Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 90 Armor Combination, Killing Four Birds with One Stone (Please Subscribe)
Lu Chenyuan returned to the bestowed residence and rushed into the west wing like a whirlwind, his robe sleeves billowing as he slapped the bronze crane lamp on the bookshelf.

The lamp rotated three times, and the clicking sound of the mechanism engaging was as crisp as ice crystals shattering.

"Click, click-click..."

Suddenly, the entire wall rippled like water, and intricate star trail patterns appeared on the surface of the blue bricks.

A bronze disc lock slowly emerged, but instead of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches or the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 familiar to people of this era, it was a coded disc composed of English letters, Greek letters, Arabic numerals, and other symbols.

Outsiders can't even understand it, let alone crack it.

Lu Chenyuan quickly spun the disc, unlocked the secret lock, and opened the hidden door, revealing the Empress's outer armor inside.

Lu Chenyuan walked straight toward the standing mechanical puppet.

The silver-white armor gleamed with a cold light in the dimly lit chamber.

When he was only three steps away from the puppet, he had a sudden thought, and the fake "Guicang Treasure Eye" on the rat's head immediately lit up with a dazzling blue light, enveloping his entire body.

"Click——"

With a soft sound, the breastplate on the mechanical armor suddenly cracked, and the triple meteorite iron rings rotated in reverse, revealing the intricate gear structure inside. Immediately afterwards, the twelve sections of black iron armor on the spine began to writhe as if they were alive, each section emitting a crisp metallic clanging sound.

The most astonishing change occurred at the waist and abdomen—the originally slender curves began to expand spontaneously, the fish scales rearranged and combined like flower petals, the shoulder armor bulged slightly, and the arm armor extended by an inch. The entire mechanical body gradually became tall and slender amidst the sound of the mechanism operating, yet it did not lose its sharp beauty.

As Lu Chenyuan took his final step forward, the entire mechanical puppet suddenly disintegrated. The neck armor plates unfurled like butterfly wings, the breastplate split in two, and the leg armor separated to the left and right. Countless intricate parts were suspended in the air by an invisible force, swirling around Lu Chenyuan like a galaxy under the blue light.

"Zheng!"

With a final, clear metallic clang, all the parts snapped together!
The rat-headed helmet finally fell, covering his face perfectly. When the "Guicang Treasure Eye" lit up again, what flowed in those eyes was no longer a galaxy, but a sharp, knife-like glint.

The goddess can be considered a magical artifact.

The outer armor is even more of a magical artifact.

From the moment their eyes met beneath the city walls, and they pledged allegiance to each other, the Goddess not only gave herself to Lu Chenyuan, but also this [Rat Armor] and the [Heavenly Punishment - Twelve Laws]!
Lu Chenyuan swung his right arm horizontally, his other hand loosely clenched.

The mechanism on the back of the armor suddenly activated, and a three-foot-nine-inch silver-white longsword was drawn from its sheath in mid-air. The blade was like jade that had been tempered in fire, and the image of the Big Dipper was faintly visible as lightning patterns moved around it. The seven stars were aligned at the hilt, and the cold light was chilling—it was the divine weapon [Heavenly Punishment]!
Lu Chenyuan drew his sword and charged out of the secret chamber.

"Shen Yuan!"

Upon hearing the news, Li Lingyue rushed over, followed by the giant cat Jinni and Zen Master Yunhe.

The two humans and the beast were all stunned when they saw the drastically changed armor.

Zen Master Yunhe was surprised: "Chen Yuan is inside?"

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "Master."

Li Lingyue was taken aback: "How could you... Putting all that aside, the Four Fiends said Lingxi is in trouble?!"

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "The fourth-grade [Great Teleportation Talisman] drawn by the Hidden Immortal can teleport you five miles away. There should be more than one. Now..." He turned towards Mount Song: "We are heading towards Mount Song."

"You don't intend to go by yourself, do you?!"

Li Lingyue said urgently, "Qing Shuang and the Twenty-Fourth Division may have already been captured by this person behind the scenes and are being controlled by secret drugs! You are all alone. Even with this battle weapon to help you, you are just throwing your life away!"

Lu Chenyuan said, "Who said I was going by myself?"

"..."

Li Lingyue choked and breathed a sigh of relief.

Zen Master Yunhe's expression softened.

Li Lingyue reached out and summoned [Taihua Qing Shuang] back into her hand. Looking into his eyes, she scolded, "At least you have some conscience! If you hadn't even told me and only wanted to save Ling Xi yourself, I would have hated you!"

"not enough."

Lu Chenyuan shook his head and said, "I am connected to Lingxi by divine sense and can sense her approximate location. There is something fishy about the person behind this. He knew that we would definitely take action if Lingxi was lost, but he was still determined to rush to Songshan. Considering that he captured Yuan Qingshuang and controlled her mind instead of killing her and fleeing, Songshan has a reason that he cannot abandon! In addition, Jingyin provoked me in the past, trying every means to provoke me to go to Songshan to investigate. All these clues point to one point - his target is only one person, and that is me."

"..."

Seeing that he spoke clearly and calmly, still able to analyze the situation without being blinded by anger, Li Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief. She knew very well that Lu Chenyuan could be truly ruthless when he was cold-hearted, able to abandon things without hesitation, but he also cherished what he held dear.

Just like not long ago, when she asked, "Would you be willing to be my person?", she could clearly feel that in that one moment, Lu Chenyuan might make a different choice and leave her without any mercy!
She was filled with anxiety and thought he didn't love her, but after he agreed, he showed his tender side.

She was both relieved and terrified.

She believed that if something happened to her, Lu Chenyuan would be furious, just like at this moment. She was really afraid that he would walk into a trap because of his anger. Yuan Qingshuang had already failed at the fifth level of cultivation, and if he went there himself, he would be sending himself to his death.

This has nothing to do with whether someone is smart or not.

In the face of absolute power, force can truly overcome any skill.

Lu Chenyuan said, "Since he wants me to go so badly, even at the cost of exposing his own lair, then I will go! But I can't go for nothing. First, the loss of the 'Yanjia Divine Empress' is hindering the progress of comprehending the 'Heavenly Craft Scroll.' This is not only my matter, but also the matter of the Great Zhou and the imperial court! Your Highness should immediately report to Emperor Wu that someone suspected to be from the Netherworld Palace is still plotting to steal my Yanjia. Please send the army to Mount Song to eliminate this thief. It would be best if we could also ask a sage to intervene and wipe him out directly!"

Damn it, you're asking for it, I'll grant your wish!
"..."

Li Lingyue opened her mouth, feeling both amused and exasperated. This guy really knew how to take advantage of situations.

When they were investigating the case before, they acted recklessly in her name, and now it's even easier for them to say, so they directly ask for a large army.

However, it must be said that this is indeed feasible.

The "Heavenly Craft Scroll" is a national treasure, and the fact that the Automaton Goddess possesses the "Returning Treasure Eye" makes it even more crucial. As long as this is reported, Mother will definitely send troops to support us. Moreover, it is also connected to the "Netherworld Palace." The Netherworld Palace has caused trouble several times, and Mother deeply hates it. She may not let the Sage leave the capital to prevent him from being lured away, but she will definitely have the others provide their full support!

Li Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, I'll go to the palace myself!"

"second."

Lu Chenyuan continued, "With the incident at Mount Song, those two swindlers, Wei Shifang and Jingyin, can also be taken down in one fell swoop! How could they be unaware that such a villain had set up a trap at their Qixia Cottage? Even if we are hampered by insufficient evidence and their status as immortals, we must make them 'attend the ceremony' and provide an explanation. If we can capture the mastermind, they will surely be finished! If we cannot capture them, we must at least destroy their prestige to prevent a situation like the old nun demanding their release. This is an opportunity, don't waste it!"

Li Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Chenyuan was still Lu Chenyuan; she could rest assured.

"Hmm. Is there anything else?"

"third."

Lu Chenyuan said, "Immediately spread rumors that the so-called Immortal of Immortality is a fraud, and that he is actually a traitor from the Netherworld Palace who is plotting to gain the Martial Emperor's trust and steal the treasures of the inner court... First, use this incident to tie their hands and feet with rumors, so as to prevent them from petty theft, and then force them to prove themselves! It will also prevent those treasures from really leaking out and benefiting those two bastards!"

"Ah."

"Fourth, what are Wu Sansi's intentions in presenting these two traitors from the Netherworld Palace? If the traitors can control Yuan Qingshuang's mind, they might be able to control Wu Sansi as well, and even all the members of the Wu family who worship these two traitors as immortals! We can take this opportunity to weaken their prestige and connect it with the matter of 'requesting Wu Chengsi to be made Crown Prince' that happened this morning, saying that the Netherworld Palace was instigating it behind the scenes. That would kill four birds with one stone, and we could also resolve this matter in the meantime!"

As Lu Chenyuan finished speaking, his tone became somewhat impatient, as if eliminating hidden dangers from all sides was a trivial matter.

Li Lingyue had long known that he was clever, but she never expected that he could use a bad thing to such an extent in such a short time. His cunning was so profound that it was both frightening and unbelievable!
After hearing this, Zen Master Yunhe couldn't help but sigh, "The younger generation surpasses the older generation."

In just a few words, his disciple turned the chaos of the imperial court, the grudges of the martial world, and the rivalry between Wu and Li into pawns in his game. His phrase "killing four birds with one stone" was spoken casually, yet it concealed four layers of deadly intent:
Firstly, by leveraging the importance of the "Heavenly Crafts Scroll" and the Empress, he persuaded Emperor Wu to send troops. Furthermore, by using the name "Netherworld Palace," he provoked Emperor Wu's wrath, thereby enlisting the imperial army to besiege Mount Song and eliminate the mastermind behind the scenes with overwhelming force.

Secondly, by dragging Wei Shifang and Jingyin into the situation, we can either prove their accomplice status or destroy their "Immortal True" prestige, thus resolving the current crisis and preparing for refusing Jingyin's demands in the future.

Thirdly, by using rumors to control public opinion, the treasures could be prevented from leaving the country, and the initiative could be gained for subsequent actions.

Fourthly, by using Wu Sansi's act of presenting himself as a "traitor," the loyalty of the entire Wu clan was questioned, and the morning's controversy over the succession was linked to the conspiracy of the Netherworld Palace, fundamentally shaking the legitimacy of Wu Chengsi's succession.

Destroy all crises in one fell swoop!
What's most astonishing is that Lu Chenyuan spoke of such a complex and deadly scheme with such ease, as if he were strolling through a garden.

"Master, there's no need to worry."

Lu Chenyuan clasped his hands in a salute, and a metallic echo came from beneath his rat-headed head, "After I've cleaned up this mess and rescued Lingxi, I'll have a match with Master. Yue'er, I'll go ahead to Mount Song to investigate, and I must hurry!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure transformed into a silver streak and rushed out of the high wall.

"you……"

Li Lingyue didn't even care about his form of address, knowing that he spoke lightly but was actually anxious and worried. She couldn't bear it for even a moment longer, concerned for his safety. She stamped her foot and took two quick steps to catch up, then suddenly stopped. She took a deep breath and turned around, already regaining the composure of Princess Taiping: "Zen Master, thank you for guarding the mansion. Golden Dumpling!"

The big cat let out a low growl, its golden fur bristled, and in an instant it transformed into a giant beast over ten feet in size.

Li Lingyue flipped over and stood on top, holding the [Taihua Qing Shuang] tightly in her hand: "Enter the palace!"

(End of this chapter)