"Thank you, King Yi, for your explanation. I wonder if I, Gongshu Lin, may accompany you on your journey to Sunset City," the young man asked after Yi Tianxing had finished speaking. His face betrayed no emotion, making it hard to tell if he was satisfied with the answer.
"Gongshu Lin… Gongshu? You're from the Gongshu Clan?"Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up at the mention of the name. His gaze toward the youth changed instantly.
"The Gongshu Clan?"Yi Tianxing's eyes showed a flicker of confusion. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"King Yi, you may not know the Gongshu Clan, but surely you've heard of Luban. His real name was Gongshu Ban."
Zhuge Liang clarified upon noticing Yi Tianxing's puzzled expression.
"Gongshu Ban… Luban? I see! So you're a descendant of Luban," Yi Tianxing's eyes lit up in realization.
While the name Gongshu Ban might be obscure, the name Luban was universally known across the land. His legendary fame had endured for thousands of years.
"What is the relationship between the Gongshu Clan and the Mo Clan?" Yi Tianxing asked curiously.
"The Mo Clan is the sworn enemy of the Gongshu Clan," Gongshu Lin replied bluntly, his tone icy as he mentioned them.
Zhuge Liang nodded in agreement. "Indeed, the two clans have long-standing enmity."He then recounted a piece of ancient history.
The origin of the conflict dates back to the Spring and Autumn period. The founder of the Gongshu Clan was none other than Gongshu Ban, also known as Luban, the legendary master craftsman reputed to make birds of wood fly and cause bronze to speak. The Mo Clan, on the other hand, was founded by Mo Di, also known as Mozi.
At that time, a powerful feudal lord hired Gongshu Ban with great riches to develop war machines using mechanism arts for an invasion. The devices he created, a combination of engineering and killing technology, had fearsome destructive power.
As the invasion loomed and doom seemed inevitable for the weaker nation, Mozi rushed to its aid. Traveling ten days and nights without rest, he arrived in time and challenged Gongshu Ban in a competition of mechanical arts. The result: Mozi defeated Gongshu Ban nine times out of nine.
After the crushing defeat, Mozi humiliated Gongshu Ban further, stating:
"This is the Mo Clan's Pacifist Mechanism Arts. If the Gongshu Clan insists on attacking the weak, then prepare for utter defeat."
Then he left calmly.
The war machines that had cost a fortune became useless junk. The feudal lord, furious at the failure and the great expense, blamed the Gongshu Clan. Shamed and disgraced, the clan was forced to migrate elsewhere.
From then on, the Gongshu Clan renamed their craft as the Tyrannical Mechanism Arts (霸道机关术) to distinguish it from the Mo Clan's Pacifist Mechanism Arts (非攻机关术). They even established a clan rule:
"All Gongshu disciples must treat the Mo Clan as mortal enemies, never to coexist."
Throughout the Warring States period, the two clans often appeared on opposite sides in siege battles—each clashing with their mechanical constructs. While victories were split between them, the Gongshu Clan never fell behind in skill.
After suffering repeated setbacks, Gongshu Ban made major improvements and eventually authored a legendary tome called the Gongshu Codex (公输秘录), also known as the Heavenly Engineering Codex (天工秘录). This elevated the Gongshu Clan's mechanical arts, which evolved and improved with each generation. Every member became a master of mechanisms.
Gongshu Lin was one of the top talents in the current generation. His earlier question to Yi Tianxing had been to probe whether Great Yi was worth allying with.
"In Great Yi, we welcome any human hero with talent. Within our borders, we've established the Immortal Academy. As long as you possess a unique legacy, you can establish your own institution there, teach your craft, and take on disciples. The Gongshu Clan's mechanism arts certainly deserve a place among them," Yi Tianxing nodded and said sincerely.
The Gongshu Clan's arts were a rare and powerful asset. If integrated into Great Yi, they could cause a massive transformation—especially if merged with the Heavenly Artisan Pavilion (天工阁). The resulting synergy could be unimaginable.
Gongshu Lin's eyes gleamed with interest.However, without personally seeing Great Yi's conditions, he held back from making a decision. Some things must be seen and experienced to be truly understood. Words alone weren't enough.
Talents like Gongshu Lin and Zhang Shun were not rare among human elites.Many, lacking serious attachments, expressed willingness to travel to Sunset City first before deciding whether to join Great Yi. It was a chance—and potentially the start of a new life journey. One not to be taken lightly.
After this round of exchanges, at least twenty to thirty human prodigies chose to follow them.
Others, although tempted, had reservations and didn't give a definitive answer. Still, over a hundred agreed to go to Sunset City first. Their curiosity about Great Yi had clearly been piqued.
After all, Great Yi was the first human Destiny Dynasty (运朝)—a pioneering nation for their race.
"Let's go, time to depart!!"
Yi Tianxing didn't hesitate. With a thought, the Nine-Dragon War Chariot appeared. He boarded with Yao Yue and Lian Xing, who in turn invited Ah Qing aboard.
Strangely, Ah Qing's herd of sheep had vanished without a trace. No one noticed their disappearance. It was odd.
ROAR!!
With thunderous dragon roars, the war chariot surged forward, leaving Spirit Mountain and Duxiu Peak, heading straight for Sunset City. A massive space gate opened in the sky, pulsing with mysterious Daoist patterns. Without hesitation, the war chariot entered, vanishing in a flash of light.
Zhuge Liang and the others followed, stepping into the portal one by one and disappearing in divine radiance.
"What a formidable King Yi. But I, Xiongba, will not be outdone. Even if you've taken the lead now, I'll catch up. Founding a Destiny Dynasty—that is my goal," Xiongba said with fierce determination.
Tenka Village had now become Tenka City, and his power there was considerable. He believed it was only a matter of time before he established his own Destiny Dynasty.
"King Yi, may our next encounter not be to hear of your death," Xiang Yu muttered, watching Yi Tianxing's departure.
"When a tree grows taller than the forest, the wind will surely break it"—a timeless truth.
Yi Tianxing's actions had been far too high-profile. Though he won honor for humanity, he had also exposed himself to the Eternal Night and rival races. No one would want to see such a figure rise to power.
Now that he was on the Eternal Night's Hunting List, his danger was real.No one knew how deep Eternal Night's hidden strength went on the Eternal Continent.
Go! Go! Go!!
Once Yi Tianxing left, the other human elites didn't linger either. With their goals at the Fruit Banquet achieved, there was no reason to stay.
"Stone Emperor, thank you for the banquet. But it's getting late—I'll take my leave," the Son of Light stood up and excused himself.
"Very well, feel free," Stone Emperor replied, not stopping him.
The Son of Light left without hesitation.So did the other elites on Spirit Mountain, each one saying farewell.
Stone Emperor did not stop any of them. One by one, beams of escape light flickered into the sky as they returned to their domains.
The God-Demon Battlefield was soon to close. No one knew the exact moment, but the ranking points were still being tallied. Even in the final days, one could still rise in rank, surpassing other races.
Every position on the Primordial All-Life Ranking (鸿蒙万灵榜) represented prestige and rewards.
Many wanted to scavenge the battlefield, especially the unique specialties of each war city. These were priceless resources, nearly impossible to find outside. Each was a great fortune in itself.
Thus, they all left in haste.
Before long, Spirit Mountain—once bustling—became eerily quiet.
Stone Emperor's face was stormy.With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished from the throne.
This Fruit Banquet had not gone as planned. Unexpected twists had foiled his schemes. He was far from pleased.
"Everyone, the banquet is over. And it looks like things ended well. Just now, I got the latest update from the Big Boss—the battlefield will begin closing in nine days. At that time, rewards will be distributed to the top-ranked races on the All-Life Ranking. And let me tell you—those rewards are very powerful."
Xiaosa Ge (潇洒哥) concluded with a mysterious smile.