Although the palace is small, it exudes an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.
"Take it!"
With a soft shout from Gu Sheng, a strange wave of power erupted from the bronze palace, and the black threads connecting the puppets broke one after another as if struck by lightning.
The old man's expression suddenly changed.
"What?!"
The next moment, Gu Sheng and the six puppets disappeared from the place at the same time, leaving only the frightened and angry roar of the red-robed old man echoing in the restriction.
Inside the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall, the six puppets were motionless.
Gu Sheng took a long breath and looked around.
This is a simple stone room, with complex and mysterious runes carved on the surrounding walls, and a bronze throne placed in the center.
The phantom of Yue Shen Gong floated out from the sea of consciousness of Gu Sheng and landed on the throne.
He looked at the puppets carefully and frowned more and more.
"As expected."
Yue Shen Gong's voice was filled with anger.
"This is 'Spirit Puppet Reincarnation Array'. It was originally a formation created by my wife for machine dolls to give dead objects the ability to move. I didn't expect it to be used on living people!"
Gu Sheng was shocked when he heard this.
"Senior, are you saying that this formation shouldn't be used like this?"
"Of course!"
Yue Shen Gong angrily slapped the armrest of the throne.
"The mechanical puppet has no soul, and this formation only simulates the movement of life. But when used on a living person, it means forcibly extracting the soul of the living person, leaving only the body as a puppet! This is an evil way!"
Gu Sheng walked up to a puppet and observed it carefully.
Fine runes are faintly visible on the puppet's skin, its eyes are empty and lifeless, but it still retains the muscle memory of his life, and his martial arts skills are performed smoothly.
"Senior, is there any way to break this formation? Rescue these people?"
Gu Sheng asked in a deep voice.
Yue Shen Gong was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and touched the bronze throne.
The entire Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall suddenly made a clicking sound, the stone chamber began to twist and change, and the runes on the walls flowed and reorganized.
"This is."
Gu Sheng looked at the changes around him in surprise.
"One of the true functions of the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall - 'Myriad Laws Return to Origin'."
Yue Shen Gong explained.
"The original form of any formation or technique can be traced."
With a soft sound, a simple classic flew out from the bookshelf that suddenly appeared, and landed steadily in front of Gu Sheng. The cover reads "Record of a Hundred Spirit Transformations" in ancient script.
"This is my wife's manuscript back then."
Yue Shen Gong's voice was filled with nostalgia.
"It records the original version of 'Spirit Puppet Reincarnation Array' and how to crack it."
Gu Sheng's fingers gently stroked the yellowed pages of the ancient book, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes.
As an Immortal Emperor in his previous life, although he was not specialized in formations, the knowledge accumulated over thousands of years allowed him to dabble in all the ways of the heavens.
Although this puppet formation is exquisite, it is just a drop in the ocean.
"That's it."
Gu Sheng The corner of his mouth raised slightly, his fingertips lightly tapped somewhere on the page, and a ray of golden light disappeared into the paper.
Inside the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall, the shadow of Yue Shen Gong fluctuated violently, and the face condensed by Soul Power was full of shock and expectation.
"Fellow Daoist Gu Gu, have you really found a way to crack it?"
Yue Shen Gong's voice trembled, as if a drowning man had grasped the last straw.
Gu Sheng closed the ancient book and raised his eyes to look at the former master of weapon refining.
"In addition to the cracking method, I also discovered some interesting things."
He paused.
"The puppet array used by the red-robed evil cultivator is 70% similar to the 'Spirit Puppet Profound Art' created by your wife back then."
"What?!"
Yue Shen Gong's shadow trembled suddenly and almost collapsed.
"There's no way that's my wife's original creation."
Gu Sheng shook his head slightly.
"To be precise, it is a modified version. The core formation pattern has not changed, but some evil methods have been added to the periphery to refine living people into puppets."
Yue Shen Gong's soul fluctuated violently to the extreme, and the entire Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall trembled.
Gu Sheng can feel the overwhelming hatred and grief.
"Please help me, fellow Daoist Gu!"
Yue Shen Gong suddenly knelt on the ground, his soul body almost touching the ground.
"As long as I can find the place where my wife died, I will give anything!"
Gu Sheng stood with his hands behind his hands, his gaze deep.
"Since I promised to help you fulfill your wish that day, I will naturally not break my promise. Once I capture the red-robed evil cultivator, I will leave it to your disposal."
Yue Shen Gong raised his head, and there seemed to be tears shining in his soul's eyes.
"Thank you for your kindness! There is a plant 'Spirit-Condensing Orchid' in the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall, which can help fellow Daoists increase their spiritual power by 30%. It should be considered as a thank you gift!"
Spirit-Condensing Orchid was a rare thing even in the previous life. I didn't expect that Yue Shen Gong would be such a treasure.
"That being the case, I accept it with a smile."
Gu Sheng nodded slightly, and with a thought, a spiritual grass with a blue body and starry stamens appeared in his hand.
The moment he took possession of the spiritual grass, the spiritual power in his sea of consciousness surged.
Outside, the old man in red robe was impatient with waiting.
"Junior! Don't pretend to be a fool!"
The old man in red robe roared angrily, and while waving his sleeves and robes, three black shadows flew from a distance and landed heavily outside the restriction.
The figure of Gu Sheng reappeared at this moment.
He held Spirit-Condensing Orchid in his hand, and with a slight breath, the spiritual grass turned into a ray of blue light and disappeared between his eyebrows.
In an instant, the momentum around him surged, and golden light flowed in his eyes, like a god descending to earth.
"Old man, your living puppet has been freed."
Gu Sheng said calmly, throwing away the withered spiritual grass residue.
"Fart!"
The red-robed old man laughed in anger.
"How can a junior like you break my puppet? Today I will show you what real puppetry is!"
He made a hand seal, and three black shadows stepped into the restriction at the same time. The restriction barrier trembled violently and could hardly withstand the pressure.
Gu Sheng looked at it carefully and saw that they were three humanoid puppets. Each one exuded the aura of the Earth Martial Realm's peak, and one of them even reached the half-step Heavenly Martial Realm! This kind of lineup is enough to sweep a team anywhere.
"In order to refine these three puppets, I spent a hundred years hunting and killing seventy-eight Earth Martial Realm monks!"
The old man in red robe said with a ferocious smile.
"It's your honor to die by their hands!"
Gu Sheng just shook his head slightly, his eyes full of pity.
"Pityful, deplorable."
"Seeking death!"
The old man in red robe roared angrily, and the three puppets rose up at the same time and rushed towards Gu Sheng in a shape.
The speed was so fast that it almost tore through the air, sending out an ear-piercing scream.
Just when the puppet was about to touch Gu Sheng, his fingertips suddenly lit up a little Spirit Light.
"Condensation."
Following this soft drink, Gu Sheng's fingertips drew a mysterious trajectory in the air, and the golden light condensed into a complex formation, suspended in mid-air.
The red-robed old man's pupils shrank suddenly.
"Formation in the air?! Impossible!"
Gu Sheng turned a deaf ear and clicked three times with his fingertips. Three golden light formations took shape instantly. With a flick of his finger, they accurately penetrated into the backs of the three puppets' heads.
"Ah!"
The old man in red robe suddenly held his head and cried out, Black Blood seeping out of his seven orifices.
He was horrified to find that his spiritual connection with the puppet had been abruptly severed!
"What did you do to my baby?!"
The red-robed old man roared.
Gu Sheng sneered, and three thin golden threads flew out from his fingertips and connected into the puppet's body.
"I'm just teaching you what real puppetry is."
"Break the formation!"
Following Gu Sheng's command, the three puppets suddenly turned around and rushed towards the forbidden barrier faster than when they came.
"No!"
The old man in red robe wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
"Boom!"
On the first impact, spider web-like cracks appeared on the restraint.
"Boom!"
With the second impact, the entire restriction shattered and dissipated into spots of light all over the sky.
Gu Sheng stood with his hands behind his hands, three puppets standing behind him.
He looked at the ashen-faced old man in red robes jokingly.
"The puppet you made is really useful."
"No way, this is impossible"
The old man in red robe staggered back, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"My original creation 'Blood Soul Puppet Control Art', how could you"
"Original?"
Gu Sheng sneered.
"After living for hundreds of years, I have developed a thick skin. Plagiarizing other people's formations and making slight modifications can you call it original?"
The old man in red robe suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
He staggered back and pointed at Gu Sheng with trembling fingers.
"You can actually break my Three Talents Soul Locking Array?"
Gu Sheng stands with his hands behind his back.
"How dare you show off in front of me even if you are just a small formation?"
He raised his right hand slightly, and three black shadows instantly swept out from behind the old man. It was the three living puppets, standing neatly behind Gu Sheng.
"No!"
The old man's eyes were about to burst.
"My puppet!"
He frantically activated the spiritual imprint in the sea of consciousness, but it was like a mud cow entering the sea, with no response.
"Don't waste your efforts."
Gu Sheng sneered.
"I have erased your mental imprint, and now they only listen to my orders.
"He snapped his fingers, and the three puppets raised their heads at the same time, with a strange red light in their empty eyes.
The old man's face turned pale, and veins popped out on his forehead.
"Little beast, do you know who I am? If you dare to take away my puppet, I will make your life worse than death!"
"Oh?"
Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you just an old loser who hides behind puppets and plays tricks? Without these puppets, you are worse than a dog."
"You!"
The old man was so angry that he trembled all over and suddenly laughed ferociously.
"Okay, very good! Since you are looking for death, I will let you taste the taste of your soul being crushed!"
Before he finished speaking, a cold spiritual power shot out from between the old man's eyebrows and went straight towards the Gu Sheng sea of consciousness.
This is his trump card - soul strangulation. He has used this technique to kill countless warrior souls and then turned them into living puppets.
Gu Sheng didn't move at all, and the corners of his mouth even curved in a sarcastic way.
"That's it?"
The old man's pupils shrank suddenly, and he felt as if his mental power had hit an invisible wall. Not only was he unable to move forward, but he was pushed back by a stronger force.
"How is that possible?!"
The old man screamed in fear.
"You are a Black Tortoise Realm warrior, how can your soul be so powerful?!"
Gu Sheng's eyes showed vicissitudes of life that did not belong to his age.
"Because I'm different from a low-end guy like you."
He held his right hand in vain, and the old man's mental power was instantly crushed.
"You make puppets by strangling the souls of the weak. Even evil cultivators will find you embarrassed."
The old man felt like he was struck by lightning, his sea of consciousness shook violently, and blood oozed from all his orifices.
Only then did he realize that he had kicked the iron plate, and turned around to run away.
"Take it."
Gu Sheng said softly.
The half-step Heavenly Martial Realm puppet disappeared from the spot in an instant, and the next moment it appeared behind the old man. Its big iron-like hands clasped the old man's neck and lifted him up.
"Let me go!"
The old man struggled, but found that he could not even mobilize his spiritual power.
"What did you do to me?"
Gu Sheng approached slowly.
"Just letting your spiritual power rest for a while."
He stared into the old man's frightened eyes.
"Now, I ask and you answer. If you satisfy me, I will give you a pleasure. Otherwise."
"I will let you know what life is worse than death."
The old man pretended to be calm.
"Junior, do you know who is behind me? If you kill me,"
"Noisy."
Gu Sheng interrupted impatiently, and a silver light shot out from the center of his eyebrows, directly into the old man's forehead.
"Ah——!"
The old man let out a heartbreaking scream and curled up.
His sea of consciousness was violently invaded by Gu Sheng's Soul Power, and his soul was torn into pieces and put back together again. This kind of pain far exceeded physical torture.
"Stop, stop! I'll say it! I'll say anything!"
The old man burst into tears and no longer had any arrogance.
Gu Sheng took back part of the spirit Soul Power and said coldly.
"Gu Ningshuang, dead or alive?"
"Alive! She's alive!"
The old man said hurriedly.
"She was born with a sword, and she has the Great Desolation Sacred Academy inherited secret method. It is an excellent material for refining a living puppet. How could I kill her?"
Gu Sheng's eyes softened slightly.
"Where is the person?"
"There is a ruined tower a hundred miles to the south, and she is locked up there."
The old man gasped.
"The Heavenly Martial Realm warrior who was with her was seriously injured by my soul strangulation, and is also imprisoned there."
After hearing that Gu Ningshuang was safe and sound, Gu Sheng looked obviously relaxed.
When the old man saw this, he hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Sir, I have eyes that don't recognize Mount Tai. I am willing to offer all my treasures to you, just asking for it"
"No need."
Gu Sheng interrupted him, and a phantom of the Bronze Ancient Hall appeared in his palm.
"Your soul is still of some use."
When the old man saw that Bronze Ancient Hall, his eyes suddenly widened.
"It's. No! You are"
Before he finished speaking, Bronze Ancient Hall burst out with a force of suction, sucking the old man in completely, leaving only a shrill scream echoing in the air.
Gu Sheng put away the ancient palace and turned to look at the three living puppets.
He pondered for a moment, and three hair-thin Soul Power flew out from between his eyebrows, and engulfed the foreheads of the three puppets respectively.
"Hmm"
The three puppets groaned at the same time, and their empty eyes gradually returned to clarity.
They looked around blankly, and finally their eyes fell on Gu Sheng.
"This is what we are?"
One of the puppets that looked like a middle-aged man spoke with a hoarse voice.
Gu Sheng said lightly.
"You are dead, and now you are just the remaining souls that have been turned into living puppets. I divided Soul Power to temporarily wake you up, but only for a stick of incense."
When the three heard this, they were stunned at first, and then looked sad. The middle-aged man smiled bitterly.
"I see. No wonder I can't feel my heartbeat."
Another puppet that looked like a young woman suddenly knelt down.
"Thank you, my benefactor, for restoring our sanity. Although it is only for a moment, it is better than being ignorant."
The last one was an old man with white hair. He looked at Gu Sheng carefully and suddenly said in surprise.
"Your Excellency can lift the ban on living puppets. Could it be that you are the senior of the Myriad Spirits Palace?"
"Myriad Spirits Palace?"
Gu Sheng frowned slightly, this name made him feel inexplicably familiar.
Gu Sheng frowned slightly and stroked the jade talisman hanging on his chest with his fingertips.
The jade talisman was green in color, engraved with complex patterns, and glowed with a warm luster in the sunlight.
Three months ago at Wuyun City, the words of Qin Lie still ring in my ears.