Living Puppet

Only from the tenth trial onward did the true World Road begin. Each trial was a unique great world, filled with countless opportunities as well as unknown dangers.

[Ding! Opportunity detected a hundred li ahead: green steel!]

[Ding! Opportunity detected fifty li ahead: fire dragon grass!]

As Fu Yuan traveled toward the Heaven-Ascending Tower, the opportunity detection alerts grew increasingly frequent, and the opportunities became more precious: all manner of rare metals, spiritual medicines and herbs, strange stones...

[Ding! Opportunity detected eighty li ahead: Soul Heavenly Gold!]

More than ninety-nine percent of the opportunities failed to catch Fu Yuan's eye, but some were enough to tempt even him, making him stop and go collect them.

Heavenly gold came in different grades. The strongest varieties could serve as the main material for imperial weapons, while lesser ones could be used to refine saint weapons. Even the weakest heavenly gold could be used to create grand arrays and spiritual treasures.

Fu Yuan hurried onward in the direction indicated by the system, coming upon a valley shrouded in gray mist. It had an air of mystery about it; even his Double Pupils could see only a few hundred meters through the haze.

Astonishing runes flowed through his pale golden eyes. Fu Yuan had not concealed his Double Pupils, merely shielding his eyes with spiritual power, yet that was enough to fool almost everyone.

Only the old blind man had seen the bone in his right hand, his eyes, and the extraordinary nature of his physique. Even so, he still did not think much of Fu Yuan's chances, believing he would surely lose a battle against Dugu Baitian.

Throughout the ages, countless physiques hailed as invincible had fallen to Dugu Baitian. The Dao fruits of his nine lifetimes could rival a Great Emperor's. Every part of his body had been honed to perfection: every bone could be called a Dao bone, his blood could be called divine blood, his meridians were imbued with spirit, and his internal organs were flawless.

His seven orifices were even more extraordinary. Though cultivated to the Houtian extreme, they could not rival Xiantian physiques such as the Double Pupils or the Heavenly Eye, but they were not far behind.

Fu Yuan entered the valley. At first, there was only the sound of dripping water. The deeper he went, the louder it grew and the thinner the mist became. Tiny streams cheered and rushed along beside him, accompanying him on his way.

"That treasure map was real after all. There really is a secret treasure here!"

"Gray mist conceals it outside, while ten thousand streams converge within. It's a naturally formed treasure land."

"How strange. According to the map, there should be an array in the valley. Could this be its eye?"

Halfway through the valley, Fu Yuan heard voices conversing. Others had arrived before him.

"Pay that no mind. This treasure map is written in an archaic script, from several epochs ago. It's only natural for a few things to have changed."

"This place is very strange. Ten thousand streams converge here, yet they haven't formed an ocean or a lake. There's only a pool. How can it hold them all?"

Fu Yuan neither concealed his presence nor softened his steps. He strode openly forward, his footsteps mingling with the sound of the rushing streams.

"Someone's coming." Only when Fu Yuan came within three hundred meters of the group did someone sense him.

A Blood Dragon bared its fangs and brandished its claws, while a blue-gold qilin leaped onto the clouds and mist. The oppressive pressure was overwhelming, and the five Nirvana Realm cultivators' expressions changed at once. The youth in ink-black robes had clearly noticed them too, but he did not stop, continuing forward in great strides.

He was either supremely confident or a fool. None of them believed it was the latter.

Of the five before him, one was an iron-tower-like man, evidently a body cultivator. A shifty-eyed, rat-faced middle-aged Daoist held a piece of beast hide in one hand and a black-and-white disc in the other. Two handsome youths in white had black tails behind them, spirit beasts of some kind in human form.

The last was a man wrapped in blue robes. He gave Fu Yuan a slight surprise: though clearly human, he had no soul. He was a living puppet.

"Fellow Daoist, we arrived here first." The shifty-eyed middle-aged Daoist narrowed his eyes to slits.

"Heaven and earth's spiritual treasures belong to the capable. What does it matter who came first?" Fu Yuan replied with a chuckle.

"Aren't you a little too confident, fellow Daoist? You're only one man." The iron-tower-like man took a step forward, his Qi and blood surging like a small mountain.

"Leave, fellow Daoist, and we can part in peace," the two white-robed youths shouted in unison. They employed some secret art, their voices rolling like thunder through the valley.

None of them attacked outright, instead taking turns trying to persuade him. Fu Yuan cut a heroic and extraordinary figure, his waterfall of black hair streaming in the wind, wisps of spiritual light trailing from its ends.

"How about this? Give me the treasure map in your hand and leave in peace. What do you say?" The youth's eyes curved slightly as a bright, sunny smile appeared on his face.

The four all changed expression, but each reacted differently. The iron-tower-like man flew into a rage, his blood Qi taking the form of a mountain peak. His Second Layer of Nirvana cultivation surged forth, pressing down on Fu Yuan.

A gleam flashed in the shifty-eyed middle-aged Daoist's eyes, and he edged a few steps to the side.

The two black-tailed youths exchanged a glance, their eyes turning blood-red as they prepared to fight.

Only the being in blue robes remained calm from beginning to end, standing where he was.

The mountain-like blood Qi bore down from a distance, cracking the ground into long fissures. But as the mountain of Qi and blood approached Fu Yuan, the youth's body shook. The valley rumbled, and a vast wave of air swept out, blotting out heaven and earth.

Stones flew and the mountains echoed. All five trembled, with the iron-tower-like man taking the brunt of it. He lost his footing and staggered.

"You're quite right, fellow Daoist. Heaven and earth's treasures belong to the capable, and meeting like this must be fate." The middle-aged Daoist changed his tune, saying he was willing to search for the treasure with Fu Yuan and let him have first choice of whatever they found.

"What if I'm not willing?" Fu Yuan asked with a faint smile.

"Then we can only fight to the death." The middle-aged Daoist's attitude was resolute. "But you should know, fellow Daoist, that this valley is itself a grand array. Without the treasure map, you might not find it even if you searched for a hundred years."

His tone was firm, making it clear that even if he lost, he would burn the treasure map and take everything down with him.

"I've been in a good mood lately. Leave the treasure map and go, and you can live." Fu Yuan dismissed the threat. With the system and his Double Pupils, what did he have to fear?

Those words left no room for compromise.

The being in blue robes suddenly sprang into action, advancing with an uncanny gait. Blue Qi poured from his robes, filling the hundred meters around him in an instant and concealing his movements.

"Fellow Daoists, join forces and slay this villain!" the middle-aged Daoist shouted sharply. He sent an object flying through the air-a long black spike.

"Kill!" the iron-tower-like man roared. A yellow mountain-peak spirit and a five-story Bloodline Pagoda appeared at once. His Second Layer of Nirvana cultivation erupted in full, and several rumbles sounded from his body as he transformed into a mountain peak and attacked Fu Yuan.

The other two also revealed their true forms: they were two black foxes. Though they were a variant species, their bloodlines were unfortunately lowly, and they were only one-tailed foxes.

"Living puppet poison Qi. I'm rather interested in the person behind you." Fu Yuan took one step and entered the blue mist. He reached out with one great hand, pressing down like an expanse of heaven and earth, breaking the living puppet's technique and crushing him in a single grip.

There was no spray of blood mist, only two masses of blue and black Qi bursting apart in the air. The ground instantly dried and cracked, and the vegetation withered.

"Such methods are rather interesting. One careless moment, and even a holy son would meet with disaster," Fu Yuan murmured, swallowing great mouthfuls of the two currents of Qi.