Whose puppet was that?

The crowd's will to fight instantly evaporated. They scrambled to flee, dragging the unconscious talents with them, terrified the puppet would catch up.

「...」

In a certain valley, the scenery was picturesque; the mountains were bright, the waters clear, birds sang, and flowers filled the air with their fragrance. A faint mist enveloped the valley, making it seem like a fairyland.

A white-haired man stood with his hands behind his back. His face was like jade, his demeanor cold and solitary, like the moon on a frosty night. His aura was overwhelming. He wore a strangely shaped bracer on his right wrist.

Had any well-informed talents been present, they would have recognized him instantly. He was Bei Tangfeng, the Holy Heir of the Xuanji Cave Heaven, seventh on the Golden Core Ranking, and famous throughout the world for his mastery of the Puppetry Art. He had once competed in the Puppetry Art against numerous master Artificers within Nanzhou, achieving a string of overwhelming victories that made his name renowned across the entire region. He was the chosen master of the Holy Artifact, the Qianji Ling.

With a boundless future ahead of him, he now watched the lake's surface in utter silence. He was as still as a sculpture, looking as if he could maintain the posture for a lifetime.

Suddenly, ripples spread across the water. Bei Tangfeng's brow furrowed slightly. "What is it?" he asked softly.

From behind him came the respectful voice of a woman, "Reporting to the Saint Heir, a group of talents from many Immortal Sects, including the Qianqiu Dongtian and the Han Yue Fudi, have arrived together. They wish to see you!"

Bei Tangfeng remained silent.

The woman added, "If you do not wish to see them, Saint Heir, I will send them away at once!"

"It's too late for that," Bei Tangfeng sighed faintly.

A commotion arose from behind him.

"Bei Tangfeng, what is the meaning of this?"

"We invited you to join forces with us against the Sanqing Immortal Sect and you refused. Now that we've made our move, you interfere. Whose side are you on?"

Bei Tangfeng slowly turned to face the crowd, only for his detached gaze to freeze. The group of talents before him, while not peerlessly beautiful, had at least been handsome and dignified. After all, cultivators were never ugly; nourished by Spiritual Energy and the essence of the landscape, their temperament and appearance were always refined. But now, every single one of them was black and blue, with huge, horn-like bumps swelling on their heads. They made for an incredibly pitiful yet somewhat comical sight.

The corner of Bei Tangfeng's otherwise indifferent mouth twitched uncontrollably. Though the expression was subtle, the talents saw it. Taking it as mockery, they exploded with rage, "What are you looking at? This is all your doing!"

Bei Tangfeng frowned, not understanding their accusation. But his nature had always been proud and aloof, and he had no desire to waste his breath on people he disdained. "Are you finished? If so, you may leave."

The talents demanded, "Are you really determined to side with the Sanqing Immortal Sect? Don't forget, your junior sister couldn't enter the Holy Realm because the Sanqing Immortal Sect stole her spot!"

Bei Tangfeng had a childhood sweetheart, his junior sister, with whom he shared a deep affection and had privately pledged his life. But her aptitude was mediocre, far inferior to his. Everyone believed they were a mismatch and that his junior sister was unworthy of him. Yet he was devoted and his heart had never wavered. This story was known to nearly everyone in the Nanzhou cultivation world, having even been adapted into a popular, widely-circulated song.

The Xuanji Cave Heaven had originally offered his junior sister a spot out of respect for Bei Tangfeng. But as ill luck would have it, Zhuo Canglang paid a visit, and the spot was lost. Everyone knew that Bei Tangfeng would surely settle this score with the Sanqing Immortal Sect.

Likewise, many other Immortal Sects held grudges against Sanqing. Some were old grievances, while others were more recent. There were those who had also had their spots taken, and those whose sect elders held grudges against Sanqing, passing down age-old feuds. They had banded together, hoping to ally with Bei Tangfeng to move against Sanqing. To their surprise, however, Bei Tangfeng had flatly refused to cooperate.

What surprised them even more was that when they made their move, an absurdly powerful puppet had appeared out of nowhere, specializing in knocking people out with cheap shots! Even with their strength as heaven's favored, they were powerless before the puppet.

Across the entire younger generation of Nanzhou's cultivation world, who else but Bei Tangfeng could possess such mastery of the Puppetry Art?

「...」

Listening to the accusations from the talents, Bei Tangfeng's expression remained indifferent. He turned away and said, "My grudge with Sanqing is my own to settle. I don't need to borrow anyone's strength, let alone join forces with you."

The crowd was furious. They gnashed their teeth, wanting to attack, but they were still quite hesitant.

"Fine! Very well, Bei Tangfeng! We hope you don't regret this!" The group of talents departed with cold snorts, seething with anger.

The valley fell quiet once more.

A beautiful woman slowly approached Bei Tangfeng from behind and said softly, "Saint Heir, why not explain things to them? You clearly didn't do anything."

Bei Tangfeng replied proudly, "Explain? To that rabble? They aren't worthy."

The beautiful woman's face was etched with worry. "But if this continues, they will most likely band together to deal with you!"

"Hmph! A bunch of rats. What do I have to fear, no matter how many of them band together?" Bei Tangfeng was supremely confident, and he had every right to be.

Suddenly, another disciple came to report.

"Reporting to the Saint Heir, the Saint Heir of the Xingyue Cave Heaven has come to visit! He looks furious, as if he was bludgeoned, and his head is sporting a prominent, horn-like bump! It seems he's here to demand an explanation!"

Bei Tangfeng's figure tensed slightly.

The beautiful woman urged, "The Xingyue Cave Heaven isn't like those other Immortal Sects. It ranks highly among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves, and its Saint Heir is a true prodigy... Saint Heir, we must explain this time! We can't afford to make another enemy!"

"There's no need!" Bei Tangfeng said stubbornly, flicking his sleeve. "As a Saint Heir, his lack of judgment is laughable. He's not worth my time. Show him out!"

The beautiful woman was astonished and wanted to protest, but Bei Tangfeng's decision was firm, and she could only obey.

A short while later.

"Saint Heir, the Saint Heirs and Saintesses from the Canglan Dongtian and Taicang Dongtian have come together! They're demanding justice for their people and have arrived with intimidating momentum..."

Both Cave Heavens had once been counted among the top ten. Although they had weakened slightly in recent years, they remained incredibly powerful and ancient entities, ruling over countless lives and holding dominion over their regions.

The beautiful woman began to panic. "Saint Heir, please, just explain?"

Bei Tangfeng took a deep breath. "I never imagined they too would be so blind as to blame me for this. It's laughable. To think I once considered them elites... I will not see them!"

"Saint Heir!"

"I will not see them!" Bei Tangfeng waved his sleeve, standing alone in his pride, his will as unbending as iron.

However, no one noticed that as he spoke, the hand hidden in his sleeve was trembling slightly.

Please, don't let anyone else come! If any more arrive, I really won't be able to take it!

It was as if his worst fears were coming to life.

"Saint Heir! Terrible news! The Saint Heir from the Shenyan Cave Heaven is here! He says he wants to avenge his junior brothers and sisters by burning you to death! You must hide!"

Bei Tangfeng was left speechless.

「...」

「In the secret chamber of the Sanqing residence」

"Not bad." Wang Xiu looked at the three returned puppets with satisfaction.

Wang Xiu had held back. If the puppets had struck with their full power, every last one of those talents would have had their skulls cracked open. After all, Wang Xiu himself had personally tested the quality of the dragon bones. None of those youths had a skull harder than dragon bone.

But back to the matter at hand, the sudden appearance of so many talents from various Immortal Sects targeting the Sanqing Immortal Sect was somewhat surprising to Wang Xiu. On second thought, however, it made sense. Although Wang Xiu had always tried to build good relationships, and his dealings rarely ended on bad terms, it was impossible for everyone in the world to like you.

This was especially true after he had led Xiang Tiange and the others on a massive sweep of the forest, gathering a huge number of heavenly materials and earthly treasures. It was only natural that some would be overcome with envy.

Ultimately, it all boiled down to one thing: the current strength of the Sanqing Immortal Sect's talents was not enough to justify the sheer amount of benefits they had acquired. It was a very realistic point. If either the Mount Shu Immortal Sect or the Longhu Immortal Sect had done something similar, certainly not as many would have dared to rise up against them. Hmm... then again, there might be another reason. It's possible some of the slots the Sanqing Immortal Sect obtained for the Holy Academy were forcefully taken from other sects.

"There's still a long road ahead," Wang Xiu sighed. He set the three puppets aside, but instead of leaving the secret chamber, he took out his blueprints and continued to study them.

The situation was not favorable for Sanqing. Raising their strength as quickly as possible was the only way forward. The more puppets he could make, the better.

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.

One day, as Wang Xiu was engrossed in crafting puppets, a runic light suddenly flared in the palm of his hand.

"Hm?" Wang Xiu frowned.

Previously, when Shi Ming, the lead disciple of the Peeping Sky Pavilion, had set a trap for the Sanqing contingent, Wang Xiu had chosen not to act immediately. Instead, he left a mark on Shi Ming, intending to play the long game and reel in a bigger fish.

Now, that mark was suddenly reacting.

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