Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Those eyes were bloodshot, like those of a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.

The moment he awoke, his body sprang up instinctively, and the spear in his right hand was ready to stab Xia Jin in front of him!

"Calm down!" Shen Jinghan's voice rang out like thunder in the other person's ears.

It was this sound that made the other party hesitate, and the tip of the gun grazed Xia Jin's ear.

The young man's attack missed, and he staggered, almost falling to the ground again. He had just regained consciousness, and that attack had almost exhausted all his strength.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes warily fixed on the two strangers in front of him.

But he soon realized something was wrong; his injuries had almost completely healed.

Then the madness in his eyes gradually faded.

"Was it...was it you who saved me?" His voice was tinged with hesitation.

Xia Jin nodded without saying anything.

The young man was silent for a moment, then suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and pleaded, "My name is Gongye Qin Chuan... I was reckless just now and almost injured my benefactor. I deserve to die! Please forgive me, my benefactor!"

"Alright, if you really want to fight, you can't hurt me. Get up." Xia Jin looked at the other person calmly, not caring at all.

Shen Jinghan stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, what exactly happened here?"

The other person seemed to recall what had happened not long ago, and their eyes, which had just regained some clarity, were once again filled with bloodshot veins.

"It's the Hall of Wrathful Souls...it's those beasts! They...they actually dared to massacre the entire city and drain everyone's life essence!"

Gongye Qinchuan's voice grew louder and louder until it was almost a shout, and tears welled up in his eyes without him even realizing it.

"More than three thousand people in the city...more than three thousand lives! Just like that...just like that, gone!"

Xia Jin and Shen Jinghan remained silent, simply standing there and listening to his outburst.

After a long while, Gongye Qinchuan's emotions gradually calmed down. He wiped away his tears, took a few deep breaths, and continued, "If it weren't for the talisman I obtained by chance that blocked that fatal blow for me, I'm afraid I would have ended up like them."

He glanced down at the cracked jade pendant around his neck, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.

Shen Jinghan waited quietly until he calmed down before asking, "In this border town, you should be the only survivor. Let me ask you, do you know why the people of the Wrathful Soul Hall massacred the city?"

Upon hearing Shen Jinghan's question, Gongye Qinchuan's body stiffened abruptly.

He did not answer immediately.

Those eyes, which had just regained some clarity, became empty again, as if they were recalling something.

After a long while, Gongye Qinchuan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"...I remember now."

"I was lying in a pile of corpses, my consciousness fading, but they thought I was dead and didn't pay any attention. I vaguely heard one of the bastards say..."

"They need to gather enough blood and qi to refine something... a blood puppet!"

His words immediately caused Shen Jinghan, who had been completely calm, to shrink in the pupils.

That face, which usually wore a gentle smile, was now filled with solemnity and apprehension.

"Blood Puppet." Shen Jinghan repeated the two words, as if confirming something.

Xia Jin noticed her senior brother's unusual behavior and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Shen, what exactly is this Blood Puppet? Why do you seem so wary of it?"

Shen Jinghan did not answer immediately.

He slowly turned around and let out a long sigh.

"Blood puppet," Shen Jinghan finally spoke, "This thing... is extremely troublesome. It is not a living thing in essence, nor is it an inanimate object, but a 'thing' forcibly forged using the blood and qi of thousands of living beings."

"The Blood Puppet has no mind, no sense of pain, and no fear of death. Ordinary swords and blades can wound it without it even pausing. Even if its arm is severed or its chest is pierced, it can still continue killing without stopping."

"And what's most terrifying is that it can continuously repair itself by absorbing the blood and energy of the surrounding living beings. Unless you can completely grind it into dust in an instant, even if only a clump of flesh remains, it can grow back if given enough blood and energy."

"What? There's such a thing in the world?" Xia Jin couldn't help but frown.

Shen Jinghan continued, "Tens of thousands of years ago, a very famous and powerful figure appeared in this Mirage Realm. People at that time called him the Blood Puppet Ancestor. This person was exceptionally talented, but he went down an extremely twisted and evil path. The Blood Puppet Technique he created used living people to refine puppets and fed them with the blood of all living beings. At that time, it almost caused a bloodbath throughout the entire Mirage Realm."

"Later, the Blood Puppet Ancestor offended a saint and was personally killed by that saint. His soul was scattered and his body and spirit were destroyed. The Blood Puppet Technique he left behind also disappeared completely after that battle and has never appeared in the world again."

"But... I really can't understand it. When that saint annihilated the Blood Puppet Ancestor, the Blood Puppet Technique should have already been severed from its lineage. How did this evil art end up in the hands of the Wrathful Soul Palace?"

After explaining, he suddenly changed the subject, looking at Gongye Qinchuan, whose hands were clenched tightly, "Gongye Qinchuan, do you want revenge?"

Gongye Qinchuan's body jolted violently.

He raised his head, almost shouting, "Of course I want to! I wish I could tear him apart and sleep on his skin! Of course I want revenge!"

"Alright! If you want revenge, I have a way. Although it may not be able to help you get revenge, it will definitely disgust the Wrathful Soul Palace!" Shen Jinghan nodded.

He took two steps forward and leaned down to whisper a few words in Gongye Qinchuan's ear.

All I could see was Gongye Qinchuan's eyes gradually shifting from anger to surprise, and then from surprise to determination.

Shen Jinghan straightened up, took out a storage bag from his sleeve, and quietly stuffed it into Gongye Qinchuan's hand.

"Go."

Gongye Qinchuan gripped the storage bag tightly, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded heavily to Shen Jinghan. He stood up, turned to Xia Jin, clasped his hands deeply in a fist, and said in a steady and solemn voice, "My benefactor, until we meet again."

Xia Jin nodded.

Gongye Qin Chuan said nothing more, turned around and strode into the twilight.

After the other person left, Xia Jin withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Shen Jinghan.

Shen Jinghan felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. He coughed lightly, touched his nose, and revealed a somewhat guilty smile that was completely different from his serious demeanor just now: "Junior Brother Xia... what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xia Jin stared at Shen Jinghan with a strange expression for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Senior Brother Shen, I didn't expect that your honest and simple appearance on weekdays is nothing like what you seem behind closed doors."

"If I accidentally offend you, I'll have no one to blame but myself!"