Volume Two: The Armory Chronicle Chapter 117: Strike First to Gain the Advantage

The Hall of the Holy Monarch has offended far more people than just Liu Xiaoyi over the years. Their bandit-like conduct in the Southern Wilderness has infuriated many free-roaming cultivators. A few years ago, a group of these rogue cultivators attempted to besiege the sect, only to be outmaneuvered by the Hall and nearly wiped out in their entirety.

He Qingyan was one of those who suffered. Having marched on the Hall of the Holy Monarch alongside his master and uncle, he was the only one to return.

To have his own sect destroyed and his master and uncle murdered—this was a debt He Qingyan could never set aside. He traveled far to the overseas archipelago to master a craft specifically designed to counter puppet arts, and only then, brimming with confidence, did he return to the mainland.

Having long heard that Tuqiu City would host a martial arts tournament to select a husband for the Holy Saintess of the Hall, He Qingyan traveled thousands of miles in haste, finally arriving outside the towers of the Tower of Heaven this very night.

At a glance, he discerned that the furnishings and layout of the Tower of Heaven contained arrays designed to amplify puppet power. Yet, the puppet arts the Hall of the Holy Monarch so prided itself on seemed fragile and pathetic before his techniques.

The puppets incapacitated by his specialized incense were merely of the entry-level variety. Though he was unfamiliar with the mechanisms inside the Azure Dragon Tower, He Qingyan felt no fear. When a copper-bodied, eight-armed Arhat puppet appeared before him, he knew he had been discovered.

In the control room beneath the Tower of Heaven, an old Daoist holding a white-feathered fan watched He Qingyan’s image on a screen of water maintained by spiritual power. His face was filled with delight as he muttered, "Truly a rare talent, one not seen in a century! Do not damage his tendons or bones; if I refine him into a puppet, it will surely allow me to break through my cultivation and reach the pinnacle!"

Materials for crafting puppets are not limited to inanimate objects; spirit beasts and even human bodies can be refined. However, within the schools of puppetry, using human bodies is universally condemned as a forbidden art. Once a practitioner is discovered using such methods, the entire puppet-crafting community unites to hunt them down.

Compared to inanimate objects, puppets made from living beings possess far more formidable combat strength. Advanced versions can even assist their masters in cultivation, yielding twice the result with half the effort.

The newly arrived guest elder of the Hall of the Holy Monarch is not only a master of various entrapment arrays but also a practitioner of these forbidden arts. His deal with the Hall is simple: trade the forbidden arts for the lives of the many martial artists gathered here.

In a place filled with lethal mechanisms, casualties are expected. Those daring enough to challenge the tower are bound to have some skill, making this the perfect opportunity to harvest high-quality vessels. Among them, the old Daoist is most fixated on He Qingyan.

Possessing a body with a perfect balance of the five elements is a disadvantage for one's own cultivation, but for refining a puppet, it is a rare, priceless treasure. Such a vessel can channel any elemental energy, allowing it to flow freely through the meridians. Every such puppet sold fetches a staggering price on the black market, where they are snatched up the moment they appear.

Inside the Azure Dragon Tower, the swirling gusts of wind made it difficult for He Qingyan to keep his footing, yet the copper puppet before him moved with ease—the wind not only failed to hinder it but served to amplify its strength.

"I know you are watching me. Let me see what progress the Hall of the Holy Monarch has made over these years!" He Qingyan beckoned to the copper puppet. Blue light flared in the puppet's eyes, and in the next instant, it was before him, lunging with its head in a brutal strike.

The true terror of a puppet lies in its lack of pain or emotion; its entire body is a weapon. He Qingyan did not dodge; he met the strike head-on with his own forehead.

The unexpected occurred: He Qingyan did not retreat a single step, while the copper puppet’s head snapped back, and it stumbled repeatedly.

"How is this possible! My copper puppet is as solid as stone; how could it not shatter his skull?" The controller was frustrated. As he manipulated the threads of power, the copper puppet swung its fists at He Qingyan’s face.

He Qingyan responded in kind. Both fists connected with the opponent’s face; yet again, He Qingyan remained unscathed while the copper puppet was sent flying.

As he rose, He Qingyan laughed, "Is that all you have? If you’re finished, get out of my way and let me take out the array core."

If the array core were removed, the formation powering the tower would collapse. Evidently, his opponent had no intention of letting him leave so easily. The copper puppet spoke in a human voice, "The way of the puppet is deep and profound; how dare a layman like you look down upon it!"

"Then let’s keep fighting to see if you are strong or if I shall tear you apart!" Seeing the copper puppet unsheathe blades from its arms, He Qingyan drew two short daggers and charged forward in a matching stance.

Just as he closed in on the puppet, a chill raced down He Qingyan’s spine. He instinctively ducked his head as a flying needle whistled over his scalp—a mud puppet had emerged from the ceiling.

The mud puppet held a natural advantage within the tower. It formed a seal with its hands, conjuring a pool of swamp that trapped He Qingyan, rooting his feet to the spot.

"Calling for help? That trick won't work on me!" He Qingyan pulled two talismans from his sleeves and slapped them onto his legs. Instantly, he floated above the swamp, moving as swiftly as the wind, completely unaffected.

For years, He Qingyan had studied nothing but how to combat puppets—usually a matter of overcoming them through sheer numbers or using restrictive Daoist arts to wear them down bit by bit.

The talismans in his hand prevented him from being ensnared by the array's magic. By the time the copper puppet reacted, He Qingyan’s blades were already at its throat. With a forceful pull, the puppet’s head rolled to the ground.

Many puppets do not house their core in the head. He Qingyan’s blades flashed again, slicing open the copper puppet’s chest to reveal a glowing red core. Sensing danger, he tried to retreat, but was immediately engulfed in a violent explosion.

The controller in the secret room shouted with excitement, "I hit him! I hit him!"

Before he could finish his celebration, he watched as the mud puppet, still half-embedded in the wall, suddenly detonated, leaving nothing but debris.

When the smoke cleared, He Qingyan was nowhere to be seen. "Find his location again! Send in the Azure Dragon Guards!" the old Daoist commanded with a grim expression.

Each tower housed eight guards, directly controlled by the array spirit and infused with the power of the entire tower’s formation. They were the key to defending the structure, originally intended for the martial artists attempting to climb the Tower of Heaven. Now, the old Daoist was forced to reveal them early to capture He Qingyan.

The surveillance quickly locked onto him again. As he pushed open a door into yet another room with identical furnishings, the compass in He Qingyan’s hand suddenly began to spin wildly, unable to determine direction.

The compass relied on sensing the concentration of the array spirit’s power to navigate. Its erratic spinning gave He Qingyan a sense of impending doom.

Just as he turned to retreat into the previous room, the four walls burst open, and four dragon-men, clad in scales and long tails, charged in wielding longswords!