Chapter 68

Chapter 67: Puppet Master 15

【All the people of the Immortal Cultivation World collectively leave the “puppets” and act independently, which means they realize there’s something wrong with the “puppets”; the Immortal Cultivation World group and the “puppets” will belong to two separate factions】

【Player He Zhen, reminder again: your identity is the Demon Tribe’s Grand General Chi Lie; after dying for a hundred years, your demonic soul has finally reformed and successfully possessed Zhai Feng’s body to live】

【Toppling the Four Great Families and taking revenge on the Immortal Cultivation World has always been your wish. With Zhai Feng’s body as cover and Shen Cangli’s help, this undoubtedly aids your plan】

【However, your feelings are conflicted. On one hand, during your time with Shen Cangli, you inevitably developed some affection for him. Yet, he ultimately sees you as a substitute; the one he truly longs for has always been Zhai Feng. You have no idea how genuine his feelings are toward the soul called “Chi Lie”】

【On the other hand, your and Shen Cangli’s positions ultimately conflict】

【Although Fenglingdu’s stance is not as clear-cut as the Four Great Families, once the Immortal Cultivation World is overturned, a collapsed nest leaves no intact eggs—Fenglingdu will also cease to exist】

【Shen Cangli might agree to eliminate the heads of the Four Great Families, but no matter how reckless he is, he would never choose to annihilate all members of the Four Great Families. He would never oppose the entire Immortal Cultivation World for your sake. One day, your swords will inevitably point at each other】

【Therefore, as Chi Lie, you now have three choices—】

【Choice One: Join the “puppet” faction and eliminate the people of the Immortal Cultivation World, including Shen Cangli】

【Choice Two: Let your emotions outweigh reason. Considering the time you’ve spent together, to protect Shen Cangli, you decide to help him against the “puppet” faction】

【Choice Three: Choose to sit back and watch, taking advantage of the conflict. Ultimately, your goal is to eliminate both the “puppet” faction and the Immortal Cultivation World】

【After all, the “puppet” faction seems linked to the Late Star Clan, and the Waterlight Orb comes from the Late Star Clan. Sparing them would leave a hidden risk for the future revival of the Demon Tribe】

【The difficulty of these three choices increases sequentially, with corresponding task point rewards of 500, 1000, and 2000】

【Beyond differing rewards, your choice affects different endings, the system’s evaluation of your attributes, and recommendations for your potential future identity. Choose carefully】

This was the system prompt He Zhen received in his mind while walking alone along the mountain road to the mid-mountain level after jumping off the teleport platform at the foot of Nanshan.

Upon reaching the mid-mountain level, he officially began climbing the steps toward the main gate of Zhongli Manor.

The steps were extremely long, disappearing from sight. The top vanished into the clouds, seemingly unreachable, like the endless path of cultivation itself.

He had once walked similar endless steps—

As Yu Qin, he had a talent for war god techniques and underwent extensive related training.

In his early years, for a long time, he had to repeat the same task every day in a world without sunlight or birdsong—carrying a bucket of water up a ladder.

At first, the only difference each day was the amount of water in the bucket.

Later, he began encountering various monsters on the celestial ladder.

Each monster was harder to defeat than the last. Every time he was knocked off the ladder, he had to start over from carrying the water bucket.

Every step of the ladder bore his sweat and blood.

By the time he finally completed this trial, three hundred years of hell had passed.

Yet that was only the first stage of the trial.

Now, as He Zhen, he could barely remember how arduous those years had been.

He could only glimpse them through dreams.

But this didn’t stop him from realizing one thing—

Perhaps that world was unimaginable for ordinary people, a surreal existence, but for Yu Qin, it was reality, a space he could not freely escape.

In the hell dimension, Yu Qin’s fate was predetermined from birth.

Becoming He Zhen in the current world might be like what xianxia novels describe: needing to undergo mortal trials or tribulations, or maybe he had other tasks, though he hadn’t remembered them yet…

Whatever the reason, now He Zhen considered himself an ordinary mortal.

Indeed, in the real world, he studied diligently, took exams seriously, and worked to maintain his and his mother’s status in the He family, with no one able to help him.

In the game, he decoded puzzles, fought desperately to survive with his teammates, no different from other players.

If hell truly existed, and judgment were real, his merits and demerits, the punishments he bore, would be dealt with after death in hell.

For now, he only wanted to live as He Zhen.

In this life, he would only be He Zhen.

As He Zhen, born into the He family, he still had responsibilities and constraints.

But in the game, he could act without principle, without regard for his birth.

He thus decisively chose the second path offered by the system—

As a Demon Tribe member, he would cooperate with the people of the Immortal Cultivation World against the Late Star Clan.

Elsewhere, the Zhai Family.

The Zhai Family was also built on a mountain, but compared to the southern Nanshan area with many trees and gentler terrain, the Song Mountain where the Zhai Family resided was far more treacherous.

The mountain was tall and magnificent, the paths narrow—some only wide enough for a single adult foot. Ordinary people would never dare climb Song Mountain without cultivation.

Shi Zong and his group avoided the climb.

The Zhai Family relay station was at the mountaintop. Stepping down from the teleport platform, the Zhai Family gate was just ahead.

All present were cultivators. Zhao Liuer, as head of the Zhao Family, had a good relationship with the Zhai Family, so upon seeing Zhai Yuntian’s sister, she quickly led everyone inside.

But things weren’t entirely smooth.

Zhai Yuntian’s sister was naturally surprised by the sudden visit. Seeing Shi Zong disguised as Shen Cangli, she deeply frowned.

Zhao Liuer quickly thought of a good excuse.

“I’m here regarding Shen Cangli and Zhai Feng. Shen Cangli has always been reckless; this kind of behavior isn’t acceptable, so it needs to be resolved quickly.

“I thought of a method and plan to discuss it with Zhai Yuntian. But he needs to stay an extra day at Zhongli Manor to drink with Zhongli Zhenhai and the others.

“I don’t like mingling with those drinking men, so I came ahead. By the way, it’s been a long time since I last saw you, sister…”

Being an experienced player, Zhao Liuer’s words quickly gained NPC approval.

Once inside, she accompanied Zhai Yuntian’s sister for private conversation, keeping her occupied. The other players could split up for the exploration task.

Zhai Yuntian’s other sons were out training; when the head was absent, his sister handled all household matters.

With the sister distracted by Zhao Liuer, exploring became easier for the others.

The players, portraying the younger generation of the Immortal Cultivation World, were adept at flying techniques, making their movements hard to detect.

Zhai Yuntian’s study and bedroom became Shi Zong’s focus.

He soon made a discovery.

In the study, he found research-like material on the Late Star Clan.

To know oneself and the enemy is to win every battle. These materials had been collected a hundred years ago when Zhai Yuntian planned to steal the Waterlight Orb from Late Star Valley.

The notes stated the clan leader of the Late Star Clan was Qian Ye.

He had a child named Canghai, the heir and next leader.

The most powerful members of the Late Star Clan belonged to the Temple Division.

The Temple Division had seven members, each with exceptional talent, with abilities declining from the High Priest downward.

The High Priest, called Yao Xing, possessed the most powerful divine force in Late Star Valley, controlling wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

Below Yao Xing was Xuri, who could manipulate wind and light.

Next was Ruoshui, controlling water.

After Ruoshui came Shuofeng, also controlling wind.

Following were Huaisha, Henglin, and Zhuhuo.

These three were roughly equal in power, with slight differences. They controlled sand, earth and vegetation, and fire respectively.

It was noted that the first four were especially familiar with each other and had close relationships.

The last three were somewhat distant due to the power gap.

Yao Xing and Xuri existed—why was there no one called Zhumoon or Benmoon?

Scanning the names, Shi Zong smiled faintly, then put the shell to his ear, attempting to contact He Zhen.

Not long ago, at Zhongli Manor, noticing Zhu Shuangqiao and Zhang Qijun had not returned, Shi Zong’s group had rushed to find them

“You can first observe what they’re doing, deduce their identities, and then reveal yourself. At present, I suspect it’s most likely that you’ll need to impersonate Zhuhuo.

“However, can you control fire well enough to bluff when necessary?”

He Zhen said, “Yes. Demon Breath can transform into Karma Fire, though it might not match Zhuhuo’s techniques exactly. I’ll adapt to the situation and see.”

“Alright then,” Shi Zong said, “The materials here also mention that the first four are very familiar with each other, so they may easily recognize one another. From this perspective, impersonating Zhuhuo should be relatively safe.”

After a while, He Zhen’s voice came faintly through the shell, deep and somewhat hoarse.

His tone was very sincere.

“Thank you. The information you gave is very useful.”

Hearing this, Shi Zong raised an eyebrow ambiguously and said, “I’m still investigating the Late Star Clan and the Temple-related matters.

“Once I find anything useful, I’ll inform you immediately. But make sure to hide the shell in your ear; don’t let anyone else see it. Right now, we have no one who can support you.”

“Mm. Don’t worry, I’ll stay safe,” He Zhen said.

Don’t worry?

That word made it sound like I’m overly concerned about him.

Shi Zong raised his eyebrows again but didn’t say more, instead bending over to quickly flip through the materials.

Not long after, he activated a mechanism and entered a secret chamber.

Inside, there were a considerable number of spiritual artifacts from the Late Star Clan.

Shi Zong selected a few handy items that might be useful in future battles, then continued to gather clues.

He soon found a very exquisite book.

In this cultivation world, Shi Zong had seen paper before, but whether in Fenglingdu’s study or Zhongli Manor, most manuals were still recorded on bamboo slips or silk.

This book, however, was different—it was made from leaves.

The leaves were exceptionally delicate, semi-transparent golden yellow, with text and illustrations seemingly made from a material that looked like unfading gold.

Flipping through page by page, he saw numerous human anatomical diagrams.

Front and back views of the human body, brain structure, limb structure, internal organs, meridian pathways, organ cooperation…

The book recorded these in extreme detail, comparable to the anatomical charts used by modern medical students.

But the last few pages were even more shocking.

The diagrams described the process of creating humans—

Combining illustrations and text, it was clear that one must extract a substance from something called East Sea Wood; this special gel-like material could be used to make a puppet’s body.

Fibrous material from the Western Sea mermaid skin could be made into meridians.

Tears of the mermaids condensed into pearls, boiled with Earth Kṣitigarbha Flowers in a copper pot for forty-nine days, could become blood…

In short, by using several rare materials and following the method in the book, one could create a lifelike puppet—a Yanren.

Yanren had snow-white skin and cherry-red lips, indistinguishable from normal humans.

Yet, no matter how lifelike, a Yanren is still a puppet, unable to move freely without silk threads controlling its limbs.

However, according to the book, using the “Transformation Life” technique, a puppet could be fully brought to life.

Flipping to the last page, Shi Zong discovered the author was Canghai himself.

Canghai had deliberately written his name to mark this as his masterpiece.

He also wrote a postscript—

“My people of the Late Star Clan have long suffered under a curse. Once we leave this land, our souls scatter and cannot be reborn. Thus, our clan remains trapped in the desert, never free. To break the curse and lead my people out, I pondered for years and finally found a solution.

“This curse is embedded in our bones and blood, passed down generation by generation, ensuring eternal confinement.

“To escape the mortal body, I can create numerous Yanren, identical to the Late Star Clan, to take our place.

“Once each clan member is replicated, I can use the ‘Soul Summoning Technique’ to summon our souls into the Yanren bodies…

“In this way, the entire clan can escape the curse.

“The Yanren’s flesh is made from Sea Wood, mermaid materials, and so on, free of the cursed bones and blood.

“Following this method, we may leave here and travel elsewhere…”

Beneath this postscript, in slightly messier handwriting, were a few additional sentences—

“My suggestion was not accepted by the High Priest. According to him, the materials for creating Yanren are too precious. But with thousands upon thousands of clan members, how could I ever replicate them all?

“I cannot accept the High Priest’s reasoning. Even if it takes long, I can eventually create them all. Anything is better than eternal confinement, right?

“Besides, the method for creating Yanren and the Soul Summoning Technique were painstakingly researched by me… shouldn’t they be used?

“I would be dissatisfied otherwise.

“Moreover, the High Priest has objections to the Yanren. He would never accept being made of wood.

“I think that’s prejudice. I will make a Yanren identical to me. Even the High Priest won’t distinguish who is puppet and who is me.

“Then he will understand that Yanren are no different from ordinary humans.”

After these lines were several blank lines, then a final set of messier notes, written by Canghai after some time—

“Even my father disagreed with my method. I casually asked Xuri, Ruoshui, and some commoners; none agreed.

“They all said they don’t want to be wooden… Why are they so stubborn? I think they’re blockheads!

“The Yanren I create will be identical to living humans!

“Humans and Yanren are essentially the same, except one is made by Heaven, the other by me… I really don’t understand what they mind.

“The High Priest praised my Soul Summoning Technique…

“Although I’m not good at fighting, in resurrecting the dead and controlling souls, no one has greater talent than me.

“Still, I will create a Yanren of my own.

“People here don’t understand me. No one understands my ideals. Perhaps the Yanren I resurrect personally will understand me.”

After finishing the book, Shi Zong closed it and looked at the back.

There was a line seemingly written with ordinary ink.

The handwriting was completely different from Canghai’s, indicating another author.

The line read—

“Could it be… he is a Yanren?!”

Since this book appeared in the Zhai Family, it was likely that this line was written by Zhai Yuntian himself.

Perhaps years after the Late Star Clan’s destruction, he found this book in the desert, understood someone’s origins, and wrote this line.

So whose origin did he uncover?

Shi Zong’s mind conjured a person—

Ji Rongrong.

So… Ji Rongrong was a Yanren created by Canghai?

Ji Rongrong was the only true wooden puppet in this scenario?

Only this could explain why she had hermaphroditic features.

Because Canghai was hermaphroditic. Canghai made a Yanren in his own image and gave it life with the “Transformation Life” technique.

The Yanren, identical to him, would have the Late Star Clan’s hermaphroditic traits.

Only this could explain why Ji Rongrong, seemingly of the Late Star Clan, could live outside the cursed desert land, unaffected by the curse.

The curse is passed down through the bones and blood of natural-born Late Star Clan members.

Ji Rongrong’s body was not naturally born; she did not inherit the clan’s bones and blood, thus escaping the curse.

As a living Yanren, Ji Rongrong clearly has her own soul and thoughts.

For unknown reasons, subconsciously he considered himself male, but for revenge, he had to become female, using beauty to approach Zhongli Zhenhai…

Could the truth really be this?

Yet, what exactly triggered his wish to be male initially?

Soon after, Zuo Sanqiu came excitedly carrying something, further confirming Shi Zong’s suspicions.

He brought Zhai Yuntian’s journal.

The journal contained many intimate, longing sentences—

“May I be like the stars, and you like the moon, shining brightly every night.”

“Looking at each other but unable to speak, may the moonlight illuminate you.”

“Meeting is hard, parting is hard, the east wind weakens, flowers fall.”

…

Later, there were even more direct sentences he occasionally wrote.

“To sense your presence immediately when near you, I engraved a mark on your soul. If your soul truly scattered, the mark would vanish, and I would know.

“But the mark didn’t vanish, so I know you are still alive. I will find you… Heaven or earth, I will find you…”

“Heh, recently there’s been a joke in the Immortal Cultivation World, all caused by that Shen Cangli kid.

“Yet I am somewhat envious of him. Everyone says he is unconventional, yet he fell in love with a man…

“No one knows, but I also fell in love with a man. I dared not tell him back then, and even after a hundred years, I still dare not tell anyone.

“I actually… admire someone like

“I can rightfully marry her now!”

“She… how could she… she actually wants to marry Zhongli Zhenhai?”