Chapter 154: The Mysterious Puppets
Chapter 154: The Mysterious Puppets
The Sky Passage looked like a giant demonic eye filled with blood vessels, staring down at the entire Two Realms Mountain and even the whole Barbarian Continent, bringing invisible pressure and fear to all things.
Violent tremors continued to occur.
The Evil Cultivators from Yanfu Mountain arrived just in time.
But at this moment, no one was in the mood to care for or welcome the Evil Cultivators who had traveled from far away. Honglian and the others had already spread out to various corners of Two Realms Mountain to prepare for battle, leaving only the peak of Two Realms Mountain for the Evil Cultivators from Yanfu Mountain to occupy.
Although everyone had doubts about the character of the Evil Cultivators from Yanfu Mountain, they had to reluctantly follow the plan out of trust for Honglian and Lu Hangzhi, as well as the urgency of the situation.
“I hope the people from Yanfu Mountain prioritize the greater good, otherwise…”
A cultivator started to speak but suddenly found he couldn’t continue.
If the righteous and the evil did not cooperate, the only outcome would be the complete fall of the Barbarian Continent, with all things and spirits destroyed.
Just then.
Over a thousand cultivators surged up Two Realms Mountain.
Each of them had a cold expression, arrogant eyes, and a menacing aura. Wherever they passed, even seasoned veterans who frequented Two Realms Mountain did not dare to meet the gaze of these imposing Evil Cultivators.
“The leader looks very familiar.”
“It seems to be Commander Lu.”
“Why is he mingling with the people from Yanfu Mountain?”
“That’s right…”
Under the watchful eyes of the Mind Focusing Cultivators from the Eight Great Sects of Two Realms Mountain, Lu Hangzhi, Situ, and Biluo led over a thousand capable Evil Cultivators from Yanfu Mountain straight to the mountain peak.
“Luckily, we’re not late.”
Lu Hangzhi secretly wiped his sweat and felt relieved: Fortunately, they received the news midway and changed their route directly to Two Realms Mountain, otherwise it would have been truly irreversible.
“Hangzhi!”
At the peak of Two Realms Mountain, Honglian personally came forward to greet him. She cautiously scanned the group of Evil Cultivators behind Biluo and secretly transmitted her voice: “Can these people be trusted?” She deliberately avoided Biluo’s gaze because he was a long-established Immortal Lord of Mystic Light, whose strength, status, and identity were beyond her level to judge or examine.
“Now is not the time to discuss this. Take me to see the Blood Fiends’ corpses.”
Lu Hangzhi interrupted without hesitation, not stopping for a moment.
Blood Fiends?
Honglian was startled but quickly realized that Hangzhi was referring to those monsters whose bodies were as strong as Magical Artifacts.
The group arrived in front of the remaining corpses that had not yet been disposed of.
Just as Lu Hangzhi was about to step forward, a figure had already landed in front of the corpses ahead of him. Without any courtesy, he picked up half of a Blood Fiend’s head and examined it closely.
The expert from the First Evil Sect, Immortal Lord Biluo!
“Hiss…”
“It really is hard.”
After fiddling with the head for a moment, he flicked a strand of Sword Qi onto the skull.
Pop!
The skull was pierced with a hole the size of a thumb, startling Honglian and the cultivators beside her.
A casual strike could pierce a Magical Artifact-level body. He truly lived up to being the number one in the Evil Sect.
The group exchanged relieved looks.
Previously, everyone was panicked because no one had the ability to harm these monsters’ bodies. Now, seeing Immortal Lord Biluo easily pierce the monster’s skull with their own eyes, they felt much more at ease.
Biluo casually threw the Blood Fiend’s skull into his own Storage Ring without saying a word.
“…”
A group of Evil Cultivators also began to collect the nearby Blood Fiend corpse fragments, leaving Honglian and the other cultivators speechless and stunned.
These people really have no manners!
But now was not the time to dwell on that.
Honglian chose to turn a blind eye to the Evil Cultivators’ behavior and fixed her gaze on Lu Hangzhi:
“Hangzhi, did you just say these monsters are called Blood Fiends?”
“Let me introduce you. This is Lady Situ, who uncovered the Demon Army’s plans in advance. She was also the one who invited Immortal Lord Biluo and the friends from Yanfu Mountain.”
Lu Hangzhi introduced Situ Chuyun beside him.
Immortal Lord?
Honglian was immediately startled.
“Greetings, Immortal Lord Situ.”
“Now is not the time to discuss such matters in detail. Twenty vanguard Blood Fiends are the standard configuration for the Demon Army to scout the Lower Realm. The treasures they carry will relay everything here back to the leaders in the Medium Realm.”
“Treasures?”
Lu Hangzhi, Honglian, and Biluo all focused their attention on her.
“It’s the Blood Fiends’ eyeballs.”
Situ explained:
“Blood Fiends’ eyeballs have a brief recording function. The images remain for a while after death, so almost all vanguard Blood Fiends have one eyeball removed before setting out.”
Everyone was horrified.
Biluo immediately took out the half skull he had stored earlier and carefully examined it. “Indeed, there are traces of tampering.”
With this confirmation, the cultivators broke out in goosebumps. Even the Evil Cultivators with strange hobbies couldn’t help but show fear in their eyes:
Removing an eyeball before battle.
The Demonic Fiends truly are cruel!
“Lady Situ, according to what you said, all our actions have actually been seen by the Demon Army in that world.”
Lu Hangzhi thought of a grim possibility.
“I understand your concern.”
Situ explained, “After a Blood Fiend dies, the images in its eyeballs don’t last long, usually only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The Demon Army generally judges based on the images seen before death. Therefore, the Demon Army probably doesn’t know about our arrival at Two Realms Mountain.”
The group immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Being watched by the Demon Army was never a pleasant experience.
Just then, all the cultivators on the mountain peak felt an inexplicable palpitation. Simultaneously, they looked up, their gazes focusing on the Sky Passage.
“They’re coming!”
“The aura of Blood Fiends!”
Situ stepped forward from the crowd and said with a grave tone:
“I excel in the Sound Wave Law and can trap no more than twenty Blood Fiends. Immortal Lord Biluo, Hangzhi, the task of killing the Blood Fiends falls to you.”
“Alright!” “Understood.” Both nodded simultaneously.
Lu Hangzhi took a deep breath and quickly set up a Sword Formation on the spot.
“Remember this well! Blood Fiends are not easy to kill. They only die when their heads are cut off or their hearts are shattered. Otherwise, no matter how severely injured they are, as long as they absorb enough blood, they can quickly regenerate lost limbs. So, when you strike, you must aim for the vital spots: the head and the heart.”
Situ earnestly reminded them again.
Everyone grew more apprehensive.
Even the highly confident Evil Cultivators hesitated at this moment.
Lu Hangzhi focused his mind. While casting the Activation Art as preparatory combat maneuvers, he effortlessly deployed three layers of Sword Formations. He gently stroked the Spiritual Insects nestled at his collar, as warm and smooth as jade, resembling sleeping silkworms. The Mirror Spirit Cat also watched the insects with wide, fascinated eyes. Taking a deep breath, Lu Hangzhi tossed out a Matrix Tower.
Boom!
The Matrix Tower took root at the very peak of the Two Realms Mountain.
Lu Hangzhi unceremoniously walked inside.
The Blood Fiend was a demon from the Life and Death Realm, its power extraordinary. Although Lu Hangzhi possessed Law Sword Qi comparable to that of an Immortal Lord at the Mystic Light Stage, his self-preservation capability was nearly zero. His only hope lay in the Matrix Tower, hard as Magical Artifacts, and its Defensive Barrier to withstand the Blood Fiend’s attacks.
The three stood atop the mountain peak in a triangular formation!
Situ faced outward, twin Mithril tridents held reverse-handed, his gaze clear and fixed on the Sky Passage.
Within the Sky Passage, hundreds of Spatial Fissures in the Spatial Rift Formation shimmered faintly with white light. Their erratic movements quickened, growing intensely active, clearly sensing the approach of a powerful aura from the Mystic Light Stage.
Biluo stood on the other side of Lu Hangzhi.
Without anyone noticing, a male and a female black humanoid puppet had appeared beside Biluo, and he was speaking to them.
“I know,” Biluo began, “the reason you’ve been unwilling to submit to me all this time is your fear that I might use your bodies to attack righteous cultivators and bring suffering to the world.”
“But take a look! Do you see where this is?”
The puppets, seemingly crafted from obsidian, turned their heads to survey the Two Realms Mountain:
“The Two Realms Mountain!”
“How did you end up here?”
Their tones were filled with shock.
Biluo offered a bitter smile and produced a piece of the Blood Fiend’s skull:
“Starting today, the Barbarian Continent isn’t being invaded by those lowly, weak Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts… See this? A Mystic Light Stage Blood Fiend!
“How can that be?”
“The reason I don’t know, but the fact remains that the Sky Passage cannot stop invasions by Mystic Light Stage demonic fiends! That means the only ones who can step up to resist the Demon Army now are relics like us! Yet, now, where are the elders of the Seven Great Sects? Nowhere! I, Biluo, stand ready to face the vanguard! To fight the first battle! If you two remain stubbornly unyielding, refusing to open your minds and form a contract with me, the moment the Barbarian Continent falls to ruin, all your cherished hopes will go up in smoke!”
“You…”
Lu Hangzhi, listening intently from within the Matrix Tower, found himself breaking out in a cold sweat.
This Biluo truly remained irredeemably sinister!
He was actually exploiting the demonic invasion to force a contract upon two souls possessing Mystic Light Stage cultivation!
“Hmph! Compared to you, the other two on Two Realms Mountain seem vastly more reliable!” retorted one puppet.
The souls within the puppets must have been Immortal Lords from some bygone era of the Barbarian Continent; their Spiritual Sense was overwhelmingly powerful. Lu Hangzhi felt an immense wave wash over him, leaving him with an unsettling sense of being utterly seen through, unable to hide – evoking awe and dread.
So strong!
Realizing the true might contained within the souls residing in these puppets was as deep and unfathomable as an ocean, Lu Hangzhi felt a chill.
No wonder they had persisted for centuries under Immortal Lord Biluo’s control!
These two were undoubtedly far stronger than Immortal Lord Biluo himself!
Situ had also noticed the state of the puppets beside Biluo, his gaze sharpening.
Biluo remained unperturbed, laughing heartily:
“Unfortunately for you, that Mystic Light Stage cultivator didn’t cultivate the Soul Path. Attaching yourselves to him would be pointless! You have only two choices now: submit to me, or bear witness as the Barbarian Continent is plunged into chaos…”
“Hmph,” the male puppet replied. “That young lady who reached the peak Mystic Light Stage follows the path of Ghost-Killing Melody. Indeed unsuited to command us. However… the youngster inside that Matrix Tower. Only sixteen-years-old. A true Sword Path cultivator. Remarkable talent. Far better, in every way, than you, old geezer Biluo!”
Immortal Lord Biluo was stunned; he instinctively looked towards the Matrix Tower.
Before he could fully process the words, two wisps of green smoke emerged from the male and female puppets.
They streaked through the air and shot straight into the Matrix Tower.
The grand Defensive Barrier of the Matrix Tower, designed by one of the Seven Great Sects, the Yuding Sect, offered absolutely no resistance to their entry…
What?
What the hell?
Lu Hangzhi was caught completely off guard.
The Mirror Spirit Cat reacted instantly, fur bristling with a soft “Fsshh!”, pupils slitting vertically as it fiercely stared at the eerie pair of male and female souls that had abruptly manifested on the second level of the Matrix Tower.
“A formidable concentration of Magic Power…” murmured the male spirit, his voice surprisingly warm. “Hmm? Spiritual Insects. A Spirit Beast with a Mutated Bloodline. A solid Epiphany Stage, Twelfth Grade cultivation foundation… This lad has encountered quite a few remarkable things.” He chuckled softly. “Had we crossed paths with a seedling like you earlier, little fellow, why would we have wasted centuries tied to that Biluo runt? Your cultivation in Soul Path Art Techniques is excellent – capable of creating an Initial Profound Light Stage Clone. Consider yourself fortunate today.” His tone suddenly turned urgent. “Remember this well! Journey to the Ancient Primordial Land! Find a girl named Ran Qianqian! Tell her… tell her that her parents have always been exiled… exiled in the Lower Realm!”
Wait!
Hold on!
What? What is all this?! Explain clearly before you…!
Before Lu Hangzhi could finish, a torrent of immense Spiritual Sense information flooded into his mind. Immediately, the Divine Thought Clone Technique activated spontaneously!
Two distinct spiritual markers flew out, latching onto the soul forms of the man and woman before him.
This is all wrong!
What kind of situation is it when the puppets of a First Order Evil Cultivator throw themselves at you?!
Lu Hangzhi felt disaster looming like flames about to engulf his backyard! Aahhhhhhhh!!!!