Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Gus and Grey panicked when they heard that.

He had thought that he would be escorted to the south safely after he found the secret bases of the Mechanical and Steam Sect in Qianyuan City.

He didn't expect that they were like clay buddhas crossing a river, unable to protect themselves!

Luo Xinglong kept a straight face, but there was not the slightest panic on his face. On the contrary, as the situation was described more and more seriously, his eyes were more and more determined to the point of insanity.

"If so, there is no other way."

He gritted his teeth and gnashed his teeth.

Then, he took a deep breath and raised his arms, shouting, "Let's turn over a new leaf today. The arrival of the 'Holy Sons' and the 'Holy Virgins', believers of the true gods, is the clearest sign that the true gods have given us. Let's pick up our weapons and march out right now so that the poor wretches who have been fooled by the false gods for thousands of years can witness the power of the true gods!"

"Today? Now?"

Many believers were somewhat surprised.

"Yes. Even the 'saint son' and the 'saint daughter' have shown up. How long do we have to wait if not today?"

Some of them were excited, too.

"The saint children and the saintesses can fight against all the boxers of Red Gold Town. Together with so many of us and so many serial crossbows and steam guns, it won't be difficult to wipe out Qianyuan City!"

Some of them were even looking at the two siblings in anticipation. Their faces were red and their hearts were beating fast, as if ten thousand ants were crawling in their hearts.

Of course, there were also a few people who knew the inside story. Most of them were hardcore believers and core members of the Mechanical and Steam Sect, such as Luo Xinglong. They knew that, with the destruction of the underground printing shop and the arrest of the printer, the situation had become so urgent that it was like an arrow that had been nocked and had to be shot out. If they didn't fight to the death right now, they would really fall into the trap.

"Now that the old gods are dead, new gods will rise and replace the old. Today is the day!"

As the pillars, they took the lead and shouted along with Luo Xinglong.

After shouting dozens of times, all the believers forgot their doubts and concerns and were filled with the hope of victory and the courage to fight.

"Excellent. Let's stick to our plan!"

Luo Xinglong commanded. He looked at a bald, muscular man first. "Tyrone, you will lead the elite suicide squad to occupy the grain warehouse in the south of the city. Remember, it doesn't matter if the grain warehouse is taken down or not. But you must set fire to the grain and distract the attention of the Temple of Fist Arts so that the Iron Fist Legion will be stalled!"

"Yes. Long live the True God!"

The bald man named 'Tyrone' left with a well-made oil container.

"Zhao Xin, contact all the forces lurking in the city and inform them of the advance of the operation."

Luo Xinglong continued speaking to a young man who was thin and had extremely long legs. "Let them attack the targets according to the previous plan!

Zhao Xin nodded and left quickly.

"Andre, before dark, you and your men must seize the dock and all the boats.

Luo Xinglong said, "Since a lot of machines are required to steer a starship, many workshops near the river have been using machines in secret, too, with the help of the flowing river water. The people who make a living by sailing are most likely to stand on our side, and they are most likely to be suppressed by the Temple of Fists. We must organize and arm them before the Temple of Fists, so that they will be the backbone of Qianyuan City.

The short man named 'Andri' was carrying two repeating crossbows on his back, two on his waist, and two on his hands. Together with the quivers tied to his chest, back, and calves, he looked like a hedgehog that had been stabbed with multiple arrows.

He rubbed his hands and left impatiently.

"Wait—"

Luo Xinglong glanced at the two siblings. Hesitating for a moment, he stopped Andre and said, "Remember, your mission here is of paramount importance. Even if you cannot take over the entire dock, you must seize as many ships as possible and destroy the enemy's warships. You must make sure that the waterway is in our hands. Whether our men are retreating or the reinforcements of the Steam Army in the south are marching north, we must take the waterway!

"Understood!"

The short Andre grinned and swaggered away with the six repeating crossbows.

"The rest of us are responsible for the most sacred and important mission!

An abnormal redness appeared on Luo Xinglong's face. He shouted desperately, "Let's carry the steam cannon that the True God bestowed upon us to the ground and escort it to the Temple of Fist!"

"Remember, no matter the cost, no matter how many people are killed or wounded, carry the steam cannons to the entrance of the temple.

"The false gods' lies have fooled the world for thousands of years. But as long as the cannons blow up the Temple of Fist and it collapses, the lies will be self-defeating. All the residents of Qianyuan City will realize the greatness of machines and the power of steam and will stand on our side and bow down to the real gods!

"Gun! Gun!"

"Steam cannons!"

The believers cheered in excitement again.

"A war is about to break out. Holy sons and saintesses, please stay by my side and witness the miracle of the True God!"

Luo Xinglong said firmly.

Gus' lips moved, but he also knew that the other party was desperate and had no other choice. At this moment, in order to boost morale, they would do anything. The two siblings simply had no way to reason with the crazed believers.

"Sure."

Grey, on the other hand, replied straightforwardly, "Since you all consider us to be the saint children and saintesses of the God of Steam, it is our responsibility to fight side by side with you. However, the false gods have ruled the world for too long after all, and their strength is deeply rooted. If—I mean, if—Qianyuan City falls into the darkness before dawn, and the battle is at a temporary disadvantage, if things get out of hand, can Uncle Luo arrange a starship to help us break out of the siege first, bring us to the south, find the main force of the Steam Legion, and make a comeback?"

After a few days of deliberation, Grey finally regained the demeanor of a genius girl from Red Gold Town and negotiated with Luo Xinglong.

Luo Xinglong's eyes suddenly shone. Pondering for a moment, he nodded quickly. "Of course. Where there is life, there is hope. The war between the righteous and the evil is destined to last a long time. I will not let the saint children and saintesses die in vain."

"That's good."

Grey smiled and raised her arms, mimicking Luo Xinglong. She shouted, "The old gods are dead. The new gods shall rise. The old ones shall be replaced. Today is the day!"

"Today! Today! Today!"

The shouts of the 'saint' were like pouring oil on fire. For a moment, the underground stronghold turned into an invisible volcano, from which destructive magma was about to burst out!

The Machinery Church and the Steam Church had made thorough preparations for the operation of Heavenly Essence City.

Although a large batch of steam-powered soldiers and elite soldiers had not arrived yet, serial crossbows, steam guns, sabers and swords that boosted the speed of the steam balls, and plate armor made of steam engines were all available.

There were also a lot of black cloths with simple white gears on them. The gears were surrounded by patterns of steam. When the black cloths were tied to one's head or one's arms, they looked quite intimidating and murderous.