Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

This was Cui Ming secretly manipulating the puppet Tomie. Tomie's innate ability could peel away part of the subject's soul without harming their core.

"It will hurt even more next."

Cui Ming offered a reminder.

"The following modifications will be even more painful, and because you will need to express your true feelings immediately, I cannot alleviate the pain for you. You need to be prepared."

Li Muxuan closed his eyes.

"Come."

The array shone brightly.

Li Muxuan felt as if a red-hot iron rod had been pierced into his brain and was being constantly stirred, and an indescribable pain exploded from the depths of his soul.

He convulsed all over, and a muffled hoarse sound came from his throat.

A wisp of mist, invisible to ordinary people, was drawn from Li Muxuan's forehead; it was a part of his divine soul.

Cui Ming used the power of Dan Shi to envelop this wisp of divine soul, dividing it into four parts and injecting them into the core runes of the four limbs.

The moment the injection was completed, Li Muxuan's limbs trembled violently.

The originally cold touch suddenly became vivid.

He could feel the subtle textures on the metal surface and the smoothness of the joints as they moved, as if these parts had always been a part of his body.

Li Muxuan opened his eyes and slowly sat up.

The black metal arm braced itself against the stone slab, its movements initially somewhat hesitant, but quickly becoming coordinated.

He looked down at his "limbs," his fingers spread and closed, his joints flexibly bending and straightening.

It tried to stand up again, and the mechanical legs supported its body steadily, even more powerfully than its original legs.

Li Muxuan took one step forward, then two steps.

At first, his steps were stiff, but after taking ten steps, he could walk almost like a normal person.

He stopped in front of the rock face, raised his right arm, and pressed his five fingers against the rock.

Reverse the eight directions—activate.

An invisible force field emanated from his palm, causing the fine pebbles on the stone wall to float up and slowly rotate.

The strength, range, and control precision of the force field are even better than they were a year ago.

A look of surprise flashed across Li Muxuan's eyes, which then turned into wild joy.

"These limbs are centered around ley stones, which can enhance your sensitivity and control over the earth's energy."

Cui Ming continued to control Bai Lian to speak with Li Muxuan in his place.

"But your cultivation has not yet recovered, so you must not overuse it. You must not operate it for more than three hours a day, otherwise overloading your core will cause harm."

Li Muxuan withdrew his force field and turned to face Cui Ming.

He suddenly bent his knees, the mechanical knee joint making a slight grinding sound, and knelt heavily on the ground.

"Li Muxuan will never forget Mr. Cui's kindness in saving him."

He bowed his head, his forehead hitting the ground heavily.

"From this day forward, my life belongs to you. I will go through fire and water for you."

Cui Ming looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

"Get up. Heal your wounds, avenge your family, and then do what you must do."

Li Muxuan stood up, his eyes still burning with fire, but now with a touch more serenity.

"What's next?"

Cui Ming looked at Wei Shufen.

Wei Shufen examined the life-extending silkworm and nodded.

“His heart pulse has stabilized and the Gu worms have been completely eliminated, but his qi and blood are severely depleted, and he needs to rest for more than a month. These children also need to be placed as soon as possible.”

"We can't wait more than a month."

Cui Ming shook his head.

"The psychology experts from the north will arrive at another base three days later."

“That’s the Japanese territory, where the guards are tighter, but it’s also an opportunity to find out what they want from Li Muxuan.”

He took a map out of his pouch and spread it out on the ground.

The map shows several red dots in the southeastern Guizhou mountainous area, one of which is circled.

"This is Wolf Valley, sixty miles from here."

"According to the memories of the three elders of the Medicine Immortal Society, the Japanese had an underground stronghold there, which was used to detain and interrogate important prisoners."

"That 'expert' will meet up with the Japanese special forces there."

Cui Ming pointed to a circle with his finger.

"We need to infiltrate before he arrives and find out what's going on."

"I'll go as well."

Li Muxuan immediately replied.

"Are you going to your death?"

Cui Ming glanced at him.

"You can barely walk now, how many moves can you withstand if you encounter an enemy?"

Li Muxuan gritted his teeth, but could not refute it.

"You and Miss Wei should take the children back to Kali Town and find a secluded place to rest and recuperate."

Cui Ming put away the map.

“I will send puppets to escort you. As for Wolf Valley, it is more appropriate for me to go alone.”

Wei Shufen frowned.

"Too risky. The Japanese strongholds are sure to be heavily guarded, and you're all alone..."

"The more people there are, the easier it is to be exposed."

Cui Ming interrupted her.

“I have puppets, Xuanji armor, and Fenrir wolves, so I can move freely. You stay here and ensure the safety of Li Muxuan and the children; that’s the most important thing.”

Chapter 191 The place is deserted

He said no more and began to deploy. Six Shadow Spider golems formed a stretcher, securing the nine children to it.

He then summoned four more humanoid puppets to guard the route.

The Hundred Refined Puppet will follow Cui Ming, while Thousand Faces, Soul-Stirring, Night Slaughter Ghost, and others will be temporarily recalled.

Before leaving, Cui Ming gave Wei Shufen some final instructions.

"In case of emergency, crush the jade token I gave you before, and my puppet will sense the location and come to your aid."

Then he said to Li Muxuan.

"Focus on resting and recovering. Don't disturb your Qi. I'll adjust your limbs when I get back."

Li Muxuan nodded emphatically.

As dawn broke and morning mist filled the mountains and forests, the two groups parted ways.

Wei Shufen and Li Muxuan led the children back to Kali Town along the path;

Cui Ming then mounted Fenrir the wolf and galloped toward Wolf Valley.

On the wolf's back, Cui Ming closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, sorting through the information he had obtained from the Third Elder's memories.

The Japanese soldiers' obsession with Li Muxuan was not solely due to his mastery of the Eight Directions Reversal Technique.

There are probably deeper issues involved here.

And that "psychology expert" from the north might be the key.

……

Wild Wolf Valley is located deep in southeastern Guizhou, nestled between two mountains with a narrow valley floor that is shrouded in mist year-round.

Cui Ming arrived at the valley entrance at noon the next day.

Instead of rushing in, he first released ten Shadow Spider puppets to climb along the valley wall and scout ahead.

The images transmitted back by the puppets show that there is indeed a hidden entrance in the valley.

Behind a rock crevice covered by vines, there is a stone staircase leading downwards.

Trigger-activated Gu formations and warning talismans were set up near the entrance, but no one was guarding it.

Cui Ming maneuvered Fenrir the wolf to circle around to the side of the valley and found a natural cave.

The cave is dry and shows signs of wild animal inhabitants, but there has been no recent activity.

He decided to use this place as a temporary base, and released thirty Shadow Spiders, twenty floating cannons, and three special puppets: Terror, Night Slayer, and Thousand Faces.

"Bai Lian will remain here to monitor the overall situation."

"Jing Hun led the team to infiltrate from the front to draw attention."

"Night Slayer and Thousand Faces infiltrate from the flank and eliminate the sentries."

Cui Ming issued the order.

"Try to avoid killing the guards; I want them alive."

The puppets dispersed silently.

Wearing the Earth Vein Mystic Armor, Cui Ming infiltrated underground and moved towards the core of the stronghold.

Through his spiritual perception, he could clearly see the outline of the underground structure.