Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"You made a mistake. I won't come back, but now no one can stop King Kong Island. No one. King Kong Island, I will come back again."

Shattered into tiny starlight, Yan Puti's voice still echoed from the side of Mount Buzhou. Having defeated his formidable foe, Wang Lingguan's face was filled with solemnity.

After a series of plot twists, the film finally comes to a close. The end credits also include a welcome Easter egg revealing the next installment. This blockbuster production will continue to release next year.

"Unbelievable. Unbelievable. It's actually true."

Even though he was about to meet the Heavenly Master, Shangluo still couldn't believe what he saw.

After a brief intermission, the cinema turned on the lights. A post-screening meet-and-greet took place directly inside the screening room. The main actors entered from the side, with Sa Tianshi leading the way.

When he came in, he looked towards Shangluo with a half-smile in his eyes, as if to say, "Do you want to learn?"

Shangluo nodded repeatedly towards that side. Even Yanqiu didn't care to look at it.

"Excuse me." A scent of pine trees drifted over from the front - Shangluo, who was too excited, blocked the way out.

"Oh, sorry, sorry." Shangluo sat back, but the person next to him didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave.

"You seem to be very familiar with the director? The director is looking here. Let's get to know each other. My name is Yanqiu." Bowing slightly to Shangluo, she walked out of the audience and headed towards the stage.

Chapter 294 Yanqiu

"Ah, so satisfied. So satisfied. I got to shake Director Sa's hand! I won't even wash my hands today!" Han Xingzhi walked out holding his hands.

"Ah, that girl named Yanqiu is so beautiful." Even Phaethon stared at his hands blankly.

"Well, Miss Phaethon, you are indeed beautiful, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it does look good."

"Which part do you like? I like the last one the most—Ah! Wang Lingguan unleashes the Taiyi Jinhua's thunder! So cool! Heaven and earth are united! What do you think is the best part?"

"Miss Yanqiu's hair is beautiful." Phaethon's eyes straightened.

"..Alright..Alright." Wen Yuan's smile was a little stiff. "Rounding it off, you're also a fan of Wang Lingguan. We now call fans of large-scale productions across multiple platforms, such as comics, movies, and radio dramas, "fans." It comes from the Latin loanword "Heroes' Parade." And, Shangluo..."

"What?" Shangluo was still in shock.

"Let me tell you. If Miss Yanqiu wasn't in the movie, the etiquette and music would be completely ruined! The etiquette and music would be completely ruined!"

"It seems so." Shangluo gently sniffed his fingertips, which still had a lingering scent of pine waves, mixed with some citrus aroma and some soap scent.

"Hello~" Familiar smell, familiar voice.

"Ah!!" It was Fa Etong's voice that pulled Shang Luo back, "Miss Yanqiu."

"Hello. May I ask where Shangluo is? Ah, here. I knew you were Shangluo. The ancestor looked this way just now."

"Do you know each other???"

A sense of distance descended from the sky. Phaethon, Wen Yuan, Han Xingzhi, even Lu Liang took a step back. He had never expected Shangluo to actually meet such a lovely Miss Yanqiu.

"No, no, no, I don't know him."

"Your hands smell like her." Lu Liang sniffed. "I've been smelling it since a while ago. I was just about to ask you."

[What kind of immortals are you teaming up with? Clairvoyance, Super Ear, chasing the murderer across the boundless heaven and earth.]

"Nascent Soul???"

Yanqiu was shocked. She looked at Shangluo as if she had seen an immortal.

[Huh? She can hear?]

"I... I seem to be able to hear you. Sir..." Yanqiu answered in a low voice.

[Who are these people?! Can they please be quiet for a while?! How can someone still hear the sound of the phlogiston frequency band?!]

"Because I'm a Xuan cultivator. I'm a Xuan cultivator from the Shenxiao Sect. Although we're all Xuan cultivators, our sect is different from the Xuanzhen Sect. We don't focus on cultivating spiritual consciousness, but rather on cultivating the primordial spirit. So I know a little bit about sending spirits to summon generals. Hello?"

[Tsk, I changed the channel. I guess she can't hear me now. Shangluo, how's the sound quality?]

"It's a little ear-buying. It was like hydropower before, but this is like thermal power."

This is how encrypted calls work. Yeah, I feel much more at ease.

"Is that 'god' unhappy?" Yanqiu asked.

Shangluo nodded.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm here to show you the way, but I didn't expect this to happen. Please follow me this way." She turned, raised her right hand, and walked forward. Shangluo only then noticed that she was holding a token. As they made their way through the crowd, those on their way out actively avoided them, but no one's gaze lingered on them.

"Who is that?" Shang Luo asked Han Xingzhi beside him in a low voice. He was the only Xuan cultivator here.

"That's a talisman from the Shenxiao Sect. All of the Shenxiao Sect's cultivators, whether they're thunder cultivators or mystical cultivators, use talismans. It's probably a form of evasion, allowing one to disappear in a crowd. Well, Miss Yanqiu is someone like that, so it's definitely necessary for her to carry this. But isn't it a bit cumbersome to hold it in your hand?"

"If I were to use it myself, I wouldn't need to hold it in my hand," Yanqiu replied. "It's just that there are more people here, so I have to hold it in my hand and practice my energy. It's right here." Yanqiu stopped at the door of a lounge. "The Grandmaster is already waiting for you inside."

"Which ancestor?" Han Xingzhi asked, "Should we pay attention to etiquette?"

"Eh? Shangluo, didn't you tell your friends? It's Sazu. Sazu wants to see Shangluo and you too."

"Sazu???" This word made Wen Yuan's hair stand on end. "Which Sazu is it? Could it be that one?"

"Who else could it be? It's Zazu."

"Xuan Feng Yong Zhen Tian Zun, Sa Tian Shi Shou Jian, Sa Zu?"

"Yeah." Yanqiu nodded.

"Ahhhhhh!" Except for Phaethon, all three were furious.

"Who is that?" Phaeton asked Shangluo in a low voice.

"Probably. The Dao Ancestor invited the Heavenly Master of the Nation, Xuanfeng Yongzhensa Tianzun, to come and worship him with courtesy. His power level is probably similar to your father's, probably a true god."

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Phaethon screamed louder than any of them.

Several people exclaimed in unison, they had broken through the shielding limit of the escape talisman.

The audience around looked over—

In a flash, Yanqiu turned the talisman towards the crowd, buried his head in his arms and chanted the incantation at a high speed: "Auspicious protection, auspicious protection, auspicious protection, auspicious protection."

The people who looked over were stunned for a moment, touched their heads, and turned back.

"I was so scared. I almost got caught. If they had seen my face, the spell would have been ineffective."

"After all, with a face like this, it's hard not to attract attention." Shangluo thought.

【Aha~】

"Hey, Miss Apollonia, you still have the nerve to accuse others of eavesdropping? At least they speak out loud, but you listen directly in my head. You are the scariest one, okay?"

[You're mean to me, sob.] However, Apollonia showed no sign of remorse, and Shangluo could sense it. [So, we're on good terms, okay? You should know what I'm thinking, right? I'm thinking, it's really cute. Okay?]

"How about you?"

"Well, it's a little worse than my ideal. I'm saying this just to warn you. When you see the lovely Apollonia, don't be startled and think I pinched her face. That's me. The image calculated with metabits is unique and cannot be modified. You'll know when the time comes."

"Okay." Shangluo looked at Yanqiu's face again - to be honest, it's hard to define the absolute "most beautiful" when it comes to "face". And if you just talk about the face, Yanqiu's face doesn't look too outstanding.

But Yanqiu, in her "sheng jiao" costume, exudes a "formless appearance," a pure beauty. This effect is difficult to achieve whether she's dressed as a man or a woman. This is the pure beauty that can only be displayed in this current, "business-use" costume.

"Hercules," Phaethon murmured.

"What did you say?"

"Hercules, if she had been born in Rome, she would have been the perfect choice for the armored Hercules. Hercules may have the image of Hercules, but in our own creation, in addition to the appearance of Hercules, Heracles also has the appearance of a celestial being: a pure beauty between male and female, so beautiful that Hera couldn't help but breastfeed Hercules as a baby. And... hair. Hercules has the most beautiful hair, and her hair is so beautiful."

"Ah." Yanqiu touched her hair. "Isn't it beautiful? Although I haven't officially endorsed it yet, I use Lan Fang Pharmaceutical's Reiki Shampoo. They gave me a trial, and the effect is really good. Eh? I saw your hair, have you used it too?"

"Yeah, yeah, I bought the whole set, and the effect is really good."

".Wait a minute, go see the Grandmaster first. Can you talk to me later? The method I used for that face cream doesn't seem right. Anyway, let's get down to business first."

Although I care about my appearance, work is the most important thing right now.

"Shangluo, and everyone, wait a moment, I will go in and report."

"No problem." After just a glance inside, she waved outside, indicating that others should go in with her.

The lounge wasn't large, with two sofas facing each other. A tea table sat nearby, and Sa Shoujian was sipping tea. He held a cup in one hand, a newspaper in the other. He was folding the newspapers beside him when a few people entered.

"Ancestor Sa!!!" Wen Yuan came up and bowed, and Sa Shoujian's hands trembled.

"You scared me. Are you Wen Yan?"

"That's my father, and I'm Wen Yuan."

"Oh yes, you are his son. When your father met me, he also bowed down to me. But I will accept it."

There is nothing wrong with bowing to the ancestor of the Thunder Method; it is the right thing to do. It would be against the rules not to bow when meeting someone. The others also bowed in the same way:

"Yes, sit down and talk." This was a courtesy received from an elder, so he was much more polite.

"Well, let me cut to the chase." Sa Shoujian put down his teacup and newspaper. "I've been entrusted by the Daozu to oversee Shangluo's cultivation. At the same time, I'll also be guiding the affairs of your 'Thunder Department'. Do any of you enjoy watching Wang Lingguan?"

Everyone raised their hands at once.

"Alright, I'll round it up and assume you all like her, even though I know some of you came here for Yanqiu. But fate is very important. I, the old Taoist priest, have a good relationship with you young men. I hope you will all live up to this good relationship and reap good results in the future. Well, enough polite talk, just one sentence will suffice. Now let's get down to business. Shangluo, do you know why I asked you to come see Wang Lingguan?"

"Because he wanted to show me the Divine Heaven Sect's thunder technique!"

"How about thunder magic!"

"So cool! The two supreme beings fought to the edge of heaven and earth, and even the Great Dao was torn apart by that 'Taiyi Jinhua Divine Thunder'!"

"Do you want to learn?" Sa Shoujian picked up the teacup.

"Want to learn!"

"Hmm." He took a sip of tea and looked to the side: "Yanqiu, do you think he can learn 'Taiyi Jinhua Divine Thunder'?"

Yanqiu lowered her head slightly

But she wasn't shy, not at all. Shangluo vaguely saw the corners of her mouth curling up, and getting higher and higher.

"Ahem." She suddenly looked up, her expression calm, displaying the self-cultivation of an actor. "Mr. Shangluo, you really do have a childlike heart. That's a movie special effect. How could I possibly be capable of 'Taiyi Jinhua Divine Thunder'?"

Chapter 295 Heavenly Shadow Puppet

"Eh? I mean, wasn't that what Zazu did to help you fight?"

Sa Shoujian shook his head: "If 'Taiyi Jinhua Shenlei' is really played, it will be a shocking sound. The movie has a budget, how could it be possible to spend such a large amount of capital on it--speaking of this ,Do you understand it?"

Shangluo was silent for a while.

He did not ask Sa Shoujian, but asked Yanqiu directly:

"Senior Sister Yanqiu? Or Junior Sister?"

"Junior sister, I'm in the first year of high school."

"So, Junior Sister Yanqiu, how did you achieve those great magical powers in the movies, such as flying with a sword, using the Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppet, and Taiyi Jinhua? Is that... you?"

“It’s me, but it’s not me.”

???

"Hey~" Yan Qiu smiled, "That's the secret manual of our sect: Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppet. The literary scenes you see are all performed by me personally. But the martial arts scenes, such as flying and wielding swords, are all performed by my shadow puppets. I can't wield a sword myself. So it's me, but it's not me. I'm my own martial arts double."

"Ah!" Shangluo immediately understood. "Sa Zu, what exactly is the 'Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppet'?"

"This is for you." Sa Shoujian handed a book that had been on the table to Shangluo.

The book cover says "Lei Shuo" and the author is clearly written as "Sa Shoujian".

"This is our sect's textbook. 'Thunder Talk' is hundreds of years old and is sold in all major bookstores. Those who are knowledgeable know that this is thunder magic, and those who are not can still read it for fun. Now, turn to page 42."

With a clatter, Shangluo flipped the book over.

Page 42, first line:

To practice the method of the innate great way and send out the general of one's own primordial spirit is called the method.

Shang Luo then muttered, "Is practicing the innate great way the way of heaven? Is sending one's own primordial spirit to attack a general a shadow puppet?"

"That's right." Sa Shoujian nodded. "The so-called Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppet is to practice the method of the innate great way and dispatch one's own primordial spirit. In other words, before summoning divine generals, the Shenxiao Sect must first learn to enslave one's own primordial spirit—that is, the primordial spirit. Then, they must regulate the five energies and blend the hundreds of gods. With my primordial spirit, I can summon the ethereal spirit; with my own energy, I can combine it with the ethereal energy. Adding the steps of the Gang Jue, the secret mantras and the magic talismans, I can activate the mechanism of transformation. If the talismans are in harmony, I can wield thunder in my palms and encompass the heaven and earth within my body. This is the method of thunder."

He pointed at Yanqiu next to him and said, "This method is actually common to both Thunder Cultivation and Mystical Cultivation, just like Master Qiu Tianshi's Quanzhen Sect, which also practices both Mystical Cultivation and Alchemy Cultivation. However, compared to other sects' Mystical Cultivation methods, ours uses talismans and also begins with the Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppet."