Born with immortal seed

Chapter 444 Misunderstanding
The Seeking Truth Ship moved freely within the Great Li territory. This was partly due to Bai Zichen's ability to fly around the sect's headquarters by following the map, but it also indirectly proved that the atmosphere in this place was upright.

Judging from this flying magical artifact alone, it's impossible to know whether a Core Formation cultivator or a Nascent Soul cultivator is riding inside.

Flying across the Northern Region so recklessly without any obvious identification would greatly increase the risk of being targeted by raiders.

If the cultivator piloting the flying magical artifact is not strong, they will naturally become a target for plunder.

But just as it was about to fly out of the Great Li territory and cross the famous Desolate Li Mountains, the Seeking Truth Ship was struck by several beams of divine light.

The flying boat shook violently, interrupting Bai Zichen, who was rereading the true meaning of swordsmanship for the umpteenth time. An inexplicable anger rose in his heart, and he came out of the boat.

"I just said the people of Dali were simple and honest, and I've already been proven wrong. How come I didn't sense anything when it was right in front of me..."

Although this divine light was weak and powerless, it did not even break through the protective restrictions on the surface of the Seeking Truth Ship.

But the fact that it arrived silently, escaping Bai Zichen's spiritual senses, was something was amiss.

He surveyed the area, his divine sense spreading out, scouring the ground three feet deep, and discovered something unusual in a thicket directly in front of him.

With a sway of his body, he took a step that covered a thousand feet, leaving afterimages in both the front and back.

Two apes, each about ten feet tall, stood on the hill, their arms equipped with machine guns, from which blue smoke rose.

"A third-tier puppet?"

Bai Zichen could tell at a glance that the two monkeys had no life force and their limbs were stiff.

Just as a sword light was about to sweep down and shatter it into pieces, one of the ape puppets saw its eyes flash with spiritual light and spoke up: "Fellow Daoist, please hold your hand. I am Yu Nie, the supervisor of the Hundred Puppet Sect... Unfortunately, our sect has produced a traitor who absconded with treasures to the Southern Region. I have come here specifically to intercept him."

"The magical artifact that the traitor used is similar in design to your flying boat, both of which are white rainbows soaring through the sky... These puppets have limited intelligence and could only make a simple identification of the visitor, which led to this misunderstanding. To express my apology, I can offer compensation, and I will repay your hospitality after this matter is settled."

"The Hundred Puppet Sect?"

Bai Zichen's gaze swept from the heads of the two ape puppets down to their bodies. Apart from the machine guns on their arms, there were two array plates on their feet, which looked like heavy discs stuck to the ground.

Behind it are a pair of emerald green wings, composed of dozens of layers of thin bamboo strips, as thin as cicada wings, folded together.

After he inherited Wu Sanzang's puppetry skills, he studied them for a while, but puppetry involves all sorts of skills.

Feeling that he had only average talent in the various arts of cultivating immortality, he didn't want to waste too much time on them and quickly gave up.

However, being a fourth-tier inheritance, he gained a general understanding of puppets in the cultivation world.

The monkey puppet in front of me is very different from traditional puppets, and each of the mechanical devices it carries is extremely valuable.

It merged with the puppet, making its combat capabilities far exceed those of an ordinary third-tier puppet.

In a real fight, he could easily take on three puppets of the same level.

Of course, the production cost and difficulty are also incomparable to those of ordinary puppets.

Moreover, judging from what this person said, the ape puppet's intelligence was quite high; it was even able to identify the target to be intercepted based on the information input by its master.

For a third-tier puppet to possess such spirituality, it must either have been luxuriously crafted by incorporating the essence of a fourth-tier great demon as its core, or the craftsman must have exceptional skills that only an ordinary fourth-tier puppeteer could achieve.

The guardian spirit beast in the Great Wilderness Water Palace is a flesh and blood puppet created by Wu Sanzang, which is quite different from ordinary puppets.

Bai Zichen had heard of the Hundred Puppet Sect in the Northern Region, not because the sect was particularly powerful or influential, but because it was bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Principle Sect.

This Nascent Soul sect, famous for its puppetry, is a mortal enemy of the Heavenly Principle Sect. They even ambushed the Heavenly Principle Sect on its way to the Northern Region.

It caused enormous losses to the Heavenly Principle Sect, almost causing Shi Chengdong to remain in the Central Region forever.

This information was collected as background data during the investigation of the Tenri-zong sect.

"You launched a fierce attack, and now you think you can resolve this matter with a simple misunderstanding and apology? You're being too naive."

Bai Zichen stared at the ape puppet, whose master was nowhere to be seen, speaking only through a wisp of divine thought attached to the puppet.

Even if these two puppets are completely destroyed, the opponent will only lose some material possessions, which will not affect the fundamentals.

If it's cut off in time, the lost spiritual energy can be recovered through cultivation within a few months.

Admittedly, there's really nothing we can do about this Hundred Puppet Sect cultivator.

'Within a hundred miles, there are only two or three groups of cultivators, their strength is low... To be able to operate puppets at such a great distance requires not only extraordinary techniques but also a spiritual strength far exceeding that of their peers.'

Due to various fortuitous encounters, Bai Zichen's spiritual sense range was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the peak of Core Formation.

Logically speaking, it is most suitable for skills such as array masters and puppeteers, giving it a natural advantage over others.

However, he had limited talent in the various arts of cultivating immortality, and more importantly, he was unwilling to spend his time on them.

Otherwise, with the power of the mysterious sacred body, a master of all arts and crafts will emerge.

If Yu Nie appeared face to face, he might not be able to withstand Bai Zichen's two sword strikes. No matter how many puppets there were, they would be useless under his sword and there was no way he could stop them.

However, by remotely controlling the third-tier puppet, he made himself invincible.

However, in terms of strength, he can only bully juniors who have reached the Core Formation stage.

No matter how many third-tier puppets there are, they cannot defeat a Nascent Soul True Monarch; at most, it will just take more effort.

Even when facing more outstanding Core Formation cultivators, they couldn't put up an overwhelming performance.

Unless Yu Nie of the Hundred Puppet Sect has even more powerful puppets besides these ape puppets.

However, fourth-order puppets are even rarer than Nascent Soul True Monarchs. Not to mention the various refining materials, the core of a fourth-order great demon spirit alone is enough to stump those fourth-order puppeteers.

Moreover, a single demon essence can only sustain a fourth-tier puppet for several hundred years.

As time passed, even the most ingenious design could not prevent the weakening of the spirit, which was no longer able to bear the pressure of operating a fourth-order puppet.

As far as he knew, the entire Hundred Puppet Sect only had one fourth-tier puppet, which was kept as a treasure and rarely used.

They didn't even bring the fourth-tier puppet when they ambushed the Heavenly Principle Sect, for fear that something might happen and the puppet would be lost in the outside world.

"What does Fellow Daoist intend? I am in the wrong first, but as long as it is not too excessive, I can agree."

Yu Nie's voice came from the ape puppet, retreating step by step and taking the initiative to apologize.

This attitude calmed Bai Zichen's anger down; continuing to press the issue would only make him appear aggressive.

This situation would never have occurred in the Northern Region.

Taking the initiative to admit your mistakes will only make you appear weak and easily bullied, leading to even more unreasonable demands.

It seems that the Central Region is much more civilized, with a certain air of otherworldly elegance, and no longer resorting to fighting and killing at the drop of a hat.

Even their mortal enemies only acted under the guise of being calamity cultivators after the Heavenly Principle Sect moved out of the Central Region, so as not to tarnish their own sect's reputation.

Whether it's feigned benevolence, superficial actions, or being forced to do so due to suppression from the super-large corporation above, it's all part of the same story.

This is a fortunate thing for cultivators at the lower levels.

"Very well, since there has been no substantial loss, I'll take my leave... I still have to travel, you may continue your search for the traitor."

Bai Zichen sighed, unwilling to pursue the matter any further.

"Brother Dao, you are very generous. May I ask your name?"

Deep in the forest, a third-tier humanoid puppet pushed aside its cover and walked out. Before it was activated, it looked no different from a piece of dead wood.

"This cultivation method for gathering and circulating magical power was obtained by me by chance and has nothing to do with the sect... As a supplementary cultivation method, it can increase the chance of Qi Refining disciples to Foundation Establishment by 10%. It is best to leave it to the close descendants of the clan."

"Fellow Daoist, just treat this as a little toy. After you've appraised it, if you find it worthwhile, then pass it on to your younger disciples to practice and play with."

The wooden board on his chest opened, and a jade slip was placed in front of him by the third-tier puppet. Five clouds were engraved on it.

"Yamano villager, there is no need to use a common name..."

Bai Zi stretched out his palm, absorbed the jade slip on the ground into his hand, clasped his hands in greeting, and returned to the Seeking Truth Ship to continue his journey.

The humanoid puppet kept gazing in the direction he had left, and its eyes seemed to move, as if it had come to life in the dark hole.

"Such a sharp aura! Even my divine sense can feel the sting. Could it be that a holy son from some great sword-cultivation sect has just undergone tribulation and is traveling..."

Yu Nie was born with a divine sense that was different from ordinary people. Before embarking on the path of cultivation, he opened his Yin-Yang Eyes and was able to see the souls and ghosts that ordinary people could not see.

After becoming a disciple of the Hundred Puppet Sect, he displayed astonishing talent, especially in the ability to differentiate divine senses, where he was unparalleled in the entire sect.

After transcending the tribulation and transforming into an infant, it triggers the extraordinary phenomenon of the Yin-Yang Wheel, possessing the ability to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and to generate premonitions in one's mind.

Upon seeing Bai Zichen, she felt a chill run down her spine, as if a great calamity was about to befall her, which is why she adopted such a humble posture.

If a Core Formation cultivator had fallen out of a flying boat, Yu Nie would have easily dealt with him.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators of the same level as him wouldn't act like this; anyone who knew him well would be utterly astonished by his attitude.

Every Nascent Soul True Monarch is a favored child of heaven, surrounded by admirers, and Yu Nie is no exception.

For the past few hundred years, he had been arrogant and proud, until one day he encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Heavenly Star Sect in a secret realm. His proud puppet army was easily defeated, and his personality changed drastically after the blow.

He became an aloof and unapproachable old man. When meeting with others or exploring ruins, his puppets would clear the way. Relying on his powerful spiritual sense and unique cultivation techniques, he would hide somewhere and never reappear.

"It's a pity I couldn't establish a connection. The level of emotional connection I felt was almost the same as when I paid homage to the Great True Monarch... He's clearly not from the Great Li. Could he be the Holy Son of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect?"

The humanoid puppet leaped a few times and returned to a sunken cave, its body fading and merging with a withered tree behind it.

"The Azure Lotus Sword Cultivator is unrestrained and carefree, which matches his temperament and strength... but why doesn't he use his family's unique Azure Lotus Sword Talisman when traveling on the spirit boat?"

The light in the eyes of the puppets gradually dimmed, and they stood still like lifeless objects.

The shadows of the trees swayed, revealing a row of raptor puppets of various shapes, motionless in the darkness.

(End of this chapter)