The search area immediately expanded quite a bit.
Despite the obstruction from the forest and wild grass, thanks to the efforts of his men, Jiang Shengwu quickly found some clues.
On a large tree, Jiang Shengwu saw a bottomless arrow hole.
And on the clearing in front of the arrow hole, Jiang Shengwu discovered some remnants of a battle.
However, due to the passage of time and the growth of vegetation, these traces had become very faint.
But it was already enough.
Jiang Shengwu squatted in front of a piece of darkened soil, holding a piece of torn cloth in his hand.
After being exposed to the wind and rain, the color of the fabric was hard to distinguish, but because of the excellent material, it had managed to survive in this harsh environment.
Jiang Shengwu immediately recognized it as a fragment of the robes worn by the elders of Wanghai Tower.
It was evident that Zhen Juncheng and the others had encountered disaster.
Although the bodies had long become meals for wild beasts, the blackened humanoid outline still allowed one to imagine the tragic scene at the time.
Crucially, Jiang Shengwu also found a deep hole in the head area of this humanoid outline, clearly shot by a crossbow arrow.
Skilled in using crossbow arrows, coupled with the previous camp’s violent explosion...
The identity of the person responsible was now apparent.
"Mechanical Sect!" Jiang Shengwu growled through clenched teeth, his eyes even slightly reddened.
The people who had followed him dared not utter a word, allowing Jiang Shengwu to vent his impotent rage.
Yes.
It was impotent rage.
Upon discovering that the perpetrator was likely from the Mechanical Sect, the initially furious Jiang Shengwu, who had intended to seek revenge, was instantly silenced.
The reason was simple: he couldn’t afford to provoke them.
Not only could he not afford to provoke them, but there were few in the entire land Beyond the World who dared to provoke the Mechanical Sect.
This was not because the members of the Mechanical Sect were particularly powerful, though that was one aspect.
The main reason was that the products of the Mechanical Sect were needed by all major sects.
Take the mechanical crossbow, for instance.
In recent years, as the Mechanical Sect had ceased selling mechanical crossbows externally, the price of mechanical crossbows on the black market had been driven up significantly.
Not to mention the corresponding items like crossbow arrows.
So unless there was an irreconcilable enmity, no one was willing to antagonize the Mechanical Sect.
What’s more, the strength of the Mechanical Sect was also mysterious and unpredictable; sometimes, even if you wanted to act, you’d have to weigh whether you were qualified.
Wanghai Tower was naturally no exception.
So upon learning that the perpetrators were from the Mechanical Sect, Jiang Shengwu instantly found himself in a dilemma.
The good news was that this act seemed to be an individual endeavor rather than sanctioned by the Mechanical Sect.
After all, the reputation of everyone in the Mechanical Sect being mad was not unwarranted.
Jiang Shengwu also didn’t believe these madmen would target Wanghai Tower without reason.
As for why this person from the Mechanical Sect targeted Zhen Juncheng and the others...
Madmen’s actions are always hard to understand.
Who knows what Zhen Juncheng and others did to be targeted.
After a long period of impotent rage, Jiang Shengwu finally calmed down and then said.
"Let’s go, first head to the Nangong Family to see what exactly happened."
At this moment, Jiang Shengwu didn’t mention seeking revenge for Zhen Juncheng and the others at all.
And as they were heading to the Nangong Family, the mastermind Liang Xin’an was on his journey with a serene expression.
Gui Xuanqing and Jin Fu followed behind him, carrying large and small bags.
Jin Fu was the first to falter.
After all, he had the shortest time practicing martial arts and the weakest foundation.
In this scorching heat, trekking for several hours had already reached his limit.
Despite this, Jin Fu still gritted his teeth and persevered, unwilling to give up.
But as he continued walking, he felt the scenery before his eyes begin to blur.
Just as he was about to collapse, a hand rested on his shoulder.
"How are you?"
Jin Fu struggled to open his eyes. Seeing the person in front of him, he couldn’t help but call out softly.
"Senior Brother!"
The person supporting him was Zhao Ya.
"Take a sip of water first!"
Saying this, Zhao Ya took out a water pouch and fed Jin Fu a few drinks before assisting him to rest under a tree.
Liang Xin’an watched the entire time before finally shaking his head, "Still too weak!"
"You’re already doing well. After all, he’s been practicing martial arts for a bit over a year now, not everyone is like you," Zhao Ya remarked with a bit of helplessness.
"But to achieve something in mechanics, a good body is necessary, and I’ve already been considerate enough. If it were someone else, they would have had us march non-stop last night."
Despite saying this, Liang Xin’an stopped and joined in resting under the tree, waiting for Jin Fu to recover a bit before continuing the journey.
After all, the exceptional mechanical talents of these two new disciples he found were quite impressive to him.
Such talents, he was naturally unwilling to truly exhaust them.
"How far to the Mechanical Sect now?"
After properly settling Jin Fu, Zhao Ya approached Liang Xin’an and asked.
"Still quite far, why? Anxious?" Liang Xin’an laughed.
"Not exactly, just a bit curious and want to see what the famously renowned Mechanical Sect Beyond the World looks like."
Nowadays, the affairs of the Azure Dragon Temple had been set on track.
Especially after Guo Luming successfully merged the Star-devouring True Power and Azure Dragon True Power, his internal injuries had quickly been controlled, and his life was no longer in immediate danger.
Under such circumstances, Zhao Ya was relieved to entrust the Azure Dragon Temple to him and followed Liang Xin’an toward the Mechanical Sect.
This trip to the Mechanical Sect had two purposes.
First, to see what the world-famous Mechanical Sect is really like.
Second, to observe the Miracle Creations stored within the Mechanical Sect.
In Liang Xin’an’s words, the Mechanical Sect had been collecting and organizing Miracle Creations from early on.
So currently, in all the land Beyond the World, the Mechanical Sect houses the most Miracle Creations.
Zhao Ya was really curious about this, which is why he resolutely set out to see for himself.
"Actually, there’s nothing much to see, just a bunch of madmen messing around," Liang Xin’an said dismissively.
Despite such words, the faint pride revealed on his face betrayed him.
Zhao Ya understood this well but only responded with a mild smile.
By then, Jin Fu had finally regained his strength.
Furthermore, the sun had already moved westward, the scorching heat was gradually abating, making it an ideal time to travel.
So the group set off on their journey.
Though with Zhao Ya’s current pace, he could easily cover a thousand miles in a day.
But he just matched Liang Xin’an’s relaxed pace, walking slowly.
And as they were heading to the Mechanical Sect, Jiang Shengwu had already arrived at the location of the Nangong Family with his men.
Staring at the ruins of the Nangong Family, Jiang Shengwu was bewildered.
"Was the Mechanical Sect really so ruthless?"
He had thought he might find some clues at the Nangong Family, but he didn’t expect the place to already be leveled.
Upon inquiring further, he learned that just a dozen days ago, a group of people armed with weapons suddenly assaulted the Nangong Family.
Caught off guard, the Nangong Family suffered a major defeat, with most men dead in battle, and even the surviving women and children were kidnapped by those unidentified attackers.
Upon further inquiry, Jiang Shengwu learned these people were all armed with hard crossbows, very formidable.
This further cemented Jiang Shengwu’s previous suspicions and made him even more terrified.
Dammit.
When Zhen Juncheng died earlier, Jiang Shengwu already felt enormous pressure.
Now, even the unrelated Nangong Family had been annihilated, naturally making Jiang Shengwu more fearful.
No wonder these people were called madmen, their actions were so ruthless and uncompromising!
However, there’s no use discussing this now, and Jiang Shengwu no longer had any intention of continuing the investigation, immediately leading his men to leave.
Upon returning to Wanghai Tower, he issued a strict order forbidding any disciples from venturing out without special circumstances.
And just as Wanghai Tower was in chaos, Zhao Ya, following the pace of Liang Xin’an, finally arrived at the outskirts of the Mechanical Sect.
Once there, the temperature dropped considerably.
The forests along the way had long shed their leaves, and walking among them even gave a sense of autumn.
Zhao Ya finally understood why the Mechanical Sect had been so enigmatic over the years.
Because this place was incredibly concealed.
If not led by Liang Xin’an, he wouldn’t have found this place no matter what.
"Look, just cross that ridge ahead, and you’ll reach the Mechanical Sect. Do you know which area this forest belongs to?" Liang Xin’an asked.
"Which place?"
"Do you know the wilderness forest in the Extreme West?"
"Of course!"
"This is its outskirts."