Special Puppet

Qin Fei's thoughts drifted back to when he had first obtained the Yama Pendant.

That voice had indeed mentioned that a mandatory mission would be assigned a year later.

By his reckoning, the time had indeed come.

He had simply never expected the mission to have anything to do with the Heavenly Mystery Secret Realm.

Ever since the hundred-story tower in the land of inheritance had appeared, the secret realm had become wildly popular.

Even Foundation Establishment cultivators had entered to seek fortuitous opportunities. Going in now was simply too dangerous.

Qin Fei fell into thought, wondering whether there was another way to avoid this mission.

He had only just broken through to Late Qi Refining. All he needed to do was stay at the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion and gather resources, and he would naturally draw closer and closer to Foundation Establishment.

There were simply too many uncertainties in the secret realm.

"Fellow Daoist, could I pay Spirit Stones or use some other means to be excused from this mission?"

"Please don't misunderstand, fellow Daoist. I mean no disrespect to Yama Hall whatsoever. I've simply been unable to get away lately, which is why I ask."

Qin Fei made sure to explain. If the other party misunderstood and sent an Impermanence Envoy to his door, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Even Lu Tianchou, the young master of the Lu Household, had nearly been driven to his death by an Impermanence Envoy. Qin Fei couldn't afford that.

"Mandatory missions cannot be refused."

Once the voice fell silent, the Yama Pendant made no further response.

Qin Fei raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't ready to give up so easily.

He made a trip around the black market, spending quite a few Spirit Stones to find out how to refuse a mandatory mission from the Yama Pendant.

He even consulted Fairy Caiyi to see if there was another way.

The result left him bitterly disappointed. The voice had spoken the truth: mandatory missions could not be refused.

"Forget it. Looks like I have to make a trip into the secret realm. There are still three days left, so I'd better make some preparations."

Qin Fei planned to return immediately after drawing the structure and murals Yama Hall needed.

As for those elusive treasures, he would leave the others to fight over them. He wouldn't get involved.

That might be a little safer.

Before that, however, he still needed to craft a batch of puppets.

After all this time, the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion's experience was nearly full.

He decided to upgrade the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion and see if it would unlock any new puppets.

If it was a Battle Puppet or had some practical function, it might lend him a hand in the secret realm.

But the result left him caught between laughter and tears. The newly unlocked puppet had once been his favorite, but it was of little use in the present situation.

[Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion (lv7) (800/800) (upgrade available)]

[Pavilion master: Qin Fei]

[Rank: First-Tier Puppet Master]

[Puppets: Spirit Energy Wings (first-tier puppet), Desolate Rock Ghost Python (first-tier puppet), Flame Martial Envoy (Exclusive Puppet)...]

[Bonuses: puppet speed +7%, power +7%, consumption -7%]

[Blueprint available to unlock: handheld game console (special puppet)]

[Handheld game console]

[Rank: special puppet]

[Talents: enjoyment +10%, pleasure +10%]

[Effect: records opponents previously fought and perfectly reproduces their abilities. Their cultivation realms can be set in the game, allowing them to be fought again.

The handheld console has 100,000 large, medium, and small games built in, available to play at will. It can connect to other handheld consoles for multiplayer battles]

Qin Fei was momentarily stunned.

Another special puppet had appeared. The last one he had seen was the Heavenly Mystery Key.

As the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion's level continued to rise, the puppets it unlocked were growing increasingly bizarre.

A handheld game console had actually appeared. Would things like computers turn up in the future too?

Qin Fei had no way of knowing.

But he felt that if this continued, sooner or later the world would become something even he could no longer make sense of.

He put away the handheld console's blueprint, leaving it for further study after he crafted it someday.

The unlocked puppet was of little help in exploring the secret realm. It seemed he would have to find another way.

Qin Fei changed into another cloak and headed toward the center of the market.

He first made the rounds of the pill shops, stocking up on medicines for healing injuries, restoring vitality, curing poison, and the like.

He also exchanged his Spirit Ascension Pills for Jade Purity Pills, which were still effective for Late Qi Refining cultivators.

Afterward, he visited the talisman and formation shops in turn.

The Spirit Stones in his possession steadily dwindled, while his Storage Bag gradually grew fuller.

Three days later.

In a remote valley within the secret realm.

Clad in a black robe and wearing a "Seventy-Seven" evil ghost mask, Qin Fei circled in the air with two enormous black wings sprouting from his shoulder blades.

When he spotted a figure in the valley, his eyes lit up, and he landed.

The wings folded several times and vanished behind him.

The man glanced at them with interest, then looked away.

"Seventy-Seven, you're early. The Impermanence Envoy isn't here yet, so let's wait."

This man also wore a white evil ghost mask, with the number "Fifty-Eight" written on its forehead.

Something stirred in Qin Fei's mind when he heard that, and he asked:

"Are we undertaking this mission with an Impermanence Envoy?"

The man frowned slightly and explained:

"Mandatory missions are always led by an Impermanence Envoy. If the mission fails or someone doesn't show up, he'll take that person's Yama Pendant back directly."

At that, he gave a sinister smile.

"You understand what I mean by take it back, right? Their life goes with it."

Seeing that he hadn't frightened Qin Fei, the man found himself rebuffed and said no more.

Before long, three more figures came flying through the air.

The one in front walked through the air with nothing beneath his feet. His mask also differed from the others' white ones; it was entirely green.

Qin Fei had seen this kind of mask at Fairy Caiyi's place before. He understood that this was a Foundation Establishment Impermanence Envoy of Yama Hall.

The two behind him wore the white masks exclusive to the Underworld Bureau.

One stood on a flying sword, while the other rode an enormous worm.

The worm was exceedingly bloated, and its few slender wings seemed barely able to carry it, leaving it swaying as it flew.

Qin Fei frowned slightly. He sensed something familiar about this worm.

After cultivating the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter, his senses had grown increasingly keen. This feeling of familiarity could not be mistaken.

"It's him."

Qin Fei had already realized who this person was. Before breaking through to Late Qi Refining, he had encountered a cultivator who raised a gu using his own birth mother.

Presumably, this person was the owner of that gu insect.

Of the four Underworld Bureau members, this person had the highest cultivation, having already reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

The others were comparable to Qin Fei, all at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

Once everyone had gathered, the Impermanence Envoy spoke first:

"You all know the mission for this trip, I assume. Draw the internal structure and murals of the hundred-story tower. The murals in particular must be recorded carefully."

"The tower has one hundred and eight floors in all. Not a single one can be missed."

"If the mission fails, you should understand the consequences."

"All right, split into pairs and carry out your assignments."

The group exchanged glances. The gu cultivator suddenly stepped out and came to Qin Fei's side.

"I'll pair up with fellow Daoist Seventy-Seven here."

Qin Fei frowned beneath his mask. Could this person have already discovered that he had killed the gu insect?

That shouldn't be possible.

A thought occurred to him, and he circulated the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter to examine his entire body carefully.

A faint light suddenly appeared on the back of his shoulder, revealing a pale mark.

The mark was extremely well concealed. It had presumably gotten on him when he killed the gu insect.

If he hadn't broken through to Late Qi Refining, greatly strengthening his Divine Soul, and deliberately checked, it really would have been hard to find.

With that, the other party's reason for pairing up with him was obvious.

Qin Fei used his Divine Sense to erase the mark.

The gu cultivator sensed something and looked in his direction.

Qin Fei paid him no mind. He immediately stepped forward and said:

"Senior Impermanence, this fellow Daoist and I have an old grievance. I don't mind being on a team with him, but I'm afraid we might delay the mission, and that wouldn't be good."

The best way to resolve this matter was, of course, to tell on him.

Although Qin Fei wasn't afraid of the man, he had no wish to fight without cause.

Hearing this, the gu cultivator's expression grew even gloomier.

"What makes you say that, fellow Daoist Seventy-Seven?"

The Impermanence Envoy paid none of it any mind. With a wave of his hand, he put Qin Fei on a team with the man who had arrived first.

Then he looked at the gu cultivator and warned:

"The teams are set. If I find out anyone dares to fight in secret and interfere with the mission, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"