Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

"It's now!" Ning Zhuo frantically activated the Cang Tie Han Armor, charging towards Qi Bai without hesitation.

Qi Bai's head was bleeding, his vision blackened, and he was on the verge of fainting.

In the next moment, the Cang Tie Han Armor sliced through the air.

The "Hanging Whip of the Puppet Master"!

More than a dozen long whips danced wildly like a swarm of serpents, frantically lashing at Qi Bai.

Qi Bai was whipped and thrown about in the air, unable to land for a while.

Every time the whips struck his body, ripples of golden light shimmered, yet they couldn't break through his protective technique.

"Is it a spell, a divine ability, or a protective treasure?" Ning Zhuo's eyes turned red, and his heart grew anxious.

This was the counterattack he had painstakingly devised.

However, the "Hanging Whip of the Puppet Master," which usually worked so well against Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, couldn't break through Qi Bai's defense.

Sun Lingtong hurriedly transmitted a message: "Little Zhuo! Qi Bai is not a body cultivator. He excels at controlling Yin souls and ghost creatures. His natural talent is the ‘Dead Eye of Communication,' so it's very unlikely his defense is a spell or divine ability."

"I can see that the weakest point of the golden light is at the wound on his head, and it's healing quickly."

"The strongest point of the golden light is three inches below his navel, where the lower dantian is located!"

"Use your strongest attack!"

Ning Zhuo's eyes flashed with determination as he simply replied, "Got it!"

He pushed the Cang Tie Han Armor to its maximum power.

Spirit stones were consumed rapidly, turning into vast spiritual energy that flooded into two palm-sized, intricately patterned talismans of wind and thunder.

The talismans unleashed wind and thunder forces, which intertwined within the internal formation of the Cang Tie Han Armor, merging to form a new power—

"Wind and Thunder Movement!"

Green-blue electric light surrounded the Cang Tie Han Armor.

In an instant, the speed of the Cang Tie Han Armor soared to the extreme, charging directly at Qi Bai.

"Iron-Cold Armor!"

The defensive formation within the Cang Tie Han Armor was activated to its fullest, humming with power.

The metal and water elemental forces combined perfectly within the formation, releasing a sharp coldness mixed with metallic energy, enveloping the entire armor and enhancing both offense and defense to their peak.

"Azure Dragon Strike!"

The armor plates on the back, shoulders, elbows, and wrists of the Cang Tie Han Armor opened, revealing hidden explosive talismans.

The talismans ignited, glowing with brilliant white light, fully boosting Ning Zhuo's attack and pushing it to the limit in an instant!

The black robe disguised as the young puppet master was torn apart, revealing the true form of the Cang Tie Han Armor. It looked like a silver dragon breaking through the sky, carrying blinding white light, tearing through all darkness!

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Punches rained down like arrows, and kicks followed like a storm.

The punches and kicks wove together into a terrifying torrent of attacks, completely overwhelming Qi Bai.

The punches and kicks slammed into the golden light, causing it to splinter into fragments of light.

Cracks began to appear in the golden shield, rapidly fading and dimming.

The defensive power of the golden light weakened quickly, unable to withstand the force of the punches and kicks, allowing Qi Bai inside to suffer from the attacks.

One punch landed, twisting his head and forcing his neck to the limit.

A knee struck violently at Qi Bai's waist, bending him like a shrimp, his eyes bulging as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Another punch landed on Qi Bai's chin, causing his teeth to slam shut, nearly biting off his tongue.

Qi Bai's head jerked back violently, sending him flying higher into the air!

But in the next moment, green lightning flashed, and a silver, agile figure suddenly appeared above Qi Bai.

Ning Zhuo clasped both hands tightly, forming fists. He raised them above his shoulders before using the Cang Tie Han Armor to propel his entire body, diving down towards Qi Bai like a meteor.

The golden light protecting Qi Bai had already weakened to near transparency.

Meanwhile, blood continued to flow from the wound on his head, the spot where he had been struck by the "Peach Core of the Beyond," and the weakest point of his golden light shield.

Ning Zhuo's gaze was as sharp as a knife, locking onto the enemy's weakest point.

He launched his full-strength attack!

Ning Zhuo's fist smashed down with immense force, like a meteor chasing the moon. The power was so great that the silver fist glowed red from the friction with the air.

At the brink of life and death, Qi Bai finally awakened from his desperate survival instincts!

"Meng Kui! The Peach Core of the Beyond!!"

Qi Bai's heart trembled, filled with icy dread.

"If he used the Peach Core of the Beyond, he must have already employed the ‘Mount-Watching' divine ability earlier."

"Why?!"

As a true disciple of the Soul-Devouring Sect, Qi Bai had been sent to Mount Huoshi fully prepared.

He knew all about Meng Kui's signature divine ability, "Mount-Watching," and the power of the Peach Core of the Beyond.

But Qi Bai couldn't understand.

Why had Meng Kui suddenly used this divine ability, and in Puppet Immortal City no less!

"He's the city lord! Isn't he afraid that one mistake could lead to riots among the city's residents, causing them to slaughter each other?"

"There must be something I'm unaware of, something that forced Meng Kui to take such drastic action."

For a moment, Qi Bai felt utterly wronged.

This was his first time entering the city, and he had only intended to subdue three of his fellow disciples.

To explore the Soul Treasury later, he first needed to secure a foothold and then slowly make his move.

He hadn't expected such bad luck. The moment he arrived, he was caught in the Mount-Watching divine ability.

"Misfortune has blinded me, causing me to make mistake after mistake!"

"Why didn't I just kill Sun Lingtong? There was more than one way to subdue Han Ming."

"I shouldn't have pursued them so relentlessly. These two Foundation Establishment cultivators were indeed troublesome, but I didn't need to make such a big commotion."

According to Qi Bai's original plan, he was supposed to lay low and act when the opportunity presented itself.

"Why did I keep casting spells? In the Immortal City, spells are weakened the most, and it's completely counterproductive."

"I should have quickly killed these two. Using my natural talent wouldn't have mattered, but instead, I released Yin souls and ghost generals to torture and kill them, wasting too much time."

"I should have used my strongest method, killed them swiftly, and ended the battle decisively to avoid unnecessary complications. I wasted too many chances during this fight!"

"These two have been operating in the Immortal City for far too long. Their various underground bases are everywhere, and when I couldn't kill them in time, I should have withdrawn immediately."

"I planted my technique on Sun Lingtong, which can only be resolved by a Golden Core cultivator. I should have let them go, then hunted them down when the time was right. Wouldn't that have been better?"

"The one who deserves death the most is that young puppet master!"

"Layer upon layer of traps, forcing me to exhaust myself against the city's grand formation, leaving me no choice but to go all out."

"If it weren't for that, Meng Kui might never have thrown that peach core at me."

Qi Bai was fully awakened by this blow.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.

As he lifted his head, he saw Ning Zhuo's full-power strike.

"Death!" Qi Bai's hair stood on end, filled with terror.

"I absolutely cannot let him hit the wound on my head."

However, he didn’t have time to cast a stronger defensive method.

He couldn’t even activate his protective treasure in time.

Magical Artifact—Ghost Mist Veil.

In desperation, he used his spiritual sense to pull out a veil from his storage belt.

This was a magical artifact he frequently used during the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. It cloaked him in ghostly mist when venturing into eerie, terrifying places, disguising him as a Yin soul.

The Ghost Mist Veil had been a great help to him, allowing him to get close to ghostly spirits and capture them.

This veil had accompanied him through his difficult beginnings, gradually accumulating his progress step by step, until he eventually became a true disciple of the Soul-Devouring Sect.

After he advanced to the Golden Core stage, the frequency of using this reliable artifact had rapidly decreased, and he used it less and less.

Qi Bai had kept it in his storage belt more as a memento.

He hadn't expected that, at this moment of life and death, the only artifact he could quickly activate was this one.

Bang!

Ning Zhuo's full-powered strike pierced through the ghostly mist, landing heavily on Qi Bai's chest.

In that instant, the golden light shield covering Qi Bai's entire body could no longer hold up, shattering into countless fragments, which flickered in the air before dissipating completely.

Four or five of Qi Bai's ribs fractured, his chest caved in, and his lungs and other internal organs were severely damaged, almost shattered.

He plummeted to the ground like a falling meteor, crashing through a building and slamming into the ground, causing a tremor.

Immediately after, the building collapsed, raising dust and debris that buried Qi Bai.

"He's not dead!" Sun Lingtong had been closely watching the battlefield, ignoring the fact that blood was already streaming from his eyes.

Ning Zhuo’s heart sank as he clenched his teeth hard, mustering up his strength and diving into the dust and debris.

The Ghost Mist Veil had been destroyed.

However, it was because of its cover that Ning Zhuo's attack landed on Qi Bai's chest instead of his head, indirectly saving Qi Bai's life.

As Ning Zhuo charged toward him, Qi Bai had more time than before to react.

He pulled out a magical treasure.

The Soul-Stirring Rattle Drum!

The drum's surface was deathly pale, made from human skin, slightly transparent, and it emitted a faint glow in the darkness.

The edges of the drum were crafted from black jade, exuding a chilling aura.

The handle of the drum was made from the grayish-yellow finger bones of an adult, pieced together section by section.

Qi Bai shook the Soul-Stirring Rattle Drum.

Thump, thump, thump.

The drumbeats were crisp, each one resonating in the hearts of Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, violently shaking their souls.

Sun Lingtong, already heavily injured, immediately began bleeding from his seven orifices when he heard the drumbeats. His eyes lost their luster, and he could no longer activate his spiritual vision, forcing him to stop.

Ning Zhuo felt as if the world around him was shaking, his vision spinning. His steps faltered, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

As a result, the attack he had been preparing was interrupted.

"Little Zhuo!" Sun Lingtong’s voice of alarm reached Ning Zhuo's ears.

Years of cooperation allowed Ning Zhuo to instantly understand what Sun Lingtong was trying to convey—this was their last chance!

They had to seize this opportunity to eliminate Qi Bai. If they missed it and allowed Qi Bai to recover from this critical moment, they would be doomed.

Ning Zhuo was almost at his limit.

The mechanical creations he had accumulated over more than ten years had been mostly consumed, and what remained was of little use.

There was only one left!

The Tree Martial Fighting Ape!

Ning Zhuo half-knelt on the ground and released the mechanical fighting ape. In preparation for this battle, Ning Zhuo had replaced the core components, and all parts that could be changed were swapped, causing the Tree Martial Fighting Ape to undergo a massive transformation. Its new appearance had almost no resemblance to the old one.

The fighting ape bore a heart mark, with a staff head inserted into its body.

Ning Zhuo flicked his arm, and his ten fingers shot out strings of magical power, connecting to key points on the Tree Martial Fighting Ape.

Under his triple command, the Tree Martial Fighting Ape charged toward Qi Bai.