Chapter 565

Behind Wu Tie, the large fleet of warships slowly spread out, shifting from a single-file marching formation into a standard square volley formation.

The armor plates at the bow slid open, revealing one main cannon after another flashing with dazzling light.

Long crystal gun barrels extended from the hull, multi-faceted barrels hundreds of zhang long spewing intense light, a sharp 'hiss-hiss' whistling sounded in the air, and numerous fine arcs of electricity sprayed from the barrels, piercing the surrounding air.

Amid the scorching metallic scent drifting from the Ancient Armaments Bureau workshop, an additional layer of pungent odor appeared—the unique smell of air ionized by a powerful current.

Gongyang Shenxing took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, his face as still as water, and he solemnly said to Wu Tie: "Lord of Yuzhou, just as your name suggests, please speak and act with caution; before taking action, you should consider things thoroughly."

Wu Tie smiled at Gongyang Shenxing and countered: "Speak and act with caution? May I ask, is the Works Hall the Works Hall of the Great Jin Divine State?"

Gongyang Shenxing fell silent, then nodded.

Wu Tie continued: "Does the Ancient Armaments Bureau under the Works Hall belong to the Great Jin Divine State?"

Gongyang Shenxing remained silent, and kept nodding.

Wu Tie pressed further: "Are all the workshops, workshops, artisans, and technicians inside the Ancient Armaments Bureau the property of the Great Jin Divine State?"

Gongyang Shenxing gritted his teeth, then forcefully closed his eyes and gave a firm nod.

These questions had only one standard answer; aside from nodding, what else could Gongyang Shenxing do?

Wu Tie laughed: "If so, I, holding the Divine Imperial Order of the current Divine Emperor Sima Fu, wherever I go, it is as if the Emperor himself is present; for the sake of state affairs, I must take over the Ancient Armaments Bureau and manage military affairs—could that possibly be wrong?"

Gongyang Shenxing was silent for a moment, then he exhaled, lifted his gaze, and looked at Wu Tie: "Lord of Yuzhou, you could not be more correct; every word you say is utterly reasonable… but the Ancient Armaments Bureau is of utmost importance; unless the Divine Emperor himself appears in person… otherwise… relying solely on a… one…"

Blinking his eyes, staring at the three-foot-six-inch-long, strangely shaped 'Divine Imperial Order' in Wu Tie's hand, Gongyang Shenxing's tongue rolled, and after much effort he found a more suitable word: "Otherwise, relying solely on this 'stem' of the Divine Imperial Order, I, your subordinate, dare not obey."

Gongyang Shenxing solemnly regarded Wu Tie.

The Gongyang clan differs from the Linghu clan; their philosophy and methods are vastly different from the overbearing Linghu clan. Deep down, the Gongyang clan still 'respects' the imperial authority of the Sima clan more.

However, the Ancient Armaments Bureau is so crucial that it can be said to be the Gongyang clan's foothold and foundation in the Great Jin Divine State. Without the Ancient Armaments Bureau, although the Gongyang clan's heritage remains formidable, facing the Linghu clan would undoubtedly leave them completely outmatched.

Currently, the Gongyang clan can still contend with the Linghu clan, and everyone has maintained a rough balance of strength and power.

But if the Ancient Armaments Bureau were to suffer a loss, the Gongyang clan's foundation would be missing a major piece; facing the Linghu clan, they could only be pressed to the ground and beaten, just as Gongyang Sanlü once pressed Linghu Qingqing against the floor of the Nine Heavens Hall and pummeled her with old-fashioned fists.

Gongyang Shenxing, no matter what, could not hand over the Ancient Armaments Bureau to Wu Tie.

Therefore, he gave Wu Tie a difficult problem—unless Sima Fu himself appears in person, he will not surrender the Ancient Armaments Bureau.

At the same time, he upheld the Gongyang clan's bottom line of respecting imperial authority: as long as Sima Fu truly appears in person, Gongyang Shenxing will definitely hand over control of the Ancient Armaments Bureau to Sima Fu.

But Gongyang Shenxing knows full well that if Sima Fu truly sets out from Anyang City, Gongyang Sanlü will surely arrive at the Ancient Armaments Bureau before Sima Fu. As long as Gongyang Sanlü is present to hold the line, he does not believe Sima Fu would tear his face and offend Gongyang Sanlü, insisting on bringing the Ancient Armaments Bureau under the command of the Imperial City Military Bureau.

Gongyang Shenxing has thought everything through thoroughly; his response is entirely appropriate, with no oversight.

He cannot withstand Wu Tie, but Gongyang Sanlü can withstand Sima Fu… that is Gongyang Shenxing's strategy.

Wu Tie chuckled, looking at Gongyang Shenxing, his left hand's five fingers lightly rotating the Divine Emperor's Order in his hand, and he said faintly: "Originally, the Divine Emperor's Order has no effect before Lord Gongyang. Hmm, hmm, only if His Majesty personally appears will Lord Gongyang hand over the Ancient Armaments Bureau…"

He let out a "tsk" sigh, Wu Tie shook his head: "Hmm, under my military law when I command troops, wanting to take charge of the Ancient Armaments Bureau also seems unusable?"

Gongyang Shenxing smiled humbly: "Duke of Yuzhou, it's not that I, your subordinate, am deliberately making things difficult; rather, successive Divine Emperors have issued edicts that the Ancient Armaments Bureau is an extremely vital strategic stronghold of the Divine State, the very foundation for the Divine State's survival, and even with all the strength of Great Jin, this is the sole Ancient Armaments Bureau capable of manufacturing such ancient god‑demon war puppets."

He sighed, then Gongyang Shenxing said solemnly: "My duty lies here; unless His Majesty personally arrives and uses the Imperial Jade Seal to shut down the city‑defense prohibitions of the entire Ancient Armaments Bureau and take it over, I, your subordinate, would never dare to obey based solely on a single Divine Emperor's Order."

With a slight smile, Gongyang Shenxing said: "Or perhaps I could accompany the Duke of Yuzhou to Anyang to meet His Majesty? If His Majesty, before the assembled civil and military officials, personally issues an edict ordering me to surrender the Ancient Armaments Bureau, I will certainly obey."

Gongyang Shenxing's words were extremely thorough, leaving no loophole.

Either Sima Fa appears in person, or he accompanies Wu Tie to Anyang City to have an audience with Sima Fa and personally request his edict.

In short, relying solely on a single Divine Emperor's Order, Gongyang Shenxing would not dare to hand over the nation's vital implement to Wu Tie.

Reasonable and well‑founded, his response was appropriate; Wu Tie actually could not find the slightest fault in it from a legal standpoint.

But everyone knows that whether Sima Fa appears in person or one goes to Anyang City to have an audience with Sima Fa, Gongyang Sanlü will have enough time to intervene. And once Gongyang Sanlü intervenes, the Ancient Armaments Bureau basically cannot fall into Wu Tie's hands.

Not mentioning Gongyang Sanlü's own methods, speaking of the Linghu clan… Linghu Qingqing would rather let Gongyang Sanlü continue to control the Ancient Armaments Bureau than ever hand it over to Wu Tie's control!

Wu Tie looked helplessly at Gongyang Shenxing: "What talent, truly a talent!"

"Indeed, what a pity." Wu Tie shook his head.

"What a pity?" Gongyang Shenxing looked at Wu Tie, puzzled.

In the next instant, a streak of flowing light flashed past; this light was unbelievably fast, suddenly appearing from the firmament tens of thousands of li away, and in a flash it reached Gongyang Shenxing's side, then with a miserable howl, his chest was torn open by a fist‑sized hole, and blood, driven by tremendous force, spurted backward hundreds of zhang.

Amid the spraying blood mist, almost no one present could make out the origin and trajectory of that streak of light; merely a flash, and it vanished into the clouds and mist of the firmament tens of thousands of li away.

In an instant… roughly one‑hundredth of the time of a finger snap, within that extremely brief span, that streak of light traversed twenty thousand li back and forth in an instant, directly inflicting severe injury on Gongyang Shenxing, whose cultivation was likewise at the peak of the Embryonic Storage realm.

Such an escape light, such divine ability, such means, such power that it defies all reason.

Gongyang Shenxing stared blankly, his eyes wide, and after great effort managed to squeeze out two words: "So fast…"

Gongyang Shenxing had kept his nerves taut; he knew that Wu Tie's coming boded ill, and so he had prepared himself for a falling‑out with Wu Tie.

He had secretly taken hold of the control seal of the Ancient Armaments Bureau; with a single command, the nearly ten million colossal divine soldiers stored there would pour forth, instantly overwhelming the fleet Wu Tie had brought.

At the same time, the floating war fortresses hidden in the mountains inside and outside the Ancient Armaments Bureau, along with the enormous main cannons buried in the mountain bodies with astonishing calibers, would all fire in unison, utterly destroying Wu Tie's fleet here.

As a strategic stronghold of Great Jin, the defensive power of the Ancient Armaments Bureau surpasses ordinary imagination; even if any single army from the Demon‑Suppressing, Demon‑Expelling, or Divine Martial forces were to attack alone, they would surely be repulsed, and there is hardly any chance of capturing the Ancient Armaments Bureau spanning thousands of li.

But Gongyang Shenxing truly did not expect this.

He would actually be so easily severely wounded.

That streak of light merely flashed; he could not see who the attacker was, could not tell whether the opponent was male or female, and did not know what means were used—just as the light flickered, his chest suffered a heavy blow, directly piercing his body.

His heart was damaged, his spine shattered in two blows, and moreover a fierce innate Geng Metal killing qi surged from the wound straight through his five viscera and six bowels, nearly crushing his entire body.

What shocked Gongyang Shenxing was that he was wearing three actively triggered defensive secret treasures.

As a direct descendant of the Gongyang clan, charged with overseeing the Ancient Armaments Bureau—a site vital to the family's wealth and life—these three defensive secret treasures of Gongyang Shenxing were all painstakingly gathered by his family over tens of thousands of years, innate objects finally obtained.

These three innate‑level spirit‑treasure defensive secret objects, possessing great spirituality and able to activate themselves in danger, actually showed no response at all.

Only after that person suddenly appeared, severely wounded Gongyang Shenxing, and then fled away unknown where, did the three spirit treasures seem to awaken from a nightmare; amid a humming sound, a bell, a pagoda, and a flowing‑roses‑colored robe emerged from within Gongyang Shenxing's body, transforming into three layers of auspicious light that tightly enveloped him.

Gongyang Shenxing's mouth kept spewing blood; he trembled as he stared at Wu Tie, fixedly watching his expression change.

Wu Tie calmly looked at Gongyang Shenxing, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Gongyang Shenxing instantly understood: the attacker was arranged by Wu Tie, absolutely arranged by Wu Tie.

Afterwards, Gongyang Shenxing only felt a surge of Cold Qi from the soles of his feet shooting straight to the crown of his head; his body trembled, the hairs on his back stood up one by one, and he was overcome by an inexplicable, immense fear.

This Lord of Yuzhou……is not as simple as he appears!

Or perhaps, the people behind him are not that simple?

Such swift escape light—Gongyang Shenxing had never seen or heard its like; even if it were those few hidden ancestors of the Divine Manifest realm in his clan, their escape light would not be this fast.

Such background……'Lord of Yuzhou Huo Xiong' enjoys deep favor from the two generations of Divine Emperors; he holds the Divine Emperor's orders of both generations in his hand!

Is he a hidden piece of the imperial house?

Gongyang Shenxing shook his head vigorously, trying to stay conscious.

But he spat out a mouthful of blood; a surge of Geng-metal killing qi pierced straight into his mind, ruthlessly lodging in his soul. Gongyang Shenxing saw golden stars flash before his eyes, a wave of darkness overwhelmed him; his divine fetus injured, he fainted completely, unable to continue pondering that chilling problem.

Lord of Yuzhou Huo Xiong is very likely a secret pawn cultivated by the imperial house, specifically meant to deal with the Linghu and Gongyang clans!

Gongyang Shenxing wanted to voice his suspicions to the clan elders, but he no longer had the strength to speak.

An injured divine fetus cannot be mended so easily.

Even if the attacker took care to only severely injure Gongyang Shenxing's physical body, without specifically targeting his divine fetus, he would need three to five years of rest to recover normally.

'Can you see it?' Wu Tie raised high the Divine Emperor's token in his left hand and shouted sternly: 'The Divine Martial God State eyes us like a tiger; they surely harbor ill intentions toward the Ancient Armaments Bureau… the fact that they could smoothly assassinate Lord Gongyang Shenxing today shows they have long schemed against the Ancient Armaments Bureau.'

Lords, the Divine Emperor's token is here; I now intend to enforce martial law and take military control of the entire Ancient Armaments Bureau. Please cooperate with me and hand over all seals, documents, artisans, technicians, all manufacturing processes, all external support facilities such as mines, merchant guilds, transport routes, etc. —everything, everything, please hand it all over.

Wu Tie smiled at the pale-faced officials of the Ancient Armaments Bureau and said slowly: 'Although you must hand over everything you control, I have no habit of discarding the mill after killing the ox; the daily operations of this Ancient Armaments Bureau still need to rely on you lords to manage.'

However, from now on you must obey my orders; all affairs are to be responsible to and reported to me; besides me, you are not allowed to contact the outside world, nor have any collusion with it… uh… do you understand?

Wu Tie, smiling all over, looked at everyone and said leisurely: 'Also, please each of you lords submit a report of your home addresses and the information of your relatives and dependents. I will send people to protect your clansmen, protect your relatives; rest assured, I will spare no effort to ensure your wives and children are not harmed by the spies of the Divine Martial God State.'

As long as you cooperate well with my military administration, I swear I will absolutely not let your wives and children suffer any harm.

Wu Tie smiled especially brightly.

The officials of the Ancient Armaments Bureau understood fully; Wu Tie's meaning was that if they did not obey and cooperate with his work, then their wives and children would, like Gongyang Shenxing, be severely injured by the spies of the Divine Martial God State.

'Despicable.' A deputy supervisor of the Ancient Armaments Bureau stared blankly, then suddenly jumped up and shouted loudly.

With a Pfft, that fleeing stream of light that had previously fled suddenly returned, appearing abruptly from high above over ten thousand li away, instantly crossing ten thousand li of void, striking and piercing a transparent hole in the deputy supervisor's chest, then vanishing in an instant into the clouds over ten thousand li away.

'What did you say? Speak up!' Wu Tie looked at that deputy supervisor, smiling, slowly raising the saber in his hand: 'Please, speak up.'

That deputy supervisor stared blankly, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fainted just like Gongyang Shenxing.

The layered spell restrictions covering the skies above the Ancient Armaments Bureau opened one by one; thirty-six Four Spirit Warships took the lead and descended, while masses of the Dongyuan Guard troops rushed off the ships, quickly spreading in all directions.

Squad after squad of the Ancient Armaments Bureau's garrisoned clerks and soldiers laid down their weapons, clasped their hands behind their heads, were driven by the Dongyuan Guard, and gathered in the square outside the bureau's office.

Shouts of rebuke came from all directions; the civil-military officers of the Dongyuan Guard that Wu Tie brought, mainly the Huang clan of Huang Lang, as well as some followers' clansmen from Daze State, began to take over the authority held by the senior and junior officials of the Ancient Armaments Bureau.

Especially, the control over the countless formations and restrictions inside and outside the Ancient Armaments Bureau, over the countless floating fortresses and giant main cannons, all of these must be properly taken into hand.

Soon, Wu Tie received the news transmitted by Pei Feng.

The Ancient Armaments Bureau is an extremely specialized organization; the civil-military officers Wu Tie brought have limited ability, they cannot even understand the control sigils of those restriction formations… they cannot tell whether the things the bureau officials handed over are true or false.

Wu Tie's insufficient foundation and shallow background—his weakness—was laid bare in the Ancient Armaments Bureau.

Such a huge piece of fat meat right before him, yet Wu Tie could not force himself to swallow it.