Free Web NovelChapter 614: Chapter 308: Secret Realm Conspiracy
"The Nascent Soul Cultivators have entered the fray!"
Lin Chang’an frowned deeply upon returning to his cave and looked at the secret message Yun Yao had sent him.
"The old demon Xuan Yin was supposed to be in seclusion, yet he has emerged. It seems this Secret Realm has indeed caught the attention of many."
It’s understandable when you think about it; the strength and foundation of the Yin Soul Sect back in the day were not inferior to the major forces of the Sixteen Sea Suppression Sects.
Or rather, at that time, it should have been called the Twenty-four Sects, among which was the Yin Soul Sect.
With such a foundation in the Secret Realm, even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would be tempted.
"It truly is a troubled time. Three years ago, it was rumored that a Nascent Soul Cultivator would intervene, but after waiting three years, none appeared. Perhaps these Nascent Soul Old Monsters are plotting something behind the scenes."
The movements surrounding this Secret Realm have also deeply made Lin Chang’an realize that only Nascent Soul Cultivators have the qualifications to stir up storms in the Immortal Cultivation Realm.
Golden Core Cultivators can only manage within a local area, acceptable as the upper echelon.
"Unfortunately, that level is still far from my speculation."
Lin Chang’an shook his head, putting these thoughts aside, for now, all he can do is cultivate and improve his cultivation level as soon as possible.
"I’ve reaped quite some rewards this time."
With a serious expression, Lin Chang’an took out the items he had acquired at the trading event.
Spirit Jades imbued with a hint of Pure Spiritual Qi to assist in cultivation, three Quasi-Tier Three Puppets, a Tier Two Puppet legacy, and some common materials.
These were all obtained at the trading event.
After all, not every Core Formation Cultivator is as wealthy as he is. Most, without a single skill, are burdened by family and descendants, not daring to take risks lightly.
They mostly live frugally, with perhaps their Lifebound Treasure being their most valuable possession.
"Puppets!"
Finally, Lin Chang’an’s gaze fell upon these puppets—three humanoid puppets, one wielding a bow and arrow, while the other two had claws as hands.
With his mana activation, the three puppets seemed to come alive, clicking as they slowly stood up.
The three puppets looked at Lin Chang’an blankly, almost as if they had a semblance of consciousness, yet their intelligence was low.
Through his Divine Sense inspection and his own senses, Lin Chang’an looked at the recorded legacy of the puppets, subtly nodding.
"The puppet arts indeed seem sinister. Back in the Yue Kingdom, I heard about the Wanli Sandy Tribe near the Sha Yun Kingdom, famous for their puppet techniques."
They use Soul Binding Techniques to extract the souls from living beings, then seal them within puppets using Soul Condensation and Soul Refinement Techniques.
This is the common method of crafting puppets he knew, but the Yin Soul Sect astonishingly used Yin Spirits to craft them.
"To think they used such methods!"
Just glancing at the Yin Soul Sect’s Tier Two Puppet legacy, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but nod.
The Immortal Cultivation Realm is vast, indeed full of wonders. No wonder the Yin Soul Sect was once regarded as part of the Demon Dao; their methods were truly ruthless.
There were even records of using living people for puppet crafting.
"It’s a pity it’s just a Tier Two puppet technique; it doesn’t offer much help to me now."
The three puppets stood blankly to the side as Lin Chang’an shook his head.
Puppet-making is indeed a powerful skill; some great Puppet Masters can create hundreds of puppets of the same tier.
Imagine, during a duel between cultivators of the same tier, the opponent suddenly brings out over a hundred puppets of the same combat strength.
Even Sword Cultivators or Body Cultivators would have to avoid their edge.
"However, it is not without drawbacks; a major flaw is that any damage to puppets requires cultivators to buy materials for repairs, accumulating unavoidable expenses over time.
Also, the Spirit Stones consumed during battles aren’t insignificant, not to mention the number of puppets that can be controlled simultaneously, requiring a powerful Divine Sense from the cultivator."
That’s not the most crucial; despite their strength, puppets are restrained by Divine Soul-related techniques.
"In these three years, the third piece of Profound Celestial Withered Leaves has also regained some of its greenery, finally forming the third external incarnation, allowing me to study these puppet techniques further."
Lin Chang’an’s gaze flickered; it wasn’t that he wanted to learn broadly rather than deeply.
He was simply lacking in capability; now, in the four major skills of Pill, Talisman, Array, and Artifact, he had already reached Tier Three.
At this stage, the progress in these skills had slowed down, partly due to the scarcity of legacies and partly due to the rarity of materials.
Relying on continual cultivation and the most basic means to enhance skills is no longer viable; now, he can only seek new insights to improve.
"Ultimately, it’s because I’m too weak. If there were complete Tier Three Upper Grade skill legacies, it wouldn’t be like this."
Lin Chang’an shook his head. At this critical juncture, he’d even brought out the nearly-bottom-of-the-box Skyfire Array, yet still couldn’t lure out the Tier Three Upper Grade Array legacy he desired.
He raised his hand, and the consciousness of the three puppets instantly fell into darkness, their bodies frozen in place.
These three puppets were of little help to him, so he would temporarily give them to the Sword Servant for protection.
After all, it’s a troubled time now.
Lin Chang’an let others deal with the outside upheavals and preparations of the Core Formation Cultivators.
He continued to cultivate as always on Celestial Spring Peak, while his three incarnations were in Red Fire Peak, or the Earth Fire Cave, diligently honing their skills.
The Cyan-Horned Bull leisurely soaked in the pool, also cultivating.
A month later, a powerful force flashed through the Earth Fire Cave, and the Phoenix Cry Bird finally advanced to Tier Three Middle Stage.
This gave Lin Chang’an an additional layer of security.
...
"I didn’t expect you, old ghost Xuan Yin, to emerge from seclusion too."
