Volume One, Chapter 138: The Veil!

In the human world, the ninth level of the Wuxiang Realm is already considered an existence among the elite, yet without reaching the status of a Land Immortal, it remains insignificant.

"You see? I believe you should be able to glean something from this." Jiang Chen was unwilling to reveal the secrets of heaven, but he left it to them to perceive the truth based on their own insights.

Ye Zhi and Shen Huaizhu exchanged glances, neither understanding what Jiang Chen meant, yet they committed his words to memory.

The mechanical monster leapt into the air and descended, unleashing the full, undisputed power of a ninth-level Wuxiang Realm expert. Jiang Chen moved the two of them to safety, then used a spatial folding technique to appear right beneath the creature.

Boom!

Clouds of dust erupted all around.

"Is Jiang Chen alright?!" Shen Huaizhu asked.

Ye Zhi squinted and said, "He is fine..."

Jiang Chen was seen holding one of the monster's feet with a single hand. The creature wore a savage expression, struggling and stomping down with all its might, yet it was completely futile.

"Put a little more effort into it, otherwise your death would be in vain."

The flaw in this method of breaking through was obvious: one had to sacrifice their life to force a surge in power between themselves and the monster. This mechanical creature was powered by the heart of a Japanese individual, meaning the consciousness of that person remained trapped within its mind.

When Jiang Chen spoke, the creature seemed genuinely provoked, stomping down with immense force. Gravel flew everywhere, but not a single blow could harm Jiang Chen.

"I don't know whether to applaud you or call you a fool. I’ve gone so easy on you, yet you still don't understand what's happening?" Jiang Chen stepped back, causing ripples to spread across the ground.

The mechanical monster tried to lift off, but its feet felt as if they were being held down. A yellow talisman on the ground sprouted a branch that entangled the monster’s leg, pulling it with immense force. The burst of focused internal energy snapped the monster's leg clean off, releasing black pus that emitted a foul stench.

With one sturdy leg ripped away, the mechanical monster—no matter how vital its life force—could no longer stand steadily. Losing a foot meant losing its greatest leverage, and its fighting spirit began to plummet. For someone accustomed to fighting on two legs, this was a crippling blow.

Jiang Chen had no intention of giving it another chance. Time was drawing near; tonight's performance had only just begun!

With a hum, a massive pillar of white light, sharp enough to sever everything, descended from the sky in a semi-slicing motion in front of Liu Li and Shen Huaizhu. A clean cut appeared across the mechanical monster’s body; it collapsed to the ground, its life force completely extinguished.

Jiang Chen sighed softly, flicked a talisman onto the monster, and with a boom, it was engulfed in flames. No matter how the fire burned, the creature remained motionless.

Shen Huaizhu and Ye Zhi approached.

"Is it over?" Ye Zhi asked.

Jiang Chen shook his head. "Not yet. This little thing is quite the actor. I used a Li Fire Talisman, and it still didn't move, which shows how much it can endure."

The two women didn't understand, but they watched as Jiang Chen walked up to the mechanical monster, picked up a charred stick from the ground, and drove it directly into the creature's heart. The monster suddenly opened its eyes, attempting a final counterattack, but the life force in its heart drained away rapidly. Its giant hand stopped in mid-air and fell to the ground with a clang.

"He was faking his death?" Ye Zhi said angrily, kicking the mechanical monster several times to vent her frustration.

Jiang Chen quickly pulled her away. "Let's go. We need to rendezvous with Changsheng and the others."

...

"How are your injuries?" Jiang Chen asked.

Li Changsheng coughed up blood and replied, "I'm fine. Not dying for now."

Jiang Chen nodded. "Good, go rest. I'll handle this."

Li Changsheng shook his head. "These two have considerable strength. You’ll easily get hurt if you go alone."

Jiang Chen chuckled. "If I get hurt, I get hurt."

He turned his gaze toward the two enemies. "How about you two? Tell me, how do you want to die? I'll consider your requests," Jiang Chen said, his tone casual.

The Onmyoji, Longtian Anxiong, sneered. "Who gave you such courage? I have the descendant of the Tengu in my hand; no matter how many people come, they are nothing more than food for it. You should be worrying about how you are going to survive."

Jiang Chen ignored him and looked at the Puppeteer. "Those pieces of junk you have must have been expensive, right?"

The Puppeteer narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Jiang Chen waved his hand. "No, no, I don't want anything. Think about it: you were the ones who provoked me first. I plan to tear you and your puppets into pieces and throw you away later."

"That depends on whether you have the ability," the Puppeteer said, manipulating his puppets. They attacked in unison, a breathtaking display. It was clear that the resources required to cultivate a puppeteer were immense. These puppets were not easy to come by, showing just how high a price they were willing to pay to sever the Great Xia's dragon vein.

Each of the nine puppets possessed the power of the Wuxiang Realm. If this plan failed, all that investment would be for nothing.

Jiang Chen stood his ground, performing the Tiangang Steps. A spark of light appeared everywhere his feet touched. The nine puppets closed in, while Jiang Chen retreated.

"Tiangang Formation..." Jiang Chen muttered. A massive star-chain emerged from the ground where he had stepped, linking together and blocking the puppets' advance. The Puppeteer frowned, trying to force his puppets through, but they seemed unresponsive, with the connection beginning to fray. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Your puppetry is merely a branch of our Great Xia's corpse-driving arts," Jiang Chen said. "I mastered these little tricks when I was eleven. I truly don't know what you people in the island nation have been researching all these years; there has been no progress at all."

"What are you saying! Give me back my puppets!" The Puppeteer frantically pulled on the control strings, not knowing what was happening, but certain that this Great Xia man was responsible. This was his livelihood; without his puppets, he was no different from an ordinary person. He had to protect them at all costs!

"Hurry and have that big dog help!" the Puppeteer shouted.

Longtian Anxiong, standing to the side, showed no signs of panic. "Don't be impatient. It’s only just begun. What's the use of rushing now?"

But as he finished speaking, the strings on the Puppeteer's fingers snapped one by one.

"No!" the Puppeteer roared, desperately clutching the strings to keep them from slipping away.

Seeing the puppets about to break free, the giant dog finally moved. Its snow-white body was clearly visible even in the forest. Jiang Chen stepped back and threw a punch. Before the dog could land, the power of the blow, combined with the dog's downward momentum, caused a collision that snapped several bucket-sized trees in the vicinity with the resulting wind.

If Longtian Anxiong had been watching as a spectator before, he dared not underestimate Jiang Chen after this clash. He had experienced much, and very few could fight the giant dog head-on; most would rely on evasion or distraction. Yet this man showed no fear, matching the giant dog's strength in direct combat.

"Sigu-yi, such a powerful Great Xia man," Longtian Anxiong remarked with genuine awe.

Because the star-chain from the Tiangang Steps was dragging them down, Jiang Chen wasn't worried about the Puppeteer; the chain alone would keep him occupied for quite some time. The giant dog’s claws had revealed many openings during their collision, yet it was surprisingly resilient. Jiang Chen hadn't used his full strength, but it was enough to severely wound it—the dog was simply enduring through innate talent.

Meanwhile, Longtian Anxiong noticed the dog's state and tried to communicate through their psychic link. The moment he connected, he felt such intense pain he almost suffocated—the link synchronized their sensations. Had the dog not been so resilient, the feedback might have caused his own body to collapse. He no longer dared to underestimate this man.

"Can you still fight?" Longtian Anxiong asked the dog. The dog nodded gently, showing remarkable intelligence.

Jiang Chen smiled. "Haven't you realized your pet is at its limit? Do you believe me if I say it won't survive three more of my punches?"

Longtian Anxiong’s heart sank. If he had heard this earlier, he would have thought the boy was bluffing, but now, it seemed entirely possible.

"Don't be so silent. Speak up. If you don't want to talk, that's fine. How about this: you kill this dog, and I let you go. How does that sound?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.

For some reason, these words carved themselves into his heart like a curse. Longtian Anxiong suppressed his mounting anxiety. "Dog, attack! Don't engage him head-on, just bite him to death!"

The giant dog obeyed, pushing through the pain. Unlike its earlier majestic state, it was now merely forcing itself to move, its legs trembling. It felt that this man was truly terrifying—so terrifying that it didn't know how to face him. It had defeated strong enemies before, but those battles had filled it with fighting spirit; this man was different. It felt a sensation it had never known before: fear. A deep, spiritual fear.

The dog was still fast. To Liu Li, it looked like a white meteor descending from the sky, and then... it fell to the ground like a cannonball.

No one had seen exactly what happened. The dog lay on the ground, gasping for air. Its sharp fangs had been snapped off and lay scattered on the dirt.

"Awoo..."

The dog wailed weakly, finally looking like a small, pathetic puppy. And this puppy was soon to be a dead dog.

"Get up! Get up! Hurry!" Longtian Anxiong shouted in a panic. He wanted to use the psychic link, but the memory of the previous pain stopped him. He could only shout encouragement. But the dog lay motionless, showing no desire to fight again.

"I told you, it can't withstand my punches. You didn't believe me, but now you do, right?" Jiang Chen patted his pocket and found a cigarette. He lit it and said casually, "Well, shouldn't you consider the option I gave you earlier?"

Death was imminent; that was what Longtian Anxiong felt. His pride and joy, the dog, was paralyzed. If he didn't make a choice, he would truly die. Looking at the Puppeteer still struggling to reclaim his puppets, he felt his world collapsing. He couldn't understand why this was happening. Their intelligence reports hadn't mentioned this man, who was not only here but also incredibly powerful—likely at the level of a Land Immortal. He knew he couldn't win.

His only option was to run.

Longtian Anxiong approached the Puppeteer. The Puppeteer was overjoyed, crying, "You finally have a conscience and came to help! Quick, quick, help me reattach these strings!"

The next second, Longtian Anxiong kicked the Puppeteer in the rear, sending him tumbling down the hill. The nine puppets lost control entirely and were seized by Jiang Chen’s star-chain.

"Do me a favor!" Longtian Anxiong fled, believing that as long as the Puppeteer delayed this man, he could escape. He would deal with the Puppeteer later if he ever returned to his country.

The Puppeteer rolled down the slope. Though he wasn't injured, when he looked up, a familiar, smiling face appeared before him.

"You've come down," Jiang Chen said with a smile.

"Don't... don't kill me! Spare me! If you let me go, I'll help you. I'll become your mole. Just let me live, okay?" The Puppeteer knelt on the ground without hesitation. He knew he was a dead man either way, so he hoped to bargain for a chance to act as a double agent.

Jiang Chen grabbed him by the hair. "I'm sorry, I don't have an option for a 'mole' here. You'd better just die."

To avoid dirtying his hands, Jiang Chen threw the Puppeteer directly in front of the puppets. The Puppeteer reached out to grab the stray strings in the air, but the next second, they snapped and dissipated like ash.

"No! No! Don't!"

The puppets, now controlled by Jiang Chen, circled the Puppeteer and began to rain blows upon him. While under the Puppeteer's control, they had retained fragments of their souls; now, Jiang Chen had fully awakened those residual spirits. Each puppet punched with all its might. At first, the Puppeteer screamed, but his voice gradually faded, reduced to agonizing wails, until finally, even those ceased.

Watching Longtian Anxiong running far away, Li Changsheng said anxiously, "I'll go after him. We can't let him report back, or our plan will be leaked."

Jiang Chen flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Don't worry. How could I let him run? Just watch."

He took one last puff, then flicked the cigarette butt. It spun through the air like a bullet, shot out with immense force.

Seeing he had put distance between himself and that terrifying Great Xia man, Longtian Anxiong patted his chest, celebrating his escape. "Stupid Great Xia people! Did you think that would stop me? So naive! Hahaha, I still managed to run away!!!"

But just as he let out a sigh of relief, he felt a warm sensation pierce through his forehead.

Bang!

A headless corpse collapsed straight to the ground.