Chapter 22: Refining the Dead God Puppet!

  Through the mouths of people like Zhang Qi who returned safely, the horror of this place was exaggerated to an unimaginable degree. The vivid descriptions were passed from person to person, and some people who lingered on the edge disappeared in just a few days. Eventually, no one dared to mention this place again.

  The Iron Wolf Tribe's leader, along with a large number of elite disciples, lost their lives in this perilous expedition. For a time, the second-largest Forest Hunter Tribe was left without a leader, plagued by internal strife and surrounded by various forces eyeing them covetously.

  It was during this time that the Wandering Tribe, under Ling Wu's subtle and not-so-subtle hints, used a tiny bit of trickery to effortlessly annex the Iron Wolf Tribe.

  Other major forest hunter tribes are in a similar situation, and with the bumper harvest this time, the unprecedented energy stone supplement has increased the strength of the Wanderer tribe by several levels. Moreover, it is said that the Wanderer tribe has become the guest team of the four major families, and Ling Wu Xiang's tempting treatment has made many forest hunters rush to join one after another. At one point, the number of forest hunters applying to join the Wanderer tribe was like a flood of fish crossing the river.

  For the tribe's future plans, Ling Wushuang also put forward his own opinions.

  In just a short month, the power of the vagabond tribe has expanded rapidly, and it is now unrecognizable from before. In other words, the entire area around the Forest of Sunset has already become the domain of the vagabond tribe.

  Formerly scattered and unplanned forces, still making the four nations of the world fearful, now twisted into a sturdy hemp rope-like tribal force, equivalent to a dagger, deeply inserted in the heart of the four nations, already threatening life and death, making people fearful, yet not daring to make any slight move.

  Ling Wusuo arranged the follow-up matters and left the Wanderer's Tribe. On his way back to the Ling family, he planned to find a secluded place to cultivate and increase his strength.

  The Sacred City Conference is just over two months away, and Ling Wu has a liquid energy stone in her hand. She is now a third-grade saint, and this period of training has allowed her spiritual power to make a qualitative leap. If she retreats to cultivate and refine this liquid energy stone, she will definitely be able to rush to the high-ranking saint in a short time!

  The temple's account, she will rely on her own strength to take it back one by one!

  At this time, improving strength is the most important thing. After thinking carefully, Ling Wushuang did not rush back to the Ling family in the first place, but instead found a place with dense spiritual energy in the Luori Forest, eager to improve his strength.

  "This is a good place" Ling Wu Xiang looked around and nodded in satisfaction.

  This is a precipice, with mountain peaks rising like spring bamboo shoots, surrounded by clouds and mist. Not far away, low-grade xuan birds rise into the air as if no one was around. A boulder protrudes from the cliff face, forming a natural stone cave. Below, clouds are steaming and misty, with a rich and dense spiritual energy. It is indeed a good place for seclusion.

  "Chirp, chirp——"

  Suddenly hearing a few familiar squeaks, Ling Wusuo couldn't help but laugh out loud.

  "Chirp"

  The next moment, a small ball of fire-red fur flashed into Ling Wu's arms, and the little head lazily bumped against her. The fluffy little body was only the size of a palm, with narrow fox-like eyes that shone like water.

  "You little foodie, you've finally decided to show your face!" Ling Wu Xiang held onto Xiao Jiu's tail and swung it back and forth in mid-air, laughing and scolding at the same time. "At critical moments, you're faster than anyone else, when I was about to hang on for dear life, you managed to run off without a trace."

  At this moment, she didn't know where it came from either.

  Actually, Xiao Jiu had always been within a short distance from Ling Wu Shuang, but this time, she rushed into the Tian Zhong tomb and was blocked by the aura of death, which made Xiao Jiu unable to sense Ling Wu Shuang's presence. Now that she finally saw her master again, she was misunderstood in such a way, and suddenly her eyes welled up with tears, feeling wronged and aggrieved.

  "Alright, you stay around and guard me, I'm going to meditate." Ling Wu Xiang rolled her eyes, grabbed its tail, and flung it away with a flick of her wrist. Without looking back, she waved her hand, "If I hear even the slightest noise, I'll roast you."

  But it's good to have this little thing around, at least there won't be any mysterious beasts coming to disturb us.

  Xiao Jiu was thrown out by Ling Wu Shuang, and after rolling on the ground a few times, he lay down on a bluestone, blinking his eyes in grievance.

  Ling Wushuang cast a slanted glance at it, didn't say much, and stepped into the spacious stone cave.

  The surroundings are lush with vegetation, and the natural spirit is dense. Inside the stone cave, dozens of stalactites as thick as a person hang upside down, like spring bamboo shoots after rain, with white liquid dripping from their tips, gathering into a pool on the ground. A pair of pure white boots stepped on it, making a splashing sound.

  Ling Wushuang walked in, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. Finally, he turned around and raised his hand towards the entrance of the cave, mobilizing the life force within his body. A crackling sound erupted, and the plants at the entrance of the cave grew wildly, sealing off the several-meter-high entrance in an instant.

  Ling Wushuang clapped his hands, sat cross-legged on a cool stone inside the cave, and his eyes suddenly sank. His expression also became somewhat serious. With a flick of his wrist, the ancient and majestic Shen Nong Ding appeared out of thin air, spinning and expanding to about human height.

  On the pitch-black tripod wall, the carved ancient creatures are vivid and lifelike. Even, in a flash, you can still see the shadow of a three-legged giant bird hovering around it, flying and turning.

  "Knock knock—"

  At this time, several muffled sounds suddenly came from the tripod, and a piece of the wall of the tripod bulged out. The suspended body of the tripod also shook with it. At its most intense, one could even see that the Shen Nong Ding was like a lump of mud, battered by something inside until it was uneven and twisted into a ball.

  "Could this also be a fake?" Ling Wu's eyes widened in shock, his back was chilled to the bone, fearing that in the next second, the black jade tripod in front of him would shatter into pieces.

  But no matter how distorted it was, there was still no crack, and Ling Wushuang didn't put his heart at ease until then. He also wiped a handful of sweat, "It's really quite solid"

  You should know that the two things locked in here are divine-ranked Death Marionettes, and it's not a joke. If they can't be suppressed and they break out, she'll really be dead.

  If people like Zhang Shu knew about it, they would definitely look down on me and turn up their noses. Now that I know, I'm scared! How could I have done such a thing at the time?!

  The Divine Farmer's Tripod was born from the primordial energy of heaven and earth, a harmonious fusion of yin and yang. It can be as hard as copper walls and iron fortresses, or as soft as misty clouds and fog. Although Ling Wu Xiang's current strength cannot fully unleash its power, it is still more than enough to suppress several divine-ranked puppets.

  In the empty and vast stone cave, the sound of "ding ding dong" continued. Ling Wu Shuang pinched his chin and observed for a long time, muttering to himself: "The Xuan Huang Qi in the Shen Nong Ding has transformed into an illusion, it should be able to eliminate the evil spirit's aura, if I add a fire to it, it will definitely succeed."

  She wants to refine the Death God Puppet and then use it for herself!

  Ling Wu's eyes shone brightly, her mind made up. With a flick of her wrist, a burst of flame erupted in the quiet stone cave, and the temperature in the enclosed space suddenly soared several times higher.

  "Try it out for yourself." Ling Wu Xiang chuckled lightly, as if recommending a delicious dish to someone.

  As they spoke, she flicked the flame in her hand into the Shen Nong tripod, and instantly the furnace fire roared up, shaking violently several times!

  "Knock knock—"

  In the cauldron, scarlet flames danced and swirled, the crashing sounds growing more intense with the burning of the primordial fire, like a fierce demon being incinerated by heavenly flames, struggling desperately for its life, occasionally letting out bone-chilling crackling noises.

  "Knock knock—"

  Ling Wushuang's red lips curled up slightly, and she calmly flipped her hand over, adding a burst of flame.

  Ling Wushuang was currently a low-ranking Sacred Realm cultivator. The Chaos Flame that had been refined to this degree would make even strong experts like the Medicine Saint, or even high-level quasi-gods, avoid its edge. However, it couldn't harm a peak Sacred Realm expert, at most only scorching off a layer of skin. Therefore, Ling Wushuang didn't have any concerns and wasn't afraid that one blast of flame would reduce him to ashes. He occasionally added more flames from the side, looking rather leisurely.

  "Knock knock—"

  "Hmph!"

  Scarlet flames, as if they could burn everything to ashes, surrounded by an invisible aura of primordial energy, devouring the dead air inside the cauldron, emitting a faint hissing sound of water and fire blending together.

  After a few hours, the movement in the Shennong cauldron gradually subsided and finally returned to calmness. The entire stone cave was quiet enough to hear the sound of water droplets falling.

  Ling Wu's eyes shone faintly as he finally raised his hand to pour life force into the cauldron, thoroughly cleansing the evil energy from the Death God Puppet!

  "Ah——"

  It was several hours later, Ling Wusuo let out a long sigh and put down his hand. His forehead was slightly sweaty as he stared at the Shen Nong Ding floating in mid-air. With a wave of his hand, the Chaotic Fire inside was extinguished, and the quiet space had returned to calmness.

  At this time, Ling Wu Shuang's nerves were the most tense. She furrowed her brow and observed for a long time before fixing her gaze. With a wave of her hand, the one-person-tall Shen Nong Ding spun radiantly, and in the next second, it quickly shrunk down. Two dead god puppets emerged, standing expressionlessly on Ling Wu Shuang's body.

  At a glance, they were originally sturdy and black bodies, but now they have become a silver-white color, like the great Luo silver essence. The two dead god puppets shone all over their bodies, shining brightly, as if wearing silver armor.

  Moreover, the two dead god puppets, after being tempered by the Chaotic Fire, had also made a qualitative leap in their physical toughness. Even among the top-notch gods, few could rival them.

  "Success!" Ling Wu's pupils contracted slightly as he stared at the two motionless Death God puppets in front of him, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

  The aura of merciless slaughter that drove them has been thoroughly cleansed, and the two puppets are now as clean and pure as newborn babies. As long as an imprint is applied, they can become their master's playthings, to be manipulated at will!

  Ling Wushuang's red lips curled up, forcing out two drops of essence blood from her body, and with a wave of her hand, she injected them into the brains of the two dead god puppets. Two red lights flashed, and in Ling Wushuang's mind, two faint connections surged in.

  Ling Wushuang thought to herself, should she let them suffer a bit, thinking of the two blows she had endured in the Heavenly Tomb, which almost shattered her bones. This debt, she must find someone to take revenge on, after all, she was one who remembered grudges very well.

  Ling Wushuang pinched his chin, thoughtfully staring at the two dead god puppets in front of him, smiling with a hint of complacency...

  However, it was just a thought, and Ling Wushuang soon curled up her lip and didn't put this wicked idea into action.

  At the slightest movement of his mind, the two puppets turned around and stood guard at the entrance of the cave, without making a single sound, with an attitude of absolute obedience, looking like warriors with swords in their scabbards, waiting for their master's order to become the most loyal and brave fighters, charging into battle.

  "In that case, going to the Upper Sacred City would be a bit more secure." Ling Wu Xuan wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead with a wave of his hand, and curved his lips in a rather good mood. This adventure was worth it after all; having obtained two Divine Stage puppets, what did he have to fear? Unless he encountered an expert from another realm.

  Taking a deep breath, Ling Wushuang took out the crystal-clear liquid energy stone and grasped it tightly in her slender hand.

  In the mountains, there is no first day of the lunar month; a month's time has passed, and it was just like that.

  After a heavy rain, the forest at sunset is like being washed clean with clear water, the sky is as calm as a lake surface, white clouds are drifting lazily, and the mountains are surrounded by ancient trees, ancient vines, and dense grasses, undulating continuously. In one place, a cliff covered with lush greenery seems to be sealed off, and unless you look carefully, no one would notice that there is a hidden paradise here.

  "Boom——"

  A crisp sound, like the snapping of a spring, and also like the cracking of a giant tree. A white figure, as fast as lightning, burst out from the cave covered with thick green vines, leaving behind a trail of afterimages in the air. In just one breath, it leaped high into the sky.

  "Sky Splitting Seal!"

  A cold and clear female voice echoes across this land.

  "Sky Splitting Seal!"

  Her red lips opened and closed, Ling Wu's arms rose, her slender fingers moved swiftly as she manipulated the spell, and the petite body released an overwhelming aura that was like Mount Tai pressing down on them. The surrounding nine-stage peak Xuan beasts all knelt with their legs bent, unable to get up.

  A bolt of energy gathered in Ling Wu's fingers, and the sound of thunder could still be heard. Her arms shot out like daggers, her slender body recoiling slightly from the force.

  "Boom!"

  Frightening energy, like lightning, struck the towering mountain in front of him, producing a deafening roar. The rocks shook violently and amidst the din, this attack actually managed to cleave the continuous mountain range before his eyes into two halves, forming a deep chasm in between!

  The surrounding mysterious beasts fled in panic, and a group of mysterious birds were startled into flight.

  "Chirp——"

  The little red shadow crouched on the outside bluestone was also startled, looking at the human shadow in the air, moving its four short legs, excitedly jumping up and down.

  Ling Wusuo's back suddenly sprouted a pair of flame wings, and with one leg lifted in his knee-high boots, he lazily swayed up and down in mid-air, as if drifting on water.

  "The Heaven Splitting Seal, indeed has a substantial difference from the Mountain Turning Seal." She gazed at the power before her eyes, relatively satisfied. This was just an initial form of the Heaven Splitting Seal, yet its power was dozens of times higher than that of the Mountain Turning Seal.

  She was absorbing the liquid energy of the essence stone while closed off, and as her strength increased, her understanding of the Lian Tian Yin also rose by several degrees. Thinking of this, Ling Wu Xuan quickly mobilized his entire body's mysterious power, and after a slight epiphany, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his slender hand clenched into a fist, "9th Rank Saint!"

  Unfortunately, although there was still some leftover energy, he still couldn't break through to the quasi-god level.

  This liquid energy stone's meticulous energy, combined with Ling Wu Xiang's self-enlightenment, could only support her in reaching the peak of a 9th-grade saint. No matter how hard she tried to break through, she couldn't shatter that one seemingly fragile layer of paper. Even though she felt like her energy had reached its limit, it seemed like something was missing, lacking a certain essential quality to break through to the next level of godhood.

  Ling Wushuang shook his head slightly with a hint of regret, furrowing his brow in contemplation. "It's just that little bit short, what exactly is lacking? To think it couldn't break through to the next divine level."

  But if others were to see Ling Wusuo's unsatisfied and disappointed appearance, they would probably spit blood in anger.

  If it were an ordinary saint, getting such a high-quality energy stone would require careful extraction and thorough absorption, which would take at least several decades of effort. Moreover, whether or not one could fully absorb it would also depend on their physical constitution. However, Ling Wu Shuang was able to completely absorb it in less than a month, his ability to comprehend and his innate physique were simply incredibly powerful to the point of being abnormal.

  "Chirp, chirp——"

  Xiao Jiu jumped up and leaped onto Ling Wu Shuang's shoulder, in his small paws, he was actually holding a piece of colorful stone, shining brightly with colors flowing from it, just like a night pearl, its shape irregular, looking like an ordinary rock, but Ling Wu Shuang felt an extraordinary aura emanating from it.

  "Squeak squeak——"

  Xiao Jiu looked at the thing in Xiao Zhao's paw, seemingly reluctant to part with it. The small mouth seemed to still be holding onto something suspicious, but she grasped it and handed it over to Ling Wu Shuang, excitedly waving her small paws at her.

  "What's wrong with giving it to me?" Ling Wu Shuang was slightly taken aback, glanced down and then looked up at Xiao Jiu's sparkling black eyes, and said straightforwardly, "Can't I eat it?"

  "Squeak——"

  Xiao Jiu heard this and immediately felt embarrassed, then clenched her small fist, bared her teeth and showed off her pearly whites to Ling Wu Shuang.

  "Hmm..." Ling Wusuo's mouth twitched, and she was actually still angry, but she had only spoken the truth. Would this little thing be willing to give her something edible?

  "Chirp"

  Seeing Ling Wusuo's suspicious attitude, Xiao Jiu was really angry this time. Her little body twisted and turned, her fluffy butt facing Ling Wusuo's face, her long and fluffy tail swishing left and right, angrily sweeping across Ling Wusuo's cheek.

  But Xiaojiao looked at the thing in Xiaozu's paw and drooled, trying several times but still couldn't bear to bite down.

  Ling Wushuang covered her forehead with her hand, her stunning face floated out a hint of a smile, and she said helplessly, "Alright, alright, I was wrong, isn't that enough?"

  What's going on? She has actually raised a little ancestor.

  Xiao Jiu's round and shiny eyes moved, her fluffy belly bulged, and after a long time, she slowly raised her small head, handing the colorful stone to Ling Wu Shuang with reluctance. Drip, drip, a long silver-white thread flowed from its mouth, and its black and shiny eyes stared at it eagerly.

  Ling Wushuang glanced at the crystal-clear object on Bai Yi's white clothes, gritted her teeth in disgust, and really wanted to grab its tail and fling it away. However, looking at Xiao Jiu's pitiful appearance, Ling Wushuang finally restrained herself and didn't take action. Holding the five-colored stone in her hand, she asked nonchalantly, "What is this thing?"

  An irregularly-shaped, multicolored stone, nestling in the palm of her hand, warm to the touch, like a fine sheep-fat jade, carrying an unfamiliar aura she had never encountered before.

  "Chirp! Chirp!" Upon hearing Ling Wu's words, Xiao Jiu became excited like she had been injected with chicken blood. Her fur stood on end, and a circle of laughter appeared on her shoulders as she jumped around, baring her teeth and claws. The excitement was so intense that Ling Wu didn't doubt for a moment that the next instant, she would change her mind and swallow everything in Xiao Jiu's hands whole.

  "What's this?" But in the end, Ling Wushuang still didn't understand what it meant.

  At this time, Xiao Jiu had already changed positions and was sitting on Ling Wushuang's head with his butt, like a frost-bitten eggplant, his limbs were paralyzed and he was spread out on her head like a rag, language communication was very obstructed.

  Ling Wushuang chuckled and said, "It should be something good."

  But few treasures can enter Xiao Jiu's eyes.

  "Go back and think about how many chicken legs to eat, just eat that many." Ling Wusuo smiled slightly, put away the colorful stone, reached out to touch the small meat ball on his head, it was really rare, unexpectedly able to have something to eat, and escape from this little thing's mouth.

  Xiao Jiu let out two short yips, seemingly somewhat unconvinced.

  "It's time to go back" Ling Wu Xuan furrowed his brow, and a hint of chilliness seeped out from the depths of his eyes. With less than half a month left until the Holy City Convention, how could such an important gathering possibly be without her?

  Church!

  She said before, for previous accounts, she would go door-to-door to collect!

  The fire wings, which were over a foot wide, fluttered gently behind Ling Wu Shuang's back. Her agile body flipped in mid-air, and with a flash of red light, she darted off into the distance, leaving behind a beautiful arc that seemed to fade away into nothingness.

  Ling's house, or rather, the council hall of the four major families, has been busy all this time.

  In just a few short months, the influence of the four major families has been elevated to another level, becoming the most powerful family force in the world. Moreover, more than a month ago, news broke out that the Wanderer Tribe had become the guest minister of the Four Major Families, causing a stir and shocking the four nations. Afterwards, people from the Wanderer Tribe brought many treasures to visit the Four Major Families, also confirming the authenticity of this news.

  The horizontal sunset forest, a wandering tribe that has always come and gone alone, can be completely ignored by the imperial families of the four countries. Now, they actually bought the accounts of the four major families, which made people all over the world re-examine the four major families. Some hesitant people, or some who were secretly making moves, also had their own thoughts.

  "Old master, Miss Wudang has returned!"

  In the conference hall, Old Man Ling was discussing matters with several newly joined affiliated forces of the four major families when a servant rushed in and excitedly shouted out this sentence, leaving him stunned before his heart suddenly surged with wild joy.

  Ling Mo suddenly stood up from his position, staring intently at the young servant in front of him, and excitedly confirmed: "Wu Shuang is back?"

  "Ah, ah!" The little servant was also flushed with excitement. He had just seen the peerless young lady enter the gate and rushed over to inform them. Afraid that it was time to escape, he hadn't run so fast before. It seems that he is a material for practicing flying legs!

  "Ah, finally!" Old Master Ling stroked his white beard, looking spirited and excited as he quickly stepped down from the large chair in the center of the room. He was overjoyed in his heart, but tried to hide a smile on his face, pretending to be angry: "This little scamp has finally come back!"

  It's been several months since I've seen my lovely granddaughter, and Grandpa is always absent-minded, almost to the point of getting sick.

  Ling Moqiu also stood up with a smile and followed behind Old Master Ling, hurrying towards the main gate of the Ling residence.

  Half a month ago, when the homeless tribe sent someone to visit him, he almost got into trouble, but soon realized that Wú Shuāng had mysteriously gone out and was actually doing this. Such an unthinkable thing, Wú Shuāng had actually done it, leaving him speechless.

  However, according to the wanderer tribe's people, Wú Shuāng left more than a month ago and still hasn't returned to the Líng household, which has indeed made him worried. Now that he can finally be at ease, Líng Mò Qiū's footsteps quickened unconsciously.

  "It's the master who has returned" The leaders of the four major families, who had just joined forces, seeing Old Man Ling and Ling Moqiu's impatient appearance, also followed closely behind.

  Ling Wushuang was a legendary figure to them, and like many powerful forces' experts, they chose to join the four major families or become guests of the Four Families' Guest Hall mainly because Ling Wushuang had an extremely strong force, was incredibly talented, and held multiple noble identities.

  "Let's go and welcome him." Several people had only heard of Ling Wushuang before, but had never seen him in person. At this time, they naturally had some expectations.