The Mechanism's Heart Remains Unchanged

"Die--!"

"Kill--!"

Once everything is said, the connection ends. All that's left is for each of us to do our best and fight to the death.

The black tiger pounced and attacked, each claw strike like a whirlwind, slicing through the rocky terrain with ease, leaving large claw marks and crushing even the hard stone into dust. Its steel mane and iron bones were even more formidable. Even though the four puppet assassins shifted and changed positions like phantoms, making it difficult to distinguish the true form of the Lu Chai, and launched repeated attacks from the flanks, the sharp blades protruding from their elbows and wrists couldn't penetrate the tiger's mane. At most, they left white marks, severing a few hairs, but no blood was drawn, and the poison applied to the blades was rendered ineffective. As for the darts and poison needles they fired, they were even more useless, merely clanging and clanging—after all, these assassins were designed to target ordinary people.

It wasn't that Li Fan had the foresight to know how to counter these assassin puppets; rather, he had almost failed and realized that his primordial spirit was still too weak and his divine sense limited. Although he had many powerful moves, he could only unleash them one by one. Therefore, he dared not use any more of the fancy Qiongqi sword-wielding techniques and instead honestly suppressed and controlled his Dao body. He relied purely on the overwhelming basic attributes of the Qiongqi Dao Body and unleashed his brute force throughout, desperately tearing and charging forward.

Lu Chai's current condition isn't much better. Although he has transformed into a 'thing' and can change puppets at any time, making him practically immortal, his true cultivation level is truly unpredictable. However, the materials, technology, and Oldest One design functions of mechanisms differ, naturally leading to a huge gap in combat power.

The puppet-like figure from just now was the core Dao body prepared at the moment of the Blood Lord's descent. It was clearly a combat model that Lu Chai had poured his life's blood into creating. It could even nurture a sword within its body, cast spells and chant incantations, and its speed could keep up with Li Fan's Qiongqi Dao Body. It could even block flying swords!

If there's any flaw, it's merely that its physical strength is slightly weaker. But even a Golden Core cultivator couldn't withstand a single pounce from Qiongqi. It's hardly a weakness.

But in any case, with Li Fan chasing and biting him right on the face, and then suddenly attacking and shattering his most powerful puppet, Lu Chai lost at least 50% of his skills. He didn't even have a chance to use many of his spells!

The puppet body he's currently using is only at the elite level, the kind of body he'd casually use to gang up on and assassinate Golden Core cultivators. Its sword speed, techniques, and coordinated attacks mean that if someone is trapped in a one-on-one fight, they won't even have a chance to cast spells; they'll be left struggling to cope, and continuing the fight would certainly be extremely dangerous.

Naturally, Lu Chai immediately unleashed a combined sword formation for encirclement and assassination, but this formation was Oldest One designed to deal with humanoid creatures. If a giant tiger were to break in, its sheer size and constant leaping and pouncing would make it impossible to surround it. Lu Chai would even have to focus on controlling the puppet's speed to avoid it being crushed by a single claw; how could he possibly unleash a continuous barrage of sword strikes like before?

The scene resembled four black shadows, like hawks, circling the giant tiger, soaring and weaving, their hands and feet Sword Light with the gleam of swords. The giant tiger, which they were attacking, roared and moved like thunder!

The four puppets and one tiger fought a chaotic battle, with people flying around in all directions and strong winds blowing. The scene was like a play of light and shadow, extremely thrilling and intense, but in reality, it was all bark and no bite.

Or to put it simply, both sides were just using basic attacks. One side relied on its high armor and health, while the other side relied on its high agility and evasion. Neither side used skills. But it wasn't that they didn't want to use skills; rather, one side had to focus entirely on controlling the tiger form, while the other had to divide their attention to attack with four puppets. In the midst of their high-speed, focused battle, neither side had the energy to stop and cast spells.

Despite the apparent stalemate, and even with his Qiongqi Dao Body's overwhelming advantage in all attributes, making it seem like he only needed to capture one puppet to win, Li Fan knew very well that he was actually at a disadvantage.

He had reached his mental limit and could only control one Qiongqi Dao Body. However, Lu Chai was limited by the puppet's performance and could only barely keep up. He had just summoned four assassin puppets to save his life, so the longer the entanglement went on, the more helpers he would summon! He had to finish the battle quickly! Otherwise, if it dragged on and he lost his mind and became a pure beast, he probably wouldn't have any chance of winning!

Li Fan wanted a quick victory, and so did Lu Chai. He had been outmaneuvered and knew he had already given himself away. If he didn't reclaim the Saintess Maiden and activate the Blood Lord's Descent soon, it would truly be too late!

"You wretched creature! Let me show you the power of my Divine Sect's Blood Record Sword Scripture!" The four puppets roared to the sky in unison, soaring into the air and then swooping down like hawks swooping down on their prey. Their white blades flashed, their swords gleaming, their tips shining brightly. Clearly, they had poured all their Dao power into their moves; this was another ultimate technique!

Li Fan wasn't stupid; why would he stand still and let him hit him? He turned and moved sideways, crashing into a wall of air with a 'thud'...

Li Fan was shocked and furious. He looked down and saw that this cunning person had actually used the puppet's footwork to create a magic array to evade evil spirits during the chaotic attack! Damn, that's really cunning! He's learned it!

Stuck for a moment, Li Fan looked up and stared, only to see endless sword light descending upon him, a blood mist spreading between his brows and eyes, and his huge tiger head being split into eight pieces by the Sword Light, looking like a flower!

"You dare to draw your sword with me!"

Driven by his ferocity, Li Fan brandished the Demon-Slaying Sword, which burst forth from his wound! He unleashed the Frenzy Strike Style, spinning like a top, his Sword Light flashing so densely it was impenetrable!

"Take this! Blood Talisman Sword - Blood Wind Dance!"

Lu Chai's four puppets roared in unison, each unleashing their unique sword techniques alongside Li Fan. Amidst the swirling blood mist, their swords clashed wildly, the blades still swirling like a storm!

In the blink of an eye, five figures unleashed a barrage of Sword Light! The clanging and clattering sounds rang out for over a hundred times, and the Qiongqi Dao Body was shredded into countless pieces of flesh by the sweeping sword Sword Light!

In the blink of an eye, the two passed each other, and the sword storm completely shredded the remaining Dao body, as if a strong wind had blown up a large expanse of red leaves in front of the altar.

"You! You actually managed to break through the Blood Wind Dance!"

Lu Chai was greatly surprised. He originally only wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to trap the opponent and then use his ultimate move to instantly kill the ferocious tiger. However, he did not expect that the opponent would abandon his Dao body and fight him with swords! As a result, he himself was also caught up in the chaos of swords and was forced to complete a whole sword formation before he could escape!

Looking around, the four puppets were all shattered into pieces like wooden strips, and covered in sword wounds. The nodes of their meridians and energy points were pierced by the sword wounds and were almost shattered. If they were mortals, they would have died hundreds of times over!

"Bah! I've broken your Blood Record Sword Scripture!"

Li Fan wasn't in much better shape. He hadn't even put on his protective skin yet, and his entire body was already riddled with sword strikes, layer upon layer, practically torn apart by bone and flesh! But the Chaotic Strike Style was indeed officially certified by the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, a counter to the Blood Record Sword Scripture's chaotic strike technique! The four puppets Lu Chai used had limited raw strength; how could they possibly defeat Li Fan, who was forced into a desperate situation?

And frankly speaking, everyone's sword speed is so fast, but they're all blind. They're just wildly swinging their swords based on memorized sword manuals. In a chaotic frenzy, who knows how the fight will end up?

However, the Fenji style is specifically designed to counter the Blood Record Sword Scripture's sword techniques. Naturally, it can deflect every incoming sword strike, preventing the opponent from injuring one's vital points, and can also counterattack and penetrate the enemy's weaknesses.

Of course, there's a prerequisite: your sword must be able to withstand the force of this attack! And the Demon Slayer did withstand it!

Li Fan looked at the Black Sword in his hand. It was a bit slow, but it was forged so toughly and solidly that it had withstood so many swords without breaking, and even shattered the opponent's blade. It was truly incredibly durable...

"Black Sword! You too are lurking in Ink Bamboo Mountain! Who exactly are you?!" Lu Chai had been lying in wait for so long, and he couldn't recognize the mangled human figure opposite him, so how could he not recognize the shape of the Black Sword? "Hmm! Who forged this Black Sword?!"

Despite his question, the possessed puppet didn't hesitate to fling its right arm straight into the air. At the same time, four puppets leaped into the air and pounced on Li Fan. A flash of light appeared from the broken, mangled bones after the sword wound! It looked like it was about to explode!

"Your father was forged from your bastard!" Li Fan cursed, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the Ghost-Slaying Sword at Lu Chai's head. Then, seven or eight hands reached out from behind him and pulled out the rest of the human skin Daoist robes to wrap around his body.

The Fagui Sword was indeed slow; it only managed to cleave two puppets in half at the waist with a single strike. Immediately afterward, two deafening booms resounded, followed by towering roars and billowing flames that surged forth, engulfing everything in a blazing wave!

The violent explosion nearly leveled the surrounding area, shattering pebbles and almost causing the underground tunnels to collapse. However, a figure burst through the rock layers and rushed over, grabbing Lu Chai's right arm and stabbing it directly into his heart, causing him to be reborn in a new body!

This was the same burly strongman who had lifted the cauldron earlier. He was now wearing the armor of a general from the Li Country, clearly a combat puppet of the Divine Essence Body level. Judging from his attire, which resembled that of a great general, he was probably impersonating someone and was planning to leave the city to cause trouble.

At this critical moment, things changed, and this combatant was urgently recalled. Holding a Xuanhua broadsword in both hands, he charged straight into the rolling flames to finish off Li Fan without giving him a chance to reply!

"Die!"

This axe strike, imbued with tremendous force, slashed down! The gale actually blasted away the raging flames! The gale whipped up by the axe blade almost solidified into a solid blade, its power unleashed in a single, breathtaking slash!

Lu Chai was indeed cunning. He knew that these two self-destructions wouldn't kill Li Fan, and there was no turning back now! One of his strategists used a general's puppet and unleashed a powerful attack!

The axe came with tremendous force, and Li Fan didn't know how many of his human skin Daoist robes had been blown off, so he naturally dared not take it head-on. But in that split second, he also keenly sensed that he couldn't escape!

Lu Chai is the infiltrator of the Divine Cult in Li Country. He possesses profound strength and a vast array of secret techniques. He can even use a couple of moves from the Blood Record Sword Scripture, so the Divine Cult's signature Body Domination Technique is certainly no match for him. He has also seen Yuan Xuanbao practice the Body Domination Technique before. It's a set of several combos, with one move followed by seventeen or eighteen variations. Once caught in the pattern of the martial art, and given that he has never seen the variations of this axe technique before, he might very well be hit and cleaved in two!

At this moment, the demon was swept away by the shockwaves of the two explosions and flew off to an unknown location; there was still no reaction!

Pitian had just been bombed, and after being illuminated by Lu Chai's divine light, it shrank back into its sword case and, for some reason, could not be roused!

As for the Golden Flood Golden Dragon White Star, their consumption was even greater. At this point, Li Fan was not even confident that he could transform into Qiongqi again. Moreover, there was still a Blood Lord to deal with beside him. He had no confidence to use this ultimate move unless he fought to the very last moment.

As for that sword pellet, forget about it. It would be good enough if it could just keep it in check and prevent it from causing trouble!

So we have no choice but to fight! Go against the tide! Charge into Lu Chai's sword encirclement! Charge in and fight face-to-face!

When things come to this point where the true intentions are revealed, the most convenient option is actually still...

"Northern Star Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword Profound Heaven Sword Method Lightning Style Enhanced Version!!!"

With his piercing eyes and white forehead, Li Fan unleashed two maces simultaneously! He poured all his Dao power into their tips! The black and white Dao Breath twisted into Dragon Head, and with all his might, he stabbed it head-on into the arm piercing the puppet's heart!

"It's you! Die!" With double maces and the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword, his true form was finally exposed. Lu Chai unleashed his full protective aura, and with a twist of his arm and elbow, he changed his axe slash into a horizontal strike! He mercilessly aimed for Li Fan's head!

"Heaven and earth are inherently real and eternal; mountains and rivers themselves destroy my peace and prosperity!"

"Bang!"

Li Fan's mood dropped a little.

Just as Li Fan was about to thrust his double maces directly into Lu Chai's breastplate, he recited the "<Mount Tai Immovable Scripture>." As a result, Lu Chai's protective aura instantly dissipated, allowing him to break through his divine protective Divine Hardness and strike the armor with full force!

But the double maces broke!

Despite his piercing gaze and white forehead, Lu Chai was still just an ordinary soldier, or to put it bluntly, trash. Even with the support of the Twin Dragons of Qiankun, Lu Chai's protective aura only dissipated for a moment. After being struck heavily, he quickly reassembled his aura.

Thus, this all-out attack failed to shatter Lu Chai's puppet, which was at the Divine Essence Body level, completely!

On the contrary, Lu Chai swung his axe right at Li Fan's shoulder, sending him flying horizontally and embedding him directly into the wall!

Just as Li Fan had feared, the effect of discussing the Heavenly Book on Lu Chai's mood was likely to be very limited.

Previously, Yuan Tianxiao of the Luo Sect had fought with Lu Chai. The couple were no match for him and were severely injured for half a year.

The Blood Lord, a creature that would drive even mortals mad, was kept like a lamb by Lu Chai under the walls of Changsi City, and nothing happened to him.

It's unclear whether the members of the Divine Cult have become desensitized from reading too many heavenly books, or whether it's similar to the example of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, which could withstand the attack of Void Star for five hundred years. The influence of 'Non-Thing' on 'objects' is indeed relatively small.

But in that instant, Fa Gui arrived just in time and plunged his sword into Lu Chai's chest from behind!

Neither the Bright Light Armor nor the Protective Divine Hardness are effective!

A three-foot-long blade pierced through his back! The tip of the sword was aimed directly at the core of Lu Chai's right wrist! Finally, it destroyed the intricate, cage-like mechanism!

With thorough prior preparation, the Mechanical Puppet could be replaced indefinitely, but ultimately, everything must be controlled through a framework like the mechanical pivot. Thus, the moment the pivot cage was shattered by the demon-slaying attack, the divine general puppet of the Divine Essence Body instantly went silent, standing in place like a clay statue of a heavenly king, holding its battle axe, unable to activate again!

"Cough cough cough! Damn it... keep climbing, you son of a bitch..."

Li Fan struggled to climb out of the wall. His clothes were soaked in blood, and it was hard to tell whether it was his own blood or that it had seeped from the human skin robe. But since he could still move, he was probably alright.

Fortunately, Lu Chai eventually decided to play it safe. Since a single axe strike would be an instant kill, he aimed for Li Fan's torso, the largest and most unavoidable target. This resulted in the strike hitting the human skin Daoist robe, and at least one layer of the robe was effective!

If he chooses beheading, then the outcome is uncertain...

Well, that's not necessarily true. Even if he's beheaded, Li Fan can still fake his death and use his crimson eyes, Sword Light, or the third eye between his eyebrows to ambush people. The outcome is still uncertain.

"I'll beep beep beep beep!" Li Fan cursed angrily, kicking the general puppet away and pulling out the broken cricket cage key from Lu Chai's body.

He could see something emitting some kind of orange light inside the cage; it looked like... something he didn't know...

Judging from its appearance, it is a thin bamboo strip, a part of some unknown material, with a hole in the middle and two symmetrical beveled edges on both sides. There are many complex incantations on the wooden strip.

System translation.

"The Taiqing Flying Chariot is made of jujube heartwood, with a ringed sword made of cowhide to pull its mechanism. Alternatively, one can visualize five snakes, six dragons, and three oxen, crossing the heavens and riding it, ascending forty li (approximately 20 kilometers). Within Taiqing, the energy is extremely powerful, capable of overpowering humans."

What is this now...?

Lu Yu stated that he would impart all his knowledge to Lu Yu if Lu Yu spared his life.

Haha, why didn't you do this sooner...?

Suddenly, the bamboo strip in his hand emitted a red light.

Li Fan's mood dropped a little.

Li Fan was taken aback. What happened again?

'Detected that Lu Yu used a soul-possession attack skill against the host.'

Li Fan's current mood: 664/1300.

Li Fan's mood dropped a little.

'Used it again. Current mood: 663.'

Holy crap! This guy is practically in his grasp, yet he's still courting death!

Li Fan's mood dropped a little.

You're never going to stop!

Enraged, Li Fan glared with his third eye between his eyebrows, threw the bamboo piece on the ground to intimidate the enemy, raised his hand to summon the demon slayer, and slashed down with his sword!

With a clang, as if striking a stone, Li Fan's hand was jolted, yet the bamboo strip remained completely unharmed!

Li Fan's mood dropped a little.

Hey! Even three eyes staring at it doesn't work? System! How on earth can you kill this thing like that?!

The host can repeat the following words to it.

Li Fan listened and kept it in mind. Then, holding the Demon-Slaying Sword, he pointed it at the red light that bloomed before him, as if it were a blood-red wooden piece, and roared angrily!

"Where there are machines, there will be schemes; where there are schemes, there will be schemes in the heart! If schemes reside in the heart, purity will be lacking! If purity is lacking, the spirit will be unsettled! And those whose spirit is unsettled cannot be guided by the Way!"

In that instant, the wood chip suddenly lost its color!

Li Fan seized the opportunity and unleashed the Demon-Slaying Sword!

"Lu Chai! This day next year will be the anniversary of your death!"

A flash of Sword Light! The bamboo strip was cleaved in two!

Li Fan's mood improved by 1 point.

'Note: The host has been marked for killing a core member of the cult, automatically triggering a killing calamity.'

'Li Fan triumphed in the battle, defeating Lu Yu.'

Li Fan's mood cap has increased by 500 points. Current mood: 662/1800.