This is... too interesting!

In the first second, Lu Li grabbed the Buddha Head with his left hand and smashed it into the Variant Corpse Ghost's waist, melting away a large chunk of flesh. The Variant Corpse Ghost's two claws reached back to embrace Lu Li, attempting to use a "bear hug" to strangle him. Lu Li's heart remained perfectly calm; after the liberation of his brain, his high-efficiency thinking analyzed everything. The power information of the Buddha Head had been analyzed, and the combat plan could proceed...

In the second second, Lu Li lay back to dodge the Variant Corpse Ghost's retracting claws, extended his legs to clamp the creature's right leg, and twisted his body with force. He lifted the Buddha Head with both hands, his muscles bulging, and used his core strength to sit up. The Buddha's face, etched with compassion, slammed into the knee of the Variant Corpse Ghost's left leg, melting it instantly. Lacking one leg for support, the Variant Corpse Ghost tilted to the side. The flesh on its waist, previously burned, had already begun to recover slightly. The Variant Corpse Ghost's recovery ability had been analyzed, and the plan was confirmed to proceed...

In the third second, Lu Li extended his left hand to block in front of him, retracted his legs, and braced his left foot backward. He gripped the Buddha Head with his right hand, leaned his body forward, and the muscles in his left leg exploded with power. He stood up entirely and lunged forward. The Variant Corpse Ghost opened its mouth, and a disgusting tongue shot out, piercing through the palm of Lu Li's left hand. Lu Li reversed his left hand to grab the tongue, and with his right hand, he smashed the Buddha Head into the Variant Corpse Ghost's mouth.

The time limit expired, and Lu Li immediately deactivated his muscle liberation. However, several of his muscles had snapped, the bones in his right hand and left leg had broken from the strain, and blood flowed continuously from his nose—a side effect caused by the overclocking of his brain liberation.

White smoke carrying a scorched stench drifted through the air. The Variant Corpse Ghost couldn't even let out a scream; the Buddha Head was lodged in its mouth, melting it away, with the entire head embedded inside. The Variant Corpse Ghost collapsed powerlessly to the ground. Its face kept trying to regenerate, only to be continuously melted by the Buddha Head. Its shattered leg could not recover either. It focused all its energy on repairing its head, while its disgusting tongue had also been melted off. Lu Li himself fell backward, slumping onto the ground.

Enduring the agony throughout his body, Lu Li pulled out the disgusting tongue. He saw that the wound on his left hand had turned black and was spreading rapidly. Recalling the description of the Variant Corpse Ghost, Lu Li knew what this was: the Variant Corpse Ghost's ability, Life Pollution. It injected polluted life force into others through its tongue, turning the victim into a Corpse Servant.

Lu Li immediately used his conscious control to constrict the blood vessels in his left arm. The spread of the pollution slowed, but it had already tainted most of his left forearm. Glancing at the Buddha Head, which was still locked in a stalemate with the Variant Corpse Ghost's regenerative power, Lu Li shook his head. He braced his left hand against the ground, took a breath, liberated the muscles in his left arm, and pressed down hard. With a crack, the joint between his forearm and upper arm snapped!

He lifted his left hand, the limp, useless forearm dangling there. Without hesitation, Lu Li leaned forward and bit down on the joint. His mouth muscles were liberated, and because he had sealed his blood vessels, only a little blood flowed out, staining his snow-white teeth red.

Bite after bite, the forearm fell to the ground, and Lu Li's whole body trembled...

The Puppet climbed the stairs rapidly, the vermilion teardrop on her face becoming increasingly bewitching. Establishing a connection with the entity inside the temple, she ignored the temple's divine light and the vast distance, her speed increasing more and more. She prayed incessantly in her heart: "Please, nothing must happen! If something happens to you, what will happen to Master! But as long as he is fast enough and hides in the temple, there shouldn't be any problems. He is so smart, he shouldn't be in any danger!"

Recalling how Lu Li had deduced so much information from her mere fragments of speech, the Puppet felt her worries ease slightly, but her speed did not slow; instead, she pushed herself even faster. Almost there, almost there! As long as she reached that place, she could obtain that item and ensure her master's survival!

The reason the Puppet could travel so quickly had a great deal to do with the teardrop at the corner of her eye—or rather, the material used to create that teardrop. Years ago, the Old Man had spent all his savings to acquire enough materials to craft the Puppet. However, after finishing her, he found that while she looked incredibly beautiful, she felt as if something was missing.

Later, after the Old Man saw a tear mole on a woman's face, he had a sudden realization and wanted to paint a teardrop on the Puppet. But how could the Old Man use ordinary pigments? Every material he used to craft the Puppet was of the highest quality, which was why he had exhausted all his savings. Now, he had no money left to buy high-grade pigments.

In the end, the pigment for the teardrop came from a small piece of premium cinnabar given to him by an old monk. Only by using this cinnabar was he able to paint the perfect teardrop at the corner of the Puppet's eye. The Puppet's ability to develop sentience so quickly was also due to that cinnabar. Strangely, after the cinnabar was used to dot that teardrop, it completely lost its luster and drifted away as pale red powder, as if all its essence had been concentrated into that single drop.

Only later did the Puppet understand that the old monk was the very person who had built this temple. He had knocked a corner off that treasure—the cinnabar—and it was from that cinnabar that the Puppet had come to understand many things.

"No matter what, at any cost, I cannot let Master come to harm!" The Puppet reaffirmed her resolve, climbed the final step, and witnessed a scene beyond her imagination.

Not far away, the Variant Corpse Ghost lay on the ground, twitching constantly, a Buddha Head embedded in its face, melting and regenerating in a cycle. Based on the Puppet's knowledge, she knew this Corpse Ghost was merely clinging to life through the life energy stored in its body; it would turn into a puddle of liquid and die before long.

What truly shocked the Puppet was Lu Li. He was slumped on the ground, his entire left forearm missing. Lu Li kept his head lowered, trembling continuously. The Puppet sighed; perhaps this person had been terrified. That made sense—although he had always appeared calm, and his ability to use the Buddha Head to kill the Corpse Ghost had shocked her, Lu Li was, after all, just an ordinary human. Losing an arm would surely terrify anyone.

"Are you alright? Your injury isn't a big deal. As long as you return to reality, everything will be fine. Although your dexterity might be lacking in the future, but..." The Puppet walked over to comfort him, her heart relaxing. As long as he was alive, she could bring that item back to the real world, and everything would be fine. Her master would be saved.

At this moment, Lu Li raised his head. The Puppet couldn't help but take a step back. His face was wreathed in a smile, his mouth and lips covered in blood, possessing a bewitching, eerie beauty. Dressed in his red stage costume, he trembled with excitement and said these words to the Puppet: "This is... this is just too interesting!"

Xu Ming is also trembling while writing this chapter, though that's just because the air conditioning is cold... Votes and such, this is just too interesting...

Lu Li: My left arm is gone, and you guys still aren't voting or adding this to your library?