A black cable, as thick as an arm, descended from the dome of the Celestial Craft Cave. Mo Han grabbed the end of it and plugged it into a mechanism on the wall.

A mirror immediately popped out in the center of the hall. The instant ripples spread across its surface, the clicking of meshing gears grew sharp and piercing.

Three bronze needles shot out from Mo Han’s bronze prosthetic, inserting themselves into a crevice in the mirror’s frame. The cloudy surface of the mirror abruptly cleared.

The reflection in the Mechanical Giant Bird’s pupils showed the bustling streets of Celestial Craft City. Banners of teahouses and taverns fluttered, sparks flew from blacksmith shops, and even the women washing clothes by the moat were clearly visible.

Mo Han suddenly twisted a joint on his prosthesis, and the Mechanical Giant Bird’s speed increased once more.

As he made adjustments, Mo Han said, "This hawk’s eye can survey a fifty-li radius. Once we’re over Guniu Mountain, Cui Bo City will be in full view."

As the Mechanical Giant Bird flew past Cui Bo City’s boundary stele, the once-peaceful image in the mirror abruptly changed. The winding main road had become a slaughterhouse.

The rotting corpses of the city’s defenders had been arranged into the totem of the Ming Venerable. A Blood Lotus pattern gaped open on every corpse’s chest.

Black-robed disciples of the Incense and Candle Sect swarmed like ants, dragging the dying common folk toward an altar that belched black smoke. Blood seeped into the cracks in the earth, outlining a massive Blood Lotus Array that covered the entire plain!

"How dare they!"

Wan Chen of the Celestial Craft Department watched, his fury boiling. The handle of the Giant Axe in his hand creaked under the force of his grip.

The others watched on in grim silence.

Mo Han finally reacted. As if remembering something, he forced several words through his clenched teeth.

"Blood sacrifice... dream infiltration... Our senses have been clouded. No wonder we’ve been so negligent about Celestial Craft City’s defenses!"

He looked up at the others. "Have any of you had strange dreams these past few days?"

Zhu Xu, the Hall Master of Melt Gold Hall, hesitated before speaking. "Yesterday, while I was asleep, a man in ancient robes appeared to talk to me. He said we were old friends who had known each other for years, and then he asked about the various affairs of the Celestial Craft Cave."

Hearing this, the men exchanged glances.

Wan Chen started. "Me too. The man was dressed in archaic clothing. He asked me about the various mechanisms in Celestial Craft City and the Earth Veins connected beneath it."

Mo Han asked woodenly, "And you answered?"

"How was I supposed to control what I do in a dream? I... of course I answered him."

Wan Chen shot back, "You mean you didn’t?"

Mo Han said, "...I’m a light sleeper. I said a few trivial things, but I can guarantee I revealed none of Celestial Craft City’s core secrets."

Three pairs of eyes immediately turned to Zhan Yan.

Zhan Yan’s weathered face flushed red at their gazes, and he turned away without a word.

He’d been dead drunk the night before and had nearly spilled all his secrets. In the dream, the man in ancient robes had tried to leave, but Zhan Yan had grabbed him and refused to let go, even confessing that he’d peeked at the neighbor’s newly-wed daughter bathing when he was eight years old.

’So I’m the mole.’

As the others’ gazes shifted to him, Xu Yunfan said calmly, "I didn’t sleep last night. I was in the Scripture Pavilion, studying the fundamentals of the Celestial Craft Forging Technique."

"..."

Mo Han said, "To be able to infiltrate the dreams of Blood Exchange Realm masters and cloud their minds, to say nothing of the other disciples of Celestial Craft Cave... Given the current state of heaven and earth, that blood sacrifice..."

A chill went down their spines. The number of people sacrificed must have been staggering.

They quickly compared their descriptions of the man in ancient robes from their dreams, confirming that every detail matched perfectly.

For a moment, they couldn’t help but press a hand to their foreheads, speechless.

Zhan Yan broke the silence. "Regardless of the Sect Leader’s situation, our priority now is to purge the Incense and Candle Sect spies who have infiltrated our ranks."

"Of course."

Mo Han stepped into the center of the group, holding the Sect Leader’s proxy token. Despite his stout and stocky build, he radiated an indescribable authority.

"The Sect Leader is unreachable, and we can’t abandon everything to search for him. I am now assuming temporary command of all Celestial Craft Cave affairs. We must immediately purge the Incense and Candle Sect infiltrators. As for those disciples of Celestial Craft Cave who are too deeply entranced to be saved... kill them on sight. I will take full responsibility for the consequences!"

His voice was hoarse, his heart aching. Three Bronze Command Arrows slid from the sleeve of his Mechanical Robe. He tossed one to Wan Chen.

"Celestial Craft Department, hear my order! Immediately seal the twelve Giant Work Gates! Activate the Black Tortoise Mechanism and lock down the city!"

Wan Chen slammed his Giant Axe on the ground, cracking the floor tiles. He caught the command arrow, accepted his orders, turned, and strode away.

Mo Han’s mechanical prosthetic extended, inserting itself into a socket that rose from the floor before him.

The entire Celestial Craft City suddenly began to tremble.

Xu Yunfan steadied himself, his ears filling with the roar of interlocking gears.

Through the hall’s window, he saw the water of the moat begin to boil. Steam roared toward the heavens, and tens of thousands of Wolf Fang Thorns emerged from the depths.

Cold Iron Crossbow Mechanisms flipped out from the crenellations of the city walls, the sound of their strings being drawn taut like a swarm of locusts passing overhead.

Zhan Yan’s ears twitched, and he glanced outside the hall.

"Hidden Blade Pavilion’s Martial Arts?"

His answer was the sudden clang of metal on metal from outside the hall.

Wan Chen was the first to act. A large blade flew from his hand, smashing through the hall’s two carved wooden doors. Outside, three Swordsmen from the Hidden Blade Pavilion were plunging Poisoned Short Swords into the backs of their comrades, the blade tips already having pierced the Chain Armor of the Melt Gold Hall disciples.

"The nerve!"

Wan Chen’s face was a mask of fury, his voice a clap of thunder.

"Take them alive!"

Zhan Yan’s Flower Drum Hammer, though thrown second, arrived first, its head’s Wolf Fang Nails catching the blades of the swords.

The muscles in his arms bulged as he swung the three traitors, men and swords together, toward a hall pillar.

Seeing this, Mo Han activated a hidden mechanism.

The Thunder Patterns on the bronze pillar’s surface suddenly came to life, shooting out thirty-six steel hoops that locked the men down tight.

Xu Yunfan hesitated no longer. "Master," he said, "I’ll go find Senior Brother Fu!"

Time was of the essence. Entranced disciples from Celestial Craft Cave were now appearing even within Celestial Craft Hall itself. If they didn’t get Celestial Craft City under control quickly, rivers of blood would flow.

Zhan Yan nodded and flicked a token from his hand.

"This token carries my authority. Go. Coordinate with Senior Brother Fu. If you find anything... unusual about him..."

Zhan Yan struggled to force out a single word.

"Kill!"

Xu Yunfan nodded and took the token. He turned, grabbed his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer, and shot away like an arrow loosed from a bow, a clap of thunder and wind in his wake. Just as he was about to vanish from the front of Celestial Craft Hall, Mo Han’s aged voice called out.

"Take the Celestial Craft Corridor Bridge!"

Mo Han’s prosthetic shot out a grappling hook, pulling a latch at his feet.

"I’ve restarted the Cyan Dragon Winch! In a few minutes, all the city’s mechanisms will reverse! The mechanisms of Celestial Craft Cave will be brought fully online!"

Xu Yunfan yelled a confirmation without looking back. As Zhan Yan was about to leave, Mo Han’s words stopped him.

"Sect Leader Hong represents the pinnacle of our Celestial Craft Cave’s power. You must find him. Only with him can we stabilize our sect! Otherwise, everything I’m doing is for naught!"

"It doesn’t matter how many other Celestial Craft Cave disciples die... but if *he* dies, and a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster decides to pay us a visit, our sect will face imminent collapse. We’ll be forced to play our final hand."

Zhan Yan stopped and nodded slightly. He understood the stakes.

In the dark of night, the Celestial Craft Corridor Bridge snaked like a giant dragon.

Xu Yunfan raced across the mechanical patterns on the bridge’s surface. The Celestial Craft Corridor Bridge was constantly shifting and reconfiguring in time with the roaring gears of Celestial Craft City.