Inside the metal base of the machine, a roar of rapidly spinning gears and linked rods surged, causing the entire structure to vibrate violently—like an engine under power overload. Immediately, electric arcs of yellow surged from the ends of the bronze crescent, snapping and connecting to the bronze sphere with crisp crackling sounds. The bronze sphere then emitted a sharp "crack," as tightly structured metallic blocks dislodged and spun rapidly in a magical, cube-like motion. Then, it stabilized, with one block settling precisely at the center of the sphere, bearing a slightly crooked inscription of ancient bronze script. It was exactly the character Zhao Chenghuang had written by the water pond—dog! A dense, twisted stream of electric arcs erupted from the bronze sphere and struck the flying little red cap. The cap instantly plummeted, its surface glowing with vivid, jumping sparks. Yuchuan Mi tried to control the little red cap, but her ability to manipulate it failed. "Unable to hold my ground," Yi Chuan Mei knelt down, her buttocks lifted high, her voice tinged with anticipation, "I have failed in my duties. Please, Master, punish me severely. Do not show mercy!" "Tai Xian Gui Huo said calmly, "Let's not waste time on these trivial matters—what should we do next?" Guan Ya then moved on without further hesitation, stating, "The siege weapons responsible for the assault are indeed mechanical in nature. Assuming everything proceeds as expected, the shadow corpses inside the Little Red Cap have already been struck. However, since we haven't yet recovered the tools, we cannot determine the exact nature of the attack they've sustained." As she finished speaking, Xiao Yuan interjected, "In any case, it's not a decapitation—this means one form of attack has not yet been triggered. There may therefore be two potential threats within the cavern." The two continued to subtly compete with one another. "My shadow corpses are all inside the cap—please don't let anything go wrong!" Zhang Yuanqing expressed his growing anxiety, turning his gaze toward Xia Hou Ao Tian and saying, "At this very moment, it's time for our protagonist to step up and take the lead." Xia Hou Ao Tian immediately raised his chin with pride, then feigned deep thought, "Let me think... let me think." In his mind, he communicated with the Elder in his ring: "Master, what is this?" " The Qin-era court magician replied lazily. "How could you not know?" Xiahou Aotian looked skeptical. "You're a seasoned antiquarian from the Qin dynasty, a court magician—surely you've had dealings with the Mohists at some point. Aren't you jealous of my talents, my charm, and trying to sabotage me?" The Qin-era magician sighed. "Every time I listen to you speak, I feel like I'm going to leap out of my ring and hit you. How would it benefit me to kill you? I don't want to stay in the spiritual realm anymore. It's simply unknown—it's just forgotten." "Forgotten? How could that be?" "Exactly forgotten. Can you remember anything from before you were ten?" "No…" "Then how can you expect me to remember events from thousands of years ago?" Xiahou Aotian remained silent—not truly at a loss for words, but realizing the court magician's subtle issue: memory lapses. After all, the ability to recall everything instantly was the very foundation of a scholar's competence; how could one forget? Thus, the immortals of the Qin dynasty might have a problem—perhaps involving the old man's private matters—so he chose to remain silent. "Even as the protagonist, I'm not infallible," Xiahou Aotian sighed. Those who had grown familiar with him instantly grasped his meaning—I don't even understand! Wait, does even the ancient Qin-era relic know this? Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows, pondered for a while, then said, "Then we must only dare to try and carefully defend ourselves. I'll lead the advance; you follow behind. Shuzen Ryō and Zhao Chenghuang, you two will guard against threats above. I'll handle the attacks from the machines. The rest of you adapt as needed." Shuzen Ryō, a water spirit capable of absorbing physical blows with his body, and Zhao Chenghuang's puppet soldiers—reusable, resilient units—were ideally suited to manage the dangers overhead. Thus, the team advanced steadily and orderly, led by Zhang Yuanqing, with cautious precision toward the metallic machines. — To reach the exit at the far end of the cavern, one must inevitably pass by this central mechanical construct. "Buzzing… buzzing…" As the group approached the metallic apparatus, a high-pitched sound of gears whirring and connecting rods colliding echoed from within its base. Zhang Yuanqing remained calm, withdrawing his purple-gold shield and orienting it toward the machine, then issued a steady warning: "Attention!" The same scene repeated itself—yellow electric arcs surged from the two crescent ends and connected to the suspended bronze sphere, causing the tightly packed metal squares to loosen and rotate like a magic cube. Under the group's tense and focused gaze, the small metal squares at the center of the bronze sphere shifted from the shape of a "dog" to an unfamiliar character. "Look—it's a pig!" Xiahou Aotian declared. As soon as he spoke, the bronze sphere launched a dense stream of electric arcs toward the group. Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward without hesitation, lifting the shield to block all the surging arcs. "Crack! Crack!" The purple-gold shield under attack also sent back arcs of electric energy, the two colors of arcs interweaving and glowing together. This process lasted for several seconds before finally settling down. Zhang Yuanqing shook his numbed arm and turned to his teammates, asking with mild surprise, "That's it?" Kuan Ya and the others were equally astonished, yet mostly filled with excitement. Xiao Yuan suddenly realized, "So it seems the real attack is coming from above." Kuan Ya gave a sharp exhalation, but could only accept reality, lifting her head toward the ceiling and said firmly, "Stay alert above. Protect your backs and heads." The group passed around the metal machinery and continued forward. Zhang Yuanqing walked a few steps, then shook his aching arms, saying, "My arms feel a bit stiff." "Nothing serious, right?" asked his red-rooster teammate. "There's nothing wrong—maybe I just got zapped and numbed," Zhang Yuanqing said to the fire commander beside him, in a weary tone. "How did you end up right next to me? You promised to maintain formation!" Hong Ji-guo grew impatient. "You're too slow! We all walk on four legs—while you're dragging that shield, you're walking on three. I've already passed you!" Zhang Yuanqing blinked. "Four legs? What do you mean four legs?" He turned to look behind him. His teammates were lifting their heads to watch the sky while swaying their hips and hurrying forward, their short tails swinging happily behind them. Ah, yes—everyone walks on four legs, and I've been too slow... Zhang Yuanqing turned back and quickly moved his three legs, leading the team toward the exit. Wait a minute! He suddenly stopped his three-legged stride, realizing something was off. Zhang Yuanqing's face went pale with alarm. "What's going on? How did you all turn into pigs?" "Who was following him—people, surely? No, clearly a group of plump, white pigs, with fan-like ears and long, slender backs. Then, lowering his head, he saw his short forelimbs and hooves: his right hoof resting on the metal handle of the circular shield. Because of the hoof encircling the shield, he now walked on three legs. Moreover, in his peripheral vision, he caught sight of his long muzzle and nose. He too had transformed into a pig. 'What do you mean we've turned into pigs?' Sun Miaomiao said with irritation. 'We've always been pigs! All this nonsense. Just hurry up!' With that, she dashed a few steps, delivering a mother-pig charge straight into Zhang Yuanqing's back. Zhang Yuanqing was sent staggering, but his heart sank deeply—We've always been pigs? When did we become pigs? He hurriedly blocked the way, no, the group of pigs. 'The world has returned to fire—what are you, a man or a pig?' he called out. The world returned calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, humans walk on two legs—don't you think so?" Red Chicken Brother hurried around the group, his pigtail swinging joyfully, saying, "I'm so hungry! No one has come to feed us yet. I'd like fine straw—fresh, please..." Has a person turned into a pig and still clinging to fresh straw? Zhang Yuanqing grew increasingly alarmed. He pushed gently against Guan Ya and called out, "Guan Ya, are you human or a pig?" Guan Ya huffed, "I'm not some lowly, ungrateful human species. Stop talking to me—go find your old sow!" Little Circle said coldly, "What's wrong with an old sow? Your husband himself told me that." Zhang Yuanqing's sweat broke out in a rush—not because of his fondness for old sows, but because the situation was simply bizarre and unbelievable. They were as if struck by a fairy-tale transformation spell, turning from humans into pigs—more terrifying still, each person's thinking was remarkably clear, yet no one realized anything was amiss. Everyone firmly believed they were pigs. "Zhao Chenghuang, are you a human?" Zhang Yuanqing shouted. Zhao Chenghuang replied coldly, "How can you possibly scold a pig so calmly?" "...?" Zhang Yuanqing paced frantically, tossing and turning in agitation. Yin Yao, the Princess, quickly knelt down, her pig snout biting into a small horn speaker, gently reminding, "Everyone, take care—protect yourselves. Yuan Shi Tian Zun has gone mad." What on earth are you trying to protect yourself from by kneeling? Zhang Yuanqing was furious. Tianxia Gui, remaining calm, analyzed, "Don't worry—Yuan Shi Tian Zun hasn't quite reached his peak season yet." Zhang Yuanqing roared in frustration. "Hmm, you're still maintaining human awareness," a voice suddenly entered Zhang Yuanqing's mind. Zhang Yuanqing was startled, turning toward a graceful white pig—Xiahou Aotian. The white pig wore a black iron ring on each hoof. "Have we met before?" Zhang Yuanqing asked in the way of night-wanderers. "We have. In the imperial mausoleum of the First Emperor," the voice replied, deep and weighty. "Now is not the time for reminiscences. Your situation is dire—everyone's perception has been fundamentally altered." "Yes," Zhang Yuanqing said with urgency, "they believe themselves to be pigs. What should we do? What should we do? Elder, please think quickly!" "It seems you've also been affected—your intelligence has diminished," the Qin-era court scholar sighed. "I cannot assist you directly, but I have a hunch as to what's happening." "What hunch?" Zhang Yuanqing asked instinctively. Indeed, he had grown less sharp, much like the fire master—now simply asking questions when he didn't understand, abandoning thought. "This is a powerful curse that transforms humans into animals—the Mo Sect has integrated the art of curse magic into mechanical engineering. Those afflicted develop a mistaken perception, firmly believing they are pigs themselves." Qin's Daoist scholar said, "No matter how many times you tell them they are human, they will never believe you—because I've tried it myself. This young man even told me that humans, such clumsy creatures, deserve no comparison with pigs. In his view, the pig's head is the smartest of all, and he himself is the most intelligent among pigs." The elder scholar sighed, "Good news is that this curse has a time limit—it won't last forever." Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief, "That's wonderful, that's wonderful." "Wonderful?" Qin's Daoist scholar chuckled, "To become a pig in such a perilous place—what's wonderful about that? Try opening your inventory again. Can you still activate your skills?" Zhang Yuanqing attempted it, his pig face instantly pale, "I can't open it... I can't open it." "And can you still use your skills?" "Our skills are gone..." Zhang Yuanqing's sense of crisis exploded instantly. Having transformed into a pig within the quest, now losing his abilities, he was nearly doomed. He also felt that this experience was familiar—he had faced something similar before, though his pig-brain couldn't recall the specifics. "The constraints must stem from 'Non-Enjoyment,' but the true essence of this trial lies in 'Non-Life.' Do you remember what 'Non-Life' means?" said the Qin-era court physician. "My life is determined by me, not by heaven. Only by doubting fate can one resist it. Only by refusing to accept that one is merely a pig can one resist the fate of being slaughtered. This is the test of the Mo Sect. I have forgotten so many things, which is why I failed to issue an early warning. You have maintained your sense of self—this shows you are someone who doesn't believe in fate. You are the most passionate, the most defiant among us. Indeed, you're born with such a spirit, full of rebelliousness. It wasn't just a slogan; it was genuine." As he finished speaking, a steady hum of gears began to resonate from above. The next instant, a puppet figure wielding a steel blade descended through the opening above Red Chicken Brother. The blade flashed, cutting toward his head. Zhang Yuanqing was startled, his three hooves flying out, forcefully colliding with the puppet from the side. Thud! The blade slipped, striking Red Chicken Brother's back with a sharp blow—like a red-hot knife slicing through cheese—immediately splitting the flesh and skin, and severing his spinal column in one clean cut. Blood gushed forth like a spring. Red Chicken Brother collapsed, his four hooves convulsing violently, emitting a dying cry of agony.