Dragon Canon

Above the newly constructed outline of the Shaman city, several Great Warlocks were standing in the air, silently watching as squad after squad of soldiers marched into the city.

Boats were sailing into the city along several waterways. Though the cargo ships weren’t large, they were all fully loaded. The line of ships stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, on the other side of the Shaman city, a vast, luminous veil stretching from heaven to earth could be faintly discerned. Its light was so clear and bright that the Great Warlocks all found it to be somewhat blinding. It certainly wasn’t nearly as soothing as the deep green of the Shaman realm.

From the perspective of the Shaman city, Qingming looked as though a chunk had been forcibly carved out of the very heart of the world.

On the walls of the Shaman city, countless slaves toiled laboriously, hauling cut stone blocks onto the ramparts to continuously raise and reinforce them. With every layer of bricks laid, a Warlock would step forward to sprinkle fresh blood and recite a spell, causing the blood to seep into the stone and turn it a faint, dark red. The blood was primarily human blood mixed with other types of impure and poisonous blood. It was specifically designed to dispel the Pure Realm of Humanity.

However, the Great Warlocks still looked worried. One of them said, “The city’s defenses are still far from sufficient; it won’t even block one strike from Yue Jinshan.”

“That old bastard’s first strike is just too vicious. Anyone who attempts to block it will simply die. We might as well let him attack the city.”

“Lord Redleaf is pressing us urgently. Should we launch another attack?”

“Hell no. What if that old scoundrel attacks us in the middle of it? You know as I do how cunning he is.”

The Great Warlocks were still in the midst of discussion when a sudden gale swept through the area. A figure as massive as a hill appeared before them.

He was bare-chested, with long manes covering his head and back, and two enormous fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth. He stood twice as tall as any of the Great Warlocks present and wielded an extremely heavy hexagonal staff in his hand.

When he came to a halt in front of the Great Warlocks, such was his pressure that they instinctively stepped back from him.

The Great Warlocks all bowed in unison. “Great Warlock Rock Heart[1].”

Rock Heart’s six eyes swept coldly over the group. “Lord Sacred Heart has issued the order: you are to attack Qingming immediately!”

The Great Warlocks exchanged glances. No one responded to his command.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

A Great Warlock steeled himself and answered, “The humans have prepared certain means that can easily destroy our kind. The moment we approach, our hearts will instinctively race, and our spiritual senses will tense in alarm. This subordinate believes it would be best to use the regular troops to wear down their strength first. Once we’ve wiped out their army or lured out their hidden trump cards, victory will naturally be ours.

“But right now, our forces must also guard against a surprise attack from Western Jin. We simply do not have enough troops to do both at the same time. Lord Redleaf has already promised to reinforce us with three hundred thousand troops within three months. If we launch an offensive then, there will be no way for Qingming to stop us.”

Another Great Warlock added, “This region is barren to begin with; there is nothing of value here. The most valuable resource is the human themselves, but after several years of war, less than one in ten humans who live in the region are alive; most of them unfit even to be sacrificed. It would be better to let Qingming raise them for us first.”

Rock Heart grew impatient and snapped, “You’re all just making excuses. Do you really think that this tiny domain, one that has been established just over a year ago, is too difficult to conquer? Or do you think you can ignore Lord Sacred Heart’s orders?”

The crowd of Great Warlocks remained silent.

Rock Heart suddenly spat in the face of the Great Warlock standing directly in front of him and said, “Shu Li and Redleaf are worthless pieces of trash. Their followers are no different!”

One of the Great Warlocks’ aura surged as he roared, “How dare you insult Shu Li and Lord Redleaf?”

Rock Heart’s long mane bristled. A massive claw seized the Great Warlock by the throat and lifted him into the air as if he were a small chicken. He then roared at the Great Warlock’s face, “Yes, they’re worthless pieces of trash! So what, you don’t agree?”

The Great Warlock’s face turned purple. He struggled with all his might, but his mystic power was as weak as a baby worm compared to Rock Heart’s. Just his roar was enough to disorient the Great Warlock, not to mention that his spit was all over his face.

Rock Heart burst into loud laughter. “Do you really think Shu Li can protect you? I’ve called his name several times at this point. Has he responded?”

The Great Warlocks all fell silent.

Rock Heart flung the Great Warlock to the side and sneered, “You bunch of good-for-nothings think you’re so important, don’t you? To tell you the truth, Lord Sacred Heart never expected you lot to accomplish anything.

“This time, your only task is to lure that human out so I can place Lord Sacred Heart’s specially crafted Shamanic curse on him. As for the trump card they’re hiding, you won’t have to bear the brunt of it—I will!”

The Great Warlocks all breathed a sigh of relief. Rock Heart grunted and remarked, “To think that Redleaf would put the likes of you in positions of responsibility. No wonder he’s on the decline.”

It was at that moment the Great Warlock standing in the rearmost position spoke up. “Lord Rock Heart, I’m fairly familiar with how the humans act and have planted a few spies among them. Why don’t I make a trip to Western Jin? Perhaps I can prevent them from aiding Qingming.”

Rock Heart looked at the Great Warlock, searching his memory for a name. “You’re Phantom? Fine, go ahead and try. You’re of no use on the battlefield anyway.”

Phantom bowed and left immediately, refusing to linger even for a moment. Rock Heart shook his head before looking at the remaining Great Warlocks. “You’re all from major tribes. Why do you hang out with her every day?”

One of the Great Warlocks suggested, “Why don’t we wait another three days, Lord Rock Heart? In three days, another ten thousand fighters will arrive, and Phantom’s scheme should have taken effect. If she succeeds in preventing Yue Jinshan from coming to Qingming’s rescue, your mission will be much easier to accomplish as well, right?”

Surprisingly, Rock Heart did not lose his temper. Yue Jinshan was that much of a threat. After a moment, he slowly nodded.

In Qingming’s armament workshop, Yu Zhizhuo was assembling a strange contraption. Wei Yuan and all other cultivators of the Palace of Absolute Beginning were present, watching as he worked.

The contraption featured a suspension frame holding a massive iron hammer weighing over a thousand catties. There was a crank arm[2] on each side of the frame. Yu Zhizhuo were fabricating parts on the spot; adjusting any pieces that didn’t fit immediately.

Threads of pale gold sword qi shot from his fingertips, continuously cutting away at the material. Flakes as thin as cicada wings drifted from the parts, their dimensions gradually converging on the intended specifications.

The shavings were made of steel, but they were so thin they could float in the air. One could stack dozens of them together, and they still wouldn’t be thicker than a single strand of hair. This feat alone demonstrated the profound depth of Yu Zhizhuo’s sword technique.

Fortunately, the device he was assembling was not a precision instrument, and the task at hand was rough work. In truth, there was no need for such meticulous precision at all, which was why Zhang Sheng had no opportunity to intervene from start to finish.

The swordsman secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The contraption was quickly assembled. Two cultivators then carried over a massive, specially made iron anvil to place beneath it. Yu Zhizhuo picked up an iron ingot, heated it to red-hot temperature within a few breaths of holding it, and placed it on the anvil.

After that, Yu Zhizhuo cranked one of the handles, relying on various transmission mechanisms to lift the iron hammer. Once it had reached the predetermined height, the mechanism automatically released the hammer , allowing it to fall and strike the iron ingot with a heavy thud.

Yun Zhizhuo adjusted the hammer’s lifting height before dropping it on the iron ingot a couple more times. It wasn’t long before the iron ingot had been hammered into the rudimentary shape of a steel plate. The craftsman then picked up the still-glowing steel plate with his bare hands to inspect its quality. Only then was he satisfied.

Turning around, Yu Zhizhuo said, “With this contraption, forging steel ingots no longer requires swinging a hammer. Simply crank the mechanism to hoist the hammer, and it will fall naturally. The hammerhead I’ve made weighs a little over a thousand catties. When hoisted to a height of over one zhang, the force of its fall is roughly equivalent to that of a cultivator in the foundation solidifying stage. Moreover, the force of each blow is consistent. Operating the crank requires only a little strength, and it doesn’t matter if you’re cranking it quickly or slowly. A Body-tempering stage cultivator could handle this task.”

Wei Yuan had long been stunned speechless by the contraption before him. Yu Zhizhuo had used neither mystic arrays nor rare materials to forge it. He had employed only the most common steel and wood. Moreover, the contraption he created could be operated by a Body-tempering stage cultivator to achieve the same effect as a Dao Foundation stage cultivator hammering away at a block of metal.

Then, Wei Yuan thought deeper into it and realized that the contraption was far more effective than a Dao Foundation stage cultivator could hope to be. After all, a Dao Foundation stage cultivator was still a human; they inevitably suffered from fatigue and moments of inattention. Even when they were fully focused, the force of their hammer strikes had to vary slightly. But the hammering force produced by this contraption was perfectly identical. It would never tire as well.

There were dozens of times more Body-tempering cultivators than there were Dao Foundation stage cultivators in the realm of Qingming. They could build a couple hundred more contraptions like this, and Wei Yuan would still have more than enough men to operate them, ensuring that they would work day and night without pause—the hammers would never stop even when the operators were resting.

Although he hadn’t performed precise calculations yet, Wei Yuan estimated that the efficiency of this one contraption roughly equaled that of three Dao Foundation stage hammer-swingers. After all, a Dao Foundation stage cultivator could only work sixteen hours a day.

Wei Yuan immediately ordered Cui Yu to organize the workforce and start mass-producing these machines. Seeing this, Yu Zhizhuo said, “Your men probably aren’t skilled at creating such implements. I’ll ask my junior brothers to lend you a hand. It’ll speed up the process.”

Wei Yuan had no reason to refuse. And so Cui Yu and the four senior uncles from the Mastercraft Hall gathered over a hundred Dao Foundation stage practitioners before leaving to chop wood, melt iron, and manufacture the contraptions.

Once the group had departed in a flurry of activity, Wei Yuan approached Yu Zhizhuo, bowed deeply, and said, “Senior Uncle, your genius is truly remarkable! We’ve studied these records day in and day out—I don’t even know how many times we’ve gone over them—yet we had never once thought of this. Your design is like a ripple on a calm lake or a thunderclap in the stillness; it is so simple yet so effective that it truly fills this junior with admiration!”

Yu Zhizhuo’s delight at the compliment was obvious even through his dark complexion. He replied with a light-hearted chuckle, “It’s just a little something I made on a whim. If you like it that much, then you can have it for free.”

“That... is a bit inappropriate, isn’t it?”

Yu Zhizhuo smiled broadly. “Not at all! One good turn deserves another. That’s all there is to it.”

Zhang Sheng remained expressionless.

Meanwhile, in the distant lumberyard, Cui Yu swung his sword and instantly cut ten huge logs into square planks that were one chi thick and two zhang long. Each plank was cut with perfect precision. The other Dao Foundation stage cultivators—some carving wood, and others forging iron—were crafting parts one by one under the guidance of the Mastercraft Hall cultivators as well.

Even newly promoted Dao Foundation stage cultivators could swing a hammer for sixteen hours straight with near perfect force control. Naturally, crafting these parts was a breeze for them, not to mention heaven foundations such as Cui Yu, Wang Yu, and Hsu Yi.

Not only that, the Dao Foundation stage cultivators were bringing out their mystic artifacts and employing various Dao spells to assist them with the task. Meanwhile, numerous Body-tempering stage cultivators shuttled back and forth, transporting raw materials for the Dao Foundation stage cultivators to work on and carrying the finished components back to the armament workshop.

After some discussion, the cultivators gave the contraption a name that evoked a sense of otherworldly wonder: The iron forging machine[3].

Meanwhile, the armament workshop was in a state of pandemonium. Wei Yuan had reorganized the layout, reserving space for 300 iron forging machines. This was the first batch. He would decide later whether he wanted to build 800 or even 1000 units of iron forging machines for the second batch.

The iron forging machines were simple in structure yet sturdy and durable. It was estimated that a hundred units could be assembled in a single night. Although the steel plates produced by the machine were only rough stock and still required cultivators to perform the final refinements, its existence alone cut down the necessary labor by a whopping ninety percent!

Each iron forging machine could produce ten steel plates per two hours[4]. With a hundred machines, that amounted to over ten thousand plates per day. Once all three hundred machines were in place tomorrow, it would take only three or four days to equip everyone in the realm with a steel-barrel rifle.

A Body-tempering cultivator could carry three per person!

At the moment, Wei Yuan would shove a gun in a cultivator’s mouth if he could.

The Mastercraft Hall definitely lived up to its reputation. Without exaggeration, Yu Zhizhuo had opened up new possibilities for the realm immediately upon his arrival. Looking at the iron forging machines, they looked perfectly unremarkable and not difficult at all to build. Yet, none of them could have imagined such a thing before he showed up.

Wei Yuan’s mind raced; he knew he was about to face a new headache. There was now enough high-quality steel plate to meet his demands, but his supply of iron ore and gunpowder had fallen behind once more.

Wei Yuan felt that it was time to have a serious talk with Sun Yu. He wanted to urge the healer to set aside that immortal elixir, Amoxicillin, for the time being and focus on figuring out how to produce more gunpowder.

This was the first time since founding Qingming that Wei Yuan felt that everything was moving in a positive direction, and there was a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

If there was one thing that bugged him, it would be Yu Zhizhuo’s remark about, “One turn deserves another.” It seemed to carry a hidden meaning, though he wasn’t sure what it implied.

A sudden thought struck Wei Yuan. Somewhere across the Great Realm, spirit qi suddenly surged, and several wisps of blue qi were taking form.

He pursued the sudden sensation and gazed into the distance.

In a shack within Yong’an City, loud cries suddenly rang out as a baby was born. This was the first child born within Qingming.

1. Come now. It’s not nice to laugh at someone’s name. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ☜

2. This is the part where I admit I have NO. IDEA. What the hell any of these stuff means. I have never learned about engineering. If you think it’s wrong, please absolutely inform me about it. ☜

3. Finally, I can now use the word machine. ☜

4. I thought this was kinda slow at first, but then I realized they need to hammer the ingot more than once. ☜