Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family Chapter 1817: 465: Peerless Genius of the Puppet Dao! Peach Blossom Fate! (part 2)
Previously on Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family...
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"Hm?"
Inside a secluded mountain cave, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes while Yin Yang energies swirled around his frame. His gaze immediately fell upon the Sun and Moon Taiji Mysterious Light Mirror cradled in his arms.
During this period, despite having the Golden-Winged Heavenly Peng standing guard outside, his primary line of defense was the Sun and Moon Taiji Mysterious Light Mirror!
Although it couldn't provide high-definition imagery without the Sun and Moon Token or a bloodline medium, it remained capable of monitoring the Qi signatures within a hundred-mile radius.
The mirror would signal an immediate warning the moment a Fourth Rank Demon King's Qi or the overwhelming spiritual pressure of a Nascent Soul expert drew near.
Even if a cultivator utilized exotic treasures to mask their Qi, escaping the detection of the Sun and Moon Taiji Mysterious Light Mirror upon closer proximity was nearly impossible.
Just then, a powerful fluctuation moving in his direction was picked up by the mirror.
Lu Changsheng promptly immersed his divine sense into the Sun and Moon Taiji Mysterious Light Mirror to investigate.
Roughly three hundred miles away, several blurry shapes were locked in combat, drifting toward his location.
Under A Wu’s control, the mirror's image sharpened significantly.
"Is this a puppet battle formation?"
Lu Changsheng observed a man commanding thirteen puppets as they surrounded and assaulted two Core Formation Peak cultivators, a male and a female.
While the mirror didn't allow him to perfectly sense the flow of magic power, the way the thirteen puppets were interconnected via a formation map made it clear that this was a specialized puppet battle formation.
"A late-stage Core Formation cultivator managing thirteen puppets, all of which are at least third rank middle grade... Truly, the world's geniuses are as numerous as carp in a river."
Lu Changsheng was no stranger to the arts of puppetry and battle formations.
However, because the creation of puppets required immense time and resources for relatively low returns, he hadn't advanced his studies since mastering Second Rank puppet techniques.
He was well aware that the divine sense of a typical late-stage Core Formation cultivator could only manage seven or eight third-rank puppets at most.
Even at the Core Formation Peak, controlling more than ten such puppets should be an impossible feat.
To command thirteen at once—could his soul have reached the Nascent Soul level?
Had it not been for his past experiences within the Soul Path Dreams, the condensation of his Great Dao Golden Core, and the awakening of his Taiyi Soul Body, Lu Changsheng’s own soul could never have attained Nascent Soul strength while still in the late stage of Core Formation.
Consequently, he was genuinely shocked that this individual had achieved such a level of mastery.
"It makes sense; those Core Formation cultivators brave enough to enter the Vast Sand Illusion Realm must possess some extraordinary trump cards to face a Nascent Soul, or they wouldn't have dared to come."
While puppet battle formations are typically better for stationary defense,
this man's thirteen puppets were truly remarkable.
Beyond merely forming a formation map etched with complex light patterns, the puppets moved with seamless fluidity, coordinating their offense and defense perfectly.
His daughter, Lu Wangshu, had spent considerable time studying these formations, but she could only link their Qi mechanisms for basic synchronized movements—a far cry from the sophisticated control displayed here.
The couple under siege fought with impressive synergy, appearing to be husband and wife.
Nevertheless, they were severely wounded and struggling to survive under the relentless assault of the thirteen puppets, even shouting out their willingness to pay compensation for their lives.
The man directing the puppets remained indifferent, even deploying a set of needle-type magical treasures to finish them off.
"Damn, does this fellow really possess a Nascent Soul level soul?"
Lu Changsheng let out a surprised breath.
He suddenly realized how others must have perceived him when he fought Nascent Soul experts as a Core Formation cultivator.
This late-stage Core Formation man was not only managing thirteen puppets but also had the mental capacity to manipulate treasures for the kill?
How could it be this ridiculous?
As Lu Changsheng continued to watch, however, he began to spot certain clues.
A top-tier third-rank main puppet stood out among the thirteen, acting as the core leader for the others.
"He likely practices a puppet cultivation technique similar to the ’Ninety-Nine Mystical Talisman Scripture,’ allowing him to refine puppets as lifebound objects, which would lower the mental requirements for control."
Lu Changsheng mused to himself.
The Lu Family’s fourth-rank puppet arts originated from Tianyuan True Monarch.
While clever, they weren't the absolute pinnacle of the craft.
Lu Changsheng deduced that the battle formation and control methods used by this stranger likely stemmed from a top-tier puppet cultivation technique.
Only such a legacy could explain how a Core Formation cultivator could handle such a large number of puppets.
Moments later, as the couple fell before the thirteen-puppet battle formation, Lu Changsheng shook his head slightly, having no desire to play the role of a scavenger.
Even though the man’s puppets were visibly damaged and worn from the fight, Lu Changsheng wasn't at full strength and preferred to avoid unnecessary conflict.
He watched the man loot the bodies, retrieve twelve of his puppets, and begin flying toward the cave with his main puppet. Lu Changsheng immediately activated the Reversal Yin Yang Glazed Glass Wall to hide himself and the unconscious Lu Ping’an.
Unexpectedly, as the man flew past, he noticed the Golden-Winged Heavenly Peng guarding the area near the cave. After exchanging a look with his main puppet, he redeployed the other twelve puppets.
"Damn!"
Lu Changsheng hadn't anticipated the man would target the Golden Peng.
On second thought, it was logical.
Eight of the man's twelve puppets were beast-shaped, clearly forged from the remains of Demon Kings.
Seeing a Third Rank Demon King—especially one as magnificent as a Golden-Winged Heavenly Peng—there was no way he would just walk away.
"Screech!"
Realizing the threat, the Golden-Winged Heavenly Peng let out a piercing cry and took to the air, sending a mental message to Lu Changsheng asking if they should flee or fight, offering to distract the intruders.
"Since trouble has found us, why bother running!"
Lu Changsheng simply wanted to avoid a headache, but he wasn't afraid.
He might not be at his peak, but he wasn't someone a random Core Formation cultivator could bully!
Furthermore, he had to admit that those thirteen third-rank middle-grade puppets were starting to look quite tempting.