The Puppets' Hostility

After eliminating the Taste Desire Venerable, the Puppet began to sweep across the battlefield. They sent out machines without limbs, equipped only with instruments resembling probes. These machines then emitted light, from Runes emerged, transforming into spatial magic. Countless pre-prepared modules poured out from these Spatial Rift, forming fortresses in the Void.

"From their various behaviors, it's clear they're a warlike race... I'll tentatively consider these Puppet to be a single race."

Bai Qiuran said, "Leaving aside this race's attitude towards us Human Race and other material beings, their combat power alone is enough to label them as extremely dangerous. If they have no ill intentions towards us, that's fine, but if they do... the consequences could be no less than the war between the Immortal Realm and the Consciousness Demon 70,000 years ago."

"How could that be?"

Wisdom Immortal said, "I think they are much more terrifying than the Consciousness Demon. Without their immortality, the Consciousness Demon are just a bunch of useless trash."

"Actually, if these Puppet only possess the combat power they've shown so far, they'd be somewhat overwhelmed if they were to face the Six Desires Consciousness Demons at its peak."

Jiang Lan said something fair, then frowned, looking somewhat troubled.

"But I just feel they're stronger than Consciousness Demon, why is that?"

"Perhaps it's because they possess a steely spirit."

Bai Qiuran complained, "And the Consciousness Demon are a bunch of weaklings with absolutely no Collective Consciousness."

"Speaking of the Master's Wife."

Tang Ruowei turned to look at Jiang Lan.

"They killed your prey Taste Desire Venerable, don't you have anything to say?"

"So what if he's dead? As long as the Taste Desire Venerable is dead, that's all that matters."

Jiang Lan is also very carefree.

"I'm not a petty person. The Taste Desire Venerable was so smelly, if they were willing to kill it for me, then they were. I should thank them."

"Then let's go back first."

Bai Qiuran suggested, "Let's find a chance to slip away and tell Zhentian and the others what's going on here."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then Bai Qiuran carefully maneuvered the Void Vessel around, attempting to leave the battlefield.

However, whether it was due to his poor driving skills or not, just as Bai Qiuran piloting the invisible Void Vessel and passing through a broken zone of the Consciousness Network in the Void, a Puppet with a detector on its head suddenly rushed over from within the Network Pathway.

Bai Qiuran wasn't experienced enough in piloting Void Vessel. This warship was a vessel, not a sword, and he couldn't move it at will. Therefore, he couldn't use Moves within the drainage channel bends.

Thus, the invisible Void Vessel collided with this Puppet equipped with a detector, which was presumably used for intelligence gathering.

An unidentified warship emerged from the empty Void. The detection Puppet was still somewhat bewildered, staring blankly at the Void Vessel that slowly emerged from the Void. Then, a red light flashed above its head, and it was about to activate the alarm.

Whoosh!

A white Sword Qi suddenly shot out from the direction of the ship, splitting the Puppet in two.

"That was close."

Bai Qiuran breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded from the direction of the main force of the Puppet.

"Why?"

Tang Ruowei exclaimed in surprise, "Master, you clearly took care of that Puppet before it sounded the alarm!"

"It seems they have other means of communication."

Bai Qiuran's expression darkened.

"Let's go!"

He accelerated, and the Void Vessel, no longer concealed, transformed into a streak of light and flew outwards.

Behind them, in the direction of the battlefield, countless Puppet rose into the air, trailing long fiery tails and streams of light, chasing after them.

"Warning: Unidentified flying object ahead. Please stop and submit to our inspection."

"To reiterate, unidentified flying objects ahead, please stop for inspection, or we will use force to restrict your freedom."

As they pursued, the Puppet behind them kept warning Bai Qiuran and his companions in the Void Vessel with their mechanically-sounding words.

"I really should practice piloting ships."

Bai Qiuran and said, "I should have come by flying on my sword."

"It's no use saying all this now; our whereabouts have been exposed, and we've alerted the enemy."

Jiang Lan comforted him, saying, "Let's think about how to mend things after the fact."

"Master."

Tang Ruowei listened intently to the broadcasts from the Puppet and asked, "These Puppet didn't attack immediately. Their attitude towards material beings... is probably different from their attitude towards Consciousness Demon?"

Bai Qiuran into deep thought upon hearing his apprentice's words.

Since their whereabouts have already been exposed, and these Puppet know that there is a force different from theirs infiltrating the territory of the Consciousness Demon, they might as well stay and probe the Puppet's attitude towards material beings.

He shared his idea with the three people on the ship and Tushu. After listening, both Tang Ruowei and Jiang Lan, as well as Wisdom Immortal, the Skull, expressed their support for him.

Bai Qiuran then reduced the speed of the Void Vessel, shut down its power, and brought the entire ship to a stop on a flat area within the Consciousness Network.

Behind the ship, the Puppet, seeing the Aircraft they were chasing stop, quickened their pace. A large group of various Puppet swiftly surrounded the Void Vessel, aiming all sorts of weapons, from lightsabers to machine guns, at the vessel. Then, a Heavenly General Puppet carrying a sword and lantern arrived at the Void Vessel's hatch and called out, "Please Aircraft and submit to our inspection."

The hatch slowly opened, and Bai Qiuran, carrying Wisdom Immortal, walked out of the ship together with Jiang Lan and Tang Ruowei.

The three people raised their hands, Bai Qiuran was holding a skull in her hand, which looked both righteous and strange.

"Divine Lord."

Bai Qiuran fear and cautiously said to the Puppet, "We are law-abiding citizens."

"Human Race?"

When the Puppet saw Bai Qiuran and her group, they seemed to pause for a moment. Then, for some reason, Bai Qiuran suddenly felt that their attitude towards her had improved.

"It appears to be a material being."

The lantern-carrying Heavenly General Puppet lowered its head, its eyes emitting a burst of golden light that swept over Bai Qiuran and the other two. Bai Qiuran's keen Spiritual Sense detected a strange fluctuation scanning his body from top to bottom.

As the Heavenly General Puppet scanned the area, it asked in a mechanical voice, "This is the Demon Domain. What are you doing in the territory of these Consciousness Demons?"

"Demon Domain?"

Bai Qiuran, then looked up and laughed, "My Lord, you may not know, but we..."

Just then, the fluctuations that the Heavenly General Puppet used to scan Bai Qiuran suddenly swept across his Sea of Consciousness and saw the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable standing Sea of Consciousness and upright within it.

"Consciousness Demon?!"

For some unknown reason, the Puppet suddenly went berserk. Heavenly General Puppet, without uttering a sound, drew its sword Bai Qiuran, roaring, "Destroy them! They've been possessed by Consciousness Demon Body Seizure!"