Chapter 409: Chapter 407: Thousand Changes (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_1
"Indeed... after reaching Nascent Soul, picking up puppetry again with a complete legacy as guidance makes the progress describable as leaps and bounds in advancement."
Fang Xi returned to the Evergreen Hall and continued to comprehend the Thousand-Machine Secret Scroll, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes.
Then, he sat cross-legged and began to delve into the final part of the puppet-controlling techniques within the secret scroll!
For any Puppet Master’s inheritance, aside from a few methods of creating high-level puppets, what undoubtedly comes next in importance are the skills to control the puppets.
For instance, the ’Thousand Thread Puppet Controlling Skills’ Fang Xi initially obtained alongside his puppetry inheritance!
It possessed the supreme utility of dividing one’s mind, and it was also the foundation for Puppet Masters to become a one-man army.
Of course, compared to the puppet-controlling skills within the Thousand-Machine Secret Scroll, the ’Thousand Thread Puppet Controlling Skills’ were now nothing much to speak of.
"Thousand Changes!"
Fang Xi quietly recited the name of this advanced puppet-controlling technique.
’Thousand Changes’ was a supreme divine consciousness technique with four levels of transformation!
After mastering the first transformation, one could easily divide their divine consciousness into several threads and control up to nine puppets.
It was said to outdo the ’Thousand Thread Puppet Controlling Skills,’ which could only manage eight main battle puppets.
Upon mastering the second transformation, one could divide their consciousness into twenty-seven threads and control a small team of puppets.
Even if they were Qi Refining level puppets, once their numbers increased, they could cause trouble for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The third change allowed for control over fifty-four puppets.
And upon mastering the fourth change, one could freely control over a hundred puppets, making the saying ’one person, an army’ not an overstatement.
"However, the materials needed for high-tier top-notch puppets are too precious; it’s impossible to muster such a force... It’s essentially a dragon-slaying technique with nowhere to use it."
Due to his powerful divine consciousness and a solid foundation, Fang Xi easily cultivated up to the second change of ’Thousand Changes.’
Now, without relying on the Monster Tree, he flawlessly controlled twenty-seven main battle puppets and was even attempting the third change, which didn’t seem too difficult. With a decade or two spent, he was sure to master it smoothly.
After completing his practice of the puppet-controlling techniques, Fang Xi arrived at the storage room, took out a few broken pieces of third-grade puppet debris, and began dismantling them on the workbench...
Knowing how to dismantle them was just the beginning; the next steps were repair and then crafting of brand-new third-grade puppets.
"How could I have been so rash back then, wrecking the puppets so severely!"
Every time this happened, Fang Xi couldn’t help but sigh deeply, lamenting how his Heterodox Nascent Soul had been too heavy-handed in the past.
...
Several months later.
Fang Xi finished repairing the last Profound Turtle puppet and placed it in the corner of the Refining Chamber.
At this moment, in the corner, there were eight high-level puppets, each exuding a distinct aura.
"Taking into account the intact ones I’ve acquired... do I now have a total of nine Core Formation puppets?"
"That should be enough. If I use them suddenly, even Nascent Soul cultivators caught off guard would suffer a setback..."
"With second-tier pinnacle puppet skill, fixing these puppets shouldn’t be an issue..."
"In fact, my current level of puppetry should count as third-tier, right?"
The reason why he wasn’t yet a third-tier Puppet Master was naturally that he hadn’t created a third-grade puppet from scratch.
Fang Xi performed a technique, and the nine third-grade puppets in the corner shrank continually, being stored inside his Storage Ring.
"Now that all preparations are complete, it’s time to take a trip to Yuan Country."
He stepped outside Evergreen Hall, beneath the Monster Tree, and released the Mountain Sea Pearl.
Hum hum!
Amidst the roaring, the Monster Tree uprooted itself and retracted its canopy, turning into a thick black rod, which was taken into the interior of the Mountain Sea Pearl.
The provision Taisui followed closely behind, for while traveling abroad in these days, he could keep feeding the Monster Tree and extend its lifespan.
This massive disturbance naturally attracted a lot of cultivators, with Zhong Hongyu among them.
"I will be traveling for a while. Jade Island will be temporarily managed by Zhong Hongyu. You must all work together to maintain the array that seals the earth’s veins, and wait for my return as your Island Master," Fang Xi instructed the many cultivators who rushed over, and then he summoned his carriages.
Daqing and Xiao Qing flew in from the left and right, looking quite adept at it.
Following that, after Fang Xi boarded the carriage, Xiao Qing let out a clear chirp, transformed into a blue rainbow, and quickly disappeared into the sky with the carriage in tow.
"We send off the True Monarch with respect!"
Behind him, a group of Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators all bowed as they saw him off.
...
Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.
The jungle was dense, vast, and desolate, a scene brimming with wilderness.
Swish!
A chameleon-like monster beast, mouth wide open to catch a vibrant little bird in front, suddenly twisted and shot into the jungle, vanishing without a trace.
Countless monster birds took flight as if evading something.
Not far in the sky, three streaks of escape lights fought fiercely while speeding through the air, reaching the area in a blink.
"Hei Yanzi, you’ve gone too far!"
A delicate shout echoed, followed at once by a snow-white streak of light shooting toward a mass of black clouds in the front.
"Hmph... Mere two initial-stage Core Formation cultivators, the Green Cloud Treasure shall belong to me," a somewhat aged voice emerged from the black clouds, manipulating who knows what technique, redirecting that seemingly all-freezing snow-white streak of light to fall into the jungle at one side.
Crackle!
In an instant, the jungle was covered in a massive glacier, as numerous ice crystals encased the lush trees, bushes, birds and beasts that couldn’t escape, and even the nearby mountain spring... all frozen within a giant mountain of ice!
"Ice Soul Cold Light... Hmph!"
The person within the dark clouds let out a cold snort, and several black lights flew out, transforming into skulls the size of buckets, with eerie green ghost fires flickering in their eye sockets, cackling chaotically.
"Go!"
From within another sword light came a slightly cold and clear command.
Then, a dazzling sword light, bright as the stars, lit up, striking one of the skulls and releasing Sword Qi in all directions, cleaving the skull into shreds.
"Hei Yanzi, don’t think that just because you’re in the mid Core Formation stage you can act recklessly. Today, in partnership with Feng Jie Jie, I may not necessarily lose to you..."
The sword light retracted, revealing a beautiful woman with an austere expression, cold as an iceberg, a female sword cultivator.
As the woman spoke, Feng Bingxian flicked her jade fingers repeatedly, sending bursts of Ice Soul Cold Light flying straight into the remaining skulls.
Crack!
The remaining skulls were sealed in ice, and suddenly shattered into pieces in mid-air.
"Hehe... Star Pointing Sect Master, Profound Ice Palace Master... You two really think I’m an easy target?"
The dark clouds dissipated, revealing a black-robed elder who gave a cold smile: "My Hundred Ghosts Skulls are not going to be so easily destroyed..."
"What?"
Star Pointing Sect Master’s Divine Consciousness swept across the area and discovered that the dissipating aura from those shattered skulls had somehow spread around, turning into streams of Ghost Mist.
Meanwhile, Hei Yanzi grasped a small black flag in his hand, waving it vigorously: "Hundred Ghosts Array... rise!"
Wuu wuu!
Streams of black fog emerged, enshrouding both her and Feng Bingxian.
"Terrible, this person turns out to be a hidden Array Master?"
Feng Bingxian furrowed her delicate brows: "This Array is difficult to break quickly, we must be cautious and overcome him separately..."
As she worried, a layer of Ghost Mist surged over, and Feng Bingxian shockingly found she had lost sight of the Star Pointing Sect Master, with even her Divine Consciousness being blocked by the Array’s power. Her heart sank, knowing they were in the worst possible scenario.
But before she could think of any method to break the Array, a loud boom came from outside.
Boom!
The Ghost Mist dissipated like spring snow under the sun, and the Hundred Ghosts Array unexpectedly fell apart without being attacked.
Chiu chiu!
Out of the Void, a clear and piercing phoenix call suddenly resounded.
Star Pointing Sect Master, upon hearing this phoenix call, had a thoughtful look on her face.
"Gong mei mei..."
Feng Bingxian turned into a white light, landing beside the Star Pointing Sect Master, wanting to say something more, but then a firelight streaked across the sky, and with a whistling sound, a carriage pulled by a green-colored Dragon Phoenix approached!
The one who issued the cry was the Green Fire Luan!
Its third-order superior presence made even Hei Yanzi retreat a few steps, revealing a deep apprehension.
But immediately afterward, a Divine Consciousness that far surpassed Core Formation level swept over the three of them, and a young voice emerged from the carriage: "I hadn’t expected to encounter cultivators just as I was about to leave the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range..."
"It’s a Yuan Ying True Monarch!"
Hei Yanzi’s face was like a dye shop, as he suddenly bowed in a great salute: "True Monarch, please forgive my impudence... All this is because of a predecessor’s Cave House, I’m willing to offer all the treasures from the Cave House to the True Monarch... only begging..."
"Noise!"
The Yuan Ying True Monarch inside the carriage seemed impatient, and a blue light shot out.
Thud!
The blue light easily penetrated Hei Yanzi’s defenses, his life-bound magical artifact instantly shattered, and then the blue light mercilessly passed through his skull...
This mid Core Formation cultivator, unexpectedly met such a violent death...
Star Pointing Sect Master and Feng Bingxian felt a chill in their hearts, and immediately saw the curtains of the carriage being lifted, as a very young cultivator stepped out.
He was dressed in a bamboo green robe, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a brimming vitality.
"I, Gong Ling, Star Pointing Sect Master, am deeply grateful for the senior’s life-saving grace."
The cold-faced female sword cultivator bowed deeply: "May I ask if the senior is Dragon Fish Island’s Lord Master?"
Feng Bingxian immediately followed suit, her heart trembling.
The reputation of Dragon Fish Island’s Lord Master had only spread recently in Yuan Country. It was said that he came from the impoverished regions of the three Cultivation World countries, yet astonishingly, he had reached the stage of forming a Nascent Soul!
Feng Bingxian had always been skeptical of such incredible rumors.
How could those backwoods produce a Nascent Soul, when cultivation resources were so scarce?
But after witnessing the display of authority and majesty before her eyes today, she became completely convinced that this was indeed a Yuan Ying True Monarch!
’I didn’t expect... these two women have also formed their Core.’
Fang Xi looked at the two female cultivators with quite some emotion in his heart.
He actually knew both of these female cultivators.
There was no need to mention Feng Bingxian, as he was extremely familiar with her. Moreover, this woman had obtained the Aquatic Gold Core Pill last time, and after returning had diligently practiced; her reaching a Grand Accomplishment in her Golden Core stage was not so surprising.
And Gong Ling, was the first female Foundation Establishment cultivator he encountered after crossing the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range the last time!
To think that upon this meeting, she had also reached Core Formation.
’It’s a shame... they both do not recognize me.’
Fang Xi sighed inwardly.
Feng Bingxian knew ’Yun Jiezi’.
As for Gong Ling? The last time they parted, she had a secret skill cast upon her to erase her memory of him.
It appears that the secret skill was effective; even having reached Core Formation, she still did not recognize him.