Chapter 135

"The plan……is roughly like this!"

Ta Ke quickly finished explaining his plan.

Inside the No. 6 sheep pen where the puppet tide surged.

The altar's holy exorcism light barely held, preventing the puppet threads from tearing the sheep pen apart.

But the exorcists and refugees here all knew it was only a matter of time.

After hearing Ta Ke's explanation, the two vice presidents of An De Lie's Holy Emblem Silver Crossbow Guild, Fu Lei Da and Ma Li·Qiao,

The two exchanged a glance, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

Are you sure this is something a lowly second-rank steam mage like you can accomplish?

You should know, that is a Dark Sun Church bishop about to complete a high-rank advancement.

After exchanging a glance, the two simultaneously looked at the steam demon hunter An De Lie.

"Without Ta Ni Lu, I couldn't have gotten so much loot from my previous adventure."

"Two fifth-rank Dark Sun Church officers and over a dozen fourth-rank officers also died at our combined hands."

"I……unconditionally trust Ta Ni Lu!"

At the critical moment, Andre had no hesitation, giving his full support to Ta Ke.

Moreover... even if we escape, how many people could possibly escape?

Our resistance has thoroughly enraged those spiritual puppet threads; the puppet threads outside are like mountain ranges.

This... is extremely likely our only way to survive, and perhaps even the only way to survive for the demon hunters resisting in the other two border towns.

Andre's words caused both vice-presidents' hearts to tremble slightly.

Yes!

Although the approach of this steam mage called Ta Ni Lu is bold and dangerous.

It can even be said to be probing on the edge of death.

But... they probably have no choice left.

I agree!

The female vice-president Ma Li·Qiao, after her gaze swept over Ta Ke's body, quickly nodded.

Since that's the case... let's begin!

The bearded demon hunter vice-president, Frederic, nodded solemnly.

Immediately, his low voice burst forth in the manner of source energy resonance.

All demon hunters gather around; no matter what method you use, you must definitely resist the attack of the puppet threads; the holy spirit exorcism light of the exorcism altar must be gathered!

His voice echoed in everyone's ears.

What?

This decision made all the demon hunters still resisting the puppet threads around them feel a jolt in their hearts.

In fact, they are in the area protected by the altar, borrowing the power of the altar's holy spirit exorcism light, plus their own purifying and dispersing power, which barely allows them to resist wave after wave of attack.

Now, we must gather the power of the holy spirit exorcism light.

This is our only chance to survive.

With the low, solemn command of Vice President Frederic,

Immediately, those squad leaders immediately led their squad members to start gathering toward the altar, erecting holy exorcism light around them, building a human wall.

Frederic and Ma Li·Qiao, the two vice-presidents, one on the left and one on the right at the altar, while maintaining the altar's operation, also formed a protective stance toward Ta Ke.

Let's begin!

Vice President Frederic said in an unusually low voice.

This is almost a case of seeking life in death.

If this steam mage fails, they will all die!

The only good news is that even the worst outcome would not be worse than this.

With the operation of the two vice-presidents,

On the altar, the power of the holy spirit exorcism light began to gather and contract.

Ta Ke, after taking a deep breath and calming his mind, quickly released his spiritual sense perception and began his operation.

That bishop of the Obscure Sun Church, the Puppet Master.

The most cunning part is that he uses the steam tower to complete an ecological cycle, taking control of the entire city-state's supernatural beings as his own promotion training ritual.

Once he completes his promotion,

Within the ecology, all supernatural beings under his control will die.

Because of the steam source energy tower.

The power of the Obscure Sun circulates within the steam tower, and what comes out is only ordinary puppet threads.

Sheng Lan De had the demon hunters come to counter its effect, but this steam tower move almost completely erased the joy.

At the same time, the power of the steam tower from Sheng Lan De was also blocked here by the steam tower of Black River Valley.

Resist!

It will only speed up the Puppet Master's metamorphosis and promotion speed.

But the problem is actually quite easy to solve.

That is, just destroy the Black River Valley's steam tower.

But!

The Obscure Sun Church has already infiltrated Black River Valley.

They probably think the same way.

They simply want the strong ones of Saint Rand to abandon Saint Rand's own powerful ecology and go oppose the Black River Valley.

- Entities: Saint Rand (place), Black River Valley (place). Also maybe 'strong ones' not a name.

Anyone who dares to enter the Black River Valley will likely... have to die.

- Black River Valley again.

This advancement is both a trap and a threat, and even more so a game.

- No names.

Even now.

- No.

Taku isn't certain whether the strong ones of Saint Rand will attack the Black River Valley.

- Taku (person), Saint Rand (place), Black River Valley (place).

But regardless of what the strong ones of Saint Rand do.

- Saint Rand.

This doesn't interfere with Taku's operation.

- Taku.

Today Taku aims to give a proper lesson to one of the three archbishops who attacked Lamor—the 69th‑level peak puppet master 'Bruno Fold' who is on the verge of advancing to level 70.

- Entities: Taku, Lamor (place? maybe a person? 'attacking Lamor' could be 'attacking Lamor'? Could be a place name). 'Three archbishops' - title. '69th‑level peak advancing to 70th level' - not a name. Puppet master - title. 'Bruno Fold' - person name. Also Lamor maybe a place.

Don't lightly unleash your own ecology, or your soul will be touched.

- No names.

Yes!

- No.

Taku's current operation is to reach the puppet master's soul.

- Taku, puppet master.

Earlier, Taku had already sensed that the puppet master was drawing something from around the Black River Valley's ecology.

- Taku, puppet master, Black River Valley.

Along the way, Taku has been observing closely, even letting those puppet silk threads lightly attach to himself, to finely sense and spiritually touch, to investigate what the puppet silk threads are actually drawing.

- Taku, puppet silk threads (maybe not a name, but could be considered an item? It's a type of thread. Might be considered an item/artifact. The glossary includes item/artifact. So 'puppet silk threads' could be an item. We'll consider including it as item: 'Puppet Silk Threads'. But we need to see if it's a proper name? It's descriptive. Might be considered a technique? Not sure. We'll decide later.

Finally, Taku confirmed it.

- Taku.

That is something called a 'life pulse'.

- Life pulse (maybe not a name, but could be considered a concept; not a name).

The world has its own trajectory and context.

- No.

Living beings also possess their own life pulse.

- No.

And as life flows through time, the life pulse also unfolds.

- No.

One could say, the life pulse subtly unfolds at all times on a person's body, just like the breath of life.

- No.

When seeing the sky‑filling dancing puppet silk threads gathering life pulse.

- Puppet silk threads, life pulse.

It left Taku speechless.

- Taku.

If you had gathered anything not so dilute, my SSS‑rank precise vision and SSS‑rank origin spirit state wouldn't have taken this long to notice.

- Entities: precise vision (technique), origin spirit state (maybe). Also 'SSS rank' is a rank, not a name.

To gather such sparse ordinary stuff, your movements are way too big!

- No.

Soon, Taku realized he might be able to use this point to do something.

- Taku.

Before, I also thought of using the opponent's circulating puppet silk thread context anchor point to attach something impure, polluting the opponent, thereby interrupting their advancement, even severely wounding them.

- Puppet silk threads, context (maybe not), advancement.

But now Taku knows the opponent is gathering life pulse.

- Taku, life pulse.

Then things start to get interesting.

- No.

The puppet master's puppet silk threads are woven using the power of the soul.

- Puppet master, puppet silk threads, soul (not a name).

If one were to say.

- No.

If Taku's constructed life pulse directly anchors onto the opponent's soul, that would be very interesting.

- Taku, life pulse, opponent (not), soul.

"Give me a point, and I can blast it!"

- No.

This is the operation Taku is performing right now.

- Taku.

There are many people around.

- No.

Therefore, the life pulse is also rich.

- Life pulse.

Using his own steam origin spirit state, Taku continually gathers these scattered life pulses, then weaves them into fine 'life threads'.

- Entities: steam origin spirit state (technique/state), Taku, life pulse, life threads (maybe item).

As expected, with the birth of these life threads.

- Life threads.

Those puppet silk threads immediately eagerly dragged Taku's constructed life threads toward the Black River Valley Tower, circulating.

- Puppet silk threads, Taku, life threads, Black River Valley Tower (place).

Taku then was like flying a kite, quickly letting out long lines of these threads.

- Taku.

Soon Taku felt the life threads being pulled into a huge extraordinary ecology.

- Taku, life threads, extraordinary ecology (realm).

Then these life threads were quickly absorbed, digested, decomposed, and scattered to every corner of the extraordinary ecology.

- Life threads, extraordinary ecology.

And via Taku's hand.

- Taku.

That life pulse was also all taken by Taku using his steam origin spirit state, pouring his own unfurled life pulse into it, finely polishing it.

- Taku, life pulse, steam origin spirit state.

As those life pulses were absorbed by the extraordinary ecology.

- Life pulse, extraordinary ecology.

In Taku's precise vision, the outline of his specially crafted life pulse was absorbed and gradually emerged.

- Taku, precise vision, life pulse.

Deep within the layers of the Steam Tower, inside the not‑large Spirit Realm Layer that is unfolded.

- Entities: Steam Tower (place), layers (maybe not), Spirit Realm Layer (realm).

The puppet master 'Bruno Fold' is using the Steam Tower to unfurl his puppet silk threads.

- Puppet master, Bruno Fold, Steam Tower, puppet silk threads.

At that moment, the puppet master 'Bruno Fold' instantly felt that the life pulse had become much richer.

- Puppet master, Bruno Fold, life pulse.

He cannot sense the life pulse, but he can sense the speed at which the puppet silk threads construct the ecology.

- Life pulse, ecology (not), puppet silk threads.

"Not a bad harvest!"

- No.

The puppet master Bruno Fold's smile grew ever brighter.

- Puppet master, Bruno Fold.

"In three hours, at most four, I will finish my advancement."

- No.

"The more critical this juncture, the more we need to be careful."

- No.

"The dimension of the Spirit Realm Layer's layers, although it lets me hide well, and outside there is still the Steam Tower as a barrier."

- Spirit Realm Layer, layers (maybe not), Steam Tower.

"But we still need to be careful of those crazy fanatics from Saint Rand."

- Saint Rand.

With such thoughts, the puppet master Bruno Fold in alertness gathers his spirit and continues to complete his advancement.

- Puppet master, Bruno Fold.

……

- No.

"Tani Ru, we can barely hold on—how much longer?"

- Tani Ru (person).

Taku heard Andre's low growl from beside his ear.

- Taku, Andre (person).

Andre has begun to lose some control over his body.

- Andre.

And several of his teammates have already been dragged into the dark depths.

Take took a deep breath and slowly opened their eyes.

Already healed!

The words fell.

Take's hand directly reached into that, which after such a long time of accumulation and sedimentation, had become a huge exorcism light ball one meter in diameter.

【Phase】

After taking a deep breath, the supernatural divine ability was already activated.

【Precision·Correction】

Take eliminated all external interference, aiming at the ecological soul of the puppeteer Buluono·Fulude within the tiny spirit realm layer.

【Shooting】

As Take softly chanted the spell.

There were no signs, no warnings, and even Buluono·Fulude felt nothing unusual.

The scorching holy light ball from the exorcism holy spirit.

It directly entered his supernatural ecosystem.

It was poured into the depths of his soul, where a large amount of dark sun power had settled and was about to metamorphose.

Buluono·Fulude, who had opened their supernatural ecosystem, was first stunned.

Instantly, fear, distortion, and despair burst forth on his face and in the depths of his soul.

No……

Accompanied by a desperate shout!

Boom——

In the depths of the stratum dimension, a tremendous rumbling sound.

Accompanied by the pulsating glow of the Black River Valley steam tower, it reverberated throughout the world.