Chapter 379: The Powerful and the Terracotta Sentinel

The Baixiaolou, an unofficial intelligence agency that compiles the Heaven and Earth rankings for Cathay, uses a wildcard system for various reasons to rank powerful foreign individuals who are not of Cathayan origin but have intersections with Cathay. Usually, a tied entry is inserted into the list based on direct combat achievements.

The scope covered by this wildcard list extends north to the Huns and Kurgan tribes beyond the Changyuan, west to the Ogre Kingdoms, east including the island nation of Nipeng, and south to Ind and Kurish, which have the most entrants.

The top of the Heaven Ranking has always been the successive masters of the Bixue Temple—Bixue Zhenren. They achieve this not only through their own profound magic and esteemed status but also thanks to the many magical treasures passed down within the temple since ancient times.

Among the most famous, besides the Seven-Star Sword and the Purple Ribbon Immortal Robe left behind by the Blood Jade Immortal before his ascension, are the Five-Mountain Crown, the Tiger-Subduing Seal, and the Soul-Detaining Bell left behind by three grandmasters who attained the status of half-immortals. With this equipment fully prepared, Bixue Zhenren can even contend with a true Dragon.

The second is the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Court, Eunuch Wei, who is the ancestor of all Jade Blood Clan members in the Celestial Empire. He holds one volume of the Corpse Scripture and has polished his magic to the limit of a mortal over his long life.

Hundreds of years ago, the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress suddenly disappeared, and the Dragon-Blooded and Longnü turned against each other, fighting incessantly. Meihouwang took this opportunity, with the help of the Clan Eshin of the Skaven, to integrate the power of the Heavenly Mountains, break through the defenses of Weinan Province, and fight all the way to the gates of Weijing Cheng.

At that time, the Azure Dragon was lured away by a ruse, leaving the defenses of Weijing empty, so the Junjun of Tianting chose to step forward to defend their capital. Tianting is a floating city suspended above Weijing; the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress spent most of their time inside, while the Weijing below was governed by the Prime Minister, the Azure Dragon.

The Yuqian Junjun Doujiandian, Sima Nanxing of the Wandering Dragon Sword, who had been ranked third on the Heaven Ranking since the list was first posted, stepped forward to duel Meihouwang in front of the battle lines. The great battle lasted for a day and a night; in the end, Meihouwang won by a narrow margin but was also severely injured and unable to continue attacking the floating city in the sky.

The origins of this Sima Nanxing had been a subject of much speculation since the day he debuted, and the trump card he revealed during the great battle with Meihouwang—a half-dragon transformation—confirmed those suspicions.

Zhendan has Dragon-Blooded, but none of them possess such powerful strength or the ability to transform into a half-dragon as Sima Nanxing. Compared to the offspring of the Dragon-Blooded, why is his bloodline even purer?

All the officials cast their gazes toward the Dragon Emperor, who was shrouded in clouds and mist, but no one could provide a definitive conclusion, because anyone who dared to openly speculate would lose their head that very night.

"In this palace's view, after King Sinuoli transforms and is equipped with his precious armor, his defense is no less than that of the copper-headed and iron-armed demon monkey. It is not something that person, that scoundrel, can compare to!"

"Hiss! Reporting to the Governor, this general's internal injuries have not yet healed, and I cannot handle the liquor; I beg for your grace to allow me to withdraw and treat my wounds!"

Seeing the frost on Yin Yin's face, Yang Yanzhang broke out in a cold sweat, and his drunkenness was half-sobered as a result. Mortals do not know what happens at the family meetings of the true Dragons, but mentioning the name of Sima Nanxing in front of the Dragons usually does not lead to a good outcome.

The other attendees also shut their mouths, only then realizing why the Abyss Dragon had uncharacteristically jumped in to confirm Yang Yanzhang's judgment.

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Otherwise, what would have followed naturally would be a great debate about the strength of Sinuoli and Sima Nanxing; since both possess transformation abilities, the half-dragon transformation would have to be one of the main points of debate.

"Hahahaha! I brought some wonderful medicine from the Western Lands on the ship; General Yang, remember to pick up a few bottles when you pass by the guest house on your way back! Today, the guests are gathered, and I am struck by a poetic urge; I shall recite a poem for everyone to critique!"

Sinuoli hurriedly stood up to smooth things over. The atmosphere of the banquet that followed was slightly stagnant, but fortunately, the Dwarfs did not travel thousands of miles to Zhendan just to attend a feast; they still had serious business to attend to.

At night, Shenzhu came over again to show concern for the Western world. Sinuoli was so occupied that it wasn't until noon the next day that he had regained his energy and, surrounded by guides and guards arranged by Yin Yin, headed toward the Tongtianlou.

"This is the Governor's order!"

The Tongtianlou is located near the city wall in the east of the city, and security is exceptionally tight. The perimeter is guarded by Jade Warriors, and the entrance is guarded directly by the Celestial Dragon Guard; only after presenting the credentials stamped with the official seal could the team approach.

The Dwarfs stood in front of this hundred-foot-tall building and looked up. As the saying goes, experts look at the technique; many in the team had a background in architecture, and at a glance, they could see the craftsmanship condensed in this tall building—the mortise and tenon structure was something unseen in the Western world.

"Hiding the mysteries of the stars within the tower, observing the movement of the constellations from the platform. This couplet is written quite mediocrely."

Sinuoli had never been involved in architecture in either of his two lives, so his attention remained on the couplet on both sides of the gate. It was not very well-matched, and it even repeated the character "yu" (at/in). The literary plagiarist couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly.

Walking into the tower with large strides, what came into view immediately were the Terracotta Sentinel guards he had been coveting for a long time. The two Terracotta Sentinel guards were very similar to the famous Terracotta Warriors from his hometown in his previous life, but the size was magnified dozens of times, truly reaching the heavens and standing on the earth.

The heads of the constructs were wedged right into the platform on the top floor of the building; clearly, this was a design made at the very beginning of the construction of the Tongtianlou. There were also a large number of craftsmen setting up temporary scaffolding from different floors of the Tongtianlou to approach different parts of the bodies.

"When the bandits invaded earlier, the Terracotta Sentinels were slightly damaged, and the craftsmen are currently repairing them."

"Hu Daozhang, why are you here?"

While pausing in amazement, an old acquaintance suddenly walked down from the stairs.

"Hahaha, usually the Terracotta Sentinels are on alert at the city wall, so we practitioners use this place to gain insight into the universe and practice meditation." The Astromancer swung the horsetail whisk in his hand and laughed loudly.

"With the order from the Clan Princess, you and your kin may act as you please in the tower. Please!"

Having an acquaintance makes a difference. Hu Daozhang led the Dwarfs up the stairs to visit. After climbing more than halfway, near the chest area, Sinuoli felt the intense radiance within the guards.

"This place is the Sky Light Pavilion; once activated, you can drive the guards. Do not move things around when you enter; the Clan Princess must have warned you that if you break them, they cannot be repaired."

At the end of the stairs, Hu Daozhang turned back to say. Sinuoli nodded absentmindedly, his gaze attracted to the faces of the Colossi; the faces of the two Terracotta Sentinels were not the same.

Legend has it that every tall and mighty Terracotta Sentinel was modeled after a great warrior who had once followed the Dragon Emperor, and therefore each one is unique.

"Study them well; you know how important they are. As long as there is a need, gold or supplies can be withdrawn at will. As the old saying goes, so-called secrets are merely a matter of not having given enough fine wine and gold."

After a cursory look, Sinuoli pulled Buluokesen aside to give his final instructions. Krag Master had basically solved the Rune part, and he couldn't intervene in the Engineering part, so he could only provide other support from the sidelines.