[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-becoming-a-god-through-horror":3,"chapter-becoming-a-god-through-horror-becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-71":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Becoming a God Through Horror",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2273614,4441,"Chapter 71: Golden Knife, Soul Annihilation: Puppet Art","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-71",71,"\u003Cp>In such a town, there’s usually a landmark and a map, so Louis knew where the theater was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red car sped at full speed; inside, Louis looked at Billy beside him—this doll was deliberately left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the old hag seemed afraid of his yang energy and talismans, and never appeared in the car to launch a surprise attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, then let’s have a direct confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching out the window, flames erupted, instantly burning the wooden doll Billy to ash; against the gale, the fire surged, and in an instant it turned to charcoal, which Louis hurled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Completely shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was choked with dark clouds, faint lightning flickered like serpents, adding a suffocating weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon Louis arrived at the so-called Death Lake; in its center stood a sizable building, its style dating back decades, and since it sat right in the lake, crossing required a boat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, amid lightning and thunder, Louis boarded the boat and rowed across the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering the theater, it was in ruins—dust and cobwebs covered everything; tables, chairs, curtains lay overturned, clearly abandoned for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the theater, Louis paused briefly to think: Mary Xiao lived here, so it must be behind the stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis turned his gaze to the back of the stage—everyone knew actors used that area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon Louis found a stone staircase at the rear; feeling the faint, elusive chill and seeing Coal Ball’s sharp, watchful eyes in his arms, he knew he’d found it, and his lips curled upward unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding a slender dagger, he climbed the stairs, gently tapping the iron railing, singing the nursery rhyme that revealed Mary Xiao’s terrifying power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mary Xiao stares with wide eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She cradles her puppet child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember, you little ones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you see her in dreams, don’t scream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the empty building, Louis’s voice echoed far, the metallic chime piercing the soul, carrying an inexplicable pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mary Xiao, where are you? Didn’t expect me to know this place, did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve come for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you too scared to show yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you need me to call out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to call now… I’m going to call…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mocking tone seemed to taunt the opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked open the second-floor room—a white shadow flashed past the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis stood motionless, sneering inwardly: at this point, still trying such childish tricks to unsettle him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looks like you’ve run out of tricks~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several balls of flame ignited around him, illuminating the space; suddenly, by the firelight, a ghastly face appeared right before him—clear, hideous, grotesque; rotten, dried, or crimson tongues twisted together; the pale, wrinkled face had no eyes, only two pitch-black holes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A plain ugly hag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis’s eyelid twitched slightly, and he immediately blew the golden knife from his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next second, Mary Xiao’s figure vanished entirely, with no trace of movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, ghosts’ abilities are truly bizarre; unless you destroy all her puppets from life, she can relocate at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it doesn’t matter—I’m now at my second-favorite part: arson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puppets, heh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis looked at the display cabinet covered in red cloth nearby, and gently lifted the cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neatly arranged in rows, countless puppets of various types stared directly at Louis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaaaa!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shrill, venomous chorus of overlapping screams erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each puppet’s face twisted into a ghoul’s visage, stretching, elongating, swirling, bursting through the display cabinet and surging outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, the entire room echoed with sounds of sorrow, rage, ferocity, and terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! Don’t kill me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaaaa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn bitch! Aaah!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Child, no, Aaaaaa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, these were all the final words of those Mary Xiao had killed in life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Needless to say, this scene was pure auditory pollution, and the sheer volume of similar screams could strike the soul—but Louis had seen enough blood to remain steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis forcibly stabilized his mind; three yang flames blazed on his shoulders and head, and every talisman on his chest, pockets, and body grew scorching hot, forming a golden film that blocked the writhing ghoul faces, while he channeled his internal qi and unleashed the Fire Art at full power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One orange-yellow spark, two, three, ten…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly expanded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of half-meter-high fireballs exploded toward the display cabinets across the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Louis’s eyes darted—he had to find which puppet Mary Xiao was hiding in!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cow’s tears had already been applied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the fireballs shattered and lit up the entire room, Louis saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corner, a puppet resembling the clown from his memory moved its limbs; on its body, Mary Xiao’s ugly soul clung to it, now heading toward the window, trying to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, you’re dead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doo! Doo! Doo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peachwood needles flew out in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mixed among them was a willow-leaf golden knife held under his tongue, all striking the puppet at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden light blazed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaaaa!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the puppet to transfer into, Mary Xiao’s black-dressed form suddenly materialized, a large hole in her chest emitting golden light; her entire body was crumbling, dissolving into streams of black smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the willow-leaf golden knife’s ability to sever souls and destroy spirits was sufficient against Mary Xiao; one strike wasn’t enough, but two would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! No! No!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it! I haven’t killed the last member of the Anson family yet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?! Who the hell are you?! Why did you suddenly appear to stop me?! Why?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis, however, suppressed his urge to gloat—he never gave villains the chance to monologue and turn the tide; he blew again, and golden light flashed once more!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid a piercing scream, Mary Xiao’s form vanished completely into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Louis’s gaze flickered slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned to the flames that had fully consumed the display cabinet and were now spreading through the room; he reached out and summoned his last bit of internal qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All flames, as if drawn by a force, flowed into Louis’s hand, forming a long dragon of fire that he guided out the window, diving straight into the lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mist curled; the scene of water and fire was strangely beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis paid no attention to it; he stared at the completely burned display cabinet and began checking each piece one by one until he had inspected the entire cabinet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once certain every puppet had been burned, he began searching for notebooks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, he found a black-bound notebook on a table, filled with meticulous details on puppet-making processes and parameters; most importantly, it contained records on the perfect puppet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t just list materials—it included diagrams of human gear insertions and modifications, showing remarkable professionalism; even Louis, an outsider, could understand some of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mary Xiao truly was an artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her professional skill was undeniably formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, now all of it belonged to Louis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Louis walked out—but did not leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1150,"2026-06-19T23:34:28.869Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cf559839ecd1c28bec9fe6e447954855ef3009209e74dee806818cae66e22a9d","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-72","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-70",253,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecoming-a-god-through-horror-cover.jpg"]