Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8434: No. 1 _1

A wooden puppet stood before him, its head blunt and unadorned, yet the crafting displayed remarkable skill. Lacking any hair, the rounded dome of its head featured a pair of eyes crafted from gleaming red crystals. The nose consisted of a simple round wooden bead that, painted crimson, might pass for a clown's. Its mouth resembled a person's, while two slender lines traced its chin, hinting at the ability to open and close. The full head shape came off as rounded, evoking a sense of timidity mixed with charm.

Its neck remained short, paired with a plump, barrel-like torso. Beyond the obvious roundness, the body held no standout features. Even the arms and legs carried that same soft curvature, though the overall build shone with precise artistry. Joints received expert treatment, down to the fingers that appeared remarkably supple, yet the figure still radiated a touch of foolishness.

While Zhao Hai examined the puppet closely, it abruptly spoke up, "Esteemed guest, welcome to the Divine Secrets City. I am the Divine Secrets City's number one puppet. Please follow me." With those words, it shifted aside and executed a rather rigid motion.

That voice carried a mechanical rigidity, much like a robot's, devoid of any feeling. Utterly inflexible, it now extended its arm frozen in place, as though it would remain so unless Zhao Hai advanced.

Zhao Hai eyed the puppet with a grin, "This is interesting." He then strode directly into the city. The puppet trailed after him, proceeding at a measured pace. Abruptly, Zhao Hai asked, "Number one, is there anyone else in the Divine Secrets City?"

The first puppet kept striding onward, though a gleam sparked in its dark eyes. It replied, "There are no more living beings in the city. The original owner of the city has lost his life. Number one had to bury him personally." The robotic tone stayed as unyielding as ever, yet it duly responded to Zhao Hai's inquiry.

Zhao Hai gave a nod. By now, he had stepped inside the city gates, only to freeze in astonishment. Never had he imagined a place like this. Structures filled the area in endless variety, each one bizarre beyond belief. Not a single building resembled a typical dwelling; all twisted into the extraordinary.

Zhao Hai spotted a residence shaped like a boot, another mimicking a hand, one forged in the form of a blade, a sword-like abode, a tiger-shaped home, an elephant-inspired structure, a serpentine house, a floral dwelling, a piled-net configuration, and even one resembling flowing water. It truly evoked liquid, appearing from afar as a bubble of some mysterious substance. A fiery house blazed eternally, with faint outlines of entrances and windows flickering amid the inferno.

This realm brimmed with the outlandish. Novelty, oddity, and defiance of norms defined every corner. Zhao Hai stood transfixed. Across countless realms in the cultivation world, nothing matched this city's wild eccentricity.

The first puppet walked alongside Zhao Hai and intoned, "Honored guests, please head to the honored guest area in the city to rest." Zhao Hai signaled for it to lead on, yet he stayed rooted, silently observing the urban sprawl and its peculiar edifices, lingering motionless for quite some time.

Nearly two hours passed before Zhao Hai exhaled deeply. He swiveled toward the first puppet with a smile. "This is really interesting. I never anticipated the Divine Secrets Sect employing such a formidable array technique. Good, very good, very impressive."

The first puppet lingered in its stationary pose. Zhao Hai chuckled and continued, "A lethal array envelops this city. Entering it means stepping into the array's grasp. If I'm correct, those oddly formed houses serve more than decoration, don't they? They're potent weapons too. They didn't pass through the main gate. Nor did they scale the walls. The entry method here must be uniquely designed."

Here, Zhao Hai halted briefly before pressing on, "I believe only two paths allow access to and from this city. First, an underground tunnel exists beneath it all. To enter from outside, one must traverse that passage, which spans the whole city and evades the array's influence."

Pausing once more, Zhao Hai added, "The second method involves a teleportation array. Likely, each building houses one, enabling passage in and out. Or perhaps the surface city is illusory, with the true one hidden below, right, number one?"

Number one's eyes flickered as it responded in that rigid tone, "This is a secret of the Divine Secrets Sect. No. 1 will not tell you this." Each utterance brought a flash to its eyes, but this time the glow lingered noticeably. Most might overlook it, but Zhao Hai caught the detail.

Zhao Hai regarded number one with a smile, "Oh, really? Hehe, actually, I've always been quite curious. Back then, many from the Divine Secrets Sect should have relocated here, correct? Why did they perish in this place? They constructed it themselves, so why end up dead here? Enemies in the Blood Sea Realm weren't numerous enough to cause that. Once the Cloud Sea Realm forces withdrew, they could have departed. No cause for death here, right? But you claim they're all gone, leaving just one explanation—someone eliminated them. But who?"

Stopping there, Zhao Hai turned fully to number one, grinning as he said, "Number one, did you know? Though I'm from the Blood Slaughter Sect, I've studied human spirits extensively. Spiritual Qi pulses strongly within you, seemingly fueling your mechanisms. But I doubt that's the full story. Those potent Qi waves likely mask the soul fluctuations inside. Meaning, a spirit inhabits your form."

Zhao Hai's gaze sharpened on number one, "A Yin spirit resides in you, pointing to one possibility. Either you employed the Spirit Array Sect's technique, though that's improbable since they fell before the Divine Secrets Sect. Had the Divine Secrets Sect acquired it, their puppet arts would have soared, making destruction by Cloud Sea Realm forces nearly impossible. Thus, the soul in you didn't stem from that approach."

Number one remained in its apparent stupor. Yet its eyes pulsed with light, betraying active awareness. Zhao Hai observed it with a grin, "I've also uncovered something else. Typical puppets use metal for its durability, friction resistance, and security. But you're wooden. The material seems like common Ironwood at first glance, but alas, my knowledge runs deep. This is no ordinary Ironwood—it's Iron Soul Wood, a scarce type ideal for nurturing souls. So, the spirit within you probably arose from the second method I mentioned. You've cultivated your soul within the Iron Soul Wood."

Turning to number one with a smile, Zhao Hai proposed, "Why not speculate on the events back then? You were a Divine Secrets Sect disciple, perhaps even a prodigy. Your cultivation advanced swiftly, earning you heavy investment from the sect. But the Cloud Sea Realm's assault came without warning, mobilizing their full might against you. The Divine Secrets Sect crumbled swiftly. Certain elders guided disciples, including you, to flee via the sect's ultimate escape to this hidden realm. Your plan: wait out the external chaos here, then rebuild the Divine Secrets Sect."

"Yet your arrival differed from the rest. Wounded severely and without ample pills due to the haste, your injuries festered untreated. Your sect mates couldn't aid you; even if they could, their limited supplies meant helping you would doom them. Day by day, your condition worsened, lifespan dwindling."

"Death held no appeal. As a genius, how could you accept it? So you launched your desperate scheme. Earlier, you'd chanced upon Iron Soul Wood. The idea: shift your soul into it for gradual strengthening. Eventually, seize a body for rebirth. But extracting the wood outright risked peril. If fellow disciples learned, they'd not assist—instead, they'd harvest your soul for divine artifacts. Thus, you devised a ruse. Fashion a puppet from the Iron Soul Wood, sheathing it to mimic a plain wooden one. Transfer your soul inside, letting the puppet's energies conceal your soul's signature. Others would see merely a basic wooden puppet, unaware your essence hid within."

"But upon your soul's entry into the puppet, an unexpected turn occurred. You discovered your soul could infiltrate any internal array, even the core formation eye, granting control over the whole system. Elation surged—you'd uncovered a new avenue to eternal life!"