Chapter 498: You've Worked Hard

Xuan Yuan Nine Crafts Platform!

Xuan: Refers to ancient chariots with canopies or curtains, signifying noble and elevated status, symbolizing lofty destiny and the power of distant journeys.

Yuan: The two straight shafts in front of the chariot, used to harness animals, representing guidance and the source of strength.

And Nine Crafts signify nine types of craftsmanship.

The Xuan Yuan Nine Crafts Platform is a crafting platform containing nine types of craftsmanship, used for manufacturing mechanical vehicle frames.

The entire platform resembles a thick, long strip, very simple and bare, vastly different from most curiously shaped mechanical platforms.

It utilizes a combination of wood and metal. The wood chosen is ancient money elm and blue sea agarwood of a thousand years, exhibiting natural纹理 (textures/grain) and an ancient, rustic feel. The metal used is Taibai Luminous Gold, ensuring stability and durability.

The platform surface is semi-transparent, containing countless talismans within. These talismans vary in size, some are fine and dense, piled together tightly, while others are coarse and large, each occupying its own space.

The talismans emit a faint mystic light, and gradually change over time.

Ning Zhuo’s eyes widened, almost shining with light.

He nearly leaped out of the stone sphere, eager to pounce onto the platform for a deep embrace!

He impatiently channeled his divine sense, his expression growing more excited.

“Indeed, just as recorded in the books, the nine crafts can be different, arranged according to one’s needs.”

“Marvelous, truly marvelous.”

Ning Zhuo scrutinized closely and found that the nine crafts were respectively: meticulous carving, celestial fire smelting, stacked forging, and star dust inlay—

“Leaning towards fine processing.”

What Ning Zhuo needed was the rapid creation of mechanical puppets, mass production or repair.

However, even if not a perfect match, with this Xuan Yuan Nine Crafts Platform, his efficiency could still increase tenfold or more.

This level of improvement is already quite significant!

Ning Zhuo then looked at the second mechanical platform.

This platform resembles a scaled-down ancient palace, with a stable structure and elegant, flowing lines of cloud patterns and dragon-shaped talismans on its surface.

The main body of the palace exhibits a bronze hue, giving a sense of the vicissitudes of time and historical weight.

The beams and pillars within the palace are thick and rounded, masterfully crafted in their simplicity, all slowly rotating on their own axis.

Ning Zhuo channeled his divine sense within and discovered that the interior of this palace-shaped mechanical platform was comprised of countless gears and grooves. The structure was extremely intricate, with gears densely packed and layered upon layer.

“Mystic Palace Gear Platform!” Ning Zhuo quickly recognized it.

“Its primary value depends on what the main gear within is.”

Ning Zhuo’s divine sense continued to penetrate deeper and quickly saw a giant gear, occupying the center, slowly rotating on its own axis.

“Left and Right Earth-Treading Wheel?”

Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred, and he continued to observe, quickly confirming that his previous judgment was correct.

The Up and Down Heaven-Ascending Wheel and the Left and Right Earth-Treading Wheel correspond to each other, forming a classic pair of mechanical components in the art of mechanisms.

There was also a third mechanical platform.

This mechanical platform was cylindrical in shape, resembling a large drum.

The drumhead was painted red, while the cylindrical surface depicted a giant divine being. The divine being held up the heavens and trod upon the earth, with clouds and smoke swirling around its knees, shoulders, and other areas, highlighting its colossal form. Its entire body was rippling with muscles, exuding a strong sense of power at first glance.

“Giant Spirit Shaping Platform!” Ning Zhuo immediately understood.

This platform was very easy to recognize.

Or rather, Ning Zhuo had long yearned for various platforms. He had only been able to feast his eyes on them in books and secret records, keeping this fondness hidden in his heart.

Although mechanical platforms are not as expensive as alchemy furnaces or artifact refining furnaces, they are not common on the market.

In the more than ten years Ning Zhuo had spent in the Fire Persimmon Immortal City, he had not seen many mechanical platforms for sale.

There was actually an important reason for this: the Fire Persimmon Immortal City was a new city. Since its construction, due to the special circumstances of the three sects’ Venerables and others, it was difficult to fully develop.

Now, although the Lava Immortal Palace had appeared, the Fire Persimmon Immortal City was in the midst of an even more intense struggle, making rapid development out of the question.

The function of the Giant Spirit Shaping Platform is to forcibly change the shape of large materials.

It also differs from most mechanical platforms.

This is because it contains the art of inviting spirits.

The spirit invited is the Giant Spirit God.

This type of divine being is always colossal and robust, possessing great strength.

This Giant Spirit Shaping Platform is only of the Core Formation level, capable of inviting only one Giant Spirit God at a time. A Nascent Soul level one could invite two Giant Spirit Gods simultaneously, or one Giant Spirit God and one Craft God.

In the absence of a Craft God, this Giant Spirit Shaping Platform must contain magic arrays and talismans for auxiliary purposes such as heating, lubricating, burning, and fixing.

One Xuan Yuan Nine Crafts Platform, one Mystic Palace Gear Platform, one Giant Spirit Shaping Platform!

“One Nascent Soul level, two Core Formation level. A连续 (series of/succession of) three mechanical platforms! To whom in the army is this being given?”

Amidst his joy, Ning Zhuo felt a sense of doubt.

Facing this question, the first person he thought of was the Princess of Ingenuity, Shuang Ling.

Currently, among the army of the Two Streams Nation, only she uses mechanisms, and she is of the Nascent Soul stage, wealthy and powerful enough to afford these.

“Heh heh heh.” Sun Lingtong also thought of this, and snickled, “Little Zhuo, these mechanical platforms are likely all that Shuang Ling’s.”

“This time we will make her look bad!”

“How arrogant she was at the auction. It’s not that retribution won’t come, it’s just that the time hasn’t arrived yet, heh heh heh! Now, the time has arrived.”

Ning Zhuo nodded and continued to cooperate with Sun Lingtong, controlling the stone sphere.

The “Old Monster in the Stone” appeared everywhere on the battlefield, constantly striking. Regardless of how intensely and tragically the Thousand Peaks Forest and the Two Streams Nation fought, he profited greatly.

Stones with a jade-like color and surface纹理 (texture/grain) like dragon scales—Dragon Scale Stones.

Copper colored like the deep blue or black of the night sky, when shaken quickly in hand, leaving a shadow in the air—Night Shadow Copper.

Wood with blood marks intertwined on the surface, resembling snakes—Python Pattern Blood Fir.

Spirit liquid with the upper part showing a green color and the lower part showing a blue color—Azure Sea and Blue Sky.

Bird claws with four fingers, resembling bronze casting and incredibly hard—Dead Dove Claws.

After stealing extensively, Ning Zhuo gradually gained some understanding.

“These platforms and precious materials seem to be a matching set, capable of refining some kind of mechanical creation—

The “Old Monster in the Stone” stole from the transport team front and back, left and right, inside and out.

The entire transport team was filled with wails of sorrow, either killed or stripped bare, their morale shattered.

Large-scale routs occurred.

This reduced the military strength assisting the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Two Streams Nation, causing their combat power to immediately decline.

Floating Cloud Child and Mountain Peak Child decisively joined forces, continuously attacking together, holding off the decline.

“The truly valuable treasures should all be in the escort official’s storage bag.” Sun Lingtong looked at the swirling battle group high in the sky, still very excited.

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly: “Then let’s wait and see.”

Storage bags, storage rings, storage belts, etc., possess different capacities. Some are strong, some are weak.

The more treasures are loaded in and the higher their grade, the more carrying capacity is consumed.

Therefore, many times, transport teams and merchant caravans are necessary.

Whether through teleportation or high-grade storage equipment, the cost is much higher.

The most valuable military supplies are in the escort official’s storage bag. However, the quantity is often small because the valuable items are often of high grade, so the amount that can be loaded is naturally scarce.

Rumble rumble rumble!

“Die for me—

“Take my blow…”

Crack crack crack!

“What a vicious spell…” “Villain, don’t be so arrogant…”

Bang bang bang!

“Taste our Mountain Cloud Sky!”

“Hmph, that’s all there is to it.”

Sun and Ning hid underground, watching the show with great interest.

The three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Two Streams Nation were already few in number and gradually fell behind.

As the escort official parried left and right, his storage bag at his waist was struck and fell down, landing exactly on the ground directly above the stone sphere.

Chen Lingfeng darted forward, wanting to seize the storage bag.

But the next moment, mystic light flickered, and the Old Monster in the Stone appeared, sucking the storage bag in.

Chen Lingfeng cried out: “Senior Stone, this is too much!”

Sun Lingtong nodded, his voice hoarse, acting as the Old Monster in the Stone: “It is indeed too much.”

Chen Lingfeng was slightly stunned, a flicker of hope just ignited, and he was about to continue persuading, but the next moment, Sun Lingtong said: “You have worked hard, keep up the effort next time.”

“I—” Chen Lingfeng almost cursed out a dirty word.

Immediately after, he watched helplessly as the “Old Monster in the Stone” burrowed into the earth and disappeared again.

The storage bag had sealing methods and could not be opened for now.

Sun and Ning were very patient and were not in a hurry, but continued to observe the intense battle.

Seeing that he had lost the military supplies, the escort official felt a sharp pain in his heart and his fighting spirit dissipated. After an urgent communication with Floating Cloud Child and Mountain Peak Child, he immediately began to retreat.

The Thousand Peaks Forest ambushers pursued for a while, but then dared not pursue further.

They were already behind enemy lines, and their enemies were everywhere.

Thus, the second ambush battle ended.

“Quickly find the Old Monster in the Stone!”

“He is too much, almost all of our spoils of war were stolen by him.”

“We risked our lives to intercept the transport team here, and the result only benefited the Old Monster in the Stone alone. I am too unwilling!”

“Hate, I hate him so much!! I have seen through the Old Monster in the Stone.”

“This fellow is usually silent, but I didn’t expect his true nature to be like this, so hateful!”

The faces of the numerous Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators of the Thousand Peaks Forest were exceedingly grim.

Sun and Ning had already departed underground.

The military intelligence that the transport team had been attacked and looted was urgently sent to Wooden Wheel Town.

Shuang Ling, who heard the shocking news, was initially incredulous: “How is that possible? That’s impossible!”

“Precisely this important transport was ambushed by the enemy army?”

“My mechanical platforms, and all my precious materials!!!” Shuang Ling was filled with anger and vexation, gritting her teeth.

After gradually calming down, a sinister light shone in her eyes: “Hmph, Old Monster in the Stone! You took my things. As long as you are within the Two Streams Nation, I can find you!”

Shuang Ling took out a large number of mechanisms and set up a magic altar.

The mechanisms were structured, inlaid, and combined with each other, constructing a mechanical magic altar.

She immediately ascended the altar and performed a ritual.

After a burning incense stick, a star appeared in broad daylight!

The divine ability performed—Star Reflection Concealment.

The starlight would pinpoint the thief’s location and direction.

Failure!

Shuang Ling’s expression changed dramatically, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, immediately kneeling on one knee, her essence, qi, and spirit simultaneously wilting.

“How could this be?”

“Could it be that the Old Monster in the Stone has already left the Two Streams Nation?”

The “Old Monster in the Stone” had already disintegrated, and Sun and Ning were riding the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, currently traversing the void.

Just as they were about to end this traversal and return to the real world, Sun Lingtong suddenly cried out: “Wait!”

Ning Zhuo was controlling the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, while he was studying the escort official’s storage bag, trying every method to break the storage bag’s anti-theft arrangement. Suddenly, he saw star light radiating from the storage bag.

Sun Lingtong immediately reacted: “Someone is tracking and locating us!”

“We must not go out now.”

“Quick, Little Zhuo, let’s continue traversing the void.”

Sun Lingtong stopped Ning Zhuo in time.

Ning Zhuo’s heart also leaped, and he continued to control the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, soaring in the void.

During this process, Sun Lingtong frequently cast theft arts, applying them to the storage bag and the many precious materials and mechanical platforms that had been plundered.

“It doesn’t seem to do much.”

“What method does the other party have? It’s actually so powerful!”

“No, they tampered with these military supplies beforehand, which is why they can be detected and explored.”

After discerning the truth, Sun Lingtong was also at a loss.

He was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and practiced the Pure Yang Cultivation technique, which was not considered a mainstream cultivation method of the Empty Gate.

“Let’s wander around for a while. I don’t believe this group of people will keep searching for us indefinitely.”

Following Sun Lingtong’s delaying tactics, Sun and Ning continuously tried, and finally waited until the star light dissipated and no longer manifested.

They then roamed in the void for a while longer, confirming that the star light had not reappeared, before leaving the void and returning to the real world.

“Where is this?” Sun and Ning immediately identified their location.

“Azure Sky Mountain?” They quickly figured out that they were within the Thousand Peaks Forest.

The exact location was Azure Sky Mountain.

“Where have the garrison soldiers here gone?”

“No one is here!” Ning Zhuo was curious.

Sun Lingtong suddenly exclaimed: “That’s right, that’s right, Little Zhuo, let’s quickly go to the mountain peak to see. There, the Azure Sky Pond produces Empty Crystals.”

“With Empty Crystals, we can improve the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, greatly reducing our consumption when traversing the void.”

Sun and Ning cautiously sneaked up to the mountain peak, and did not discover a single enemy throughout the entire process.

How strange!

The Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon submerged into the Azure Sky Pond and saw a large expanse of Empty Crystals condensing at the bottom of the lake.

“The Empty Crystals here are not large, most of them haven’t formed yet and cannot be mined,” Sun Lingtong said disappointedly.

Ning Zhuo had already reacted at this moment: “I think I probably know why this place is like this.”

“Our four armies are attacking the Thousand Peaks Forest. I know the marching routes of the Three Generals Camp and the Red Flower Camp.”

“Although I don’t know the routes of the Barbarian Demon Camp and the Golden Halberd Army, I can make conjectures based on the existing intelligence.”

“According to the location of Azure Sky Mountain, it is already quite deep within the Thousand Peaks Forest. It is likely on the marching route of one of the armies, hence the garrison here withdrew in advance.”

“The Barbarian Demon Camp has suffered heavy losses and cannot reach such depth in a short period of time.”

“Therefore, it is likely the Golden Halberd Army!”

“This army is likely to arrive here soon.”

While listening to Ning Zhuo’s analysis, Sun Lingtong observed the crystals at the bottom of the lake: “Little Zhuo, stop analyzing. Look at that patch of Empty Crystals, a small piece is fully formed, we can dig and collect it.”

“How regrettable it would be to miss this!”