Chapter 140: Chapter 139: Puppet’s First Battle, Yani Country Caravan

Wenn Quan went on to share many more interesting anecdotes, and Lu Zhao continued to listen. He would nod from time to time or ask a question, and the two chatted warmly. Lu Zhao’s earlier question about the Xu Family’s whereabouts seemed to have been a casual inquiry, and neither of them appeared to give it a second thought.

「Three days later.」

The patrol mission was nearing its end as Lu Zhao and Wenn Quan returned to the Black Bone Mountain outpost via the Wind Manipulation Technique.

Along the way, Wenn Quan was full of praise for Lu Zhao, his tone dripping with admiration. "Brother Lu, we really owe it all to you this time! If it weren’t for your brilliant strategy, setting up that Puppet ambush in advance, those two slippery Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer guys would have definitely gotten away again!"

"I never imagined your Puppetry could be so miraculous, Brother Lu. You’ve really opened my eyes today! I’m impressed! Truly impressed!"

Lu Zhao’s long, black hair whipped about in the wind. He turned his head, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Junior Brother Wenn, you’ve said that several times already."

Wenn Quan scratched his head and chuckled, looking slightly embarrassed, but the reverence in his eyes didn’t diminish in the slightest. Just a short while ago, on their way back, Lu Zhao’s powerful Divine Sense had been the first to pick up on faint fluctuations of Magical Power and the distant sounds of shouting and wailing.

Wenn Quan had been completely oblivious until Lu Zhao’s warning startled him awake, and he was immediately filled with awe at the strength of Lu Zhao’s Divine Sense.

When the two arrived at the scene, they discovered two Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer Tribulation Cultivators attacking a small merchant caravan of three or four people.

After a brief discussion, they settled on a strategy: Wenn Quan would reveal himself from the front to startle the Tribulation Cultivators and make them flee, while Lu Zhao would circle around from behind to set up a Puppet ambush and intercept them.

The plan was executed with exceptional smoothness. Wenn Quan’s appearance indeed spooked the Tribulation Cultivators. Without hesitation, the two split up and fled into the depths of the mountain forest. However, they ran headfirst into the deadly trap Lu Zhao had meticulously laid.

When Wenn Quan followed the fluctuations of Magical Combat and arrived, the scene that greeted him left him frozen in shock. The two Tribulation Cultivators were each trapped in a bitter struggle.

One was surrounded by a Puppet over ten feet tall that looked as if it were forged from metal, with Spirit Patterns flowing along its joints, and three jet-black, sharp-fanged, wolf-shaped Puppets.

The Cyan Wood Giant Ape was immensely strong; every punch it threw was accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, sending dirt and gravel flying. The Ice Wind Wolf Puppets were so fast they left afterimages, their claws and fangs tearing through the air. The Cold Qi they exuded condensed into white frost, constantly restricting and slowing the Tribulation Cultivator’s movements, freezing the surrounding air into fine Ice Crystals.

The other Tribulation Cultivator was in an even worse predicament. Not only was he facing a Cyan Wood Giant Ape and two Ice Wind Wolf Puppets, but he also had to be constantly on guard against a massive, cyan-colored, python-like Puppet lurking nearby!

As for Lu Zhao himself, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back on a slightly raised, dark rock not far away. A few strands of his long, black hair were stirred by the shockwaves of the battle. His expression was indifferent, as if he were watching a well-rehearsed puppet show rather than a life-and-death struggle.

Just as Wenn Quan was still stunned, Lu Zhao saw that one of the Tribulation Cultivators was on the defensive, covered in wounds. The Spirit Light of his Body-Protecting Spiritual Artifact was flickering like a candle in the wind. With a flick of his Divine Sense Threads, the green glow in the Vine Snake Puppet’s hollow eyes suddenly intensified. The snake’s neck snapped back like a fully drawn bowstring, its gaping maw opened in an instant, and a condensed beam of emerald-green Wood Attribute Spirit Light shot out!

The Tribulation Cultivator was already struggling to defend himself. Faced with this sudden, fatal blow, he could only hastily raise his Shield Spiritual Artifact to block it. With a sharp CRACK, a charred hole was bored through the center of the shield. The beam of Spirit Light, though slightly diminished, still slammed viciously into the cultivator’s chest!

"PFFT!" The cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs. The Magic Robe on his chest instantly turned to dust, revealing a horrifying, charred-black cavity of flesh and blood. His aura deflated like a punctured leather sack, and his strength instantly withered.

A deathly gray despair flashed in his eyes. A gurgling sound escaped his throat as he tried to make one last struggle, but the cold Vine Snake Puppet had already coiled around him, constricting and crushing him! CRUNCH... The soft sound of shattering bones was clearly audible amidst the chaos of the battlefield. In just a few breaths, the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer Tribulation Cultivator had his Vitality completely extinguished by the efficient assault of the Puppets.

Witnessing his companion’s gruesome death, the other Tribulation Cultivator was scared out of his wits. He let out a furious roar, an unnatural flush rising to his face. He was clearly beginning to burn his Original Essence Blood to frantically power an Escape Technique. However, Lu Zhao’s gaze was already locked onto him. How could he give him the chance?

Lu Zhao’s Divine Sense Threads danced silently, and the ferocity of all his Puppets’ attacks instantly increased by a third. A web of iron fists and sharp claws sealed off every possible escape route. BANG! A powerful punch from the Cyan Wood Giant Ape brutally shattered the man’s pitifully thin Protective Spiritual Light. The moment it vanished, an Ice Wind Wolf Puppet’s claws, as fast as lightning, precisely and ruthlessly tore open his vulnerable throat.

Scarlet blood spurted high into the air like a fountain. In no more than a few short minutes, both Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer Tribulation Cultivators had fallen under the siege of Lu Zhao’s Puppets.

This scene was deeply seared into Wenn Quan’s mind. Recalling it now still made his heart pound and his blood race, deepening his admiration for Lu Zhao’s methods.

By the time the two used their Wind Manipulation Technique to approach the Black Bone Mountain outpost, the sky had already darkened. The night was like thick ink spreading from the horizon. From a distance, they could see a small, brightly lit, and bustling temporary camp at the foot of the towering, dark mountain.

Lu Zhao looked closer and saw that the camp’s perimeter was formed by dozens of large carts pulled by strangely shaped pack beasts, covered with heavy, rain-proof tarps. This was clearly the first line of defense.

Inside the defensive circle, more than a dozen bonfires crackled and leaped, their light licking at the darkness, while human figures flickered and stretched between the light and shadows.

As Lu Zhao and Wenn Quan drew closer, the mixed smells of sweat, dust, cooking oil, and the unique odor of Demon Beast carcasses wafted over.

"Oh?" Wenn Quan was not surprised at all. He explained to Lu Zhao, "Brother Lu, judging by this setup, it must be a large merchant caravan from the Yani Country resting here."

"They often travel this route and are very shrewd. They know that camping right under the nose of our Bixia Sect outpost is the safest option."

"These guys are well-connected and have strong backing. They often bring rare specialties from the Yani Country that are hard to find in the Chen Country. Sometimes, they even have rare Cultivation Materials for sale. If you have time, Brother Lu, you might want to take a look. You might just find something good that’s hard to come by in the Marketplace."

Hearing Wenn Quan’s words, Lu Zhao’s gaze swept over the brightly lit camp. He gave a slight nod, making a mental note of it, but he had no plans to go today. Right now, he was more concerned with taking stock of his gains from killing the Tribulation Cultivators and pondering the unexpected clue about the "Xu Family."

Soon after, Lu Zhao and Wenn Quan passed through the outpost’s Array Light Curtain. Once inside the Array, the clamor of voices and the smell of livestock from the foot of the mountain were completely cut off.

After entering the outpost, Lu Zhao bid farewell to Wenn Quan and headed straight back to his own dwelling. He shut the door and, with a practiced motion, cast a Technique to set up a Sound Insulation Restriction. He then sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, his fingers unconsciously stroking the rough surface of the Storage Bag at his waist.

With a light flick of his sleeve, two Storage Bags, stained with dust and dark brown spots, rolled onto the stone floor.

His Divine Sense probed into them like an invisible hand. With a thought, he tipped the bags’ openings downward. Accompanied by a few muffled RUSTLES and the faint, crisp clatter of colliding objects, the entire fortune of the Tribulation Cultivators was exposed on the stone floor.

The first things to catch his eye were several crudely made Jade Bottles of various colors. He picked them up one by one, uncorked them, and swept his Divine Sense inside to identify their properties and Medicinal Power.

One bottle contained a Tier One High-Grade "Vessel-Protecting Pill." His expression remained neutral, but a flicker of satisfaction passed through his eyes as he nodded slightly. This Pill would be useful for his subsequent cultivation. Lu Zhao set it aside and placed it deep within his own Storage Bag.

The remaining few bottles contained Tier One Middle and Lower Grades Healing Elixirs. Their Medicinal Power was ordinary, and their quality could only be considered mediocre. Lu Zhao didn’t even bother giving them a second glance, casually gathering them in a pile at his feet.

To him, at his current Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Realm, and compared to the purer, Upper Grade Pills in his Storage Bag, these Pills were practically useless. Their greatest value would be to sell them in the Marketplace later for a few measly Spirit Stones.

Next were the Spirit Stones. A small pile of Lower Grade Spirit Stones clattered onto the ground. A quick scan with his Divine Sense was all it took to count them—between the two cultivators, there were less than two hundred Spirit Stones in total.

An almost imperceptible, bitter smile touched Lu Zhao’s lips. The Tribulation Cultivators of the Northern Wilderness were as pathetically poor as he’d heard. Two cultivators at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, living a bloody trade where they put their lives on the line, had such meager fortunes. It was almost a joke.

Finally, there were three Magical Artifacts, all Tier One Middle-Grade. One was a Crimson Flying Fork, its Spirit Light dim as if covered in dust. Another was a palm-sized, earthy-yellow Turtle Shell Shield. Lastly, there was a slender, short spike shaped like a snake’s tongue, which emanated a cold, sinister Evil Qi.

Lu Zhao simply weighed them in his hand and understood. He had already roughly estimated their value: even if he took these three items to an Artifact Refining Shop to be refurbished, they would, at most, be worth 250 or 260 Spirit Stones.

"A total of around five hundred Spirit Stones..." Lu Zhao muttered to himself. "Truly dirt-poor." He swept his sleeve, gathering all the miscellaneous items and the pile of Pills and Magical Artifacts to be dealt with, and placed them into another Storage Bag.

After taking inventory of his harvest, Lu Zhao did not immediately get up. He closed his eyes, his thoughts racing.

The lead on the Xu Family was an unexpected gift from Wenn Quan, and it was currently his most direct clue in investigating the tragic massacre of the Lu Family from all those years ago.

But how should he find them? And once found, how should he approach them?

After making contact, how could he pry open their mouths and unearth the deeply buried truth?

After a moment of thought, a barely perceptible, vicious glint flashed deep in Lu Zhao’s eyes. ’...Then they can’t blame me for being ruthless.’

He whispered silently to a corner of his heart, ’It seems... I really should start practicing that Secret Technique...’

Lu Zhao’s thoughts grew heavy as a Mysterious Secret Skill recorded in the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill began to slowly take shape in his mind.

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