AZI Volume 4 Chapter 3

Moving through the vicinity—

"Golden Sculpture Tribe, Blood Saint Tribe, Promethean Giant Tribe… Looks like they really are all memorial stones…"

Long Hua reads out the names of the words that he had recognized off the monoliths.

Eventually, the two reach the end of the vicinity, where another room awaits.

The entirety of this room is white from top to bottom, and the shape of it is semi-circle.

Mounted onto the back walls of the room are numerous monitors—that show the desert region above them, along with the various corners of the abandoned city, and its tunnel network.

Situated to the bottom right corner of the monitor's displayed image is a timer, to which, Long Hua thought—

(Is that timer counting down to when the desert above us will undergo a sweep? …Well, it hardly matters when we're below ground.)

Placed beneath these monitors are keyboards and mice that are connected to separate computer towers.

And to the right side of the room—from the entrance, is a magic circle that is giving off a soft white glow.

"Seems like that's our way out of this godforsaken place."

Detecting energy related to teleportation emanating from the magic circle, Long Hua assumes it to be a teleportation magic array.

Finally, occupying the center of this room is a pedestal on top of a raised platform. Surrounding this pedestal are two mechanical rings, along with a shard of some kind.

"…"

Walking over, Tian Cheng picks up the shard.

Portions of it have been burnt; and judging by its outer curve, it seems to have originally been a part of a sphere-shaped device.

Keeping his divine senses active, Long Hua walks over to Tian Cheng, and asks—

"Any idea on what it is?"

"…"

Opening her eyes, Tian Cheng projects a possible blueprint for what this device would have looked like when restored.

"Hmm."

The blueprint displays a sphere-shaped object looming a meter off the pedestal, with the two mechanical rings—the same as the ones that are currently on the ground, flipping around it.

Examining the blueprint, Long Hua remarks—

"Doesn't really tell me what this thing is used for though."

"Would master like to repair it?"

As Tian Cheng closes her eyes, the projection disappears.

Receiving the burnt shard from Tian Cheng, Long Hua mutters—

"Tai Xuan."

In the same instance, the shard, the pedestal, and the rings give off a faint glow.

Releasing his grip over the burnt shard, Long Hua watches it float over to the center of the pedestal, and levitates a meter off its surface.

Following this, the two mechanical rings float upwards, and begin to flip around the shard.

Just as it would seem like the machine is about to be restored to its original state, however—

"Uh?"

All the floating pieces fall.

"This is…"

Realizing that the Divine Weapon of Tai Xuan has failed to restore the machine, Long Hua can't help but frown. This is the first time he's ever seen this happen.

Blinking her eyes, Tian Cheng places a hand to her chin with a frown on her face, while remarking—

"…Perhaps, the Divine Weapon of Tai Xuan isn't able to restore a machine that is deemed incomplete?"

"…You mean the original creator of this machine deems it to be a failure?"

"Possibly a conflict of original intent, and acquired results misaligning."

"Hmm. Qie, what do you think?"

Within the dreamscape, the Tai Xuan Emperor raises an eye, and hiding away her surprise at being questioned quickly, she replies—

(Sounds about right, I suppose?)

"I see."

Glancing at the computer station, Long Hua asks—

"Anything in those computers then?"

"…"

Walking over to the computers together, a portion of Tian Cheng's sleeve molds itself into a connector, and using the combat body's unique ability of reforming its parts, she adjusts the connector's plug to fit the ancient computer's port.

Inserting the connector, information immediately begins to flow into Tian Cheng's head.

Momentarily, the monitors flash, and with it, appears a white-haired man dressed in a lab coat.

"This seems to be a video log of some kind."

Saying this, Tian Cheng has it play itself out.

[Progress on the Immortal Sealing Chain is slow, but it's getting there. So far, we're able to suppress lower-level Immortals with it.]

"Immortal Sealing Chain?"

Hearing this term, Long Hua frowns.

"…Uh?"

Reaching his hand out to the connector, Long Hua disconnects Tian Cheng from it.

Through his divine senses, he has detected the survivors heading towards their direction.

Turning to Tian Cheng, Long Hua says—

"Less than two minutes, lay waste to this area as much as possible."

Nodding her head, Tian Cheng draws Kun, while Long Hua draws out his fishing rod.

Tapping the two weapons together, they immediately separate from one another, and begin to lay scars over the room's walls and floors.

...…

*Klang! Klang! Klang!* upon hearing the sound of metal objects exchanging hits with one another, the surviving group of Sinners halt their footsteps.

"What's going on?"

"A fight?"

"I can guess one of the parties, but the other…?"

Standing at the forefront of the group were Ye Chen, Shao Tianming, and Wang Yongning.

From the distance—

"Black robes, quit running around!"

*Boom!!!* following Long Hua's shout, an explosion goes off—causing the vicinity to tremble.

"Surnamed Long?"

Recognizing the voice, Ye Chen raised an eye in surprise.

"He managed to get ahead of us?"

Towards Wang Yongning's question, Shao Tianming shrugs his shoulders.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Guuuuuu!!!* rapidly, three more explosions, along with three tremors go off, and are immediately followed by a miserable cry of pain.

Judging by how violent the tremors were, one could easily imagine how fierce the exchange must have been.

"What the hell are you all standing around for? Move it!"

Following Ye Chen's lead, the group quickly arrives at the entrance of the room—that Long Hua and Tian Cheng are in.