Immortality begins with meditation puppets

“Fellow Daoist Gao, there is no need for such formality. My path is without foundation or basis, and I am but a lone individual. Even if I possess some meager abilities, they are of no use in the grand scheme of things. The future safety of the Western Sea rests on the shoulders of the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, the Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom, the Punishment God Kingdom, the Desire Immortal Kingdom, and many other immortal kingdoms. Only when the cultivators of the Western Sea unite as one may we have a chance to overcome these tribulations.”

Just like how we just slew this cloud dragon, it was only through the combined efforts of myself, Fellow Daoist Gao, and Fellow Daoist Tong that we achieved this result!

Su Qing stood with his hands behind his back, continuing to work on Er Qiang's mindset. Suddenly, he frowned, realizing that the Xing Tian Blood Axe, which had already recognized him as its master and was in perfect harmony with him, was restless. It was clear that the axe had sensed the aura of the demon, and the primordial power within it had erupted. It didn't want to slack off on the Pixiu Treasure Ship with him anymore, and wanted to go and fight, to drink the demon's blood again across countless years from ancient times to the present.

The Xingtian Blood Axe was originally a weapon of slaughter, and its potential power could be continuously unleashed in the midst of killing. Su Qing himself did not want to take risks, but he could let the Xingtian Blood Axe play freely. With a thought, the Xingtian Blood Axe, which he had been nurturing in his internal furnace, burst forth from his body.

The savage aura that comes from the ancient times, and the blood-red clouds that appear with every appearance, are all killing effects. As soon as the Blood Axe appeared, it not only startled the demons who were fighting with Su Qing's puppet, but also made Gao Erqiang look scared. His three-pointed double-edged sword also emitted a dazzling light, as if he wanted to compete with the Xingtian Blood Axe!
All Dao artifacts possess their own will. If they were true artifacts that aid in enlightenment, such as the Jade Void Glazed Lamp enshrined on Penglai Immortal Island or the Reincarnation Mirror of the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom, they might be able to coexist on an equal footing when they encountered each other. At most, they might dislike each other in their hearts, but they could still get along on the surface.

But weapons of war like the Xingtian Blood Axe and the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade are like arrogant soldiers and unruly body cultivators. When they meet, one is arrogant and the other is domineering. If their masters cannot control them, they will definitely fight to see who is better!
Gao Erqiang didn't want to argue with Su Qing. Sweating profusely, he suppressed the agitated Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword, which had been provoked by Xing Tian's Blood Axe, before bowing to Su Qing with a wry smile and saying:
"A few days ago, I saw the Xing Tian Blood Axe appear on the list of creations of all heavens. I was wondering which brave and powerful hero would be able to subdue this treasure and make it recognize its master. It turns out it was Fellow Daoist Su. That makes sense. With Fellow Daoist Su's courage, subduing this treasure is a piece of cake!"

While he was complimenting Su Qing, Erqiang was thinking something else entirely.

What kind of world is this?!
Those idle cultivators in the Divine Kingdom of Xingsha judged people by their appearance and their background, and they thought that he, the ruler of the Divine Kingdom, was not as good as Su Qing, who provided them with food, clothing and wealth.

Even the mighty Xingtian Blood Axe, a true weapon of slaughter, is blind. Isn't it said that this true weapon of slaughter only looks down on the bravest warriors in the heavens?
Was Su Qing considered brave and martial?
He has the courage to shamelessly snatch spoils from a battlefield hundreds of miles away, but the courage to fight a deadly battle is like the spirit stones on Gao Erqiang's body—he has none and has to borrow from others. Just like now, Gao Erqiang, Tong Chang, and the puppets like Hu Dan and Xiong Er are the source of Su Qing's courage.

Hmph! He doesn't dare to go into battle himself, so he lets Xing Tian's Blood Axe swing by himself? This weapon of slaughter is a waste of its potential; it should be given to brave and fearless heroes like Er Qiang!
Su Qing had no interest in Erqiang's little schemes. He only wanted to thoroughly persuade Erqiang so that Erqiang could become a tool in his hands, just like Xiong Er, Hu Dan, and Xing Tian's Blood Axe. He didn't want Erqiang to have any petty conflicts with him over the distribution of spoils.

"Fellow Daoist Gao, please don't mind that I took this cloud dragon's corpse. Fellow Daoist Gao and Fellow Daoist Tong also shared in the merit and fortune of killing this cloud dragon. The great calamity has begun, and Fellow Daoist Gao is well aware of the wonders of merit and fortune. If possible, I am willing to exchange this cloud dragon for the merit and fortune you just obtained!"

"Fellow Daoist, you surely know my abilities. If I had wanted to claim the credit for slaying Yunlong, your Dragon-Slaying Blade might not have been able to cut him down. However, considering your arduous journey today and your future struggle against the Earth Demon Heaven, this merit and fortune might help you better solidify your divine position. That's why I gave this best spoil to you and Fellow Daoist Tong, without interfering in your battle with Yunlong. So, if you still refuse this insignificant piece of Yunlong's corpse at the end, it would be too disheartening for me!"

Su Qing's words were well said. Although Erqiang felt there was something wrong with them, upon closer examination, he found that what Su Qing said made perfect sense.

Although he and Erqiang were positioned as damage dealers and tanks, they risked being killed and killed by the dragon if they weren't careful.

But he wasn't attacked by the dragon, right? Not dying means no risk!

If we're talking about risks, he could have chosen not to do it before. But since he did, he shouldn't keep nagging like a gossipy old woman!
Judging from the results, he did indeed take the lion's share of the spoils from this battle. Although the merit and fortune were ethereal and intangible, they were of great use to both him and Tong Chang. On the other hand, the cloud dragon's corpse, which could be used by Su Qing to create a priceless fifth-order puppet, might only be worth a few spirit stones to pay off his debts in his hands.

Ultimately, it's because I lack cooking skills that I suffer!
Gao Erqiang had no skills, so he could only sell the Yunlong corpse as material, selling it for three-tenths of the original price. If he encountered a black-hearted buyer like Su Qing, he might not even get three-tenths. So, the merit and fortune gained from killing the Yunlong were more valuable than the Yunlong corpse. However, Su Qing had a superb puppet-making skill that could squeeze every last drop out of the Yunlong corpse, turning it into a hundred-tenths of the original price. To Su Qing, the Yunlong corpse was much more valuable than the merit and fortune.

“Fellow Daoist Su, there’s no need for further words. I was just speaking without thinking. You and I are brothers, rising from humble beginnings and supporting each other to get to where we are today. How can we hold a grudge over such a small matter? I will return to the Dragon Slaying Platform now to continue enforcing the law with Fellow Daoist Tong, so as to share Fellow Daoist Su’s burdens and do more for the people of the Western Sea!”

Having realized that he was already quite fortunate to have gained some merit and good fortune, Gao Erqiang no longer had any interest in the dragon's body. Thinking about it was useless; he couldn't compete with Su Qing, and neither soft nor hard tactics worked as well. He could only go to the Dragon-Slaying Platform and do that hard, risky work, hoping to slay more demons and undead so that he could at least gain more merit.

"Then I'll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Gao. I'll have the Inspiration Doll escort all those stubborn demons to the Dragon-Slaying Platform so that you two can be brought to justice!"

Erqiang didn't strike or cause trouble, and his work enthusiasm even improved, which showed that Su Qing had done a good job in his ideological work. Su Qing was naturally pleased and told Erqiang to get to work quickly.

As for the remaining value extracted from Erqiang, Su Qing naturally wanted to find a high-grade storage bag to store the Yunlong corpse, which was almost intact except for its severed head and bleeding.

To be honest, although the merit and luck of killing Yunlong were good, Su Qing didn't really care. In this world, there are so many evil spirits and demons. As long as you have the strength, there are opportunities to make merit everywhere. On the contrary, Yunlong, who has the guts but no brains to sneak into Tianyuan Realm to loot equipment, is a rare find. For Su Qing, he is simply a gift from heaven.

"With this dragon body in hand, I can forge a fifth-tier true dragon puppet without even collecting all nine dragon boats!"

Patting the storage bag at his waist, Su Qing said with great satisfaction.

Although the Cloud Dragon is not a Golden Dragon or a superior war dragon like the Azure Dragon, its body can at most be used to forge a fifth-tier high-grade True Dragon Puppet. It is far inferior to the Dao Dragon Puppet, which, when combined with the Nine Sons Dragon Ship, contains four Imperial Dao Patterns and possesses limitless growth potential. However, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. The Cloud Dragon's body is currently in his storage bag. With this acquisition as a safety net, the cost of this trip to the Land of Despair has already been recouped; the rest is pure profit!
Su Qing turned her gaze to the battle at the front lines.

Xiong Er had briefly left the battlefield to help him steal the dragon's body, leaving the Arhat Buddha Bear Clan leaderless. Without Xiong Er, the leader who had attained the Arhat status and possessed profound Buddhist skills, the Arhat Buddha Bear Clan was reduced to a second-rate fighting force. They suffered heavy losses and repeated defeats at the hands of the demons and undead. However, after Xiong Er returned, the morale of these Arhat Buddha Bears soared under his chanting and Buddhist light, allowing them to regain their footing among the demons and undead.

This scene not only struck Erqiang as eerie, but also made him feel that Su Qing's puppet-making skills had become even more profound than before. He could even manipulate puppets without self-awareness. In fact, Su Qing himself also found it strange.

When he first created the Arhat Buddha Bear Corps, he simply crafted it as a normal third-tier battle bear. It didn't even have the group effect of the Demon God Corps or special forces. Now, under Xiong Er's leadership, it's just like the soldiers of the Pingxi Martial Kingdom. Its combat power fluctuates with its morale. If the morale is high, it can unleash its power to kill the enemy!
"Could this be the Buddhist cultivator's ability to influence and deceive people? After Xiong Er became the Arhat Buddha Bear, he didn't use it on outsiders, but instead used it to manipulate his own brother, who was now a puppet?"

Su Qing pondered to himself, thinking that if this were the case, the possibility of these puppets developing self-awareness in the future under Xiong Er's subtle influence would be greatly increased, and they would not be used as mere grunts as they are now.

With a thought, he instructed Xiong Er to lead the Arhat Buddha Bears away from the battlefield of the mid-level demons once again. They should not even confront the low-level demons head-on, but simply beat up those weak undead.

In fact, not only the Arhat Buddha Bear Group, but also the Demon God Legion, the Exorcist Legion, and other puppets, he was reluctant to let them fight to the death with troublesome mid-level demons, lest they suffer excessive losses and lose more than they gain.

These mid-level demons are really difficult to deal with. They can shift positions, are unpredictable, and are as cunning as foxes. They have a wide variety of tricks up their sleeves. Even a powerful puppet like Tiger Egg has to be careful and defend against two or three mid-level demons and find it difficult to make any significant contributions. Other puppets would only be toyed with if they encountered them.

In other words, the Inspiration Doll, relying on its heart being even blacker than the demon, can capture some mid-level demons by using its deer-like beating ability, but it can only keep them hanging and does not have the ability to completely eliminate these formless and shapeless demons.

However, Xing Tian's Blood Axe, despite its useless master who only remotely commands it and dares not personally wield the axe in battle, is still capable of destroying anything with its invincible nature. It can kill demons with a single sweep of its axe and doesn't take these demons seriously.

That's how it should be! Must a precious artifact fight alongside its master on the battlefield? A weapon of war shouldn't be so inconvenient!
“There are demons that have refused to be controlled and have once again appeared in the world to harm people. I, Tong Chang, in my current position as the Celestial Master, have joined forces with the Execution Gods to establish another Demon-Slaying Platform here to slay the evil and demons, and to report to the Heavenly Court!”

Tong Laodao's righteous and awe-inspiring Daoist voice reached Su Qing's ears from a hundred miles away. When he saw Gao Erqiang nodding to him on the dark and menacing Demon-Slaying Platform, he immediately understood. He instructed the Inspiration Doll to use its special ability to bewitch and seduce the mid-level demons, leading them one by one to the Demon-Slaying Platform, where professionals like Tong Chang and Gao Erqiang could deal with them.

The Inspiration Doll was also granted a pardon. Although it had many titles such as Heartbreaker, Rotten-Hearted Inhuman, and Powerful Version, and could simultaneously seduce and restrain dozens of mid-level demons, not everyone can be a master of time management. Keeping more than ten demons hanging without killing them was not a good idea. With the Demon Slaughtering Platform opening, it had no choice but to send these mid-level demons to the Demon Slaughtering Platform one by one!

When the ancient Heavenly Court still existed, it used the demonic essence of several Heavenly Demon Lords to create a Demon-Slaying Platform. The Heavenly Demon Lords' status suppressed other demons, so that when these evil spirits fell onto this Demon-Slaying Platform, they could only reveal their true nature and be slaughtered by others.

With Tong Laodao's current strength and status, a single decree wouldn't be enough to summon the real Demon-Slaying Platform. Of course, after the collapse and disintegration of the ancient Heavenly Court, it's uncertain whether the Demon-Slaying Platform still exists. The Demon-Slaying Platform that Laodao has summoned is just like the Dragon-Slaying Platform; it's merely a projection taken from the past with the help of the power of heaven and earth. Slaying high-ranking demons might be difficult, but slaying mid-ranking demons is no problem at all.

"Die!" On the Demon Slaughtering Platform, Erqiang, wielding a three-pointed double-edged sword, killed the mid-level demons tricked by the Inspiration Doll one by one, enjoying the thrill of the slaughter.

This is a truly good job; he hardly has to exert any effort. Tong Chang set up the Demon-Slaying Platform, and Su Qing's puppet delivered the demons. All he has to do is pick up his sword and raise it to gain countless merits.

"Fellow Daoist Su and Fellow Daoist Tong are true brothers of ours. In the future, if you need our help, we will do our best!"

Gao Erqiang, who had previously felt that the two had tricked him, was now afraid that his two good brothers would not play with him in the future, so he quickly spoke up to express his feelings.

Su Qing paid no attention to Er Qiang, who was initially arrogant but later became obsequious and was well-versed in the ways of being a human and a god. She focused solely on observing the evil spirits and undead.

"Ordinary undead, even if controlled by a demon, are no different from ordinary evil spirits. In fact, most evil spirits in the Tianyuan Realm are transformed from vengeful spirits and deadly beings, so there is no difference between them. Exorcism puppets such as the Exorcism Doll, the Mountain Demon Burial Spirit, and the Earth Virtue Doll are still effective against them and there is no worry about their elimination. We just need to build more factories and set up more production lines to meet the strong consumer demand in the West Sea and even the Tianyuan Realm in the future and alleviate the current production capacity crisis."

Demons are formless and shapeless, and adept at manipulating people's hearts. If their true nature cannot be forced out, they are practically immortal. To subdue them, we need to create specialized exorcism puppets. After this battle, I will devote more attention to developing such puppets!

Su Qing observed the battle unfolding, silently calculating in his mind. (End of Chapter)