Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 383 - 381: Puppets (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance)_1

Chapter 383: Chapter 381: Puppets (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance)_1

Just as Zhan Tu once again encountered Chi Laoguai and others, embarking on a tense, grand escape, Fang Xi also ran into his own trouble.

Whoosh!

A streak of azure light shot across the sky, moving extremely fast.

And following the Escape Light, there was another bright silver glow in hot pursuit.

"Sir, don’t go too far! I’ve already yielded that Dongfu ruin to you."

While fleeing, Fang Xi transmitted his voice with his Divine Consciousness.

"Hmph! You killed my disciple, I can’t let this go so easily with you!"

A cold feminine voice came in response.

Fang Xi couldn’t help feeling very helpless.

Previously, he had raced against time to explore several ruins within the Evergreen Garden Secret Land, which had resulted in great gains.

Afterward, while erasing the array prohibitions of a Dongfu, he encountered a few Core Formation Cultivators.

Those people were actually cultivators of the puppet skill!

All the puppets they commanded were of the third tier, which greatly piqued Fang Xi’s interest.

Therefore, after a few provocations from the other party, he unceremoniously displayed his strength, ignoring their desperate pleas, eliminated them, and even attempted to search their souls to gain high-tier puppet skills.

From that battle, he captured several third-tier puppets, and the materials from the damaged puppet remnants were plentiful. He felt that upon returning, he could surely use these materials to practice his craft, and the unused Ghost Cultivation Soul Crystal at the bottom of his Storage Ring finally found its purpose. He was initially very pleased.

But it wasn’t long before he was hunted down for revenge by that early Nascent Soul sect leader, which dampened his spirits.

Although Fang Xi immediately realized there was an issue with those high-tier Puppet Cores after being tracked down and took measures to deal with them, it was already too late.

What’s more, what depressed him even further was that the female Nascent Soul following him had an astonishingly swift Escape Speed!

Even when he used the Magic Power of his Heterodox Nascent Soul to increase speed, he could hardly shake off his pursuer; instead, the distance between them was steadily being closed.

’It seems... I must confront her in battle.’

’Good... I have yet to fight a Nascent Soul Cultivator.’

’This will serve as a good measure of my own strength!’

Fang Xi made a turn, stopped in his tracks, and formed hand seals.

Terrifying Demon Qi spilled out from his body, condensing into a huge phantom behind him.

This phantom had three eyes and six arms with a fierce visage, resembling the figure of Yama!

Dealing with a Nascent Soul Cultivator, his original third-tier methods, such as Yi Wood Divine Light and Ten Thousand Souls Banner, were all jokes; he could only rely on his Heterodox Nascent Soul and the spiritual treasure, the Star Luo chessboard!

The chasing Escape Light halted, revealing a beautiful woman in a brocade dress, with ethereal beauty but a trace of evil Qi between her brows.

Her Divine Consciousness firmly locked onto Fang Xi as she then spoke, "Sir, I am unaware of your origins. Why did you act so ruthlessly towards my junior?"

"Hmph... A mere junior dared to speak out of turn, that is sufficient to offend me greatly," Fang Xi coldly laughed in response.

"...Although my disciples are somewhat arrogant on normal days, they would never provoke a Nascent Soul Cultivator... Either you are murderous and covetous of their treasures, or you intentionally concealed your cultivation to provoke... Indeed, a Nascent Soul demon."

The female cultivator’s slightly furrowed brows began to relax as she spoke, "Today, I, the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master, shall restrain your Nascent Soul and ensure you have no chance for Soul Possession."

"Destroy my Nascent Soul?"

Fang Xi laughed as if hearing a joke, "Just with you, a mere early-stage Nascent Soul, you really talk big!"

"It seems you are not a cultivator from the Eastern Sea; otherwise, you wouldn’t be so ignorant..."

On hearing this, the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master’s face revealed a hint of surprise.

This woman, through some method, had arrived in the Evergreen Garden Secret Land just like her disciples.

Since her disciples mostly practised the puppet skill and refined several high-tier puppets for protection, not only did they possess astonishing combat power, but they also had an advantage in exploring secret realms.

That’s why the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master allowed them to venture outside, also because she knew that amongst Nascent Soul elders, there was an unspoken agreement not to harm juniors.

Yet she hadn’t expected... to encounter someone as ruthless and unconventional as Fang Xi!

Now, she was burning with rage and immediately employed her most powerful techniques.

The Thousand Mechanism Palace Master with a wave of her bare hand, conjured two distinctively shaped puppets amidst glimmering lights.

One of them resembled a human, clad in Silver Armor, with several long spears on its back.

Attractive silver talismans were imprinted on each spear.

The other puppet was a winged monster beast with wings spanning several dozen feet and two heads similar to eagles.

More crucially, from both puppets exuded Magic Power fluctuations comparable to those of a Nascent Soul.

"Fourth-tier puppets... and two of them no less!"

Fang Xi exclaimed, feeling an urge to turn around and continue his flight.

’No wonder this woman is so confident, she truly has the goods...’

’While I had suspected she might possess high-tier puppets, I never imagined she actually had two!’

But Fang Xi no longer had time to think further.

Under the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master’s controlled will, those two puppets immediately sprang into action!

First was the Silver Armored Puppet!

The puppet let out a roar, pulled a spear from its back, and with runes flickering, hurled it forcefully.

Whooosh!

Suddenly, the sound of wind and thunder!

The might of that one spear was comparable to a blow from a spiritual treasure of an early-stage Nascent Soul old monster!

"Asura Path!"

Fang Xi felt extremely helpless, conjuring a blood-colored spear in his hand and hurling it fiercely.

The two spears met halfway in the sky, blood-colored lightning clashed with roaring thunder, creating a huge storm.

"Human Realm Path!"

In the next moment, Fang Xi seized the moment when the silver spear was still, forming another magic spell with his hands.

A beam of demon light flew out, striking the spear precisely.

The spear suddenly halted, its power greatly diminished, as countless blood-colored lightnings overpowered the thunder and struck the silver armored puppet.

Hiss!

At the chest cavity of the silver armored figure, a talisman flickered, turning into a silver shield that protected its entire body.

At the same time, the puppet also formed magic spells with both hands.

The silver spear was directly called back to hover behind it, clearly inscribed with some kind of marvelous prohibition that allowed an instant recall.

As Fang Xi made his move, a flash of silver light in the void behind him revealed the appearance of the giant, two-headed eagle, with several black rings fitted over its talons, each engraved with runes that flickered, evidently bearing formidable prohibitions.

Fang Xi had already detected this scene with his Divine Consciousness, his body unmoving as the phantom of Yama behind him suddenly solidified; its six arms each threw a punch, instantly projecting six massive orbs of black light that devoured the countless pitch-black Wind Blades emitted by the rings like black holes.

Subsequently, the Yama clashed fiercely with the two-headed eagle puppet.

Bang!

Amid the teeth-gritting noise, the two-headed eagle puppet was sent flying backward, feathers falling in the void, while the Yama behind Fang Xi also violently exploded, turning into a thick cloud of Demon Qi. Although it reformed, it looked to have weakened by a third.

’Although the Six Paths Reincarnation Skills are miraculous, they still fall short against Nascent Soul cultivators... After all, a Heterodox Nascent Soul is indeed inferior in divine skills and magic power compared to a true early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.’ Fang Xi sighed inwardly upon seeing this.

The Yama Path held endless mysteries, but he had not truly mastered it; he had only allowed his Externalization to sacrificially refine it into a signature divine skill of a Heterodox Nascent Soul.

His trump card was the Six Paths Reincarnation Skills!

Among the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Hungry Ghost Path was used with the Yanmo Domain to cut off the flow of Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi!

When paired with the Hell Path, the Animal Realm could summon an endless, undying army of ghost creatures!

The Blood-colored Spear of the Asura Path was nearly unstoppable, making short work of Core Formation cultivators as if slicing through melons and vegetables.

The Human Realm Path specialized in filthy manipulation of an opponent’s treasures, as well as seizing them!

As for the ultimate Heavenly Path...

It was based on the Yanmo Domain, enhanced with the strongest strike combining the divine skills of the previous five paths!

Yet now, the enemy he faced was somewhat troublesome.

His opponent turned out to be a Nascent Soul level Puppet Master!

Puppets drew power from their own Spirit Stones, without any need to absorb spiritual energy from the outside world, rendering the Hungry Ghost Path completely ineffective.

And his most commonly used Asura Path divine skill was only managing to break even in combat.

As for the army of ghost creatures? With only six Core Formation, there was no need to embarrass themselves.

The Heavenly Path divine skill was indeed sharp, but as a trump card, if used, the Heterodox Nascent Soul would be weakened, costing some Primordial Energy. Moreover, he was certain it wouldn’t be enough to take down the woman, so it was better to keep it as a last resort.

’I am indeed no match for a Nascent Soul cultivator... No, that’s not right, I’ve always been good at suppressing higher ranks, not challenging across ranks.’

’Besides... This woman is no ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator.’

Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness permeated the surroundings, his expression solemn.

"A law cultivator?!"

After some probing, the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master seemed to have discovered some of Fang Xi’s capabilities: "You actually follow the path of the ancient law cultivators?!"

"What of it?!"

The black and red light in Fang Xi’s eyes surged wildly as he suddenly slapped the top of his head.

Amidst the demon light, an External Heterodox Nascent Soul holding the star-patterned chessboard appeared, its little face stern.

Seeing this scene, the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master’s expression turned grave as she spat out a white, jade dragon-shaped spiritual treasure, transforming into a white light screen that shielded her completely.

Generally speaking, when a Nascent Soul cultivator’s soul leaves the body, it usually means executing some sort of powerful divine skill that greatly depletes Primordial Energy—desperate measures!

A fresh Nascent Soul cultivator fighting desperately is not something even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator can handle without injury; one must proceed with caution.

Besides, although she relied on her formidable puppets, her own realm was still at the initial stage of Nascent Soul.

"Go!"

The Heterodox Nascent Soul masterfully executed a magic spell, pouring terrifying magic power into the star-patterned chessboard.

Suddenly, nineteen vertical and horizontal arcs of light appeared between heaven and earth, engulfing both the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master and the two Nascent Soul puppets within its grasp.

"Heaven as a chessboard, stars as pieces... dying under this treasure is an honor!"

Fang Xi snorted coldly as the arcs of light immediately contracted, forming an array like a world of its own, trapping the unsuspecting Thousand Mechanism Palace Master inside.

The next moment, Fang Xi quickly retracted the Heterodox Nascent Soul and turned to flee...

’I’ve tried, but this woman is too powerful, I can’t handle her...’

...

Dozens of breaths later, countless crisscrossing arcs of light burst forth, revealing the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master, appearing to be somewhat frustrated.

Guarded by two powerful puppets, she scanned the surroundings with her Divine Consciousness and couldn’t help but reveal a trace of anger, "He actually ran away... you think just because you dealt with the Puppet Core, I can’t do anything to you?"

Several high-grade puppets belonging to her disciples were personally gifted by her, naturally containing many secrets.

At the very least, finding a general direction was not a problem.

However, the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master looked in the direction Fang Xi had fled and pondered silently, but ultimately sighed without pursuing.

If he were just an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, that would be one thing. However, the previous probing revealed that Fang Xi’s divine skills and magic power were quite extraordinary, and he even possessed a Void Spiritual Treasure!

Such a treasure excelled in trapping opponents and escaping. She had no confidence in catching him, so there was no point in chasing and humiliating herself further.