Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Cultivating a hundred arts, including array making, alchemy, puppetry, talisman drawing, farming, and hunting, one can master any path as long as one is skilled. With diligent cultivation, one can excel in any profession. However, based on the upper and lower limits of each profession and market demand, there are also differences in status and value among professions. Of course, this can change with the times and the emergence of geniuses. For example, since Su Qing was born in the Tianyuan Realm, his puppets have become popular in Tianyuan and have even swept across the heavens. In the ranking of the hundred arts, puppetry has risen above talisman making, becoming the fourth most popular profession.

Since ancient times, among all arts, array formations have been the most revered, and array formation masters have enjoyed a prestigious position among all professions, a point that has never changed.

The art of array formation has endless uses, secretly conforming to the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. It can transform countless things into one's own. Those with profound understanding can block thousands of troops with a single array formation. Just like the Qiankun Wuji Array set up outside the Heavenly Gate today, presided over by the Yuanshi Sect and with the cooperation of powerful beings from all heavens, it can make countless demons from the Thirteen Demon Realms sigh in despair and stop outside the Heavenly Gate. Even those with shallow understanding can protect their homes and homes and bless their families.

The demand for array formations is also great. Major sects and numerous forces, whether mountain gates, capital cities, or royal cities, cannot stabilize people's hearts and minds or make their foundations last long without the protection of a great array. At best, they can only be considered a makeshift operation. Among cultivators, if there are not a few array formations in their residences that are presentable, they cannot be considered wealthy or powerful, and they cannot marry a superior woman like Debao's niece.

It is highly useful and in high demand, so cultivators in the heavens often choose the path of array formations as their first choice when selecting a profession. Only when their talent is not up to par or their family is not wealthy will they have no choice but to give up and choose another path.

Thus, those who have achieved something in the Dao of Arrays in the myriad realms and within the Tianyuan native land are mostly exceptionally talented and wealthy individuals. These outstanding individuals, in addition to their mastery of arrays, are also exceptionally skilled in their own cultivation. As a result, the competition in the Dao of Arrays is no less intense than that in combat or enlightenment; it is a battle of gods.

How did Su Qing break into the top ten of the array formation?

Curious cultivators opened the image-recording talisman and purchased the expensive on-demand replay service, witnessing Su Qing's brilliant performance in the array project.

In his first match, he brought out three sword puppets. These puppets were sword-shaped with hands, each holding two small swords. They could fight like sword cultivators, and when needed, they could retract their hands and become swords themselves. The large sword was a heavy sword without an edge, with the most powerful attack. The small sword was as fast as the wind, piercing through without a trace. Three times three becomes nine, and nine times nine becomes one. The three sword puppets and nine magic swords performed endless changes and formed several formations. Without Su Qing's own operation, they helped him easily enter the top 100 of the formation path.

In the second match of the Top 100 Tournament, he encountered resistance from the Penglai Sect's Divine Spirit Array Team. In this match, the four gods of Penglai—wind, rain, thunder, and lightning—combined their power as fourth-order deities to perform the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Array. The wind and rain were like dragons, and the thunder rolled, as if the heavens and earth were unleashing divine punishment. Their divine power was truly unpredictable. Faced with such an array, Su Qing could not take it lightly. He finally took out more sword puppets. A total of seventy-two sword puppets appeared out of nowhere, forming the fourth-order Grand Array Seventy-Two Breaking Laws Terrifying Sword Array. They cut through the wind and rain, slashed the thunder dragon at the edge of the sky, and split the lightning snake at the top of the cloud peaks. They killed the Penglai deities in a panic, who begged for mercy repeatedly.

After watching just a few replays of the matches, all the cultivators watching put aside their doubts about Su Qing's achievements in array formation.

Despite knowing that he has created highly intelligent sword array puppets with the ability to form arrays on their own, and that no one has yet forced him to use all of his sword array puppets, and that no one knows whether seventy-two sword puppets are his limit, he is strong as he is, but his opponent is even stronger.

The name of a person is like the shadow of a tree. The Zhuxian Sword Formation is famous throughout the world. It is the number one formation in the world that even several Dao Integration Masters in ancient times feared. It was the four Zhuxian swords that collapsed in ancient times and are now scattered in Tianyuan, their whereabouts unknown. The four Lingbao sword cultivators participating in the competition are not capable of performing the true Zhuxian formation. However, after generations of improvement and inheritance by the Lingbao Sect sword cultivators, they have emerged from the Zhuxian Sword Formation. It is said that when they perform it to perfection, they can have one or two percent of the power of the original formation. This also gives the onlookers a reason not to be optimistic about Su Qing's chances of winning this battle.

Reflecting on the betting odds, according to Xiong Er's statistics, the total amount betting on Su Qing to win this battle was only over 300,000 spirit stones, while the amount betting on Ling Bao was over 2 million spirit stones. Although the odds between the two sides were as high as one to nine, the cultivators of the heavens still dared not bet big with small stakes and used spirit stones to express which side they favored more.

"Using a sword puppet to impersonate a master of array formations? Su Qing, you've chosen the wrong path. You can't go far with fancy tricks!"

"Four great spirit treasures, don't give me any face, teach this Su Qing a lesson he won't forget!"

"Not every formation can be called the Immortal Slayer, and not every sword cultivator can be as powerful as a Spirit Treasure Sword Cultivator. Sword puppets? They're nothing but toys for Spirit Treasure Sword Cultivators!"

"Brother Su, you must rise up! You must fight to the death! Not to prove anything, but to prove that I, your brother Erqiang, was right about you! I've bet 50,000 spirit stones on you winning! For me, please give it your all and fight to the death!"

"Fellow Daoist Gao, calm down. I just performed a divination, and your 50,000 spirit stones are about to turn into 450,000!"

"Ah, Fellow Daoist Tong has foreseen that Brother Su will win this battle?"

"No, I calculated that he himself bet 200,000 spirit stones on winning!"

The audience below the stage was restless and noisy, but Su Qing on the stage and the four spiritual treasure sword cultivators opposite her remained calm and composed, their actions as swift as thunder.

The four Lingbao sword cultivators arrived early and stood firm, quickly transforming the arena into their own shape. The space around the arena was completely enveloped by the invisible sword energy of the Small Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, intending to give Su Qing a hard time right away.

Su Qing had no choice but to accept the consequences of being late and getting slashed by his opponent, since he was so eager for the final battle with the witch. He couldn't bear to miss the scene of the witch spraying water, but he had to accept the consequences of being late and getting slashed by his opponent.

The Lingbao sword cultivators are truly formidable. No wonder cultivators across the heavens say that there are two types of sword cultivators in the world. One type is the ordinary masses, whose swordsmanship may not be cool or strong, just like themselves, bland and tasteless. The second type is the Lingbao sword cultivators who can break through all laws with a single sword and have brought the sword path to its current status. They may not be handsome, but their swords are amazing. Their cultivation level may not be high, but their combat power is definitely strong.

Even with the four spirit treasure sword cultivators working together to form an array, and even before the four strongest transformations of the Lesser Immortal Slaughtering Sword Array—Slaughtering Immortal, Slaying Immortal, Trapping Immortal, and Absolute Immortal—were unleashed, the invisible sword energy alone was enough to break through Su Qing's protective aura, leaving countless tiny cuts on his body, with blood gushing out wildly, making him look extremely gruesome.

However, Su Qing was no pushover either. The moment the wound appeared, the numerous spider doctors embedded in his body began to work. The faster the opponent slashed, the faster the doctors stitched up. In addition, with the powerful regenerative ability of his Great Witch True Spirit and Azure Dragon Dao Pattern, the damage from this invisible sword energy was completely negligible.

"Such strong recovery ability, perfect for a good fight! Master Su, watch out, we're getting serious!"

The Lingbao sword cultivators also had a freakish personality of becoming stronger when facing stronger opponents. Seeing that Su Qing was very resilient to being attacked, they immediately attacked even more vigorously.

On the arena, a fierce wind arose, not a normal wind, but a gale whipped up by invisible sword energy. The stronger the wind, the more sword energy there was, and the more ferocious the sword power became.

Su Qing stretched out his hand and transformed it into a green dragon, which coiled around his body. In his sea of ​​consciousness, strange images of mountains and seas appeared. The high mountains and the vast sea combined with the green dragon as a barrier, which protected him from being injured by the sword energy and the gale.

"Invisible sword energy, a breathless wind—such sword power can only be seen in the hands of your sect. After being amplified by this Lesser Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, it makes one yearn for the unparalleled might of that Dao-Merging Master in the past, wielding the Four Immortal Slaughtering Swords and unleashing this move!"

"Don't think that just because you praised us, we won't beat you up, Master Su. If you can't handle it, then step down. Your stage is in the world of puppetry, or even in the world of combat, but definitely not in the world of formations!"

Qu Wudao spoke up, telling Su Qing to recognize his own limitations and wisely admit defeat. Otherwise, if they were to retaliate further, it would be embarrassing for everyone, damaging the relationship between the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom and the Lingbao Sect, which would be even more troublesome. "Praising you makes it easier to beat you!"

Su Qing sighed and decided not to give the Lingbao sword cultivators any more chances to shine. A quick victory was the only way to show respect to these sword cultivators.

With a flick of his sword finger, a rain of swords shot out from his storage bag.

All of them are sword puppets with two hands and humanoid shapes, big and small, heavy and light, long and short, broad-backed and thin-leafed, single-edged and double-edged, wearing battle armor, wearing magic robes, and there are even sword puppets riding magic cannons!

The moment these sword puppets roared out, they began to form pairs, groups of three, and formations of hundreds.

The sword puppets, with their broad backs and thick bodies, form the Disintegration Body Protection Sword Array. The sword energy is a murky yellow color, capable of disintegrating everything that attacks back to its original state. When it encounters invisible sword energy, it disintegrates it into harmless spiritual energy, making it difficult for it to advance even half an inch.

Using the Disintegration Body-Controlling Sword Formation as a shield and the Three Talents Sword Puppet as the main force, with one large sword and two small swords, and one puppet divided into three swords, the three swords formed a group, and the three groups formed a group, forming a total of thirty-three formations, all charging towards the core of the four spiritual treasure sword cultivators, Qu Wudao, who had just asked Su Qing to beg for mercy.

"The enemy is fierce. We must take the lead, change formation, and form the Immortal Trapping Formation!"

Qu Wudao's eyes narrowed. Even from a distance of over a hundred feet, he could feel the sword light from the other side. He dared not be careless and immediately activated the Trapping Immortal Formation, trying to stabilize the situation first.

The four had cultivated the Lesser Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation together for many years, and were able to operate it with ease, switching between offense and defense without any stagnation. In an instant, the four of them stood in four directions, and the natal swords in their hands transformed into streaks of mysterious yellow sword light.

At a distance of a hundred feet, the Three Talents Sword Puppets arrived in an instant. However, as they attacked their target, all the sword puppets seemed to lose their direction. Instead of heading towards Qu Wudao, they were attracted by the Xuanhuang sword light emitted by the four cultivators and fell into the Trapped Immortal Sword Formation like mud oxen entering the sea.

Within this sword aura, the speed of the Three Talents Sword Puppet was greatly reduced. Having lost its speed, the sword puppet had lost its greatest threat. Su Qing watched helplessly as the thirty-three sets of Three Talents Sword Puppets perished in the Trapping Immortal Sword Aura. He was amazed by the well-deserved reputation of the Lesser Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, but he did not feel any regret for the defeat.

This is because he possesses far more than just these thirty-three sets of Three Talents Sword Puppets!

Having cultivated in the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom for a hundred years, he had Ling Ying, Hong Shang, Huai Dan, Xiong Er and other close associates to manage his affairs. He also had old and new partners such as Ying Jue Shen, Duan Tian Ai, and Xiao Lang to help him handle domestic affairs. When it was necessary to use force, there were also True Immortals such as Xin Feng and Liu Qian Piao who asked him to open the heavens and were willing to help him maintain order and control the situation.

Thus, although he was the ruler of a country, he had very few things to worry about over the past hundred years, which allowed him to devote ample time to the puppetry business.

Among his achievements was the sword formation puppet.

This type of puppet is a new type of puppet that was unlocked on the panel after he crafted the fifth-tier puppet, Starry Chaos.

To refine this puppet, one must have considerable skill in sword runes and creation runes. On the contrary, the requirements for array runes, which seem to be the most important, are actually lower.

After studying it for a while, Su Qing understood why.

The idea behind creating this puppet is similar to the great sword puppet he created for Qinghe back then. It involves transforming a magic sword into a human form, allowing it to fight like a sword cultivator, and also enabling it to transform into a magic sword form as part of a sword formation when needed, thus participating in the sword formation's combat.

Creation runes endow them with a humanoid form, mimicking sword cultivators, enabling them to learn intelligently and comprehend sword formations on their own. Sword Dao runes enhance their sword techniques and the upper limit of the power of sword formations. Therefore, these two types of runes are extremely important for this type of puppet. However, this type of sword puppet specializes in evolving sword formations and lacks the ability to evolve other types of formations. Using high-level array Dao runes would be a waste, and it is hard to say whether it will necessarily increase the power of this type of sword puppet.

As luck would have it, the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom now has abundant mineral resources for refining all kinds of magic swords. As the largest mine owner, Su Qing doesn't have to worry about materials at all. He starts refining from first-order sword puppets, frantically improving his puppet proficiency while also raising his sword dao runes to the fifth level. His creation runes are even raised to the sixth level, laying a solid foundation for him to refine fifth-order puppets such as Starry Sky Chaos later.

During this process, he accumulated countless low- to mid-level sword puppets of the first to third tiers. The sword puppets he used in previous competitions were mostly third-tier sword puppets, including the Three Talents Sword Puppet that was just destroyed by the Immortal Trapping Sword Force.

But besides the third-tier sword puppet, he also has seventy-two fourth-tier sword puppets. This is the source of his confidence to participate in the array project and to compete for gold and silver.

Seventy-two fourth-order sword puppets are sure to shine at this heroes' gathering where sixth-order Void Refinement cultivators are absent.

Of course, at this moment, these four spiritual treasure sword cultivators were not worth him revealing his trump cards.

In his view, the Trapping Immortal Sword Formation seemed flawless, but in reality, it was merely the result of one of the four sword cultivators possessing the Dao Pattern of Delay, which he incorporated into the sword light, then mixed with the power of the four cultivators, and amplified by the sword formation. Only then could it have the ability to hinder the movement of sword puppets or cultivators entering the formation. It was far inferior to the true Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, which left people with nowhere to go and no way to escape, and was a maze of sword seas composed of sword energy.

It's not difficult to break!

Simply crush it with quantity!

By observing a part, one can understand the whole picture. Through the Trapping Immortal Sword Formation, he could know that the other three variations of the Lesser Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation still utilized the Dao patterns mastered by the four spiritual treasure sword cultivators. Immortal Slaughtering was an offensive Dao pattern, Immortal Annihilation was a self-destructive Dao pattern that allowed one to perish with the enemy, and Immortal Slaughtering was a Dao pattern that gathered the power of the masses...

In short, this Lesser Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation is completely different from the real Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation. It is ingenious, but not ingenious enough!

At least Su Qing could easily break through! (End of Chapter)