The Trap

Chapter 230: The Trap

The other two cultivators had already fled far into the distance, vanishing from the sky in the blink of an eye. The burly man remained seated on the massive tiger, completely motionless, watching their retreat with cold eyes. He showed no sign of giving chase.

Hiding within the clouds, Han Li found this strange. Given the man's ruthlessness and merciless methods from moments ago, it seemed unlikely he would simply let them go. Did he have some other trick in store?

Just as Han Li's mind was racing with guesses, the burly man's icy voice suddenly rang out from below:

"You there, you've been watching quite a show. Have you been waiting for the fisherman's profit? Isn't it time to make your move?"

Han Li was startled.

"Could he have discovered me, even at this height?"

At this thought, he involuntarily swallowed a dry gulp, his heart leaping into his throat.

Having witnessed the terrifying power of those mechanical puppets, Han Li had no desire to end up like those fleeing cultivators—sitting ducks in the sky for the giant tiger's attacks.

That colossal beam of light was far too fast and its power too astonishing! Based on his own estimate, if he were to face it head-on, the only way to survive would be to fully activate the Divine Wind Boat and dodge continuously. Otherwise, there was truly no safe way to evade the enormous light pillar's assault.

After a brief deliberation, Han Li was tempted to immediately flee from the sky and avoid courting a lethal disaster. But when he glanced again at the burly man's actions, that thought vanished without a trace.

The puppets beside the burly man had redirected their weapons—and they were not aimed at Han Li's position high in the sky, but diagonally toward a small mound of earth not far away.

Han Li was so shocked he nearly bit his own tongue.

There was actually a third person here, and he had sensed nothing at all.

A sound of earth shifting and tumbling followed, and a figure indeed emerged from the small mound. It was the strange man in the gray cloth sack who had previously stood toe-to-toe with the burly man.

"So it's you."

"Who the hell are you? You seem to know something about the secrets of these puppet beasts!"

The burly man's gaze was icy and piercing, glaring fiercely at the strange man.

"Yellow Dragon, it's been years. Your temper is still just as explosive," the sack-headed man said after a moment of silence, uttering words that left both the burly man and the eavesdropping Han Li stunned.

"How do you know me? Which old acquaintance of Huang's are you?"

The burly man was visibly shocked when the other called out his name, a look of genuine surprise on his face. Since his identity was already exposed, there was no point in hiding it any longer. He tore the cloak from his head and threw it to the ground.

A fierce-looking face with a head of short, yellow hair was revealed.

"You were perfectly content as a Dharma Protector of the Thousand Bamboo Sect. What business do you have traveling ten thousand li to this place? Is it because of the incomplete Great衍 Decision hidden in those puppet beasts?" the strange man asked slowly, utterly indifferent to the big man's outburst.

"If you don't state your identity, don't blame Huang for being impolite!" Yellow Dragon's expression shifted as he saw the other man hitting straight at his most hidden secrets, and he hurriedly barked out a warning.

"Have you forgotten who it was that secretly taught you the first layer of the Great衍 Decision in the first place?"

The strange man hesitated for a moment, then spoke a sentence that made the big man's face drastically change, forcing him back several steps.

"You're Senior Brother Lin?... No, Senior Brother Lin died years ago! How dare you toy with me! Huang will take your life!" After a moment of shock, the burly man immediately flew into a rage. His face twisted with ferocity as he waved his hand, and the hundred or so puppets immediately stepped forward, encircling the strange man from a distance.

"It seems Junior Brother Huang has not forgotten the old friendship. Your elder brother is gratified." The strange man's eyes suddenly softened as he spoke. Then he pulled the sack from his head, revealing his true face.

"Senior Brother Lin!"

"Uncle Lin!"

The big man and Han Li, who had been closely watching the situation, cried out almost simultaneously. Only, the big man blurted it out loud, while Han Li's was a silent exclamation.

This strange man was none other than the elderly Lin who Han Li had once seen in a stone hut at Yellow Maple Valley, the one so fond of carving. Because the old man’s little carved monkeys were so lifelike and adorable, Han Li had a deep impression of him, and recognized him at a glance.

"It really is Senior Brother Lin! How have you become so aged? And weren't you already..." Even as the big man shouted, he couldn't believe it. After scrutinizing Lin once more, he rushed forward in ecstatic joy, grabbing "Senior Brother Lin's" hands, his face brimming with excitement.

"Hehe! Junior Brother Huang, back then I merely faked my death. The one who died was only—What are you doing!"

Han Li's Uncle Lin had been smiling and about to speak, but his expression suddenly shifted sharply. A look of shock and fury flashed across his face as he violently shook off the younger man's hands. Yet, on his wrist, two deep, chopstick-thin bloody holes had appeared, from which black, tar-like blood was flowing uncontrollably, clearly laced with a potent poison.

"Senior Brother Lin's mind hasn't rotted from all those years on the run, has it? How could you still be so careless as to let Junior injure your wrist? Tsk, tsk! That's the Black Silkworm Gu that Junior painstakingly begged from the Gu Worm Sect. I'm afraid it won't be so easy to purge! You have only yourself to blame, Senior Brother. Since you faked your death, you should have just kept a low profile. Why did you have to go contacting old subordinates and trying to steal the second half of the Great衍 Decision? This has made the current Sect Leader Jin quite displeased, forcing Junior to come and carry out this little 'root-pulling' game." Yellow Dragon sneered coldly, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"Fine! Fine! Truly a fervently 'devoted' junior brother!"

In the midst of his rage, Senior Brother Lin instead calmed down immediately. He quickly circulated his energy in both hands, forcing out some of the poisoned blood, then pulled out a green jade bottle and poured the entire bottle of yellow powder into his mouth. Only then did he stare fixedly at the yellow-haired big man, his expression icy.

"Then the messages my good subordinate passed to me were all false! There is no second half of the Great衍 Decision in those puppet beasts at all. This whole thing was just a trap to lure me out! The only thing I find strange is, how did the secret shop cooperate with you so readily?"

'Gold and silver move the heart.' That saying from the mortal world applies just as well in the cultivation world. As long as our sect offers enough benefits, what can't be done?" Yellow Dragon said with a curl of his lip.

Then, he turned his head and shouted toward a nearby grove:

"Come on out! Everyone, come and get a look at our dashing and handsome Young Sect Leader Lin, the great Senior Brother Lin!"

"Hehe! Little Sister has long heard of Senior Brother Lin's great reputation. It's a pity I joined the sect too late to have met you in person!"

"Hmph! 'Senior Brother Lin'? Now he's just a homeless dog!"

A delicate, coquettish female voice and the gruff, jealous tone of a man came from the woods. Then, a man and a woman emerged, walking side by side.

"Allow me to introduce you, Senior Brother. These two are our sect's newly appointed Dharma Protectors. They are..." Yellow Dragon was about to gleefully mock the Senior Brother who had always been one step ahead of him.

But before he could finish, Senior Brother Lin, realizing he had fallen into a trap, suddenly spun around. His hands flew about in a frantic, chaotic motion, casting out a large swath of black dots flashing with various colors. They landed on the ground around his sides.

In an instant, countless lights began to flicker and flash across the ground. Then, a host of fully armed puppet soldiers grew from small to large, appearing all around him. There were a full two hundred of them, an awe-inspiring sight.

"Watch out! His Great衍 Decision has actually reached the third layer, allowing him to command this many puppets! Everyone, make sure to tie him down and don't let him escape! Once the poison in his body takes full effect, even with his heaven-defying skills, he'll only be able to sit tight and wait for capture." After saying this, Yellow Dragon commanded his own puppets to attack.

The man and the woman exchanged a glance, then released over two hundred of their own puppet beasts, all of them charging forward together.

And so, a truly unique puppet war began. Multicolored arrows of light and beams of light shot back and forth relentlessly. At the same time, large numbers of armed soldier puppets and mechanical beasts at the front lines were locked in close-quarters combat. Han Li, watching from the sky, was stunned into a dumbfounded silence.

Although he hadn't fully grasped what was happening, he had formed a vague, seven or eight-tenths understanding.

That Senior Brother Lin, before he ever joined Yellow Maple Valley, was originally a member of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, and apparently even the son of their sect leader! But clearly, he had lost his power and had been hiding out at Yellow Maple Valley ever since. Now, because he was still scheming to get his hands on some Great衍 Decision, the new sect leader had, in a fit of rage, sent his former sect brothers to hunt him down and wipe him out.

Once Han Li had pieced together this chain of events, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Then, looking down at the fierce battle raging below, he knew this was definitely not a major battle where he, a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator, could wade in to fish for a profit. It was better to make a timely escape, lest he be inadvertently caught up in the crossfire.

Having figured out the pros and cons, Han Li immediately withdrew the Green Fire Corpse Mist. Then, he fully activated the Divine Wind Boat beneath his feet, instantly transforming into a long white rainbow as it tore through the sky and vanished.

Han Li's movements were too conspicuous this time, naturally not escaping the notice of the four people locked in fierce battle below. They were all greatly startled, and couldn't help but slow down their own fight.

None of them had expected that someone else had been secretly watching their conversation the whole time. It seemed quite a few secrets had been overheard. But seeing that Han Li had wisely fled far away and was not an ally of their enemy, the four of them exchanged a glance and, without further words, plunged back into their conflict.

(Hehe! Continuing to beg for monthly votes!)