Chapter 604 - 333: Puppet Tower (Part 2)
The Puppet Tower continuously manipulated the cultivators under the control of its Puppet Insects, forcing them to charge from their cabins. They brandished Magical Artifacts and cast Magic Skills, all aimed at Lü Zhong in an attempt to slow his pursuit. But how could cultivators so easily controlled possibly harm a Nascent Soul True Monarch? With the power of these mere Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators, they couldn’t even breach Lü Zhong’s Protective Gang Qi.
Soon, the Puppet Tower could no longer flee.
Just as Shuini had said, its body was incredibly frail. After using its teleportation Divine Technique three consecutive times, it surpassed its physical limit and could no longer cast it.
Lü Zhong caught up and blasted the ball of mist with several bolts of Palm Thunder.
With a piercing shriek, a pale, fleshy figure tumbled out.
The Puppet Tower’s true form was bizarre, to say the least.
If one had to describe it, it was a pale, fleshy brain propped up on six small legs. The brain’s surface was covered in hundreds of eyeballs, large and small. Yet, the sight was strangely harmonious, as if this was its natural state.
This art style did not belong in the Cultivation Realm.
In comparison, even Evil Spirits seemed cute.
"This is the Puppet Tower?"
Shuini, who had caught up, saw the thing Lü Zhong had pinned to the wall with his Spirit Sword.
For a moment, she couldn’t believe that this was the Puppet Tower’s true body.
But now, the mist that had enveloped the fleet was gone, and the Barrier had vanished as well.
The proof was right before her eyes, leaving her no choice but to believe.
Lü Zhong then formed a Technique Mantra, coated his left hand in Magical Power, touched the Puppet Tower’s body, and slowly pulled back.
Instantly, the Puppet Tower’s Primordial Spirit was torn out.
Without a second glance, Lü Zhong sealed it in a jade box.
A Tier Four Demon Beast’s Primordial Spirit was a fusion of its Demon Pill and Beast Soul. Using it as a mere Demon Pill would be a terrible waste; it could be refined into a Magical Treasure.
Doing so might even cause the Magical Treasure to birth an Artifact Spirit.
At that moment, a streak of Escape Light flew over, revealing the now-awakened Yuu Mingzi. "We have you to thank for this, Fellow Daoist Lü," he said gratefully. "If not for you, this bizarre Demon Beast alone could have annihilated the entire fleet."
A wave of lingering fear washed over Yuu Mingzi as he recounted the scene to Lü Zhong.
He had noticed immediately when the fleet strayed into the Barrier.
But just as he was about to react, a vast white mist had rolled in. No matter how he circulated his Magical Power, he couldn’t disperse it; in fact, it had invaded his body.
Hearing Yuu Mingzi’s account, Lü Zhong finally understood how formidable the Puppet Tower truly was.
It could actually trap a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, even if only for a short time.
’Of course, an old monster like Yuu Mingzi, hailing from an Immortal Sect, might not have had the right tools to deal with the Puppet Tower. But if he had been focused solely on escaping, he surely had plenty of trump cards to play.’
This thought extinguished any trace of condescension Lü Zhong had felt.
’Still... I really am the bane of these ghastly creatures. Take this time, for instance. Even without my Wood Thunder Seal, which is imbued with a Celestial Tribulation Aura, I still have my Yang Fire Purple Gold Extreme Fire for protection. The Puppet-Making Mist from the Puppet Tower’s Innate Divine Technique would have been just as useless against me.’
The Puppet Tower’s attack had reduced the fleet’s cultivator count by ten percent.
When Yuu Mingzi learned of this, he paid the death toll no mind. Seeing that the numbers had not exceeded the "acceptable loss" threshold, the faint worry in his eyes was instantly replaced by delight.
...
「Two days later.」
The seawater had gradually turned an inky blue.
This change in color indicated that the fleet had finally left the Cyan Sea Abyss.
The most dangerous part of the journey was now behind them. Barring any accidents, the fleet would face fewer and fewer Sea Beast attacks from here on out.
After sailing for another three months, a small island finally appeared on the horizon. Though it was only a tiny, deserted isle, the sight was enough to lift the cultivators’ spirits.
The fleet’s once-somber atmosphere began to liven up.
The Spirit Wine and Spiritual Food that everyone had been reluctant to take out of their Storage Bags were now brought out in abundance. Cultivators gathered together, holding impromptu banquets to celebrate surviving the ordeal.
After another month of sailing, the water gradually returned to a standard blue.
The scenery changed once more.
Large coral reefs appeared ahead, and cultivators could be seen moving among them—whether hunting Sea Beasts or gathering Spiritual Objects was anyone’s guess. As the fleet pressed on, more islands came into view. Some hosted structures that resembled signal towers, where cultivators watched lazily as the ships passed, showing no intention of moving an inch.
Later, they even encountered inhabited islands. These were covered in clusters of buildings in a style completely different from that of Central Earth. As if to adapt to the East Sea’s hot climate, they were all built as stilt houses.
At the docks, mischievous children were diving into the water.
At the sight of so many colossal ships sailing slowly past, they were all stunned into silence.
Figures emerged from the houses on shore. Seeing the fleet of Immortal Masters passing by, they all bowed respectfully, their faces wearing smiles that were a mixture of awe and deference.
The fleet pressed on, and the signs of civilization became more and more common.
After more than half a month of continuous sailing, the fleet finally reached its destination.
East Sea Harbor!
...
「East Sea Harbor.」
This harbor was part of the East Sea Immortal City.
From a distance, the vast harbor was shaped like a crescent moon, completely enclosed by a tall, snow-white breakwater. Many high towers stood atop the structure. Lü Zhong’s years of experience as an Array Master told him that these were the Array Foundations for a defensive Grand Array.
As they drew closer, he realized that every single tower was of an impressively high tier.
Even from more than ten li away, he could sense the astonishing fluctuations of Spiritual Qi from within the Array Foundations—vast, profound, and roaring like a mighty river.
’This must be a Fifth-tier Array!’
Lü Zhong was quite shocked by this discovery.
But when he recalled the story of the East Sea Immortal City’s founding, his surprise faded. After all, its construction had been an incredibly arduous process; it was no exaggeration to say it had been built on a mountain of corpses. In years past, the Gui Miao Immortal Sect had lost two Nascent Soul Supremes alone in the East Sea, not to mention the countless Core Formation, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Refining cultivators from the sect and its vassals who had perished.
As the fleet passed through the breakwater’s entrance, cultivators immediately flew toward them on Magical Artifacts.
These were the Water Guide Cultivators of East Sea Harbor, responsible for guiding all incoming fleets to their berths. Their purpose was to keep the busy harbor operating efficiently, preventing the constant traffic from causing blockages.
Following the Water Guide Cultivators’ directions, the fleet docked at a pier.
Lü Zhong and Shuini disembarked together.
Both had concealed their true cultivation, displaying only the power of the Core Formation Stage.
They casually hailed a Beast Vehicle and told the driver to head into the city.
The main road to the East Sea Immortal City was dense with traffic. Most of the vehicles were large carts pulled by beasts of burden, their massive carriages laden with goods—either desperately needed supplies for the city like Spirit Rice and Spirit Medicine, or crates and bundles of Sea Beast Materials.
Along the way, they passed trading posts where one could see live, unbutchered Sea Beasts.
Each one was stranger than the last, their bodies a kaleidoscope of colors. Even long-time East Sea Cultivators couldn’t name many of them, as the sheer variety of species in the East Sea was too vast to count.
New species were discovered almost every day.
Many cultivators were haggling over prices, each side trying to be louder than the other.
An uninformed observer might have thought they were arguing.
The scenes along the road were exceptionally lively.
In Lü Zhong’s eyes, the East Sea—unlike the stagnant Central Earth or the trial-ridden lands of the Southern Barbarians—was a place brimming with vigor and vitality.
’But for all its bright and glorious aspects, the city must have its dark, hidden side as well.’
’According to what my Incarnation had seen...’
’Don’t be fooled by the East Sea Immortal City’s vibrant facade; in reality, it’s a bottomless pit that devours lives. Out of every hundred cultivators who arrive, not even one manages to fulfill their dreams and return to Central Earth. Aside from the small fraction who stay in the East Sea—whether by choice or by force—all other outsiders end up buried in the bellies of fish.’
Sometimes, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but wonder.
𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
’He wondered if the East Sea Immortal City and its so-called "legends"—the cultivators who rose to prominence here and successfully reached Nascent Soul—were nothing more than a hope dangled by the Gui Miao Immortal Sect and the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace before the cultivators in their domains.’
’A hope that could be yearned for, but never attained.’
’All to maintain the internal stability of their respective factions.’