The Puppet Master

Everyone was quite displeased.

“Hmph! She certainly seems popular, doesn’t she? What could the Immortal Alliance be thinking? This person is sharing their poison cultivation technique, clearly harboring some unspeakable secret, yet they aren’t properly investigating. If I were the Immortal Alliance, I would seize her and interrogate her thoroughly,” Lin Yu sneered, his voice laced with disdain.

After Lin Mo cast a glance at Yan Yun and her companions, a sly, insidious smile played upon his lips, and he then uttered a remark in a deliberately ambiguous tone.

“Come, let us rejoin Father and the others. This time, our primary objective at the Immortal Alliance Grand Assembly is to represent the Lin family, not the Yunhua Sect.”

Representing which faction is their own prerogative. Given that the Yunhua Sect and the Lin family have long since fallen out, their allegiance will certainly no longer lie with the Yunhua Sect.

Having also offended King Jiang, the Lin family’s influence in the mundane world has dwindled with each passing year; those factions that once deferred to them now largely give them no regard.

It is quite normal. Previously, it was widely believed that Consort Lin would ascend to the position of the next Queen, thus many factions eagerly sought to curry favor with them. However, King Jiang has now unequivocally stated to Consort Lin that she is not destined for the Queen’s position, leading, of course, to the current state of affairs.

Yet, even so, a starved camel remains larger than a horse; the Lin family’s comprehensive strength still far surpasses that of a faction like the Yan family.

****

Yan Yun, having at last extricated herself from the throng of enthusiastic admirers, emerged from the crowd alongside Jiang Yao and Su Muyu.

“Oh, they are truly too passionate!” Yan Yun exclaimed casually upon emerging. “I feel as though I could establish a sect in the future, recruiting all these cultivators who practice poison cultivation techniques.”

Jiang Yao and Su Muyu were momentarily taken aback by her words.

“Are you merely speaking on a whim, or do you genuinely harbor such a thought?” Jiang Yao inquired.

Yan Yun’s eyes immediately darted, and then she let out a playful giggle.

“Even if I do entertain such a notion, it is a matter for the future,” Yan Yun quickly interjected. “Look around; this entire area is bustling with shops peddling all manner of cultivator supplies! Come, let us go and browse, to see if anything catches our eye. Do not hesitate; simply state what you desire, for we are flush with funds.”

Observing the two walking hand-in-hand, Su Muyu’s face clouded with an expression of profound displeasure.

“Alas! With a ‘wife,’ one forgets their mother,” Su Muyu sighed, a hint of mock exasperation in her tone. “I feel so superfluous trailing behind you two. Perhaps I should simply rejoin the main contingent of our sect.” With these words, she made to depart.

However, Yan Yun and Jiang Yao immediately exchanged a knowing glance. In a swift movement, they appeared on either side of Su Muyu, each linking an arm with hers.

“Oh, Mother, please don’t be so reserved,” Yan Yun cajoled. “Let us simply be sisters! If you cast aside your formalities, you will not feel at all superfluous. Come, let’s go!”

“Indeed,” Jiang Yao affirmed, “I have always believed that you, Mother, appear as youthful as an elder sister. Were it not for my existing bond with this one,” she gestured playfully at Yan Yun, “I would certainly treat you as such. Moreover, you are not old in the slightest!”

And so, Su Muyu found herself cheerfully escorted away by the two zealous companions.

****

The trio first proceeded to register together. Today marked merely the registration phase, with the Grand Assembly officially commencing tomorrow.

The Immortal Alliance Grand Assembly was structured into three distinct phases, the initial one being an intense elimination round.

During this phase, all participants would be whittled down until only ten thousand remained, who would then advance to the second stage.

This iteration of the Immortal Dao Grand Assembly boasted even more participants than the previous one, with nearly a hundred thousand cultivators in attendance. Consequently, the first stage alone necessitated the elimination of ninety thousand individuals.

Meanwhile, within the Immortal Alliance Hall, Yunshuang and the assembled sect masters were gathered, yet the prevailing atmosphere was far from harmonious.

Their current discourse centered on a contentious issue.

“Sect Master Yunshuang,” one began, “do you recall His Majesty’s words from two years past? That fellow disciples might seek vengeance through an alliance? We earnestly request that you refrain from interfering in this matter when the time arrives.”

“Precisely,” another master of a prominent sect chimed in. “Our feud with the Heavenly Poison Maiden is irreconcilable; this time, we are resolved to eliminate her successor here and now. Therefore, we trust that Sect Master Yunshuang will honor her pledge.”

Yunshuang offered no immediate rebuttal, instead turning her gaze toward Shangguan Jinyang. As the principal orchestrator of this Grand Assembly, his word alone held sway; only with his assent could any action be taken.

Noticing Yunshuang’s expectant gaze upon him, Shangguan Jinyang found himself in an awkward predicament.

“Fellow Daoists,” he began, “the Righteous Alliance will dispatch envoys to observe this Grand Assembly. Your personal grievances are, after all, private matters. I hardly believe they should be brought into the open for resolution, do you agree?”

Shangguan Jinyang harbored no inclination to become entangled in their ongoing conflict.

The primary reason was that Yan Yun had provided the complete cultivation technique to the Immortal Alliance, a fact he had conveyed to the Righteous Alliance. Consequently, the Alliance now held a rather amicable stance towards her.

Indeed, their attitude was far more benevolent than the current contentious atmosphere suggested.

As the Righteous Alliance had issued no directives, he found himself unable to assist these sects in their designs against Yan Yun.

“Very well then,” Qingxuanzi proposed, “let us specially designate an event. In this particular activity, life and death shall hold no consequence, serving as an opportune means to resolve the private feuds and resentments our various sects have nurtured over these past years. Did Yan Yun not declare at the time that if our juniors sought vengeance against her, she would not refuse?”

His proposition immediately met with widespread approval.

Since it would not overtly target Yan Yun, and participation would be entirely voluntary, the envoys from the Righteous Alliance would be unable to find fault with such an arrangement.

Shangguan Jinyang’s brow immediately furrowed in thought.

“Very well, I agree,” Yunshuang conceded after a moment of careful consideration. “This prevents you from resorting to underhanded tactics during the official competition, thereby creating unfortunate accidents that might imperil the innocent.”

With her agreement, Shangguan Jinyang found himself without grounds for refusal, for he, too, harbored concerns regarding this very issue.

“Very well, let it be decided thus. I shall establish a distinct event category.”

Thus, the contentious matter was finally settled.

****

Meanwhile, Yan Yun and her companions arrived before the entrance of a magnificent pavilion, which unmistakably stood as the most imposing establishment in the vicinity.

“Qianjin Pavilion?” Yan Yun exclaimed, a note of genuine surprise in her voice. “This Qianjin Pavilion conducts truly immense business, having established itself even here within the Immortal Alliance!”

The scale of the Qianjin Pavilion before them was far grander than the one in Qifeng City.

“You remain uninformed, do you not?” Jiang Yao elucidated. “Though Qianjin Pavilion may appear to be merely a merchant guild, in truth, their enterprises span across various nations worldwide. It is rumored that their headquarters reside in the Upper Realm.”

Yan Yun paused, slightly taken aback.

“Is that so? I am quite curious, then, as to the true extent of their reach.”

Jiang Yao promptly offered further clarification.

“In any case, I am not privy to the exact details, but I have heard others say that with sufficient funds, one can procure items from the Upper Realm at Qianjin Pavilion. Their business scope encompasses all manner of treasures and secret information transactions.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Yun immediately lapsed into thoughtful contemplation.

The Immortal Alliance headquarters served as the largest activity hub for cultivators in the cultivation world. It was open to the public, typically experiencing significant foot traffic, which would only increase further in the coming days.

“This place, beyond its numerous shops, also features a myriad of diverse stalls.”

“Come, all esteemed cultivators, behold! These are the specially crafted puppets of my Heavenly Puppet Gate! In this Immortal Dao Grand Assembly, should you have a puppet from my Heavenly Puppet Gate aiding you in battle, your chances of victory will undoubtedly increase by severalfold!” Next to Qianjin Pavilion, a sect member was showcasing their puppets.

Puppets were creations of puppet masters, a specialized profession within the cultivation world. The puppets they fashioned could play a crucial role when facing adversaries.

However, their cost was exorbitant, and unlike artifact refiners and alchemists, their lineage was relatively scarce.

Throughout the entire Jiang Country, there were only a handful of top-tier puppet masters, one of whom was the Old Ancestor of this Heavenly Puppet Gate. He was capable of crafting puppets of the Divine Soul Realm.

“Puppets! What marvelous items! Wife, Mother, come, let us take a look!”

Yan Yun’s interest was piqued.

The puppets came in various forms: male, female, and even beast-like, crafted from materials ranging from wood to metal.

“How many spirit stones for this puppet?” a female cultivator asked, her gaze fixed on a female metal puppet.

The Heavenly Puppet Gate cultivator chuckled.

“Esteemed Immortal, this is our Heavenly Puppet Gate’s Silver-Armored Puppet. Once activated, it possesses the combat prowess of a Great Perfection Cavern Heaven Realm cultivator. As for the price, it is not exorbitant at all—merely five hundred thousand spirit stones per unit.”

Upon hearing this price, everyone present immediately gasped in astonishment.

“What? Five hundred thousand spirit stones? Are you robbing us?”

Facing the crowd’s skepticism, the Heavenly Puppet Gate cultivator immediately looked aggrieved.

“This… this price was set by the sect elders, and I am powerless to change it. Besides, is a Great Perfection Cavern Heaven Realm puppet not worth this price?”

In the eyes of most, this price was indeed not worth it. Using a puppet inherently consumed spirit stones, and how long a puppet could endure depended entirely on how many spirit stones one was willing to expend.

Furthermore, if a Cavern Heaven Realm puppet were to be destroyed by an enemy, it would be truly lost forever.

To put it simply, with good fortune, a puppet might be used several times; with ill fortune, it was merely a single-use consumable.

For five hundred thousand spirit stones, they would rather purchase a reusable magical artifact, which would be far more economical.

Consequently, the cultivators gathered around the Heavenly Puppet Gate’s stall quickly dispersed.