Mo Shuyan's smile widened slightly as the vines around him coiled tighter , thick and sharp as steel whips.

But the cloaked figure fist didn't stop.

BOOM!

Goldie's enormous arm swung again , tearing through the defensive vines like paper.

The vines snapped with a metallic clank! as splinters of red essence burst into the air.

"Such raw power…" Mo Shuyan murmured , taking a step back.

His hand glowed faintly as several jade talismans spun into the air around him.

"What kind of puppet is this ? ...Truly Impressive, you have draw my curiosity."

Sensing something, Goldie's golden eyes flashed brighter.

WHOOSH—!

In an instant , Goldie massive figure vanished from sight.

Mo Shuyan's eyes widened. "What—"

Before he could finish , Goldie's massive fist appeared right beside his head.

But a vine managed to form a barrier just in time, shielding Mo Shuyan.

BAM!!!

Yet the shockwave manage to sent him flying across the clearing, smashing through a tree vine before he twisted midair and landed on one knee, coughing lightly, with his robes fluttering from the impact.

"Hah… seems like I underestimated you."

His calm expression didn't waver , but a vein throbbed faintly on his temple.

As he hadn't expected to be disgraced like this by a mere puppet, Mo Shuyan's expression darkened.

Crack…!

Then he saw Goldie lowered both its massive hands to the ground and crouched low like a beast about to pounce.

BOOM!

The earth split apart beneath its weight as Goldie's enormous body shot forward like a cannonball toward Mo Shuyan.

Seeing the looming shadow rushing at him, Mo Shuyan quickly formed a series of hand seals and activated the jade talisman hovering around him.

"Come! Brother Shi, Sister Long!"

The talisman flared with blinding light , burning away as two figures emerged beside him.

One was a valiant man in his twenties , with spear in hand.

The other , a beautiful woman with sharp eyes and a graceful stance , wielding a sword that hummed faintly with energy.

Both radiated the aura of peak 9th Realm of Qi Refinement that look righteous and strong , yet their faces and eyes were utterly lifeless and emotionless.

"Go" Mo Shuyan commanded coldly.

The spear-wielding man moved first.

CLANG!

His spear shot out like a silver dragon , piercing the air with a shriek as it met Goldie's charging fist head-on.

BOOOM!!

A thunderous shockwave exploded between them , tearing vines from the ground and sending dust spiraling skyward.

The swordswoman darted in from the side , her blade humming with spiritual light as she slashed across Goldie's flank.

SHHHH!

Sparks actually flew as her sword barely cut a shallow line across Goldie body.

" What? even sword projection can't pierce it?"

Mo Shuyan's eyes narrowed. "So it's not just brute strength. That thing's body actually quite tough too…"

He then raised his hand and formed a new seal.

The jade talismans around him spun faster , glowing with violent emerald light.

Goldie who noticed this then turned its head slowly and then vanished again.

WHOOM—!

The spear man trying to stop Goldie but Goldie's massive fist came from below , uppercutting him into the air like a ragdoll.

The swordswoman tried to retreat a step—

—but Goldie's massive figure suddenly loomed before her, closing the distance in a blur.

One enormous hand clamped down on her sword , the metal screeching under its grip, while the other swung straight toward her abdomen.

BAMMM!

Her graceful figure was sent flying through the air, crashing through the dirt and vines.

Seeing this, Mo Shuyan's eyes widened.

"Even Brother Shi and Sister Long can't restrain it…" he murmured in disbelief.

Then his gaze lowered, with a dangerous glint flashing in his gaze.

He took a deep breath and a strange smile crept onto his face.

"Well then, let's see how you handle my real vines."

With his word, the ground beneath him start to pulsed.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Dozens of massive black vines erupted upward , thick as ancient trees , their surfaces covered with faint runes that glowed a sinister red.

Then the air twisted with spiritual pressure as the vines converged, forming a writhing cage around Goldie.

BOOOM! All of the black vines immediately coiled Goldie's massive figure, forming an unbreakable prison.

From within the cage , Goldie could be seen struggling , trying to resist the crushing force of the vines coiling like a snake around its body.

The black vines were countless and relentless , as if intent on crushing and drowning it.

Mo Shuyan's eyes narrowed as he watched the puppet being pressed and swallowed by his black vines.

"Let's see if brute strength alone can shatter my true Divine Soul Tree Vine," he murmured.

The vines continued to tighten , twisting like the jaws of a giant beast ready to devour, until Goldie's massive figure vanished into their grip.

_

_

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Inside…

"…"

Goldie slowly turned its golden-lit eye, seeing nothing but countless black vines.

Its body began to crack under the immense pressure as fragments of it body flew.

....Then its eye glowed brighter in the darkness , as if it had made a decision.

Mo Shuyan, who start grinning outside, turned to speak to the spearman already at his side.

"Brother Shi , I thought your Silver Light Spear technique was one of the best among the Righteous Sect… tch tch… but you can't even handle a mere puppet."

All he got in response was silence.

Mo Shuyan didn't seem to mind and turned his gaze toward the beautiful, graceful figure beside him.

Smack!

He smacked her soft, plump peach and grinned.

"But since Sister Long , who is one of the newly rising stars from the Heavenly Sword Sect, couldn't even damage that thing, I guess that's a given."

The graceful woman remained silent , her face emotionless.

Mo Shuyan didn't care and continued to smiled.

These two were also among the rude Righteous Sect disciples who had attacked him upon learning he was from the Divine Blood Sect.

He actually had more of his defeated enemies' souls under his control , but this was the limit he could summon as the Divine Soul Tree was already under immense strain just trying to sustain Bai Qianlong's existence.

Then Mo Shuyan let out a sigh.

"Too bad… I can't perfectly replicate their emotions. Otherwise , it would have been even more fun… and interesting."

The Divine Soul Tree could only perfectly replicate a mortal for now because it is still weak and young.

As for cultivators , it could only reproduce their body and strength.

"If only it would obediently accept all the souls I want it to consume… everything would go much more smoothly."

Mo Shuyan sneered in annoyance at the thought of this.

For some reason , the Divine Soul Tree rejected external souls , so he had no choice but to 'force' it using techniques his master had taught him.

Then he remembered Li Feng's extraordinary strength and couldn't help but look forward to the quality of the soul he possessed.

Maybe the Divine Soul Tree could even make a breakthrough with this, finally allowing it to perfectly replicate the emotions of a cultivator's soul…

"…Maybe with Junior Brother Li , I can even climb a bit higher in my Emissary rank."

Mo Shuyan was the youngest among the twelve Emissaries, and therefore the weakest.

Being looked down upon by the other Emissaries, he was determined to teach them a lesson ... but he also knew his own limits.

Then he grinned.

"Now that I have Brother Bai and maybe even Junior Brother Li , I should have a high chance of moving up the rank."

He already planned to challenge the so-called 11th Emissary, The Blood Moon, who was also within the Azure Moon Sect territory and then continue challenging the others once he returned.

To be honest , the reason he came into the Azure Moon Sect territory was not only to find some materials for his project but also because he .... heard an interesting piece of news.

That, The First Emissary himself,

... The Chosen One, had been lurking here for a long time somewhere within the Azure Moon Sect's territory.

So he grew curious and also come here.

Thinking of this and remembering something, he murmured with a smile,

"....But now, I can confirm that he really is here ... and I've also found out his intention too...he truly a madman, to even think of doing that..."

He shuddered slightly at the thought of that madman's ambition.

"...He really is on a completely different level than the rest of us."

Mo Shuyan only planned to challenge the 11th Emissary for now.

As for challenging the First Emissary?

He probably wouldn't even know how he died if he did it now.

Just as he was lost in his thoughts—

Crack!

Crack!

"Hm?"

Mo Shuyan frowned slightly as he heard a strange sound coming from the thick black vines — the same ones currently crushing that strange puppet.

They were convulsing , trembling like massive veins of living flesh.

ZING!

Suddenly,

A blinding golden light suddenly tore through the vines , shooting straight into the air and charge toward Mo Shuyan at terrifying speed.

Brother Shi and Sister Long, who also noticed the approaching light, tried to intercept it.

ZING!

ZING!

But with a sharp and powerful slicing sound , both of their bodies were instantly cut in half by the golden light , clean and precise.

"What!?"

Mo Shuyan shouted in shock, his pupils shrinking as the golden light shot toward him and before he could even react—

SPURT!

With another flash of golden brilliance, both of his arms were severed , flying into the air.

"Ugh!?"

Mo Shuyan groaned in pain and hurriedly tried to activate another one of his defensive techniques—

But before he could, a massive golden hand suddenly grabbed his face, clamping down so hard he felt his jaw crack under the pressure.

Crack...!

"—!?"

Lifted high into the air , Mo Shuyan's struggling body froze as his eyes locked onto the figure before him.

The blinding light dimmed just enough for him to see what had attacked him—

And his eyes widened in disbelief.

'...What the hell…?'

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