Phi-Fic Chapter 475 - 260: Golden Core Puppet, Rank 3 Mechanisms
Chapter 475 - 260: Golden Core Puppet, Rank 3 Mechanisms
A moment later, an Earth Dragon with jet-black scales and an aura at the Tier Three level crawled out from underground.
"Master, back in the great hall of the Cyan Cloud Sect, I truly sensed the aura of an Earth Element Demon Beast and the Ten Thousand Demon Blood Stone on Li Chang’an, but now it’s vanished for some reason."
’Could he have sent that Earth Element Demon Beast somewhere else?’ Liu Xuanfeng wondered.
The Earth Dragon said, "Master, you’re a Celestial Pride from a Nascent Soul Major Sect. Why make things so complicated? Why not just capture Li Chang’an and interrogate him?"
"Alright. We’ll do it your way."
...
「A month later.」
Inside the Changqing Mountain Cave Mansion.
Piles of discarded materials for Mechanical Techniques lay in every corner.
Li Chang’an sat cross-legged deep within the cave mansion, a satisfied expression on his face as he looked at a round ball floating before him.
’My Mechanical Technique has officially reached Tier Three.’
This sphere was called the "Celestial Craft Ball." Its internal structure was incredibly complex and ever-changing, and the aura it emitted had reached Tier Three.
According to the Mechanical Technique inheritance,
successfully crafting one meant that one’s skills had reached Tier Three Low Grade.
With a thought, Li Chang’an put away the Celestial Craft Ball, transformed into a streak of Spiritual Light, and left the cave mansion, heading straight for the Mechanical City.
He planned to dismantle the city for all its materials to create Tier Three Puppets.
As for Changqing Mountain’s defenses,
the Tier Three Array was sufficient. There was no need to use Mechanical Techniques to create more traps.
’A considerable amount of material went into building that Mechanical City. Even though only the core components are Tier Three, it should be enough to make several Tier Three Puppets.’
As Li Chang’an was pondering this, he suddenly felt several faint auras behind him.
’Someone’s following me?’
He stopped in mid-air and turned to look, not the slightest bit worried.
Last night’s divination had been uneventful.
This meant that,
if the people following him were enemies, they weren’t very strong. They posed no threat to him and weren’t even significant enough to register in the divination’s results.
Before long, several figures stopped a short distance away, each possessing the strength of Foundation Establishment Peak.
One of them clasped his hands in a salute. "Daoist Li, we’ve been waiting outside for a month. You’ve finally come out."
Li Chang’an asked, "Are you all Tribulation Cultivators?"
"No, Daoist Li, you misunderstand. We are from the Central Domain. We were originally a group of Loose Cultivators, but we later came to serve Liu Xuanfeng, a Celestial Pride of the Purple Mist Sect."
’So they’re Liu Xuanfeng’s men.’
Li Chang’an’s expression was indifferent; he wasn’t surprised.
He had long expected Liu Xuanfeng to make a move.
These men were all at Foundation Establishment Peak, which was more than enough to deal with someone who was, on the surface, at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.
"What do you plan to do?"
"Daoist Li, as long as you cooperate, we won’t harm you. But if you don’t cooperate, then don’t blame us for being merciless."
"Alright then..."
Li Chang’an raised his hand and unleashed a ray of Cyan Wood Divine Light.
BOOM!
The man who had just spoken exploded in mid-air, turning into a shower of blood.
The others were instantly horrified. They all used their Escape Techniques, any thought of fighting completely forgotten as they desperately fled into the distance.
They never would have imagined that someone supposedly at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment could possess the power to instantly kill a cultivator at Foundation Establishment Peak.
Li Chang’an showed no mercy, unleashing several more rays of Cyan Wood Divine Light.
He finished them off cleanly.
’They really were weak. No wonder they didn’t show up in the divination.’
He shook his head slightly, collected their Storage Pouches, and opened them for a look.
Most of the Treasures inside were unremarkable; only a few items were of decent value.
Li Chang’an gave them a cursory glance, put away the Treasures, and continued on his way to the Mechanical City.
...
「Meanwhile.」
Deep within the Black Dragon Mountain Range, inside the Ancient Sect Ruins.
Liu Xuanfeng was exploring a ruined medicinal garden in the depths of the ruins with several Celestial Prides from the Southern Domain Cultivation Realm.
Suddenly, he furrowed his brow and took out several Spirit Contracts from his Storage Pouch.
Each Spirit Contract bore a name.
At this moment,
the names on the contracts dimmed one by one before scattering on the wind and fading into nothingness.
’They’re all dead? Did they ignore my orders and try to storm the mountain?’
Liu Xuanfeng’s expression darkened.
His subordinates were all Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivators. As long as they weren’t stupid enough to try and break through Changqing Mountain’s Mountain Protection Array, they shouldn’t have all fallen in such a short period of time.
"Daoist Liu, what happened?" a young man wearing Golden Battle Armor walked over.
His body was suffused with Core Formation Magical Power, yet he addressed Liu Xuanfeng, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, as "Daoist." It was clear he wanted to befriend him.
Liu Xuanfeng put away the Spirit Contracts and said in a low voice, "Daoist Zhang, a few of my subordinates are dead. I suspect Li Chang’an was the one who did it."
"Li Chang’an? Does Daoist Liu have a grudge against him?"
"There is no grudge. I just wanted to make a deal with him," Liu Xuanfeng said, shaking his head slightly.
"However, if he really did kill my subordinates, then we officially have a feud."
"I see."
No one present was a fool. They immediately put two and two together.
It was obvious.
Liu Xuanfeng had coveted one of Li Chang’an’s treasures. When their deal fell through, he sent his men to take it by force, only to underestimate Li Chang’an’s capabilities.
The man in the Golden Battle Armor smiled. "Daoist Liu, this is a simple matter. I will go and capture that Li Chang’an for you. You just wait here."
"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Daoist Zhang."
Liu Xuanfeng clasped his hands.
He couldn’t discern the true nature of Changqing Mountain’s Array, so this was the perfect opportunity to let this man test the waters.
This man in golden armor was named Zhang Qingrong, a Celestial Pride of the Talisman Zhang Family. Not long ago, he’d had a fortuitous encounter and became the third Core Formation Cultivator in the Zhang Family.
Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by a secret Sound Transmission from another cultivator beside him.
"Big Brother, we have no grievance with Daoist Li. How can you attack him just to curry favor with this Liu Xuanfeng?"
The one who sent the message was Zhang Qingfeng.
He had once explored the Ghost Vine Forest with Li Chang’an, and they had interacted frequently over the years, maintaining a good relationship.
He now also possessed a Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivation, but had not yet found a suitable opportunity for Core Formation.
He sent another secret message. "Big Brother, Liu Xuanfeng is just an outsider. Why are you trying so hard to suck up to him?"
"Qingfeng, Daoist Liu is no outsider! As long as we befriend him properly, we two brothers will have a connection to a Nascent Soul Sect," Zhang Qingrong replied via Sound Transmission.
He stuck to his guns, still intending to go capture Li Chang’an.
Zhang Qingfeng tried to persuade him again. "Big Brother, Daoist Li’s Mountain Protection Array on Changqing Mountain is formidable. Even Nie Wushuang couldn’t break it back then. You’ll likely get nothing out of it if you go."
"Nie Wushuang? He hadn’t reached Core Formation back then. I’m different!"
Ignoring his brother’s plea, Zhang Qingrong transformed into a streak of Spiritual Light and departed.
He was now a Golden Core Master, his strength far surpassed that of the former Nie Wushuang, and he was confident he could break the Array by force!