Emperor Xiao Jing made two preparations: if Luoyu Mountain exploded, everything would be fine; if it didn't explode, then there was still a backup plan."

"Because they came from the same source, his illusory image implanted something in the little walnuts of those captured cultivators... Zhang Ze said it was a virus guide or something like that."

"That virus guide is like a backdoor, just like up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B." As he spoke, Zhang Ze played another round of Contra.

"But Zhang Ze had been keeping this a secret, planning to use it as bait, so he only told a few sect leaders and didn't tell anyone else."

"Originally, after waiting for several months and seeing that Emperor Xiao Jing had not made any move, he was about to give up and directly use the method he had prepared to clear these virus markers, and then give Emperor Xiao Jing a big one."

"I never expected the village to... cause such a mess. But it's also thanks to this incident that Xiao Jing, that bastard, thought he had found an opportunity, started his scheme, and betrayed our Little Walnut."

As Zhang Ze spoke, he finished the whole bowl of melon while playing Contra with one hand. He then skillfully reached to his right, picked up a cup of nectar mixed with Apa tea, and gulped it down.

"How did Zhang Ze know that Emperor Xiao Jing's target was the Thousand Machine Pavilion?" The junior sister asked timidly, still feeling a bit scared when she thought about it.

"Whom did Emperor Xiao Jing hate the most?" Zhang Ze asked rhetorically.

"Zhang Ze," the junior sister answered immediately.

Zhang Ze: "That's right. Otherwise, why do you think Zhang Ze would stay at home after coming back and not go anywhere? He's hiding from the plague."

"Moreover, apart from the Thousand Machines Pavilion, there is no other place where Xiao Jing would go to such great lengths using this method, after all, Emperor Xiao Jing's arms and legs are all here."

"Then..." Junior Sister still had many questions to ask, such as when Xiao Jing's divine sense descended, and what Zhang Ze's backup plan was to clear Little Walnut's COVID-19.
The main problem is that she was brought here early on, and there are many things she really doesn't know.

However, Zhang Ze shook his head, "You can ask Zhang Ze yourself when he comes back. I don't know either."

After saying that, Zhang Ze looked at his junior sister and asked, "By the way, do we need to keep doing this?"

"This is a place devoid of spiritual energy, and we can't change back here. What else can we do?" Junior Sister sighed.

"Mmm... Xiangxiang!" Zhang Ze shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Coming, coming! Are you hungry again?" Xiangxiang, the top customer service representative, floated over.

Zhang Ze: "No, I wanted to ask, is it safe outside now?"

Xiangxiang tilted her head, looked up at the ceiling, and after a moment replied, "Yes, Qianji Pavilion is safe now, and the other places should be safe soon too. Are you going out?"

Zhang Ze and his junior sister nodded in unison.

……

After leaving the desolate land, feeling the renewed spiritual energy around them, the two felt very at ease.

The junior sister stretched lazily, "Ah! Finally, I can get rid of these annoying big breasts!"

After saying that, she clumsily made a hand seal, and the spiritual energy surged, causing the illusory image to split open like a zipper.

Lily popped out.

Zhang Ze was doing the same thing.

Zhang Ze opened his mouth wide, as if he had eaten himself, and began to shrink inward. A moment later, the round and chubby Ah Li made a dazzling appearance with her hands on her hips.

"By the way, where are Boss and Xiao Qin right now?" Lily asked while doing chest expansion exercises.

Ah Li shook her head. "I don't know."

(End of this chapter)