Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 286 Demon-Revealing Mirror, Demon-Refining Puppet
"Xiong Er, let go! These hundred Demon Claw Lizards must not be killed!"

"Giving it to Pang Feifan is not a loss for us. Giving it to him will make him help us induce labor and feed the animals. If we give him a hundred heads, he will give us thousands or tens of thousands of heads in the future!"

"That's right. We can't afford to drain the pond to catch all the fish. If we turn wild clawed lizards into domesticated ones, their offspring will be endless. How many spirit crystals will we save when we refine the main ingredients for lizard warriors in the future?"

Contrary to the Lizard King's expectations, Su Qing, being of pure heart, did not commit the evil deed of exterminating the lizard race.

He swept the dead Demon Claw Lizards in the cave, then looked at the Yellow Leopard and Black Bears in his storage bag, especially the corpses of the three third-tier demon kings: the Demon Lizard King, the Yellow Leopard King, and the Black Bear King.

He reluctantly halted the killing spree that night.

It's not good to kill them anymore.

Besides these three demon kings, the other demon kings mostly lived with the Green Lion King, as they were his direct descendants brought out from the demon kingdom.

Not only were they all clad in demonic armor and wielding swords and spears, but they were also all mid-level demons and exotic beasts. Gathered together, even if he alone were to invite the witch, the two of them, working together, would still be no match for him.

"That should be enough. With only half a month left, even with my abilities, I might not be able to refine all the materials I have into puppets!"

Su Qing stood at the cave entrance and let out a tiger's roar, which made the cultivators who were running around and killing each other in the caves of the various second-tier demon kings retreat.

After his roar, he let out another loud shout.

"What kind of demon or thief dares to break into the Hundred Beasts Cave at night and kill my Demon King!"

With me, the Fierce Tiger King, here, I will surely skin you alive, tear you apart, and devour your very soul!

The tiger roars, shaking the mountains and forests; when the fierce tiger cries out, all the beasts emerge from their dens.

In the eyes of the beasts, all they saw were countless demonic shadows in the sky, with humanoid demonic figures emitting eerie cackling laughter as they lay on the tiger king's body, devouring its flesh and bones.

In the dark clouds of night, the demonic shadows seemed endless, so ferocious and tyrannical that they made all the onlookers' scalps tingle.

That is, the Tiger King.

With the courage of a tiger king, and the bravery of all beasts, even when fighting thousands of demonic shadows alone, he remained fearless and fought further and further away from the demonic shadows, disappearing from the sight of the demon kings in an instant.

······
The next morning.

"Who did this! Who did this?!"

After a night of heavy drinking and a splitting headache, the Green Lion King woke up early in the morning to hear the news that three third-tier demon kings, including the Yellow Leopard King and the Demon Lizard King, along with more than ten second-tier demon kings and their subordinates, had been annihilated by the nameless demon shadow.

"Shadow Demon? That's undoubtedly a technique of the Desire Demon Sect!"

Human cultivators are going too far. Do they think that by holding the True King's Decree of the Demon Kingdom, we Demon Kings are like fish on their chopping board?
"How dare you deceive me like this! All demon kings, heed my command! Follow me and make that Desire Demon Sect give us an explanation!"

The White-Faced Green Lion King was furious. After hearing the Tiger King's account, he immediately led his troops to attack the members of the Desire Demon Sect.

Although it knew that something was amiss last night, and that it couldn't have been done by the Desire Demon Sect, it was unlikely that they would be so unwise as to turn against the demon race at such a crucial time when they were seeking the Nascent Soul Cave.

It also knew very well that these demon kings alone could not do anything to the Desire Demon Sect.

But knowing this is one thing, understanding this is another; all the demon kings died tragically, and the tiger brothers were also devoured by that demonic shadow, their tiger bodies spurting blood.

The demon kings were filled with righteous indignation. How could it not express its opinion and give them an outlet for their anger?
"Lion King, please calm down. In my opinion, there are many suspicious points about what happened last night. It is possible that the Demon Tree Immortal Kingdom framed the Desire Demon Sect so that we and the Desire Demon Sect would suffer heavy losses together. It is still unknown."

You and I both know how despicable that cultivator is; there's nothing they wouldn't do!
"Given our current strength, we can only endure this for now. Once the Nascent Soul Cave opens, those cultivators will be fighting amongst themselves inside. When they emerge, we'll lie in wait and settle our scores!"

Brother Tiger is much more astute; he spoke exactly what I was thinking. Unlike these ignorant demon kings, who only know how to add fuel to the fire and recklessly rush in to fight, they easily become pawns in the process.

"But Brother Tiger is so badly injured, how can I face him if I don't get an explanation?" The Green Lion King looked at the Fierce Tiger King with some difficulty.

"Although I lost a small portion of my essence and blood and suffered some damage to my foundation, what is this little sacrifice compared to the safety of most of the demon kings last night and the peaceful sleep of my brother Lion?"

The Tiger King propped up his blood-soaked body; what flowed out was not tiger blood, but rather loyalty.

Such a bold and grand gesture drew cheers from the demon kings below the stage.

Even though the White-Faced Green Lion King was somewhat reluctant, he couldn't remain silent at this moment. He took out a strange spiritual herb from his storage bag—black on the outside but shimmering with blood-red light on the inside—and slowly handed it to the Fierce Tiger King, saying:

"This is a third-tier Black Blood Grass, which contains surging blood energy. If a first or second-tier demon consumes it, it may refine its bloodline and enhance its physical constitution. It will also have a remarkable effect on third-tier beings like you and me."

"Such a precious item, the Lion King is willing to give it, but I have no face to accept it. I only hate that the thief is so fierce. Even though I killed most of his demonic shadows, I still couldn't catch his true form!"

The Fierce Tiger King glanced at the Black Blood Grass and said with regret and shame.

Seeing this, the Green Lion King had the urge to take back the spiritual herb, but in the end he did not. Instead, he grabbed the tiger king's arm and forced the herb into the tiger king's arms.

"Tiger King, you have worked hard and made great contributions last night. This place is also fraught with danger, and we urgently need you to maintain your peak condition at all times. Considering both your merits and your usefulness, Tiger King, you should accept this herb!"

"The Lion King's hospitality was too much for the little tiger to refuse, so the little tiger accepted the herb."

"Rest assured, Lion King, with Little Tiger here, we will not allow that thief to harm a single hair on my demon brothers!"

"He who takes a man's gift is bound to be obliging." The Tiger King accepted the Black Blood Grass, and his body, which had been standing shoulder to shoulder with the Lion King, consciously took a half step back, thus becoming a little tiger. The Green Lion King nodded slightly, feeling a little better.

His gaze swept over all the demon kings in the cave below, before returning to the Tiger King.

The Green Lion King is not a fool.

After a banquet last night, a significant portion of the second and third-tier demon kings were killed or injured.

The only one who actually fought against that so-called external enemy was the Tiger King, who suddenly appeared, suddenly sided with the Fire Phoenix Demon King, took over her attack, helped her resolve her identity crisis, and then suddenly betrayed the Fire Phoenix and sided with him.

Their sudden appearance and sudden attack caused the Demon King to suffer heavy losses.

Everything happened so abruptly, there must be something wrong.

"Perhaps this Tiger King and the Fire Phoenix King are birds of a feather, and he is not the real Tiger King!"
Even if you are as cunning as a snake, perfectly mimicking the arrogance and wildness of the Tiger King, when I get serious, I will expose your true colors!

The Green Lion King thought to himself, and under the watchful eyes of the demon kings and the Tiger King, he took out a silver-gray treasure mirror from his chest.

"This is the Demon-Revealing Mirror. It was a special treasure that human cultivators specially crafted to target our demon race when our demon race was powerful. In order to prevent our demon race from infiltrating the human race, they made it specifically for our demon race."

It has the effect of reflecting the true form of living beings, and can also be used by my demon race to identify human spies. However, this mirror is incomplete and can only be used once. Yesterday, because I was certain that the Fire Phoenix Demon King was not real, I did not want to use this mirror.

But today, the three demon kings, Yellow Leopard, Demon Lizard, and Black Bear, died unjustly. Even if I am reluctant, I must use this mirror to prevent any cultivators from infiltrating the Hundred Beasts Cave and colluding with the thieves outside to harm us again!

The Green Lion King took out the Demon-Revealing Mirror, his gaze only sweeping over the Demon King below, while most of his attention was focused on the Fierce Tiger King.

Unexpectedly, this Tiger King had an extraordinary mental fortitude. Even when he took out the magic mirror that had exposed his true form, he remained calm and composed, even glaring fiercely at the demon king below, as if nothing had happened to him!

For a moment, even the Green Lion King doubted his own judgment, wondering if he had misjudged the demon, and whether the Tiger King brothers were truly his good brothers.
But then he sneered inwardly, gave a wink, and instructed the four direct descendant demon kings to secretly seal the cave entrance. He then silently recited an incantation and began to refine the demon-revealing mirror in his hand.

Upon seeing the precious light flashing on the mirror, a demon king inside the cave immediately turned pale.

Su Qing stood as still as a rock, without making the slightest move.

He had scanned all the demon kings in the cave early in the morning and found that at least the demon kings who came were second-tier demon kings. The demon beasts played by the cultivators were not qualified to enter the cave, so he put his mind at ease.

"You all better behave yourselves and let the Lion King look into your eyes. With this precious mirror, a true demon can't grow fake fur, and a fake demon can't shed its human skin. Whether we are true brothers or evil human cultivators, you'll know with a single glance!"

The Tiger King stood with his sword drawn, his fierce gaze fixed on the Demon King below. His tiger-like might swept across the entire cave, complementing the Lion King's demon-revealing actions.

As the demon kings inside the cave, some open and honest, others filled with trepidation, a beam of white light shone from the mirror, instantly illuminating all the demon kings within.

The moment the mirror light rose, the Green Lion King's gaze fixed on the Tiger King.

In the mirror, a white-eyed demon tiger with a drooping forehead and piercing eyes, a yellow body with black stripes and wings on its back, was currently in a state of fury. With a flap of its wings, it pounced on the demon king's group of demon traitors who had revealed human form!

Tiger King is alright! He's truly my good brother!

this····.

This is great!
From the perspective of the Green Lion King, although he felt that the Fierce Tiger King was not quite right in any way, the use of the Demon-Revealing Mirror was aimed at him.

However, he did not believe that the Fierce Tiger King was actually a human cultivator. After all, yesterday the Fierce Tiger King had slapped him in the face with one claw after another, and he had truly experienced the Fierce Tiger King's combat power. Given his and the other demon beasts' current situation, if they could get help from this fierce general, the Fierce Tiger King, it would definitely be more beneficial than harmful!

The Fierce Tiger King acted swiftly and decisively. Before the other demon kings in the cave could react, he swept away the fallen leaves like an autumn wind and arrested several human cultivators disguised as demons on the spot!

These cultivators were naturally disciples of the Desire Demon Sect.

They were also wronged. The sect sent them to impersonate second-tier demon kings only to guard against the demon race breaking their promises or doing things that demons shouldn't do.

Although they sent out some messages last night, they had nothing to do with the deaths of the demon kings. The key point is that, with their strength, they couldn't do anything to those third-tier demon kings!
Just as they were about to explain...

But then the Tiger King let out a roar.

"The Soul Refining Banner, with its ghostly aura, is exactly the same as that thief from last night!"
It must have been you who conspired with that thief from last night to harm my demon brothers!

"Aaaaah, you've enraged me! I won't be able to vent my hatred until I kill you all!"

Using the transformation technique to completely transform into a third-tier demonic tiger and deceive the Demon-Revealing Mirror, Su Qing only wanted to pin the blame on these demonic cultivators, unwilling to leave a single survivor and deny the Azure Lion King and the Desire Demon Sect a chance to settle accounts.

The Tiger King was known to all the demons for his violent temper, and the Green Lion King, who had been slapped by him, knew this all too well.

The word "wait" had barely left his lips when...

The Tiger King had already raised and lowered its claws, turning all the demonic cultivators into a pile of rotten flesh.

"Tiger King, you were too impulsive. Now that we had already revealed these cultivators, we should have taken them to settle accounts with the Desire Demon Sect and made them give us an explanation. Now that they are all dead, it's not good to argue with the demon cultivators!"

The Green Lion King said with a hint of reproach, "Before I gave the Tiger King the Black Blood Grass, I wouldn't have dared to speak to him like that, but after I gave him the Black Blood Grass..."

What's wrong with him wanting to say a few words after giving the Tiger King a spirit herb worth over three hundred spirit stones for free?!

And the tiger king's attitude toward it was indeed much more respectful than before.

"Lion King, please forgive me. When I saw this person impersonating my demon race and harming my demon brothers, I was overcome with rage and, without thinking twice, I accidentally killed them..."

"Brother Tiger, there's no need for that. Although we killed them a little too early, now that we know what kind of people the Desire Demon Sect is, we just need to be careful and wary of them from now on. It's nothing to worry about!"

The Green Lion King only regretted not being able to control the hostages and used the excuse to ask the Desire Demon Sect for some benefits, but he did not blame the Tiger King.

"Rest assured, Lion King, to prevent these human villains from causing further harm in this Beast Cave, I will remain vigilant these days, acting as the Lion King's watchdog and not giving any human evil cultivators the slightest chance!"

"That would be perfect. I'll have to trouble you, Brother Tiger. Human cultivators are powerful and despicable. You might not be able to handle them alone. If any more demonic shadows appear, you can take two demon kings with you to deal with them. Don't risk your life alone!"

The Tiger King and the Lion King talked to each other, showing a deep brotherly affection and a harmonious relationship between ruler and subject.

When everything is settled.

Inside the Beast Cave, the demons continued to play music and dance.

The Tiger King sat alone in the foremost cave, desolately and sadly pulling out the remains of his demon brothers.

There was no time to grieve for our demon brothers.

He spread his divine sense for more than ten miles, isolating himself from any other entity that might probe the situation here.

Su Qing released various puppet-making tools, including large and small wood spirits, stirring puppets, iron-forging puppets, and smelting puppets.

They worked tirelessly, turning the materials they had just acquired the night before into puppets.

Time is tight and tasks are heavy.

If we want these puppets to be effective in half a month, we can't just follow the traditional method of crafting them. We have to find another way and craft new types of puppets.

A quick-form puppet of the Spirit Explosion type!
Compared to ordinary puppets, it has the advantages of being usable daily, reusable, and able to be patched up for another three years.

These puppets have the following drawbacks: once activated, their existence time is measured in breaths; once overloaded, they explode into a pile of dust that even a god cannot repair.

Normally, even if he needed to craft spirit explosion puppets, Su Qing would only choose relatively simple and inexpensive spirit explosion puppets such as the Thunder Serpent or the Rock Explosion Puppet.

But what he needs to prepare for now is the chaotic battle between many third-tier experts that is taking place inside the Nascent Soul Cave.

While the Thunder Serpent and the Rock-Exploding Golem were somewhat effective, after the relentless bombardment of White Cloud Immortal City, especially after Shao Delong's frantic bombing, his ammunition reserves in his storage bag were already insufficient, and he urgently needed to replenish them.

His idea was to use the first-tier demon beast materials that the cultivators had given him last night to bind the Exploding Stone Golem and refine a first-tier self-propelled Spirit Exploding Golem.

Using more than thirty second-tier demon king corpses, second-tier leopard explosive puppets, second-tier bear explosive puppets, and second-tier lizard explosive puppets were crafted.

These second-tier spirit explosion puppets, due to their excellent materials, possess combat abilities after activation. They can also find the best time to self-destruct during combat, unleashing damage sufficient to break through the defenses of a Golden Core cultivator.

Since these were quick-formed puppets intended for single use, he didn't have time to meticulously carve them one by one. After having the large and small wood spirits quickly apply a layer of explosive stone coating to each of them, he began drawing runes in earnest.

A Tier 1 Spirit Explosion Puppet can be imbued with Tier 2 Intelligent Runes, granting it the ability to automatically target and explode. Tier 2 Spirit Explosion Runes can be added to make its explosions even more spectacular, while Tier 2 Material Runes can be added to make its explosions even more ferocious.

The second-tier Spirit Explosion Puppet can draw third-tier intelligent runes to precisely control the timing of the explosion.

Drawing third-tier monster runes, such as Leopard Walk, Bear Hug, and Lizard Poison, these monsters' innate skills, combined with self-destruction, may have surprising effects.

Drawing third-order spirit explosion runes, the power of the spirit explosion might not be enough to sway even Golden Core cultivators, but the shockwave would at least cause their consciousness to waver, making it difficult for them to use Dao techniques smoothly.

"Alas, this Ironback Black Bear has its demon bones and demon core perfectly preserved. It is truly excellent material for refining a five-star general bear. It is such a pity that it is only used to create a quick-release spirit explosion puppet!"

"This Swift Yellow Leopard is also quite good. With the Shadow Rune, it might be able to form a Shadow Hunting Team in conjunction with the Mandrill Puppet!"

"This second-tier Demon Lizard King is absolutely perfect for crafting Lizard Generals!"

Many fine materials, after being refined, could only produce a fleeting spark, which pained Su Qing greatly.

But compared to his own life, he could still make that choice.

Inside that Nascent Soul cave, there were Golden Core cultivators, engaging in a contest between third-tier body cultivators.

He teams up with the witch, but he also has to deal with the Happy Old Demon and the tricks of the high-ranking cultivator from Penglai.

Under such circumstances, ordinary first and second-tier puppets are completely ineffective; only spirit explosion puppets might be able to achieve remarkable results.

Therefore, no matter how much it hurts, one must still practice.

Besides these first and second-tier quick-to-build spirit explosion puppets.

What he needed to refine most urgently were the three corpses of third-tier demon kings.

The witch is always willing to invest a lot when she asks someone to do something.

Knowing that he was coming to the Cave of a Hundred Beasts to have the demon brothers offer themselves as materials for puppets.

The witch also took out some third-tier materials from her storage bag for him to use in crafting puppets.

As he expected, the witch was of extraordinary birth. With a casual gesture, she produced a number of high-quality third-tier items, including third-tier Earth Obsidian, third-tier Storm Stone, and third-tier Spirit Light Feather.

And yet he still claims he's not a second-generation immortal?
If you weren't a second-generation immortal, how could you accumulate so many tier-three treasures? Even the Azure Lion King, a top-tier second-generation demon, would feel a pang of heartache when he took out a single Black Blood Grass!

(End of this chapter)