Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 171 The King's Gun Robbery Severed His Will
Examining the inscription on the stone tablet, Zhou Yi felt that he had not yet had enough.

There seemed to be some writing left behind, but it was no longer legible.

The place found by the first Evil Emperor was left by the Heavenly Demon Cangqu. The "Heavenly Demon Strategy" was completed in the Qin and Han dynasties, but it can be traced back to the ancient times of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

That is, the era of Guang Chengzi.

After learning the secrets of the Temple of War, the powerful figures of the Demonic Sect were filled with longing and have been pursuing it ever since.

Zhou Yi is gradually gaining a clearer understanding of this past.

However, he wasn't there for archaeological research, so he wasn't in the mood to delve into it at the moment.

He shifted his gaze from the stone tablet and looked around at his surroundings.

This underground hall is even more spacious, with an open space in the center and large lakes all around, which seems to be related to the underground river of Jinjiang.

In the distance, a palace-like building has decayed and collapsed; its appearance is incomplete, indicating that it was never properly repaired.

The surrounding light source still comes from those luminous crystals.

Their reflections in the surrounding lakes resemble a river of dazzling stars descended to earth, within easy reach.

Looking up, this height is close to the limits of human physical endurance.

The most critical thing is that the mechanism has been closed.

Even if he could leap up and try to break through, he would have to use his power to forcefully break through the upper underground hall.

However, without a point of leverage in the air, it cannot exert such powerful force.

This time, by borrowing the combined power of everyone, we entered the deepest part of the Evil Emperor's Temple, hoping to find clues related to the War God's Hall. If we get trapped as a result, it won't be worth it.

Several methods for breaking through the mechanism above came to mind, but they were temporarily put aside.

The current situation is chaotic and there is a risk of being plotted against or attacked.

After weighing his options, Zhou Yi decided to first locate the location of the Evil Emperor's relic.

He made the same move as the Evil King, Empress Yin, Zhou Laotan, and others, turning his head to look at the deep blue lake.

As the upper bronze mechanism opened, the relic fell down.

It was the same dark hole that Yun Shuai had approached earlier, but unexpectedly, he fell directly into the lake.

Strangely, this relic... it's moving!
Many people fell into the lake along with the relic, and they chased after it. It's hard not to suspect that someone has already obtained the relic.

There might even be an escape route underwater.

After all, we had just heard the rumbling sound of the underground river hitting the rocks as it turned, and there were occasional undercurrents in the lake, so it was definitely not a stagnant pool.

Some martial arts practitioners who were about to go ashore lost their minds. Hearing the commotion underwater, they held their breath and rushed back down.

The next moment, the lake surface rippled gently, and suddenly waves surged and pushed against the shore.

The waves surged one after another, crashing forward with a tremendous roar accompanied by a strange crackling sound, as if some terrifying monster lurked in the water.

Zhou Yi retreated backwards, at which point screams and cries of terror rang out.

The moment the lake water turned red, a huge figure broke through the waves and lifted a martial artist from the lake. The weapon was the same bronze halberd used by Lin Shihong.

Driven by a tremendous force, the warrior was cleaved in two in mid-air!

The people in the lake were terrified and fled towards the shore. Someone screamed, and then four more people met the same fate.

In an instant, blood rained down, and a stench of blood filled the underground hall.

"what is that?!"

As everyone gasped in surprise, they looked at the five enormous figures, each over seven zhang long, their bodies cast in bronze and covered with layers upon layers of fine, fish-scale-like armor.

The snake's head is raised high, with a sharp horn standing upright. The lines are cold and smooth, exuding an unnatural precision.

The most striking feature was its eyes, which were not flesh-and-blood pupils, but two huge, perfectly round, smooth, and deep-black glass spheres, seemingly inlaid with some kind of dark red crystal.

"Mechanical Snake".

"A mechanical snake? That's a mechanical creation of the Gongshu family, isn't it?"

“Yes,” Shi Qingxuan said, her eyes reflecting the five bronze serpents, “but that doesn’t prevent the Mo family’s mechanical arts from creating such sophisticated mechanical devices.”

I overheard Zhou Yi and Shi Qingxuan talking.

Shi Zhixuan, who was not far away, chimed in, "Why are there mechanical snakes here?"

Quiet, persistent quiet.
The girl in blue ignored him, and the Evil King's expression grew increasingly hostile. Zhou Yi, not wanting to provoke him further, politely replied:

"Legend has it that the Temple of War is guarded by a demonic dragon. The evil emperors may be imitating the layout of the Temple of War. Since they cannot find the demonic dragon, they use the mechanical arts of the Mohist school to create a bronze serpent as a substitute."

Although this is his speculation, it is based on many secrets.

Shi Zhixuan was drawn in by his words and became slightly absorbed. He did not empathize, but he vaguely sensed the obsession of the evil emperors of past generations.

After hearing this, many more people, filled with apprehension, distanced themselves from the lake.

These mechanical serpents are dangerous, and it's unknown whether there are other mechanical creations at the bottom of the lake.

Having learned this lesson, many martial arts practitioners regained their composure and dared not wander around underground.

The lake surface gradually calmed down, and the bronze snake retreated back into the water.

One of the mechanical serpents opened its tightly closed snout, revealing a vaguely discernible, deep, and complex internal structure, with the yellow crystal sphere held in its mouth.

The crowd was eager to act, but dared not make a move.

Even if the relic is taken from the snake's mouth, it will still be surrounded and attacked by the crowd.

Bypassing the lake, most of the martial artists slowly made their way toward the dilapidated palace, while the old king of Tuyuhun, Xi Ying, and the people of the Evil Extreme Sect were the fastest to arrive.

They did not encounter any obstacles along the way.

Like the previous stone tablets, there were also inscriptions in front of the decaying palace, most of which were left by Xie Bo. Unfortunately, they were severely damaged and contained no martial arts techniques.

From the scattered whispers, people noticed a clue.

Unable to obtain the Temple of War, the evil emperors, driven to madness, sought to build one.

Unfortunately.
Such wondrous creations are beyond human capability.

Zhou Yi finally understood why the palace didn't look complete; the project was simply too massive. Even with all the resources of the Evil Extreme Sect, it couldn't be completed on the foundation of the Heavenly Demon Cangqu.

The only thing in this place directly related to the Temple of War is the Relic of the Evil Emperor.

The old nun, Fan Qinghui, stood still in front of a stele.

Even Shi Feixuan, who was standing to the side, showed a strange expression.

It reads: "Xie Bo, the dream of the Heavenly Demon, when will you awaken?"

Zhou Yi glanced at it and saw that the last signature was engraved with the two characters "Dini".

Unexpectedly, the founder of Cihang Jingzhai had also visited this place.

Dini and the first Evil Emperor were lovers, but they broke up due to differences in their ideologies.

Empress Yin also saw this and said calmly from the side, "Fan Qinghui, Cihang Jingzhai is also a branch of my Holy Sect. When I unify the Holy Sect, Jingzhai will also trace its roots and return with me."

Fan Qinghui calmly replied, "Let's talk about it after the Empress of Yin has fulfilled her wish. I just don't know if the Evil King is willing to become a vassal."

Shi Zhixuan smiled wickedly: "Of course I support Xiaoyan."

It's unclear how sincere he was, but the attitude he displayed in those words was something that Buddhists couldn't ignore.

If the Evil King and the Empress join forces, they will indeed unify the Demonic Sect.

Then the battle between Buddha and demon will be exceptionally fierce.

Their words were laced with veiled meaning, but Zhou Yi ignored them. After browsing through several broken stone inscriptions, he finally found another stone inscription a little further inside the decaying palace.

This stone carving is the newest and clearest.

Old Zhou, Emperor Ding, and others stared at the words above with complicated expressions.

"The Jade of the Cave Extreme is truly unique in the world—Xiang Yutian."

The fellow disciples of the Evil Extreme Sect were saddened to discover that they could not understand the inscriptions left by their master.

Seeing Zhou Yi pass by, Jin Huan turned half her body and asked:
"Master Zhou, do you know what this means?"

Zhou Yi laughed: "Why do you need to ask me about the secrets of your Evil Extreme Sect?"

Upon hearing this, the group became angry and annoyed.

You Niaojuan almost wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but then thought better of it.

Emperor Ding said with a stern face, "Who doesn't know that your clan has a profound foundation?"

Zhou Yi smiled again: "Our sect happens to have records of this, so there's no harm in telling you."

"The so-called Cave Extreme Immortal Jade is the Cave Extreme Immortal Pendant, which is the result of the three pendants of Heaven, Earth and Heart coming together. The Evil Emperor has a friend named Yan Fei. This person opened the Immortal Gate by combining the three pendants, which not only allowed him to comprehend the ultimate mystery of the Heavenly Dao and obtain supreme power, but also enabled him to reach the highest realm of martial arts."

"Such mysterious items mostly come from the Temple of War Gods. It wouldn't be surprising if the Evil Emperor were to search for the Temple of War Gods and try to find the Cave Extreme Immortal Jade, just like previous Evil Emperors."

After Zhou Yi finished speaking, he sighed slightly: "It's a pity that the Cave Extreme Immortal Jade and the War God Palace are nowhere to be found. There are always regrets in this world."

The members of the Evil Extreme Sect also felt a sense of loss.

Old Zhou's eyes flickered with ghostly light. With a thought, he focused his voice and asked Zhou Yi, "May I ask, where is your master right now?"

"He's gone on a journey."

They've gone on a journey, which means they might still be under this starry sky.

Old Zhou sighed, unsure if Zhou Yi would respond, but he couldn't help asking:

"Your master has provided you with meticulous and painstaking guidance in the art of martial arts?"

Zhou Yi guessed what he was suspicious of. Seeing his restless appearance, it would be incredibly easy for him to lie now.

However, his state of mind was different at the moment, and he casually replied with four words: "On the contrary."

Master Jiao Wuzi cared about him a lot, but when it came to martial arts, the greatest help he gave was a number of Taoist scriptures and a book from the Xuanzhen Temple collection.

Although he had doubts about his master's identity, he was never able to confirm it.

Zhou Yi was a man of few words; he turned and left, leaving Old Zhou with a face that froze instantly.

His brows furrowed, and several deep lines appeared on his forehead, like knife-carved ravines, filled with the words "impossible."

But deep down, I felt that Zhou Yi wasn't lying.

Watching Zhou Yi and Shi Qingxuan walk inside together, Old Zhou sighed and relayed the story to the Xieji Sect members, and everyone's expressions changed.

Could it be that this old demon is truly just exceptionally talented?

There are many doubts at the moment, but this is not the time to talk about them.

They went inside as well.

Many martial arts practitioners gathered in this dilapidated palace, which was empty. The only eye-catching thing was the strange stone statue placed on a protruding stone pier in the center.

Some of these stone statues are human-shaped, while others resemble dragons but are not; their forms are bizarre.

Zhou Yi recalled the murals he had seen while walking along the cave, where someone had incorporated martial arts concepts into the paintings.

These stone statues serve a similar purpose.

Of all those present, Master Zhenyan was probably the most moved, because in the Arhat Hall of Dashi Temple, there are also hundreds of Buddha statues displaying various hand gestures, which are of great benefit to the practice of Tantric hand gestures.

Those who came before incorporated their own martial arts philosophy into it, and those who are destined to encounter it may be able to comprehend some of it.

Zhou Yi understood the intention behind these stone statues.

The evil emperors imitated everything about the Temple of War, wanting to create their own War God Catalogue.

Upon closer inspection, there were only twenty-one stone statues.

The War God's Manual teaches people how to fish, and its forty-nine sculptures illustrate the mysteries of heaven and earth. The Evil Extreme Sect tried everything but only managed to obtain twenty-one sculptures, which is far from achieving the effect of the War God's Manual.

Zhou Yi saw one of the dragon-shaped stone statues, which, like the palace, was incomplete.

It inevitably evokes a sense of inexplicable sadness.

This evil emperor failed, perhaps because his Dao heart was shattered, and he couldn't leave behind his final insights.

so.
In fact, only twenty of the stone statues in this hall are actually useful.

As he looked around, he gradually found a familiar charm in these stone statues.

So I watched it once, and then three more times.

He suddenly fell silent.

Finally, he realized where this sense of familiarity came from.

The Xuanzhen Temple houses exactly twenty seated statues.

It is almost certain that these stone statues and the seated statues in the cultivation method he practiced originated from the same source.

But that was before the sculpture in my mind was altered.

Another point is that these stone statues illustrate the secret arts of the demonic sect.

The Xuanzhen Temple's collection is a collection of Taoist teachings.

While they were indeed wondrous, in Zhou Yi's eyes, they merely added some insights into martial arts, and were not anything particularly surprising.

There are no mechanisms here.

Shi Qingxuan wandered around twice but found nothing.

One of them had no interest in martial arts, and the other had lost interest in stone statues.

So while others were engrossed in the decaying palace, they went against the tide and ran outside the main hall.

The moment Zhou Yi stepped out, he used his lightness skill to rush straight up, and at a height of more than thirty feet, he thrust his longsword into the rock wall, using the sword as a foothold.

Then they pressed their palms on the top floor of the underground hall.

With a slight exertion of his strength, the longsword beneath his feet bent completely, making it impossible to blast it away with his palm.

The simplest way is to find another sharp tool and slowly chisel the hole upwards.

However, with the sword as the foundation, the efficiency was greatly reduced, the energy loss was extremely alarming, and there was also the worry of being ambushed upon landing. This clumsy method obviously could not be used casually.

Zhou Yi fell from the sky. Although he was not driven to the brink of despair, he couldn't help but feel a little heavy-hearted.

All around are mountain walls, making it difficult to fly upwards, and below, in the lake, there are bronze mechanical snakes.

The fact that the relic remained in place indicates that the mechanical snake was lying dormant in the water.

It's unknown how many more traps are hidden underwater.

The two then searched the underground area in a large circle.

Sure enough, they found some mechanisms and devices.

However, they were all damaged and could no longer be used.

Finally, they stood by the great lake.

"It seems the mechanism can only be underwater. I'll go down and take a look."

The girl had barely taken a step when Zhou Yi pulled her back: "I'll go."

Zhou Yi had only taken a few steps when he heard footsteps slowly approaching the lake.

In the blink of an eye, I saw an old face covered in wrinkles, holding a long spear in his hand, his eyes gloomy.

Murong Kualü did not look at the stone statues again.

At his age, those stone statues were no longer of any use.

He didn't have the time to reflect on it.

Moreover, this place is merely a replica of the Temple of War, created using the natural environment; it is not the Temple of War at all, nor does it contain any records of the God of War.

None of the owners of those stone statues ever achieved immortality; even if they gained martial arts skills by chance, it was merely a drop in the ocean.

Relics, I want the relics of the Evil Emperor!
He roared inwardly, setting all his hopes on the bottom of the lake.

Murong Kualü's unusual behavior also attracted the attention of those who were interested.

The old king noticed that many people had chased after him from the decaying palace, making it extremely difficult to seize the relic under such circumstances.

But
Driven by an intense desire for immortality, he actually came up with a solution.

Now everyone is trapped in a cage; there may be a way out, or perhaps no one can escape.

His hawk-like eyes glanced quickly at the girl beside Zhou Yi.

This girl has a close relationship with that despicable Zhou boy. If we capture her, we can not only coerce Zhou into taking the relic, but also intimidate others.

She was the one who opened the upper mechanism, and most of the escape routes here also depend on her.

If we capture her, the others will be hesitant to act rashly.

To seize the relics and escape alive makes the impossible possible.

Murong Kua Lü was frantically calculating his next move.

He was overjoyed to see Zhou Yi making a move to go into the water.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he approached, Zhou Yi returned from the lakeside and locked her sharp eyes on him.

Zhou Yi and Shi Qingxuan both realized what this guy was up to.

Before Shi Qingxuan could take any action...

Zhou Yi then walked directly toward Murong Kualü. This action immediately made the old king's heart sink, and he realized that he had been too hasty.

He probed, "You intend to make your move here?"

"Isn't it appropriate?"

Murong Kua Lü said, "At this point, there is no way to go to heaven or to go to hell. What's the point of fighting to the death? Once we escape from here, I will fight you to the death."

Zhou Yi's eyes flashed with frost as he said indifferently, "You can fool yourself."

After saying this, Canglang drew his sword with a shout.

Murong praised Lü for understanding his thoughts, then gave an unusual smile:
"You really think you can defeat me?"

Zhou Yi simply said, "I asked you to pick a burial place before, but I didn't expect you, old coffin board, to actually know how to pick a spot."

Upon hearing this, some onlookers noticed that the old king not only did not refute it, but nodded instead.

"If I cannot obtain what I seek, I am no different from these demonic masters whose hopes have been shattered. Dying here would be a fitting end for me."

He brandished his steel spear, unleashing a powerful aura.

This contrasts sharply with his aged appearance.

The environment here is completely different from that of Duzun Fortress; it's either life or death.

All hope rests on this battle. This situation perfectly matches the indomitable and destructive killing spirit of the Northern Overlord Spear.

He poured his life's skills into the spear, coating it with a silvery light brighter than the crystals beneath the earth. In the face of death and rebirth, the old king unleashed the aura of the Tuyuhun King, bringing the spirit and power of the Northern Overlord Spear to its extreme.

It's hard to imagine that such terrifying power could be contained within his withered body.

Zhou Yi focused intently and raised his longsword.

The sword blade pierced through Murong Kualu's aura and also kept the power of the Northern Overlord Spear at bay.

More and more eyes were drawn to them.

The two men moved with incredible speed and force, traversing the lake surface as if an invisible giant hand were stirring the entire lake basin.

A wave surged back!

Murong Kualü made his move; his iron spear tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound. The Breaking Army Thrust appeared to be a simple straight thrust,
Yet, with incredible speed, he concentrated his combined strength at a single point on the spear tip, creating an extremely sharp penetrating force.

The moment the spear and sword clashed, Murong Kualü reached out and slapped the spear, and a spiraling, oscillating force instantly erupted onto Zhou Yi's longsword.

This vicious move is enough to injure the opponent's internal organs and meridians, and destroy their protective qi.

Zhou Yi spun the sword hilt in his palm, using his powerful sword energy to shatter the hidden force.

A semi-circular flame unfolded around him, the sword wind howled, stirring up dust and gravel on the ground.

This sword strike was not only powerful and fierce, but it also generated a spatial pulling force.

Murong Kualü raised his spear to block, but immediately felt an overwhelming force rushing towards him. At the same time, his weapon was deflected by this spatial force, making him unsteady and leaving him wide open.

In that instant, Zhou Yi cleaved through with a single sword strike!

The old king's eyes were filled with a fiery light, and the muscles in his seemingly withered arms bulged, with veins standing out.

"what--!"

With a shout, he unleashed his ultimate move, the Tribulation of Mutual Aid.

He used his combined energy to form a flexible and viscous aura on the surface of the spear, which greatly slowed down and dispersed Zhou Yi's sword energy.

The gun barrel moved in a rapid circle, its two eyes fixed intently on the various flowing blades.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~!!"

The flowing blades crashed into the lake, creating huge waves.

With his unique skill, he was originally able to cleverly absorb part of the enemy's strength with the combined force, then guide it into his own meridians through the iron spear, and then transform it into an unstoppable spear force to wear down the opponent.

However, this move requires profound skill to withstand, and the purity of one's true energy cannot differ too much.

As soon as he absorbed a wisp of Zhou Yi's true energy, the old king felt a burning pain in the meridians of his arm.

They were both innate true energy, but the difference was so great that they couldn't absorb it at all!

At this point, most of the skill in marksmanship was lost.

With sword wounds on his arms, thighs, and face, Murong Kualü didn't have time to think and jumped into the lake.

In an instant, a huge black shadow darted across the lake.

Zhou Yi gave chase, and a series of clicking sounds came from the water. A large bronze mechanical serpent burst out of the water and thrust its head towards him with halberd-like sharp horns.

Zhou Yi dodged, stepping onto the mechanical serpent.

Although Murong Kualü was not as agile as Zhou Yi, he still managed to step on the snake's neck by three inches.

He tilted his body to the side and thrust his spear into the lake, creating a ripple.

Zhou Yi, arriving late but arriving early, unleashed a Heavenly Frost Fist technique amidst the twisting of the giant snake, freezing Murong Kualü's spear and the wave that followed.

The giant snake beneath his feet, its earthen-yellow, glassy eyes fixed on Murong Kualü, charged forward with immense force.

Murong Kualü broke free from the frost and ice, while the giant snake beneath his feet charged toward Zhou Yi.

However, his downward movement puts him at a huge disadvantage.

Suddenly, two more mechanical snakes darted out.

Four snakes darted past, and the two men leaped into the air, clashing with each other in mid-air. The immense force of their attacks combined with the four giant snakes crashing into the lake, creating waves ten feet high.

Along with the waves came a fifth giant bronze serpent.

In that instant, Murong Kualü unleashed his deadly technique, Cold Star Shattering Soul, transforming his iron spear into countless cold stars that pierced Zhou Yi's vital points like a sudden storm.

His gunshots were numerous and varied, making it difficult to distinguish between real and feints; every strike was aimed at a fatal spot.

However, Zhou Yi not only possessed comparable strength, but also used his sword energy to shatter Zhou Yi's strange mixed spear energy, and his sword speed was even faster.

After a clash of deadly moves, Zhou Yi shattered all of Murong Kualü's Star Shattering Spear's light, and the fiery sword light slashed out seven or eight hideous wounds on Murong Kualü's body.

If it were an ordinary opponent, this blow would have been fatal.

But the old king was physically strong, and his withered body had a certain charm of "physical limits", making him a real king of endurance.

Covered in blood, he was able to use a secret technique to seal his wounds, ensuring that he would not bleed to death.

"Bang~~!"

The fifth mechanical serpent, its eyes gleaming with a grayish-woody hue, charged forward, but the two managed to dodge its pointed head.

Zhou Yi slashed with his sword, pressing Murong Kualü down onto the giant snake's head, almost piercing it with its sharp horns.

Zhou Yi then flipped himself up into the air.

Everyone felt that in that instant, the two powerful figures had raised their auras to their peak.

The old king of Tuyuhun bulged his chest and pressed down hard on his dantian, causing his spear to flash with silver light.

The body, spirit, and true essence—everything related to the Northern Overlord Spear—was poured into it.

This move is the Calamity of the Overlord Spear; every opponent who faces this move is destined for disaster.

It is a devastating strike that combines a lifetime of skill with the essence of the Northern Overlord Spear and the Canhe Force.

It is a forward-moving, all-encompassing thrust that can even stir up the power of heaven and earth at its peak; it is the ultimate shot that simplifies complexity.

Murong Kualü did not reach that level, but the silver spear had become like a living thing, an extension of his will.

His eyes were sharp as lightning, locking onto his target.

Just then, Zhou Yi raised his fiery red longsword and slashed it down from the sky.

Like the old king, Zhou Yi's spiritual will also extended outwards, with his physical spirit attaching to the flowing blades. In the next instant, these fiery flowing blades found their direction and converged together.

In an instant, it transformed into a massive sword aura that cleaved down!

"Boom~!"

The strong winds caused the lake to split and burst open, and the old king, with no way to retreat, thrust his spear forward.

The combined essence and energy of the strike extended from the outermost edge of the will.

Upon impact, the spear's edge shattered!
Murong Kualü gritted his teeth, and a faint spatial fluctuation appeared between his spears, a sign of the rapid absorption of energy.

He had reached his limit, and a powerful spiritual force swept over him.

His fighting spirit shattered in an instant, and the power of his domineering spear vanished in a flash.

The wounds on my body could no longer hold.

The fiery sword aura, now free of obstruction, pierced through the mechanical serpent and the old king from top to bottom, the sword light cutting all the way to the surface of the lake!

The lake rippled as the bronze serpent's corpse and the old king crashed into the water from a height of five zhang, creating a second wave.

Wave after wave crashed, seemingly trying to drown out the awe in the eyes of the onlookers.

Before Zhou Yi could catch his breath, two more bronze serpents charged at him.

He stepped onto the water, and instantly a moving layer of ice formed.

He dodged the snake's immense force with a swift movement.

He turned and with a single sword stroke, severed the head of the second snake from mid-air. The moment his sword aura was unleashed, even the exquisite bronze mechanical artifacts crafted by the Mo family could not withstand it.

After the third huge wave hit, strange things happened on the lake.

Ripples spread out in concentric circles, and then whirlpools appeared.

The vortex was gaining momentum.

He was quite exhausted at this moment, and his energy was gradually waning. He dared not linger and took a step to Shi Qingxuan's side.

At the front of the dilapidated palace, a group of martial arts masters looked at Zhou Yi, their lips twitching slightly.

They had just witnessed that terrifying swordsmanship.

The old king of Tuyuhun, along with the giant serpent, was killed!

A top expert has fallen.

"Are you alright?" Shi Qingxuan focused her voice into a line.

Zhou Yi said calmly, "It's nothing, just a corner of my clothes is wet."

Shi Qingxuan turned around and saw the Grand Commander, who was awe-inspiring in the Evil Emperor Temple, breathing lightly. She wanted to joke with him, but knew that this was not the time.

"I think I know how to get out of here."

"Oh?"

A glint of wisdom flashed in her bright eyes: "The strange phenomenon in the lake was caused by your slaying of the mechanical serpent. The eyes of those five serpents were all different colors, representing the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth."

"What does this have to do with the mechanism?" Zhou Yi was a little worried that cutting down the giant snake would damage the mechanism.

She patiently explained: "The 'Mozi: Guiyi' records that Mozi refuted the use of the Five Elements to divine good and bad fortune: The Emperor used Jia and Yi to kill the Azure Dragon in the East, and Bing and Ding to kill the Red Dragon in the South... If we follow your words, we will prohibit the practice of these methods throughout the world!"

He greatly despised the "mutual overcoming of the five elements" theory of Zou Yan and other Yin-Yang scholars, believing that too much fire could melt metal, and too much metal could extinguish fire, and that mutual overcoming was not fixed.

To learn mechanical arts, one must naturally understand Mozi's theories.

For example, the mechanical cycle theory also emphasizes the conditionality and practicality of things.

Zhou Yi seemed to understand something.

Shi Qingxuan continued, "Therefore, the Five Elements Serpent is the mechanism that binds this place. By breaking this paradox believed by the Mohists, we can see clearly and see the world outside the Evil Emperor Temple."

Zhou Yi glanced in the direction of the ruined palace. There were people gathered around, and others were walking towards them.

He glanced at the lake and had already made up his mind.

He immediately gathered his inner energy and jumped into the lake.

Sure enough, once they reached the lake's waters, the bronze serpent attacked again.

Ignoring the strain, he drew his sword and unleashed two sword beams.

Two enormous snake carcasses fell to the ground.

As the last bronze mechanical snake burst out of the water, several figures rushed to make their move.

The commotion on the water grew louder and louder; how could those from both the Buddhist and demonic paths not see the signs?

This last mechanical snake can not only open mechanisms, but it also holds a relic in its mouth!

They seized the relic and then escaped using the mechanism.

Anyone can make that kind of calculation.

The powerful Great Perfection staff technique of the Venerable Emperor Heart had already broken through the wind, the outer binding mudra of the True Word Master fixed the snake's head, and the Masters of Jixiang, Daoxin, and Zhihui made their move together, aiming to seize the relic in one fell swoop.

Zhou Yi couldn't care less about all that.

As the Evil King Yin Hou and a group of Evil Extreme Sect experts rushed over, he had already leaped back to Shi Qingxuan's side.

The Demonic Sect is still missing An Long and Xi Ying.

But Master Yixin was injured.

Even with the addition of the Evil King and the Yin Empress, and the Coffin Palace, the Demonic Sect still holds immense power.

Zhou Yi disregarded whether the Buddhist sect could gain the upper hand first. The moment the mechanical serpent exploded, he only paid attention to which direction the exit was.

The powerful winds from numerous masters pressed down, causing the lake water to surge with towering waves.

No clicking or rattling sounds were heard from the mechanical components.

However, the whirlpools in the lake were getting bigger and bigger.

Zhou Yi was puzzled, but then he suddenly realized what was going on when he thought of the well in Shilongyuan.

"The exit is underwater; it should lead out along an underground river."

Shi Qingxuan understood and pointed towards the place where people were fighting over the relic.

Zhou Yi, on the other hand, was envious.

This relic is not empty now. When the upper level activated the mechanism, more than two hundred experts used their power together, which formed the method of combining primordial energy and primordial essence.

The vital energy may differ, but the primordial essence may be the same.

There's probably a lot of primordial essence in here.

Shi Qingxuan saw his longing and hesitation, and said softly, "Go and snatch it, I can leave by myself. If you can run away after you get it, then run away. If you can't run away, then just throw the relic away."

"No."

After weighing the options, Zhou Yi shook his head: "If I make a move, they might target me together. At worst, I can cultivate for a few more years. It's not worth taking that risk."

"Once their momentum dissipates, we'll immediately plunge into the undercurrent."

The fight between the two sides grew increasingly fierce, and many people stood on the shore waiting for their chance.

The eddies in the lake also reached their maximum size.

The Yin Queen's Heavenly Demon Technique was originally an indiscriminate attack, but she suddenly released the force field.

As expected, Shi Zhixuan suddenly made his move. He moved like a phantom, dodging the Heart Buddha Palm of Master Zhihui, and used a hand seal to exchange a Bodhidharma hand seal with his teacher, Master Daoxin.

The disciple had long surpassed his master, so Master Daoxin avoided the limelight, and Shi Zhixuan slipped past him.

At this moment, everyone looked at the Evil Emperor's Relic.

Zhou Yi pulled Shi Qingxuan and jumped into the whirlpool of the lake.

They continued their leaping movements. Shi Zhixuan punched the flying mechanical snake head, sending bronze mechanisms flying in all directions. He was about to grab the Evil Emperor's Relic.

The Buddhist monks were too late, but Old Master Zhou's Demonic Palm struck down in one move.

The relic fell downwards.

After forcing Fan Qinghui to retreat, Yin Hou once again used the Heavenly Demon Great Art to hold back the rest of the Evil Extreme Sect, and was about to seize the relic!

The master of mantra, who had been preparing for a long time, held his left index finger upright and his right fist wrapped around his left index finger, resembling the mudra of Vairocana Buddha, but revealing the true mantra of the character "列".

This is the Wisdom Fist Seal, which contains a powerful "breaking" force that can disintegrate an opponent's protective true qi, internal energy defense, and special aura.

With a well-prepared strike, he hit the relic despite the Heavenly Demon Force Field.

Master Zhenyan even had the determination to destroy the relics.

However, the relic was more durable than imagined, and even such an attack could not shatter it.

The relic transformed into a golden ray of light, propelled by the Wisdom Fist Seal, and rushed into the swirling, turbulent currents of the great lake at an extremely fast speed. The moment was so chaotic that even the senses were weakened.

"Thump thump~!"

A large group of crazed martial arts practitioners jumped into the lake, hoping to take advantage of the chaos.

Zhou Yi and Shi Qingxuan held their breath and jumped into the water before the others could.

The lake water was icy cold, unlike the temperature one would expect in summer.

The underwater scene was obscured by the swirling eddies.

Only a tornado-like torrent of water swept into the dark hole, allowing Zhou Yi to hold his breath for a long time without worrying about drowning.

They then followed the direction of the whirlpool and left.

Suddenly, Shi Qingxuan, who was a little ahead, glanced back at him, then turned around and pulled him back to swim, using his body to resist the extremely strong swirling force underwater.

She leaned out, and Zhou Yi had to grab her smooth ankle as he descended.

After struggling through the turbulent waters several times, Shi Qingxuan finally managed to grab onto something.

But the moment she caught it, she trembled and her breathing became unsteady.

Zhou Yi noticed something was wrong and pulled her back.

She held the gleaming topaz in her hands and tried to shove it into his arms.

However, her own consciousness was greatly blurred.

This relic is no longer an empty shell. If one does not master the method of controlling the relic, or if one's mental strength is not strong enough, one will not be able to stop the violent spiritual imprint contained within it.

This relic lacks the spiritual imprint of past evil emperors, but among the more than two hundred experts, there is no shortage of those whose vital energy and spirit are in harmony.

Their chaotic spiritual energy was also incorporated into the relics through the bronze mechanism.

Therefore, ordinary martial artists cannot touch it directly; they need a medium such as a mercury-copper container.

The moment Zhou Yi received the relic, he also felt a complex mental storm.

However, he possesses secret techniques for resisting spiritual forces, such as the immortality of Zen, the world of Zhuangzi, and the ability to transform heaven and earth. He is completely unconcerned about the impact of touching such things.

Amidst the swirling turbulence, they were still being swept downwards.

Zhou Yi shook the person in his arms. The girl's black hair fell loose and brushed against his cheek, her breathing becoming increasingly unsteady.

If I can't hold my breath, I'm going to choke on the water.

As they approached the dark cave entrance, Zhou Yi forcefully lifted her with his left hand and pulled her close. Accompanied by a mouthful of icy water, their lips met.

I don't know if it was the stimulation of the cold lake water, or the completely different temperature sensation on my lips compared to the water below.

The mental shock that Shi Qingxuan had experienced dissipated.

The white and blue clothes floated and swirled in the turbulent current, while the dark river cave was pitch black and invisible.

But
The Evil Emperor's Relic emitted a bright light, and it sensed Zhou Yi's true energy. So it offered its loyalty, transforming into a bright lamp that secretly illuminated the girl's eyes.

This allowed her to see clearly the person she was face-to-face with.

From a daze to tension, then quickly calmed down.

That feeling was not unpleasant at all; on the contrary, it was somewhat captivating.

And so it seems, it's not so bad.

In the underground river,

The two embraced, sharing a long, drawn-out breath. The topaz shimmered, its undercurrents swirling, as if oblivious to the world around them.
……

(End of this chapter)