Chapter Fifty-Three: Resources, After All

“What? You said you killed Wang Jian?!” Li Yuan was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the ground. “This is bad, really bad! Do you know what kind of person Wang Chao is? With his temperament, I fear… ah, forget it! You’d best flee Qingzhou City at once, the farther the better!” Upon hearing that Yue Qi had actually killed Wang Jian, Li Yuan quickly spoke up.

“It’s nothing…” Yue Qi smiled. He could tell that the man before him was genuinely concerned for his well-being, so he continued, “We came specifically to look for Wang Chao; why would we run?”

“Exactly, City Lord. Brother Yue is an immortal cultivator—why would he fear mere mortals?” Li Qinglan chimed in, a hint of disdain in her voice. Having witnessed Yue Qi slaughtering zombies, she considered the people she’d seen before mere amateurs.

“Even cultivators aren’t safe…” Li Yuan shook his head and said, “Wang Jian had a magical artifact, which he got from one of my deceased subordinates. That subordinate was a little stronger than you, I believe he had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. He carried a magical artifact, supposedly for defense, but I don’t know exactly how it works. However…”

Li Yuan cast a strange glance at Yue Qi. “When the disaster struck, my subordinate lost all his spiritual power. A few other cultivators in Qingzhou experienced the same thing. I truly don’t understand how you are still able to use your arts…”

Yue Qi’s heart skipped a beat at this question, but he quickly regained his composure and replied expressionlessly, “Perhaps those people were just unlucky. But if Wang Chao has that artifact and no spiritual power, how could he use it?”

Unaware that Yue Qi was changing the subject, Li Yuan went on, “If I recall correctly, it’s a bead that can be activated with the spirit stones you cultivators use. It’s said to transform into various forms. Qingzhou is a sizable city, with many cultivators passing through; it shouldn’t be difficult to gather a large number of spirit stones…”

“A bead that can change form? Could it be the Heart Desire Pearl of the Puppet Sect?” Bai Lian frowned.

“The Puppet Sect! Yes, yes, that’s the one! I remember my subordinate mentioning he was a disciple of that sect!” Hearing Bai Lian’s words, Li Yuan nodded vigorously.

“Puppet Sect? Heart Desire Pearl? Lian’er, what are those?” Yue Qi clearly hadn’t heard of these things before.

“The Puppet Sect isn’t far from our Qinghe Sword Sect, and could be considered a sect of immortals…” Bai Lian shook her head.

‘Could be considered’? Why is that? Are they neither good nor evil?” Yue Qi asked, puzzled.

“Well…” Bai Lian paused, “The Puppet Sect doesn’t specialize in cultivating spiritual power like we do. Their cultivation techniques are unique, called Puppet Arts, and their attacks rely on something called puppets, rather than the traditional five elements arts.”

“Puppets?” Now Yue Qi was thoroughly confused. One moment it was puppets, then Heart Desire Pearl—what exactly were these things?

“Yes! The Puppet Sect’s techniques aren’t solely for self-cultivation, but also for their puppets. Thus, they don’t care much about spiritual power in their bodies; instead, they focus on cultivating their puppets!” Bai Lian explained everything she knew about the Puppet Sect.

“Cultivating puppets? I see, perhaps it’s like the Spirit Beast Sect—they cultivate spirit pets, while the Puppet Sect cultivates puppets. But what are puppets really?” The Spirit Beast Sect was said to have dominated all cultivators on this continent millions of years ago. Unlike modern cultivators, they improved their strength by training spirit pets. Now, the sect exists only in books, having gradually faded under the impact of today’s cultivation methods.

“It’s similar to the Spirit Beast Sect, but these puppets… I can’t say for sure; they seem like automatons, but possess their own intelligence…” Bai Lian racked her brains, but couldn’t recall anything useful.

“So that’s how it is—quite interesting. If I get the chance, I must see it for myself…” Yue Qi’s eyes showed a trace of yearning; puppets with intelligence sounded rather advanced.

“But what about this Heart Desire Pearl? Is it famous?” Yue Qi remembered what Li Yuan said about the artifact in Wang Chao’s possession.

“The Puppet Arts have their merits; the puppets can fight for you. But the weakness is clear—their spiritual power is generally quite weak…” Bai Lian paused, then continued, “Because of this weakness, their defenses are also low, so the sect’s founder devised a solution: the Heart Desire Pearl…”

“Oh? So you’re saying the Heart Desire Pearl was invented to bolster the defenses of disciples cultivating Puppet Arts?” Yue Qi asked.

“That’s right. But the Heart Desire Pearl varies in strength; a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s pearl can only defend against attacks from others at the same level. I’ve heard the Puppet Sect’s greatest treasure is a Heart Desire Pearl left by their founder. Legend says the defensive barrier it forms protects their mountain, able to withstand attacks from Nascent Soul and even Divine Transformation cultivators!” Bai Lian said.

“That powerful? But I’ve never heard of such a formidable sect…” Yue Qi muttered.

“Actually, it isn’t all that remarkable…” Bai Lian shook her head. “The Heart Desire Pearl has its drawbacks—it can only be used once per day, and each use consumes a mid-grade spirit stone. That’s just for pearls used by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Imagine an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator—where would they find a mid-grade spirit stone? So, while the Puppet Sect seems impressive, they’re actually quite poor…”

Bai Lian’s explanation made Yue Qi laugh. “Then it’s easy—we’ll ambush him during the day, wait for his Heart Desire Pearl to be used, and then strike again!”

“Hey… are you even listening to me? It really won’t work…” Li Yuan suddenly interjected, having overheard their conversation. “Wang Chao has more than just this backup plan. Think about it—every cultivator in Qingzhou, whether loyal to him or not, has had their belongings searched and seized by Wang Chao. Although these cultivators are mostly Foundation Establishment or Qi Condensation, no one can guarantee Wang Chao hasn’t found something valuable…”

“That… is indeed a bit tricky!” Bai Lian frowned. It was fortunate they’d met Li Yuan, otherwise they might have blindly charged into Wang Chao’s stronghold and suffered a crushing defeat.

“A bit tricky? Wang Chao is ruthless. Since he hasn’t come after you yet, he probably fears Brother Yue’s status as a cultivator. But if you really provoke him, even a cornered rabbit will bite!” Seeing they had no intention of giving up, Li Yuan tried to persuade them again.

“Lord Li, are you helping Wang Chao or us?” Yue Qi eyed Li Yuan suspiciously. Ever since he’d mentioned avenging Wang Chao, Li Yuan had been urging caution.

“It’s not that—I saw you all save my life, and I don’t want you to throw it away. If it were ordinary people, I wouldn’t care, and would even hope someone kept harassing Wang Chao so he’d lose a few teeth!” Li Yuan spoke fiercely, clearly harboring deep resentment for Wang Chao.

“By the way, Lord Li, about those resources you mentioned—what exactly are they? Why does Wang Chao value them so highly?” Bai Lian suddenly asked.

“They’re nothing special, just some weapons. You know I command an elite unit, and their weapons are kept under my control. There’s also some grain stored in the granaries, but without a map, it’s impossible to find them easily!” Li Yuan spoke evasively, his eyes flickering.

“Is that really all?” Bai Lian, ever sharp-eyed, immediately realized Li Yuan hadn’t told the whole truth—perhaps he’d spoken truthfully, but not completely.

“Well…” Li Yuan hesitated, then gritted his teeth. “I can tell you, but if you obtain those resources, you must guarantee my safety!”

“Rest assured, Lord Li. If we get those resources and succeed in killing Wang Chao, I’ll take you back to our camp. It’s very safe there, and no zombies to harass you!” Yue Qi stepped forward to promise.

“You have a camp?” Li Yuan was surprised, then sighed. “In that case, I’m not afraid anymore. I don’t know why you insist on killing Wang Chao, but I’d much rather give these resources to you than him…”

“Alright!” Yue Qi nodded, encouraging Li Yuan to continue.

“What I said before wasn’t wrong—I do have some weapons and grain, but those aren’t what Wang Chao values most. What he truly wants are the spell scrolls inside!”

“Spell scrolls?!” Bai Lian and Yue Qi exclaimed in unison. That was a treasure indeed, but why would the City Lord’s residence in Qingzhou contain such things?

“Yes…” Li Yuan gave a bitter smile. “They were bestowed by the Imperial Court. There’s a Qinghe Sword Sect nearby, as well as the Puppet Sect. To prevent possible conflict between the two sects—since Qingzhou City lacks a protective formation—the court granted a batch of scrolls.”

“So that’s it…” Everyone understood, and their minds began calculating. With these spell scrolls, the camp’s combat strength could rise by leaps and bounds!

Spell scrolls, as the name implies, contain a spell of varying power. They require spiritual power to activate, but spirit stones can be used as well…

“These are excellent resources!” Yue Qi grinned slyly at Bai Lian, and she immediately understood his intent.

Clearly, Yue Qi was eyeing that cache!