Chapter 1821: Half Puppet Body

Mortal World

The Azure Fox Saint King, whom Mo Xingdao and Hong Yuzi had been searching for years, suddenly appeared before them. Moreover, she had set a trap and ambushed them in a place they could never have expected.

Qing Fei, the Azure Fox Saint King, sensed Mo Xingdao's gaze. She subtly turned her head, met his eyes, and a charming curve appeared at the corner of her lips. Then, she gracefully bowed towards the heavens.

With one bow, the moon ascended. The wind ceased, and a spirit lake appeared. The clear water of the lake below reflected the bright moon, as large as a silver disc. Water and moon converged, locking the heavens and earth in place.

The Azure Fox Saint King and Xia Hou were clearly prepared. The Water-Moon Cage sealed both Hong Yuzi and Mo Xingdao. Mo Xingdao had no time to escape; his retreat was blocked.

Mo Xingdao was all too familiar with the scene before him. Back then, during the hunt for ancient demons at the Boundless Immortal Sect, the Azure Fox Saint King had used this very "Demonic Fox Worshiping the Moon" technique to trap the demonic body.

Mo Xingdao had once helped the Azure Fox Saint King hunt demons, but now he was to personally experience the power of this demonic art. At that time, the Azure Fox Saint King had needed the assistance of several Nascent Soul cultivators. Now, she was trapping two individuals entirely by herself, and the technique's power had increased rather than diminished.

Mo Xingdao's heart sank, and horror flashed in his eyes. Without hesitation, he retreated rapidly. At the same time, he crossed his palms, and dense black energy surged from his arms like two black dragons, gushing towards his palms. It finally coalesced into a sharp spike, which he violently thrust towards the Water-Moon barrier behind him.

Hong Yuzi, meanwhile, could no longer spare a thought for Mo Xingdao. He glared furiously at Xia Hou, sending a yellow scroll flying. This yellow scroll, named the "Thousand Mountains Compendium," was not a common magical artifact but a supreme treasure of talismans. As its name implied, this treasure was also a talismanic diagram.

It was painstakingly drawn day and night by cultivators proficient in talisman arts, creating divine talismans that could manifest the shadow of mountains. Each additional divine talisman added the equivalent of another mountain shadow, and once the compendium was deployed, it wielded terrifying power comparable to a thousand mountains. Those with weaker cultivation would be instantly crushed into paste! It was said that the form of the divine talismans themselves was not complex; the difficulty lay in combining these talismans into a compendium, a feat only possible for a grand master of talisman arts.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!" As if an invisible hand rapidly flipped through the pages of the yellow scroll, it instantly reached the last page. With each page turned, a phantom image of a black mountain emerged and merged with the previous mountain shadows. Layer upon layer of mountain shadows stacked, their color growing denser, until finally, it could no longer be called a shadow, but a true mountain!

At that moment, the bright moon was above, the spirit lake below, and between them stood a colossal mountain, reaching to the heavens and rooted to the earth, as if it could pierce the moon and shatter the spirit lake at any moment!

"Boom!" The black colossal mountain quivered and then plunged downwards. Enshrouded by the giant mountain's shadow, even the powerful Xia Hou felt a suppressive force, his mind trembling.

Xia Hou's eyes gleamed with killing intent. Since it was an ambush, his strike would be a lethal blow, held nothing back! His vital energy surged skyward, and with a leap, his figure merged into the phantom image of a divine deer. The divine deer let out an excited roar, gaining an additional aura of divinity, its eyes becoming fiercer, and its speed dramatically increasing. It charged wildly into the formation before the giant mountain could descend! Its antlers emanated a bloody hue, and blood-light surged to the heavens. The void seemed to distort, and the antlers tore through space like sharp blades, leaving behind a piercing rip, aimed directly at the leader of the demon soldiers.

The demon soldier leader's eyes were bloodshot. Its cultivation was merely at the early stage of the Cavernous Profound realm, and facing a fellow demon cultivator at the late stage of the same realm, it was inevitably suppressed by the divine might emanating from the opponent. After years of constant companionship and countless training sessions, its aura had merged with that of its demon soldiers. Backed by the talismanic altar, it was fully capable of resisting this divine suppression. If the military formation had been orderly and complemented by the talismanic diagram array, even without Hong Yuzi's intervention, it could have held its own against the opponent for a while. However, the opponent had ambushed them while their formation was unstable, leading to a disastrous situation. The demon soldier leader could only fight with its life on the line.

The demon soldier leader stood upright, its eyes wide and round as copper bells, letting out an enraged roar towards the sky. Hong Yuzi's troops were all elite soldiers and skilled generals, fearless of death and fiercely loyal to him. Even in such a critical moment, the demon soldiers had not lost their will to fight. Even those who were injured and spitting blood from the shock desperately struggled to regain their footing.

At this moment, all the demon soldiers frantically forced out their vital energy. Hong Yuzi, with his palm facing down, abruptly clenched his hand, and spiritual energy surged. Although the formation was somewhat scattered, the vital energy still formed a blood diagram, which eventually condensed into a blood seal and sank into the demon soldier leader's glabella.

This was a secret art used only in critical situations. The demon soldier leader's aura surged dramatically. Driven by its surging blood, it leaped up, its agile form showing no sign of retreat, and fearlessly slammed into the divine deer!

"Boom!" The collision between the divine deer and the demon soldier leader immediately caused the Water-Moon Cage to violently shake. The demon soldiers all simultaneously spat blood, and many even fell backward, losing their combat ability.

The Golden-Eyed Leopard firmly resisted the antlers, but was inevitably forced back repeatedly. The blood seal disintegrated, and blood flowed from its seven orifices. Fortunately, the black colossal mountain descended in time, smashing hard into the divine deer's head.

"Thud!" The divine deer's entire body trembled, and its forward momentum was immediately halted. Hong Yuzi seized the opportunity to activate the talismanic altar. A flash of light appeared, pulling the remaining soldiers into the altar.

The divine deer shook its head and exchanged glances with the Azure Fox Saint King above. Their eyes met, and the two demons reached a consensus: the ambush on Hong Yuzi could be considered a failure.

As expected of a Celestial Official of the Dao Court, even if they broke through his military formation, killing him would be far from easy, unless Xia Hou was willing to fight to the death. Xia Hou had already made his decision: if the initial strike succeeded, good; otherwise, they would retreat strategically to avoid further complications.

Furthermore, their objective had already been achieved. The bright moon flickered, and the moonlight abruptly shifted from the Nine Revolutions Pearl, locking onto Mo Xingdao.

Mo Xingdao, holding the long spike, had just taken advantage of the chaos to tear an opening in the Water-Moon Cage. Once locked by the moonlight, he truly understood the immense pressure the demonic body had endured back then. His body stiffened, yet his eyes showed madness. Thunder rumbled within him, his figure swelled rapidly, and his aura erupted violently. Enduring the pressure of the moonlight, he stepped out of the cage.

But the moment he broke free, Mo Xingdao's pupils suddenly contracted. The two demons had appeared to ambush Hong Yuzi, but Mo Xingdao was their true target; how could they not have a contingency? Before Mo Xingdao could even see the outside, he felt a fierce wind hit him, and a terrifying force struck him squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward on the spot.

Mo Xingdao's vision blurred, and he barely managed to steady himself. His eyes swam, and he saw the Azure Fox Saint King standing before him, smiling charmingly as she looked at him. Facing this peerlessly enchanting fox demon, Mo Xingdao felt no intoxication, only an endless chill.

He anxiously looked towards the other battlefield, and to his despair, discovered that four heavenly pillars had risen from the lake surface at some unknown time. Hong Yuzi was firmly entangled by Xia Hou, trapped within the pillars.

"This King has been waiting for you for a long time." The cold voice entered his ears.

Mo Xingdao's heart turned cold. He opened his mouth wide and shot a mouthful of mystic energy from his throat, transforming it into a flying blade that swiftly slashed at the Azure Fox Saint King. At the same time, he raised his arms, intending to fight back desperately, only to discover with horror that a strange power had invaded his body. The power circulated within him, and wherever it went, his body showed a tendency to escape his control.

The Azure Fox Saint King's smile became even more enchanting. A halo of light descended from the sky, striking the mystic energy flying blade directly. Even Hong Yuzi's Nine Revolutions Pearl would be blocked by this halo. Though Mo Xingdao's mystic energy had been refined for years, it could not compare to the Nine Revolutions Pearl. It was instantly trapped in place, its vital energy reappearing. The vital energy seemed to have a life of its own, lunging left and right, yet unable to break through the halo.

The Azure Fox Saint King took light, graceful steps, approaching Mo Xingdao. She raised her delicate hand and gently pressed it towards Mo Xingdao's glabella. Mo Xingdao resisted frantically, but a sensation of paralysis began in his torso and spread to his legs and arms.

At this moment, on his puppet-like rigid face, his features surprisingly came alive, showing vivid changes in expression, a mix of horror and hatred.

A hint of enchantment suddenly appeared in the Azure Fox Saint King's smile, and a strange glow emanated from her eyes as she gazed into Mo Xingdao's. Her voice, like a soft murmur, entered Mo Xingdao's mind.

"Surrender now! Follow this King, and your life shall be spared..." Her delicate finger suddenly pointed towards Mo Xingdao's glabella.

Mo Xingdao's gaze briefly unfocused, then abruptly filled with fear and madness. He stared fixedly at the Azure Fox Saint King, as if he intended to engrave his enemy's image deeply into his memory even in death. A wisp of gray energy spread through his eyes.

The Azure Fox Saint King frowned slightly, seemingly surprised. The moonlight intensified, pouring onto her fingertip and surging wildly into Mo Xingdao's body, but it was still a step too late. The appearance of that death energy meant Mo Xingdao's life force was dissipating. At the very last moment, he chose self-destruction rather than being controlled by the Azure Fox Saint King.

To fall into the Azure Fox Saint King's hands, to be refined into a puppet, eternally controlled by his enemy—that was a fate worse than death!

Meanwhile.

Qin Sang, who was swiftly heading towards the battlefield, suddenly heard a pained cry and felt his shoulder lighten. The cry came from the kingfisher.

The kingfisher's body tilted and it plummeted. Qin Sang was alarmed. After he had forced out the truth, the kingfisher had fallen silent, and the situation on the battlefield seemed extremely perilous, preventing Mo Xingdao from contacting him. The kingfisher suddenly falling meant...

Qin Sang hastily stopped, raising his hand to catch the kingfisher, but to his surprise, he saw its body continuously grow and twist as it fell. Its wings elongated into arms, and its bird head astonishingly transformed into a human head.

In an instant, the kingfisher transformed into a black-skinned grotesque man, its aura completely different from before. It let out a hateful roar, "The Azure Fox Saint King killed my true body!" True body? Qin Sang was momentarily confused. He scrutinized the black-skinned grotesque man, and a thought stirred within him.

At the Boundless Immortal Sect, Qin Sang had personally seen Mo Xingdao's puppet, and the puppet core had even come from his own hands. After reuniting with Mo Xingdao, Qin Sang had felt a difference in the puppet's aura compared to before. However, Mo Xingdao had stated his identity, and Qin Sang had learned about the conditions given to him by the two Soul Transformation cultivators from the Ganlu Zen Monastery, so he hadn't suspected anything. Now, looking at him again, this person before him looked even more like a puppet!

However, this puppet's aura was very weak, only equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. "You..." Qin Sang vaguely guessed something and was surprised.

"In the Storm Realm, they and my natal puppet guarded me while I cultivated, using a secret tribulation-passing art that refines one's body into a semi-puppet form to break through to Soul Transformation! Rather than lingering in misery, I, Mo, chose to fight with all my might!" Mo Xingdao's low voice carried a hint of bitterness.

Back then, the two Soul Transformation cultivators had given him two choices: either merge his soul with a puppet, or forcefully undergo the heavenly tribulation. He chose the latter. Even becoming a semi-puppet was preferable to merging his soul with a puppet.

With a secret tribulation-passing art, a puppet for protection, superior soul-calming incense, and the full assistance of kings from both human and demon races, Mo Xingdao defied the heavens and successfully passed the tribulation! Mo Xingdao was, to Qin Sang's knowledge, the only person apart from himself who had successfully passed the tribulation under the threat of the Heavenly Dao's Demonic Sounds, and he did so without the protection of a Jade Buddha.

However, Mo Xingdao had not anticipated that merging with a puppet seemed to be his destiny in this life; ultimately, he could not reverse fate. When he was flung into this realm, he was exploited by the Azure Fox Saint King. His natal puppet took a blow for him, almost turning to dust. He barely managed to salvage a bit of its core essence, which took a hundred years to recover to the Nascent Soul stage.

Placing his natal puppet by Qin Sang's side and separating a wisp of his soul was merely a precaution, but unexpectedly, the unforeseen truly happened. The unexpected, however, did not come from Hong Yuzi, but from the Azure Fox Saint King.

Qin Sang fell silent, unsure what to say. In his heart, he admired Mo Xingdao, an admiration akin to that for Grandmaster Zhitian of the Western Lands. Knowing the road ahead was arduous, Mo Xingdao still defied the heavens, and surprisingly, he succeeded.

Mo Xingdao's aura gradually stabilized, though he was in an unprecedented state of weakness. He looked at the silent Qin Sang, "Fellow Daoist Qin, what do you plan to do next?"

"You wish to seek revenge through me?" Qin Sang scrutinized Mo Xingdao.

Mo Xingdao said indifferently, "My thousand years of cultivation are almost completely gone; how could I use Fellow Daoist Qin? If Fellow Daoist chooses to avoid their sharp edge, I, Mo, will naturally assist you in acquiring the Five Elements Crown in exchange for a place to reside, enduring humiliation for now and planning for the future!"

Qin Sang was also contemplating. The two demons successfully ambushed and killed Mo Xingdao. Would they continue to fight Hong Yuzi to the death?

According to Mo Xingdao, Hong Yuzi was unfathomable and still possessed the power to fight. Moreover, looking at the two demons' arrangements on the battlefield, their intent was more to trap than to kill. Of course, it was also possible that the Azure Fox Saint King wanted to control Mo Xingdao first before focusing on dealing with Hong Yuzi.

"Fellow Daoist, do you think the Azure Fox Saint King has found the Five Elements Crown?" Qin Sang mused, asking.

Mo Xingdao's eyes flickered. He was the last one to see the Five Elements Crown, but the Azure Fox Saint King's ability to ambush them here with such precise timing indicated her extreme familiarity with the place; she must have been here more than once. It was possible she had already found the Five Elements Crown!

Qin Sang said calmly, "Fellow Daoist mentioned earlier that in the Storm Realm, the Five Elements Crown's demonic soul was on the verge of losing control. Over the past century, the demonic soul and the ancient demon have gradually merged, making it far different from before. Coupled with the threats within the illusion, it might not be so easy to acquire..."

"Are you saying the Azure Fox Saint King intends to..." Mo Xingdao guessed what Qin Sang was implying. Perhaps he wasn't the Azure Fox Saint King's main target, but merely an incidental one.

"If she found the Five Elements Crown, why wouldn't she try to take it herself? Instead, she lured in a late-stage Soul Transformation demon cultivator, ambushed you and Hong Yuzi upon your arrival, and triggered a major battle. Was it merely to subdue you?" Qin Sang scoffed, "Furthermore, given that fox demon's nature, how could she hand over a treasure she could easily obtain to someone else!"

Mo Xingdao's emotions were complex. He had spent day and night with the Azure Fox Saint King and knew her too well. Qin Sang's conjecture was likely true. The Azure Fox Saint King hadn't regarded him as significant, merely as a chess piece.

"Let's find the Five Elements Crown first!" Qin Sang declared resolutely, immediately changing their direction of travel. He sneered, "If that fox demon hasn't found the Five Elements Crown, then we'll try to retrieve the treasure first, then go to the battlefield and reap the benefits. Hong Yuzi should be able to hold out for a while. Otherwise, there should be quite a show to watch!"

On the battlefield.

The Azure Fox Saint King seized Mo Xingdao's corpse, sensed that all life had vanished from within it, and let out a scoff. She openly broke open Mo Xingdao's storage artifact, scattering its treasures across the ground. With a sweeping glance, the Azure Fox Saint King immediately transmitted a message to Xia Hou: "The key isn't on him!"