Zhou Xun's heart was racing with excitement, but his face remained calm and collected.

He reached out and picked up the puppet beast, examining it carefully.

"So this is a mechanical puppet beast, truly extraordinary!"

Zhou Xun clicked his tongue in wonder.

He had long heard that among the Cultivation Hundred Skills, there was also an art called puppet mastery, which was extremely unusual.

A Puppet Master could utilize artifact refining materials to create mechanical puppet beasts of various forms.

And these mechanical puppet beasts, like demon beasts, possessed the ability to attack enemies on their own. What's more, they were fearless in the face of death and never betrayed their master.

Once damaged, they could be repaired, and if destroyed, they could be refined anew.

Whether in combat or in treasure hunting, they were unparalleled assistants!

Reportedly, under the control of a Puppet Master, they could form military-like arrays, dozens or even hundreds of puppet beasts joining forces. Such power was unmatched within the same tier!

Historical scriptures recorded that in the southern Fengg Country, there had once appeared a grand Puppet Master, who was only at the Fake Pill cultivation level.

He could control dozens of Tier Two puppets along with three Tier Three puppets.

He roamed the entire Fengg Country without opposition.

It's worth noting that the overall cultivation strength of Fengg Country was not inferior to that of Xui Country; the top cultivator in Fengg Country at that time was at the Middle-Stage True Pill cultivation level, yet still no match for him.

Thus, one can see the prowess of a Puppet Master!

When Zhou Xun first encountered records of Puppet Masters, he was immensely intrigued, especially upon learning that the first requirement to become a Puppet Master was having extraordinary Divine Sense, which made him even more excited.

Zhou Xun had an innate talent for Divine Sense, awakening the ability as early as the Middle-Stage Qi Refining, making him the ideal successor for the path of Puppet Mastery!

Unfortunately, the inheritance of Puppet Masters was exceedingly rare, not even present in Xui Country!

"Indeed, that 'Hundred Beasts Evil Monarch' himself only had Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet relying on puppet beasts, he managed to fend off one Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, two Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and seven Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators from the Xu Family, and left at ease!"

Wang Erniu nodded, his eyes filled with admiration and longing.

"A Puppet Master is like an entire army by themselves, having such capabilities is only natural!"

"However, a Puppet Master's entire strength rests on their puppet beasts; as long as you first clip the wings, destroy the mechanical puppets, dealing with them afterward becomes quite manageable!" Zhou Xun said unhurriedly.

"In that case, perhaps he didn't perish at the hands of the Xu Family, since he wasted dozens of puppet beasts to keep the Xu Family occupied!"

"This spirit medicine will likely fall into the hands of the Xu Family; after several decades, Xui Country might gain another Fake Pill!"

The Purple Spirit Crystal Reishi was extremely precious, coveted by True Pill cultivators, and could definitely be exchanged for some Core Formation spiritual objects.

Wang Erniu was full of envy; he had been merely ten-odd feet away from that spirit medicine at his closest!

"According to your description, that Hundred Beasts Evil Monarch must have remarkable escape techniques; it must not be easy to catch him!" Zhou Xun said coolly.

"Brother, you're right. This man's escape techniques are exceedingly elusive. You must know, at that time, the medicine garden was already occupied by Xu Family cultivators!"

"Yet he still managed to stealthily approach and snatch the spirit medicine, then used puppets to entangle the Xu Family, escaping without a trace!"

Wang Erniu deeply agreed; though this man was an unscrupulous tribulation cultivator, his strength was unlike anything he had ever seen.

Zhou Xun wasn't overly concerned upon hearing this news; even if the man's escape techniques were impressive, he could not escape Zhou Xun's divination technique.

He then pointed to the puppet beast and said:

"I'm quite interested in this puppet, would you give it to me?"

"Brother, take it as you please!" Wang Erniu laughed heartily.

Zhou Xun had been a lifesaver for his entire family; not to mention a mechanical puppet beast, even his life would be of no concern if Zhou Xun wanted it.

Zhou Xun nodded, placing the mechanical puppet into his storage bag.

"Erniu, you've already gathered the Three Dao Essence Qi. Once the Golden Cloud Valley matters are settled, follow me back to the White Cloud Immortal City to establish your Foundation!"

Wang Erniu had been stagnating at the Peak Qi Refining for several years now.

"I had that very intention; this mission will surely succeed!" Wang Erniu said with determination.

Zhou Xun nodded inwardly upon seeing this.

At that moment, Wang Erniu's demeanor was steadfast, like a sword pointing to the sky. With his Sword Heart honed and his affinity close to an Earth Spirit Root, the Foundation Establishment should not pose much of an issue.

After some consideration, he reached to his waist, and with a flash of white light, several jade scrolls appeared on the table.

"Erniu, these contain insights and precautions for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage that I've gathered. You should study them, they might help you in your breakthrough!"

"Thank you, brother!" Wang Erniu accepted them without hesitation.

The two continued to converse for half a day before Wang Erniu finally took his leave.

...

After Wang Erniu left, Zhou Xun activated the isolation restriction of the room.

With a pat on his storage bag at his waist, he retrieved the puppet beast.

Alongside it, he also took out the replica of the "Divination Compass."

Zhou Xun called it the "Small Divination Compass."

This special magical artifact enhanced Zhou Xun's divination technique.

Staring at the puppet beast before him, a gleam flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes. He promptly activated a spell, using the tracking technique without hesitation while holding the "Small Divination Compass."

After a moment,

a light spot appeared on the compass, pointing to a certain place in the north.

"Thirty thousand miles to the northwest!"

Zhou Xun took out a map of Xui Country and calculated based on his current position.

It was a primeval forest, with no cultivator markets within a thousand miles.

"It seems the spirit medicine is still in the hands of that 'Hundred Beasts Evil Monarch' and has been hidden away!"

Because if the spirit medicine had fallen into the Xu Family's hands, they would certainly be returning to their family in haste, not hiding in a deserted place.

The Xu Family was in the northern part of Xui Country; according to the route from Golden Cloud Valley back to the Xu Family territory, by now, they should be to the northeast of Zhou Xun.

"What a good opportunity! I'll go out once I find the chance!"

Having said that, he also cast a divination for himself.

Great fortune!

Combining Wang Erniu's description of the Hundred Beasts Evil Monarch, Zhou Xun began to weigh his options.

Puppet beasts are costly, those at the Peak of Middle-Stage Qi Refining level are as expensive as a high-grade spiritual artifact, and those at the Late-Stage Qi Refining level compare to a top-grade spiritual artifact.

The puppet beasts he released could entangle the Xu Family, indicating many were at the Late-Stage Qi Refining level.

That youth tossed out dozens of them at once; with his Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he probably doesn't have many left.

Coupled with the divination results, Zhou Xun was filled with certainty.

Moreover, he had this "Master Celestial Thunder" replica in hand, capable of matching a strike from a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator, plus numerous Tier Two talismans, a top-grade spiritual artifact, talisman treasure, and body refining cultivation.

In the worst-case scenario, he could use the Heaven-Escaping Talisman to flee.

With no worries about his safety and potential huge gains, this venture was worth undertaking!

"Today, Zhou Mou shall execute justice on behalf of Heaven!"

Having made up his mind, Zhou Xun began to make preparations.

However, he still had guard duties for the next two days.

Thus, he decided to leave at the earliest opportunity after completing his duties, to pursue the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had acquired the spirit medicine.

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