100: Golden Core Puppet Guarding the Secret Room

As night deepened, Li Dong moved like a phantom through the shadows of the Imperial City’s Forbidden Garden. The south dock was quiet now; next up… the Imperial City, Cold Moon Palace.

“The Imperial City’s inner palace truly isn’t a marketplace where one can come and go as they please,” he muttered to himself.

According to the “Cultivation Log” found in the ancestral hall, the Cold Moon Palace was where the “Mother Nest” was located, housing the mother plant of the Soul-Devouring Demon Flower. Just thinking about that thing made Li Dong’s scalp tingle.

Infiltrating the Imperial City proved to be much more troublesome than he had anticipated.

As soon as he approached within a hundred feet of the Cold Moon Palace’s perimeter, he felt the air thicken considerably, as if he had fallen into a spiderweb, with invisible barriers layered one after another.

“A Golden Core-level composite defensive Formation? What a grand display!” Li Dong smacked his lips.

He pulled out a pigeon-egg-sized, entirely black pearl from his Pregnant—the barrier breaking pearl.

“Good thing I have a cheat… no, I came prepared.”

The barrier breaking pearl glowed faintly as he held it in front of him. The invisible barrier before him silently split open, like a balloon pricked by a needle, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

At the same time, the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant at his waist was pushed to its limit, suppressing his Aura completely.

Even so, with each layer of the Formation he broke through, Li Dong felt the barrier breaking pearl’s glow dim a little, and his own spiritual energy slowly depleted.

“If I don’t get some good stuff from this, it’ll be a huge loss,” he mumbled, cautiously making his way deeper into the palace.

The further he went, the stronger the faint, sweet fragrance became, mixed with a… hmm? What was that scent?

A powerful and icy Aura pressed down on him like a great mountain.

“System: High energy reaction ahead! Detecting Golden Core Stage energy fluctuations. Target is a ‘spiritual essence’ deeply modified Puppet, guarding the core area.”

“A Golden Core Puppet?” Li Dong paused. “He Tianzheng, that old fox, still has something like this hidden away? Modified with ‘spiritual essence,’ it’s probably similar to those ‘modified body guardians,’ just infinitely more Advanced.”

He narrowed his eyes. The door to a side hall ahead was tightly shut, and that Aura was emanating from within.

It seemed he wouldn’t be able to enter without defeating this gatekeeper.

“Strike first, or suffer later!”

Li Dong no longer concealed himself. His Late Foundation Establishment Stage Aura suddenly erupted, and he formed a hand seal.

“No matter what kind of Puppet you are, take this Move: ‘Thunder God’s Aid!’”

Although the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning Body Tempering Art he Cultivated was only an incomplete scroll, the lightning Dao power it invoked had a natural suppressive effect on evil entities.

A dark purple arc of electricity crackled from his fingertips, like a spiritual snake, heading straight for the tightly closed palace door!

“Boom!”

The palace door exploded in response, wood splinters flying.

From within the dust, a tall figure slowly emerged.

It was a humanoid creature entirely covered in dark red, armor-like material, its face obscured, with only two points of crimson light flickering in its eye sockets. The Golden Core Stage pressure it exuded almost solidified the air.

“This is a Golden Core Puppet?” Li Dong secretly prepared himself.

The moment the lightning he unleashed struck the Puppet, a layer of dark red halo suddenly rose around the Puppet’s body. With a sizzling sound, it largely negated the power of the lightning. Only a few arcs of electricity still danced on its surface, seemingly causing no substantial damage.

“Hoh!”

The Golden Core Puppet let out a low growl that was not human and moved!

Its speed was incredibly fast, not at all like a heavy chunk of iron. Instead, it was like a ghost, instantly crossing several feet. A large hand, encased in dark red armor, came tearing through the air with a shriek, grabbing straight for Li Dong’s face.

“So fast!”

Li Dong’s pupils contracted. His Black Scale Armor automatically protected him, a black light flashing.

“Clang!”

With a dull thud, Li Dong felt a tremendous force, his chest tightened, and he was sent flying back seven or eight steps before he managed to steady himself.

“This guy, he’s really strong!” He shook his slightly numb arm.

The Golden Core Puppet’s attack missed, and its offensive resumed. Its fists swung, stirring up gusts of wind. Its movement pattern seemed clumsy yet contained an indescribable strangeness, often attacking from unexpected angles.

Relying on his extraordinary Spirituality perception and the Black Scale Armor’s defense, Li Dong struggled to hold on under the Puppet’s relentless onslaught.

“This thing, it’s strong, fast, and its Moves are damn sinister!”

In the fierce battle, Li Dong keenly noticed that each of the Puppet’s attacks carried a chilling force, as if trying to burrow into his bones and corrode his spiritual energy.

“This feeling… it’s a bit like that Soul-Devouring Demon Flower!” His heart stirred.

“System: Puppet attack carries ‘Spiritual Corrosion’ effect. Its energy core is highly homologous with the Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’s spiritual essence.”

“Indeed!” Li Dong’s eyes narrowed. “It seems this thing is a monster spawned using ‘spiritual essence’!”

Since that’s the case… “Evil creature, take my Spirit Transformation Demon Suppression Seal!”

Li Dong fiercely activated the Spirituality within him, transforming it into the Demon Suppression power that countered evil entities, and infused it into the Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler in his hand.

“Ruler, light up for me!”

The Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler’s black light was restrained, but intricate golden patterns appeared on its surface.

“Hmph!”

Spotting an opening, Li Dong Advanced instead of retreating, striking the Puppet’s arm fiercely with the Ruler.

“Hiss—”

A golden light flashed, and the Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler struck the Puppet’s arm armor.

The indestructible dark red armor, upon contact with the golden patterns, emitted a puff of black smoke as if boiling oil had been poured on snow, and the Puppet’s movements noticeably slowed!

“It worked!” Li Dong’s spirits lifted. “Haha, I specialize in curing all sorts of disobedience!”

The power of the Spirit Transformation Demon Suppression Seal was indeed the bane of these evil creatures!

The Golden Core Puppet seemed to be enraged as well. The red light in its empty eye sockets surged, and it let out an even sharper, more ear-piercing roar. The dark red light on its body intensified, its size seemingly expanding by a circle, and a terrifying Aura, far exceeding its previous one, erupted!

“Not good!”

The Puppet’s arms suddenly came together, and an irresistible force, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami raging, pressed down on Li Dong.

“Pfft—”

Li Dong was struck by this force, the Black Scale Armor’s light dimmed a few shades, and he was sent flying back like a broken kite, crashing heavily against the distant palace wall. His throat sweetened, and he couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Cough cough… This guy, he even goes berserk?” He struggled to get up, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted.

But just then, he suddenly felt a trace of cool energy with a strange warmth emanating from the Puppet, which he uncontrollably absorbed a little of.

Huh? What’s going on? Inside my body, it feels… warm and comfortable?

“System: Absorbed a minute amount of high-purity ‘spiritual essence’. Spirituality + 0.5.”

Li Dong was stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh bitterly: “Damn! It even comes with experience packs? Why didn’t you say so earlier! A few more hits? …Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, do you think I’m stupid! I’ll lose my life!”

Although the increase in Spirituality was a good thing, this method of increasing it was too thrilling.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking at the Golden Core Puppet that was approaching again, his expression becoming serious.

“Going head-on like this isn’t the way. This thing is like an iron lump, and it can continuously replenish itself. That last blow probably already used its core power.”

“I need to find its weak point, or directly destroy its energy core!”

This encounter with the Golden Core Puppet deepened Li Dong’s understanding of the turbulent waters of the capital. Even a gatekeeper was this troublesome; as for the “Mother Nest” inside… tsk tsk, the Shadow Council’s foundation was much deeper than he had imagined.

However, since he had come this far, he couldn’t return empty-handed, could he?

Once the arrow is shot, there’s no turning back!

He tightened his grip on the Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler, ready to face the tireless killing machine once more.