"We're here!"
The morning mist on the summit of Guniu Mountain had yet to dissipate. Xu Yunfan stood on the mountainside, gazing down at the bronze gates that snaked below like a giant python.
The silhouette of the Mechanical City was faintly visible through the thin mist. On its walls, three hundred and sixty Bronze Watchtowers glinted with a cold light. The roar of grinding gears was still clearly audible from miles away.
He gripped the True Inheritance Token at his waist, the unique chill of metal spreading through his palm. According to the rules of Celestial Craft Cave, one's identity had to be verified upon entering the city, and not even True Disciples were exempt.
Today, however, something about the Mechanical City felt off.
The stream of merchant caravans at the city gates was as endless as ever, the chime of camel bells mingling with the clip-clop of horse hooves, just like any other day.
