“A secret technique to turn living people into puppets?”
Listening to Tai Lingxuan’s words, Chen Yuyang’s brow furrowed slightly, a trace of gravity in his gaze.
This kind of secret technique was extremely sinister and harmed the natural order.
It was an absolute taboo in the Realm of Cultivation, something that could not be tolerated.
“Master, why do you suddenly ask about this? Did you encounter someone practicing such an evil art?”
Chen Yuyang asked in a heavy voice.
Tai Lingxuan nodded with a solemn expression, her voice low.
“It was Long Zhizheng.”
“Long Zhizheng?”
Chen Yuyang’s pupils suddenly constricted, a look of surprise crossing his face.
“Him? But isn’t he the Grand Elder of the Qiankun Sect? How could he possess such an evil technique?”
Tai Lingxuan’s expression darkened as she nodded.
“I do not know, but earlier, when I pushed Long Zhizheng into a desperate situation, he released puppets refined from living people during the battle to block my attacks…”
Chen Yuyang’s frown deepened as he carefully analyzed her words.
“Master, are you certain they were refined from living people? Not refined from corpses or artificial materials made into human forms?”
Tai Lingxuan paused, looking somewhat confused.
“Is… is there a difference?”
‘Well, the path of puppets is not common; it is only natural for Master to lack knowledge in this area.’
Seeing this, Chen Yuyang explained, “These three types of puppets might look similar on the surface, but their essential differences are massive.”
“First, there are puppets refined into human forms using heavenly treasures and various rare materials. Although the refining process is extremely difficult, it is not impossible. Such puppets are usually of extremely high grade and possess great power. Some top-tier ones can even develop intelligence. They are the strongest category, but they are rare and can only be found by chance.”
“Then there are corpse puppets refined from the deceased. Although there are some taboos regarding them, it is ultimately just a violation of human ethics rather than a crime against the natural order. As long as the deceased or their family agreed, it is not entirely unacceptable. These corpse puppets have obvious characteristics, such as stiff movements and rigid behavioral patterns. They have plenty of strength but lack flexibility.”
“Only the living puppets refined from living people are undoubtedly the methods of a Demonic Cultivator. It is a complete and utter evil art!”
Chen Yuyang’s tone grew stern.
“This method is the most insidious. It requires forcibly binding the soul to the physical body while the person is still alive, hollowing out their organs, setting up formations inside the body, and finally refining the soul and body together using the methods of Artifact Refining.”
“Compared to the others, the cost and difficulty of these puppets are much lower than those made from treasures, but they possess the highest flexibility, a certain degree of intelligence, and various functions. However, the methods are too cruel to be tolerated by the righteous path!”
Hearing the brief description of the final refining method, Tai Lingxuan’s body trembled violently.
Her face turned as pale as paper, her eyes reddened, and tears rolled down uncontrollably.
They flowed down her beautiful face and dripped onto her collar, creating wet patches on her clothes.
Lowering her head, Tai Lingxuan clutched her sleeves tightly.
She could not hold back any longer, and a mournful sob escaped her throat.
Chen Yuyang was startled by her reaction.
Simultaneously, combining what she had just said, he vaguely guessed the truth.
“Master… those living people who were turned into puppets… could they be people you knew…?”
“Yes… they were…” Tai Lingxuan sobbed, her voice intermittent.
“They were the elders and masters of my Hehuan Sect who watched me grow up and taught me how to live… and the sisters I grew up with…”
As she answered, her tears fell like a string of broken pearls.
“Back… back when the sect was destroyed, to protect me and some of the younger disciples… they… they voluntarily became Long Zhizheng’s puppets… only asking that he let us go…”
As she spoke, Tai Lingxuan became incoherent with grief.
Upon hearing this, even Chen Yuyang’s body shook violently.
An indescribable fury surged from the depths of his heart!
Clenching his fists until his knuckles popped, his eyes flashed with a cold light.
He gritted his teeth and spat out, “How hateful!”
Chen Yuyang suddenly felt a wave of regret.
He regretted not returning to the sect with his Master and regretted not meeting Long Zhizheng personally!
At this moment, he felt that killing that man so cleanly and swiftly seemed… too merciful!
“Master, please do not be so sad. It is important to look after your health.”
Suppressing the rage in his heart, Chen Yuyang kept his voice as soft as possible.
He stepped forward, letting Tai Lingxuan’s trembling body lean against his shoulder.
He patted her back and then continued, “What happened to those puppets afterward?”
Tai Lingxuan raised her tear-blurred face and said in a raspy voice, “They… they were controlled by Long Zhizheng and blocked my attacks. I… I shattered them with my own hands.”
“That is for the best. Once the puppet is shattered, the restriction naturally dissipates, and the souls of the seniors can escape their bonds and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation,” Chen Yuyang comforted her gently.
Hearing this, Tai Lingxuan’s emotions stabilized slightly.
A faint glimmer of light appeared in her eyes, but it quickly dimmed.
She shook her head and continued, “But… it wasn’t all of them… Compared to the number of sect elders and seniors who vanished that day, the portion Long Zhizheng released was not even one-third.”
“I… I suspect that within the Qiankun Sect, there might be more puppets refined from the seniors of my Hehuan Sect…”
Chen Yuyang’s expression became solemn.
Taking a deep breath, he regained his composure and spoke again.
“Master, Long Zhizheng only released those puppets after you pushed him into a corner, correct?”
“Yes.”
Tai Lingxuan nodded, her voice still trembling with sobs.
A flash of pain crossed her eyes as she recalled the scene.
“What was the defensive power and combat strength of those puppets?”
Chen Yuyang pressed.
He did not want to force her to remember, but it was unavoidable to uncover the truth.
Tai Lingxuan subconsciously shook her head.
“They were very weak! They could only barely withstand one or two of my moves using the strength of their physical bodies. They had no decent offensive capabilities at all.”
Chen Yuyang fell into thought again.
Although the information was limited, he already had a preliminary guess.
Those puppets were likely not the type intended for combat or defense.
Otherwise, Long Zhizheng would not have waited until he was in a desperate situation to release them, and they wouldn’t have been so fragile.
Suddenly, Chen Yuyang’s eyes lit up as if he had realized something.
He immediately asked, “Master, back when the Hehuan Sect was attacked, what was Long Zhizheng’s cultivation level?”
“Level 1 of the Mahayana Realm.”
Since Long Zhizheng had led the group to besiege the Hehuan Sect, Tai Lingxuan remembered this quite clearly.
“Had he just recently reached Level 1, or had he been at that level for many years?”
Chen Yuyang followed up.
Tai Lingxuan was slightly taken or aback.
She furrowed her brows and tried to remember; she hadn’t paid much attention to such details.
“I… I’m not entirely sure…”
“It’s fine. Such things aren’t secrets; we can find out later.”
Chen Yuyang waved it off, his tone shifting.
“However, I now have a rough theory.”
“What theory?”
Tai Lingxuan hurriedly looked at the young man.
“I suspect that the seniors of our Hehuan Sect were likely refined into some kind of auxiliary cultivation puppets.”
Chen Yuyang exhaled softly before continuing, “Long Zhizheng might have been stuck at Level 1 of the Mahayana Realm for a long time, his cultivation stagnating. Knowing that there was no hope of a breakthrough with his own strength, he secretly practiced this forbidden technique. He turned people into living puppets, using their innate talents to fuel his own cultivation.”
After a pause, Chen Yuyang continued his analysis.
“That is why he was able to smoothly break through from Level 1 to Level 3 of the Mahayana Realm in just a few decades.”
Chen Yuyang’s gaze sharpened, and his voice turned several degrees colder.
“And now, his cultivation has hit another bottleneck. Unable to progress further, he wants to repeat his old tricks and make a move on you, Master.”
“After all, your talent is obvious to everyone. If he turns you into a puppet, it would be a massive boost to his cultivation!”
Upon hearing this analysis, Tai Lingxuan was suddenly struck by an epiphany.
She finally understood why Long Zhizheng would find a baseless excuse to attack her without any regard for his reputation.
The thought of almost being refined into such a puppet sent a chill from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making her shudder.
Seeing her expression change, Chen Yuyang knew she understood the key point.
He continued, “It is actually quite simple to find out if the Qiankun Sect is hiding other puppets refined from our Hehuan Sect seniors.”
“We just need to conduct a secret investigation to see if there are others in the Qiankun Sect in a similar situation to Long Zhizheng.”
“For example, certain elders or core disciples who were clearly stuck at a certain level for years without progress, only for their cultivation to suddenly skyrocket in the last few decades.”
“Or perhaps someone who was originally mediocre but suddenly began to cultivate at an extraordinary speed.”
“If such people exist, they have likely used the same forbidden technique. If we find such a person and capture them alive, everything will be much easier to handle.”
Tai Lingxuan nodded repeatedly, but then she frowned, a look of difficulty on her face.
“What you say isn’t exactly a state secret, but investigating all of that will not be an easy task.”
Chen Yuyang pondered for a moment, appearing to think of something else.
He looked up at Tai Lingxuan and asked, “Master, have you ever heard of the Hidden Sect?”