An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 434 Nine-Headed Witch Puppet
After de-datafication, Chu Xiu's ability to unleash the power of equipment is no longer limited by rank.

In the original unified [datafication], all power was unified, so low-level awakened individuals could also use high-level equipment, but their power would be suppressed to their current level.

But this is actually a very counterintuitive thing, just like burning a match can also drive a sports car, only it will run slower.

In the real world, however, the corresponding equipment requires a corresponding level of power to operate. Just like a supercomputer cannot even be turned on without sufficient power, and its operating speed will not only slow down.

To do all this against common sense, to smooth out the characteristics of all different kinds of forces and unify and integrate them—that is the power of "datafication".

For most awakened individuals, this would allow them to use high-level items early on, which would naturally be a benefit, but for Chu Xiu, it would be a pure restriction.

After all, he had already reached the basic attributes of a strong demigod at the King rank.

Now, after the "de-datafication," he no longer needs to be bound by levels and can directly unleash the original power of all equipment by relying on the powerful force of his Battle Spirit.

But that's far from enough!
Because his opponents are at least at the level of strong demigods or perfect demigods, he is more likely to face unexpected crises.

If one only uses equipment without corresponding supernatural combat abilities, the increase in his combat power will be very limited.

There was nothing he could do; the star core had locked away all the power in his physical body.

If the power within the star core could be utilized, let alone a perfect demigod, Chu Xiu estimated that even an ordinary peak demigod would be no match for him!
For Chu Xiu, this was tantamount to having a huge treasure but no key to unlock it.

Chu Xiu currently plans to use all his strength to improve in these last twenty days or so. Naturally, he won't just accept his current physical condition and not think of any way to mobilize this huge treasure; that's not in his nature.

Directly forming the core would take too long for him, and he wasn't confident in doing so, but there was another roundabout way.
Chu Xiu's gaze shifted to the [Inheritance Hall], where a magical artifact with an extremely high crafting rate was found in the inheritance of a multi-treasure demon lord.

【Nine-Headed Witch Puppet】

[Grade: Mid-grade Magic Item]

[Effect: Used to store and amplify a cultivator's power. Its core is connected to the cultivator's soul, and it can protect the user from attacks in critical moments.]

This is a strangely shaped doll. It has the overall shape of a fat human body, but strangely, nine crying baby heads grow out of different parts of the doll's body, like huge tumors growing one after another.

The expression on a baby's face when it cries can send chills down your spine, because it is not just crying; there is an unspeakable malice and sinister intent in the crying.

"The Nine-Headed Witch Puppet is an evil creature created by using one's own blood essence as a guide and special techniques to refine nine ghost infants. These ghost infants are then combined with one's own flesh and blood to cultivate them together."

"Ghost infants have weak consciousness, making them particularly easy to control, and because they share the same bloodline, the puppet can also effectively store the power of its master."

That's right. Chu Xiu's current body has a powerful physique and life energy, but it's basically useless in battles at the perfect demigod level. At most, it just makes him a little more durable.

Instead of doing that, why not just use it as a raw material for refining magical artifacts!
Such high base attributes will greatly increase the grade of the crafted puppets, making them definitely more than just mid-grade magic weapons!

After all, based on Chu Xiu's current experience and estimation, a mid-grade magic weapon is roughly equivalent to between [Demigod Legend] and [Heroic Spirit Myth]. Chu Xiu doesn't even look at magic weapons of this level!

Once the [Nine-Headed Witch Puppet] is successfully crafted, he will be able to store Chu Xiu's power!
Now, every bit of power Chu Xiu recovers is immediately devoured and absorbed by the star core to accelerate his Core Formation process.

However, the process of forming a core is still far off, and no one knows when the star core will be able to absorb enough energy to drive the next qualitative change!
However, if Chu Xiu had the [Nine-Headed Witch Puppet], he could store his power in the puppet and borrow it directly when needed, briefly reproducing his peak combat power!
Before being "de-datafied," the Chiwen and Star Ring Pulse Gauntlets, at the Heroic Spirit level, could unleash power surpassing that of a perfect demigod and approaching that of a peak demigod, thanks to the blessing of divine and demonic power and the essence of magical artifacts!

Chu Xiu was very curious about how much the power of the demigod Chiwen and the gauntlets, now that they were free from any constraints after being de-datafied, could increase further if they were empowered by these two forces!

"I wonder if I can compare to the Heavenly King!"

Chu Xiu was very much looking forward to it.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the [Nine-Headed Witch Puppet] you create is of a high enough grade!

Simultaneously driving two demigod mythical equipment pieces would require an astronomical amount of divine and demonic power and magical artifact essence!
"Let alone a mid-grade magic weapon, even a high-grade magic weapon might not be able to withstand it; it would have to be at least a top-grade magic weapon."

Chu Xiu stroked his chin.

In fact, there is an advanced version of the [Nine-Headed Witch Puppet] called the [Nine-Headed Divine Puppet], which is undoubtedly of [Spiritual Treasure] quality. Chu Xiu didn't even know what the corresponding rank of this level of magic weapon was called in the Abyss.

However, the requirements for crafting the [Nine-Headed Divine Puppet] are far too demanding. It's not enough to just have nine ghost infants; it requires nine cultivators' nascent souls.
"Forget about the [Nine-Headed Divine Puppet], but the important thing is that this shows that the quality of the [Nine-Headed Witch Puppet] mainly depends on the grade of the fused essence and flesh, as well as the grade of the nine ghost infants themselves."

"There's no need to worry about the former. With my physique, it will definitely be of the highest quality. However, the refining of the ghost infant is a bit troublesome. It requires high-level ghosts as the main material."

Chu Xiu's army of ghosts naturally includes many high-level ghosts, but how could he bear to part with them?

"So I have no choice but to spend a fortune to buy it." He sighed softly.

In order to acquire a sufficiently high-ranking ghost, Chu Xiu thought about it and realized that simply acquiring legendary items below the Heroic Spirit level and perfect Heroic Spirit equipment was not enough!

Although he obtained seventeen perfect Heroic Spirits from the murderer alone, he continued to collect many more good things afterward.

But these pieces of equipment are still not enough to exchange for truly good stuff!

For truly high-value targets, the only trading partners can be equally high-value targets! It's very difficult to satisfy the other party with quantity when dealing with relatively low-value items.

Chu Xiu made a snap decision and directly exchanged most of his Heroic Spirit Legends for them!

Only the two demigod legends, the [Shadow Assassin Mask] and the [Scepter of the Extraterrestrial Demon Oraster], remain! And the [Square Inch Ghost Realm], a domain-enhancing heroic spirit legend item.

Not only that, but he gritted his teeth and also sold the Heroic Spirit-rank Mythical Naginata of the Murderer!
This is truly a huge investment! You know, there are five or six of these items that are just Heroic Spirit Legends, and there's also one [Myth] item!
Even Zhao Jie was stunned when he saw Chu Xiu's extravagant gesture. The previous collection of perfect and ultimate Heroic Spirits was already enough to make his jaw drop, but now he even brought out Heroic Spirit Legends and Heroic Spirit Myths!

Generally speaking, selling off large quantities of Heroic Spirit equipment usually means...
"You've become a demigod?"

Zhao Jie found it somewhat unbelievable.

He's only been awakened for a short time! And he's already a demigod?

Chu Xiu smiled noncommittally. He didn't know what rank he should be now, but said, "Thank you for your help, Brother Zhao. Please hurry."

Even with the inheritance of the Demon Lord Duobao and the talent of [Perfect Forging], Chu Xiu estimated that it would take at least half a month to forge this equipment, and that was with the investment of causal points to accelerate the process. After all, he also had to focus on refining the ghost army.

“Leave it to me,” Zhao Jie said, no longer pressing the matter. “The government is very concerned about your case. I have many channels I can use, and I can even directly contact the Heavenly King to make a deal. I’ll give you the result in three days at most!”

In the following days, the camps throughout the Shiki world changed rapidly, as if a fast-forward button had been pressed, with dramatic changes occurring almost every day!
The Zhang family's one trillion, the four families' two hundred billion, and the three major forces, although they did not reach a deal with Chu Xiu, still provided some assistance as a gesture of goodwill.

For example, the Killing King made an exception, allowing Chu Xiu to purchase the latest batch of experimental-grade equipment. The Martial King recommended three top-tier heroic spirits. The Longevity King was the most important, as his [Super Limit Evolution] world contained many plants very suitable for large-scale warfare. He offered a discount in his transaction with Chu Xiu, allowing him to buy items worth 700-800 billion on the market for only 500 billion.

With the continuous human transport of hundreds of awakened individuals, green plants grew all around, causing the defensive zone to expand outwards at an alarming rate!

Three days later, Chu Xiu stood in the sky and looked down. Directly below him was a Titan machine that was 30,000 meters high and pierced the clouds. Centered on the Titan machine, there was a wall made of vines and giant trees every few kilometers.

These special plants are extremely large, and in terms of strength, they are in no way inferior to high-strength steel.

Imagine a high-strength steel plate that's over ten meters thick; even a general or king-level expert would have to put up a fight with it.

By this time, more than eleven such city walls had been built. Further out, due to the expansion of the area, building more city walls was too costly. Instead, a complex maze of tree walls spread outwards.

"It's only been three days, and the defensive area has already expanded to at least fifty kilometers. By the time of the decisive battle, the radius of the defensive line will probably have to expand to more than a hundred kilometers!"

It should be noted that the war between the two Maos in the previous life lasted for two years, and the front line only advanced by an average of ten kilometers.

Within this vast defensive area, there are tens of thousands of firing points, including the military's most advanced unmanned automatic artillery, aerial drones, and high-explosive mines, all supported by long-range Titan mechs.
Chu Xiu found it hard to imagine that a simple human wave tactic could break through.

In dealing with high-level enemies, Chu Xiu's willingness to invest heavily naturally attracted many powerful individuals who came for the benefits.

With Zhang Zhengdao guarding the top-tier powerhouses, he also managed to invite Shenwei Daoren and Chen Huang, two powerful demigods, at a "friendly price" for only ten pieces of perfect Heroic Spirit equipment.

This is already extremely cheap for a powerful demigod.

In addition, there are a total of nine top-tier Heroic Spirits!
Of course, the most important person is the mechanic who controls the Titan machine.

Driven by immense profits, Zhao Jie successfully recruited Zhou Yanyang, one of the three heroic spirit mechanics from China, whose class was the extremely domineering [Cannon King (SS)].

This class provides an extreme boost to firepower, amplifying the firepower of the colossal Titan to an incredible degree.

Although the Titan Machine is just a mythical hero, its body is merely a vessel. Its power depends entirely on the weapons installed on it. With such a large investment of resources, its firepower has reached an unbelievable level. Chu Xiu even felt that with Zhou Yanyang's enhancement, even he himself might not be as efficient as the Titan Machine in slaughtering low-level creatures!
At the same time, Zhou Yanyang himself forged a large number of technological equipment. Chu Xiu specially reserved a large area in the Titan Machine for Zhou Yanyang to place these equipment. With the help of the Titan Machine's huge heat dissipation system, the power of these weapons can continue to increase.

This excited Zhou Yanyang so much that his eyes were shining. When Chu Xiu saw him, he was excitedly howling as he pulled out giant cannons with increasingly larger calibers from his storage space.

This guy seems to be a bomb maniac, and he's probably looking forward to seeing the entire Titan machine unleashed at full power.

"Having achieved this much, it should be quite difficult to break in using sheer numbers, right?" Chu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.

However, just as Chu Xiu was thinking this, Zhou Yanyang, who had installed a cooling pipe on a giant cannon, walked over.

"You must be the employer. I've heard of you. They all call you the number one genius on Earth since the Abyss invasion."

"That Zhao Jie said a lot of things to me, the gist of which was that I should protect your civilization."

"But let me make this clear first, I have no patriotism and no interest in working myself to the bone for other people's benefit. I'm here for two reasons: one is to have some fun with this big thing and blow it up, and the other is to get the reward I'm entitled to."

"So let me be clear from the start: I will do my best, but if we encounter any danger, I will definitely evacuate immediately."

Chu Xiu sized up the man opposite him. He didn't look very old, and his speech carried an arrogant genius. His hair was an extremely flamboyant fiery red.

“No problem,” Chu Xiu nodded. “That’s how it should be.”

Chu Xiu was well aware of this. Not only Zhou Yanyang, but the other invited experts would not risk their lives for him. They might not even be willing to engage in close combat. It would be good enough if they could provide support from a distance.

Hearing this, Zhou Yanyang's expression improved considerably, and he nodded, saying, "Don't worry, since I've taken your things, I won't shirk my duties. I still have that much professional ethics."

"However, there is one thing I need to make clear to you: [Artillery King] is a superior alternative to [War Fortress]. This class excels at maximizing firepower, but it is not good at large-scale control."

“Zhao Jie has found two more King-level mechanics to assist me, making three including the one from your area. However, if you want each cannon of this behemoth to unleash its full power, it would be best to invite that guy surnamed Song over.”

Zhou Yanyang's words made Chu Xiu nod thoughtfully. Zhou Yanyang was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate at the moment. Compared to accurately killing low-level monsters, Chu Xiu needed his output to blast away the opponent's large creatures with a single shot from the main cannon.

However, what he said was indeed true. Even for a Heroic Spirit Mechanic, controlling a hundred cannons at the same time would be quite strenuous. This Titan machine has thousands of cannons, and it is still growing at an astonishing rate. In the final battle, many can only be roughly estimated by manpower, and a shot can be fired to try one's luck.

Unless we hire another Heroic Spirit Mechanic skilled in large-scale manipulation.

For example, the one Zhou Yanyang mentioned, Song Qingya, the third elder of the Song family, whose profession is [Mechanical Overlord].

But hiring Zhou Yanyang had already cost Chu Xiu a fortune; the remaining resources had to be reserved for crafting the Nine-Headed Serpent Puppet.

With his mind preoccupied, Chu Xiu left the Titan Machine, and not long after, Zhao Jie returned at the agreed time with the promised supplies.

And the results he brought back were quite good: nine souls, five top-level heroic spirits, and four demigods!

This is the terrifying value of [Mythical] equipment!
This is finally good news.

"There are still some resources left. See what we can do about them."

Zhao Jie waved his hand, and several items appeared. Chu Xiu glanced at them and realized that only one Heroic Spirit Legend and several Heroic Spirit Perfect items remained to be used.

These things cannot bring back a Heroic Spirit Mechanic!

After thinking for a moment, Chu Xiu decisively said, "Brother Zhao, please use these items to collect [Shadows of the Past] for me!"

He still remembered what Guan Ke had once said: compared to human mechanics controlling the Titan machine, a being similar to a "spirit" could control it more perfectly!

(End of this chapter)