The man spoke again. "You can think it over before you answer!"

Bei Tangfeng gritted his teeth. "I really don't have it!"

CRACK!

Another lash of the whip.

Bei Tangfeng's whole body convulsed, the whites of his eyes showing.

"Do you have it now?"

"Fuck your mother—OW—"

CRACK!

"I know you're a proud man. You do the opposite of what people tell you. You'd rather be beaten to death than listen to a single word from anyone else. It would make you feel like a mere actor!"

The man gazed at the scar-ridden Bei Tangfeng suspended in midair, his eyes deep and somber. "But you had better think carefully. If you die here, you'll lose everything. Not just your life, but also that pride you treasure so dearly…"

Pride? Pride my ass!

Bei Tangfeng wanted to cry but had no tears. How could these people not understand plain language?

"I already said I don't have it! What will it take for you to believe me?" he roared with difficulty, his voice hoarse.

The man fell silent and sighed. "I haven't admired someone like this for many years. You've got guts. The Xuanji Cave Heaven is no slouch."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The moment he finished speaking, five more Thunder Whips materialized in the void and, under Bei Tangfeng's wide-eyed gaze, viciously struck him from different angles.

"AAAAAHHH—"

Like a madman, Bei Tangfeng hung limply in midair. His hair stood on end, his body was charred black, and his gaze was vacant, as if he had lost his soul.

"Where is your Golden Puppet?"

"I've told you so many times… I don't have it… I really don't… sob…" He actually started sobbing, his spirit completely broken.

Seeing this, the man couldn't help but frown.

He's still refusing to change his story, even after all this? Could it be that he really doesn't have it? Did I target the wrong person?

Upon further reflection, that possibility seemed high.

He took a deep breath, waved his hand to release Bei Tangfeng, and with a flick of his finger, shot a wisp of energy into Bei Tangfeng's body, knocking him unconscious.

Then, he turned and left.

Before departing, he cast a covert glance toward a corner where a shadow was fading away.

***

He arrived at a secret place filled with grand formations and enshrouded in clouds and mist, a place one could not enter without a profound mastery of the Xuanji arts.

The mist was dense.

A hazy figure emerged from its depths.

"Why have you returned empty-handed?"

"I got the wrong person," he said.

"It wasn't him?"

"No."

"Then who could it be?"

He didn't speak. He wanted to know the answer himself. Who could possibly create a Puppet that not even the Saint Heir of Xuanji was capable of making?

"What did you do to him?"

"I injured him severely, but I did not damage his core vitality."

"Were you being watched?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps that wasn't enough."

"It's explainable. He is the Saint Heir of Xuanji. If he just vanished, it would be a major incident, and those old fossils wouldn't just sit by. Without absolute proof, acting rashly against him would have even greater consequences."

The figure in the fog dispersed.

He, too, said no more. He turned and disappeared into the thick mist.

***

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

During these two months, Wang Xiu did not take a single step out of his courtyard. The opportunities he had gained from the Ancient Forest were sufficient; he had no need to compete with others for more. As for Xiang Tiange and the others, with the significant head start they had, their total gains already far surpassed those of the prodigies from the other Immortal Sects, even if their later harvests were less substantial.

In the courtyard, thirty-six figures with powerful auras were arrayed in neat rows.

Among them, eighteen figures held Bone Rods. They were tall and burly, with imposing auras. The other eighteen wielded uniquely shaped Golden Dragon Spears. They were leaner and more agile, radiating an elite air.

In two months, he had crafted thirty-six Puppets, raising Wang Xiu's self-preservation capabilities by several notches. With this team of guards by his side, most dangers would no longer be a threat to him.

With these thirty-six Puppets, I should be able to hold my own against an average early-stage Emergence expert. The further one progresses in cultivation, the more each Realm represents a qualitative transformation. This was true from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, and even more so from Nascent Soul to Soul Travel. Wang Xiu had not yet truly fought an expert at the Emergence Stage, so he couldn't be absolutely certain, but he still felt confident.

Even if the dragon bones can't hold up, I still have the Ancient Dragon Reverse Scale. It's much stronger than the dragon bones and more than enough to keep me safe!

He had used special materials to link the Dragon Scales into a necklace, which he wore around his neck. He lightly stroked it, feeling a warm, vital energy flowing from it that calmed his heart.

CLANG!

At that moment, a resonant bell toll echoed across the sky above the entire Ancient Sanctuary.

The void suddenly transformed. Winds howled and clouds surged, the very color of the sky and earth changing. It was as if a monumental event was about to unfold.

From afar, Wang Xiu heard disciples from the Sanqing Immortal Sect shouting outside his courtyard, "The Void Ancient Path is open! The Void Ancient Path is open!"

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