Chapter 153: Clash with the Puppet Evil Lord

"Brother Bai, you didn't get some terrible omen, did you? Won't you tell us?"

Gu Zongyuan, faced with Xiao Zhangqing's gaze and thoughtful expression, felt rather uncertain.

After the divination, he sensed that Xiao Zhangqing had become noticeably more cautious, even giving him the impression that he might withdraw at any moment and not join the hunt for the Puppet Evil Lord!

It shouldn't be that unpredictable, right?

"No... I just thought of something, I'm a bit puzzled."

Xiao Zhangqing turned his head toward Liu Ke and asked, "Dao Companion Liu, how many people know about the Liu family's tracking spirit-beast?"

The Liu family head, being sharp, immediately grasped Xiao Zhangqing's implication and replied, "It's not really a secret. The upper echelons of the ten great families and major forces in Character: Liyang Immortal City are aware of it. After all, it's a means for the Liu family to intimidate petty folk, allowing our members to encounter far fewer unnecessary troubles when traveling. However, beyond Character: Liyang Immortal City, very few know about this."

"Moreover, the crucial point is that even within Character: Liyang Immortal City, many cultivators know that our Liu family's special spirit-beast excels at tracking, yet no one knows how to break the tracking. Even a Golden Core Immortal, unless wielding an extremely strong concealment spell, would still be exposed."

Gu Zongyuan nodded at the words and said, "Brother Bai, you're overthinking. The Puppet Evil Lord isn't from Character: Liyang Immortal City; until recently he barely showed any trace near the city. It was probably the auction held not long ago that drew him here, so he most likely doesn't know the Liu family has this tracking spirit-beast, let alone how to conceal it..."

Xiao Zhangqing heard the explanation, but his doubts were not dispelled.

If the Puppet Evil Lord doesn't know the Liu family has a tracking spirit-beast, the matter makes sense.

But should the Puppet Evil Lord know this, even if he doesn't know how to mask his aura, after slaying a Liu disciple and not fleeing quickly—still lingering not far from Character: Liyang Immortal City—that would make things far less simple.

That would be tantamount to deliberately inviting the Liu family to hunt him! And with Gu Zongyuan behind the Liu family, that's no secret in Character: Liyang Immortal City.

"Dao Companion Liu, does the Liu family have any mortal enemies?..."

Xiao Zhangqing asked with a hint of implication.

"Well..." Liu Ke hesitated, not answering directly, but first glanced at Gu Zongyuan.

Gu Zongyuan waved his hand and said plainly, "Brother Bai is one of us; there's nothing we can't discuss. The major forces in Character: Liyang Immortal City are deeply intertwined, and every resource and channel has backers. To become one of the top ten families and rank high inevitably brings conflicts with other factions. As for the Liu family's greatest foe, that would undoubtedly be the Song family..."

Song family?

Xiao Zhangqing heard the answer, somewhat surprised.

If it's the Song family...

"If the Song family and the Liu family are foes, what about the Blood Crow Immortal?" Xiao Zhangqing probed further.

Gu Zongyuan still held nothing back, saying openly, "The Song family's rise to this point owes much to the Blood Crow Immortal. So even though the Song family knows that the Blood Crow Immortal's nephew He Yuan is a hopeless scoundrel, lecherous to a fault, they still arranged a marriage between the Song family's lady, Song Ping'er, and He Yuan..."

"The Liu and Song families are foes; my relationship with the Blood Crow Immortal is, at best, a 'rival' one,"

"Of course, whether it's me or the Blood Crow Immortal, even if our interests clash, we never expose it openly; at most we pull a few covert moves, while maintaining a courteous façade."

"Speaking of which, I didn't know your true strength at first, Brother Bai, so I tried to win you over; that's the reason."

Xiao Zhangqing nodded, indicating he understood.

If today's hunt for the Puppet Evil Lord truly encounters a twist, it would mean someone deliberately set a trap, luring the Liu family or Gu Zongyuan, most likely the Song family and the Blood Crow Immortal. Then Xiao Zhangqing, who had been looking for an excuse to retreat, would have to change his mind.

Turn the scheme into a plan!

Conveniently, both the Song family and the Blood Crow Immortal are on his little notebook's blacklist, waiting for a chance to eliminate them!

If he could use this chance to wipe out the Blood Crow Immortal and the Song family's elite forces in one stroke, that would be a perfect strike! For the past two months, Xiao Zhangqing has been covertly gathering information on the Blood Crow Immortal, looking for an opening.

"Brother Bai, you don't actually think this Puppet Evil Lord might be linked to the Song family and the Blood Crow Immortal, do you?" Gu Zongyuan said with a slightly dumbfounded laugh.

In his view, the Song family and the Liu family could indeed fight to the death.

If he and the Blood Crow Immortal didn't restrain each other, the two families would have long been at irreconcilable odds due to conflicting interests.

But precisely because he and the Blood Crow Immortal are present, the Song and Liu families will try to keep each other in check.

As for the Song family and the Blood Crow Immortal joining forces with the Puppet Evil Lord to strike at him and the Liu family, that's even more impossible! He is the commander of the Character: Liyang Guard and the most favored disciple of his master.

Even without the Character: Liyang Guard's support, the Blood Crow Immortal and the Song family have no way to deal with him.

Even if the Blood Crow Immortal took the Three-Pattern Jade Dew Pill this time and successfully advanced to the mid Golden Core stage, bolstered by the audacity of both the Song family and the Blood Crow Immortal, they still wouldn't dare strike him! Unless they're mad to the point of suicidal insanity, they wouldn't want to live! "Perhaps I'm overthinking,"

Xiao Zhangqing smiled.

He trusted his intuition, and the prickling sensation on his back when leaving the city was no illusion.

If it were something else, even with minimal risk, Xiao Zhangqing wouldn't dare take the chance; he might simply find an excuse to send Gu Zongyuan back home.

But if he could use the opportunity to eliminate the Song family's top brass and the Blood Crow Immortal, that level of risk is one he's willing to take.

In any case, the divination doesn't foretell great disaster, only some setbacks and surprises.

It means his life won't be in danger, at most he'll expend a bit more effort.

Given Xiao Zhangqing's current strength, it's indeed hard to find anyone in Character: Liyang Immortal City who could threaten him.

Aside from Gu Zongyuan's master, Character: Liyang Immortal, Xiao Zhangqing has little to fear.

According to Liu Ke's spirit-beast feedback, the Puppet Evil Lord is likely lurking about three hundred li from Character: Liyang Immortal City.

Gu Zongyuan's flying vessel, though small, is of third-class rank and flies at tremendous speed.

In less than half an hour, they were already near the destination. "Right in the mountain range ahead."

The flying vessel halted before a modestly tall, continuous mountain range, and the twenty-one of them streamed out in single file.

Above Liu Ke's head, a colossal, sealed special avian spirit-beast trembled its wings—precisely the Liu family's most adept tracking spirit-beast.

"Brother Bai, let's follow the plan we discussed earlier. I'll take the front to block the puppet army, and you apply the Soul Transformation secret technique to restrain them. Keep your aura low; if you can form an encircling field first, that'd be best to prevent them from fleeing when they sense the mismatch..." Gu Zongyuan ordered gravely.

As the commander of the Character: Liyang Guard, he naturally assumed command during the mission.

"Alright..."

Xiao Zhangqing was about to nod when he suddenly looked toward the near distance and said, "Seems unnecessary."

In the near distance, a figure sped toward them.

The person was tall and rugged, with a pair of copper-bell-like eyes that were unmistakable.

It was Da Yu, the notorious Puppet Evil Lord of the Cultivation World! "Form the formation!"

Gu Zongyuan reacted swiftly; immediately, eighteen of his post-foundation cultivators scattered, forming a massive encirclement, each wielding a special set of artifacts that quickly surrounded the Puppet Evil Lord.

The Puppet Evil Lord showed no panic in the face of the crowd's actions, nor any intention to flee.

A pair of tiger-like eyes roamed over the crowd with interest, saying, "Character: Liyang Guard, Chen family head, you really came looking for me..."

Gu Zongyuan said coldly, "Puppet Evil Lord, interesting. It seems your raid on the Chen family's party was deliberate, luring us to take the bait."

"Commander Gu isn't exactly stupid; he finally caught on. But now it's a bit too late." The Puppet Evil Lord's gaze lingered on Xiao Zhangqing, asking with interest, "You there, if I'm not mistaken, are Bai Wuji, right?"

Xiao Zhangqing smiled and asked, "You still know me?"

"Of course I've heard of you. In the past six months, the most renowned cultivator in Character: Liyang Immortal City, how could I not have heard?" The Puppet Evil Lord, unshaken and even pleased, said, "I originally thought it would be at most a double shot, but it turned out to be a triple!"

Gu Zongyuan's expression turned completely grim.

Now that things have come to this, it seems indeed as Xiao Zhangqing had suspected before arriving, the Puppet Evil Lord's raid on the Chen family party was entirely intentional.

The drunkard's intention wasn't the wine; his true aim was to target him and the head of the Chen family!

But who exactly is behind this Puppet Evil Lord? Could it truly be the Blood Crow Immortal and the Song family?

Do they have such nerve?

Startled and angry, Gu Zongyuan kept his composure and shouted, "Attack!"

He simultaneously transmitted a voice to Xiao Zhangqing: "Brother Bai, please give it your all! I miscalculated this matter; the Puppet Evil Lord likely has an accomplice. Our plan now is to, while his partner hasn't appeared, either capture him or slay him outright, which is most advantageous for us."

The words hung in the air.

Boom! The eighteen Character: Liyang Guards, already in formation, under Gu Zongyuan's command, simultaneously unleashed their magical energy, brandishing their full sets of magical implements, instantly encircling the area as if creating a domain isolated from the outside.

Within this domain, temperature surged, raging flames roared, all vegetation ignited instantly, and even the rocks seemed about to melt from the heat.

If an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, even one in the late stage or even fully established, were trapped in this formation, they would be refined away in an instant, reduced to ash.

"Character: Liyang Guard, truly lives up to the name."

The Puppet Evil Lord, standing amid the sea of fire, couldn't help but show a change of expression.

He then raised a blue banner; as his magical energy surged, concentric blue waves formed around him, as if immersed in seawater, fully repelling the scorching flames and pressure.

This banner is a third‑grade Magic Treasure!

Of course, it is not his personal Magic Treasure, but with third‑grade power and a water affinity, it can perfectly counter the Character: Liyang Guard formation.

He truly came prepared!

However, that alone is insufficient.

If it's merely a third‑grade water‑type Magic Treasure, but the wielder is only at Foundation Establishment level, his magical energy is too weak to unleash its full power.

Thus it cannot fully resist the formation led by Gu Zongyuan with his eighteen Character: Liyang Guards.

"Puppet Evil Lord, you have truly reached the False Core Realm!" Gu Zongyuan thundered.

"Commander Gu doesn't seem surprised; he guessed it long ago," the Puppet Evil Lord said, wielding the blue banner Magic Treasure. Even trapped in the formation, he handled it with ease; despite the eighteen Character: Liyang Guards continuously launching assaults, fire serpents lunged at him, and puppets kept appearing around him, blocking every attack.

Each puppet in his army is a second‑grade superior, capable of confronting late‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivators directly with their puppet bodies.

Thus, within this fiery formation, an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator without a powerful defensive treasure cannot survive, whereas the hard‑bodied puppets pose far less threat.

Buzz— At that moment, Xiao Zhangqing struck.

The Nine‑Autumn Flute, coordinated with the Nine‑Autumn Secret Technique, generated a Soul Transformation attack like thin cicada‑wing blades, slashing toward the Puppet Evil Lord's Soul Transformation within the formation.

Immediately, the previously fluid and effortless Puppet Evil Lord's movements slowed.

"Good opportunity!"

Gu Zongyuan's eyes flashed; without hesitation, he brandished a long spear Magic Treasure wreathed in blazing flames, its endless sharpness and heat driving a fierce thrust at the Puppet Evil Lord.

(End of Chapter)