Heart Survey

Chapter 2786 Empty Bottle
Can I... survive?

In Xi Xiangyi's mind, all sorts of whimsical ideas about mechanisms had not yet dissipated, and her current thoughts, like rusty iron gears, were turning with difficulty.

What happened to the play...?

My home...

Finally, there's that line—"Make tools for me."

As if struck by lightning, a jolt resounded from within her bones. Xi Xiangyi abruptly raised her head, her short hair billowing up as if it were sweat or tears: "No!"

She objected loudly.

It was as if only a desperate shout could express her resistance: "True creation cannot be born in a cage. I will never make tools for you; I will only create for the sake of free inspiration!"

The "Ju" in "Jucheng" also means "rule" or "standard".

In that city as hard as iron, she created while wearing shackles, repeating those tedious mechanical knowledge under omnipresent discipline and within visible barriers, until she knew them all by heart.

The antiquarian faction banished her from Jucheng and instead released her into the forest.

In this turbulent world, she saw the brilliance of the stars. In this demon land where war raged day and night, she saw the flames of civilization.

After arriving in the Divine Firmament World, she truly experienced the wonders of the heavens and gained new insights from all things. Every day, she was born with new inspiration and had the freedom to express it without limit.

Yes. She resisted it, both physically and mentally; the creation of puppet art should not follow the commands of others. She could never put her creations back into a cage.

With a snap of his fingers, Shu Xiulang choked the tomboy with her face painted with greasepaint, leaving her suspended in mid-air. Her scream was choked in her throat, and the greasepaint on her face became somewhat blurred.

All of this was done even from behind a control room!

This is her inspiration hut, her armory, and also her meticulously designed fortress. Yet, faced with overwhelming power, it offers her no protection whatsoever.

"What exactly is this so-called inspiration of freedom that you speak of?"

"In this world where power defines everything, how can you be sure that what you see and hear is not written by those in power?"

"Then are the feelings granted to you by others also your freedom?"

A cold sneer appeared on Shu Xiulang's lips: "A little girl living under the wings of others, possessing top-tier inheritance, supported by the times... Humans plunder all the heavens, but whose family does yours plunder! Born with everything, still innocent and ignorant in the blood-soaked world of Shenxiao, and you still talk about freedom?"

He stood in the backyard paved with bluestone, feeling the unease and fragility of the entire Qingrui City, and focused his gaze on Xi Xiangyi's small face.

"You are truly free if you bear no responsibility!"

He covered the area with his hand, and Xi Xiangyi was slammed to the ground with a loud thud. The one who created the puppet was also manipulated at will, just like the puppet itself.

The scattered mechanical parts were creations made by Xi Xiangyi halfway through the play. Her petite body was overwhelmed by the groans of her bones. But the pain in her body numbed her; she curled up, twisted, yet resisted blankly, almost instinctively: "I won't... I absolutely won't agree!"

"Tsk—" Shushulang shook his head coldly: "Your resistance makes your soul shine. But is this ignorant determination because you have never felt pain?"

"She is clearly a cute girl with beautiful features, but she has her face covered in makeup and her clothes are mismatched."

"Your life is truly tragic."

Has no one ever taught you how to dress yourself?

With a flick of his wrist, amidst the sparks, he extinguished the layers of mechanisms in the control room that were about to explode, and retrieved Xi Xiangyi from the room, like taking a fragile ceramic figurine from a semi-transparent box—

"Come, let me do your hair!"

He wanted to apply rouge to the girl, shape her short, androgynous eyebrows into willow-leaf shapes, and paste floral powder on her forehead. He wanted to dress her in a pretty dress and grow her short hair long.

He knew what beauty was. Even clay figurines were subject to his embellishment.

But then there was a fire.

A blazing fire, as hot as boiling water, erupted in front of Shuro.

The rapidly rising temperature distorted even the space itself. Xi Xiangyi's face, almost suffocating, became indistinct in the distorted space, pushed far away.

Shu Xiulang lowered his eyes slightly.

The riddled corpse lying at his feet emitted black flames from every wound and blood hole!
In his demonic eyes—the black flames were not just fire, but clearly countless black ants, like geothermal energy surging from a parched mountain, bursting out of the ruins and tumbling together into a raging black inferno.

They were all black ants!
A creation of the Mohist school capable of swallowing gold and chewing iron, devouring vital energy and consuming power!

The black ant's mouthparts resonated with a cold sound—

"Xiangyi is only true to herself. Her inspiration is free, and so is her beauty."

"Whether it's heavy makeup or light makeup."

"Always suitable!"

"You don't need to do her hair and makeup, and you don't need to be so self-righteous and boss her around!"

Countless black ants bit and devoured each other, coalescing into a clear human figure, which shakily rose atop the mangled body. A flash of black light, and it instantly returned to its former form.

He raised his hand and slashed, cutting off the distant shackles, allowing Xi Xiangyi, whom he had pushed away, to recover and breathe deeply.

He stared directly at Shushurou, his gaze icy, like a frost-covered blade: "How long have you been manipulated to become so eager to manipulate others? All things in nature are precious because of their freedom; no one is an extension of your will. You only recognize pain when you live in suffering. You must be the kind of person you despise most!"

In an instant, a swarm of ants covered the sky!
The endless black tide, like a long cloak of destiny, billowed at him. One ant devours the essence, a hundred ants devour the void, millions of ants, extinguishing all traces of life.

Suddenly, darkness fell inside the theater.

Although the long night has not yet arrived, the world has already turned upside down within the room.

Secret Technique: Reversing Heaven and Earth.

Unlike traditional Taoist techniques, this art does not rely on Taoist energy. Instead, it uses ink ants as the basis for its execution. By leveraging the ink ants' ability to devour energy, it objectively alters the surrounding space—like biting a round cake into different shapes.

Whirring whirring!

Xi Xiangyi, constantly pushed further away, gasped for breath.

Only when she saw Xi Ming stand up again did she come to her senses. When that dazed state shattered, she understood what kind of pain had caused her initial difficulty breathing.

Only then did I see my own heart and understand why I so stubbornly and loudly said no to the phrase "make tools for me".

I thought that was the part I couldn't accept the most, which is why I instinctively resisted it.

What we really can't accept are those things that our instincts have already made us avoid thinking about!
She couldn't accept Xi Ming's death.

I can't accept losing this "home".

She couldn't accept such a hasty farewell, and she couldn't bear to touch that kind of pain; all she could do was shout for freedom.

The play's fate, rising from the corpse, rekindles this feeling.

Are you blind...?

In the darkened courtyard, the Rat Shower shone with a luminous glow. His cold eyes gazed down as he raised his palm like a blade, slicing through the ant swarm: "You couldn't even tell I was a demon? I am a noble born of heaven and earth, not some lowly creation like you."

The blade flashed like lightning, and the ant swarm surged endlessly. One wave was wiped out, and another crashed in.

Xi Ming also rode the ant swarm closer, his hand wielding an ink blade formed from the ink ants, unleashing a surge of ink like a spreading tidal wave to meet the attack head-on—

[Hurry! Head to Botou City, then turn onto Central Heavenly Realm!]

The hidden thoughts carried by the ink ant are like a wave pushing the playful scene far away.

Xi Ming himself stood in front of Shu Xiulang, his long, ink-black cloak trying to conceal everything behind him: "What's the difference between demons and humans? The painful experiences are the same, and the vicious nature is always the same!"

"What is despicable about you is your ugly appearance, not because you are in the mud."

"Kill me openly and honestly!"

"What kind of skill is it to humiliate the weak?!"

Unlike any other mechanic at the moment, Xi Ming actually used the Ink Ant as the foundation of his mechanical arts! He used it as a puppet and used it to perform magic.

This is a change in the system, not just a difference in secret techniques. Just like the difference between immortal techniques and Taoist techniques, it is a creative use of techniques as the basis for casting spells.

But Shurou didn't care about that.

The human race has created too much already; the geniuses of the human race have long since taken them from shock to despair and then to numbness.

What he cared about was the struggle against fate itself.

Actually, I admire it.

He could certainly see one person's sacrifice for another, and understand for whom the courage to risk one's life was ignited.

But the brave warriors of the human race are the greatest enemies of the demon race. Similar stories happen every day, and the same tragedies are constantly repeated among the demon race. His pity should not be extended to other races.

Moreover, he awakened in the Golden Universe of Yuzhou... This news must not be leaked.

At least not before he kills Gong Weizhang.

"Yes, we're all pretty much the same..."

Shu Xiulang's eyes darkened slightly as he clenched his fist: "I will not torture you—this is my last act of respect."

He threw a straight punch from the ground!
One punch shattered the ink-stained sword, another punch pierced the heart of the playwright.

After his fist passed through Xi Ming's body, it also pierced through the ant swarm, splitting his fingers into claws, aiming to retrieve Xi Xiangyi, who had already been pushed away!

But his arm remained stiff.

His arm was clamped for a split second!
He had precisely controlled his power, which should have allowed him to perfectly crush his opponent without wasting a single bit of his strength.

The character, whose life had been shattered by his punch, was still alive. He held onto the huge hole in the character's chest and abdomen, clamping down on him with both hands!
The human remains hanging on his arm, the so-called golden body and jade marrow, actually unleashed a higher level of power... far surpassing the power of a god descending, discerning the essence of the world, and the power of the True Realm!

This power erupted so suddenly, like a wildfire that caught everyone off guard. Had it not been for the fact that Rat Xiulang was a great sage who had once stood atop the heavens, he would have been nearly swept away.

A strange light finally appeared in Shu Xiulang's beautiful, bewitching eyes: "In the information I've gathered, the one who runs the 'theater' is Shen Lin."

"In my perception, you are merely a divine presence."

"Just now, I clearly sensed that you were dead, yet you were still able to stand up. It's so strange."

His arm withdrew from Xi Ming's chest and suddenly gripped the man's neck: "What exactly are you... that you can deceive my senses?"

A wisp of eerie white flame darted through the sea of ​​ants, obliterating large swaths of black.

The dense swarms of black ants are not ultimately endless.

The culmination of years of accumulated experience was wiped out in a single breath. The tide of ink receded!

Xi Xiangyi, whose life had been quietly pushed away by the tide of ink, had not yet left the mansion.

A complete and utter suppression, giving them absolutely no chance.

Xi Ming was held aloft, all his backup plans extinguished, rendering him immobile. Yet he still stared intently at Shu Xiulang: "You want to know my secret? This is the core secret of the Mo family, which has been kept hidden for hundreds of thousands of years! Release my sister, and I will satisfy you."

"What an extraordinary secret that would be found in a Mohist outcast like you? I'm curious, but I'll find the answer myself after I kill you." Shu Xiulang's hands slowly closed, as if grasping sand.

He held the reins of his lifespan, watching it slip away like sand through the air. He wanted to uncover the secret behind why his character, who should have died, hadn't!
At that very moment, the gate, engraved with dragons, phoenixes, and auspicious beasts, burst open with a roar.

The two characters "Xi Fu" (戏府), woven from blue puppet threads, now flashed red, issuing a glaring warning! The phoenix's cry also sharpened—

"Unwelcome guest! Unwelcome guest!"

A squad of armored soldiers filed in, quickly taking up key positions in the front yard and maintaining their formation as they advanced into the inner yard.

The leading captain shouted, "I am Luan Ji, the flag-bearing captain of the Hongwu Army. I have been ordered by the Embroidered-Robe General to quell the banditry in Qingrui City and ensure the safety of the human race in the neutral territory of Shenxiao. Boss Xi! How are you?"

Both the human race and the Allied Forces of the Heavens operate in neutral zones and generally respect the sovereignty of the native inhabitants of Shenxiao, avoiding unnecessary bloodshed. This is also the basis for the Xi family siblings' business here.

Luan Ji was a lean man, his grip on the knife steady and his voice strong. Behind him were fifty men, all elite Jingling warriors... an absolutely elite squad.

Gong Weizhang left behind this force, ostensibly to quell the banditry in Qingrui City, but in reality, it served as a warning. It was both a warning to Jiang Zhaoyuan on Yuchan Mountain to stop his irrelevant actions and a warning to Xi Ming to leave when it was time to leave.

At this moment, it becomes the force that breaks the deadlock.

Xi Ming had no idea who this peerless demon in the mansion was.

However, since the other party has sneaked into Qingrui City, they must have ulterior motives. We must find a way to hide ourselves.

If you make a scene, the other party will have no choice but to retreat.

And that's the opportunity for Xi Xiangyi to escape!
Therefore, while fighting against his opponents, he directed the black ants to devour the key energy nodes within the mansion, causing the entire complex to become disconnected, thus triggering the final alarm at the mansion's gate.

Luan Ji, who remained there, possessed the decisiveness typical of Jing soldiers. Upon noticing the change in the Xi residence, he immediately broke down the door and entered.

Shu Xiulang turned his head to the side, a flash of red light in his eyes—

Demonic Magic: Bloodlust!

"What is this! Ugh... Ah!" The armored warrior who had first plunged into the inner courtyard with his large shield raised high suddenly felt his blood surge, easily piercing through flesh and skin, and breaking through his armor. He was suspended in the air, like a blood-red spiky ball growing there!
The sound of blood splattering was incessant.

The fifty elite Jing soldiers who charged into the inner courtyard in battle formation, along with their leader Luan Ji, were all pierced by their own blood and suspended in the air!

Luan Ji wasn't dead yet. Shu Xiulang looked at him coldly: "Luan Ji?"

"The flag bearer is a third-level lieutenant, already at the threshold of a general, but your military skills are truly disappointing. Didn't your superior teach you not to make decisions on your own when faced with unexpected events beyond your capabilities?"

“I gave you plenty of chances, trying to only demonstrate the power of the Cave True level and buy you as much time as possible. I was waiting for you to go back and report, so I could invite your general to come—but you just led your men in and rushed in yourself.”

"What am I supposed to do? Letting you go would be too deliberate. How am I supposed to catch any more bloodfish now?"

Xi Ming's heart plummeted.

Seeing his brothers, with whom he had spent every day, die tragically in an instant, Luan Ji's eyes were bloodshot: "You've been routed on the main battlefield, so all you can do is resort to these petty tricks! You, a dignified expert, are killing common soldiers. You won't have a good end. For every Jing person, a hundred demons will be buried with you!"

Shu Xiulang was waiting for him to come up with a false message to trick Gong Weizhang, but the little flag bearer's eyes seemed to be filled only with hatred.

“Those who serve in the military have a responsibility. You led so many men to die in Qingrui City, don’t you plan to send back even a single piece of information?” Shu Xiulang reminded him.

"Compared to my limited knowledge and experience, my death in battle is a clearer answer." Luan Ji shouted angrily, "Great Jing will surely win!"

Gaba!

The gushing blood coalesced into sharp spikes, piercing his head, yet also supporting his neck. This caused his head to tilt to the side, like a large fruit hanging on a tree.

After he died completely, Shushu said, "I acknowledge your loyalty and bravery. It's alright, your general, I will go to see him."

The courtyard was filled with blood-red thorns, and the opera house used red as a new feature.

Shu Xiulang's hand was still slowly closing. Although his current target was Gong Weizhang, his interest in Ximing was also very strong at this moment.

The pursuit of knowledge is the ladder to strength. On a smaller scale, expanding one's horizons is related to one's own future. On a larger scale, a completely new path can enrich the foundation of the demon race.

"I'll make you something!" With her face covered in paint, looking like a little kitten, she cried out in a tearful voice.

She was sent away by the playboy, then captured by the rat-like Xiu Lang, sent away again, captured again... She was too weak to make her own decisions.

She never had any freedom.

From a young age, she was confined to a small room with only thick books, like bricks, forming high walls in her memory. As she turned the pages, she slowly grew up.

But even when you grow up, you're just confined to a huge city.

That mission with [Ming Gui] was actually her first time traveling far from home. Like a little sparrow released from its cage, she accompanied Old Man Tie as they brought a proud phoenix back into its cage.

This mission changed my life forever.

Besides Xi Ming and Qian Jinhua, the master craftsman Tie Tuisi was the person who accompanied her the most.

Later, Qian Juzi died, and Tie Laotou committed suicide.

Her world is simple, but she is not stupid.

The reason she was free after leaving Jucheng was because Ximing did his best to spread her wings!

Now she was like a caged bird, pitifully imprisoned in the air. An invisible force suppressed her feeble resistance. She didn't feel sorry for herself; she only felt a clenching pain in her heart when she saw the huge hole in Xi Ming's abdomen.

The one being choked is Xi Ming, but the one who can't breathe is her!
She didn't understand this complicated feeling.

But she was willing to surrender her freedom, willing to give up her spirituality; she could stifle her own creativity. From then on, she was confined to the puppet strings, creating works within a mold.

“I can make things for you…” she sobbed, “lots of squirrels. No…no…”

Shu Xiulang looked at her silently.

The little girl didn't seem to understand that making her obey and control the weapon wasn't the point at all; it was just a convenient excuse to buy time for Gong Weizhang to arrive.

But it was precisely because she couldn't even grasp the key points that her determination moved him.

Those relatives who died one by one to protect him, their faces crying and laughing while trying to appear calm, their sincerity, just like today... brought tears to his eyes.

But what to do?

He laughed: "What am I going to do... I'm just as vicious now. The playboy was right, I've become the kind of person I hate the most."

His smile faded little by little as he looked at Xi Xiangyi: "I can let you go, I can send you back to the Demon Realm, let you make artifacts or not, give you limited freedom... but I cannot let him go. I'm sorry."

The secrets hidden within Xi Ming are something he must uncover. This is his responsibility as the pinnacle of the demon race!
His five fingers clenched tightly!

Tell me how you died... and how you lived!

“…Ugh!” Xi Ming struggled desperately in Shu Xiulang’s palm. His struggle was not an attack, but a look back—he seemed to want to see Xi Xiangyi one last time.

The slender fingers then came together.

Snapped!
The madman's entire head exploded. The headless corpse fell, the severed head falling like a firecracker.

Shu Xiulang's pupils contracted slightly: "What is this?"

The skull was shattered into four pieces, and brain matter splattered everywhere.

The pia mater, which encloses the brain and is covered with a dense network of intricate blood vessels,... when unfolded, looks like a bloated sheet of paper.

There were words on it!
It says on it—

"The Limits of True Understanding".

These four characters for "Dao" are ancient and unadorned, possessing an ineffable Daoist charm.

But it was clearly a rubbing, not a handwritten copy.

Who left these words deep within the skull of the playboy? What exactly is this playboy?
Sizzle!
The soft cerebral membrane, which resembled a bloated sheet of paper imprinted with the character "Dao," was torn open in mid-air.

Click, click, click!
Click, click, click!

The headless corpse that fell from Shuro's palm emitted a continuous, gear-like sound. A powerful and vibrant aura suddenly arose.

The free energy in the air frantically gathered towards this mutilated body.

The mangled body landed firmly on the blue bricks. At that moment, all the countless mechanical contraptions in the courtyard went dark.

Only the torso of this mutilated body shone with intense light, and metallic wing-like strands rose from the spine, quickly weaving into the shape of a head. Then the light solidified, forming the skull opening and the clearly defined facial features of the villain.

The theater fell into absolute silence at this moment, but the new destiny of the theater shone brightly.

Xi Xiangyi stared blankly at this scene.

She recognized all these things in front of her: the Spirit Pivot, the Spine Conch, the Winged String, the Mystic Puppet...

But this kind of acting role felt so unfamiliar to her!

"A puppet! You're a puppet!"

Shu Xiulang exclaimed in surprise, "So the Mo family's plan to awaken the gods involved more than just creating three Dongzhen statues!"

"Your statue is more spiritual than the others! What about [Heavenly Will] and [Bright Ghost]...?"

He paused, then continued, "Speaking of which, no one has ever actually seen [Non-Fate]. The Mohist school has never concealed the existence of this puppet, but according to our intelligence, it has always remained deep within Jucheng, never truly unleashed. It is said that this is for the sake of 'Non-Fate's' spirit—it will not appear unless faced with unforeseen circumstances, nor unless the sect faces imminent danger—"

"Yes, I am 'Unlucky'."

Xi Ming's eyebrows were like cold knives as he stared directly at Shu Xiulang. At this moment, his aura surged rapidly: "The highest achievement of mechanical arts, the third one left behind by the Enlightenment Project."

"No, as one of the managers of the Thousand Machine Tower, you have a clear career path. From the Inner Palace to the Outer Tower and then to the Divine Descent, there are clear milestones that many people have witnessed."

Shushulang shook his head incredulously: "A living puppet with the potential to grow?"

At this moment, he realized that the cause and effect that the Divine Firmament Great World was reminding him of might not lie with Gong Weizhang, but was right before his eyes!

Perhaps this is why he fell here, and why the Xi siblings moved into this house and made it their home... The true will of Heaven is like a knife!

"I am the third puppet in the Awakening Project. I don't truly possess growth potential; rather, I have five forms." The Felix quickly reconstructed himself. "You are very cautious. Even when dealing with a mere Felix, you gather sufficient intelligence before taking action..."

"But even after searching every possible peak of the demon race that might have sneaked into Shenxiao, there is no information about you. I have no idea which one you are."

"Perhaps it's because I'm just a puppet."

His voice held a hint of regret: "I can only exhaust the known information and lock in the definite results, but I cannot obtain unknown inspiration. You must be in those 'impossibilities'."

“But this is Shenxiao, a world with infinite possibilities,” said Shu Xiulang.

“Yes… infinite possibilities.” Xi Ming murmured repeatedly, seemingly trapped in some kind of cognitive dilemma.

Shu Xiulang observed the subtle changes in the puppet body: "I am a pinnacle reconstructed from the Divine Firmament World, confined to this place for life; to leave would mean falling from grace. Let's exchange answers! Since you are merely a puppet, then where do these spells based on ink ants come from?"

"It's not that great, not enough to form a new system of ink techniques. It's just a new set of techniques deliberately left behind by the creator, imprinted in my Divine Heaven Kingdom, to cover up my untruth," Xi Ming said.

Shurou realized that what he said was not a lie, and his sense of crisis was slightly relieved: "So... what are your five forms?"

“As you know, the Inner Palace, the Outer Tower, the Divine Descent, the Cave of Truth, and…” Xi Ming’s eyes suddenly shone brightly; at this moment, he seemed to have broken free from a long-standing constraint—

"This unfinished pinnacle!"

His body began to disintegrate as he took flight, falling piece by piece like ashes.

But his power was so surging, it was the real pinnacle, and he exchanged blows with Rat Shurou, not retreating an inch!
It is said that Qian Jinhua's fatal leap led to the creation of the Mohist's ultimate puppet. The Mohist school, through this merit, gained tacit approval from all sides and secured a position as a Yama, the King of Hell.

Only now has it become known that Rao Xiansun's plan to awaken the gods did not completely fail. At least this being named "Non-Fate" was able to experience a brief burst of power at its peak during its self-destruction!

At this moment, the entire theater was encircled by a circle, and within it, it was like the primordial chaos of the universe's evolution, with the two supreme beings unleashing their power without restraint.

Especially Xi Ming, who only attacks and never defends, every punch aimed at mutual destruction.

The blue bricks on the ground turned to dust, and then the dust disappeared.

The entire theater had been leveled, leaving the battlefield between the two masters as a smooth, round expanse.

If it weren't for Shu Xiulang's intention to consolidate his power, Xi Ming wouldn't have dared to involve Xi Xiangyi; the two had a tacit understanding that they were bound by a life-or-death agreement. The entire Shuangyun County could not exist, and Jinzhou Yuzhou might even be sunk—

This is still the result of the Shenxiao Great World's repeated leaps forward.

After the wind swept away the clouds, Shu Xiulang still stood proudly in the same spot.

The actor, who had already lost an arm, unleashed three punches in quick succession—

Fate has its limits! Despair is inevitable! A desperate gamble!

All three styles originate from the Mo family's Great Perfection Boxing Technique – "Tianyan Boxing".

It is said to "exhaust computing power and explore the wonders of nature".

It is to deduce to the limit that calculations can reach, and to sublimate to the ultimate extent that mechanisms can achieve.

Apart from Shu Weijun, whose skill is described as "divine," no one has ever been able to unleash these three punches to perfection.

Even Shu Weijun had shortcomings in the "calculation of the ultimate" technique.

It turns out that this is a fist technique specifically created for top-tier puppets.

Only true creations of nature can interpret such a style of boxing.

Shu Xiulang coughed up a mouthful of blood!
But he simply raised his hand and gently wiped it away.

"It is indeed just a puppet. Although it far surpasses the performance of [Ming Gui] at the Dongzhen level and demonstrates supreme power in a conventional manner, it ultimately lacks sufficient creativity and cannot evolve to the true perfection of the transcendent end."

He sighed pessimistically, "You can fight me to this extent, Rao Xiansun makes me fearful... He is a great creator, the greatest mechanical master in history!"

He, Shu Xiulang, is a Great Sage of the Demon Clan! The strongest being in all the realms.

But the play is just a puppet; the person who created him has been dead for hundreds of years.

These two beings are actually rivals, fighting to this extent in some corner of the Divine Firmament World.

How can we possibly defeat such a human race?
Rao Xiansun was not particularly outstanding among the human race.

Following in his footsteps and single-handedly saving the Mohist school, Qian Jinhua later created the ultimate puppet... What kind of strength does the [Non-Aggression] Puppet Lord, who established a god in the underworld, possess?
boom!
Xi Ming's arms were both severed, and his lower body was also gone. Only half of his body was blasted away and fell in front of Xi Xiangyi.

Shushurou flicked his sleeve lightly and stepped forward: "Little girl, I promised not to kill you, but I must take you and this puppet back. I'm sorry—"

brush!
A lightning-fast blade of light exploded across the sky.

The newcomer made no attempt to conceal his power; with this single strike, he cleaved the entire Qingrui City in two.

The blade cleaved through the city walls without harming any living beings within. It cleaved towards the Xi Mansion before suddenly solidifying—entering the battlefield of two unparalleled masters. The blade light poured down like a celestial waterfall, covering Shu Xiulang's entire body.

He suddenly stopped and pushed back with a palm strike.

The snowflakes fell backward, only then outlining the figure of the valiant general in the air.

Gong Weizhang, the Embroidered-Robe General of the Great Jing Empire!
With a casual slash, he cut open the restraints on Xi Xiangyi's body and looked up at Shu Xiulang opposite him.

"I'm used to hearing humans say 'sorry.' I can listen to the reflections of humans as victors, but I can't stand the sudden outpouring of pity from other races."

Gong Weizhang raised the dagger, his eyes sharp and cold: "So it's you... Rat Xiulang!"

Shu Xiulang shifted his gaze from Xi Xiangyi to the incomparably sharp young man: "You recognize me?"

All of this happened too smoothly.

Having just glimpsed the secrets of the Mohist school, captured the extremely valuable puppet "Feiming," and seized the mechanical genius Xi Xiangyi, they now awaited the arrival of Gong Weizhang in person.

The backlash from the death of Yao Zhen, the Divine Lord, is already clearly manifesting. The will of the Divine Firmament is biased!

Of course, if Yao Zhen God Lord were still alive, the demon race could do even more.

Gong Weizhang said coldly, "If I can't even recognize all the top experts of the demon race who have already gone into battle, I am not worthy to manage Shenxiao."

His men wiped out an entire banner in an instant. As the commander of the Jing army in Frostcloud City, how could he not go?

Of course, his initial expected opponent was Niannu Xing, the true king of the sea tribe.

Whether he kills this true king of the sea race on his way back from Taiping Mountain or in Qingrui City, it makes no difference.

He had originally intended to use the magical artifact of the cave to sneak in and achieve his goal in one fell swoop. However, after discovering that his target's strength far exceeded that of a true cultivator, he did not plan to make a move.

But Xi Ming actually displays his supreme combat power here, and he himself is a puppet!
The immense secrets of the Mo family hidden within the Xi siblings must not fall into the hands of the demon race.

Therefore, he had no choice but to draw his sword and step forward.

Of course, the relevant request for help had already been sent out, but given the current stable standoff between the two realms, the top experts on both sides were not as easily mobilized as they were in the early stages of the war, and any move would have far-reaching consequences... He needed to buy some time.

Shu Xiulang stepped forward, his eyes turning cold: "A mere Cave True Realm cultivator like you is beneath my dignity to kill. Get lost! This is none of your business!"

He asked to kill Gong Weizhang but didn't mention this, as if he genuinely only wanted to get rid of this person.

Even seeking enlightenment at the highest peak is like walking on thin ice, striving for absolute certainty.

It's not that he's inherently cautious; in fact, he often goes mad... but for matters of great importance to the demon race, he dares not act rashly.

"This is Shuangyun County under the jurisdiction of Jing Kingdom. I am here by imperial decree to guard this place and protect the safety of all humankind."

Instead of avoiding him, Gong Weizhang actually walked towards Shu Xiulang!

"Shuro, if you draw your sword here, that's my business."

Faced with the Great Sage of the Demon Clan, Rat Xiulang, he fled at the mere mention of his name. Faced with the Heavenly Demon who had reconstructed the pinnacle of the Divine Firmament, he ran for his life. Faced with an opponent who had narrowly escaped death a year ago, now greatly weakened and crippled by the devastating blow of the Pinnacle of Fate…

Will the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Lord of the Cave Realm retreat?
Today, it's not impossible to mention slaying the dragon!

Having broken free of her restraints, Xi Xiangyi knelt before Xi Ming's mangled body, instinctively wanting to mend something, but not knowing where to begin, her hands flailing helplessly.

Gong Weizhang, clad in armor, shielded the brother and sister behind him, stepping forward with his sword drawn, his body as swift as a thin blade cutting through the wind!
Shu Xiulang spread his five fingers wide and pressed them against the ground. Eerie white flames swept around and flew, turning the entire theater into a forbidden area.

The sky seemed to be falling, creating a sense of oppression. Snowflakes fell heavily, heavy as they landed on our shoulders. This was a place of stagnation, blocking all means of escape.

Only then did he feel at ease to fight the young human prodigy: "You always want to take on everything? Let's see if you can handle it!"

"At the Central Moon Gate battlefield, Grand Tutor Ji spared you, but instead of taking a chance, you hid in your rat hole and dared to show your face in public!"

Gong Weizhang, unstoppable as he cleaved through the wind and snow, was like a fearless blade: "Let me make up for this regret!"

Just as the blade was about to strike, he pressed his palm down in front of him—

An invisible force spread from his palm, creating a huge ripple that bound him and Shu Xiulang within it.

Suddenly, the flowing light weaves threads, and heaven and earth are pulled apart.

He and Shuro entered an impregnable battlefield.

The treasure of the cave heavens... [The Painted Prison]!
Forged from the "Changyao Baoguang Tian," ranked nineteenth among the Thirty-Six Minor Heavens, this treasure was left behind by Yan Huachuan, the Nightmare God who had to die in the history of the Jing Kingdom, and was sealed away due to Yan Huachuan's death.

After many years of nurturing and training, it has regained its former power.

The Emperor of Jing bestowed this gift specifically to ensure Gong Weizhang's safety in the Divine Firmament World. If Jiang Zhaoyuan were to see it, knowing the importance of Gong Weizhang, he would certainly not dare to have any further complaints.

This treasure has two abilities: "painting" and "prisoning".

"Drawing" can quickly sketch enemy positions, serving as a reconnaissance tool. "Prison," on the other hand, is indestructible, making it the premier tool for imprisoning enemies among all the treasures of the grotto-heavens.

Shu Xiulang wanted to keep him here, and he wanted to keep Shu Xiulang here too—so they drew a circle on the ground and imprisoned themselves!

The peerless human prodigy and the beautiful and dangerous demon saint disappeared into the falling snow, becoming the halo of light suspended beneath the snow.

This snow only covered the opera house.

It brings a winter that is both beautiful and unforgettable.

She clutched the half-dead body of the actor, tears streaming down her face, which was covered in smeared makeup. Her mouth was slightly open, but she didn't make a sound.

It should have been a peaceful afternoon, and she was immersed in her own world of inspiration, happily creating some wonderful objects... Everything outside the machine room should have been irrelevant to her; she had never imagined that she would so hastily face her destiny.

But "hasty" is precisely how fate arrives.

"Playing with fate" is "not a fate," and "playing with fate" is merely a puppet.

She was once a genius girl of the Mo family, in charge of maintaining and controlling the [Ming Gui].

She knew perfectly well that the [Ming Gui] possessed no emotions. It was merely a piece of iron, a pile of wood, a cold, lifeless creation!

But why am I still so sad? It feels like something is blocking my heart, and the surging emotions within are like a heavy hammer pounding on my heart.

Xi Ming didn't speak, he just lay there quietly, watching her silently.

This was the final gaze.

His life energy, which belonged to the "Non-Fate" type, had been completely exhausted. Even without Shurou's fatal blow, he was already headed for destruction by forcibly activating his fifth state.

Because he was just an unfinished product.

It is a failed creation.

"Woooooooo..."

"Wow ah ah-"

Xi Xiangyi was only sharp in mechanical arts; otherwise, she was slow to understand anything. She couldn't even comprehend sadness, and even her crying was delayed for a long time.

It was only then that she cried out.

She never cried. Her crying was like that of a helpless child, wailing for her father and mother to take her home.

But she had no idea who her father was, nor had she ever met her mother.

She only had one older brother. And her brother was about to die.

"Don't shed tears for me."

Xi Ming reached out to wipe away her tears, but the severed limb, only half remaining, twitched weakly. The already collapsed array patterns were further corroded by the blood, and then cracked, making the sound of parts breaking.

He could only watch the play unfold; this was the furthest distance in the world.

"I am not your brother. I am just a love poem written for you, and the person who wrote me died three hundred years ago."

"The person who truly loves you is Rao Xiansun."

"You are his child."

Yes, everything a puppet exhibits is a product of the mechanic.

The love expressed by a puppet naturally comes from the heart of the mechanic.

No one in this world truly loves a play. Because today, those who love her are puppets; three hundred years ago, those who loved her were the dead.

Xi Xiangyi's tears stopped. But Xi Xiangyi's sadness wouldn't stop.

She couldn't save the puppet in her arms, nor could she mend her heart.

Finally, she looked into the actor's eyes and asked, "Did you do this voluntarily, or were you forced into it?"

Back in the demon realm, Xi Xiangyi once asked—

"Is a puppet's selfless devotion considered true love?"

At that time, the playful answer was—

"Based on past experience, I believe that love is a voluntary act of giving, not a forced command."

Now, Xi Xiangyi awaits his answer.

His eyes remained expressionless: "I am just a puppet."

Puppets don't know how to love, so don't be sad for them.

If a puppet breaks, just make a new one. Old mechanisms will always be phased out by the times... You're such a genius, you should understand that.

Xi Xiangyi pursed her lips, simply holding tightly to Xi Ming's mangled body, and then fell silent in the snow.

"Where is my wine? My wine of seeking the truth..."

The mutterings of the playful fate were crushed into a series of cracking sounds.

His wine was gone. His life was coming to an end.

“My Shentianfangguo tells me that it is closer to the composition of water. But when I drink it, I always feel slightly tipsy... I think it is a very good wine.”

His eyes dimmed, and the brilliance within them faded.

It was like blowing out a light.

　Thank you to reader "Ganmuxian" for becoming the leader of this book's alliance, making him the 1036th leader of the Red Heart Patrol Alliance!
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　　……

　　See you next Monday.

　　(End of this chapter)