Chapter 415: Chapter 273 In the Heavenly Forge Bureau

The current situation had prompted Li Jing to capitalize on the Heavenly Court’s advantage by advancing steadily and systematically eroding the Demon Clan’s territory.

After all, the Heavenly Court had oppressed the Three Realms for many years under the Master of the Three Realms, accumulating immeasurable wealth which was enough to support such a strategy. Conversely, the current state of the Demon Clan was one of needing to catch up, with a shortage of resources. As long as the siege continued, the Demon Clan would surely fail.

Li Jing was patient and could afford to wait. As soon as support from the Heavenly Court arrived, he would sweep through the Demon Clan with the force of thunder.

Neither side had chosen to make a move, facing off at close range, the oppressive atmosphere causing the sky here to seem lower.

Above the Nine Heavens, in front of the Gate of the Southern Heavens, there was a bustling scene. Countless supporting Star Lords and Heavenly Soldiers and Generals gathered, preparing to depart for Luzhou in the North.

Compared to their spirited departure the first time, the faces of the crowd bore a more solemn expression this time.

When the current battle situation was relayed back to the Heavenly Court, many people’s first reaction was disbelief. After all, that was a force of a Million Heavenly Soldiers, supported by Divine weaponry such as Treasure Ships and Cannons; dealing with Luzhou in the North was like using a cleaver to kill a chicken.

In many Immortals’ perception, Luzhou in the North was desolate and barbaric, as well as backward and impoverished. How could the Monsters akin to wild beasts that sprang from such land possibly stand against the Heavenly Court?

The Heavenly Court’s dominance over the Three Realms perhaps lasted too long, so long that many Immortals had grown accustomed to their own strength, which often led them to disdain others, especially Luzhou in the North.

Before the Demon Emperor returned, Luzhou in the North was like the Heavenly Court’s backyard; they could enter as they liked and even some Immortals conducted themselves in despicable ways behind the scenes.

However, in this short period, this land had become the grounding point of the Heavenly Court’s defeat, which was quite laughable.

The battle in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons seemed like a loud slap in the face to these people; the Heavenly Court was immediately stirred up, clamoring to make the Demon Clan suffer.

But deep down they knew that the Demon Clan was no longer the feeble race that could be slaughtered at will. The Demon Clan was now baring its sharp fangs, gleaming with a ghostly light, seemingly ready to devour anyone.

Facing such an opponent, even with their arrogance, they actually felt somewhat unsure.

In the Heavenly Forge Bureau, Liu Ming and Lu Shu were working overtime. Since the news from the front lines arrived, the Heavenly Court had immediately ordered the Heavenly Forge Bureau to rush the production of Treasure Ships and Cannons, preparing for a prolonged conflict.

The Jade Emperor, having experienced the major battle at the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, keenly realized that in future warfare, Cannons and Treasure Ships would be decisive in determining the outcome of a battle.

Previously, only the Heavenly Court possessed Treasure Ships and Cannons, so there was no need to produce many, just maintaining a certain quantity was enough to deter the world. But now, with the news that the Demon Clan had also mastered this technology, the previously prepared quantity was far from enough to meet the demands of war.

Therefore, the Heavenly Forge Bureau was exceptionally busy during this period, all craftsmen working tirelessly on their tasks, yet they still struggled to meet the Heavenly Court’s needs rapidly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Lu Shu rubbed his sore arms, feeling tired, and said, "When will this day end? We haven’t slept for several days."

Liu Ming quickly glanced outside before saying in a lowered voice, "Keep your voice down. It’s not good if someone outside hears us."

Lu Shu then came to his senses, quickly looked outside, found that no one had noticed him, and then said, "Those Black Dogs are indeed troublesome."

The Black Dog he mentioned was precisely an espionage agent under the command of the Divine Exorcist Great Sage in the Heavenly Court.

Due to the leakage of Treasure Ship and cannon technology, this pack of hyenas hidden in the shadows began loitering around the Heavenly Forge Bureau, attempting to find the person who leaked the technology.

Neither the Jade Emperor nor the Divine Exorcist Great Sage believed that the Demon Clan had copied the stolen Treasure Ships and cannons; if it were so easy to replicate these items, the major powers of the Three Realms would have already done so.

However, up until now, aside from the Demon Clan, only the Heavenly Court had mastered these two technologies. Thus, they concluded that someone from the Demon Clan must have infiltrated the Heavenly Forge Bureau.

These past few days, craftsmen were continuously summoned to that deep, dark dungeon for interrogation, but unfortunately, they came away empty-handed as everyone kept their mouths shut.

Liu Ming and Lu Shu were alright since they had just joined the Heavenly Court and hadn’t yet been exposed to these core technologies, so nobody bothered them.

However, this meant the tasks that belonged to the craftsmen fell on the heads of these newcomers to the Heavenly Forge Bureau, which explained why Lu Shu and Liu Ming were so exhausted.

Due to these incidents, the people of the Heavenly Forge Bureau harbored no fondness for these shadow-lurking espionage agents, often referring to them as Black Dogs. They all donned black robes, concealing their faces within, looking both mysterious and sinister—a stark contrast to the atmosphere of the Heavenly Court.

"I heard that some top-secret information from our Heavenly Forge Bureau was stolen, hence the incessant interrogations of the old masters," Liu Ming whispered.

"People in our Heavenly Forge Bureau are devoted craftsmen; who would do such a thing? Those Black Dogs can’t find the real culprit, so they just shift the blame onto us," Lu Shu said indignantly.

Having spent so much time with these old masters, Lu Shu had become very close with them and was extremely angry seeing them brought into the Heavenly Prison and tortured.

"I’ve heard that Mr. Mo holds a very high position, even His Majesty defers to him in some respects. I don’t know why he hasn’t come forth to stop this."

Liu Ming was curious; it had been a long time since he last saw the legendary figure Mr. Mo. The old masters had told him that Mr. Mo was someone who bowed to no one, and those who dared to meddle with the Heavenly Forge Bureau always went back licking their wounds.

"Ah, exactly. I’ve heard that Mr. Mo’s strange illness has grown more severe, and nowadays he stays in his little courtyard to recuperate," said Lu Shu, who due to his fondness for drinking and gossiping had his own unique sources of information.

After saying this, he lamented to himself: "I wonder what kind of strange illness has reduced an immortal to this state."

"Shh, someone’s coming. Get back to work," whispered Liu Ming as he gently tugged on Lu Shu’s arm.

The figure of a person clad in a black robe flashed by outside, it was precisely the Black Dog that Lu Shu had mentioned.

Despite Lu Shu’s harsh preceding criticism, when faced with these terrifying figures, he became quite frightened, immediately shutting his mouth and focusing intently on the task at hand.

However, he was secretly guessing, noting the direction in which the Black Dog was heading—it seemed he was going towards Mr. Mo’s little courtyard.