As the sky paled in the east, he suddenly rose, twisting his waist and hips into the opening stance of Vajra Upholding the Heavens.

A twang like a taut bowstring sounded from his shoulder blades and hip bones. The pores all over his body opened and closed with his breath, pulling the morning dew from a ten-zhang radius into a spiraling watery mist.

The moment the first ray of purple qi broke through the clouds, Xu Yunfan exhaled like thunder.

The white plume of air from his nostrils shot out ten zhang before slowly dissipating, yet his chest seemed to be a bottomless pit, devouring the East Coming Purple Qi.

Notifications for increased Skill Level in his Pure Yang Qi Skill began to pop up on his Attribute Panel. The veins beneath his skin suddenly took on a gilded sheen, as if molten gold were coursing through his blood.

For the past month, the Celestial Craft Fortress had continued its journey toward the Ghostly Wail Abyss. Traveling around the clock, maintained by the disciples of the Celestial Craft Cave, its movement had finally stabilized, allowing it to cover three hundred li each day.

As of today, they could already see the far-off borderlands of Lingnan Dao. The silhouette of the Ghostly Wail Abyss had appeared before them.

"Senior Brother Xu! We’re almost at the Ghostly Wail Abyss!"

Mo Shisan’s shout came from below.

Over the past few days, Mo Shisan had become completely awed by Xu Yunfan’s mastery of mechanics from the Celestial Craft Forging Technique. Complex joints that took Mo Shisan ages to figure out, Xu Yunfan understood the moment they were pointed out.

Some of Xu Yunfan’s ingenious, eye-opening ideas left him so astounded he practically saw him as a Celestial Being.

When Xu Yunfan proposed the concept of an internal combustion engine, Mo Shisan had buried himself in the Mechanical Hall, researching it day and night.

Xu Yunfan pulled on his sweat-soaked short tunic and looked down upon the cloud-wreathed abyss.

Crisscrossing sword marks on the cliff face glowed with an eerie blue phosphorescence, having yet to fade even after a hundred years of wind and rain.

"The Sect Leader wants each hall to send a team of disciples to scout the Ghostly Wail Abyss in advance."

Xu Yunfan nodded. "I’ll need to discuss this with Senior Brother Fu."

Inside the Weapon Casting Hall, the blue smoke from the Quenching Pool had not yet dissipated. Xu Yunfan pushed the door open to find Fu Jin rubbing Jiao Oil onto his Nine-Ring Mountain-Shaking Hammer.

Amidst the sharp grating of steel rings, Zhan Yan held a yellowed map down on the Profound Iron Anvil Platform. A piece of Refined Iron between his fingers had been polished to a brilliant sheen.

"Perfect timing."

Without looking up, Zhan Yan tapped the map with the piece of Refined Iron.

"The scouting party will descend into the abyss in three groups. Your Senior Brother Fu will take the elites of the Weapon Casting Hall down the secret path on the eastern side, through the sword marks. The Hall Master of the Mechanical Hall once took a Mechanical Beast down there, but that was decades ago. We don’t know what it’s like now, so someone needs to go down first to explore and find a place for the Celestial Craft Fortress to set down."

Xu Yunfan unslung his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer, about to speak, when Fu Jin suddenly placed his Nine-Ring Mountain-Shaking Hammer across the doorway.

"Tomorrow at 7:00 AM, you will assist Mo Shisan with inspecting the Black Tortoise Mechanism Array."

Xu Yunfan was stunned. He had specifically polished his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer, eager to go down and test the limits of his current strength. He hadn’t expected Zhan Yan to assign him a task without even asking.

"Master, I think I could go down and scout with Senior Brother Fu."

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but glance at the solemn-faced Fu Jin. ’I’m confident that even without activating the Linn Character State, my current strength is no less than Fu Jin’s.’

Zhan Yan shook his head slightly. "This matter is already decided. There’s no need for further discussion."

Fu Jin reached out and patted Xu Yunfan’s shoulder.

"It’s not a big deal, Junior Brother. Just stay with the sect. The Ghostly Wail Abyss sounds scary, but it’s just the sound of strong winds blowing through the canyon year-round, echoing and creating that wailing noise.

Hall Master Mo has already given us detailed information. We’re just going to check the terrain and find a landing spot for the Celestial Craft Fortress."

Hearing this, Xu Yunfan didn’t press the issue. When he reached the covered walkway, his gaze flickered. He was surprised to see Qi Huan standing silently and motionlessly among the disciples in the scouting party.

Ever since the Foreign Affairs Hall had gotten mixed up with the Incense and Candle Sect, Bao Yan, the Hall Master of the Hidden Blade Pavilion, was exposed as a spy for the Great Zhou Imperial Court.

This revelation was a huge blow to Qi Huan. At the same time, because he was Bao Yan’s True Disciple, he was gradually marginalized within the Celestial Craft Cave and pushed out of its core circle.

As a result, Qi Huan, who was once full of life and considered the foremost among the younger generation of the Celestial Craft Cave’s True Inheritors, had become silent and withdrawn in recent days.

It was unavoidable. The Hall Master’s betrayal had nearly brought disaster upon the entire Celestial Craft Cave. As his disciple, he was inevitably seen as sharing some responsibility by association.

Qi Huan noticed Xu Yunfan’s gaze, but his expression remained unchanged. He kept his eyes lowered, silent.

Leaning on the cast bronze railing, Xu Yunfan looked down into the abyss. Four teams of Celestial Craft Cave disciples were rapidly descending on Profound Iron Sliding Platforms.

Bronze Winches screeched as their metal gears engaged. Over a hundred disciples in black, each carrying a Mechanical Box, transformed into an iron-colored torrent the moment they landed, advancing along the cliff face in four separate groups.

The eastern team deployed Folding Cloud Ladders, driving them into the Phosphorescent Sword Marks. The western team set up Water Dragon Crossbows, aiming them at fissures in the rock. The clicking and clacking of meshing gears during their movements actually drowned out the Gang Wind from the abyss’s depths.

A flock of more than a dozen nine-zhang-tall Mechanical Giant Birds swept through the misty miasma, their iron feathers, supported by Profound Steel frames, as large as war chariots.

The base of each giant bird’s wing was embedded with compressed air bladders, an improvement by Mo Shisan. Wherever their Profound Crystal Goggles scanned, phosphorescent powder from their wingtips left fluorescent blue trails in the mist.

The lead bird suddenly dove, launching thirty-six Earth Exploration Shuttles from beneath its wings. Sparks flew as their Tungsten Steel Drill Heads bored into the rock, weaving a crimson Luo Net at the bottom of the abyss. Any movement below would now be detected instantly, providing an early warning.

The hundred-zhang-high Profound Steel Wall of the Celestial Craft Fortress was currently grinding its way over the Sword Gate Ancient Dao. Its sixteen Profound Steel Spider Legs were sunk nearly thirty zhang into the rock, each pylon engraved with shock-absorbing structures designed by Mo Han. Amidst the roar of steam, the jets of white vapor it expelled were hot enough to boil the surrounding vegetation.

At the fortress’s base, three hundred sixty Profound Iron Hubs meshed with Transmission Chains. The white mist billowing from between the axles was from the Condensation Devices developed by a previous Hall Master of the Mechanical Hall, which were venting geothermal heat.

Such an earth-shattering display of power kept the trailing iron cavalry of seven different warlords at a cautious thirty-li distance. They watched the mobile fortress with expressions of pure dread. Many Mortal Wandering Heroes had also gathered along the way to watch the spectacle, so a large crowd was following.

If people didn’t know the Celestial Craft Cave was simply relocating its Sect, they would fear it was approaching to lay siege. A fortress like this could probably destroy a city in less than two Hours.

The Celestial Craft Cave’s migration from Yanbei Dao to Lingnan Dao in the southwest was a massive undertaking, and the Celestial Craft Fortress created a huge disturbance. It would not have been such a smooth journey if the Empress hadn’t failed at the final hurdle, leaving her with no energy to spare for the Celestial Craft Cave.

The other Daozhou were constantly testing the Empress’s reactions, hoping to carve out their own kingdoms.

Now, with heroes and warlords rising everywhere, the Celestial Craft Cave’s fortress was an object of immense greed. The power one could wield on the battlefield with such a fortress was unimaginable.

But the Celestial Craft Cave possessed countless mechanisms, and no one dared to approach it lightly. Furthermore, a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster was present to keep order. Otherwise, such a large target would have been attacked long ago.

The Celestial Craft Cave’s migration was known throughout the world—a journey spanning two provinces to reach the Shu State Ghostly Wail Abyss in Lingnan Dao.

(I can’t manage 10,000 characters today. Please let me rest a bit, and I’ll continue with 10,000 tomorrow! Thanks for your support!)