Chen Xu examined the Demon Puppet's bones and fur again.

The bones were similar to the entries he had seen last time in the She Jun Ruins: [Demon Puppet Bone, roasted and ground into powder can alleviate ailments to some extent.]

But the Demon Puppet's fur was very strange, with an explanation that was quite eerie.

[Puppet Mask: A puppet mask imbued with strange and magical power. Any living creature of the feline type that gnaws on this skin has a high likelihood of exploding and dying.

If it survives, it gradually replaces old skin with new skin, old bones with new bones.

The living creature transforms into a Demon Puppet, beyond what mortal tools can kill.]

Indeed, everything was extremely close to what Chen Xu had previously speculated!

But that wasn't everything; the explanation for the [Puppet Mask] had a second part.

[After simmering the skin in Martial Fire, remove hair and wash clean, marinate in a secret sauce for half a day, then fry in oil until bubbling.

You can obtain a shapeshifting mask, covering the head and face to randomly transform into one form.

This form will dissolve after half a day, and the mask can be used once.

Once the mask is removed and fried again, knead it into a crisp ball that smells fragrant. When demons and ghosts eat it, there is a certain chance of exploding and dying.]

What... what is this bizarre thing?

After reading the complete explanation of the Puppet Mask, Chen Xu couldn't help but laugh.

At just this moment, the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier followed the Tiger Striped Cat through alleys, yards, and grass...

During this time, the Tiger Striped Cat teased other cats and dogs, beating up five stray cats and seven stray dogs it encountered along the way.

It snatched a sparrow from the mouth of a ginger cat and a bone from the mouth of a gray dog—

It ended up eating the sparrow but spat out the gray dog's bone.

If the gray dog knew, it would likely howl to the sky in sorrow.

Afterwards, the Tiger Striped Cat darted through the backyard of a household and beat up a golden raccoon cat kept as a pet.

The small cat cried out miserably, but when someone came to check, the Tiger Striped Cat leaped over the yard wall and ran off gracefully yet proudly.

Finally, with a piece of deboned chicken meat it had snatched from the golden raccoon cat's bowl, it rushed to the Cloud Water River on the east side of town.

The riverbank was lined with trees and had pavilions scattered about.

Beside one of these pavilions lay a tawny-haired mother cat.

Beside the mother cat lay several kittens, their eyes barely open, squeezed together asleep.

The Tiger Striped Cat ran to the mother cat's side and placed the piece of deboned chicken breast near her mouth.

The mother cat opened her eyes and let out a startled "meow."

It seemed that the two cats did not know each other well.

But the Tiger Striped Cat pushed the chicken meat towards her with a paw, raised its head proudly, and meowed: "Meow!"

Then it turned around briskly, leaped away cleanly.

Having done this, the Tiger Striped Cat seemed as proud as a gallant hero distributing wealth, and cheerfully ran to the riverbank to catch fish.

Observing through the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier, Chen Xu couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

And in the next moment, a scene made him frown.

The Tiger Striped Cat seemed to sniff something, suddenly meowed with excitement, arched its back, and leaped away.

Not far ahead, in a small alley, a group of cats was engaged in a fierce battle.

"Meow meow meow!"

Amidst screeching cries, the cats were fighting, screaming, and scrambling to devour a tattered, mottled skin on the ground.

There were many pieces of torn skin being flung around as fights broke out, and many stray cats already had fur scraps at their mouths.

Yet they continued to vie for the largest piece of mottled skin, with fur flying and blood splattering.

The Tiger Striped Cat's eyes glistened, and it breathed heavily as it observed this.

Yet it did not rush into the fray as it had before, instead creeping silently closer to the site of the conflict with quiet, stealthy steps.

Its eyes narrowed slightly, fixating on the piece of skin that the group of cats was tearing at nearby.

"Meow!"

Amidst the cats' shrieks, the Tiger Striped Cat was about to pounce.

But suddenly, from behind, an icy, small spear pressed down firmly, holding the Tiger Striped Cat's poised body in place.

"Meow!" This time it was the Tiger Striped Cat that let out a panicked whimper.

The cat turned back, but saw nothing.

Yet the suppressive feeling was all too familiar, keeping the restless Tiger Striped Cat from wanting to join the battle any longer.

Though Chen Xu couldn't vocalize through the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier from miles away, he controlled it to hold the opponent down with the small spear.

Until in the forward battle, a large black and white tabby cat suddenly went rigid, lifting its head skyward.

It let out a mournful wail.

"Meow——"

Before the cry was halfway finished, there was a sudden "bang."

The mixed-patterned cat exploded, flesh and fur bursting like fireworks.

"Meow..."

The Tiger Striped Cat froze, plastered to the ground, eyes blank.

Bang, bang, bang!

The self-destruction of the tabby cat was like the prologue to a firework display.

In just a moment, several more stray cats, some large, some small, wailed and exploded on the spot.

In the end, only one blood-stained gray cat remained.

Its eyes bulged, body swaying as if about to follow the others into oblivion, but somehow, it managed to hold on.

Under the Tiger Striped Cat's gaze, filled with fear and sorrow, it walked out of the alley with staggered steps and a lowered head.

The Tiger Striped Cat lay on the ground, motionless, only turning its head to watch it leave.

At some point, the force that had restrained the Tiger Striped Cat vanished.

Before it, some alluring scraps of bloodied flesh and fur remained in the alley, but the Tiger Striped Cat now felt no urge to rush forward and devour them.

It let out a low, mournful "mew," lowered its head, and quickly departed from the blood-soaked scene.

The Tiger Striped Cat left, but the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier did not.

The small Daoist Soldier arrived at the alley's entrance, suddenly brandished its long spear, and pointed it forward.

Boom——

A blaze erupted from the spear tip, like a dragon of fire, like a white rainbow.

In just a moment, withered everything within the small alley into ash.

The small Daoist Soldier's face was obscured, yet the lines on its armor were distinct, reflecting the firelight as if with a presence of divinity.

The Daoist Soldier turned to leave, following a wisp of Qi Mechanism Sensing, quickly pursuing the surviving gray cat.

The gray cat's stiff body gradually grew agile, and its slow pace quickly sped up.

Not long after, it left the Cloud Water River and slipped into the city.

Its cries were mournful at times, and passersby would shoo it away: "Why does this cat sound so spooky? Go away, don't come here!"

But the people couldn't catch up to it, and the gray cat swiftly disappeared, gradually making its way towards a section of the eastern city wall.

The wall was far from the city gate, surrounded by wild grass, giving it an eerie air.

The gray cat did not linger, and soon found a small hole at the base of the city wall.

The hole, hidden by weeds, allowed the gray cat to sneak out of the city.

The Mud Ball Daoist Soldier did not hesitate, deftly bending down to follow through the small hole, continuing to track the gray cat.

The inn was just at the city's east, and with Chen Xu's current cultivation, the Daoist Soldier could continue eastward for ten miles without losing control.

Outside the city was a desolate expanse—no grand avenue, but wilderness, and tangled thickets instead.

A couple of miles further, the tangled trees became sparser.

The gray cat's pace gradually slowed, as in the thickets an open clearing suddenly emerged.

In the clearing stood a lone, eerie little hut.

The low wooden hut had a few thatched patches on top, with a slanted wooden door in front.

Though the door was open, no sunlight from the trees outside could penetrate inside.

Only shadows abounded, and with deliberate steps, the gray cat entered, as if following some strange rhythm.

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