Chapter 152: Tracking

Fake Core True Person, the Character: Liyang Guard can also handle it.

After all, it's the direct force of Character: Liyang True Person, responsible for the security of Character: Liyang Immortal City; Gu Zongyuan is the commander, but he is not the strongest in the Character: Liyang Guard.

Within the Character: Liyang Guard, besides Xiao Zhangqing, there are two genuine Fake Core True Person‑rank captains!

But those two Fake Core True Persons, like Xiao Zhangqing, are free to act without restriction, joining only in emergencies.

Of course.

Gu Zongyuan may only have a Foundation Establishment perfect cultivation, yet his strength is not far below that of an ordinary Fake Core True Person.

Combined with the Character: Liyang Guard's coordination and formation, Gu Zongyuan can even suppress most Fake Core True Persons! However, this time the target to be exterminated is likely an Evil Cultivator of Fake Core level; relying only on Gu Zongyuan and ordinary Character: Liyang Guard members is insufficient, genuine Fake Core‑level combat power must be deployed.

Originally, if Xiao Zhangqing hadn't come today, Gu Zongyuan planned to invite one of the other two Fake Core captains to act together.

But Xiao Zhangqing arrived, so he changed his mind on the spot.

First, the matter is essentially risk‑free; on the contrary, a successful capture would yield a huge profit. This long‑standing great thief, a repeatedly offending Evil Cultivator, has slain countless cultivators; naturally, the wealth he has amassed is a staggering figure.

Therefore, for the Character: Liyang Guard, hunting an Evil Cultivator of this rank is not entirely a thankless task; there is a good chance of a generous reward.

Second, the two Fake Core‑rank captains of the Character: Liyang Guard are nearly three hundred years old, very senior; Gu Zongyuan respects them, yet interacting with Xiao Zhangqing is still more pleasant and relaxed.

He prefers to go out on missions with Xiao Zhangqing.

There is another reason: although Xiao Zhangqing joined the Character: Liyang Guard as a nominal post, Gu Zongyuan does not intend for him to devote himself completely.

Nevertheless, he still needs to show some skill and do something.

Moreover, this time he truly wants to test how far Xiao Zhangqing's strength has progressed.

Last time he sparred with Song Changning, Song was far too fragile, almost killed in an instant, making it impossible to gauge depth.

If he can join the encirclement of the Fake Core Evil Cultivator this time, perhaps it will become evident.

"How about it, Brother Bai, interested?" Gu Zongyuan raised an eyebrow and asked.

Xiao Zhangqing asked, "What is this Evil Cultivator's name?"

"Um…" Gu Zongyuan hesitated for a moment. The Character: Liyang Guard has a rule: if one does not participate in a mission, one may not disclose intelligence to anyone, even to members of the Character: Liyang Guard.

However, because Xiao Zhangqing's status is different, Gu Zongyuan handed him a Jade Tablet containing the Evil Cultivator's identity and some intelligence.

"Puppet Evil Lord, have you heard of him…"

Xiao Zhangqing looked at the information on the Jade Tablet and nodded.

Indeed, this person is considered one of the most vicious Evil Cultivators in the entire Da Yu Cultivation World; his notoriety far exceeds that of the 'Five Malicious of Cloud Mist' that Xiao Zhangqing eliminated in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

He is called the Puppet Evil Lord because he is likely a second‑tier, top‑grade Puppet Master; according to incomplete statistics, he has once simultaneously controlled up to eleven second‑tier, top‑grade puppets! One such puppet, in combat power, is equivalent to a late‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although puppets lack the hidden cards and flexibility of cultivators, they have an advantage: they are fearless and can be used as outright 'suicide troops'! The Puppet Evil Lord once brutally violated a junior Golden Core True Person's beloved disciple; that Golden Core True Person, in a blaze of fury, paid a huge price to trace his whereabouts and pursued him.

In the end, the Puppet Evil Lord used those eleven second‑tier top‑grade puppets to launch continual suicide attacks, cutting off his pursuers and granting him a chance to escape.

This time the Puppet Evil Lord's trail was discovered, not thanks to the Character: Liyang Guard.

Rather, he was wreaking havoc around Character: Liyang Immortal City, ambushing Liu Family, one of the ten great families of Character: Liyang Immortal City.

Among the ten great families, Liu Family also ranks near the top, not far behind Song Family.

Although Liu Family lacks Golden Core or Fake Core‑rank True Persons, the clan excels at beast taming; they possess over a dozen second‑tier spirit beasts.

Of course, Liu Family has a backing.

Their backer is none other than Gu Zongyuan.

This time the Puppet Evil Lord ambushed a Liu Family detachment, killing and looting, yet he was silently locked onto by Liu Family's tracking methods.

"I can join."

Xiao Zhangqing agreed.

Since he joined the Character: Liyang Guard, he should occasionally carry out a mission.

Based on the years and frequency of the Puppet Evil Lord's crimes, the treasures he has amassed must far exceed those of the Five Malicious of Cloud Mist. After Xiao Zhangqing purchased a Jiaolong Essence Pill at an auction, his Spirit Stones are low, so it's time to replenish them.

Moreover, he is also quite interested in the Puppet Path.

Having an inventory, if he can successfully encircle the Puppet Evil Lord, he may obtain his inheritance…

"Excellent! A puppet master like the Puppet Evil Lord fears a Soul Transformation strongman like you, Brother Bai!" Gu Zongyuan's eyes brightened, delighted: "Controlling puppets requires Soul Transformation to split and manipulate. Even if the Puppet Evil Lord truly has Fake Core cultivation, your Soul Transformation secret art only needs to interfere with him, preventing his puppet army formation from launching an effective attack; killing him then becomes much easier."

……

No time to waste.

After confirming Xiao Zhangqing's inclusion in the anti‑Puppet Evil Lord team, Gu Zongyuan immediately notified Liu Family and prepared to act.

Liu Family's tracking method is not complicated.

Their clan possesses a spirit beast exceptionally skilled at tracking, which can produce a special liquid.

Once this liquid contaminates something, the beast can track the location even across hundreds or thousands of li.

Core disciples of Liu Family, to prevent mishaps abroad, always carry this special liquid; if danger arises they silently cause the assailant to become coated with it.

Thus, avenging their disciple becomes much simpler for Liu Family.

The liquid is colorless and odorless; even a Golden Core True Person would find it hard to detect.

The same applies to the Puppet Evil Lord.

After slaughtering a Liu Family squad, he may have thought he was unnoticed, but he was already locked onto by Liu Family.

Under Gu Zongyuan's lead, besides Xiao Zhangqing, the Character: Liyang Guard also deployed eighteen late‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

With these eighteen Character: Liyang Guard members forming a battle array, his power will surge dramatically; his magical strength surpasses that of ordinary Fake Core True Persons by a few points, compensating for the magical deficiency of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Moreover, his own trump card is the ability to kill most Fake Core True Persons.

Liu Family head Liu Ke naturally also joined the deployment.

Tracking the Puppet Evil Lord is impossible without Liu Family's spirit beast.

Moreover, this Character: Liyang Guard hunt of the Puppet Evil Lord stems from avenging Liu Family's disciple; additionally, Liu Family has long been tied to Gu Zongyuan, their many enterprises flourishing in Character: Liyang Immortal City over the years, ranking among the top five of the ten great families, all thanks to Gu Zongyuan's support.

Today Gu Zongyuan has mobilized; if Liu Family's head does not appear personally, it would be unacceptable.

A party of twenty‑one people silently set out from Character: Liyang Immortal City, boarding a flying boat, and, guided by a spirit beast, raced northward.

What a few did not know was that, as they left Character: Liyang Immortal City, someone had been watching them from afar in the shadows.

After they departed, someone hurried to report the news. A moment later, a cultivator clad in a black cloak also left Character: Liyang Immortal City.

The direction they headed was exactly the same as that of Gu Zongyuan, Xiao Zhangqing, Liu Ke and their party, who were tracking the Puppet Evil Lord!

……

……

Inside the speeding flying boat, the others kept their eyes closed to rest, trying to optimize their condition for the upcoming battle.

After all, the foe they were to face was the notorious Puppet Evil Lord of the Da Yu Cultivation World, a being who had escaped death at the hands of a Golden Core True Person.

Only Xiao Zhangqing suddenly produced a turtle shell and began divining.

"Brother Bai, are you still proficient in divination?" Gu Zongyuan asked in surprise.

Divination masters are truly rare in the Da Yu Cultivation World.

In a bustling cultivation metropolis like Character: Liyang Immortal City, there are countless Pill Masters, Symbol Masters, and Artifact Refiners, even some of the third grade.

Yet a Divination Master who has reached the second grade cannot be found!

If one is only a first‑grade Divination Master, it is of little use to Foundation Establishment cultivators, especially those in the mid‑to‑late stages.

The gap is too great; a first‑grade Divination Master cannot accurately calculate the fortunes of mid‑to‑late Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"I wouldn't call it mastery, just a superficial understanding."

His divination skill is still only first‑grade superior.

Because Divination Masters are so scarce, the artifacts and treasures related to divination are also rare, so even though Xiao Zhangqing has long wanted to improve his divination art, he has had no opportunity.

However, he is now divining for himself, not for others.

Thus, even with only a first‑grade superior level, he can still roughly infer certain things.

Not very accurate, but it gives a general direction.

Soon, Xiao Zhangqing cast several divinations in succession, and the results made him frown.

Seeing this, Gu Zongyuan's expression grew tense, and he asked, "Brother Bai, is the omen unfavorable? An ominous hexagram?"

"It's not exactly an ominous hexagram. It's just cryptic and full of variables. Judging by the signs, our siege of the Puppet Evil Lord won't go smoothly; there will be many setbacks," Xiao Zhangqing said.

"Setbacks? So the Puppet Evil Lord is stronger than we imagined, right...?" Gu Zongyuan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it wasn't an ominous hexagram.

As for the setbacks, he considered them reasonable.

The Puppet Evil Lord is, after all, the infamous calamity cultivator of the Da Yu Cultivation World; having committed so many heinous crimes yet still evading justice, his survival tactics are certainly extraordinary.

On the surface he only possesses a fully mature Foundation Establishment power, but combined with his puppet formation, it is enough to contend with Fake Core cultivators.

Gu Zongyuan speculated that this person may have already achieved the Golden Core stage once, but failed to solidify a Golden Core, thus becoming a Fake Core True Person.

But the exact reality, and whether he has any hidden cards beyond the puppet formation, no one knows.

Nevertheless, as long as it's not an ominous hexagram, it's not too terrible.

At worst... just a fruitless return.

Xiao Zhangqing put the turtle shell away, still uncertain, contemplating whether to persuade Gu Zongyuan to abandon the expedition.

In his view, even though it's not a great ominous hexagram, the prospect of setbacks is something he cannot readily accept.

He dislikes surprises; he only likes absolute certainty!

Even with just a one‑percent risk, he does not want to try.

He already has a golden finger; he just needs to develop steadily and cautiously—why risk his life in a reckless gamble?

Moreover, an important factor is that his divination is based on his own strongest strength, not on Gu Zongyuan's assumption that only a Soul Transformation as powerful as a Fake Core True Person counts.

His current normal strength, even without resorting to forbidden techniques, is already enough to sweep away most mid‑stage Golden Core true persons! If there are still setbacks, that means the Puppet Evil Lord is far from simple, at least much stronger than a Fake Core True Person! Otherwise, even after refining a life‑bonded artifact, top Fake Core True Persons like Liang Yuehua or Zhou Songbai would pose no unexpected difficulties for Xiao Zhangqing.

Or perhaps...

Behind this Puppet Evil Lord, there are accomplices.

Xiao Zhangqing narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze flickering as he hesitated and thought.

He hadn't originally intended to divinate, but at the moment of leaving Character: Liyang Immortal City, something stirred subtly within him.

The feeling was like a highly alert beast sensing a hunter's trap.

Xiao Zhangqing's powerful divine sense faintly sensed that someone was watching them from the shadows.

But when he carefully sensed and scanned around, he found no trace of a stalker.

Thus, to ease his inner unease, he took out the long‑sealed turtle shell in the flying boat to attempt a divination.

The result was indeed not good.

"The Puppet Evil Lord possesses cultivation beyond the mid‑stage Golden Core; that possibility should be low,"

"Not only mid‑stage Golden Core cultivators, there are many legitimate ways to earn money, so there's no need to become an Evil Cultivator. Moreover, given the Puppet Evil Lord's cruel, multi‑pronged malice, if he had mid‑stage Golden Core strength and truly wanted Spirit Stones, he could conduct large‑scale raids instead of specifically targeting Foundation Establishment cultivators; he could aim at Fake Core True Persons or even Golden Core true persons."

"He also wouldn't have been chased and fled in a panic by early‑stage Golden Core cultivators over a decade ago."

"If my sense at the moment of leaving Character: Liyang Immortal City wasn't an illusion..."

"Then... a greater possibility is that someone stands behind the Puppet Evil Lord! This person is stronger than the Puppet Evil Lord..."

"Even... this time the Puppet Evil Lord slaughtered a member of the Liu family deliberately! As for the purpose..."

Xiao Zhangqing's gaze swept back and forth between Gu Zongyuan and Liu Ke, the head of the Liu family.

"If my speculation is correct, then this person's motive is either the Liu family or Gu Zongyuan?"

Afterward.

Xiao Zhangqing thought about himself again.

If there is a conspiracy, it probably isn't aimed at him.

After all, his joining this siege was purely accidental, a spur‑of‑the‑moment decision.

So if there's a conspiracy, it probably doesn't involve him.

(End of chapter)