"Of course it's possible!" Shen Yun replied firmly. "That is why you must turn your hatred into motivation, rather than letting that unplaceable pain linger in your heart forever."
After saying this, he headed straight into the base. He couldn't help it. Hating the world, changing the world—these grand speeches might have some effect on those who hadn't heard them before, but it varied from person to person. Shen Yun didn't know what else to say.
However, after taking a few steps, a voice called out from behind him.
"Master..." Luo Ying stared at his retreating back. "What should this world look like?"
Shen Yun didn't stop, but his soft voice drifted back to her. "See it with your own eyes."
Luo Ying stood frozen in place. She had originally meant to ask what the Jiuzhou Sect wanted to turn the world into, yet this was the answer she received. She wondered if she really had to see it for herself.
Shen He thought he had probably managed to bluff her as he surveyed the area. This branch base was situated halfway up a mountain, constructed primarily out of red bricks and timber. Furthermore, it wasn't completely disguised to look ancient. It had electricity and lights. With a total of twenty or thirty buildings, it wasn't exactly shabby, just a bit deserted. After all, the rest of the personnel were retreating, as their cultivation levels wouldn't be of any help here.
Gradually, night fell.
Inside one of the rooms, the three captured Grandmasters were staring blankly at the lightbulb overhead, their faces filled with astonishment. They wondered what kind of magical treasure this was. They had only heard that certain extremely rare natural Night Pearls could emit such a bright and stable light, but this was definitely not one of them. With just a press of a switch on the wall, it emitted a brilliant glow.
"Senior Brother Qing Fa, you have extensively studied Artifact Refining. Can you make anything of this?" the youngest Grandmaster asked, looking at one of his peers.
"Given our current circumstances, do not call me Qing Fa anymore. My real name is Yi Bozhong." Yi Bozhong sighed, though he kept his head raised, staring at the fluorescent light. "Judging from my Divine Sense, there is lightning flashing along a thin metal wire inside. Someone must be secretly supplying it with Spiritual Power."
"Indeed, indeed." The man who had asked the question was named Hui Sheng. He nodded repeatedly, as his Divine Sense had also picked up on this detail. He then waited eagerly for Yi Bozhong to elaborate.
"To my shame, I truly cannot fathom what method was used to magnify the light of lightning and keep it so perfectly stable," Yi Bozhong admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Then, can you tell what kind of lineage it comes from?" Hui Sheng asked again. In truth, this was what he had wanted to ask all along. After all, their lives were now entirely in someone else's hands. Not even knowing who their captors were left them feeling deeply unsettled.
However, to Hui Sheng's disappointment, Yi Bozhong merely shook his head. "Such a technique is utterly unheard of. But... it must be incredibly precious."
"Indeed, indeed," Hui Sheng nodded once more. This object was meant for nighttime illumination, yet it was far more effective than the Nine-Turned Burning Lamps used in the imperial palace. Moreover, it was impervious to wind, water, and sound. If it weren't precious, they would be common everywhere.
"We are Grandmasters, after all," Yi Bozhong said with a hint of pride. "Even though we have been defeated and imprisoned here, we still command a certain level of respect, which is why they have provided us with such an item."
"Indeed, indeed. Your words ring true, Senior Brother Yi." Hui Sheng breathed a slight sigh of relief.
A trace of disdain flashed through the eyes of the third Grandmaster, who had remained completely silent. They seemed to have forgotten how Grandmaster Qing Guang and Grandmaster Qing Hao had been slaughtered in broad daylight without a second thought. Respect? What a joke. Even that Grandmaster from the Sword Pavilion wasn't an enemy, yet he hardly received any special treatment.
Suddenly, the heavy door swung open. Shen Yun and Wei Er appeared in the doorway, prompting the two chatting men to instantly shut their mouths.
"Come out. We have some questions to ask," Wei Er said bluntly, showing absolutely no courtesy.
The two men, who had just been comforting themselves, instantly wilted like frostbitten eggplants. They shuffled out with miserable expressions. This was especially true when they realized that practically the entire base was lit up with those same lights. It made their previous assumptions painfully embarrassing. In contrast, the remaining Grandmaster looked entirely at peace, as if he had accepted his fate and was ready to die a martyr's death at any moment.
The group arrived at an open clearing.
"I ask you, are there any magical treasures in this world capable of autonomous flight?" Wei Er was the first to speak.
"Autonomous flight..." The captured men exchanged glances before Yi Bozhong stepped forward to answer. "If one is a Sword Cultivator, their Lifebound Magical Treasure can fly freely within the range of their Divine Thought. In fact, many Lifebound Magical Treasures can achieve this; it simply comes down to slight variations in their Arrays."
In this world, Artifact Refining required blending one's own Divine Thought into the Arrays inscribed on the magical treasures. Therefore, by simply adding a levitation Array, any random magical treasure could hover within the range of a cultivator's Divine Thought.
"Even a Grandmaster's Divine Thought can reach a distance of a thousand meters at most," Wei Er said, abruptly pointing at the sky. "Then, have you ever seen this?"
Wondering what he was referring to, the Grandmasters looked up. Although it was already night, a Grandmaster's eyesight was extraordinary. By the faint starlight, they finally spotted dozens of white dots in the sky. They wondered if they were large birds, but quickly realized they were not. The white dots plummeted directly toward them, abruptly halting to hover in midair. They were disk-like crafted artifacts, each equipped with several rapidly spinning blades.
But most importantly... there was absolutely no trace of Spiritual Power radiating from them.
"This... this..."
Yi Bozhong—the only one among them with some understanding of Arrays and Artifact Refining—swept his Divine Thought over the objects. Even with his vast experience as a Grandmaster, his eyes widened in sheer horror. He nearly fainted on the spot, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Such divine craftsmanship! Absolute divine craftsmanship! Unbelievable... it's truly unbelievable..."
Let alone the parts he couldn't comprehend, the sheer precision of the joints between the components and the ingenuity of their design left him marveling in awe. But the most crucial aspect was the densely packed Arrays. Good heavens! He actually saw Array patterns as complex as a Sect Grand Array inscribed on a piece of metal the size of a finger! How on earth was this possible?! If not for his Divine Thought, these patterns would have looked like nothing more than random scratches on metal debris to the naked eye! It was unimaginable! Could this be some terrifying ancient lineage? Was the Jiuzhou Sect actually an ancient sect?
"Heh," Wei Er chuckled smugly. "This item is called a Dajiang. It can be controlled by ordinary disciples and can fly for tens of miles. What do you all think about using this to deliver invitations?"
"If that's the case, your esteemed sect's title as the world's number one Refining Grand Sect will be completely cemented! The entire realm will celebrate it." Yi Bozhong finally realized the true implications of this device!
Artifact Refining was intimately tied to Arrays! Sect Grand Arrays! Self-defense Treasures! Murderous Weapons! All of these were things that even Grandmasters required, and they were equally vital to the empire itself. Because of this alone, the other peak Grandmasters would never sit idly by and watch Emperor Qing massacre the Jiuzhou Sect!
The same thought surged into the minds of all three captured Grandmasters: Emperor Qing was probably doomed this time.
"Grandmaster Wei," the previously silent Grandmaster suddenly spoke up. "This item must not be sent to the King of War. Emperor Qing has always intended to forge good relations with him, and the marriage arrangement for the Seventeenth Imperial Princess was also promised by the King of War. Additionally, there are several Grandmaster sects within the empire whose interests are tightly bound to Emperor Qing's. They are the Golden Silkworm Sect, the Duankong Sect, and the Kuanglang Sect..."
Yi Bozhong and Hui Sheng listened in stunned disbelief. They could not help but wonder why this guy was selling everyone out so smoothly.