Chapter 156 - 135: Furnace Cauldron (2)

"Brother Yiqun, you’re awake. Did you have some sort of epiphany?" Song Changsheng gave him a meaningful wink.

When Xu Yunhe heard Song Changsheng use the wrong name, he was taken aback for a moment. But after seeing the look in his eyes, he instantly understood and quickly smiled. "That’s right, I had a bit of an epiphany."

"Since Fellow Daoist Xia is awake, you can come with me for a walk. Let’s see if we can find any clues to break this array."

"Alright, no problem." Xu Yunhe couldn’t be happier. He really didn’t want to be alone with her.

After the two had walked some distance away, Xu Yunhe briefly recounted what had happened after Xia Wanyun awoke. His experience was similar to Song Changsheng’s, which only served to confirm his suspicions.

"Brother Song, why did you want me to use Fellow Daoist Zhu’s name?"

Song Changsheng smiled and pointed to himself. "It’s not just you. I’m using the name of a nephew of mine, Song Qingxing."

Seeing Xu Yunhe’s confusion, Song Changsheng lowered his voice to explain. "That woman is cunning; we have to be on our guard. Fellow Daoist Zhu’s whereabouts are unknown right now. By using his name, no one will be able to track him down."

"As for my nephew, he’s a nobody. Not many people even within our clan know him, so using his name is perfectly safe."

"I see." A wave of understanding washed over Xu Yunhe, but he quickly followed up with another question. "But you weren’t here just now. How could you be so sure she didn’t know my name?"

Hearing this, Song Changsheng burst out laughing. "If it were anyone else, you might have told them your name. But not her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have deliberately claimed to have had an epiphany."

He had a pretty good read on Xu Yunhe’s character, which is why he took the chance.

"Brother Song, you’re incredibly perceptive," Xu Yunhe said, his face showing deep aversion. "I really want nothing to do with a woman like that."

Song Changsheng smiled and lowered his voice. "You’ve misjudged her this time. Don’t be fooled by her flirtatious act, thinking she’s some promiscuous vixen."

"That’s just her way of testing us. That woman is a real schemer. We should keep our distance. In any case, once we get her back to where she’s going, we’ll be done with her for good."

——————

Night fell. The stars shone brilliantly, and the moon drifted in and out of a thin veil of clouds. Beneath the pitch-black sky, the Hundred Thousand Mountains, which should have been sinking into silence, began to boil with activity. Roars of beasts rose and fell in waves, echoing endlessly through the night.

Tonight was clearly different from usual. The Hundred Thousand Mountains were filled with "outsiders." They would accidentally stumble into a Demon Beast’s territory, triggering a massive battle.

Compared to the deeply fractured Demon Beasts, these outsiders had a much stronger sense of unity against a common foe. They moved in packs, nearly wiping the outer perimeter clean of Demon Beasts.

However, some Great Demons realized the gravity of the situation. They began to rally the Demon Beasts under their command to surround and annihilate these foreign Human Race Cultivators.

Battles erupted in nearly every corner. Tonight, the Hundred Thousand Mountains was destined to be a sleepless night.

The Living Puppet, hidden for so long, was finally discovered—not by the Human Race Cultivators seeking a reward, but by an extremely territorial Double-tailed Scorpion.

Although the puppet killed the scorpion, it attracted the attention of even more Demon Beasts. After a long and bloody chase, it paid a heavy price to break free, finally escaping into a bamboo forest...

The next morning, Song Changsheng, having spent a sleepless night in the bamboo forest, sat cross-legged and motionless on a large Qingshi boulder. His Divine Sense blanketed every inch of the surrounding land.

Xu Yunhe, meanwhile, stood as his Guardian, preventing the beasts living in the bamboo forest from disturbing him.

Suddenly, Song Changsheng’s eyes snapped open. "I’ve got it!" he announced.

"You’ve got a lead?" Xu Yunhe’s heart leaped with joy. He didn’t want to be trapped here forever.

"I was overcomplicating things. This naturally formed Array is seamlessly integrated with the surrounding mountains and rivers, but it only has simple Array Patterns. It has no Array Banners and no Array Foundation."

"It’s only able to function because of the Earth Vein beneath it, which continuously supplies it with Spiritual Power," Song Changsheng said excitedly. "If we can sever that Earth Vein, this Illusionary Array will collapse on its own!"

"Just tell me what to do. I’ll give you my full support," Xu Yunhe said eagerly.

"It won’t be difficult. I’ve already pinpointed the approximate location of the Earth Vein. Once I’ve chosen the right spot, we can strike together. First, let’s go—"

Before Song Changsheng could finish, his expression changed drastically. He looked off into the distance. He "smelled" a familiar scent, and it was coming from Xia Wanyun’s direction.

"This is bad. The Living Puppet has shown up. Fellow Daoist Xia is in danger."

"What? It’s been hiding here this whole time?" Xu Yunhe exclaimed in alarm.

"I don’t think so. We would have discovered it yesterday if it had been. It probably stumbled in here by accident, just like we did."

"We need to get back there, now!"

——————

"Who... are you?"

In the bamboo forest, countless bamboo stalks lay toppled and broken.

Amid the wreckage, Xia Wanyun leaned against a Qingshi boulder. Blood from the corner of her mouth dripped steadily to the ground. Her clothes were in disarray, a complete mess. But the ever-pristine beauty didn’t even have the strength to wipe the blood away. She could only watch, helpless, as the one-armed puppet approached her, step by step.

She had been meditating to purge the Restriction that Dongtian Xie had planted in her body. Just as she was about to succeed, the one-armed Living Puppet had burst out and severely wounded her.

But what shocked her wasn’t the ambush itself—it was the puppet. This puppet was all too familiar; she had personally auctioned it off. She never imagined she would see it here.

With her keen eye, it was easy to see that this puppet possessed Spiritual Wisdom. This completely baffled her. All items at the auction house underwent rigorous inspection, some even by a Purple Mansion Great Cultivator. ’How did it hide its nature?’

The Living Puppet obviously wasn’t going to give her an answer. Its footsteps on the ground sounded like her own death knell.

Xia Wanyun closed her eyes in despair. Her trump cards were useless against a puppet. She had absolutely no way left to fight back.

’Am I going to die here...?’

SWISH!

At this critical juncture, a Long Sword shot in from the distance. Wreathed in powerful Sword Qi, it slammed into the puppet’s fist with the sharp clang of metal striking stone.

Xia Wanyun’s eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. She saw a figure in robes as white as snow, enveloped in Sword Qi, locked in a fierce struggle with the puppet.

Then, "Song Qingxing" joined the fray, wielding a large spear... After that, her vision blurred. Her consciousness descended into chaos, and then, into a deathly, silent darkness...

"Brother Song, hold it down for me!"

Xu Yunhe shouted as he gracefully retreated from the battle, Long Sword in hand.

Song Changsheng understood immediately. He activated Fleeting Shadows to dodge the puppet’s attack as Yin and Yang Qi erupted from his body, forming two chains that shot out to bind it.

But unexpectedly, even though the puppet was heavily injured, its power could not be underestimated. In an instant, it shattered the chains of Yin and Yang Qi and still had enough strength to counterattack.

Song Changsheng had no choice but to re-engage it in close combat. But its body was incredibly tough, making it difficult for him to inflict any real damage. After more than a dozen exchanges, he had only managed to add a few new scratches to its frame.

The puppet, on the other hand, was bare-fisted, yet each of its moves was difficult for him to block. He was clearly at a disadvantage due to their difference in cultivation level.

"Brother Yunhe, the puppet’s body is incredibly hard! Normal attacks can’t hurt it. We have to attack its Divine Soul! Create an opening for me!"

Song Changsheng said this via voice transmission to Xu Yunhe, all while struggling to fend off the Living Puppet’s relentless assault.

Although Xu Yunhe was no longer in the fight, he had been gathering an immense amount of Sword Qi in his Long Sword. This was his ultimate killing blow, equivalent to a full-power strike from a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Upon receiving the message, he seized the opening created as the Living Puppet pressed its attack on Song Changsheng and unleashed his sword.

In that instant, the world seemed to be consumed by Sword Light. The dense sea of bamboo surrounding them was instantly flattened.

The Living Puppet sensed a mortal threat. It immediately abandoned its attack on Song Changsheng, turning to defend with all its might.

At the very moment it made contact with the Sword Light...

"Gourd Spirit Slayer!"

...