Crack… crack…
A sound that grated on the teeth echoed, and a large hole suddenly split open in the center of the grand hall.
Those fleeing in panic were startled and quickly dodged. From beneath the dark floor, a Qīnglóng statue rose, its body coiling upwards. The dragon’s head was ferocious and imposing, exuding a terrifying aura.
“What is this?” Du Wei stopped abruptly, staring at the five-foot-tall statue in astonishment.
“It must be a mechanism, everyone be careful!” Shàngxié Shàoqīng wisely warned, quickly retreating to a safe distance.
Upon seeing the Qīnglóng statue appear, the Chīlóng iron puppets also stopped moving.
As if sensing something, they all turned their gazes towards the dragon’s head. A glimmer appeared in their dark eyes, as if they had seen a long-lost master, and they all froze.
Su Luo became even more certain that these Chīlóng iron puppets were being controlled by someone.
They were clearly inanimate objects; how could they exhibit such human-like behavior? The mastermind behind this must have been surprised that the mechanism had been triggered, and had not yet recovered their senses.
“Senior Disciple Brother, dodge quickly!”
Seizing this opportunity, Su Luo suddenly charged towards the Qīnglóng mechanism, simultaneously alerting Lì Tiānjué.
Her movements were swift as the wind, elegant as a startled swan. In this crucial moment when everyone else was stunned, she rushed to the vicinity of the Qīnglóng mechanism, leaping into the air and landing on the dragon’s body like lightning. Her hands gripped the Qīnglóng’s horns tightly.
Su Luo pulled back, and the Qīnglóng’s horns indeed moved.
This was the control point of the mechanism.
Whoosh!
A dazzling beam of white light then erupted from the dragon’s mouth, striking a Chīlóng iron puppet not far away.
With astonishing power and extreme heat, it instantly melted the Chīlóng iron puppet into a pool of molten iron. Su Luo’s maneuver was breathtaking. Only then did the others snap back to reality, some dodging, others fleeing. The Chīlóng iron puppets also moved, all charging towards Su Luo.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Su Luo manipulated the dragon horns, continuously unleashing beams of dazzling white light.
She didn’t know what this white light was; it was different from spiritual energy and distinct from the lasers of her previous life, but its energy was immense. Even the Chīlóng iron puppets, meticulously crafted by Emperor Hàotiān, couldn’t withstand a single blast, melting directly into molten iron.
Lì Tiānjué protected Táng Xiǎoguǒ, standing in a corner of the hall, intently watching Su Luo wreak havoc.
His gaze was complex, dark, and profound.
Su Luo, perched on the Qīnglóng, was like a divine maiden controlling the dragon, exuding heroic spirit as she relentlessly attacked the charging Chīlóng iron puppets.
She had never encountered such a mechanical weapon before; it felt like a return to her previous life, playing a shooting game.
One by one, the Chīlóng iron puppets, under the control of the mastermind, charged forward desperately, intent on killing Su Luo.
But she felt no fear; instead, she began to enjoy the thrill.
Beams of dazzling white light spewed from the dragon’s mouth, destroying one puppet with each blast. It was incredibly satisfying.
Amidst the whooshing sounds of air being cut, Su Luo continually adjusted the dragon horns, aiming with the left and firing with the right, melting and deforming the approaching Chīlóng iron puppets. They fell to the ground and turned into molten iron. In a short while, more than half of them were gone.
Everyone’s mouths hung open, their expressions a mixture of awe and excitement. Finally, they felt a sense of relief.
With lingering fear, they surveyed their surroundings, looking at the molten iron flowing everywhere, still emitting smoke. They realized these were not true ten-thousand-year-old Chīlóng, but fakes. Yet, they were so lifelike, capable of spewing poisonous smoke and killing people, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Táng Xiǎoguǒ’s eyes shone as she tugged at Lì Tiānjué’s sleeve. “Sister Su is so amazing! If she hadn’t discovered this mechanism, we would have been in big trouble.”
At this moment, Lì Tiānjué had to admit that Su Luo had made a significant contribution this time.
“Mm, not bad,” he said indifferently.
Having finally escaped danger, the group, now relieved, began to inspect the hall.
The already dilapidated furnishings had been trampled upon once more amidst the chaos. The ground was covered in scorching molten iron, reducing the place to ruins, making it impossible to find anything of value.
Some people’s gazes shifted to the Qīnglóng cannon emplacement in the center, arousing greed in their hearts.
They prepared to pry it away.
Su Luo was uninterested. The cannon platform had lost its energy and was no longer of much use. She nodded to Lì Tiānjué and Táng Xiǎoguǒ and walked towards the hall entrance, intending to continue her search for the Scarlet Blood Divine Dragon Grass in the garden.
That was the priority!
Shàngxié Shàoqīng saw this and called out, “Wait, Brother Lì. This underground palace is too dangerous. Why don’t we travel together? If another accident happens, we can look out for each other.”
He was worried about encountering a true ten-thousand-year-old Chīlóng and feared he wouldn’t be able to defeat it alone.
“No need,” Lì Tiānjué replied expressionlessly.
“Brother Lì, why be so formal? We are both part of the Six Great Clans; we should help each other when facing danger.” Shàngxié Shàoqīng said with a smile, appearing very sincere. His tattered white robes, stained with blood and dirt, looked rather comical.
Lì Tiānjué didn’t want to repeat himself and was about to leave when Su Luo suddenly spoke, “Young Master Shàngxié, are you truly willing to accompany us?”
Shàngxié Shàoqīng’s gaze fell upon Su Luo’s pretty face.
“Who is this lady…”
“My name is Su Luo. We, along with Senior Disciple Brother, came to this underground palace to find the Scarlet Blood Divine Dragon Grass. If Young Master Shàngxié is not going to compete with us for it, then traveling together is acceptable,” Su Luo stated her intentions directly.
Among everyone present, only this young master of the Longevity Hall could contend with them.
Rather than competing for it later, it was better to be upfront from the start.
Indeed, upon hearing this, Shàngxié Shàoqīng smiled indifferently. “Although the Scarlet Blood Divine Dragon Grass is precious, this young master does not deign to snatch it from Brother Lì. I am merely a little interested in that ten-thousand-year-old Chīlóng. Let’s travel together; perhaps I can even lend you a hand.”
Du Wei said proudly, “By cooperating with my Young Master, Brother Lì can also be more at ease.”
It was as if he was saying Lì Tiānjué was taking advantage of his Young Master.
Lì Tiānjué frowned, unsure of Su Luo’s intentions, but she had already agreed and smiled, “Alright, then we will trouble Young Master Shàngxié for assistance later.”
“You’re too kind, hehe…”
Shàngxié Shàoqīng put away his long sword and began to lightly fan himself.
The group soon exited the ruined palace and, led by Su Luo, continued their advance through the passage.
After a short while, a thick wall ahead blocked their path once more.
“Young Master Shàngxié.”
Su Luo looked at Shàngxié Shàoqīng with a smile and said, “I’ll have to ask for your help this time.”
Shàngxié Shàoqīng replied with a smile, “Miss Su, please tell me.”
Su Luo gestured to the thick wall blocking their way and said seriously, “Please break through this wall, Young Master Shàngxié. The path we need to take is behind this wall. I apologize for the trouble.”
“Break it?” Shàngxié Shàoqīng’s gaze sharpened.
The walls of the underground palace were extremely sturdy, each five feet thick.
He had no choice but to use all his strength to break through earlier, otherwise, his life would have been in danger. Now, asking him to do it again, such a strenuous and crude task – was this something a graceful and noble young master of the Longevity Hall should do?