Chapter 664: Run!

Xuankong’er was a remarkably talented, intelligent, and cautious individual—but also an especially mischievous one.

On the surface, he was known as the genius craftsman who, in his youth, forged countless demonic artifacts and single-handedly nurtured the rise of the Demonic Realm.

In truth, however, his playful nature eventually led him to abandon the Demonic Realm and descend into the Mortal World, where he created a vast number of puppets in an attempt to control the three realms and indulge his whims. Yet over time, Xuankong’er discovered that manipulating the three realms was surprisingly dull. Thus, he conceived a new idea—to create a rebellious, heaven-defying lifeform with his own hands.

To achieve this, Xuankong’er disguised himself as the Supreme Elder Laojun and used a millennium-old female ghost to create Shui Miao.

He bestowed upon Shui Miao the best asset in the universe—the Purple Fortune Aura.

He also granted Shui Miao knowledge of the Dao of Nature and the Dao of Feng Shui, allowing Shui Miao to explore and comprehend their deeper mysteries.

He simply wanted to see how far Shui Miao could develop with the power of the Purple Fortune Aura.

After receiving these gifts, Shui Miao consistently acted with benevolence. However, his other pursuits—chasing women and accumulating wealth—left Xuankong’er feeling bored. Thus, Xuankong’er deliberately created a personal vendetta for Shui Miao, aiming to awaken his hidden potential in every way.

After Shui Miao began cultivating the Dao, he grew rapidly, becoming increasingly powerful.

Only when Shui Miao forged a supreme self-destructive divine artifact did Xuankong’er realize that this lifeform he had personally created was now beyond his control—and had become a threat.

The power of such a supreme self-destructive divine artifact was simply too immense—it could even kill Xuankong’er himself.

Therefore, Xuankong’er forged the post-natal divine treasure, the Soul-Confusing Mirror. Prior to that, he had already created a puppet divine treasure capable of endlessly replicating others.

The Soul-Confusing Mirror was extremely sharp—it could bewilder any sentient being.

However, after locating Shui Miao, Xuankong’er’s mischievous nature once again caused him to let his guard down.

The universe was simply too vast. Without some amusement, life would be unbearably dull.

When a cat catches a mouse, blind arrogance might cause it to release the mouse again, only to chase and catch it once more, then release it again…

Xuankong’er was exactly this kind of person.

Hiding behind an asteroid, Xuankong’er quickly replicated Xingtian Fazun and Chongyuanzi using his puppet divine treasure, sending them to approach Shui Miao’s Hongyu Chessboard.

Inside the Hongyu Chessboard, Shui Miao was multitasking—forging the fastest flying and escaping artifact while simultaneously keeping watch on his surroundings.

Of course, Shui Miao was merely observing, not fully exerting his power to sense or investigate.

“Brother, we’ve arrived…”

“Brother, brother!?”

The two replicated puppets were indistinguishable from the real Xingtian Fazun and Chongyuanzi in every way, from their aura to every other detail.

How could they have found him?

Shui Miao’s heart stirred. He quickly stood up to check. The figures were indeed Xingtian Fazun and Chongyuanzi.

But something was wrong!

In this boundless universe, how could they possibly have located him?

Ah! Could it be…

At that moment, Shui Miao was with Wenchang Dijun, receiving the Wenchang Qi, which made his mind sharper. Instantly, Shui Miao suspected that Xingtian Fazun and Chongyuanzi had already been eliminated by Xuankong’er, who had then obtained their memories and tracked him down. These two were not real—they were puppets.

“Senior experts, how did you find me?” Shui Miao asked with a respectful bow but did not invite them into the Hongyu Chessboard.

Wenchang Dijun and the others also stood up, watching Xingtian Fazun and Chongyuanzi with expressions of astonishment.

“It’s like this,” Xingtian Fazun said with a smile. “Brother Shui Miao, the Erlang Shen puppet you forged perished together with Xuankong’er, and many other puppets in the Immortal Realm were also destroyed. So we hurried over. Fortunately, you hadn’t gone far.”

Chongyuanzi nodded and added, “We just followed our instincts. Unexpectedly, we got lucky and found you right away.”

…

Shui Miao and the others exchanged glances. Who could possibly believe such a story?

After a pause, Shui Miao calmly nodded. “If that’s the case, then we can return together. But right now, I’m not sure which direction to go. The universe is simply too vast. I need to think carefully. You two can chat while I ponder.”

Still not allowing them into the Hongyu Chessboard, Shui Miao sat cross-legged and immediately began exerting his full power, gathering everyone’s spiritual energy to sense the surroundings.

At the same time, he fully activated the Hongyu Chessboard to prevent these two puppets from self-destructing.

However, due to Xuankong’er’s Soul-Confusing Divine Treasure, Shui Miao’s sensing yielded nothing.

Nonetheless, Shui Miao remained convinced that Xingtian Fazun and Chongyuanzi were puppets. Based on Chongyuanzi’s personality, he would never abandon his duties in the Immortal Realm to come searching for him.

Therefore, Shui Miao focused his attention back on forging the artifact with the fastest possible flight speed.

Wenchang Dijun took over the conversation, chatting casually with the puppets of Chongyuanzi and Xingtian Fazun.

Though Wenchang Dijun’s words seemed ordinary, they subtly contained profound secrets.

After just a few exchanges, Wenchang Dijun was certain—these two were definitely impostors.

“Heh, still quite alert, huh?” Xuankong’er, hidden behind the asteroid, thought to himself. A sudden wave of impatience surged within him, making him feel that this game was no longer fun. Then, with a sinister chuckle, he whispered, “Since you’ve seen through it, I’ll make you suffer a bit first. I want to see how you manage to turn the tables in adversity.”

At Xuankong’er’s will, the two puppets suddenly self-destructed!

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

The violent explosions released terrifying shockwaves, instantly sending the Hongyu Chessboard flying backward at an incredible speed. In the vacuum of space, even the slightest force could propel objects rapidly. Fortunately, the Hongyu Chessboard remained largely undamaged, as its defensive power was extremely formidable—nearly indestructible even in the Immortal Realm.

The shockwaves even blasted away the asteroid where Xuankong’er had been hiding.

The puppets created by Xuankong’er had their explosive power significantly weakened.

Deep in the cosmos, Xingtian Fazun—who had been following Xuankong’er but had lost his way—immediately regained his bearings upon hearing the explosion.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Shui Miao reacted quickly. While being blown away, he immediately poured his full strength into the Hongyu Chessboard, fleeing at top speed.

Xuankong’er had arrived—he had no choice but to escape!

“Cursed!”

“How could this happen!?”

Xuankong’er had not anticipated this. His body was sent spinning by the shockwave, losing his orientation momentarily. The five hundred Erlang Shen puppets he had created scattered in all directions like popcorn bursting from a pan.

“Huff!”

“Ha ha ha… Xuankong’er, I’ve finally found you. Die for me!”

Suddenly, a black shadow shot forth, slamming directly into Xuankong’er.

The shadow was none other than Xingtian Fazun himself.

Xingtian Fazun tightly embraced Xuankong’er, his bloodshot eyes filled with terrifying madness.

“Boom!”

Without hesitation, Xingtian Fazun, carrying his supreme divine artifacts, detonated himself in a massive explosion!