Puppet Dao Arts

Zhao Gongming fell silent, his face full of confusion.

If it had been some ordinary object that was lost, they wouldn't have pursued the matter so relentlessly.

But whether it was Lady Yunxiao's Golden Flood Dragon Scissors, Lady Bixiao's Soul Origin Golden Dou, or his own Dragon Binding Rope, each was a Daoist Sect treasure. Any one of them was enough to drive Qi Cultivators into a frenzy of competition.

"Little sister thinks Yang Jian is actually the most suspicious. If Sky-Howling Dog is with him, then the signs produced when the blood essence was used to seek treasure would make sense. And, by a strange coincidence, he has only one drop of blood essence left. Big brother and the two elder sisters don't find that suspicious?" At that moment, Qiong Xiao, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, her words startling everyone.

Yunxiao nodded gently. "What Qiong Xiao says is possible. But if Yang Jian really did it, why did he first seek out Goddess Nuwa's two disciples? That makes no sense!"

"I support Yunxiao's view. Not to mention Yang Jian—even his master, True Man Yu Ding, couldn't possibly take someone's treasure from a thousand miles away. The three of you should first make a general guess about what method that person used to steal the treasures. We'll look for clues from that angle." Zhao Gongming nodded slightly.

Lady Bixiao pondered for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Little sister heard that the rogue cultivator Xiao Sheng of Mount Wuyi has a treasure called the Treasure Dropping Golden Coin..."

Before Lady Bixiao could finish, Zhao Gongming waved a hand. "The Treasure Dropping Golden Coin can only sever the connection between a Qi Cultivator and their treasure. It can't snatch a treasure from across mountains and seas. This kind of treasure-stealing object likely has the power to summon treasures, something like the powerful Myriad Streams Return to Origin..."

The four of them continued to speculate, each offering an idea, but they still couldn't come up with anything.

Who could have imagined that in this bizarre prehistoric world, there would be something as absurdly powerful as a system?

They could guess for a hundred years and still never figure it out.

That line of reasoning had reached a dead end, too.

For a while, everyone fell silent again.

In the end, Zhao Gongming came up with a plan. "Yunxiao, sorry for the trouble, but go to Biyou Palace and see our master. Ask him to use his powers of divination and see if he can uncover the truth."

Lady Yunxiao nodded somewhat reluctantly. "I have to go to Master over something this embarrassing. I'm bound to be mocked by our fellow disciples."

Lady Qiongxiao laughed. "That's because you're Master's favorite disciple. If someone else went, Master might not even be willing to divine the truth for them!"

Zhao Gongming continued, "Bixiao and Qiongxiao, you're both quite familiar with the people who were present in Chaoge. Keep watching their every move, and don't overlook even the slightest clue. That includes King Zhou, too. In short, don't leave anyone who was there out of your sight."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. Goddess Nuwa's two disciples and Yang Jian are also in Chaoge right now. We'll include them as well."

Lady Bixiao agreed at once.

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and nodded. "Then I'll have to trouble the three of you. I'm going to the North Sea to see Wen Zhong. He's the Grand Tutor of Yin Shang and knows Chaoge well, so he might be able to provide some useful clues. Also, all three of you must keep a close eye on your treasures. Don't let them be stolen again."

"Don't worry, Big Brother!"

Lady Yunxiao answered, then transformed into a streak of light and flew away.

Right after, Zhao Gongming said goodbye to Bixiao and Qiongxiao, then vanished from the spot as well.

"Qiongxiao, there were so many people present yesterday that keeping an eye on each one might leave room for oversights. It would be better for you and me to question them separately. That way, we can gradually narrow down the group of suspects. It's the safest approach."

Once only the two sisters remained, Bixiao offered her suggestion.

Qiongxiao had no objections. The two discussed things carefully, then parted and went their separate ways.

At that moment, Di Xin was in the Imperial Garden studying the Puppet Dao Arts he had received as a system reward.

At first, he had only been curious and wanted to learn about something unfamiliar. But as he read on, he became deeply interested in these Puppet Dao Arts.

A puppet was a magical treasure that could be controlled by its master, and a special kind of treasure that could take human form.

The general outline of the Dao Arts divided Puppet Dao Arts into three levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced.

Basic puppets weren't known for their combat strength. Instead, they could take the place of their master in handling everyday tasks, such as serving tea, pouring water, and sweeping the floor. As long as they were within range of the master's Divine Sense, they could do whatever they were told.

They were an absolute must-have for the lazy.

As emperor, Di Xin had no shortage of attendants. But what made him different was that he had crossed over from another world. He had the secret of the system, and he was also entangled in the treasure thefts. There were many things he couldn't let anyone else know.

These puppets would be extremely useful to him.

In particular, he had learned from the Dao Arts that by adding his own blood essence to a puppet and imbuing it with a portion of his Divine Sense, it could transform into his likeness.

When he saw that description, Di Xin immediately became interested.

The process of making a puppet was extremely complicated, though, involving profound runes and some special materials. Even if he learned how, he couldn't make one successfully right now.

But Di Xin had nothing else to do, so he studied it carefully.

Although refining a puppet was difficult, the uses it would have once completed were very tempting to him.

And this was only a basic puppet.

According to the general outline, intermediate and advanced puppets were even more powerful. In addition to all the functions of a basic puppet, they could also fight in their master's place.

Both intermediate and advanced puppets had this ability, but the essential difference was that intermediate puppets had independent consciousness and needed to be restrained by their master's Divine Sense.

Advanced puppets, on the other hand, had no independent consciousness. They could carry out their master's orders perfectly without giving much thought to their own safety.

That was because, during the refining process, the puppet's independent soul consciousness was extracted. This was extremely difficult to do.

I'd better study this carefully. At the very least, I need to make a copy of myself and keep it somewhere visible. That way, if someone comes while I'm asleep, I won't be putting myself in danger.

Having made up his mind, Di Xin sat in a comfortable armchair, holding a book of erotic illustrations and reading with great interest.

The eunuchs followed at a distance, and not one of them noticed anything unusual about the Great King.

Just as he was studying, Di Xin suddenly saw his vision blur, and two lines of text appeared from the system.

[Option 1: Treat it as an enemy. Quest reward: Immortal Beast Azure Ox.]

[Option 2: Treat it as a pet. Quest reward: a Spirit Pill worth five years of cultivation.]

It?

Di Xin's mind raced. Something new must have happened.

He pretended not to see the two options and kept his eyes fixed on the book of erotic illustrations, even turning a page—a rare thing for him to do.

"Great King, look out! There's a dog!"

Suddenly, a eunuch in the distance shouted and ran toward him.