Chapter 402: Doll Puppet (Combined Three Parts)

Crackling—

Lightning serpents writhed wildly.

Each bolt was as thick as an arm.

Countless fine sparks spread through the damp air in all directions.

Fu Songyu’s control over lightning far surpassed Fu Chongjiu’s; with the spreading sparks, he no longer needed Fu Hongyu’s instructions and could already see through the “Dragon Spitting Mist,” easily locating the black shadow’s position.

The black shadow was cunning, like a slippery eel.

It deployed every trick imaginable and still carved out a path of escape from the pincer attack of Fu Songyu and Fu Bai Zhou!

“This thing can no longer be called human!” Fu Songyu barked. “Besides the Dragon Transformation Art, it possesses other powers.”

Even now, after this battle, they had not seen the black shadow’s true face.

Fu Bai Zhou grew increasingly furious: “Kill it quickly! Don’t let the night grow longer and bring more trouble!”

No words were needed—they both understood.

If Luo Gongqiao caught up and the four fourth-tier cultivators surrounded it,

who knew whether Luo Gongqiao and the others might extract the Dragon Transformation Art from the black shadow after killing it?

The Fu family had no way to openly investigate Luo Gongqiao.

So it was best if the two of them killed it outright.

The black shadow writhed in the night, its body strong and powerful like a giant python, often lunging a hundred zhang in a single bound.

Fu Songyu gathered a bolt of lightning, concealing it in his left palm.

His left hand had grown enormously thick, its surface covered in jagged dragon scales, the five fingertips sharpened into a dragon’s claw!

Fu Songyu calculated the black shadow’s position, then suddenly thrust his left hand out from behind his back.

Like a thunder dragon reaching out its claw!

Lightning crashed down—

Yet this sure-hit strike suddenly veered mid-air, bypassing the black shadow’s body and striking a large tree ten zhang away.

The tree shattered instantly, exploding into a rain of burning embers scattered everywhere.

The black shadow was also caught in the blast, flung over a dozen zhang, but suffered no serious injury—it dove into the earth and vanished again.

Fu Songyu’s eyes widened in shock: “This bastard is incredibly cunning! He’s cultivated lightning too, but held back until this critical moment to dodge my strike!”

Just now, at the crucial instant, the lightning had been diverted aside—done secretly by the black shadow.

The black shadow had cultivated lightning, but knew its mastery was far inferior to Fu Songyu’s, so it had concealed it all along.

Fu Hongyu pointed his dragon tail toward a spot on the ground; Fu Bai Zhou roared and charged forward with his great hammer.

But the black shadow had already erupted from another spot on the ground and plunged into the forest.

“Chase it!”

Gao Wanli dared not follow.

Not just her—everyone, including Xu Yuan, stayed where they were, panting heavily.

They glanced at each other, feeling awkward.

None of them dared—or wanted—to chase after and assist in the fight.

Xu Yuan suddenly spoke: “We stay here to support Master Luo Gongqiao!”

Zhu Zhanlei secretly gave a thumbs-up—only my brother Xu could come up with such a perfect excuse!

Cowardice could be disguised as such a fitting justification.

Now no one felt embarrassed.

Gao Wanli quietly exhaled, feeling for the first time in her life a flicker of fondness toward Xu Yuan.

Gao Wanli truly dared not pursue further.

Last time, she’d kept chasing and chasing—and ended up stumbling straight into the poisonous mist of the Bronze Coffin Cliff’s malevolence…

Zhu Zhanlei suddenly remembered: “Where’s Long Ke? Help me find it—if it’s truly lost, Xu Miao will never let me off!”

Zhu Zhanlei vaguely recalled where he’d dropped it and hurried toward that direction.

Xu Yuan followed: “I’ll go with you.”

…

A dead crow landed silently, stiffly hopping on the ground until it spotted the piece of “meat” lying there.

It was about to peck it up when suddenly it noticed countless black, phantom threads coalescing from the air.

One even tried to burrow into its brain!

The dead crow startled, leaping sideways.

But the threads chased after it, as if they’d singled it out.

The dead crow was terrified: What kind of malevolence is this?!

Completely forgetting it was itself a malevolence.

It flapped its wings and soared high—the threads were slower, and it finally shook them off.

Looking down, the dead crow saw more and more of those black, phantom threads on the ground, each thread slipping into the piece of “meat.”

And even more threads drifted in continuously.

This process lasted a full incense stick’s time.

Then the piece of “meat” stirred, quickly transforming into a small, dark, grotesque dragon!

The dead crow looked at it and felt it was dangerous; it squawked and flew away, deeply frightened—how could it explain to the Great King that it had failed its mission?

…

The puppet dragon had been hovering high above, guiding Fu Songyu and Fu Bai Zhou.

Suddenly, Fu Songyu felt the golden thread in his hand twitch…

And then he could no longer sense Fu Hongyu’s presence at all.

Fu Songyu cursed inwardly, looked up—and saw the golden thread descending from the sky, its end only hanging a small fragment of the puppet dragon’s tail!

Fu Bai Zhou also noticed the anomaly: “What happened?”

Fu Songyu’s face darkened: “Fu Hongyu ran away!”

“What?!”

This technique was imperfect, so this flaw had surfaced.

Fu Songyu retracted the golden thread and said: “Forget him for now. Even if he escapes, in this cursed Wushan, he’ll end up as a malevolence anyway.”

He continued chasing the black shadow.

Fu Bai Zhou shook his head repeatedly: “Why bother? Better to die in our own hands than be devoured by malevolences.”

The puppet dragon struggled, flew to Long Ke’s side, and collapsed.

It could no longer hold on.

It had severed its own tail—though it escaped, its injuries were grave.

It landed beside Long Ke, who had already been transformed by “Nian Sheng” into a grotesque little black dragon.

The little black dragon immediately rushed over, bit down on the severed tail, and Fu Hongyu’s remaining dragon soul poured entirely into Long Ke.

Fu Hongyu briefly assessed his condition—his heart grew heavy.

His dragon soul had continuously leaked “Nian Sheng” along the way, and the “tail-severing escape” had cost him two or three tenths of his essence.

For a soul, this was an injury nearly impossible to recover from.

“At least I escaped. This Long Ke came from a jiao—perfect for my dragon soul to inhabit. I’ll find a way later…”

Fu Hongyu glanced around, then moved swiftly on all four claws, skimming the ground as he fled.

He knew that if caught by his own kin, he’d never have another chance.

He’d be chained like a dog until his dragon soul was utterly worn away.

He slipped into the dense forest—then suddenly stepped on something, and in an instant, he was completely enveloped, plunged into darkness.

He panicked, struggling and tearing wildly—but whatever wrapped him was unlike anything he’d ever encountered; no matter how hard he tore, it remained unbroken, only deforming.

“What’s going on…?”

Suddenly, something moved on a nearby tree.

When still, it was invisible; only now, in motion, did its human form appear.

Gao Guanzi crept down, his robes resembling Bai Lao’s feathered cloak, perfectly camouflaging him in the mountains.

Gao Guanzi picked up the puppet dragon, darted deep into the woods, and crouched down in hiding.

…

Zhu Zhanlei wandered around for a while, puzzled: “I clearly dropped it right here—how can’t I find it…?”

Xu Yuan suddenly spotted something and pointed: “What’s that?”

The two cautiously approached.

On the ground lay a puppet dragon with its tail severed!

“Fu family?!” Zhu Zhanlei suddenly understood: “That’s too much! You want Long Ke? Go ask Xu Miao for it! Why trick me?!

Do you think the Zhu family is easy to bully?”

Everyone had seen Fu Songyu release the puppet dragon earlier.

Zhu Zhanlei stepped forward to retrieve it—it was evidence. After the mission, he’d argue his case with the Fu family.

“Brother Xu, you’ve got to testify for me…”

Da Fu suddenly burst out from behind Xu Yuan, lunged ahead of Zhu Zhanlei, and pecked fiercely at the puppet dragon.

Zhu Zhanlei cried in panic: “Great Fortune Lord, that’s evidence—you can’t eat it…”

Great Fortune didn’t eat it; instead, he pecked at the puppet dragon several more times.

Xu Yuan grabbed Zhu Zhanlei: “Don’t go over yet—something’s wrong!”

The puppet dragon suddenly began to writhe!

Great Fortune kept pecking.

From the severed tail of the puppet dragon, a grotesque venomous insect crawled out!

The insect extended six tendrils, each five feet long, each bearing a sinister, malevolent infant ghost!

Its two sharp fangs opened and closed continuously, dripping venom!

Great Fortune swallowed it without hesitation.

The venomous insect had no power to resist before Great Fortune.

But it startled Zhu Zhanlei!

He had just been about to pick up the puppet dragon without any guard—if that insect had bitten him… the consequences would be unthinkable!

Judging by the insect’s posture, its venom didn’t just harm the body—it poisoned the soul too!

Soul injuries are the hardest to heal.

Zhu Zhanlei’s knees buckled; he nearly knelt before Great Fortune.

“I’ll buy you three thousand hens—I’ll make your harem three thousand strong!”

Zhu Zhanlei extended the highest courtesy of the aristocratic playboy circle.

Great Fortune stared blankly with hollow, lifeless eyes, not understanding a word.

Xu Yuan released the sinew rope again, tested the puppet dragon several times, confirmed it was safe, then rolled it up and handed it to Zhu Zhanlei: “Keep it safe.”

In his heart, Xu Yuan also muttered: Thank heaven I didn’t put my hopes in the Corpse Sparrow.

He also released the Pi Dan.

But just as Fu Hongyu shed the puppet dragon, a terrifying venomous insect slithered in—there are too many evil spirits in Ghost Witch Mountain.

Tian Jing volunteered to have the Corpse Sparrow carry away the Long Ke.

The Corpse Sparrow is small; if it succeeds, no one will notice.

Xu Yuan didn’t object.

But he couldn’t help feeling… the Corpse Sparrows have never been reliable.

During the brawl between the Fu family and Tian Jing, everyone had overlooked Gao Guanzi.

Xu Yuan secretly found Gao Guanzi, gave him the Pi Dan, and instructed him to search for the Long Ke too.

Gao Guanzi arrived a step too late—Fu Hongyu had already seized the Long Ke.

Gao Guanzi didn’t act rashly; he feared he couldn’t match Fu Hongyu, so he set a trap using Xu’s Pi Dan.

Setting snares and traps—those are the mountain folk’s specialty.

…

Zhu Zhanlei, sullenly clutching the puppet dragon, returned with Xu Yuan to their original spot; Gao Wanli and the others were still waiting.

Zhu Zhanlei was about to curse the Fu family when suddenly, far ahead, a thunderous boom rang out, followed by a terrifying aura sweeping over them like a storm!

Everyone present felt every hair on their body stand on end!

Gao Wanli turned ashen, screaming inwardly: It’s that evil spirit again!

She lost all control, forgot her excuse of “waiting here for Lord Luo,” and turned to flee.

The ground’s trembling only now began to ripple endlessly toward them.

“What the hell?!” Zhu Zhanlei shouted, then his legs seemed to have minds of their own—he followed Gao Wanli in retreat.

Xu Yuan shoved him hard: “Stop playing the nobleman—run!”

The group fled in panic.

The three Captains of the Shanhe Bureau turned ashen.

Whatever Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou had encountered, they couldn’t possibly withstand it.

Farther away, over ten li distant, Luo Gongqiao and Shen Chen were rapidly advancing toward Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou.

To ensure the killer of the Princess Consort was lured in, they could reach the battlefield immediately and surround and kill him.

But when the massive disturbance erupted, both Fourth-Rank cultivators froze in place.

Luo Gongqiao and Shen Chen exchanged a glance; Luo Gongqiao ordered the others: “The evil spirit is too powerful—withdraw from Ghost Witch Mountain at once.

I and Brother Shen will go to assist Fu Songyu.”

“Yes, my lord.” The three men bowed, then turned and retreated.

The two Fourth-Rank lords sprinted forward four or five li, confirmed the others couldn’t see them, then split off in opposite directions.

They circled around, avoiding the dreadful evil spirit, fleeing at top speed.

Assistance for Fu Songyu? Good luck to you two, Fu family.

That murderous aura was beyond anything a Fourth-Rank could handle.

We serve the court—we’ve done our duty.

No need to die for it.

But before their subordinates, the two lords still had to put on a show.

…

In the darkness, Gao Wanli fled in disarray, panicked and directionless, Zhixiangtaoming , and unknowingly lost sight of Zhu Zhanlei and the others.

Gao Wanli didn’t care.

She was a Sixth-Rank Artisan Xiu—she could protect herself in Ghost Witch Mountain.

“Last time I escaped—I’ll escape alive this time too!”

Staying with Zhu Zhanlei and the others might only drag her down.

After all, Zhu Zhanlei was a waste, and those three Shanhe Captains weren’t skilled either.

Suddenly, her foot caught on something, and she fell hard to the ground.

Immediately, a red rope snaked around her neck.

A voice laughed happily: “Caught it! Caught it! Bodhisattva, have mercy—decades without children, and now we’ve caught a little one!”

Another woman’s voice chimed in, delighted: “It’s a plump little girl—perfect!”

Gao Wanli tugged at the red rope around her neck, but found her body stiffening.

She pulled harder—and a series of cracking sounds echoed from her arms.

Before her stood a pair of clay dolls, their faces painted in garish colors, mouths stretched wide to their ears in grins.

They were an old couple, lovingly clinging together, heads touching, shoulders pressed side by side.

The old man held a red rope in his hand.

The red rope tightened around Gao Wanli’s neck; her body slowly turned into a clay statue.

Meanwhile, the old couple slowly transformed into living beings.

If Gao Wanli moved any more, her clay body would shatter.

Gao Wanli stopped moving, but wasn’t panicked—she produced a hand cannon.

The barrel was carved with a sinister demonic face.

But she hesitated—the cannon vanished; using this Artisan device would generate too much recoil, possibly snapping her arms.

Instead, a fishing rod appeared; a thin line flew out, the hook aiming for the old couple.

If it caught, she could draw back the “vitality” she’d sent through the red rope, redirecting it through the fishing line.

But just as the hook neared its target, something slashed through the darkness—the line snapped!

Gao Wanli cursed inwardly, then immediately retracted the rod and pulled out a pure gold wine flask.

She tipped the flask—

What poured out wasn’t wine, but a bolt of lightning!

It wasn’t just the Dragon Transformation Scripture that could control lightning—Gao Wanli knew Westerners had long studied thunder and electricity.

Many new Artisan devices could unleash lightning.

But suddenly, a fine rain fell upon her face.

The lightning crackled—and scattered wildly through the rain.

It struck the old couple—but also hit her!

Gao Wanli saw cracks forming on her body; she gritted her teeth and retracted the flask.

A few more bolts, and the old couple might shatter—but she wouldn’t survive.

“Clay fears water.” Gao Wanli thought of this, and pulled out a small box.

She tossed it to the ground—the box opened, and its internal mechanisms unfolded with a rushing sound, transforming into a waterwheel.

The waterwheel spun, drawing forth a great river, surging toward the old couple.

But suddenly, a flame fell from the darkness.

It swiftly evaporated the entire river!

Gao Wanli ground her teeth: “Xu Yuan?”

The first two incidents could’ve been evil spirits—but this fire was clearly internal fire from a Dan Xiu!

And to burn a great river so quickly—it was a high-level Dan Xiu.

Who else but Xu Yuan?

The first time the fish line was cut, it was Xu Yuan’s sword pellet.

But the second damp rain—what was it?

Gao Wanli could not guess; it must be some hidden trick of that thief.

She demanded an answer, but darkness remained utterly silent.

Instead, an elderly couple vaguely sensed something yet still smiled happily, saying, “After decades of vegetarianism and chanting sutras, our sincere devotion has finally moved the Bodhisattva—she not only blessed us with a chubby baby but also sent her celestial dragon to guard and protect us…”

Although they spoke thus, their smiles grew even more sinister and cold.

Gao Wanli gritted her teeth and kept driving the waterwheel; the river water gushed forth, but the flames grew fiercer still.

Suddenly, a shadow whipped out from the darkness and slapped against the waterwheel with a sharp crack.

The three-zhang-tall waterwheel shattered outright!

Gao Wanli’s heart jolted; though the shadow moved at blinding speed, she clearly saw—it was a tail, somewhat like a crocodile’s, yet also resembling… a dragon’s tail!

“Not Xu Yuan?”

Gao Wanli was utterly horrified: “Then what evil is this?! Today… we’re surely doomed…”

Her hairpin suddenly stirred—a centipede crawled out!

Half flesh, half machinery.

It was her life-saving artifact, carrying a heavy portion of her life force.

The centipede crawled onto the red thread and gnawed fiercely.

If it bit through this thread, she could sever her connection to the old couple.

In the darkness, a flash of lightning suddenly pierced through.

Ssshhhh—

The centipede blazed with light; its fleshy parts burned to char.

This centipede was exquisitely crafted, able to hide within her hairpin.

It could save her life at critical moments.

But Gao Wanli dared not use it lightly—because its delicacy meant it was not sturdy.

Now that she’d used this final trick, she was utterly spent.

Gao Wanli’s heart filled with despair.

The clay figurines of the old couple had bound her with red thread; otherwise, she’d have had more tools to use, and wouldn’t be reduced to this, slowly dragged to death.

She felt her body growing stiffer by the moment; even the smell of damp earth filled her nostrils.

She tried to turn her neck, to find the other evil in the darkness—but she could no longer move.

The old couple beamed: “Good child, come home with Mama and Papa…”

Their flesh had swelled full; they stepped forward to take Gao Wanli—when suddenly, a dark shadow burst from the darkness.

A tail whipped—

Crack!

Gao Wanli’s body shattered.

In her final moment, Gao Wanli saw the thing—it truly was a dragon!

But not quite a dragon; it resembled one, yet also had aspects of a crocodile, of a jiao…

Her soul drifted upward, blank and lost.

Across the sky of Ghost Witch Mountain, something passed—invisible, formless, yet ferociously swift, like a hawk snatching a mouse—it tore her soul apart, ripped it to shreds, and swallowed it whole.

The old couple flew into a rage, but the Pí Lóng paid them no mind, swishing its tail and walking away.

After much hesitation, the old couple finally said: “Enough. Give the Bodhisattva face—let His celestial dragon go.”

…

The Píǒu Lóng was ruined; Xu Yuan no longer feared his own Pí Lóng being exposed.

So he released it to follow Gao Wanli in secret.

On this journey to Ghost Witch Mountain, Xu Yuan’s primary goal was “Dragon Sickness.”

But if he were greedy, he could still summon the Corpse Empress to act—four fourth-tier cultivators could be killed, and they’d surely carry many fine treasures.

There were also the three “Harmonious Waterwheels.”

But Xu Yuan suppressed his greed.

He could not let the situation escalate further.

And the “Harmonious Waterwheels” were of special importance to the River Inspectorate; acquiring them would surely invite disaster.

Dragon Sickness was already in hand—don’t stir up more trouble.

When Gao Wanli suddenly vanished, Xu Yuan figured there might still be “unexpected gains.”

This woman was like a toad crawling up your leg—it doesn’t bite, but it’s disgusting.

Might as well eliminate her now.

And Xu Yuan had been with Zhu Zhanlei the entire time.

Whether Zhu Zhanlei or the three Hejian Captains, all knew that to survive, they must cling tightly to Xu Yuan’s leg.

They followed Xu Yuan closely the whole way.

This proved Xu Yuan never went to kill Gao Wanli.

Besides, you vanished alone in Ghost Witch Mountain—of course you were devoured by some evil.

…

After dawn, Xu Yuan finally confirmed their current location.

No one dared rest; they dragged their exhausted bodies, heading straight for the mountain’s edge.

By mid-afternoon, they finally emerged from Ghost Witch Mountain and returned to Qihé Terrace Town.

Zhu Zhanlei wiped sweat from his brow, breathless: “We’re finally out… Alive, damn, it’s wonderful!”

Zhu Zhanlei no longer cared for appearances; too exhausted to take another step, he plopped down on a rock by the roadside.

After resting awhile, he took out the “Harmonious Waterwheel”: “Contact Fu Songyu—see if they’re… still alive.”

The Harmonious Waterwheel vibrated for a long while—no response from Fu Songyu’s end.

Zhu Zhanlei was about to put it away, when suddenly the Harmonious Waterwheel trembled again, emitting a cold snort.

“Hmph!”

The Harmonious Waterwheel cracked with a sharp snap—deep fissures appeared!

A wisp of black smoke rose from it.

“Huh?!” Zhu Zhanlei stared, dumbfounded.

But Xu Yuan recognized the snort—it was the Corpse Empress’s voice.

Xu Yuan’s heart stirred: “One Harmonious Waterwheel has fallen into the Corpse Empress’s hands…”

(End of Chapter)