Liana hovered in the air, her eyes wide with shock as she watched the aftermath of Ruan’s attack.
The waves crashed endlessly below, a stark contrast to the chaos that had just erupted above them. She had never seen such brutal efficiency, such merciless precision.
The way Ruan dealt with the two Foundation Building Experts was far beyond anything she had anticipated. She almost felt sorry for the enemies with whom she had battled, taking pity on the way they died.
‘He planned this from the very beginning he came flying towards us. This… this man is vicious.’
It dawned on her then, the significance of what Ruan had told her. He had revealed his real identity as Zen Pewlu, a name she recognized but never expected to be tied to the seemingly fearful man she had been accompanying.
There was a reason he wanted her to follow him, to stay close and witness the unfolding events. As Loshaar Lakir’s sister, she couldn’t remain passive. He had pulled her away from the main group, splitting their forces and creating an opportunity to strike.
‘He… he is even scarier as a Puppet Artist than my grandpa Loshaar,’ Liana concluded in her heart. At this point, she felt as if she and even her opponent Calla had become Aksai’s puppets without knowing about it.
Any puppet artist could control the puppets that had no life in them. However, a puppet artist who could even control the live cultivators to do his bidding without letting them know about his goals was a true puppet artist– a puppet master.
***
Meanwhile, Calla stood a few meters away, her face a mask of horror and disbelief. She had underestimated him, mistaking his earlier fear for genuine desperation. Now, faced with the reality of his power, she understood the grave mistake she had made.
Calla’s horror deepened as she saw the three Foundation Building-level puppets surrounding Ruan, ready to defend him. The man who had seemed so vulnerable was now a formidable force, his strength bolstered by these eerie, powerful constructs.
Ruan could have used the puppets to escape, sacrificing the puppets if necessary, but he had chosen not to. Instead, he stood his ground, clearly intent on finishing what Calla had started.
Ruan’s eyes met Calla’s, a cold determination shining through. “I hate it when someone threatens me for no reason,” he said, his voice steady and calm. “Don’t even think about running away now.”
Calla’s grip tightened on her remaining swords, her confidence shattered. “I… I am a sect elder of the Purple River Sect,” she stammered. “If you kill me, my sect will never let you be.”
Calla conveniently dropped her “former elder” status for the time being, hoping to create psychological pressure on Ruan so he would give up chasing her. With three 2nd-order puppets and two Foundation Building Experts against her, she had no chance of victory.
She also wasn’t delusional enough to think that asking for forgiveness would ease her situation. Even if it seemed vain, she had to try. After all, it was her life at stake.
‘I… I shouldn’t have tried to chase him down. Mao’s legacy couldn’t have been worth more than my life.’
Calla regretted in her heart. She thought that she was careful enough. She had asked for help from many Foundation Building Experts in apprehending Mao’s successor. She thought that she could easily take him down with so many of her allies supporting her.
However, all her preparations seemed insignificant at this point when Aksai showed his capabilities at the right time.
At the same time, Calla wanted to retreat. However, she soon discovered two more Sentient Scarecrows blocking her escape. Calla was absolutely horrified. She never imagined that a man so well-versed with the sword would also be an exceptionally skilled puppet master.
After all, Foundation Building Puppet Masters weren’t as strong as one might imagine. They had a lot of limitations. Someone like Loshaar Lakir wouldn’t have to struggle so much if that wasn’t the case.
The puppet artists could typically control only two to three puppets simultaneously at the Foundation Building Stage. Those who could control four 2nd-order puppets were considered truly talented in the puppet arts. However, being able to control five 2nd-order puppets simultaneously in the 2nd cultivation realm was a sign of a prodigy in the puppet arts.
Such puppet masters were so rare that they couldn’t remain shrouded in mystery for long. The Big Five Sects all had such rare puppet masters, and they were recognized as prodigies by the masses.
This was why Loshaar Lakir had such a high bounty as a demonic cultivator—he could only control three 2nd-order puppets at the same time. Even that was considered a talent among mediocre cultivators.
What was even more surprising was that Ruan didn’t seem to suffer any backlash from controlling so many puppets simultaneously. It was as if he didn’t feel any mental burden from executing his puppet art.
Calla didn’t know that Aksai had a neural link fabric that helped him control the puppets in the most efficient way possible. It automated the sensory responses for all the puppets and used a central processing unit in real time to establish communication between the puppets and their owner.
In short, Aksai’s puppet art wasn’t bound by the same limitations that plagued traditional puppet artists. It also didn’t have the backlash that someone like Loshaar would experience if he tried to control more 2nd-order puppets.
Aksai’s puppets were also way different from regular puppets. Because of the complex soul-related techniques used on them, they had gained consciousness. They could really fool an ignorant Foundation Building Experts into considering them into a living being if Aksai wanted them to.
***
Ruan chuckled when he heard Calla’s empty threats. However, he didn’t say anything and let Calla be. He believed that sometimes it was better to stay silent and let your opponents get mad at you for being unresponsive. That way, the opponents would be more prone to making mistakes in desperation, allowing you to take care of them in the most efficient manner.
Liana, still grappling with the revelation, took a deep breath and steeled herself. She drew her sword, her resolve hardening. “Ruan, or Zen Pewlu, whatever your name is,” she said, her voice steadying, “I’m with you. But I need answers. About my brother, about everything.”
Ruan glanced at her, a flicker of something similar to amusement in his eyes. “Alright. You’ll get your answers, Liana. But first, we need to deal with this delusional woman.”
***
Liana was soon demoted to acting as a mere spectator and a backup. It seemed that the only contribution and cooperation Aksai wanted from her was to not be a hindrance.
Being caught in a desperate situation, Calla had decided to let go of her hesitations. She had started to use precious talismans and artifacts that she had saved for life-and-death situations.
Liana soon found out that it was really impossible for her to kill a mid-stage Foundation Building Expert like Calla with her current capabilities. However, Aksai didn’t mind. He made use of his puppets and talismans to counter Calla’s attacks.
He also prevented her from escaping many times. Seeing that even escape was a lost cause, Calla became determined to fight for her survival. That’s when she became even more of a serious threat.
A few minutes later.
Aksai squared off with Calla Wei, their breaths heavy and labored as they battled fiercely in the air above the churning sea. Calla, despite her serious injuries, had consumed an elixir that made her immune to Mao’s heretic healing-type talismans.
The former elder of the Purple River Sect had also donned numerous precious artifacts to suppress the debuffs from Mao’s other talismans. Her preparations allowed her to hold out against Aksai, but it was clear that she was struggling.
Calla had already used many trump cards, injuring both Aksai and Liana, and incapacitating two of Aksai’s five Sentient Scarecrows. However, Aksai remained undeterred. He already knew taking down the woman wouldn’t be easy because of her background and the obvious cultivation base difference between them.
He was a formidable mid-stage Foundation Building Expert whose Spirit spell capabilities far surpassed his and Liana’s. She was almost 100 years older than Aksai and Liana. With her rich experience, she knew a bit about everything and could use many tricks.
Calla launched a barrage of Spirit spells at Aksai, but he coordinated his attacks with his remaining three puppets. The Sentient Scarecrows moved with precision, guided by Aksai’s deft control. As Calla blocked a flurry of strikes from two of the puppets, Aksai focused his attention on the most damaged puppet, deciding to use it as a sacrificial pawn.
The battered puppet charged at Calla, its movements jerky but purposeful. It raised its hand, shooting out wood vines full of thorns. Calla tried to activate the last vestige of her artifact’s power, but the vines breached her defenses and wrapped around her, holding her in place. The puppet closed the distance, mimicking Aksai’s martial arts from afar.
With a swift motion, the puppet slashed at Calla’s torso with its sword, then punched her throat with its free hand. It followed up with a brutal kick to her knee joints, causing her to buckle, and another to her pelvis. A slash was launched again to carve out a piece of flesh from her right arm followed by a solid punch on her chest.
Calla spat a mouthful of blood, the puppet’s attacks leaving her gasping.
Desperate, Calla activated a forbidden mechanism on her artifact. It consumed her remaining Spirit essence and life force, aging her instantly.
The newfound power allowed her to break free from the wood vines and blast the puppet away. Three of its limbs were corroded by a vicious acid attack, and a special soul mark was branded onto its remains, marking the attacker as an enemy of the Purple River Sect.
Unbeknownst to Calla, Aksai had no intention of saving the puppet. He knew a sect member would have some means at their disposal to make their sect avenge their deaths. This was why he was so careful in battling with someone like Calla. He had made apt use of his puppets to deal with her in a close range.
As Calla dealt with the damaged puppet, he sent another Sentient Scarecrow hurtling towards her at breakneck speed. The scarecrow activated a “kill switch” talisman Aksai had installed within it. Instead of attacking, the puppet hugged Calla with its remaining arm.
Calla barely had time to react before the puppet activated the talisman. A massive explosion erupted, engulfing both the puppet and Calla in a fiery blast that lit up the sky like a firework. The explosion was so intense that it sent shockwaves rippling through the air and sea below.
As the smoke cleared, Aksai watched with cold satisfaction.
Calla’s charred remains began to fall towards the ocean, her once formidable presence reduced to ashes.
Liana breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Calla Wei was finally killed. However, in the next moment, she was alerted as she looked at Aksai.
“What… What will you do now?” she asked carefully while gripping her sword. She hoped that Aksai wouldn’t try to kill her after dealing with the sole enemy.
“What will I do now?” Aksai murmured as he looked in the distance. “Obviously, I have to fish in the troubled waters. This island needs peace. And I’m the only peacemaker it has,” he said and smiled.
In the next second, the Spirit farmer started to fly towards the first battlefield.