Chapter 743: 743: Underground World of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion

Chapter 743: Chapter 743: Underground World of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion

Huh?

Ruan Qingsu struggled to stand up and said, “Master, what do you mean?”

“Are you suggesting I seduce Jiang Fan or what?”

Lin Yuheng pressed her back down firmly into her seat.

With righteous conviction, he declared, “Raise a disciple for a thousand days, use them for a single moment.”

“It’s time for you to repay your master!”

Ruan Qingsu was speechless and said, “Master, you want to accept Jiang Fan as your disciple, I get that.”

“But couldn’t you just do it directly?”

“With your familiarity with Jiang Fan, as long as you ask him, he has no reason to refuse, right?”

“Why make me sacrifice myself? Isn’t that completely unnecessary?”

Lin Yuheng sighed and said, “No reason to refuse?”

“You’ve been in seclusion for too long; you don’t know what’s been happening outside.”

“Jiang Fan is no longer the Jiang Fan you knew.”

Ruan Qingsu sneered.

“Master, you’re worrying too much.”

“Even if he turned to ashes, I’d still recognize him!”

“Back when I accompanied you to Green Cloud Sect for some business, I took a wrong turn at night and was nearly beaten to death by him because he thought I was a thief.”

“That score—I haven’t forgotten.”

Lin Yuheng’s expression turned odd. “What, you’re still thinking about revenge?”

Ruan Qingsu tilted her chin slightly, saying, “After I returned, I’ve been in seclusion since then.”

“Now, I’ve reached the Fifth Level of Core Formation.”

“Teaching him a lesson shouldn’t be an issue, right?”

Lin Yuheng brushed her hair as he said:

“As your master, I support you.”

“But you must be careful. A few days ago, he took down the entire Giant Sect single-handedly.”

Ruan Qingsu’s delicate frame trembled violently.

After a long moment.

She regained her composure and, in a gentle tone, said, “Master, I’ve thought it through.”

“I’d rather get along peacefully with Junior Brother Jiang.”

At the center of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.

Jiang Fan observed the palace complex, which spanned no more than about a mile.

He couldn’t help but be slightly surprised.

“The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion that governs the Nine-Sect, so it’s this small?”

“Any random peak from Green Cloud Sect wouldn’t be smaller than this, right?”

Liu Qingxian smiled faintly. The time had come for her to shine.

With an enigmatic smile, she asked:

“Fan, why does the name Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion include the character for ‘pavilion’?”

Jiang Fan raised his gaze.

In his field of vision, there were only a few palaces—none could truly qualify as a “pavilion.”

After thinking it over.

A bold idea sprouted in his mind.

He lowered his head to glance at the ground beneath him and said, “You’re not suggesting.”

“That the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion is actually a pavilion buried deep underground?”

“What we’re standing on is merely the topmost layer of it, right?”

Xu Youran and Chen Silin were both taken aback by Jiang Fan’s wild speculation.

They immediately turned their eyes to the ground beneath them.

Liu Qingxian froze momentarily and said, “Someone told you, didn’t they?”

Jiang Fan replied, “Just guessed.”

Having encountered numerous bizarre and fantastical things, his imagination had developed significantly.

Liu Qingxian looked shocked. “You guessed this too?”

She pouted slightly, saying, “How dull, I was hoping to stump you.”

“You’re absolutely right. Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion is indeed a pavilion buried underground.”

“Currently, nine layers of it have already been explored.”

“It’s said there are even deeper levels that remain difficult to probe.”

Huh?

Jiang Fan was taken aback. “Even the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Master returned defeated?”

“Could it be dangerous?”

Liu Qingxian nodded:

“Indeed, I frequently see injured disciples being carried out of the ground.”

“Just a few days ago, a particularly strong disciple perished down there.”

Hiss!

Jiang Fan felt a profound shock.

Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, unexpectedly, was a structure not yet fully explored?

This revelation was truly stunning.

Liu Qingxian continued:

“The disciples of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, apart from occasionally handling Nine-Sect affairs, spend most of their time exploring underground.”

“Firstly, new exploration earns merit points that can be exchanged for items from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion treasury.”

“Secondly, the deeper into the pavilion, the richer the Spiritual Energy, which benefits cultivation greatly.”

“And thirdly, with some luck, treasures discovered during exploration belong entirely to the individual—Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion doesn’t confiscate them.”

“Hundreds of years ago, when exploration had just started, their gains were extraordinarily plentiful.”

“Nascent Soul Strike Jade Talismans, various top-grade Magic Artifacts, and even Spiritual Artifacts were unearthed.”

“Rumor has it, they even found the Sky Ascending Pill, which helps breakthrough the Nascent Soul Realm!”

Hiss!

Jiang Fan was utterly astonished.

So many precious treasures lay hidden in the underground pavilion?

The mention of the Nascent Soul Jade Talisman resolved a question he’d long had.

Altogether, he had indirectly and directly obtained four Nascent Soul Strike Talismans from Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.

He had always wondered how such Talismans came to exist.

Given the pavilion master’s Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation level, they shouldn’t have been able to forge such Talismans.

It required practitioners at Nascent Soul Middle Stage or higher to succeed.

Now the truth was clear.

Liu Qingxian sighed lightly and said, “How unfortunate, we were born in the wrong era.”

“Back then, Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion mined treasures from within to cultivate countless powerful individuals.”

“At their peak, they even nurtured a Late-stage Nascent Soul powerhouse.”

“Their strength rivaled the Outer Realm Divine Sect.”

“Some Nascent Soul Early Stage experts from Taicang State disguised themselves as juniors to infiltrate the pavilion and seek its treasures.”

“Sadly, as later exploration grew increasingly difficult, progress slowed, and resources became scarce.”

“Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion declined gradually as a result.”

“Now, the Tenth Layer hasn’t been successfully explored for two centuries.”

“Without new powerful resources, Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has been consuming its reserves, leading to its current state.”

Jiang Fan found himself deeply surprised.

He hadn’t expected Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to have been so illustrious in the past.

To think they had once rivaled the mighty Outer Realm Divine Sect.

However, he remained optimistic:

“Even if Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has declined, it’s still ten times stronger than the Nine-Sect, right?”

“Besides, isn’t there still the Tenth Layer left? If we get the chance to explore, there might yet be new discoveries.”

Just then.

Seven unfamiliar young cultivators entered the scene.

Most appeared around twenty-three or twenty-four years old.

Each of them had restrained but piercing eyes, exuding exceptionally strong auras.

At least one had reached the Fifth Level of Core Formation.

The strongest one had actually achieved the Ninth Layer of Core Formation!

Jiang Fan was stunned: “These are disciples being recruited too?”

“They definitely don’t belong to the Nine-Sect.”

Liu Qingxian, surprised, said:

“Occasionally, I’ve heard scattered disciples from Taicang State come to the pavilion.”

“But for seven of them to arrive at once?”

“And with cultivation levels this high—it’s incredible.”

The seven youths arrived looking travel-worn.

Their eyes lit with excitement as they surveyed Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.

Soon enough.

They noticed Jiang Fan and the three women with him.

Picking up on their relationship, subtle complex emotions surfaced in their gazes.

“Tsk-tsk, these three must be considered top-tier beauties back in Taicang State.”

“Having even one would be a matter of pride.”

“That guy monopolizes all three at once.”

“Is he capable of ‘enjoying’ them all? Why not share two and let me indulge a bit too?”

A youth with a scar at the corner of his eye removed his wide-brimmed hat.

His eyes roamed brazenly over the three women.

“Shut your mouth!”

Their leader was the Ninth Layer Core Formation cultivator—a tall, robust young woman towering at six feet.

Standing among the group of men, she seemed anything but weak.

Upon hearing Yu Tiandu’s words, she reprimanded him mercilessly and publicly.

Yu Tiandu’s face darkened unhappily. “I can’t even say a few words?”

With a stern tone, the young woman warned:

“Trouble comes from careless words!”

“This isn’t Taicang State. If you invite trouble here, no one will clean up your mess.”

Yu Tiandu’s face turned gloomy, and he fell silent.

For some unknown reason.

Despite being at the Seventh Level of Core Formation, he seemed distinctly dissatisfied with their Ninth Layer leader.

The young woman turned to Jiang Fan and cupped her hands with a polite bow. “Apologies, sir,”

“My companion has a loose tongue; I hope you can forgive him.”

Jiang Fan’s eyes narrowed coldly.

If it had only been insults directed at him, he wouldn’t have cared.

Such a lowly person didn’t deserve his attention.

But to openly insult Xu Youran and the others.

Jiang Fan couldn’t forgive that!