Chapter 45: Puppet Materials Delivered to the Door

’That’s strange. The patterns on this component are already carved, so why isn’t it conducting Magical Power?’

Li Chang’an was puzzled, his face a mask of confusion.

’Where did I go wrong?’

He tinkered with the component for a while before finally discovering his mistake and promptly correcting it.

Without realizing it, more than half a day had passed.

Li Chang’an had only successfully made three components.

Meanwhile, a large pile of scrapped Treasure Materials had already formed beside him.

He felt a pang of regret for the lost Spirit Stones, but he didn’t give up.

’As long as I succeed, any amount of wasted material is worth it.’

Li Chang’an glanced at the scrapped materials, then gathered his thoughts, focused his concentration, and continued crafting the remaining components.

Time flew by, and a few more days passed.

After scrapping a vast amount of Treasure Materials, a turtle Puppet half a man’s height finally took shape!

’This Puppet barely crosses the threshold of a Tier One Top Grade Puppet, I suppose.’

Li Chang’an looked at the Puppet, his brow furrowed in thought. He wasn’t entirely satisfied.

He wasn’t dissatisfied with his own Skills.

After all, the successful creation of this turtle Puppet meant his Skills had reached the level of a Tier One Top Grade Puppet Master.

It was just that the turtle Puppet’s defensive capabilities didn’t meet his expectations.

It could barely block Dahuang’s attacks, but not for long. If the assault continued for any length of time, cracks would appear on its outer shell, and it would begin to fall apart.

’It’s a problem with the Puppet Materials. I need to find some Treasure Materials specifically designed for making Defense Puppets.’

Li Chang’an pondered.

The thought of materials made his heart ache.

He would have to spend a lot more Spirit Stones.

However, as long as the Puppet he created could perfectly withstand the attacks of a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, it would all be worth it.

Before he knew it, it was already Midnight.

The Divination appeared before Li Chang’an’s eyes as usual.

[Divination Refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Auspicious]

[Zheng Jinbao will deploy a "Shadow-Chasing Puppet" in an attempt to eliminate you completely, but the Puppet will ultimately be trapped and fall into your hands.]

"A Shadow-Chasing Puppet?"

Li Chang’an was surprised, his eyes scanning the contents of the Divination.

He had heard of this type of Puppet.

’They say this kind of Puppet doesn’t require a controller; it can actively hunt its target based on their aura. Even though it’s only a Tier One Puppet, only a Puppet Master at Tier Two or higher can create one.’

The puppet-making knowledge Li Chang’an had inherited contained no instructions for creating such a Puppet.

This type of Puppet wasn’t sold in the Marketplace or the Black Market, either.

That was why he was so surprised.

’Where did Zheng Jinbao get this Shadow-Chasing Puppet?’

’Could he have gotten it from within the Zheng Family?’

Li Chang’an thought for a moment.

’Forget it. No matter where he got it, once it enters my courtyard, it’s mine!’

He immediately began to prepare.

Even though the Divination was auspicious, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

After all, the Shadow-Chasing Puppet was notorious.

’Since it hunts based on aura, my Top Grade Illusion Body Talisman will come in handy.’

The Illusion Body Talisman was the higher-tier version of the Middle Grade Memory Talisman.

It could conjure not only an illusionary figure but an illusionary aura as well.

...

「Meanwhile, outside Li Chang’an’s residence.」

Zheng Jinbao gritted his teeth, glaring at the courtyard gate.

"What the hell is wrong with that damn Li Chang’an? Is he a bloody turtle or something?"

He hadn’t found an opportunity yet, so he still hadn’t been able to use the Shadow-Chasing Puppet.

After all, the Shadow-Chasing Puppet wasn’t his.

Over the past few days, Zheng Lingfeng had already urged him twice to return the Puppet as soon as possible.

"No, I can’t wait any longer. I’ll make my move tonight!"

Zheng Jinbao made up his mind.

He spent a large sum of Spirit Stones to purchase ten Breaking Charms.

Any more would have been useless, as there was a limit to how much the power of these Talismans could be stacked.

’With the combined power of this many Breaking Charms, I can easily shatter even a Tier One Top Grade array!’

Zheng Jinbao unceremoniously stuffed the Talismans onto the Shadow-Chasing Puppet.

Afterward, he took out a hoe and several baskets.

These were items Li Chang’an had used back when he tended the Zheng Family’s Spirit Field.

They still carried Li Chang’an’s Qi.

"Memorize this person’s Qi! Kill him!"

Zheng Jinbao ordered the Shadow-Chasing Puppet.

The Shadow-Chasing Puppet gave a stiff nod. With a flicker of its body, it shot straight toward Li Chang’an’s small courtyard.

Under Zheng Jinbao’s expectant gaze, it leaped directly into the courtyard.

...

「At that very moment.」

Li Chang’an sensed a fluctuation in the array.

’It’s here!’

His true self was already hidden underground.

He had left only a Puppet Body in the courtyard.

The Shadow-Chasing Puppet was now trapped inside the array.

The ten Breaking Charms on its body activated in unison, erupting in a brilliant golden light.

Countless burning golden patterns coalesced into a giant golden hand that clawed at the surrounding void. Its power was terrifying, as if it would completely shred the entire Cloud Mist Hidden Killing Array!

Li Chang’an didn’t just stand by and watch.

He could faintly sense the array was nearing its limit.

"Strike!"

He let out a cold shout.

The Cyan Light Sword shot from its sheath, transforming into a phantom image that instantly slashed toward the giant golden hand.

Dahuang was also casting Magic, weakening the giant hand’s power.

At the same time, the Shadow-Chasing Puppet let out a roar and charged straight for Li Chang’an’s Puppet Body.

Li Chang’an’s figure flickered, and he threw out an Illusion Body Talisman.

An illusory body instantly appeared in his place.

BOOM!

The Shadow-Chasing Puppet struck the illusion, causing it to merely ripple.

It didn’t see through the deception and continued its attack.

’This Puppet has no one controlling it, so it’s a bit stupid, after all. It’s easy to deal with as long as you prepare the right countermeasures.’

After a moment, the Shadow-Chasing Puppet finally realized something was wrong.

It changed direction and resumed its pursuit of Li Chang’an’s Puppet Body.

But Li Chang’an kept throwing out one Illusion Body Talisman after another, confusing it and draining its Magical Power.

Before long, the giant golden hand formed from the ten Breaking Charms dissipated.

The array restabilized.

After another incense stick’s worth of time had passed, the Shadow-Chasing Puppet’s attacks began to slow down.

Its Magical Power was severely depleted with no way to replenish it, and it grew weaker and weaker.

Finally, the Shadowless Net descended from the sky. Trapped within it, the Puppet could no longer attack, left completely at Li Chang’an’s mercy.

’Can I make this thing work for me?’

With a thought, Li Chang’an erased the mark Zheng Jinbao had left on the Puppet.

Afterward, he attempted its Refinement.

But he was unable to leave his own mark on it.

Furthermore, the Puppet remained extremely aggressive toward him, letting out a roar every now and then.

’Strange. Could there be some other control method?’

Li Chang’an pondered for a long time.

His puppet-making Skills were already considerable, yet he was completely unable to control this Puppet.

Every attempt ended in failure.

In the end, he was forced to give up.

’Fine. If I can’t use it, I’ll just dismantle it for materials!’

Li Chang’an began at once.

He was short on materials anyway, and the materials used to make this Puppet were of excellent quality.

...

Outside, Zheng Jinbao was still waiting anxiously.

"Why isn’t there any noise? Did it fail?"