Immortality begins with meditation puppets

The boundless blue sky and the peaceful Western Sea!
Peaceful my foot!

The sea monsters deep in the Western Sea have been having a really bad time lately.

Eight dragon boats cut through the waves, and more than a hundred third-tier treasure ships crisscrossed the sea. There were also three fourth-tier puppets, namely Xiong Er, Yu Longwu, and Hu Dan, who led puppets such as nunchucks, tornadoes, Kui Niu of the Abyss Sea, and the Golden Roc Mothership. Wherever they passed, nothing grew. According to Qinghe, it was as if the master had lost all the wealth he encountered if he didn't pick it up.

The sea monsters of the West Sea are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Even though the Great Sage Who Overturned the Sea raised the banner of rebellion against the human race in the Aolai Demon Kingdom, the sea monsters who responded to his call only accounted for one or two percent of the West Sea's monsters. These sea monsters are also part of the West Sea's countless treasures.

On their way to Giant Corpse Island, Xiong Er caught a glimpse of the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom's demon-hunting team using a giant net to catch sea monsters. He immediately displayed his innate talent for comprehension, mastering his self-serving fishing skills in an instant. After reaching a 10/90 split agreement with his master, he led a group of treasure ship puppets, catching monsters as they sailed.

The rampant overfishing over the past few days has resulted in mountains of sea monster corpses piling up on the entire Bixi Island. Even the Lizard Knights were summoned by Xiong Er to deal with these sea monster corpses, but the processing speed could not keep up with the delivery speed.

"My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens. I will dive a million feet into the sea and see what you can do to me!"

A fourth-tier dragon, a formidable demon in the depths of the Western Sea, was forced into hiding by Xiong Er and his puppets. He had no choice but to burrow into the depths of a million feet, hoping to escape these calamities and survive. He fantasized that "three thousand years of prosperity will not be underestimated by a young man," and that he would be given another three thousand years to develop. When he emerged from the sea and transformed into a dragon, he would make these people pay the price.

The waters of the Western Sea are tainted by evil demonic tides, and its depths, millions of feet deep, are a forbidden zone for living beings. It is only because the nine-headed dragon has dragon blood and is considered half a dragon that it has the ability to hide in these depths. As for the clumsy bears and tigers above, no matter how powerful they are, once they are allowed to dive into the sea, it will be like a dragon returning to the sea, and all will be in vain.

"The Free and Unfettered Sea, centered on the Land of No Breath, spans three million miles in each of the four directions. I've never encountered such a formidable opponent before."

"It's not that a mighty dragon can't cross the river; I haven't even seen that person's face, yet his puppets alone have slaughtered all my dragon offspring. A great calamity is imminent, and demons will emerge in droves. I, the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon, am a lone demon, and I fear I will never be able to live freely again. Should I really do as that fish-headed shovel brother suggested years ago, first seeking refuge with the Great Sage Overturning the Sea, obtaining his protection, and then waiting for the day the true dragon is born?"

A great calamity is about to begin, and the situation will change drastically. This will not only affect the fate of human cultivators, but also all living beings in the world, whether they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. Who can escape this overwhelming trend?
The nine-headed dragon, a mythical beast of dragon species, is no match for ordinary fourth-order Nascent Soul cultivators. It has been roaming freely in this carefree sea for tens of thousands of years and has never encountered such a setback as it does today. It must be that a great calamity has begun, dragons and snakes have risen from the land, human cultivators are getting stronger and sea monsters are getting more ferocious. The era when a fourth-order cultivator could dominate a region is gone forever.

As it pondered a way out of its dragon-like existence.

Suddenly, a yellow light flashed in the deep, dark sea.

Upon closer inspection, the nine heads and eighteen eyes filled him with immense joy.

Because that yellow light was actually the head of a real dragon!
The dragon has majestic and imposing horns, powerful and vigorous whiskers, and a head that can stir up the undercurrents of the seabed with every breath.

This is the true dragon head that the nine-headed dragon has been longing for day and night, and it couldn't even exchange all nine of its heads for one!

"An opportunity, an incredible opportunity! I knew my bloodline senses were right. There was a chance for me to transform into a dragon in this Free and Unfettered Sea. I've waited for tens of thousands of years, and was almost forced to surrender to the sea monkeys. Only now has this opportunity fallen into my hands!"

The nine-headed dragon did not hesitate at all.

A true dragon does not deceive another true dragon.

Although it is not yet a true dragon, the dragon blood in its body is not wrong. In its perception, this dragon head is the remains of an ancient true dragon that fell into the deep sea. It has not decayed for thousands of years and will not decay for tens of thousands of years. It is just waiting for a dragon like it to swallow its head, use its dragon blood to cleanse its whole body, wash away its mortal blood, and leap into dragonhood!
If Heaven grants something and you do not take it, you will suffer the consequences. The nine dragon heads all bit the real dragon's head.

Then···.

Then he was pulled up by Xiong Erhudan from the Jiaotu ship, and a whole group of blasting war bears working together.

The so-called remains of a true dragon and the opportunity to transform into a dragon are nothing more than the deep-sea dragon hook of the Jiaotu.

"The big shipment is coming! Get ready quickly, or the goods will be spoiled!"

While the nine-headed dragon was still looking bewildered after emerging from the water, Xiong Er let out a loud roar.

Then, the eight dragon boats transformed into their Dharma forms, firmly binding the dragon to the dragon hook. The dragon could neither move nor escape; even its soul was locked within its body. It could only watch helplessly as the Buddhist Xiong Er used his vajra to strike its nine heads repeatedly until it was knocked unconscious. Only then did the Jiao Tu slowly lower the dragon hook onto the Bixi (a mythical tortoise-like creature) on Dragon Island to unload the cargo.

The tiger egg, which had been prepared for a long time on the Bixi of Dragon Island, was attacked by the Nine-Tailed Swords, which aimed to clean the nine-headed dragon with minimal wounds. The lizard knights who came and went carried large buckets to collect the flowing dragon blood and preserved it using secret methods to ensure that the effect would not be lost.

Seeing this, Tong Chang, Liang Haishun, and the others on the Bixi (a mythical tortoise-like creature) on Dragon Island twitched at the corners of their mouths.

"That's too brutal! This nine-headed dragon didn't provoke us, did it? How come it escaped to a depth of a million feet and we're going to drag it out and kill it?"

"The dragon's skin, bones, flesh, and core are all treasures, not to mention it has nine heads. It's so valuable, but if it runs into Fellow Daoist Su, it's doomed!"

"Won't Asu's method of fishing for sea monsters affect the interests of the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom? After all, this sea area is their traditional fishing ground."

"Don't worry at all. Does the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom have the ability to capture this fourth-order dragon? At a time of great upheaval in the world, Fellow Daoist Su is helping them to wipe out the sea monsters. They should be overjoyed. Besides, what can they do if they're not happy? With Fellow Daoist Su's current abilities, the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom would be a fool to go against him!"

During their discussion, Liang Haishun and Tong Chang did not mention whether Su Qing's method of having the puppets cast nets along the way to catch sea monsters would delay their journey.

After all, their journey to Giant Corpse Island and then to the Land of Despair had already caused them considerable delays, and with all the stopping and starting along the way, it was hard to say whether the three fallen brothers could hold out until they arrived.

Yes, that is a concern.

But it cannot be mentioned at all.

To Su Qing, the sea monsters along the way were like spirit stones scattered all over the ground. If someone encountered a spirit stone, he would have to be incredibly stupid to not pick it up. Only someone with a brain would make such an unreasonable request.

"If we're talking about cultivating all kinds of skills, the one I envy the most right now is a puppeteer like Fellow Daoist Su. He secludes himself to refine puppets, and the puppets do all the work for him. He can sit at home and have money rolling in. Who wouldn't envy that!"

Tong Chang was too envious to look at the mountain of sea monster corpses piled up on the Bixi of Dragon Island. At this moment, he only regretted that he was a puppet but did not know how to make puppets, and had instead walked the wrong path of a talisman master.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, you should be content. How many puppeteers can live as comfortably as Asu? Of all the arts, the most lucrative are still the talisman masters. Seriously, have you never wanted to sell your talisman paper? Asu said you had some. Did you think I, Liang Haishun, couldn't afford it and were unwilling to sell to me? Although I don't have many spirit stones, I have peaches. After I become a god, I can use my divine power to condense longevity peaches, which have the effects of prolonging life and replenishing essence and energy. Exchanging them for a few talisman papers shouldn't be a problem." Tong Chang envied Su Qing for having puppets to work for, but Liang Haishun had his eye on the old Daoist's talisman paper. Even if he didn't use it himself, he could resell it to others.

It's a pity that Tong Chang is a puppet, not a human. He has no worries about his lifespan, and his manhood was personally crafted by the Celestial Master. He is more than capable of handling his wife and has no worries about being unable to do so. Therefore, he has no interest in Tao'er in his hands.

"Judging from the schedule, we'll arrive at Giant Corpse Island in another half month. Fellow Daoist Su, we don't know when you'll emerge from seclusion. We can't very well let these puppets do the work once we get to Giant Corpse Island!"

Tong Chang's attempt to change the subject deeply hurt Liang Haishun. He let Li Hailang smell the peach in his hand, then put it in his pocket. Li Hailang was a poor scoundrel and couldn't afford to buy his peach.

······
Inside the Bixi (a mythical tortoise-like creature) on Dragon Island.

Puppet crafting workshop.

The puppet crafting team was busy processing the sea monster's corpse, creating the main body of the puppet, waiting for Su Qing to find time to draw the runes.

Originally, only two hundred or so third-tier sea monster corpses could be refined into demon god weapons.

Unfortunately, Xiong Er and his companions worked diligently along the way, and the sea monsters of the West Sea also cooperated enthusiastically, so the wood spirits, both large and small, were never idle. In the puppet-making workshop, there are now more than four hundred prototype demon god soldiers waiting for Su Qing to draw runes, and the number is still increasing.

That's not all. There are over 100,000 first and second-tier sea monster corpses, all perfectly preserved. They need to be returned to Wanghai Immortal City to be processed by the puppet factory.

There were three fourth-tier sea monster corpses, including the nine-headed dragon that had just bled and was still steaming. These were all beyond the capabilities of even the great and small wood spirits, and could only be stored in storage bags for Su Qing to dispose of.

And Su Qing at this moment.

He was installing the newly made Qilin Arm Puppet on his shoulders, preparing to test the power and effectiveness of the puppet that had made him work so hard for so many days, and see if it could give him wings.

The divine arms, adorned with spatial and material runes, now rested on his shoulders like two spheres; without close inspection, they could easily be mistaken for decorative ornaments on his robes.

Su Qing was in no hurry to activate the Qilin Arm Puppet.

He simply unleashed his full power, the fierce flames of his furnace surging wildly, causing his blood and qi to churn like a tidal wave, producing thunderous explosions. His internal organs, muscles, bones, and skin all reacted simultaneously. The True Qi of Mountains and Seas within a hundred-zhang radius manifested various illusions such as the Mountain and Sea Scroll and the Great Sun Controlling the Stars. With a punch thrown out of the ship, a ball of flowing fire and golden energy was seen cutting through the air, splitting waves, and tearing apart the sea and land. The punch, as bright as the midday sun, blasted a white line tens of miles long and tens of thousands of feet deep in front of him.

"A fourth-level body cultivator opens the secrets of the human body and crosses the threshold of the inner world. With one punch from me, it is as if the world is overturned and mountains and seas are turned upside down. It is more than ten thousand jun!"
If one were to don the true spirit of a great sorcerer, the power of this punch would increase by thirty percent! The force of a single punch might even rival that of a true dragon!

After understanding his own strength, Su Qing shook his head with a mixture of satisfaction and regret.

This punch was powerful, but human strength has its limits. At least before he cultivated his inner world, he couldn't possibly fight against fifth-tier beings like the Demon Buddha and the Earth Demon Heaven with just one person and one punch.

"But human strength has its limits, yet I can break off the arms of immortals and gods to make up for my weakness at the fourth rank!"

He's going to cheat!
The two round balls on its shoulders spun around and then transformed into two red copper iron arms that were identical to the original body's arms.

Without consuming the power of his internal energy furnace, the Qilin Arm Puppet's own power system alone was enough to unleash a punch with similar force to his previous one.

This punch lacked the extraordinary phenomena and special effects of the Great Sun Soaring into the Sky and the Mountain and Sea Scroll, but its power was only slightly inferior. It swept across the waves for eleven or twelve miles, turning everything in its path, from fish to sea monsters, into dust. Xiong Er, who witnessed all this, felt heartbroken. This was not only harming the creatures of the Western Sea, but also wasting the spirit stones of his master and himself, Xiong Er!

"The power of the arm puppet alone is enough to reach the fourth level. In particular, this Qilin arm is skilled in using dual swords. With the dual swords in combination, it can unleash the Heaven-level combat skill - Water and Fire Qilin Blade, which may increase its combat power several times over!"

Su Qing was extremely satisfied with the performance of the Qilin Arm Puppet. It was worth dismantling the fifth-tier puppet immortal weapon to refine it.

"Switch to gauntlet mode!"

As he focused his mind, the bronze arm that had been coiled on his arm and was still radiating the residual heat of his punch instantly transformed into a crimson dragon coiling around his arm, twisting and turning into pieces of dark yellow scales covering his entire arm.

He channeled his energy again, his blood and qi surging to his arms, causing his arm armor to become scorching hot. The fiery heat combined with his own immense power, and he unleashed another fierce and domineering punch. The force did not enter the sea but instead soared into the sky, like a blazing sun piercing the heavens. The Penglai anti-air formation hummed loudly, as if a hole had been punched through the membrane of the sky. From that hole came faint, indistinct curses from Penglai cultivators.

"In ancient times, the heavens and humans were separated by an invisible membrane that served as the boundary between them. The cultivators of Penglai repaired this membrane with magic arrays. Only those with the power of a fifth-order immortal god could penetrate it. Since my punch can shatter this membrane, I have the power of a fifth-order immortal god."

Su Qing was extremely satisfied with the power of the Qilin Arm Puppet. Looking at the tiger egg he had summoned, he felt only disdain for it, as if it were a thing of the past.

Previously, I was paired with you, Tiger Egg, but you said that you were a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung and not good enough for me. Now that I have this Qilin Arm Puppet, you, Tiger Egg, are nothing but a withered willow branch. I will make you unable to reach me.

"Don't just stand there, quickly grab your sword and strike me! Let me test the hardness of this arm armor!" Su Qing ordered the stunned Tiger Egg, telling it to show no mercy and strike without hesitation.

It's no wonder Tiger Egg was stunned. It didn't expect that while it and Xiong Er were out fishing and killing demons every day, getting covered in fishy smells without complaining, their master had secretly used the best materials from the fifth-tier immortal weapon to make a new puppet. Shouldn't the best materials be given to Tiger Egg first? Tiger Egg is the master's number one warrior!
The owner is now more powerful and doesn't need his tiger eggs as much, so the bond between them has faded.

However, despite feeling wronged, Tiger Egg wasn't jealous of the Qilin Arm Puppet.

This Qilin Arm Puppet is powerful, but it can clearly see that this puppet is a modified puppet, which only emits light and heat when attached to its master.

Do true strongmen need to rely on others? Only a self-reliant creature like Tiger Egg can shine and thrive even without its master providing it with materials, proving itself strong and independent!

Clang, clang.

Tiger Egg, who had unleashed nine swords simultaneously, was unable to look up at the sky after the arm armor shattered all the swords except for the Rainbow Sword, and instinctively assumed a kneeling posture.

"Please, Master, give Tiger Egg some good stuff! Tiger Egg really doesn't want to work hard anymore!" (End of Chapter)