When the humanoid puppet saw the sword light coming at it, it didn’t make many moves. It merely tapped a finger lightly at the silver shield in front of it. Instantly, a flash of spiritual light appeared on the shield, and suddenly, a solid, condensed light shield several times larger than the original materialized from it. The shield, glowing white and misty, flew out directly to meet the attack.
Under Han Li’s watchful gaze, the sword light mercilessly struck the light shield. With a loud explosion, white light and cold radiance intertwined, flickering unsteadily. Yet, the light shield remained as immovable as a rock in a raging torrent, effortlessly blocking all the sword light, seemingly with energy to spare.
The expression of the Bitter Bamboo Elder changed, and even Han Li’s calm face flickered with a trace of surprise.
“It seems the power of this Yuan Gang Shield exceeds expectations. Although it’s a newly refined treasure and hasn’t had time for extensive cultivation, it appears fully capable of withstanding ordinary magical attacks. However, to unleash its defensive capabilities to this extent—only this puppet could achieve it. If you were to wield this shield, you’d be lucky to exert half its current power,” the Great Divination Sage transmitted.
“Naturally. The extent to which we cultivators can unleash a treasure’s power depends on the treasure’s inherent might, the amount of spiritual energy infused into it, and the control exerted by our divine sense. How much spiritual power can be stored and how much can be released at once—these are the fundamental aspects of cultivation. Advancing in realm is merely a series of leaps in this process. This puppet was forged from various rare materials and can channel spiritual energy three times greater than what I can manage. Naturally, I cannot compare,” Han Li replied without surprise.
After days of personal instruction from the Great Divination Sage in puppetry, Han Li had reached an extremely high level of mastery—perhaps not yet on par with the Sage himself, but certainly no less than the other renowned puppet masters of the human world.
“Heh, although the Yuan Gang Shield was refined by your main body before being handed over to the puppet, its forging was entirely tailored to this humanoid puppet’s characteristics. It was never an ordinary treasure to begin with. Even if you infused the shield with the same amount of spiritual energy as the puppet, you still wouldn’t be able to unleash its full power,” the Great Divination Sage added indifferently.
This time, Han Li nodded but did not respond further.
In the distance, after repeatedly urging his sword light to no avail against the light shield, the Bitter Bamboo Elder finally activated another attack from the sword formation above his head.
With a point of his finger at the flying swords in the air, a chorus of sword hums rang out, and all the swords shot toward a single point in the sky as if summoned. Amidst flashes of sword light, a sword wheel with a diameter of several zhang materialized high above.
After the Bitter Bamboo Elder rapidly incanted several spells, the sword wheel suddenly began to rotate, spinning faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, its center became blindingly bright, and a thick green beam of light shot out from its core, smashing violently into the massive light shield.
A low, muffled explosion sounded as a colossal green orb erupted on the shield’s surface. The orb was so immense that it immediately caused the center of the shield to cave inward, deforming further until the shield finally showed signs of faltering.
At this moment, the humanoid puppet raised a hand and tapped the silver shield. The light shield instantly disintegrated into scattered motes of white light. The previously blocked green orb, now unimpeded, surged downward with ferocious momentum, slamming directly into the silver shield’s true form.
The silver shield trembled violently but did not shatter. Instead, in that instant, it erupted with a mercury-like radiance, its surface becoming as smooth as a mirror. Under the silver glow, the green orb convulsed violently, countless streaks of green light scattering in all directions. In moments, the orb had shrunk by more than half.
Then, the silver shield tilted slightly, its surface blazing with silver radiance. The remaining green mass was repelled upward in the light, flashing once in the sky before exploding into nothingness.
The Bitter Bamboo Elder took a deep breath, his shock now impossible to conceal. He stared fixedly at the puppet opposite him, his face grave.
Though he hadn’t unleashed the full might of his sword formation, the fact that his opponent had effortlessly blocked all his attacks with just a shield spoke volumes of its unfathomable power. He hesitated—should he activate the sword formation’s ultimate technique?
“Enough. Since the Yuan Gang Shield has such power, there’s no need to test the Five Elements Barrier. The barrier, activated by Five Elements Jade, won’t be inferior to this shield. Now, let’s test the puppet’s offensive capabilities,” the Great Divination Sage transmitted, clearly satisfied with the shield’s performance.
“Understood,” Han Li replied calmly.
The humanoid puppet immediately reacted, its eyes flashing with violet light. Without a word, it rubbed its hands together, and a faint red glow flickered between them. A blinding flash later, a small red bow appeared in its grasp—only a few inches long, exquisitely crafted, with bow limbs shaped like flood dragons, scales clearly visible.
“The Piercing Flood Dragon Bow!” the Bitter Bamboo Elder blurted out in shock.
“This is not the Piercing Flood Dragon Bow, but my imitation—the Thunderfire Bow. A word of warning: this bow was also forged from flood dragon sinew, and its power surpasses the original,” the puppet stated emotionlessly, its words sending a chill down the elder’s spine.
With one hand, the puppet gripped the small red bow. The other hand crackled with thunder, and a tiny emerald arrow appeared between its fingers.
A rapid incantation spilled from its mouth, and instantly, the bow and arrow blazed with light, swelling to normal size. Runes shimmered across their surfaces—flames engulfed the bow, while golden arcs danced along the arrow, accompanied by the ceaseless roar of thunder.
The puppet nocked the arrow, drew the bowstring, and aimed at its opponent. Before releasing, golden arcs and crimson flames intertwined, the air trembling with a deafening rumble.
Then, an overwhelming spiritual pressure erupted from the puppet, unfettered, spreading outward like a tidal wave.
The distant Golden Core cultivators watching the battle gasped for breath as the spiritual wave struck. Their protective auras flickered unsteadily, and those with weaker cultivation paled, hastily retreating further.
“Stop! There’s no need to continue—I concede!” the Bitter Bamboo Elder shouted, his face ashen as he sensed the puppet’s spiritual energy.
Despite his words, he didn’t neglect his defenses. With a flip of his hand, a triangular talisman shot out, expanding into a shield of green, red, and yellow light before him. Simultaneously, he summoned the sword wheel, which dissolved into hundreds of flying swords swirling protectively around him.
The elder’s extreme caution surprised Han Li, who arched a brow and transmitted to the Great Divination Sage, “Is the Thunderfire Bow truly so formidable? He seems terrified.”
“Any treasure capable of channeling spiritual energy equivalent to a late Nascent Soul cultivator is not to be underestimated. Moreover, your bow and arrow are no ordinary items—one forged from the bones and sinew of a Crimson Fire Flood Dragon, the other modified from your Golden Lightning Bamboo arrow. The combined power is not merely additive. It’s no surprise he feels threatened—he’s not a late Nascent Soul cultivator. If you let the puppet go all out, there’s a forty percent chance this arrow could kill the master of Bitter Bamboo Island in one shot. Care to try?” the Sage sneered.
“Forty percent? No, obtaining the Black Phoenix Feather is more important. If the arrow fails and he activates the island’s restrictions, we’ll be in trouble. A man of his reputation surely has survival techniques we don’t know about—best not to overreach. I’m not bloodthirsty, nor do I kill without reason. It’s just a pity we won’t get to test the puppet’s full offensive power,” Han Li replied inwardly, shaking his head.
“No matter. Seeing it effortlessly suppress a peak mid-Nascent Soul cultivator confirms its power rivals a late-stage Nascent Soul. I have no regrets—my life’s work wasn’t in vain,” the Great Divination Sage murmured with a sigh.
A shadow of sorrow flickered through Han Li’s eyes.
Almost simultaneously, the puppet’s terrifying spiritual pressure gradually receded. The bow lowered, shrinking back to its original size, flames and golden arcs vanishing.
Relief washed over the Bitter Bamboo Elder, his back drenched in cold sweat. The moment the bow had aimed at him, he’d genuinely felt the specter of death. Now, between the puppet’s abilities and that overwhelming spiritual pressure, he was certain this was a late Nascent Soul cultivator. Emerging from seclusion to meet these two had been the right choice—he doubted the island’s Ten Thousand Trees Formation could withstand the wrath of a Great Cultivator, especially with another Nascent Soul cultivator of his level accompanying them.
Seeing the puppet stow its treasures, the elder recalled his own flying swords and talisman, then gestured for Han Li and the puppet to descend, leading them back into the wooden hall.
This time, the master of Bitter Bamboo Island was exceedingly courteous. Without hesitation, he ordered his late Golden Core disciple to retrieve the Black Phoenix Feather, while he himself probed Han Li for information about their origins. After all, the Great Jin’s late Nascent Soul cultivators were few, and none matched this humanoid puppet’s description—naturally, this unsettled him.
The puppet sat expressionlessly in silence, while Han Li chatted amiably with the island master, skillfully evading all inquiries about their background. The elder could only smile wryly in resignation.
A quarter-hour later, the old man returned with a jade box, presenting it respectfully to his master.
After a glance at Han Li and the puppet, the Bitter Bamboo Elder flicked his sleeve, sending the box flying toward Han Li. By now, he’d discerned that the formidable “Li” cultivator preferred not to engage, so he wisely directed the transaction to Han Li.
Han Li accepted the box without ceremony. As he lifted the lid, a dazzling red light spilled out. Squinting, his face broke into a pleased smile.
By midday, Han Li and the humanoid puppet soared away from Bitter Bamboo Island, two streaks of light vanishing into the horizon.
In the blink of an eye, they were gone without a trace.
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