DIV Chapter 45: Puppet Materials Delivered to the Door

"Strange, the patterns on this component are already carved, so why can't it conduct magical power?" Li Chang'an was puzzled, his face full of confusion.

"Where did it go wrong?" He fiddled with the component for a while and finally discovered his error, correcting it promptly.

Before he knew it, most of the day had passed. Li Chang'an had only successfully crafted three components, while a large pile of wasted precious materials had accumulated beside him.

He felt some heartache over the spirit stones but didn't give up.

"As long as I succeed, no matter how much material is wasted, it's worth it," Li Chang'an glanced at the discarded materials, then gathered his thoughts, focused intently, and continued crafting the remaining components.

Time flew by, and several more days passed. After wasting a large quantity of precious materials, a turtle puppet half a person's height finally took shape!

"This puppet barely crosses the threshold of first-tier superior-grade puppets," Li Chang'an looked at the puppet with a slightly furrowed brow, not entirely satisfied.

He wasn't dissatisfied with his skills. After all, the success of this turtle puppet meant his skills had reached the requirements of a first-tier superior-grade puppet master.

However, this turtle puppet's defensive capabilities didn't meet his expectations. It could barely block Big Yellow's attacks but couldn't withstand them for long. After a slightly longer period, cracks would appear in the surface materials and it would begin to collapse.

"It's a problem with the puppet materials. I need to gather some precious materials specifically for crafting defensive puppets," Li Chang'an pondered.

Thinking about materials made his heart ache. He would need to spend quite a few spirit stones again.

However, as long as the crafted puppet could perfectly withstand attacks from late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, it would be worthwhile.

Before he knew it, it was already midnight. The divination appeared before Li Chang'an as usual.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today's Divination: Auspicious]

[Zheng Jinbao deploys a "Shadow Chasing Puppet" planning to eliminate you completely, but that puppet ultimately gets trapped and falls into your hands]

Shadow Chasing Puppet? Li Chang'an was somewhat surprised, his eyes scanning through the divination content.

He had heard of this type of puppet.

"It's said this type of puppet requires no control and can actively hunt based on aura. Though only a first-tier puppet, it can only be crafted by puppet masters of second-tier or above."

The puppet inheritance Li Chang'an had obtained didn't include the crafting method for such puppets. The market and black market didn't sell such puppets either.

This was why he was surprised.

"Where did Zheng Jinbao get this Shadow Chasing Puppet?" Could he have exchanged it from within the Zheng family? Li Chang'an pondered for a moment.

"Forget it, regardless of where he got it, once it enters my courtyard, it's mine!" He immediately began preparing.

Though the divination indicated auspiciousness, he couldn't be careless. After all, Shadow Chasing Puppets had quite a reputation.

"Since it hunts based on aura, my crafted superior-grade talisman Phantom Body Talisman will be useful."

The Phantom Body Talisman was a higher-tier version of the mid-grade Image Retention Talisman. It could not only create phantom images but also phantom auras.

At this moment, outside Li Chang'an's residence, Zheng Jinbao was gritting his teeth, staring fixedly at the courtyard gate.

"What's wrong with this damned Li Chang'an? Is he really like a turtle?" Since he hadn't found an opportunity all along, the Shadow Chasing Puppet in his hands had been unused.

The Shadow Chasing Puppet wasn't his own after all. During this period, Zheng Lingfeng had already urged him twice to return the puppet promptly.

"No, I can't wait any longer. I'll act tonight!" Zheng Jinbao steeled himself.

He spent a large quantity of spirit stones to purchase a full ten Prohibition Breaking Talismans. More would be useless since the power stacking of these talismans had an upper limit.

"The combined power of so many Prohibition Breaking Talismans could easily break even first-tier superior-grade formations!" Zheng Jinbao stuffed all these talismans into the Shadow Chasing Puppet.

Subsequently, he took out a hoe and several baskets. These items had been used by Li Chang'an when he tended spiritual fields for the Zheng family and still retained his aura.

"Remember this person's aura and kill him!" Zheng Jinbao instructed the Shadow Chasing Puppet.

The Shadow Chasing Puppet nodded stiffly, its form flickered, and it headed straight for Li Chang'an's small courtyard.

Under Zheng Jinbao's expectant gaze, it leaped directly into the courtyard.

At almost the same moment, Li Chang'an detected formation fluctuations.

"It's here!" His true body had already hidden underground, leaving only a puppet body in the courtyard.

At this moment, that Shadow Chasing Puppet had been trapped within the formation. The ten Prohibition Breaking Talismans on its body were activated simultaneously, immediately releasing brilliant golden light.

Countless burning golden patterns outlined a golden giant hand that grasped toward the surrounding void with alarming power, as if it wanted to completely tear apart the entire Cloud Mist Hidden Kill Formation!

Li Chang'an didn't just watch idly. He vaguely sensed the formation was approaching its limit.

"Strike!" he shouted coldly.

The Green Light Sword unsheathed, transforming into a phantom that instantly slashed toward that golden giant hand. Big Yellow was also casting spells to weaken the giant hand's power.

Simultaneously, that Shadow Chasing Puppet roared and charged straight toward Li Chang'an's puppet body.

Li Chang'an's form flickered as he threw out a Phantom Body Talisman. A phantom body immediately appeared in place.

"Boom!" The Shadow Chasing Puppet struck the phantom body, only causing ripples to appear. It didn't see through the deception and continued attacking.

"This puppet has no one controlling it, so it's still somewhat stupid. As long as one prepares targeted countermeasures, it can be dealt with."

Moments later, the Shadow Chasing Puppet finally noticed the problem. It changed direction and continued pursuing Li Chang'an's puppet body.

Li Chang'an continuously threw out Phantom Body Talismans, interfering with its judgment and consuming its magical power.

Before long, the golden giant hand formed by the ten Prohibition Breaking Talismans dissipated. The formation stabilized again.

After another incense stick's worth of time, the Shadow Chasing Puppet's attacks began to slow. Due to excessive magical power consumption without replenishment, it became increasingly weak.

Finally, the Shadowless Net descended from above. It was trapped in the net, unable to attack anymore, and could only be slaughtered by Li Chang'an.

"Can this thing be used by me?" Li Chang'an's thoughts stirred as he erased Zheng Jinbao's mark left on this puppet.

Subsequently, he tried to refine it. But he was never able to leave his own mark. Moreover, this puppet still showed extreme aggression toward him, occasionally emitting roaring sounds.

"Strange, could there be other control methods?" Li Chang'an pondered for a long time.

His puppet crafting skills were already quite remarkable, yet he couldn't control this puppet at all. No matter how he tried, he failed.

In the end, he had to give up.

"Forget it, since it can't be used by me, I'll just dismantle it into materials!"

Li Chang'an immediately took action.

After all, he happened to lack materials, and the quality of materials used in this puppet was quite good.

Outside, Zheng Jinbao was still waiting anxiously.

"How is there no commotion at all? Could it have failed?"

[NEXT CHAPTER]