The other two cultivators fled into the distance, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye. The burly man, still mounted on his giant tiger, remained motionless, coldly watching their retreat without any intention of pursuit.
Han Li, hidden within the clouds, found this peculiar. Given the man’s earlier ruthless and cold-blooded demeanor, it seemed unlikely he would simply let them escape. Could there be another trick up his sleeve?
As Han Li was lost in speculation, the burly man’s icy voice suddenly rang out from below: “You there, watching this show for so long—have you finally found the perfect moment to play the fisherman and reap the rewards? Isn’t it time you made your move?”
Han Li was startled.
“Could he have detected me even at this altitude?”
The thought made him swallow dryly, his heart leaping into his throat.
Having witnessed the power of these mechanical puppets, Han Li had no desire to end up like the other cultivators—sitting ducks in the sky, perfect targets for the giant tiger’s attacks.
The speed and destructive force of those super beams were terrifying! By Han Li’s estimation, facing them head-on would require him to push his Divine Wind Boat to its limits, evading continuously to have any hope of survival.
After a moment’s consideration, Han Li felt an urge to flee immediately, avoiding any risk of calamity. But when he glanced again at the burly man’s actions, that thought vanished as quickly as it came.
The puppets surrounding the burly man were not aiming their weapons toward Han Li’s high altitude but were instead directed at a small mound of earth not far away.
Han Li was so shocked he nearly bit his tongue.
There was actually a third person here, and he hadn’t sensed them at all.
With a rustling sound, the soil on the mound shifted, and a figure emerged—the same peculiar man with a gray cloth bag over his head who had previously confronted the burly man.
“So it’s you!”
“Who are you? You seem to know something about the secrets of these puppet beasts!”
The burly man’s eyes were icy and fierce as he glared at the strange figure.
“Huang Long, it’s been so many years, yet your temper remains as fiery as ever!” After a moment of silence, the bag-headed man spoke words that stunned both the burly man and the eavesdropping Han Li.
“How do you know my name? Which old acquaintance are you?”
The burly man, surprised that his identity had been exposed, saw no point in hiding it. He tore off his hood, revealing a fierce-looking face with short, scorched-yellow hair.
“Why have you abandoned your role as Dharma King of the Thousand Bamboo Sect to come here from thousands of miles away? Is it for the half-volume of the Great Development Art hidden within these puppet beasts?” The bag-headed man ignored the burly man’s actions, speaking slowly and deliberately.
“If you don’t reveal your identity, don’t blame me for what happens next!” Huang Long’s expression darkened as the other’s words struck at his most hidden secrets.
“Have you forgotten who secretly taught you the first layer of the Great Development Art?”
After a moment of hesitation, the bag-headed man spoke again, causing Huang Long to pale and stagger backward.
“Senior Brother Lin? No… Senior Brother Lin passed away years ago. How dare you mock me! I’ll take your life!”
Enraged, Huang Long waved his hand, and the hundred puppets surrounding him stepped forward, encircling the bag-headed man.
“It seems Junior Brother Huang hasn’t forgotten our past bonds. I am relieved.” The bag-headed man’s eyes softened as he removed the cloth bag, revealing his true face.
“Senior Brother Lin!”
“Uncle Lin!”
Huang Long and Han Li, who had been closely watching the situation, exclaimed almost simultaneously—Huang Long aloud, Han Li in silent shock.
The bag-headed man was none other than the elderly Lin whom Han Li had met when he first entered Yellow Maple Valley—the old man who loved carving. Han Li remembered him vividly because of the lifelike and adorable little monkey carvings he had seen.
“It really is you, Senior Brother Lin! But how have you aged so much? And weren’t you already…”
Even after calling out his name, Huang Long couldn’t believe it. He scrutinized the man carefully before joyfully grabbing his hands, his face filled with emotion.
“Haha! Junior Brother Huang, I only faked my death back then. The one who died was… What are you doing?”
Uncle Lin, who had been smiling, suddenly turned pale with shock and fury. He shook off Huang Long’s hands, revealing two deep, black-blooded holes on his wrists—clearly poisoned.
“Senior Brother Lin, your mind hasn’t deteriorated after all these years on the run. But how could you be so careless as to let me injure your wrists? Tsk, tsk! That’s the Black Thread Gu I went through great pains to obtain from the Gu Poison Sect. It won’t be easy to cleanse! This is all your fault, Senior Brother. If you were going to fake your death, you should have stayed hidden. Why contact old subordinates and plot to steal the other half of the Great Development Art? Our current Golden Sect Leader was not pleased and sent me to eliminate you once and for all!” Huang Long sneered coldly.
“Fine! Fine! What a devoted junior brother you are!”
In his rage, Uncle Lin quickly calmed himself. He swiftly circulated his energy to force out some of the poisoned blood, then produced a green jade bottle and poured its entire contents—a yellow powder—into his mouth. His eyes fixed coldly on Huang Long as he spoke: “I suppose the messages from my loyal subordinate were all fake! There was never any half-volume of the Great Development Art in the puppet beasts. This was all a trap to lure me out! But what I don’t understand is how the secret shop cooperated with you so thoroughly?”
“Wealth moves hearts—this saying from the mortal world holds true even in the cultivation world! As long as our sect offered enough benefits, there was nothing we couldn’t accomplish!” Huang Long smirked.
He then turned toward a nearby grove and shouted, “Come out, everyone! Let’s all meet the once handsome and dashing son of the former sect leader, the great Senior Brother Lin!”
“Hehe! I’ve long heard of Senior Brother Lin’s reputation, but I joined too late to have the honor of meeting him!”
“Hmph! What Senior Brother Lin? He’s nothing but a stray dog now!”
A delicate woman’s voice and a rough, jealous man’s voice echoed from the grove as two figures—a man and a woman—emerged side by side.
“Let me introduce you, Senior Brother. These two are newly appointed Dharma Kings of our sect…”
Huang Long was about to mock the senior brother who had once overshadowed him, but before he could finish, Uncle Lin, realizing he had fallen into a trap, suddenly began moving rapidly. His hands waved wildly, scattering countless glowing black dots around him.
In an instant, countless lights flickered on the ground, and fully armed puppet soldiers materialized around him, growing from small to large until two hundred of them stood in formation—a spectacular sight.
“Be careful! He’s reached the third layer of the Great Development Art and can control this many puppets! Everyone, focus on restraining him. Don’t let him escape! Once the poison takes effect, even with his extraordinary skills, he’ll have no choice but to surrender.”
With that, Huang Long commanded his puppets to attack. The man and woman exchanged a glance before releasing over two hundred puppet beasts to join the assault.
Thus, an extraordinary puppet battle commenced. Multicolored light arrows and beams crisscrossed the sky, while below, soldiers and mechanical beasts clashed in close combat. Han Li, watching from above, was utterly stunned.
Though he didn’t fully understand the situation, he had grasped the general idea.
This Uncle Lin had apparently been a member of the Thousand Bamboo Sect before joining Yellow Maple Valley—and was even the son of a former sect leader! But now, having fallen from power, he had hidden in Yellow Maple Valley until now. His attempt to obtain the Great Development Art had led the new sect leader to send his former comrades to eliminate him.
Once Han Li pieced this together, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Seeing the intense battle below, he knew this was far beyond the capabilities of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself. It was best to extricate himself early to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Understanding the stakes, Han Li retracted his Green Flame Barrier and pushed his Divine Wind Boat to its limits, transforming into a long white streak that shot across the sky.
The commotion Han Li caused was too great to go unnoticed by the four combatants below. Startled, they momentarily eased their attacks.
None had expected another person to have been eavesdropping all along, likely hearing many of their secrets. But seeing Han Li wisely fleeing rather than intervening, they exchanged glances and returned to their battle without another word.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage