The Wolf-Headed Puppet

Han Li and his group were currently walking through a place resembling a labyrinth.

Crisscrossing paths of green stone, tall, solid, and thick walls, and at every cross-shaped intersection, there stood a stone door carved with strange runes.

These doors were uniform in appearance, about ten zhang wide and long, perfectly square. Some faced south, some north, and others opened to the east or west, seemingly without any discernible pattern. However, all of them glimmered faintly with white light, a clear sign that some kind of restriction had been placed upon them.

Although the cross-shaped intersections appeared only after they had traveled a considerable distance, Han Li estimated that he had already seen seven or eight such stone doors. This did not even account for the doors on the other paths that ran parallel to their own.

The number of doors was indeed considerable.

As they passed yet another intersection, one such stone door stood directly before them.

Han Li's expression shifted slightly.

This door was somewhat different from the previous ones. Though it bore the same embossed runes and decorations, it was dull and completely devoid of light, as if its restriction had already been broken.

Han Li gave it a few more intrigued glances.

“Junior Han, that stone chamber has already been looted. What’s there to see?” Wu Chou said from beside him, his demeanor unexpectedly warm and familiar. “If it weren’t for the fact that each person can only open one stone door using their fragment of the Void Heaven Map, and that once you enter, you can’t come back out—whether you succeed or fail—and that successful treasure hunters are immediately teleported outside the Void Heaven Palace, I’d be tempted to try my luck at one of these doors myself. After all, for us Core Formation cultivators, we can only hope to obtain treasures from the first floor. Entering the higher floors would be little different from suicide.”

“Junior Brother Han?”

Hearing this form of address from Wu Chou's mouth once again, Han Li felt a wave of discomfort, though he knew it was not the first time.

Fortunately, his composure was exceptional. His face betrayed nothing as he replied with a smile, “Then why not pick a door and enter for some treasure, Brother Wu? Otherwise, wouldn’t this rare opportunity be wasted once we reach the second floor and above?”

“Hah! I’d like nothing more. But my ancestor has long instructed me to stay by his side throughout this expedition. He said he might still have use for me,” Wu Chou said, staring at the stone door with a flicker of reluctant greed in his eyes.

Han Li smiled faintly at this, letting his gaze sweep over the door before moving on. But he committed the information to memory: once inside, a successful treasure hunt would result in being teleported out.

Who knew if he might one day use this method to escape?

The group was about to pass through the intersection and enter the green stone path ahead.

But just then, a dull, heavy thud echoed from the opposite direction. The sound came again, one after another, as if some massive thing was slowly approaching.

Extreme Yin Patriarch and Qing Yi Layman’s expressions shifted slightly. They halted, staring intently into the passage ahead, their eyes full of caution.

Man Brutal Beard, upon hearing the sound, let out a quiet chuckle, a hint of excitement flashing across his face. In the next instant, a layer of gleaming golden scales appeared across his body as he activated the Heavenly Devil Arts.

This was Han Li’s first time seeing the peculiar appearance of the Heavenly Devil Arts up close, and he couldn't help but cast a curious glance at Man Brutal Beard.

Man Brutal Beard, however, sensed Han Li’s scrutiny with unsettling sharpness. He turned his head and gave Han Li a ferocious grin. Combined with the tiny scales covering his face, the smile was terrifying.

Han Li’s heart skipped a beat. He had no idea what the man intended, but he managed to force a weak smile in return.

Fortunately, Man Brutal Beard turned back after that single glance.

The heavy footsteps drew nearer, as if they were now only twenty or thirty zhang away.

But the passage ahead was pitch black. Han Li could not make out a thing. It was clear that some restrictions within the inner hall still limited the cultivators’ spiritual sense to a certain degree.

However, Han Li noticed that the old monsters like Extreme Yin Patriarch had a cold light flashing in their eyes, as if they had seen something.

Before Extreme Yin Patriarch or the Confucian-robed elder could act, Man Brutal Beard let out a low roar and transformed into a streak of golden light, flying straight into the passage.

A series of “whoosh-whoosh” sounds of fists and feet landing followed, accompanied by a piercingly harsh screeching like metal scraping against metal.

Extreme Yin Patriarch and the Confucian-robed elder exchanged a glance of surprise.

As Han Li was feeling puzzled, a thunderous "BOOM" echoed, followed by a crisp, splintering sound, as if something had shattered into pieces.

A thought flickered through Han Li’s mind.

Silence fell from the other side. Then, Man Brutal Beard’s wild laughter erupted, filled with unrestrained pleasure.

“Let’s go. It’s nothing now. I’d almost forgotten—our cultivation is no longer what it was three hundred years ago. These first-floor guardians are no longer a threat to us,” Extreme Yin Patriarch said, as if recalling something, letting out a soft, dismissive laugh.

“Indeed. This old man had nearly forgotten as well. The last time I came here, I had only just entered the Nascent Soul stage, and that thing left quite an impression on me. Brother Man’s Heavenly Devil Arts are perfectly suited to deal with them. Otherwise, even we would have had to use some effort to handle them,” the Confucian-robed elder added with a relieved chuckle.

The two then led the way forward. Han Li and Wu Chou followed out of curiosity, while the usually expressionless Profound Bone brought up the rear, a faint sneer of disdain on his face, moving unhurriedly.

After traveling just over ten zhang, Han Li saw Man Brutal Beard standing with his hands behind his back. At his feet lay a pile of shimmering silver fragments.

“Not bad. That was a decent warm-up. This Void Heaven Palace is finally getting interesting! Though, it doesn’t seem as formidable as the rumors made it out to be,” Man Brutal Beard said casually, cracking his neck as he saw Extreme Yin and the others approaching.

“That is only because Brother Man’s Heavenly Devil Arts are exceptionally sharp. Other cultivators would have found it quite troublesome to use their magic treasures in such a narrow space,” the Confucian-robed elder replied with a flattering smile.

Hearing the flattery, Man Brutal Beard just chuckled without further comment.

The golden scales on his body were rapidly receding. He then walked ahead with an indifferent air, as if the skirmish had not been nearly enough to satisfy him.

Extreme Yin Patriarch and the Confucian-robed elder exchanged a knowing glance and a smile. Since Man Brutal Beard was willing to clear the path for them, they were naturally more than happy to follow in silence.

As they passed the pile of silver scraps, Han Li stopped and bent down to examine them closely.

“Puppet mechanisms!” It was exactly what he had suspected. But what grade was this puppet? It had actually managed to exchange blows with a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator for a while without being instantly destroyed. Han Li was inwardly shocked.

The ground was littered with broken fragments of an unknown, silver-white metal. In addition, there was a half-shattered golden wolf’s head, several pitch-black, dull blade shards, and a scattering of other odd items.

“Don’t bother looking. Those materials are indeed extremely rare, but they can’t be refined into magic treasures. Others have already tried,” the Profound Bone said indifferently as he passed by Han Li, not even turning his head.

Han Li was taken aback for a moment, but he pretended not to have heard, continuing to stare intently at the ground.

His gaze settled on a gleaming, emerald-green gem. It flickered, emitting an intensely cold aura that gave him a very unsettling feeling.

After a moment of deliberation, Han Li swiftly swept all the debris into his storage pouch before catching up with the group ahead.

Han Li’s reasoning was simple: even if the materials were truly useless, the design and refinement techniques of the puppet would allow him to understand the craftsmanship and characteristics of ancient cultivators’ puppetry.

After all, the highest tier of the Puppet Daoist Canon he possessed—the fourth-grade puppet—was only equivalent to a half-Foundation cultivator at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage. The giant tiger puppet beast he had seen before, which consumed a mid-grade spirit stone with every full-power strike, was an example of that level.

But this golden wolf-headed puppet’s strength clearly surpassed that of an early Core Formation cultivator. Although Man Brutal Beard had fought it without using any powerful magic treasures, almost playfully, the fact that Extreme Yin Patriarch and the Confucian-robed elder took it so seriously demonstrated its extraordinary nature.

Such a fine specimen was something Han Li naturally wanted to study for any insights it might offer.

Moreover, judging by the current situation, he was certain he would have no chance to enter any stone doors for treasure. He could clearly sense that the three Nascent Soul old monsters, though walking ahead, had him under constant spiritual surveillance. Trying to slip away mid-journey or suddenly dash into one of the stone doors was nothing but a fantasy.

And given Han Li’s personality, entering a treasure ground and leaving empty-handed was a bitter pill to swallow.

These broken puppet parts would have to serve as a small consolation for his journey into the inner hall.

As for the Void Heaven Cauldron treasure, Han Li was self-aware enough to hold no illusions about it.