"Rebellion, you old fart!" Gloves took the lead and swallowed the Teapot into its belly.
Li Banfeng had never imagined that the Teapot would suddenly betray him.
Looking down at Iron Gate Fort, Dick Chen led his subordinates towards its interior, while the female Home Cultivator, Li Zhijuan, manipulated her own sewn puppets, leading a group of stone statues and clay figures in combat with the enemy.
These Home Cultivators were very skilled in the Golden House Hidden Beauty Skill, initially gaining the upper hand in battle.
However, after a short while, the puppets, stone statues, and clay figures stopped moving.
Li Zhijuan and a group of Home Cultivators also stopped moving.
Wu Yongchao intended to control the beauties on his scroll and fight the enemy, but he realized something was off.
All the puppets that the enemy had touched stopped moving.
The masters of the puppets also stopped moving.
No clever combat techniques could be discerned from the enemy. They simply extended their hands and touched them.
The battle was turning against them; they had to change their tactics quickly. Li Banfeng took out a bronze gong and ran along the cliffside, pounding on it as he went.
His movements were too fast for others to see clearly, but they could hear the gong ringing out.
Whenever the gong sounded, all Home Cultivators needed to return home to defend, a rule Li Banfeng had set in Iron Gate Fort.
Wu Yongchao didn’t know who had given the order to strike the gong, but the surrounding Home Cultivators had almost all left.
With no other choice, he too had to retreat to his home. Reaching the doorway, an enemy grasped Wu Yongchao from behind.
This was right at his doorstep, where Wu Yongchao could have easily broken free, but he stood motionless at the door.
Even his House Spirit was panicking, screaming, "Child, what are you doing? Hurry back in!"
Li Banfeng, running along the cliff, was about to go down to rescue when he heard Gloves shout, "Boss, you can’t go! I’ve figured out the other party’s Taoist Sect; this person is a Sleep Cultivator!"
Li Banfeng said, "So, you mean he’s using dreams to control these people?"
"Boss, dreams are dreams, and sleep is sleep. Dreams affect the mind, while sleep affects the body. They are two different things. His subordinates, including himself, are all asleep. After falling asleep, they are under his control. These people then become mindless, react quickly, strike viciously, and don’t feel pain. Worst of all, if you touch them, you’ll also fall asleep."
Li Banfeng said, "Li Zhijuan didn’t touch the enemy; she just used the Golden House Hidden Beauty Skill. How did she fall asleep?"
"Boss, some techniques involve force transmission. Techniques capable of transmitting force are also restrained by Sleep Cultivators. Our Old Teapot suddenly switched sides because a Sleep Cultivator used force transmission from a technique to control it."
"Sleep Cultivation Techniques can even control Magical Treasures?"
"Not just that! Boss, even that big door in Iron Gate Fort is asleep."
More and more people inside Iron Gate Fort were falling asleep, and Dick Chen kept walking deeper into Iron Gate Fort. One by one, Home Cultivators were standing by the roadside like clay figures, and soon Dick Chen would reach the Fortress Lord’s residence.
Li Banfeng let out a roar, "YAAAH!"
He hoped to use his wife’s Sound Cultivation Technique to wake up the Home Cultivators who had fallen into a deep sleep.
But the Home Cultivators did not wake up.
Gloves reminded him, "Boss, shouting at them is useless. They can’t even be woken by boiling water. You need to find a way to wake up the Sleep Cultivator."
Li Banfeng approached Dick Chen and shouted again, "YAAAH!"
Dick Chen stopped in his tracks and his expression twisted, yet he still did not wake up.
The Music Box in his pocket vibrated nonstop; she was eager to give it a try.
Li Banfeng wound up the Music Box and approached Dick Chen with it.
Despite being asleep, Dick Chen’s reflexes were even keener than when awake. Li Banfeng, cautious as ever, played music from the Music Box.
The piece was specifically composed to wake people up. Halfway through the tune, Dick Chen showed no response.
The Music Box’s level wasn’t high enough. It couldn’t wake Dick Chen.
Tang Sword said, "My lord, provide me with cover, and I’ll chop this guy down with one strike!"
Li Banfeng shook his head, "You can’t go. If he controls you, Gloves might not be able to take you in."
"Seventh Guide, I may be able to fight!" Projector volunteered eagerly.
Gloves said, "Ah Ji, it’s even more dangerous for you. They are asleep, so Illusion Techniques will have no effect on them."
"I won’t use Illusion Technique; I’ll use the Withering Technique."
Gloves said, "I think your Withering Technique still involves force transmission, which will definitely be controlled by the Sleep Cultivator as well."
Wine Gourd said, "Little brother, my technique doesn’t involve force transmission. The spilt liquor is just that—spilt. It has nothing more to do with me."
Li Banfeng had no intention of doing that.
Wine Gourd didn’t forget to offer a suggestion, "Let Meng De have a try. She’s a Dream Cultivator and has some resistance to Sleep Cultivators."
Gloves, sounding unconvinced, said, "Boss, this Sleep Cultivator is on a very high level. If the Madam’s techniques couldn’t wake him, how much use can Meng De be?"
Clock Pendulum asked, "Could his level possibly be above the Madam’s?"
Li Banfeng surveyed the battlefield.
More and more Home Cultivators were falling asleep, but quite a few had managed to escape back to their homes.
The Sleepers were spreading like zombies. Whether it was the Home Cultivators themselves or their puppets, if they touched Dick Chen or his subordinates, they would stand rigidly in the middle of the road.