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Chapter 382: Puppets (A congratulatory gift for the Silver Alliance Leader)

Chapter 382: Puppets (A congratulatory gift for the Silver Alliance Leader)

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

Swoosh!

A streak of azure rainbow light tore through the sky, moving at extreme speed.

Trailing behind the fleeing light, a bright silver radiance pursued relentlessly.

"Your Excellency, don't push your luck! I've already yielded that cave dwelling ruin to you," Fang Xi transmitted via his Divine Consciousness while darting through the air.

"Hmph! You killed my beloved disciple; I shall never let this go! " A cold female voice responded.

Fang Xi couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy. He had previously raced against time, exploring several more ruins within the Long Evergreen Park, which had yielded significant gains. Then, while he was breaking down the formation restrictions of a cave dwelling, he encountered several Core Formation cultivators.

These individuals actually cultivated puppetry arts!

Thus, after the other party provoked him with a few words, he unceremoniously displayed his strength. Disregarding their desperate pleas, he directly annihilated them and even attempted soul-searching to acquire high-tier puppetry arts.

After this battle, he had seized several Third-tier puppets, and the remaining scraps and materials from the destroyed puppets were considerable. He felt he could perfectly use them for practice upon returning, and incidentally, the ghost cultivator soul crystals that had been gathering dust at the bottom of his storage ring now had a use. He had originally been quite pleased.

However, not long after, the initial-stage Nascent Soul master of the other party came knocking for revenge, which quickly soured his mood.

Although Fang Xi immediately understood that the high-tier puppet cores were problematic and dealt with them accordingly after his tracks were discovered, it was already too late then.

Moreover, what made him even more frustrated was that the female Nascent Soul cultivator pursuing him had an incredibly swift escape speed!

Even with his External Avatar's magical power to boost his speed, he found it difficult to shake her off; instead, the distance between them steadily closed.

'It seems. . . I'll have to fight this one out. '

'Just as well. . . I've never actually fought a Nascent Soul cultivator before. '

'It's a good chance to measure my own strength! '

Fang Xi spun around and came to a halt, forming hand seals. Terrifying Demonic Qi surged from his body, transforming into a towering phantom behind him.

This phantom had three eyes and six arms, with a ferocious visage—it was precisely the image of the Yama Heavenly Son!

When facing a Nascent Soul cultivator, all his original Third-tier methods like the Wood Spirit Divine Light and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner were a joke; he could only rely on his External Avatar and the Star-Patterned Chessboard Numinous Treasure!

The fleeing light behind him ceased, revealing a woman in a palace dress. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, yet there was a trace of killing intent between her brows.

At this moment, a surge of Divine Consciousness had already locked onto Fang Xi from afar, and she spoke, "Daoist friend, from where do you hail? Why were you so ruthless towards my junior?"

"Hmph. . . How dare a mere junior speak so insolently? They transgressed this old man's greatest taboo," Fang Xi replied with a cold sneer.

". . . Though my disciples may be a bit arrogant on ordinary days, they would never provoke a Nascent Soul cultivator. . . Either Your Excellency killed them for their treasures, or you deliberately concealed your cultivation to provoke them. . . Truly, a Nascent Soul demon," the female cultivator's slightly furrowed brow slowly smoothed out. "Today, I, the 'Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master', shall imprison your Nascent Soul, leaving you no chance for a body seizure again."

"Destroy my Nascent Soul? " Fang Xi sounded as if he had heard a joke. "With just you, a mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, what grand words you speak!"

"It seems you are not an East Sea cultivator, otherwise you wouldn't be so. . . " Upon hearing this, the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master's face showed a flicker of surprise.

This woman, by unknown means, had managed to enter the Long Evergreen Park mystic realm alongside her disciples. Since many of her disciples cultivated puppetry arts and had refined several high-tier puppets for self-defense, they not only possessed astonishing combat power but also held an advantage in exploring the mystic realm.

That was why the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master felt at ease letting them go out, also knowing that most Nascent Soul old monsters had an unspoken understanding not to act against each other's juniors. Yet, she had never expected. . . to run into Fang Xi, who had no such scruples!

Now, burning with fury, she immediately unleashed her most formidable techniques.

With a wave of her fair hand, the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master caused two strange-looking puppets to appear amidst flickering lights.

One of them resembled a real person, clad in silver armor, with several long spears strapped to its back. Each spear bore a gleaming silver talisman inscription.

The other was a flying demonic beast, with a wingspan several zhang long, yet it had two eagle-like heads. More importantly, both puppets emanated magical power fluctuations comparable to those of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Fourth-tier puppets. . . and two of them! " Fang Xi exclaimed in surprise, feeling a sudden urge to turn around and continue fleeing.

'No wonder this woman spoke with such arrogance; she truly has substantial capabilities. . . '

'Although I had already guessed she might possess high-tier puppets, I never expected she would have two! '

But Fang Xi had no time to ponder further. Under the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master's divided Divine Consciousness, the two puppets immediately sprang into action!

First, the silver-armored puppet!

This puppet let out a whistle, drew a long spear from its back, and with talismans flickering, hurled it forward with great force.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Wind and thunder erupted!

The might of this single spear strike was comparable to a Numinous Treasure attack from an early-stage Nascent Soul old monster!

"Path of Asuras!"

Fang Xi, feeling helpless, conjured a blood-colored long spear in his hand and flung it out forcefully.

The two long spears met in mid-air, blood-colored lightning and wind-thunder dancing wildly, forming a colossal storm.

"Path of Humans!"

A demonic light shot out, striking the spear precisely.

The long spear instantly halted, its power drastically reduced, and countless blood-colored lightning bolts surged past the wind-thunder, landing on the silver-armored puppet.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

At the silver-armored figure's chest, a talisman flickered, transforming into a silver light barrier that enveloped its entire body. Simultaneously, the puppet formed hand seals with both hands. That silver long spear was directly recalled to its back; clearly, some wondrous restriction for instant retrieval had been inscribed upon it.

Just as Fang Xi made his move, a silver flash appeared in the void behind him, revealing the enormous double-headed vulture. Its sharp talons were adorned with several black finger-covers, each inscribed with flickering runes, clearly bearing potent restrictions.

Fang Xi's Divine Consciousness had already detected this scene. Remaining motionless, the phantom of the Yama Heavenly Son behind him solidified fiercely. Its six arms each threw a punch, instantly manifesting six massive black lights, like black holes, which swallowed the countless dark wind blades unleashed by the finger-covers.

Immediately after, the Yama Heavenly Son and the double-headed vulture puppet collided viciously.

Bang!

Amidst a teeth-gnashing sound, the double-headed vulture puppet flew backward, shedding a few feathers in the void. However, the Yama Heavenly Son behind Fang Xi also violently exploded, transforming into a dense mass of Demonic Qi. Although it re-solidified, it appeared to have thinned by a third.

'Although this Six Paths of Reincarnation technique is miraculous, it's still somewhat lacking against Nascent Soul cultivators. . . After all, in terms of divine abilities and magical power, the External Avatar is indeed a notch below a true early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. '

Seeing this, Fang Xi sighed inwardly.

The Dao of the Yama Heavenly Son was profoundly mysterious, but he hadn't truly practiced it himself; he had merely refined it into the External Avatar's life-bound divine ability. His ultimate trump card was the Six Paths of Reincarnation technique!

Among the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Path of Hungry Ghosts, when combined with the Yama Demonic Domain, was a technique to cut off the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!

The Path of Beasts, combined with the Path of Hell, could summon an unending, immortal, and indestructible army of ghostly entities!

The Path of Asuras' blood-colored long spear was almost indestructible, making it as simple as slicing melons and dicing vegetables to deal with Core Formation cultivators.

As for the Path of Humans, it excelled at defiling opponent's magical artifacts and seizing them!

As for the final Heavenly Path. . .

It was the strongest strike, utilizing the Yama Demonic Domain as its core, combined with the five preceding divine abilities!

But now, the enemy he faced was somewhat troublesome.

His opponent was actually a Nascent Soul-level puppeteer!

The puppets' energy came from their own Spirit Stones, so they didn't need to absorb external spiritual energy at all. Thus, the Path of Hungry Ghosts was rendered useless.

As for the most commonly used Path of Asuras divine ability, it could only manage a fifty-fifty fight.

As for the ghostly army? There were only six Core Formation ones; no need for them to come out and make a fool of themselves.

Although the Heavenly Path divine ability was potent, it was his ultimate trump card. After using it, his External Avatar would suffer a loss of vitality, and it was also certain he couldn't capture this woman. It was better to save it for now, as a hidden ace.

'I'm truly no match for a Nascent Soul cultivator. . . No, that's not right. I've always been good at suppressing opponents beyond my realm, not challenging those a full realm higher. '

'What's more. . . this woman isn't an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator either. '

Fang Xi's Divine Consciousness spread throughout his surroundings, his expression solemn.

"Law Cultivator? !"

After a probing exchange, the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master on the opposite side seemed to have discerned some of Fang Xi's origins: "You actually walk the ancient path of a Law Cultivator? !"

"So what if I am? !"

Black and red light flashed wildly in Fang Xi's eyes as he suddenly slapped the top of his head.

Amidst the demonic light, his External Avatar, cradling the Star-Patterned Chessboard, emerged, its small face filled with a solemn expression.

Upon seeing this, the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master's expression immediately turned severe. She opened her mouth and spat out a white jade dragon-shaped Numinous Treasure, which transformed into a white light curtain, guarding herself impenetrably.

Generally speaking, when a Nascent Soul cultivator directly sends their Nascent Soul out of their body, it invariably signifies they are about to unleash some life-draining divine ability in a desperate struggle!

Even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would not dare claim to receive such a desperate attack from an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator unscathed; it must be treated with extreme caution. What's more, she only relied on her formidable puppets; her own realm was still that of an early-stage Nascent Soul.

"Go!"

The External Avatar formed a hand seal, injecting terrifying magical power into the Star-Patterned Chessboard.

Between heaven and earth, nineteen vertical and horizontal arcs of light suddenly appeared, completely encompassing the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master and her two Nascent Soul puppets.

"Heaven as the board, stars as the pieces. . . To die beneath this treasure, you should count yourself honored! " Fang Xi snorted coldly. The arcs of light immediately constricted, as if forming a world of their own, a self-contained formation, enveloping the caught-off-guard Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master.

The next moment, Fang Xi immediately withdrew his External Avatar and turned to flee. . .

'I've tried it; this woman is too formidable. I can't handle her. . . '

...

Dozens of breaths later, countless arcs of light exploded, revealing the somewhat exasperated Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master.

With her two great puppets guarding her, she swept her Divine Consciousness across the surroundings, a trace of anger involuntarily surfacing on her face: "He actually ran. . . Does he think that just by dealing with the puppet cores, I'm helpless against him?"

Among her disciples' high-tier puppets, several had been personally bestowed by her, naturally containing many hidden backdoors. At the very least, finding a general direction was not an issue.

However, the Thousand Mechanisms Palace Master gazed in the direction Fang Xi had departed, quietly deliberated for a moment, and then sighed, choosing not to pursue. If the other party had merely been an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, it would have been one thing, but her previous probing had revealed that Fang Xi's divine abilities and magical power were quite remarkable, and he even possessed a void-type Numinous Treasure!

Such a treasure was top-notch for trapping people and for escaping. She had no confidence in keeping him, so there was no need to pursue further and invite humiliation.