Talisman Emperor

Ghostcraft crafter.

Soul Combat Puppet.

All of this caused Chen Xi to notice how extraordinary this place was.

“Let’s go. There ought to be more than one Soul Combat Puppet here. Moreover, the combat strength of this puppet is too weak, so it’s useless.” A’xiu stood up before striding off, and she walked forward nimby while seeming to have taken this to be a treasure hunting maze.

Chen Xi pondered for a moment before following up to her, and he asked about the Soul Combat Puppets as he walked forward.

A’xiu really did know it like the back of her hand, and she spoke confidently.

According to what A’xiu said, a Ghostcraft crafter was a type of mysterious profession, and their method of cultivation was entirely different from ordinary cultivators.

Ghostcraft crafters didn’t construct Soul Combat Puppets for others to utilize, and it was for themselves instead. The seniors of a young Ghostcraft clansman would have a Soul Combat Puppet created for the child before it was even born.

When the child emerged into the world, they would execute a secret technique to directly extract the soul of the baby and imprint it into the Soul Combat Puppet. As for the original body of the baby, it would be discarded.

This child would rely on the Soul Combat Puppet as the child’s body to grow and cultivate.

Of course, even if it was within the Ghostcraft Clan, not every single person had the qualifications to obtain a Soul Combat Puppet, and only a small portion of clansmen with extremely powerful souls and lofty statuses would be able to enjoy such treatment.

If an ordinary Ghostcraft Clan member wanted to obtain a Soul Combat Puppet, then they would only be able to construct one for themselves once they matured into adulthood. But it was already a step too late to cultivate with a Soul Combat Puppet at that time, so it would be difficult for them to obtain great accomplishments on their paths to cultivation.

Besides that, the steps to construct a Soul Combat Puppet was extremely profound and precise. It was divided into the steps of carving wood, inscribing talisman markings, constructing mechanisms, creating a fake form, transforming it into a true form, attaching the spirit, imprinting the soul, creating the heart, and controlling the mind.

Every single step had extremely harsh requirements.

For example, the step of carving wood was to select various superb wood to create the body of the Soul Combat Puppet.

For example, the step of inscribing talisman markings was to utilize special secret techniques to refine meridians, apertures, bones, and various other internal organs within the Soul Combat Puppet. 

    …

The final step of controlling the mind was to place the soul to be nurtured within the Soul Combat Puppet. At this point, it was finally considered a true Soul Combat Puppet.

One was able to discern the difference between a normal puppet and a Soul Combat Puppet from these nine great steps.

The cultivation methods of Soul Combat Puppets was extremely unique as well. They only required spirit crystals, spirit liquids, and other similar treasures to be stored within their bodies, and then the meridians within their bodies would automatically refine it all through the movement of the mechanisms within the body before it was condensed into True Essence that condensed within their Dantian.

Compared to cultivators, this sort of method of cultivation was undoubtedly even more simple and easy, and there was practically no need to cultivate any qi refinement cultivation technique or body refinement cultivation technique, causing it to be extremely miraculous.

But according to what A’xiu said, the cultivation speed of Soul Combat Puppets varied as well, and the key was the steps of carving wood and inscribing talisman markings.

The step of carving wood was the establishment of the foundations of the body, and the quality of the spirit materials would decide the accomplishments this Soul Combat Puppet could attain in the future.

The step of inscribing talisman markings was the distribution of meridians and apertures in the body. In the body of cultivators, they were the paths required to circulate one’s cultivation technique in qi refinement, and it directly affected the formidableness of a Soul Combat Puppet.

Of course, the other steps had varying levels of effect to the strength of a Soul Combat Puppet as well, but the key effect was undoubtedly from these two steps.

All of this caused Chen Xi to recall the scene of him inscribing talisman markings on the meridians and apertures within his body while he was in the Ninth Hell, and it was shockingly similar to this step of inscribing talisman markings.

“But the only cruel part about it is that even though Soul Combat Puppets possess a consciousness and intelligence, they’re weapons of slaughter that don’t possess the slightest emotion.” A’xiu puckered her lips and said, “The reason lies in the final step of controlling the mind. After completely merging with the Soul Combat Puppet, one’s consciousness would lose all emotions. So besides cultivation, there was only slaughter and plundering, causing it to be extremely boring.”

A wisp of horror couldn’t help but arise in Chen Xi’s heart. Are…they still human?

The Ghostcraft crafters relied on Soul Combat Puppets to cultivate and took these puppets as their own bodies. Even though this method was much gentler than seizing the body of another to attain rebirth, it forcefully caused a person to become a monster that was neither a man nor ghost, and this caused his heart to go cold.

This also allowed Chen Xi to faintly feel that it was precisely because of this type of cultivation methods aroused the disgust of others that the Xeno-race wouldn’t be tolerated by the three dimensions and were driven out like traitors from the three dimensions.

Of course, the Ghostcraft Clan was merely a part of the Xeno-race.

However, it wasn’t difficult to discern from this that when facing something that went against the normal Dao inheritances of the three dimensions, it was indeed something that couldn’t be tolerated by the gods of the three dimensions. After all, regardless of qi refinement or body refinement, they upheld nature.

Once an existence like a Soul Combat Puppet cultivated and achieved immortality, then what sort of monster would it become?

It was even to the extent that they didn’t even have to cultivate and attain immortality at all because their fleshly body didn’t exist, nor would they suffer from sickness or death. Moreover, they were unable to enter the Netherworld. So unless they were killed, or their energy was exhausted, they were no different from immortals!

Of course, Chen Xi didn’t dare confirm that the truth was like this. After all, it was the first time he’d heard of Soul Combat Puppets.

Rumble!

Right at this moment, a crack split open on the wall of the hall once more, and a second Soul Combat Puppet charged out. This Soul Combat Puppet’s entire body was covered in a faint blue colored glow while bolts of lightning flowed through it, and it actually emitted the rumbling of thunder. As soon as it appeared, it struck its spear towards A’xiu that was the closest.

A’xiu slapped out with a flip of her hand. Starlight flowed in her palm before condensing into a silver colored blade that directly slashed off the puppet’s head.

However, to Chen Xi’s horror, the headless corpse of the Soul Combat Puppet actually seemed to not be affected in the slightest. It held a blue colored spear as it charged explosively once more, and the tip of its spear erupted with a myriad of specks of fierce and swift spear qi. It tore space apart as it enveloped down towards A’xiu.

“Oh, it’s actually a high-grade Soul Combat Puppet. Its strength is comparable to a cultivator at the Nether Transformation Realm.” A’xiu chuckled as she slapped out with a stretch of her hand. Starlight flowed before the Soul Combat Puppet was shattered with a rumble, and not even bits of it remained,

Chen Xi opened his mouth yet closed it right after. Earlier, he intended to study this Soul Combat Puppet, but now it would seem like it was obviously impossible.

“Don’t worry, I’m able to sense that the quality of Soul Combat Puppets will be higher the deeper we go into the hall, and we’ll surely be able to find some treasures if we continue forward.” A’xiu smiled very slyly.

What could Chen Xi say when he saw this?

This hall was extremely dark, and they encountered many more Soul Combat Puppets that broke out from behind the wall all along the way. The strengths of these puppets was around the Nether Transformation Realm, and all of them were fearless and ruthless to the extreme.

But Chen Xi acutely noticed that their strengths seemed to have been greatly exhausted, whereas their consciousness had perished a long time ago. So even if he didn’t execute any lethal moves, the puppets would fall after a few moves and transform into powder.

The reason was actually very easy to infer, and it was because these Soul Combat Puppets had existed for truly too long, and it was so long that it could be traced back to the time the Xeno-race hadn’t been driven out from the three dimensions.

After such a long period of time, these Soul Combat Puppets were still able to maintain a certain level of combat strength, and this obviously displayed how shocking they were.

After 10 minutes passed, both of them turned past a dim corner, and they just walked in when their fields of vision instantly widened. This was a vast area that had been sealed up for countless years.

The ground was covered in rows of Soul Combat Puppets that stood solemnly, and they densely covered every inch of space that the eye could see. Chen Xi and A’xiu actually couldn’t see the end of these puppets.

These Soul Combat Puppets had tall figures and seemed like clay statues that had been standing there since the primeval times, and they were suffused with an extremely solemn, ancient, and murderous aura.

Chen Xi’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow slightly when he saw this scene, and he exclaimed endlessly with admiration in his heart.

This place was like a troop inspection platform. A myriad of troops stood solemnly as if they were waiting silently for the arrival of a king, and they seemed to be waiting to charge forward into war, causing the scene to be extremely magnificent.

Moreover, at the deepest depths of the dense expanse of Soul Combat Puppets was an ancient sacrificial altar. It was 3km in height, completely pitch black, and a pile of flames surged and blazed on it. It seemed like divine flames that wouldn’t be extinguished for eternity, and it illuminated this entire expanse of space.

A’xiu suddenly said in a low voice, “Hey, I’ll do some magic for you.”

As she spoke and before Chen Xi could react, she’d taken a step forward and pointed at the countless Soul Combat Puppets from afar before she cried out with a clear voice. “Fall, fall, fall!”

The corners of Chen Xi’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch when he saw her acting like a playful child. However, in the next moment, he saw a shocking scene.

Rumble!

The dense rows of Soul Combat Puppets suddenly crashed down and emanated a wave of shocking and enormous rumbling that sounded like thunderclaps. Dust and dirt suffused the sky while bits and pieces flew towards the surroundings, and it enveloped the entire space in the surroundings.

It felt as if a powerful army was instantly destroyed, and it was an extremely magnificent scene.

After a short moment, the dust and dirt dispersed.

A thick layer of fragments had already piled up on the ground, and it was formed from the fragments of the shattered Soul Combat Puppets. But, it was already very difficult to discern the appearance of the Soul Combat Puppets.

Chen Xi faintly understood now that perhaps after experiencing the passage of countless years, these Soul Combat Puppets had already exhausted all their strength a long time ago, and they became these weak statues before his eyes in the end.

On the other hand, A’xiu’s voice was like the flames that ignited a barrel of gunpowder, and it broke the equilibrium here, causing these Soul Combat Puppets to lose the strength to stand here and be obliterated in the end.

“The treasure is on that sacrificial platform, hurry up!” A’xiu waved at Chen Xi before transforming into a ray of light that swiftly arrived on the 3km tall platform in the depths of this hall.

Chen Xi followed closely behind here. When he arrived on the platform, he saw that A’xiu was already holding a box that seemed to be made of jade yet wasn’t jade, and she was sizing it up happily.

This platform was over 100m in area, and a pile of flames that seemed to exist eternally burned at the center. Besides this, there was a rectangular limestone platform, and the box in A’xiu’s hand come from the limestone platform.

At the side of the limestone platform stood another Soul Combat Puppet. It was 21m in height, completely covered in black armor, and the fine and pitch black armor that was like the scales of fish covered its entire body. Moreover, it wore a simple black colored helmet on its head, causing only a pair of tightly shut eyes to be revealed.

The puppet held a 3.5m long spear, and Chen Xi could discern that its slender and white palms carried a steady and powerful feeling. As it stood alone there, it actually emanated an inviolable, murderous, and icy cold aura!

When Chen Xi laid eyes on this Soul Combat Puppet for the first time, he had an inexplicable feeling in his heart, and it was as if this Soul Combat Puppet that wore black armor and a black helmet would open its eyes and come back to life in the next moment.