72: Thought Collision

It was the 27th year of Zhenguan when Emperor Taizong of Tang received Tang Sanzang upon his return from the journey to obtain scriptures.

However, historical records state that Emperor Taizong of Tang reigned for only twenty-three years. In other words, in the Journey to the West world, Emperor Taizong of Tang lived four years longer than in actual history.

Now, more than a year has passed, and Emperor Taizong of Tang has lived about five years longer than in actual history. Not only is his body still robust, but his spirit is also incredibly vigorous, showing no signs of aging.

“This is the result of our Great Tang’s Luck growing stronger. With Emperor Taizong’s ability, he can still have nearly ten more years of life!”

Yuan Tiangang chuckled, “Although I don’t know what’s going on, it’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Tang Ku, however, shook his head slightly and said, “Mr. Yuan is mistaken; this might not necessarily be a good thing… Hmm, since that’s the case, I probably understand some things now… Oh, right, Poor Monk still has something to ask…”

“Is Holy Monk interested in seeing those little gadgets I made?” Yuan Tiangang asked.

“Exactly… Although I don’t know much about Artifact Refining, I should still be able to give you some advice in certain areas!”

Tang Ku said with a smile.

“Haha, then follow me…”

With that, Yuan Tiangang took out a cyan precious pearl the size of a baby’s fist from his embrace. As soon as it appeared, it floated above his palm, then emitted a faint light. Rings of light emerged from the pearl in a profound manner, encircling it. Countless runes and characters of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches also appeared, making it look like a small armillary sphere.

“Haha, please excuse me. This is called the Nine-Nine Armillary Sphere. It was made by this old man in his later years. Besides surveying geomancy and predicting heavenly secrets, it also serves as a key…”

With that, the old man tossed the armillary sphere onto the ground.

As soon as the Nine-Nine Armillary Sphere landed, it immediately emitted a blue light. The ground, surprisingly, rippled like a water surface, sending out numerous waves in circles. Immediately after, a starlit opening appeared before them. From the surface, a staircase could be seen sloping downwards, its depth unknown.

“Let’s go…”

Yuan Tiangang led the way, stepping into the opening first. Tang Ku followed closely. Wu Zhen glanced at the opening and suddenly felt a chill all over her body, as if there was a strong Killing Intent inside, specifically targeting her.

“Wu Zhen, don’t worry, Master is here!”

Tang Ku’s voice suddenly entered her ears, immediately calming Wu Zhen. She gently patted her chest, took a deep breath, and entered the underground vault.

Only when he truly entered this underground world did Tang Ku finally realize that Yuan Tiangang’s ability had indeed surpassed this era by nearly a thousand years.

“Holy Monk, this thing is called the Nine Heavens Ten Earths God-Slaying Thunder. It’s a prototype I made when I was young. Although its power isn’t very great, it’s enough to harm the bodies of Divine-Grade immortals. The weapon you mentioned, which even ordinary people can use, might be improved from this thing.”

Yuan Tiangang pointed to a palm-sized object, resembling a pink crystal, and said to Tang Ku.

Wu Zhen couldn’t help but shiver: A weapon targeting immortals? Is this thing the source of that Killing Intent?

However, listening to Yuan Tiangang introduce each item, she realized she had been scared a bit too early.

“Holy Monk, this thing is called the God-Slaying Spear. In fact, ordinary people can use it if they are strong enough, like fierce generals such as Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao. But such strong individuals are too few, so it cannot be mass-produced…”

“Holy Monk, this thing is called the God-Breaking Crossbow. This one can be used by ordinary people, but the power of each arrow is slightly insufficient. Inspired by Zhuge’s repeating crossbow, I made it into a rapid-fire type. However, this makes it heavier, so it’s still difficult for ordinary people to use and can only be used in fixed-point city defense battles…”

“…This thing is called the God-Binding Rope… This is called the God-Slaying Blade… This is called the God-Hunting Bow… Holy Monk, this thing is powerful, it’s called the God-Controlling Pill…”

Well, a whole bunch of killing weapons, all aimed at Divine-Grade immortals. No wonder Wu Zhen was so scared.

Tang Ku couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, looking at Yuan Tiangang’s white-haired old face and saying, “Mr. Yuan, you didn’t predict a battle with Divine-Grade strong individuals from the very beginning, did you? Otherwise, why would you think of making these?”

Yuan Tiangang smiled casually and said, “When this old Daoist was young, he didn’t know his own limits and wholeheartedly wanted to resist heaven with human power. That’s why I made these overambitious gadgets. You’re laughing at me, you’re laughing at me!”

Tang Ku thought for a moment, then pointed to a huge wooden box nearby. The box had four wheels underneath, was about a person’s height, and two to three meters long, but it was impossible to tell what it was.

“What is that?”

Tang Ku asked.

“That… Haha, that’s a model replicated from something in my dream…”

A strange expression flashed across Yuan Tiangang’s face as he said, “Does Holy Monk know that in my dream, I once dreamed of a vehicle driven by fire-power, which could move freely without human or animal power, going wherever it wanted? And this is the kind of thing I dreamed of…”

Tang Ku, however, smiled and said, “Did you also dream of various fire-powered means of transportation, such as pleasure boats in the water, iron birds in the sky, and devices that could submerge and navigate underwater like fish? Did you also dream of Thousand-Mile Eyes and Shunfeng Er that ordinary people could use, allowing people to communicate thousands of miles away?”

Yuan Tiangang’s mouth hung open as he looked at Tang Ku. After a long time, he finally said in shock, “Has Holy Monk also dreamed of these things?”

Tang Ku chuckled and said, “What you described, walking on the ground, is called a car; self-navigating in water is called a ship; underwater, it’s called a submarine; and that kind that flies in the sky is called an airplane; the communication devices people hold in their hands are called mobile phones!”

“Flying chicken? Hand chicken? If this chicken were bigger, it might be able to fly, but this hand chicken… Could it be simulating a rooster crowing, its sound echoing for a thousand miles? How big would that chicken have to be?”

Wu Zhen, at the side, said in astonishment.

Yuan Tiangang pondered for a moment, then softly said, “If I’m not mistaken, the ‘Ji’ you mentioned refers to the ‘Ji’ in the Dao of Mechanisms, right?”

Tang Ku was surprised by Yuan Tiangang’s quick response and couldn’t help but nod, “That’s right. It’s just that this kind of mechanism is more precise and more powerful than the so-called mechanisms we have now. Its Materials and driving methods are also completely different from what we currently use. If I have leisure, I am willing to share what I know about the principles of these things with you. If it can be of any help to you, then it truly is a blessing for Great Tang!”

Yuan Tiangang was immediately overjoyed, then bowed deeply to Tang Ku, “Thus, the people of Great Tang will have good days ahead. This is all thanks to Holy Monk. Please accept Yuan Tiangang’s bow!”

Tang Ku hastily jumped away, “Although I have become a Buddha, I cannot accept your bow; it will shorten my lifespan!”