Buzz~

The little bee incarnation flapped its wings and flew towards the bronze guard holding a large axe.

Chen Ku cautiously observed the movements of the bronze mechanism guard.

As the bee approached fifty zhang, thirty zhang, twenty zhang, ten zhang away...

When it was close to the ten zhang mark.

The bronze mechanism guard's eyes suddenly opened, emitting a red light, and then it let out a loud shout:

"Hero King's underground palace, those not of my clan, intruders die!"

It was about to swing the large axe in its hand towards the sky!

Bang!

At the moment the large axe was swung, a terrifyingly majestic axe energy transformed into a giant axe as if splitting a mountain, sweeping right towards the front!

Chen Ku's mind trembled violently as he saw that the axe energy instantly engulfed his bee incarnation, then, with unabated momentum, split the sea of mercury hundreds of zhang away in two!

Countless streams of mercury shot into the sky!

Even though Chen Ku immediately retreated to both sides, he still felt the power of the axe spreading around, like an entire mountain scraping past him!

"So strong! So strong! So strong!"

Chen Ku's mind was shaken to its core.

Watching helplessly as the power of the axe turned his incarnation into dust, the bronze axe general seemed to lose its sense of the 'intruder', its eyes extinguishing, reverting to its posture of standing with the axe as a bronze mechanism general.

"How can I get in?"

Chen Ku was utterly desperate.

Looking around the bronze war general, it was entirely a mountain body, without any traces of man-made bricks and stones, which meant there were no gaps, so he couldn't even use earth escape...

He didn't dare to gamble his life on being invisible!

If he lost the gamble, the power of that axe made Chen Ku feel that even with the Five-colored Peacock's invulnerability to metal, it was axe energy, estimated to be at least Seventh or Eighth Realm's power, and could directly render him useless on the spot.

Could it be, I can only look at the door but can't go in?

Unwilling, Chen Ku summoned several more bees to continuously probe: "Let's figure out the striking pattern of this bronze mechanism first!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several axes were continuously swung, preventing Chen Ku's incarnations from attempting to pass above, below, or to the sides,

or even from going over the head of the bronze mechanism.

But Chen Ku also gathered some experiences:

"This bronze axe general is, after all, just a mechanical puppet, it only attacks when detecting intrusion signs within ten zhang,

and the move is always a forward chop, with no other tricks. Once outside of ten zhang, it won't chase..."

He thought, rubbing his chin:

"If someone could hold off this bronze axe general, would it provide others the chance to enter?"

He's sure he couldn't do it himself.

The bronze axe general seemed to have at least Seventh Realm strength, he would turn to ashes with just one encounter.

Chen Ku continuously simulated and envisioned in his mind...

Even his master Yang Luochen probably couldn't withstand it.

Unless...

It's Qin Yuxian, or the masked man beside Commandery Princess Guan Hongluan, they might, or perhaps, the old man named Shan Lingguan.

After several rounds of contemplation.

Chen Ku looked at the bronze guard, unwilling, yet he had to admit, he couldn't get in.

"I can't get in, Shangguan Yun probably can't either, unless he finds a Seventh Realm help."

Chen Ku thought to himself:

"Even though I was mentally prepared for the dangers and challenges inside the underground palace, I never thought I'd be stopped by a 'gatekeeper' at the entrance.

Is this truly the handiwork of the Fourteenth Realm's Mountain-Lifting Heavenly King?"

It is understandable, even the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang from the mortal realm had so many mechanisms and traps, let alone this supernatural Fourteenth Realm great power.

If it was like going home and I could easily enter and take the treasure, that would be abnormal.

"It seems, the matter of apprenticing to the Supreme Elder of the Imperial Enlightenment Sect must be considered."

Chen Ku took one last unwilling glance at the bronze axe general, regrettably turned around, and left.

No matter what.

This trip wasn't in vain, at least he met the two cultivation conditions for the Transformation Diagram.

As Chen Ku retreated along the stone crevice again.

...

At Shangguan Yun's residence.

Sui You stood beside Shangguan Yun and pondered, saying: "According to the estimate of the expert from the Heavenly Craftsman's Mansion,

in about forty to fifty days, the outer stone layer of the underground palace can be completely opened, my lord, are you prepared for how

to face the bronze mechanical puppets inside that underground palace?"

Thinking back to when they first discovered the location of the underground palace, upon entering and starting to work on the soil,

still in the outer layer of the underground palace, they encountered attacks from numerous mechanisms on the stone wall,

and it was only by sacrificing lives that they finally let the expert from the Heavenly Craftsman's Mansion figure out the attack pattern of those mechanisms, and broke them.

From this, it's likely that the entrance gate of the underground palace will have even more formidable mechanical creations, definitely not just some mechanisms.

The bronze puppets that appeared on battlefields during the wars one hundred and fifty years ago are bound to exist.

"Currently, we still don't know the situation at the underground palace's entrance, we can only figure it out when the time comes, but there is one thing that can be confirmed..."

Shangguan Yun stood with his hands behind his back, facing the moonlight, and spoke softly:

"Any underground palace like this must have a great formation, especially as the people from the Heavenly Craftsman's Mansion have said, the power source of these bronze automatons comes from the great formation. And any great formation naturally has an array suppression stone, which is the hub of the mechanisms, serving as a 'mechanical token.' With it, one can control all the mechanical creations within the formation. I guess there must be such an array suppression stone in that underground palace. As long as you find it, not only can you easily enter the underground palace, but you can also gain 'control' over all the mechanical creations."

"My lord..."

Sui You hesitated for a moment but still asked:

"Are you already preparing to invite others to join the game?"

"The underground palace crafted by the Fourteen Realms Mountain-Lifting Heavenly King is difficult to pass through with the power of our county alone..."

The two talked under the moon, but they didn't notice that sparrows on the branches and mice in the courtyard had unknowingly overheard their conversation and then ran off, flew away.

...

By the time Chen Ku helplessly returned to Baojiao County from the underground palace,

he arrived at the Medicine King Hall and found that both inside and outside the house were full of mice and sparrows, chattering away at him...

After listening for a long time,

Chen Ku obtained a recitation of all the conversations between Sui You and Shangguan Yun within the day through these little friends of mice and sparrows.

Until he heard about the 'array suppression stone'...

"Array suppression stone?"

Chen Ku's heart suddenly stirred, and the map of the underground palace immediately reflected in his Heart Sea, revealing a marked 'array suppression stone' at one of the caves after entering the labyrinth-like path inside the palace.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He excitedly looked at those words on the map, realizing he hadn't examined the map carefully before because some terms were unfamiliar. Now, with the additional explanation from Shangguan Yun's house, he understood it all at once.

"This map of mine is the most comprehensive strategy for the underground palace. The only thing lacking is to understand what these marked words on the map symbolize."

The concept of an array suppression stone made everything suddenly clear in his mind.

"Shangguan Yun knows about the existence of the array suppression stone but not its location, which means if I can secure it before him, I..."

Chen Ku thought of the terrifying Bronze Axe General he faced, with a power level at least Seventh Realm's strength:

"I could have control over a large number of such mechanical creations as the Bronze Axe General, becoming their master."

Contemplating the potential of commanding an army of bronze creations,

At least an existence of the Seventh Realm.

"Good gracious, this could lay waste to the Qiu Dragon Mansion!"

Chen Ku thought that just the bronze mechanical creations existing within the underground palace were such a vast wealth, not to mention the genuine Hero King Treasure.

Thinking about these things and the fact that he currently had an absolute advantage, with a substantial chance to secure it before anyone else, he couldn't sleep well that night.

The next day,

Chen Ku finally calmed his mind but still didn't rest. He went directly to find Qin Yuxian.

He wanted to seek apprenticeship.

Hearing that Shangguan Yun seemed to be recruiting many experts into the fray, it was natural to assume Qin Yuxian, the current top expert known in Baojiao County, would be his first choice.

Chen Ku felt there was a necessity to bind Qin Yuxian and the elder Shan Lingguan to his side before Shangguan Yun could.

Assuming the elder is truly Qin Yuxian's Master Uncle...

And just as Chen Ku, led by Feng Buping from the Thirteenth Guardian, arrived at Qin Yuxian's small courtyard,

Qin Yuxian, seeing Chen Ku arrive, dismissed everyone else.

This piqued Feng Buping's curiosity:

"Is Master really going to take a disciple?"

Yet,

With only Chen Ku left in front of Qin Yuxian, he finally revealed his emotions, looking at Chen Ku with an incredible sigh:

"I never expected the successor my Master Uncle was looking for to actually be you, Chen Ku."

Hearing Qin Yuxian personally confirm it, Chen Ku finally felt relieved and said, "That old... predecessor really is your Master Uncle."

"Let's go, I'll take you to see him." Qin Yuxian smiled and said, "Since you're here, you must have made the decision."

"Yes, Chen Ku is willing to apprentice under that senior."

Chen Ku cupped his hands:

"Please lead the way, Grandmaster."

Thus, the two left the small courtyard and arrived at a house in a village somewhere in Baojiao County. Standing outside, Qin Yuxian knocked on the door and softly said,

"Master Uncle, I've brought the heir of our Imperial Enlightenment Sect."

Hearing this,

The old man, holding a cooking spoon, quickly walked out from the kitchen with remnants of stew on it, eyes filled with surprise and anticipation looking at the outside of the door, immediately seeing the young one he had long yearned for, who had personally come to visit.

With a slightly trembling voice, he asked,

"Boy, have you thought it over and are willing to seek apprenticeship?"

Without hesitation, Chen Ku bowed respectfully, enacting the ceremony:

"Master above, please accept the bow of your disciple, Chen Ku."

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