Chapter 978: Thunderfire Bow

Upon seeing the incoming sword light, the humanoid puppet didn't make many moves. It simply pointed a finger, and instantly, a spiritual light flashed on its shield. Suddenly, a thick, solid light shield, several times its original size and a solid white, materialized from it and flew out to intercept the attack.

As Han Li watched, the sword light struck the light shield without mercy.

After a booming explosion, white light and cold gleams intertwined and flickered. The light shield, however, remained like a steadfast rock in a raging torrent, completely blocking all the sword light without moving an inch. It seemed to have plenty of power left to spare.

Old Man Kuzhu's expression changed, and a hint of surprise also flickered across Han Li's calm face.

"It seems the power of this Primal Adamantine Shield is even greater than expected," Grand Expanse God Monarch transmitted. "Although it's a newly refined magic treasure and hasn't had much time for cultivation, it appears to have no problem defending against ordinary magic treasure attacks. However, only this puppet can unleash its defensive capabilities to such an extent. If you were to control this shield, it would be impressive if its power reached even half of what you're seeing now."

"That's natural," Han Li replied, showing no surprise. "The extent to which we cultivators can unleash a magic treasure's power primarily depends on the treasure's inherent might, the amount of magical power infused into it, and the control exerted by our divine sense. How much spiritual power can be stored and how much magical power can be released at once is the fundamental basis of all cultivation. Realm advancement is merely a series of leaps and enhancements in this process. This puppet was crafted from various rare materials, and the amount of magical power it can infuse at once is more than three times mine. Naturally, I can't compare."

After these days of being personally guided by Grand Expanse God Monarch in puppetry, his mastery of puppetry had reached an extremely high level. Perhaps not yet equal to Grand Expanse God Monarch, but certainly no less than the other master puppet crafters in the Human Realm.

"Heh heh," Grand Expanse God Monarch added calmly, "although the Primal Adamantine Shield was refined by your true self and then given to the puppet for use, it was created entirely based on the unique characteristics of this humanoid puppet. It fundamentally differs somewhat from magic treasures in the ordinary sense. Even if you infused the same amount of magical power into the shield as the puppet, you still wouldn't be able to unleash its full power."

This time, Han Li nodded but didn't say anything further.

Because Old Man Kuzhu, in the distance, continued to unleash sword light for a while longer, but seeing that he couldn't overcome the light shield, he finally activated the sword formation above his head and unleashed another type of divine ability attack.

He pointed a finger at the numerous flying swords in the air, and a chorus of sword hums erupted. All the flying swords, as if drawn by a summons, shot towards a certain spot in the sky.

Amidst the flashing sword light, a sword wheel about ten feet in diameter appeared high in the sky.

After Old Man Kuzhu consecutively cast several incantation gestures, the sword wheel suddenly began to rotate, and spun faster and faster. In an instant, its center became dazzlingly bright, and a green beam of light condensed and shot out from its core, striking hard against the giant light shield.

With a low, muffled thud, a green orb of light exploded into existence on the light shield's surface.

This orb of light was enormous, immediately pressing the center of the light shield inward, creating a deep indentation. Its deformation became increasingly severe, finally causing the light shield to show signs of faltering.

At this moment, the humanoid puppet raised its hand and pointed a finger at the silver shield. The light shield immediately dispersed on its own, dissolving into specks of white light.

The orb of light, which had been obstructed, instantly pressed downwards with fierce momentum, directly colliding with the main body of the giant silver shield.

After a violent tremor, the silver shield was not shattered by the orb of light. Instead, at that very moment, it shot out mercury-like flowing light, and the shield's surface instantly became smooth as a mirror.

Under the illumination of the silver light, the orb of light trembled violently. Countless green lights were reflected and scattered in all directions, and in the blink of an eye, the orb of light shrank by more than half.

Then, the silver shield tilted slightly, and its surface shone brightly with silver light. The remaining light orb was bounced upward within the radiance, and after a flash high in the sky, it exploded, turning into nothingness.

Old Man Kuzhu took a deep breath. The horror in his eyes could no longer be concealed as he stared at the puppet opposite him, his face filled with solemnity.

Although he hadn't unleashed the full power of the sword formation in the previous attack, the opponent, with just a single shield, had effortlessly blocked all the attacks. Their divine ability was truly unfathomable. He couldn't help but hesitate about whether to activate the sword formation's ultimate divine ability next.

"Alright, with the Primal Adamantine Shield demonstrating such power, there's no need to test the Five Elements Barrier," Grand Expanse God Monarch transmitted, seemingly very satisfied with the silver shield's power. "This protective barrier, activated by Five Elements Jade, will be no less powerful than this shield. Now, let's see how powerful the puppet's offense is."

"Understood," Han Li calmly acknowledged.

The humanoid puppet's eyes immediately flickered with purple light, as if sensing something. Then, without a word, it rubbed its hands together. A ball of red light shimmered into existence in its hands, and after a blinding flash, a small red bow materialized.

It was only a few inches in size, exquisitely crafted!

The bow limbs were shaped like a flood dragon, with even its scales clearly visible.

"Flood Dragon Piercing Bow!" Old Man Kuzhu immediately cried out in surprise upon seeing the bow.

"This is not the Flood Dragon Piercing Bow; it's a replicated Earth Thunderfire Bow!" the humanoid puppet stated expressionlessly, its words causing Old Man Kuzhu's heart to sink. "I'll warn you, fellow Daoist, this bow is also refined from the sinews of a flood dragon, but its power is only superior to the Flood Dragon Piercing Bow."

Then, the puppet moved one hand, grasping the small red bow. With its other hand, after a crackling sound like thunder, a small emerald-green arrow appeared between its fingers.

A rapid chanting of incantations issued from its mouth.

Instantly, the red bow and the small arrow glowed brightly. Then, their forms simultaneously grew tremendously. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into their normal size, runes flickering on their surfaces. A crimson flame suddenly erupted from the bow, engulfing it, while golden light flickered on the green arrow, and several arcs of electricity shot up from it, accompanied by continuous rumbling thunder.

The puppet skillfully nocked the arrow onto the bowstring and slowly drew the bow, aiming it at its opponent. Even before it released, golden arcs and crimson flames intertwined and merged, and a tremendous rumbling sound erupted.

Subsequently, an overwhelming spiritual pressure, utterly unconcealed, burst forth from its body, spreading out in all directions like colossal waves.

The Core Formation cultivators observing the battle from afar, upon being impacted by this spiritual wave, felt their breathing constrict. Their protective spiritual lights all flickered unsteadily. Some with lower cultivation levels turned pale and rapidly retreated further away.

"Stop! There's no need for further combat; I concede!" Old Man Kuzhu, sensing the spiritual energy emanating from the puppet, finally turned pale and cried out loudly, actually conceding defeat on his own accord.

But even as he spoke, he showed no negligence in his immediate defense. With a flick of his hand, a triangular token shot out. After rapidly expanding, it flashed with strange green, red, and yellow lights, blocking his front. At the same time, with a wave towards the sword wheel in the air, the sword wheel also whistled and transformed into over a hundred flying swords, which then circled around him.

Old Man Kuzhu's solemn reaction somewhat surprised Han Li. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he transmitted a message to Grand Expanse God Monarch.

"Is this Thunderfire Bow really that powerful?" he asked. "He seems extremely nervous."

"Any magic treasure capable of harnessing spiritual power equivalent to a late Nascent Soul cultivator won't be underestimated," Grand Expanse God Monarch said with a cold laugh. "Moreover, your bow and arrow are no ordinary items. One is refined from the spirit bones and sinews of a Scarlet Fire Flood Dragon, and the other is your modified Golden Thunder Bamboo arrow. The power of such a combination of treasures is by no means a simple addition. It's not strange for the opponent to feel a sense of danger; after all, he's not a late Nascent Soul cultivator. If you were willing to let this puppet exert its full power, there's about a 40% chance this arrow could kill the Master of Kuzhu Island with a single shot. Are you interested in just killing him?"

"Forty percent? Forget it," Han Li said, shaking his head inwardly. "Getting the Black Phoenix Plume is more important. If one arrow isn't successful, and he activates the island's restrictions, we'll be in trouble. Someone with such a great reputation should have life-saving divine abilities that we don't know about; let's not overdo it. I'm not a cruel or bloodthirsty person, and I'm not interested in killing without reason. It's just that the puppet's offensive power can't be actually tested now."

"That's fine," Grand Expanse God Monarch sighed, muttering to himself. "I've personally witnessed it easily overpower a peak Mid Nascent Soul cultivator, which proves the puppet's capabilities are truly no less than a Late Nascent Soul cultivator. I have no regrets in my heart. At least my life's work hasn't been in vain."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of sadness flashed in Han Li's eyes.

Almost at the same time, the astonishing spiritual energy from the puppet gradually receded. After lowering the bow and arrow, they returned to their original size amidst the spiritual light. The flames and golden arcs simultaneously vanished.

Old Man Kuzhu felt his heart lighten upon seeing this scene, then suddenly realized his back was drenched in cold sweat.

The instant that bow and arrow were aimed at him, he truly sensed the danger of being annihilated and perishing, and therefore immediately relented and conceded defeat. Now, regardless of the divine abilities the opponent displayed or the terrifying spiritual pressure just now, he could be certain that the opponent was absolutely a late Nascent Soul cultivator.

It seemed truly wise to have emerged from his seclusion for these two. He didn't believe that the island's Myriad Wood Grand Formation could truly withstand the wrath of a grand cultivator. What's more, there was also a Nascent Soul cultivator of the same rank as himself accompanying them.

Thinking this, Old Man Kuzhu saw the opponents put away their magic treasures. He also put away his flying swords and token, then motioned for Han Li and the other to descend, and they re-entered the wooden hall.

This time, the Master of Kuzhu Island's attitude became exceptionally polite. Without a word, he instructed the Late Core Formation old man, who had the treasure on his person, to go and retrieve the Black Phoenix Plume. He himself began to ingratiate himself with Han Li and the other, subtly trying to inquire about their origins. After all, there were only so many Late Nascent Soul cultivators in the Great Jin, and none matched the humanoid puppet, which naturally caused him some alarm.

The humanoid puppet sat in its chair, expressionless and silent. Han Li, meanwhile, chatted amiably with the island master, rambling on for quite a while, but without revealing a single shred of information about their origins.

This left Old Man Kuzhu with a wry smile, utterly helpless.

A quarter of an hour later, the old man entered, holding a jade box, and respectfully placed the box before his master.

After Old Man Kuzhu's gaze swept over Han Li and the other, he flicked his sleeve, and the jade box automatically flew towards Han Li.

At this point, he should have realized that although the cultivator surnamed Li had astonishing cultivation, he seemed unwilling to interact with people. Therefore, he wisely decided to directly conduct the transaction with Han Li.

Han Li unceremoniously took the jade box. As he opened the lid, a dazzling red light instantly erupted from within the box.

He narrowed his eyes, and a look of delight couldn't help but appear on his face.

Half a day later, Han Li, along with the humanoid puppet, flew out from Kuzhu Island, transforming into two astonishing streaks of rainbow light that shot away through the sky.

In the blink of an eye, their escape light vanished without a trace from the nearby sky.