sbdcsierra Chapter 1826 stumbled into an even bigger predicament.
Chapter 1826 stumbled into an even bigger predicament.
The mysterious hooded puppet slowly rose, facing Mingchuan and Lingxu Zhenren without much fear; only its dry voice sounded even more eerie.
"You two have quite the methods. It seems Zhan Xiong and his men have indeed fallen. However, I advise you to stop here. This pool is deeper than you imagine. Knowing too much will not do you any good."
"Oh?" Mingchuan looked at him. "Are you threatening us?"
"Just a friendly reminder." Shadow Puppet chuckled. "Some beings are not to be trifled with. Handing over the jade slip and leaving Shaquan Village might be the best way to protect yourselves."
"What if we say no?" Crimson Fox's voice suddenly rang out from the other side of the hall!
Unbeknownst to them, he, Qingmianhu, and Ye Yan had also quietly sneaked into the hall and blocked the other exit!
The shadow puppet's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Black Viper and the others turned ashen-faced!
How many people did they send? And why did they appear and disappear so mysteriously?!
Shadow Puppet was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed: "Since that's the case... then you can't blame me."
He suddenly raised his hand and ripped off his hooded robe!
Its true form was revealed.
That was not human, but a puppet body that was entirely black, with a metallic sheen, and dark red energy flowing through its joints!
The puppet's face was as smooth as a mirror, with only two points of scarlet light flashing around its eyes.
"kill!"
The puppet emitted a cold, synthesized electronic voice, and its arms suddenly transformed into two dark cannon barrels, aimed at Mingchuan and Lingxu Zhenren, with dark red energy rapidly converging!
At the same time, a dark golden crystal on its chest suddenly lit up, exactly the same as the mark in the bounty jade slip!
A massive, chaotic yet strangely orderly energy surge suddenly erupted!
"Be careful! It's a combat puppet! And the energy core is wrong!" the Blue-Faced Fox warned urgently.
"Little tricks."
Master Lingxu snorted coldly, without even moving, but simply flicked his sleeve lightly towards the puppet.
An invisible yet overwhelming force of spatial confinement descended instantly!
The light from the cannon that was charging the puppet suddenly went out, and its entire body froze in place like an insect frozen in amber, even the red light in its eyes solidified!
With another wave of his hand, Master Lingxu sent the dark golden crystal from the puppet's chest flying out and landing in his palm.
Having lost its energy core, the red light in the puppet's eyes dimmed completely, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud, becoming a pile of scrap metal.
From the moment the puppet erupted to its eventual subjugation, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
Black Viper and the others were completely terrified, slumped in their chairs, unable to even muster the thought of escaping.
Master Lingxu carefully examined the dark golden crystal in his hand, his expression growing increasingly solemn.
"This crystal... is not simply an energy or control core. Sealed within it is an extremely pure yet contradictory divine soul imprint, possessing both the Vajra vow power of Buddhism and an ancient, savage, and malevolent aura, as well as a trace of a fragment of rules from the higher realm!"
He looked at Mingchuan and said in a deep voice, "The person who crafted this item is no less powerful than me, and their power system is extremely complex and bizarre. The waters behind this so-called bounty are probably unfathomable. It may not be aimed at us; perhaps... we just happened to stumble into a much larger scheme."
Mingchuan looked at the ashen-faced Black Viper: "Besides this puppet and the bounty, how many other times have you been in contact with them? What were their characteristics? What was the delivery method? What was the deposit?"
A series of questions pounded on Black Viper's heart like cold raindrops.
He dared not conceal anything and hurriedly said, "I...I've only had contact with it twice! The first time was with this puppet...the shadow puppet suddenly appeared in my secret chamber, leaving behind a bounty jade slip and a deposit. The deposit was...a thousand high-grade spirit stones, and...and a bottle of Blood Fiend Nascent Soul Pill..."
Blood Fiend Infant Condensation Pill?
Upon hearing this name, both Ye Yan and Master Lingxu frowned simultaneously.
"The Blood Fiend Nascent Soul Pill is a demonic and evil pill, made primarily from the essence, blood, and soul of living beings. After consumption, it can forcibly raise a Nascent Soul cultivator by one small realm, but it has extremely hidden dangers. It will erode one's mind and make it impossible to reach the Divine Transformation stage for life."
Master Lingxu said coldly, "It seems that the other party is not only wealthy and powerful, but also quite familiar with demonic artifacts."
Black Viper nodded hurriedly: "Yes...yes! I hesitated at the time, but this pill...was too tempting for me. I've been stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for nearly a hundred years, and my lifespan is about to end...that Shadow Puppet said that after the matter is accomplished, there will be even more generous rewards and...and a way to resolve the hidden dangers of the pill."
Mingchuan continued, "And the second contact?"
"The second time was today... Before Zhan Xiong and the others set off, Ying Kui came again, confirmed the action plan, and... and gave me a talisman, saying that if I encountered a powerful enemy that I couldn't handle, I could activate the talisman and someone would come to meet me."
As Black Viper spoke, he pulled a dark red talisman from his robes with trembling hands.
The talisman was made of a special material, neither paper nor silk, and was cold to the touch. It was decorated with complex and eerie patterns outlined in dark gold blood, and faintly emitted energy fluctuations that were of the same origin as the puppet's core, but even more subtle.
Master Lingxu remotely took the talisman into his hand, examined it carefully, and his expression became increasingly solemn.
"This talisman contains a directional teleportation coordinate and an extremely subtle soul mark. Once activated, it will not only teleport the activator to a preset location, but also mark the activator's soul. It is probably... a backup plan for some kind of control or tracking."
He looked at the black viper: "Do you know where this talisman will go after it is activated?"
Black Viper shook his head blankly: "I...I don't know. Shadow Puppet only said that this is a life-saving item, and should not be used unless absolutely necessary."
"Save my life?" The Crimson Flame Fox scoffed. "More like a death warrant! If they send you there, you'll either be silenced or completely controlled, becoming their puppet!"
Black Viper felt a chill run down his spine and was filled with lingering fear.
If I had used that talisman in my haste, my fate would probably have been a hundred times worse than it is now.
Mingchuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Has there been any other unusual activity in Shaquan Village recently? For example, have any cultivators of unknown origin appeared who are very generous? Or, are there any rumors or strange phenomena related to Buddhism, ancient evil spirits, or higher realms?"
Black Viper tried to recall, and after a moment, hesitated and said, "Something seems amiss... About half a month ago, a few strangely dressed monks came to the market. They wore drab gray robes, but they weren't as dignified as the monks of Dafan Temple. Instead... instead, they gave off a very fierce feeling. They stayed at the Old Camel Tavern for a few days, had contact with the gray rats a few times, and then disappeared."
"And... regarding the strange phenomena, in the depths of the Lost Desert, explorers have recently been saying that in the direction of the Fallen Star Wasteland, strange dark golden pillars of light can occasionally be seen shooting into the sky at night, accompanied by faint chanting and beast-like roars, which is very eerie."
"But because Fallen Star Wasteland is inherently dangerous, few people dare to explore it, and the information is uncertain."