Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 19 Mechanism Beast

"Hehehe...hahahaha..."

With no way out and no chance of escape, Hongxiao laughed maniacally, revealing a resolute expression: "Then let's see who dies first!"

She suddenly ripped open the hem of her left arm, revealing a hideous Gu pattern on her forearm. The pattern was now emitting an eerie red light and writhing like a living thing.

"【Sacrifice Gu】!"

Wang Yizhi was horrified: "My lord, retreat quickly!"

"boom--"

Her blood vessels suddenly bulged, her skin cracked inch by inch, and the next moment, countless blood arrows shot out from her body, shooting in all directions with a shrill sound!
Lu Chenyuan frowned and retreated hastily, his sleeves billowing like a shield, yet he was still pierced by three arrows of blood. A piercing pain shot through his left arm, and warm blood dripped down his arm.

Wang Yizhi hurriedly stepped forward, threw out a small golden bell, poured his divine sense into it, and the cloud patterns on it shone, transforming into a huge illusory golden bell to protect himself and block the blood arrows behind him.

The blood arrows indiscriminately bombarded every corner of the underground palace, piercing the stone walls with countless holes. The blood pool exploded, and a torrential downpour of foul-smelling blood rained down. The remaining Gu worms were reduced to ashes in the blood rain. The already crumbling underground palace was struck hard, and the dome began to collapse in large areas.

When the last wave of tremors subsided, the underground palace was a complete mess.

Wang Yizhi carefully observed his surroundings, put away the golden bell, and said with a face full of relief, "It's a good thing we didn't use it just now, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed. What a bunch of lunatics, actually using the self-sacrifice Gu on themselves!"

As the name suggests, the Sacrifice Gu is a type of Gu worm that sacrifices itself to die alongside its mate.

"A master of the third realm self-destructing is indeed extremely dangerous..."

Lu Chenyuan agreed wholeheartedly. It seemed that doing good deeds regularly was still useful, otherwise he would have had to lie in bed for several days.

He stood up and looked outside. The blood pool had dried up completely, and the bottom of the pool was piled with countless corpses of Gu worms and human bones, emitting a strong stench. Seven of the twelve stone pillars supporting the dome were broken, and the remaining ones were covered with spider web-like cracks.

A gap appeared in the dome, and a beam of pale sunlight slanted in, illuminating Hongxiao's mangled body—a horrifying bloody hole in her chest, her skin cracked like parched earth, yet a strange smile lingered on her lips.

"She was a runaway dancer, wasn't she? In the end, we couldn't stop her..."

Wang Yizhi was filled with regret. If he had captured her, it would have been much easier to interrogate her about Ashina Yan's whereabouts.

"She is infected with a curse and is determined to die; she cannot be caught."

Lu Chenyuan changed the subject: "However, the remaining clues are enough to find the person."

Wang Yi was taken aback: "What do you mean, sir?"

Lu Chenyuan first pointed to the ceiling, “Whose courtyard is this? It’s like meat that’s right in front of them, but Wu Chengsi (Prince Wei) and Li Zhaotang (Princess Qianjin) haven’t touched it. The owner of the courtyard must be someone special. Next, here…” He pointed forward to the southwest corner of the underground palace. The wall was blown down by the fire bomb, revealing an underground river behind it. In the river, there was a creature with a fish body and a snake tail, half-submerged in the water, lifelike.

After examining it closely, Wang Yizhi exclaimed in surprise, "A tiger-dragon?!"

Lu Chenyuan was unaware of the specifics, but he knew that this thing was not alive.

It's a mechanical beast!

[Props: Mechanical Tiger-Dragon]

[Rank: Mid-Fifth Grade]

[Note: The Great Tang Celestial Master Gu Yunsheng crafted this creature based on the image of the tiger-dragon described in the *Classic of Strange Things*, using sunken iron from the East Sea and ebony from the South Sea, combined with divine mechanical arts. Its body is made of refined steel for its skeleton and ebony for its network of fibers. The entire body is engraved with water-repelling cloud patterns, allowing it to move freely and effortlessly through the depths of the sea, even treading on waves to reach the shore.]

"Genuine cutting-edge technology..."

Looking at the panel on his retina, Lu Chenyuan gained a deeper understanding of the secret arts of this world.

—They've even built submarines!

Wang Yizhi initially thought it was a living creature, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that its eyes could not close and its form was flawless, except for a lack of vitality; it was a mechanical beast.

He suddenly realized, "After destroying the evidence, we can ride this beast down the underground river to escape. Catching them again will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

"Yes."

Lu Chenyuan said, "If we had arrived any later, she might have really escaped. These people must have been planning this for a long time. Their understanding of the capital is extraordinary."

Wang Yizhi asked, "Does Your Excellency mean that there is collusion between internal and external forces?"

Lu Chenyuan nodded.

Wang Yizhi said, "Then their purpose in building this blood pool was just to raise Gu..." He suddenly stopped midway through his sentence, his eyes fixed on the exposed human bones in the blood pool. After the pool water dissipated, the corpses and their clothes were exposed.

One of the male corpses was holding a wooden plaque with several lines of text engraved on it:
—The woman in plain clothes knelt before her parents and reported: By the grace of the Imperial Pharmacy Bureau, I have been promoted to the sixth rank of Imperial Pharmacy Director, in charge of the Imperial Pharmacy's records. I have recently acquired a rare copy of the "Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica," and have been proofreading it until the third watch of the night without feeling tired. I beg my parents to take good care of themselves and await my return to visit them at the end of the year.

He gripped it very tightly, even as he turned into a skeleton, he still held onto the sign tightly.

Yu Suying's peace sticker.

Wang Yizhi's heart clenched painfully, and he clenched his fists tightly, growling, "These beasts!"

Yu Suying probably never imagined that the Turks would go back on their word, feeding her parents to Gu worms and sacrificing them as human offerings.

She endured so many inhumane tortures in Lijing Prison, and on the day of her execution, she was on the verge of death, but she refused to reveal the mastermind behind it all in order to give her parents a way out. Little did she know that the Turks were deceiving her while throwing her parents into a pool of blood.

"Not only do they raise Gu to prepare for unforeseen circumstances, but they also destroy corpses and cover up the evidence, truly destroy corpses and cover up the evidence."

Lu Chenyuan looked at the sign and sighed, "These bones in the pool probably hold secrets they wanted to hide. These Turks are ruthless!"

Wang Yizhi took a few deep breaths and it took him a long time to calm down. He gritted his teeth and said, "But I still don't understand! How did they do it? They managed to set up so many things right under the nose of the capital, underground palaces, mechanical beasts... When it comes to fighting, the Turks are indeed skilled, but when did they develop such abilities with mechanisms?"

"Perhaps this is the secret they've been hiding..."

Lu Chenyuan said, "Take a look in the underground palace to see if there are any other clues, especially this pool of corpses. There should be more than just hostages. See if you can identify anyone else. I'll go check on that mechanical beast."

"it is good."

Wang Yizhi nodded, carefully observed his surroundings, and focused on identifying the skeletons in the blood pool.

Lu Chenyuan passed through the collapsed wall and arrived at the edge of the underground river, next to the mechanical tiger-dragon.

This beast has a dragon-like head, a fish-like body, and a snake-like tail. Its surface is covered with scales, and it has four fin-like claws under its belly. It looks just like a living creature.

If you're not familiar with it, you probably wouldn't even know where its cockpit is hidden.

Lu Chenyuan was clearly not among them; with a quick glance, he had already memorized all the internal mechanisms.

He walked to the head of the tiger-dragon, pressed the switch under the fin, and with a series of clicking sounds, the entire head flipped up, revealing the internal cockpit, which was about three cubic meters in size and very well sealed.

Lu Chenyuan was always bold, so he climbed in, sat in the driver's seat, and carefully observed the interior.

In front of the seat is a row of levers, obviously for controlling the brakes. Further in front is a large piece of glass, made of the sixth-grade spiritual material [Heavenly Cloud Stone]. It forms a two-foot-wide line between the tiger dragon's left and right eyes, serving as a field of vision. Through it, one can see the surroundings and the underwater environment.

Behind the seats, there was a small open space where ropes and bloodstains remained.

Lu Chenyuan thought to himself that this tiger-dragon was not only escaping, but was probably also a tool for transporting human sacrifices here.

The entire tiger-dragon was about two zhang long, and most of its body was covered with dense gears and mechanisms. Only the head area had any space left. Lu Chenyuan looked around and suddenly his gaze sharpened. He bent down and looked at an iron bucket at his feet.

A small amount of yellowish-white powder remained in the bucket, and there were signs of corrosion on the bottom. A porcelain bottle sat beside it. Lu Chenyuan carefully picked up the bottle, but after opening it only a crack, he felt discomfort in his eyes. He immediately closed the lid and pulled it away. All his doubts were resolved. He smiled slightly and murmured to himself, "Found you..."

Just then, a sound came from outside the Tiger Dragon.

"The General of the Imperial Guard is here; all bystanders, please step aside!"

The sound was as loud as thunder, followed by the clattering of armor, which made the entire underground palace tremble!
Even sitting inside the tiger-dragon, Lu Chenyuan could feel the water surface swaying.

He immediately put the porcelain bottle into his sleeve, then waved his hand, and the remaining powder in the iron bucket disappeared.

"come out!"

No sooner had he finished than several Imperial Guards descended from the sky and immediately surrounded him, each wielding a crossbow and aiming it at Lu Chenyuan. They completely ignored the crimson robes he wore.

Lu Chenyuan calmly climbed out of the cockpit and looked outside.

A large number of Imperial Guards jumped down from the shattered dome, causing the earth to tremble and their iron armor to stand tall and imposing.

The leader stood in the center, like a drawn sword.

He wore a suit of golden silk armor, each plate crafted from meteorite iron, as cold and hard as ice, with gilded edges that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Engraved on his breastplate was a ferocious lion, its head glaring with fangs, seemingly ready to break through the armor and devour its prey—a unique emblem of the Grand General of the Golden Guard, symbolizing the power of life and death bestowed by the Emperor.

The beast-shaped shoulder blade holds an iron ring in its mouth, with a dark red silk ribbon hanging from it. The lion-shaped jade belt around his waist tightly binds his battle robe. A black-scabbard sword hangs diagonally, its guard shaped like a fierce beast swallowing a blade. The gold studs at the end of the scabbard are worn and mottled, indicating that he has been through many battles. Black battle boots are visible beneath his armor skirt, with iron-tipped toes, giving him an imposing and dignified air.

Between his high nose and deep-set eyes, a pair of hawk-like eyes swept across, seemingly capable of tearing flesh and bones, making people afraid to look directly at him.

His cloak billowed wildly, its dark red color resembling congealed blood, making him look like a demon rising from hell.

— Qiu Shenji.

This name alone is enough to silence the court and the public, and change the very nature of the martial arts world.

"It looks good."

Lu Chenyuan remained expressionless, thinking to himself, "It's a pity I'm not far from death..."

Qiu Shenji raised his eyes, looked at Lu Chenyuan, and said calmly, "You are Lu Chenyuan?"

"Yes."

Against someone with such formidable combat power who might turn on him at any moment, the same tactics used against Hou Sizhi would be ineffective. Lu Chenyuan immediately gave a military salute, at least to avoid any apparent fault-finding, and said neither servilely nor arrogantly, "This humble officer, Lu Chenyuan, greets the General."

Qiu Shenji narrowed his eyes: "You've caught the traitor?"

"Not yet."

Lu Chenyuan calmly said, "After tracking them all this way, we only found the dancer Hongxiao who escaped from the palace." As he spoke, he looked at the female corpse on the ground: "She had a self-sacrifice Gu on her body. We failed to capture her at the last minute."

Qiu Shenji did not speak, but Lu Chenyuan could feel that the surrounding air pressure had decreased significantly.

He sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

On the other side, Wang Yizhi was also being pointed at by crossbows, his face full of helplessness. He had already realized that these people were here to steal the credit!

Qiu Shenji still had some sense of shame and didn't show it too obviously. He simply acted as if he were a superior officer questioning Lu Chenyuan about the case, asking him to recount the whole process. Although the Jinwu Guard and the Yuan Guard were not under each other's command, they were still separate individuals. Qiu Shenji was a third-rank military officer in charge of palace defense and patrolling the imperial city. If he wanted to ask, there was really no reason for him to refuse. Lu Chenyuan briefly explained the process.

Qiu Shenji was a top expert in the fifth realm, and he could easily deduce the whole process from Lu Chenyuan's words.

He gave Yan Siping, the Left General of the Imperial Guard, a wink.

Yan Siping immediately said, "Since this traitor has already laid down the fire mines and has the Yinshan Blood Gu in hand, she can easily retreat by simply lighting the fuse. At the very least, she can use two methods to stop the two of you. So why... couldn't she retreat?"

His last few words were quite intriguing.

Lu Chenyuan was about to explain, but seeing his tone, he didn't bother to say anything and just looked at him calmly.

Wang Yizhi grew anxious and was about to speak when Yan Siping immediately turned around and shouted, "Shut up! This general didn't ask you!"

"you……"

Wang Yizhi had already seen through his plan, and his expression changed. He was about to say something more when Lu Chenyuan raised his hand to stop him.

Yan Siping sneered, not giving Lu Chenyuan a chance to explain, and pointed at the heavy gate, saying, "I see that there is a [Nine Palaces Thousand Machine Lock] at the entrance of this underground palace. As far as I know, this kind of lock contains more than 34,000 variations. Even a fourth-realm divine sense would not be able to break it. You, a second-realm cultivator... how did you manage to break it?"

"hehe."

Lu Chenyuan laughed and said, "General, what do you mean by this? Do you suspect that I'm a mole? That I'm in cahoots with them?"

"If you can't explain it clearly, you should avoid suspicion!"

Yan Siping said righteously, "According to the Military Defense Order and the Internal Guard's Supervision Order, we should report to the Imperial Guard and request the Commander-in-Chief to thoroughly investigate the suspicion of collusion with the enemy and temporarily suspend this case! This is none of your business. Go back to the yamen and wait for news!"

He waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away two stray dogs.

"Too deceiving!"

Wang Yizhi, unable to contain himself any longer, roared, "You're clearly trying to rob me—"

Hiss!

Yan Siping drew his sword, and his fourth-level cultivation instantly intimidated the entire audience.

He stared coldly at Wang Yizhi: "Watch your mouth! Look carefully where you are, understand the situation! Don't force me to make you perish together with the traitors!"

At this point, he deliberately turned to Lu Chenyuan, his lips twitching, and said disdainfully, "I know your background. You know whether you're real or fake. This title might fool Hou Sizhi, but it won't fool me. I advise you, don't try to show off in front of me!"

In the eyes of Yan Siping and others, if Lu Chenyuan were to die or be injured, as long as it wasn't the Wu family who did it, Princess Taiping would definitely do something! This wasn't to protect Lu Chenyuan, but to protect her own face. However, if he was just humiliated, then even if the princess wanted to intervene, she couldn't.

Xue Huaiyi was Emperor Wu's male favorite, yet there were still reckless censors who submitted memorials every day accusing him of being arrogant and domineering. Emperor Wu did not order the execution of everyone who submitted the memorials; at most, he was only given a beating. How much more so for Lu Chenyuan?

A smart person wouldn't let such trivial matters wear down their relationship.

Not to mention that he's a fake.

Therefore, as long as we get rid of him nominally first, the rest is just a matter of minimizing the problem and making it disappear altogether.

Even if the princess knew that the Imperial Guards were suspected of stealing credit, as long as the case was solved and the emperor was happy, there wouldn't be any major problems—after all, the princess was a good person, and good people are easy to bully. She wouldn't kill them afterward if they apologized, and the matter would be over.

They have a good idea.

Unfortunately, Lu Chenyuan is someone who won't listen to either soft or hard tactics, especially hard tactics!

The more you push me, the more rebellious I become.

"General Yan's knowledge of the laws and regulations is flawed."

Having said that, Lu Chenyuan was too lazy to pretend anymore and smiled at Yan Siping, saying, "It's obvious you haven't mastered the art."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was silent.

(End of this chapter)