Chapter 228: The Secret Chamber of the Ink Core

As the toxic fumes of the Dove Feather Thousand Nights spread, the entire Mechanized City was blanketed in poison. One by one, the disciples of the Mohist school collapsed after inhaling the deadly mist.

Tianming and Shao Yu were in Yue'er’s room. Having spent years under the tutelage of Duanmu Rong, Yue'er was sensitive to poisons and immediately sensed something amiss. "Oh no! Poisonous gas!"

"What! Poison... poisonous gas?" Tianming asked in shock.

"The Mohist Mechanized City has been breached. Quickly, put on these silk veils; they can filter out the toxins."

"Got it." Tianming and Shao Yu hastily complied.

"Young Master, there is poison in the air. Quickly, take the Hundred-Poison Pill." Murong Feng and Murong Huang, also sensing the danger, rushed into Xiao Xie’s room. Anxious, they produced the pill and gave it to him.

Xiao Xie ruffled their hair with a smile. "No need to worry. Even without this pill, such minor toxins cannot harm me."

"Young Master may possess peerless internal strength, but it is better to take the pill as a precaution," Murong Huang said earnestly.

"Young Master, the city is filled with gas. Something terrible must have happened. We should evacuate," Murong Feng suggested. They were merely guests; there was no need to antagonize the Qin Empire and risk the expansion of the Ascending Heaven Tower.

"No rush. I still have matters to attend to here in the Mohist school. We shall leave once they are concluded," Xiao Xie said, waving his hand.

"What matters? I think the young master is just reluctant to leave Snow Maiden," Murong Huang muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" Xiao Xie asked, his sharp ears catching the comment.

"Hehe... nothing at all!" Murong Huang quickly waved her hands, grinning sheepishly.

"Young Master Xiao, are you all right? Thank goodness. Please, follow me to the Mohist Core!" Snow Maiden entered the room, clearly relieved to see them unharmed.

"Very well." Xiao Xie nodded and, accompanied by Murong Feng and Murong Huang, followed Snow Maiden toward the final line of defense: the Mohist Core.

...

Outside the city, on a distant crag, a giant mechanical snake slithered forward, operated by Gongshu Chou. Wei Zhuang and his forces began their advance, joined by thousands of Qin armored infantry encircling the city. Despite the traps outside, Wei Zhuang disregarded the casualties, forcing the Qin troops to trigger and destroy the defenses, closing in rapidly.

"So much for the Mohist defensive philosophy. Let’s see if you can hold them back this time," Gongshu Chou sneered while watching the city from afar.

Inside, Xiao Xie and the others reached the Mohist Core chamber, meeting Master Ban and Ge Nie.

"Master Ge, where are Tianming and the others?" Xiao Xie asked, puzzled that Tianming was not nearby.

"Tianming went to find Yue'er. They should be together. Sister Rong has gone to look for them. I hope they are safe," Ge Nie replied anxiously. He had intended to go himself, but he still lacked the full trust of Gao Jianli and was unfamiliar with the city's layout, so he had to rely on Duanmu Rong.

As time passed, Ge Nie’s expression darkened. Suddenly, Master Ban gasped, "Someone has entered the Forbidden Zone!"

"Only the Leader and a few heads know how to enter that area. Since everyone else is here, it must be Sister Rong who led them inside," Snow Maiden analyzed.

"Though dangerous, they should be safe with Sister Rong," Master Ban said, exhaling. The identities of Yue'er, Tianming, and Shao Yu were too significant to risk, and if being in the Forbidden Zone was the price for their safety, it was acceptable.

Ge Nie clenched his fist, then relaxed. He had nearly died protecting Tianming; he could not bear the thought of failing his promise to the late Jing Ke.

...

"Charge! Anyone who retreats shall be executed under military law!" the Qin commander shouted, drawing his blade.

The Qin laws were strict: retreat meant certain death, while advancing offered a chance at life—a core reason for the Qin army's invincibility.

Under the influence of the poison, the Mohist disciples could barely muster thirty percent of their strength. They were pushed back toward the Central Hall and eventually into the Mohist Core chamber, their final stand. The Core was the heart of the city, controlling all its mechanisms. Holding it was their only remaining hope.

With most of the city’s mechanisms failing due to the poison, the Qin army breached the Central Hall. Master Ban nodded, and a disciple pulled a lever. With a series of thunderous roars, stone doors slammed shut, sealing the Qin soldiers inside the hall.

Through a hidden periscope, Master Ban watched the trapped, bewildered soldiers with a triumphant smile. "Fire!"

Hundreds of mechanical crossbows activated, raining arrows upon the Qin troops. Yet, the Qin army remained disciplined. After a moment of chaos, they formed an iron-wall shield formation, deflecting the barrage.

Master Ban had anticipated this. "Ying Zheng’s troops are indeed well-trained. A pity you came to the wrong place. Activate the Hidden Dragon Formation!"

The Central Hall was the most heavily trapped area of the city. Beyond the arrow barrage, the floor began to sprout bronze spears. Even seasoned veterans had never faced such a lethal trap. Panic erupted, and despite the commander’s desperate threats of execution, the ranks fell into disarray.

In the safety of the Core, the others listened to the screams of the Qin soldiers with grim satisfaction. Xiao Xie shook his head. While Ying Zheng’s unification of the six kingdoms might benefit future generations, to the people of the present, he was a destroyer of families and a criminal without redemption.

Some might argue that unification would eventually end the wars, but for those living through it, it meant the forced surrender of their homeland, the loss of their culture, and the erasure of their very identity.