Chapter 439: Mountains and Waters Will Meet Again

Several days later, Wulong Fucheng.

The cloud of panic that had hung over the city for over half a month finally began to dissipate under the sunlight.

The Longevity Sect's meticulously planned "Plague Puppet Disaster" ended with the complete destruction of its underground lair, the annihilation of its evil array's core—the Ancient Tai Sui—and the severe wounding and flight of its alchemy elder.

The crucial antidote was successfully developed and mass-produced through the joint efforts of several senior elders from the Giant Spirit Sect, who specialized in herbal medicine and exorcism, working alongside physicians mobilized by the Peacekeeping Bureau.

Infected individuals received timely treatment; no new cases of demonic transformation occurred, and the spread was completely halted.

Order within the city rapidly restored.

The authorities posted public notices detailing how the Peacekeeping Bureau and the Giant Spirit Sect had jointly thwarted the Mo Sect's conspiracy and eradicated its stronghold.

In teahouses and taverns, tales of Elder Tang Bin's thousand-li pursuit and slaying of the Mo Sect's Tiangong realm elder were embellished and widely recounted, greatly boosting morale that had once sunk due to the Mo Sect's covert activities.

Streets grew busier, shops reopened, and though the market had not fully regained its former prosperity, it now carried a sense of life.

Chen Mu returned to a relatively peaceful daily routine.

Under the care of precious pills, Tang Bin's broken bones had mended and the poison removed, but he still required rest.

All affairs within the Peacekeeping Bureau were handled by his deputy.

……

In the small courtyard.

"Ascend the Soul Altar…"

Chen Mu murmured to himself.

After reaching the Earth Altar realm's Divine Immunity stage, the next step is to Ascend the Soul Altar.

"I have the Star Transformation meditation technique; my mental strength grows steadily. But I still lack the final refinement needed to fully prepare for a flawless breakthrough to 'Ascend the Soul Altar.'"

Chen Mu knew his condition clearly.

With the Break Through Realm card, breaking through to "Ascend the Soul Altar" is merely a matter of time.

But that time could be long or short.

The key is mental strength—or rather, insufficient soul force.

With sufficient soul force, he could break through at any moment.

……

So.

Besides his regular cultivation, Chen Mu spent most of his time at the Star Palace.

In his own Wu Quxing Hall, meditating on Star Transformation, the rate of his mental strength growth increased significantly.

In his spare time, he went to Hero Tower.

He usually chose a quiet corner by the window, ordered a pot of clear tea and a few small dishes, appearing to sip alone—but in truth, his spiritual sense subtly extended, catching the chaotic sounds within the tower.

The latest developments in the holy-demon war, the strange movements of other major Mo Sects, the responses and deployments of the Giant Spirit Sect and other orthodox sects, unusual celestial phenomena or rumors of ancient ruins across the land, even scattered bits of news about the imperial court and other esoteric great sects—all were carefully sifted and recorded by him.

These pieces of information might be hard to distinguish as true or false, but when pieced together, they often revealed a blurred outline of the world's grand trends.

Time slipped by; winter snow melted, and spring winds turned the hills green.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed quietly.

On this day, the spring sun shone brightly, the warm breeze soothing.

Chen Mu, unusually, did not cultivate, nor did he go to the Star Palace or Hero Tower. Instead, he changed into a plain dark blue cotton robe, suppressed all his aura, and wandered casually along the busiest street of Wulong Fucheng like a young scholar from a modestly well-off family enjoying a spring outing.

Shops lined both sides of the street, banners fluttered, and the sounds of hawking, haggling, and children's laughter never ceased.

Rich wine aromas drifted from taverns; children clustered before pastry shops; women whispered softly as they selected silk in fabric stores…

A scene of bustling peace, almost making one forget the holy-demon war still raged far away.

Chen Mu walked slowly, his gaze sweeping the street scene, his mind at ease.

The path of cultivation requires tension and relaxation; occasionally blending into this mortal world is also a cleansing of the heart.

As he passed a large shop called "Qianji Pavilion," specializing in exotic mechanical devices and materials, his peripheral vision suddenly caught two familiar figures standing at the entrance.

Two men, six or seven percent similar in appearance, both of medium build, with sharp, capable faces.

They wore identical dark blue fitted martial attire, made of fine fabric with meticulous stitching; on inconspicuous spots—the cuffs, lapels, and belts—tiny silver-thread embroidery depicted interlocking gears crossed with a forge hammer.

They were quietly conversing with the shopkeeper, apparently inspecting a newly arrived shipment of special bearings from the northern "Cold Iron Mine" and "Soul-Conducting Cores" used to transmit high-load energy, their tone marked by the exacting, professional scrutiny of mechanical craftsmanship.

Liu Xianbo, Liu Xiankang!

In Chen Mu's mind, those two names instantly surfaced, along with a vivid, deadly, and humiliating memory tied to them.

Disciples of the Heavenly Artifact Sect, renowned for controlling and coordinating mechanical beasts in battle; together, their power multiplies.

When Chen Mu once joined a team in the Southeastern Road to explore an ancient ruin and retrieve Earth Weapon fragments, these two brothers had also interfered.

On their departure, they ambushed him with a Tiangong realm expert named Gao Xingde; not only were all the Earth Weapon fragments seized, but Chen Mu was also hunted down by Gao Xingde.

Chen Mu had never forgotten the names Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang.

Gao Xingde remembered them too!

How fitting…

Mountains and rivers will meet again.

Nearly two years later, they met again here.

Good. Very good.

Chen Mu did not pause his steps; his expression remained calm, as if he had merely glanced casually at a roadside shop before continuing with the flow of pedestrians.

……

Night fell; the northern gate of Wulong Fucheng.

Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang each carried a bulging leather satchel on their shoulders and held several food boxes wrapped in oil paper, hurrying through the closing city gate.

The city guards glanced at them, saw they were the same men who had left earlier to procure materials and now returned with food, noted their refined attire and bearing, and did not question them—only urged them to hurry.

Leaving the city, the two did not follow the main road but swiftly turned onto an inconspicuous mountain path, their forms unfolding as their speed surged.

Their steps were light and silent, clearly displaying exceptional lightness skill; they chose routes thick with trees and uneven terrain, avoiding leaving clear traces.

When night fully descended, they had penetrated deep into Chongshanjunling, about fifty li northeast of the city.

Relying on their familiarity with the terrain, they wound through twists and turns until they reached an extremely hidden ravine.

Inside the ravine, jagged rocks littered the ground, thick with vines; even by day it was hard to spot, let alone at night.

Liu Xianbo walked ahead, pushing aside a heavy curtain of hanging vines to reveal a dark opening behind.

A faint glow seeped from within the cave.

He bent low and slipped inside first; Liu Xiankang followed closely behind, then cautiously pulled the vine curtain shut again, concealing the entrance.

The cave's interior was far more spacious than expected: narrow at the entrance, but vast within, rising three zhang high and stretching over ten zhang wide at its broadest point, its depth impossible to see to the end.

Several fist-sized "Moonfire Stones," emitting a soft white light, were embedded at key spots along the cave walls, casting a hazy glow sufficient for clear vision.

With the glow of the Moonfire Stones, one could clearly see a corner of the cave, where dozens of mechanical wolves stood in neat rows—each forged entirely from matte black metal, with sleek lines and intricate joints.

Their eyes were inlaid with dark red crystals; though motionless, they radiated a cold, deadly aura.

On a slightly larger open space nearby stood two larger, more imposing mechanical tigers—golden-eyed, claws and fangs gleaming with cold light—Liu Xiankang's signature battle companions.

Most striking of all was a relatively flat open area at the center of the cave.

There lay a large quantity of metal components of various shapes: gears, bearings, transmission cores, and special waterproof, pressure-resistant materials.

At the center of the open space, a multi-meter-long, fish-shaped metal skeleton had been partially assembled, with scattered around it scale-like outer armor, biomimetic fins, and tail propulsors.

Clearly, this was a large mechanical fish under construction.

"Finally got back."

Liu Xianbo set down his satchel and food box, exhaling in relief. "Though Wulong Fucheng lies near the Giant Spirit Sect, the material variety is still adequate. The Han Tie bearings and Spirit-Conducting Cores from Qianji Ge were of high quality—saved us a lot of trouble."

Liu Xiankang also shed his burden, walked over to the mechanical fish's skeleton, inspected it carefully, and nodded. "The main frame is solid. Let's push hard tonight—install the transmission system and outer armor. Tomorrow we'll test its sealing and power. It should be done."

Both were men of action. After quickly eating some warm food and resting briefly, they immediately plunged into the tense assembly work.

They worked in perfect harmony: Liu Xianbo handled the delicate parts—core transmission, energy conduction—with steady, precise, swift movements.

Liu Xiankang took charge of the heavier tasks—outer armor, joint connections, sealing—his strength matched by meticulous care.

Inside the cave, only the crisp clinking of metal parts, the faint rustle of tools, and occasional low exchanges between the two broke the silence.

The Moonfire Stones' glow fell quietly, illuminating their focused, weary faces and the gradually taking shape, coldly gleaming mechanical creation.

Time flew swiftly amid the bustle.

Outside the cave, night lay deep and silent, save for the occasional breeze brushing past the vine curtain, whispering a faint rustle.

Inside, the two brothers, tireless, sweat beading on their brows, eyes gleaming, stared intently at the increasingly complete mechanical fish.

When the sky beyond the cave shifted from deepest ink-black to a hazy gray-blue, and the first sliver of dawn struggled through a crack in the vine curtain—

At the cave's center, a five-meter-long, sleek, lifelike mechanical fish, entirely sheathed in fine, dark-blue alloy scale armor, was finally completed!

Its eyes were two deep-blue crystals, within which faint energy currents pulsed.

Its mouth hung slightly open, revealing intricate internal gear structures.

Dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins were all present, joints moving with fluid flexibility.

Beneath its belly, several small propulsion ports were concealed.

Liu Xianbo walked to one side of the mechanical fish's head, where a hidden access panel lay.

He skillfully operated a few controls, inserted several high-quality crystals as energy cores, then pressed a button.

Hum…

A low, steady hum emanated from within the mechanical fish; its deep-blue eyes flared to life!

Immediately, the entire fish shuddered slightly—then its streamlined body began to "swim" along the ground, just as if it were in water!

Though slow, its movements were coordinated, turns agile; its scales scraped the ground with a soft rustle, and its tail propulsors occasionally expelled faint jets of air, propelling it forward.

"Perfect!"