Chapter 1686: He Xiao's Deliberate Act

Bai Ziqi turned, his eyes sweeping the ground. He indeed saw something twitching there, but it had been inconspicuous, previously hidden by the snow and branches. They were two severed fingers from the monster, with sharp, pointed nails. The attendant had cut them off when the monster previously ambushed Yuan Dong. Now they quickly rolled towards the monster, like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

With his keen eyesight, Bai Ziqi also noticed that the severed fingers' cross-sections were unusually dry, with no bloodstains. What was going on? Was the monster not made of flesh and blood? The two severed fingers sprang back to their owner's feet and then merged with the body. This characteristic made it even more bizarre.

"Prepare the nets! This creature can regenerate severed body parts; it will be difficult to kill directly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the demon puppet, which had been wrestling with the snow leopard, roared. Its figure blurred, and it vanished from its spot. It reappeared right behind Bai Ziqi! It had covered a distance of five zhang in an instant. Immediately, it lunged for the back of Bai Ziqi's head. Strike the leader to defeat the bandits. This fellow looked like their commander, and eliminating him would win them half the battle.

However, its claw strike felt like hitting a steel plate, as an invisible shield surrounded Bai Ziqi. He remained unharmed, while the monster was thrown back three chi. Bai Ziqi seized the opportunity to pursue, gripping the broken pestle in his left hand and striking it down forcefully, tearing a three-finger-wide gash in the monster's shoulder. The monster roared, and a voice actually echoed in the minds of Bai Ziqi and the others: "That hurts! You deserve to die!"

Two large nets were cast simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, intending to trap the monster between them. But the monster dropped to the ground and vanished from its spot once more. Bai Ziqi pointed, and the snow leopard lunged toward the attendant. As expected, the next moment the monster appeared behind the attendant, its mouth open, aiming for his head. The snow leopard arrived in a flash, pouncing on the monster and knocking it down. The two inhuman creatures were once again locked in combat.

Bai Ziqi's judgment was precise. He realized this creature had a wolf-like nature, always seizing opportunities to attack the weakest. The attendant, having just been injured and lost an arm, was the most obvious priority target. The monster fought with remarkable ferocity, seemingly impervious to pain. No matter how many wounds the leopard inflicted, they healed in the blink of an eye.

However... Bai Ziqi's gaze narrowed slightly. The wound on the demon puppet's shoulder seemed not to be healing? He couldn't help but look at the broken pestle in his hand, distinctly recalling that it was this weapon that had inflicted that injury. Could the broken pestle, when struck against the demon puppet, inflict pain and even hinder its recovery? Hmm, on second thought, the monster had been remarkably focused on this broken pestle from the very beginning, repeatedly trying to snatch it away.

"Form a formation! Don't let it escape!"

Fifteen minutes later, the area around the stables finally quieted down. The guards, still catching their breath, slowly put away their weapons. Bai Ziqi held a small, round-bellied glass bottle. The bottle was transparent, and inside it, astonishingly, was the demon puppet! It repeatedly crashed against the bottle in frustration but couldn't escape. The bottle's opening was sealed with a brown fruit resembling a large hazelnut, whose hard shell was carved with several golden symbols. If Dong Rui Ru were present, he would interpret these symbols as the secret script of the Sky Demons. With each impact, the golden symbols flickered. This single bottle and stopper had effectively trapped the elusive Ashmona.

Of course, Bai Ziqi didn't know its name. Bai Seventeen approached and reported in a low voice: "Little Er is gone." Little Er was the attendant. Bai Ziqi walked to his side. Seeing him leaning against a tree, his breathing ceased and his eyes still open, Bai Ziqi sighed and gently closed his eyelids. In terms of intelligence, the attendant was inferior to Bai Seventeen, and in bravery, he was not as strong as Bai Ten or Bai Eleven. However, he had been with Bai Ziqi the longest and was the most loyal to his master. For someone of Bai Ziqi's high status and power, the most valued quality in a subordinate was loyalty. The world had an abundance of clever people; he could recruit as many as he needed, easily replacing those who fell. Only loyalty was truly rare and valuable. The attendant had followed Bai Ziqi through countless life-or-death situations, yet unexpectedly, he met his end in this seemingly peaceful and harmless Yongquan Villa.

Bai Ziqi then looked at the three other bodies. After a moment, he said, "Cremate them. Take their ashes back to Lingxu City for burial, so they may return to their roots." Bai Seventeen activated the Candle Spirit, which swiftly consumed the four bodies. Watching the towering flames, Bai Ziqi felt a bitter taste in his mouth. The monster's combat strength far exceeded his initial estimations. Such monsters shouldn't exist in the suburbs of Tianshui City. Yet, no one had mentioned this demon puppet to him beforehand—neither Chief Envoy Liang nor Qingyang. Had they overlooked it, or were they simply unaware of its existence?

He waved, summoning Bai Ten. "Tomorrow morning, you will depart for Lingxu City. Hand this monster over to the Heavenly Palace, and tell them it is Cao Wendao's demon puppet, and that there are some unusual aspects to it."

"Understood." Bai Ten couldn't resist his curiosity. "My Lord Commissioner, is this truly the Red Hut Master's demon puppet? How can we be sure it doesn't belong to He Xiao's subordinate?" Hadn't Regent Qingyang mentioned that He Xiao also had a demon puppet master under his command?

Bai Seventeen casually interjected from the side, "If it were He Xiao's, he would simply command the demon puppet to attack us directly. Why would he need to use fish carcasses to lure it?"

Bai Ziqi hummed in agreement. "While the fish carcass trap is clever, He Xiao must know that this demon puppet cannot kill me. Sending it here would simply result in the pointless loss of a valuable demon puppet. If I were him, after setting up the formation, I would leave without a backward glance and quickly find a place to welcome the arrival of the Emperor's Flow." The most magnificent Emperor's Flow in 150 years was about to descend. For cultivators, this was the utmost priority.

"Furthermore, this demon puppet behaves like it's ownerless. Over the past month, the only demon puppet master to appear near Tianshui City and lose his life was Cao Wendao!" Bai Ziqi stated gravely. "Its exceptional combat power, along with some of the forbidden elements about it, strongly suggest Cao Wendao's handiwork. After Cao was killed, this demon puppet escaped and lingered around Taoxi and Yongquan Villa. He Xiao simply lured it to attack us," Bai Ziqi said, gesturing to the bottle. "Cao Wendao was a talented individual with unique insights into demon puppet research. His legacy is very valuable to the Heavenly Palace!"

With his analysis, everyone was convinced.

Bai Ziqi inwardly sighed. If he hadn't entered Yongquan Villa tonight, he wouldn't have fought this strange battle or incurred these losses. But how could he not come? Even knowing that He Xiao had certainly laid a trap for him here, he had no choice but to come! He Xiao, or Great Emperor Jiuyou, had resided here for several months, and Yongquan Villa was filled with his lingering traces. By carefully studying them, Bai Ziqi could gain a deeper understanding of him. He Xiao had capitalized on this very fact to set up the Heavenly Gang Shifting Array here. He could have directly informed Bai Ziqi, yet he chose to lead him on a complex detour, forcing him to solve a puzzle. This was because he knew Bai Ziqi trusted only himself and his own judgment. His understanding of Bai Ziqi and his grasp of human nature were exceptionally profound.

In the past, it was Bai Ziqi who had treated others this way.