36: Chapter 36 The Puppet in the Cave and the Qi Family's Contingency Plan

Everyone's heart tightened. Without a moment's hesitation, they instinctively followed Lin Chen's gesture, lowering their bodies and slipping silently behind a natural cover formed by several intersecting boulders like shadows clinging to the ground.

The cold stone wall pressed against their backs, bringing a trace of chilliness, yet it also brought a slight peace of mind.

A-Tu pressed Old Man Shi firmly beneath him, covering the old man's mouth with one hand to prevent him from making any sound out of nervousness.

Su Qingyao quietly took out several silver needles dipped in anesthetic, holding them between her fingers, her cold eyes warily staring in the direction of the valley entrance.

After that "crack," the valley entrance fell back into a dead silence, as if everything just now was merely an illusion of the wind blowing through dry branches.

But Lin Chen did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

He knew very well that in a place like this, any trace of abnormality could be a fatal signal.

He did not spread out his Divine Sense over a wide area; doing so would be no different from lighting a bright lamp in the dark of night, instantly exposing their position.

He compressed his Divine Sense to the extreme, condensing it into an invisible thread thinner than a strand of hair. Like an alert snake, it carefully slithered along the ground, bypassing the bubbling spiritual spring, and probed toward the pitch-black cave opening on the rock wall.

The moment his Divine Sense touched the cave entrance, a cold and damp aura traveled back through his perception.

The cave was not very deep, only about ten-odd zhang. The end had been artificially widened to form a small stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber stood a humanoid object.

It was about the height of an ordinary person, its entire body pieced together from rough, grayish-white stones. Its joints were connected by dark, heavy metal parts, and the craftsmanship appeared extremely crude and simple.

It was mechanically turning its head—which was also carved from stone—from side to side at a constant, slow speed.

"Clack... Clack..."

The rhythmic sound heard earlier was precisely coming from its turning neck.

Deep within its hollow eye sockets, which looked like two black holes, two dim red lights flickered on and off, systematically scanning the direction of the cave entrance as its head turned.

Lin Chen's Divine Sense carefully moved upward, landing on its chest.

A groove had been artificially carved out there, and a dimly lustrous Low-Grade Spirit Stone was crudely embedded inside, serving as the core that drove it.

Around the Spirit Stone, several simple runes used to gather Spiritual Qi and drive its limbs were carved.

In the corner, several worn-out wooden boxes were piled up, two prayer mats were laid on the ground, and beside them was a small pile of long-extinguished charcoal ashes.

The Qi Family's temporary stronghold.

Lin Chen made his assessment, and his Divine Sense quietly withdrew.

Tilting his head, he used an extremely low whisper to briefly inform Liu Yuan beside him of what he had seen inside the cave.

After hearing this, Liu Yuan's already pale face grew even more solemn.

Lowering his voice, he also replied in a whisper, his breath somewhat unstable due to weakness: "A Tier One Medium Grade Sentry Puppet. Its construction is crude, its movements are slow, and its detection range does not exceed three zhang from the cave entrance. It mainly relies on the escaping Spiritual Qi from the Spiritual Vein to maintain basic operations and trigger alarms."

He paused and added, "The Qi Family left it here for two reasons: first, as an early warning, and second, to buy time. This type of standard Puppet is guaranteed to have a transmission formation built inside. Once approached by an intruder whose aura does not match the Qi Family's Cultivation Technique, or if its core is forcibly destroyed, it will immediately send a signal to a preset location."

Lin Chen's brow furrowed tightly.

This was a deadlock.

To occupy this easily defensible but hard-to-attack cave, they had to deal with the Puppet.

But once they acted, it would be equivalent to telling the Qi Family, "We are here."

They had to deal with it as quickly as possible, and in a special way.

His gaze swept over the tired faces of everyone one by one.

Most of Su Qingyao's Medicinal Pills had been consumed in the previous ambush, Liu Yuan's spiritual energy was depleted, A-Tu and Old Man Shi were one lightly injured and one Mortal, and he himself, though having achieved a Breakthrough in battle, still had unhealed internal injuries, and his spiritual energy was far from recovering to its Peak.

They needed a safe stronghold to rest and reorganize, and this cave was their only and best choice.

"Senior Liu," Lin Chen's eyes grew sharp, his mind racing, "is there any way to temporarily paralyze its movements and transmission functions without completely destroying its core?"

Liu Yuan leaned closer to the stone crevice, narrowing his eyes as he strained to look toward the cave entrance, seemingly recalling and deducing the Puppet's rune structure.

After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "It is worth a try. The way that Spirit Stone is embedded in its chest is very crude, and the connection of the runes is not precise. I can use 'spirit-disrupting needles' to pierce the gap between the Spirit Stone and the runes. As long as the positioning is precise, there is a thirty percent chance of disrupting its spiritual energy circuit, causing it to temporarily shut down without triggering the alarm."

A thirty percent chance. Too low.

"But," Liu Yuan changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of confidence belonging to a Formation Master, "I must get within three feet, and my technique must be fast and precise. If I fail, we will only have a single breath of reaction time."

Lin Chen made a decision instantly: "I will cover you as you approach."

He looked at Su Qingyao. Their eyes met, and without needing any words, Su Qingyao already understood his intention.

"Qingyao, prepare the 'soul-disrupting incense' and 'Paralysis Powder'. If we alert it, use the powder immediately to disrupt its attack movements, even if it only buys us half a breath."

Su Qingyao's cold face was full of determination as she nodded heavily.

Lin Chen turned to A-Tu again, took out a most basic transmission talisman from his Storage Pouch, and shoved it into his hand: "A-Tu, you and Old Man Shi retreat to the vicinity of the stone crevice where we entered the valley and hide. Watch for any movement outside, especially from the direction we came. If there is any abnormality, immediately activate this Talisman to warn us."

"Family Head, I..." A-Tu wanted to say he would stay to help.

"Execute the order!" Lin Chen's tone brooked no argument.

A-Tu gritted his teeth and said no more. Pulling the still-shaken Old Man Shi along, he bent low and retreated silently toward the valley entrance.

With the arrangements made, Lin Chen took a deep breath, concealing his aura to the absolute limit.

His entire being seemed to merge with the shadow of the rocks behind him. Without making a sound or stirring the wind, he glided along the rock wall like a ghost, moving horizontally toward the cave entrance.

Liu Yuan followed closely behind. He took a long, slender wooden box from his bosom and opened the lid. Three long needles, as thin as cow hair and gleaming with faint silver light, lay quietly inside.

He pinched the needles, and his trembling hands actually became incredibly steady at this moment.

The Puppet's stone head continued to turn with "clack, clack" sounds, seemingly completely unaware.

Its turning trajectory seemed to have no pattern, shifting left and right at times.

Lin Chen's footsteps trod on the damp grass without making the slightest sound.

Just as one of his feet stepped into the heavy shadow cast by the cave entrance—

"Clack!"

The rhythmic turning sound abruptly stopped!

The Puppet's stone head suddenly froze, facing directly toward the cave entrance, and the two red lights deep in its eye sockets instantly locked onto Lin Chen's figure!

They were exposed!

Lin Chen's heart sank, but his physical movements did not hesitate for a second; instead, they erupted in an instant!

Exerting power through his feet, he charged straight toward the Puppet like an arrow shot from a bow, no longer hiding his figure!

Almost at the exact same moment, Liu Yuan, who was following behind him, flicked his wrist violently!

"Om!"

The three cow-hair-thin "spirit-disrupting needles" drew three silver lines in the air that were almost impossible to catch with the navy eye. Accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, they targeted the gap between the Spirit Stone and the runes on the Puppet's chest from upper, middle, and lower angles!

Fast! Fast to the absolute limit!

However, at the very instant the needle tips were about to pierce the stone, the runes on the Puppet's chest suddenly erupted with a burst of blinding light!

That light was not meant for attack; the moment it lit up, an extremely weak, invisible wave of spiritual energy centered around the Puppet suddenly rippled outward like ripples on water!

The transmission had been triggered!

"Not good!" Liu Yuan let out a low cry, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

Too late!

Lin Chen had already rushed in front of the Puppet. Since it could not be stopped, he would destroy it completely!

Clenching his right fist, the first-layer Foundation Establishment Peak spiritual energy that had only recently stabilized within his body surged out without reservation, gathering at the tip of his fist.

A pale golden glow instantly enveloped his entire fist, emitting a low, deep hum!

Before his fist even arrived, the majestic spiritual energy had already transformed into an invisible heavy hammer, slamming fiercely against the Puppet's fragile stone chest!

"Crack—!"

A crisp, ear-piercing cracking sound rang out.

The Puppet's chest exploded, leaving a fist-sized hole. The Low-Grade Spirit Stone, along with the surrounding runes, was instantly shattered into fine powder under the impact of the violent spiritual energy.

The red lights in its eye sockets flickered frantically twice before completely going out.

Its entire stone body suddenly stiffened, maintaining its forward-charging posture, and then, with a loud "boom," crashed heavily to the ground, scattering into a pile of lifeless rubble.

But that invisible transmission wave had already penetrated the cave walls, disappearing into the sky on the western side of Cuiping Mountain.

"The alarm has been sent. The Qi Family, or the people behind them, will soon know that something has happened here." Liu Yuan supported himself against the cave wall, panting heavily, his face filled with frustration and exhaustion.

Lin Chen did not speak; he merely walked over to the pile of rubble and quickly searched through it.

He swept several beast-skin booklets recording terrain and Spiritual Qi test data, a rough map marking the location of Shiyuan Valley and several surrounding safe paths, as well as a small bag of "ore-prospecting powder" into his Storage Pouch.

These things were obtained by the Qi Family through painstaking exploration; now, they belonged to him.

"Set up defenses immediately." Lin Chen stood up, his gaze cold and resolute. "We will use this as our stronghold and prepare to face the enemy!"

Time was the most precious thing right now.

Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Yuan forced his exhausted body to begin quickly planning a temporary defense system centered around the cave, combining the already ruined foundation of the ancient formation at the valley entrance and the surrounding scattered stone forest terrain.

"A-Tu! Old Man Shi! Come and help!" Lin Chen shouted toward the valley entrance.

The two of them immediately ran back.

"Move those stones to the positions I specified!" Liu Yuan directed, having A-Tu and Old Man Shi move some of the scattered boulders near the valley entrance to specific locations, forming simple obstacles and blind spots.

Su Qingyao squatted in the corner, mixing her remaining medicinal herbs with several low-grade Spiritual Plants found inside the cave, quickly concocting several enhanced versions of the "soul-disrupting incense" and "Paralysis Powder."

She carefully portioned out these medicinal powders, placing them behind the vines on both sides of the cave entrance, as well as along several infiltration paths most likely to be used by the enemy.

Lin Chen was not idle either.

Channeling the trace of spiritual energy he had just recovered, he used his fingers as a sword to quickly carve several simple reinforcement and early-warning runes on the stone wall inside the cave entrance.

Although they were crude and simple, they could at least serve to warn and delay the enemy during an attack.

For a time, within Shiyuan Valley, the dull thuds of moving stones, the sizzling sounds of carving runes, and the rustling sounds of grinding herbs intertwined.

Everyone was doing their utmost, racing against the approaching unknown danger.

After being busy for nearly an hour, a barely usable temporary stronghold finally began to take shape.

Just then, A-Tu, who was responsible for clearing the Puppet's rubble, suddenly let out a surprised "Eh?"

From beneath a pile of rubble, he picked up a palm-sized, black flake that was neither stone nor metal. The flake was ice-cold to the touch, and its edges bore obvious marks of having been melted at high temperatures, looking as if it had been forcibly snapped off from some larger component.

"Master, look at this." A-Tu handed the flake over.

Lin Chen took it, his gaze falling on the center of the flake.

There, a blurry mark was carved, resembling a bleeding crow.

This mark...

Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

Liu Yuan also leaned closer. When he clearly saw the mark, his face suddenly changed dramatically, and he blurted out in shock, "Blood Crow Tower!"

Pointing at the flake, his voice trembled: "This is a fragment of an identification token used by outer members of the Blood Crow Tower, or their vassal families! This Puppet... is likely not crafted by the Qi Family themselves, but rather a standard Sentry Puppet provided to them by the Blood Crow Tower!"

This discovery caused the air inside the cave to instantly drop to freezing point.

This meant that the Blood Crow Tower's degree of emphasis on the Cuiping Mountain Spiritual Vein might far exceed their expectations.

What they were about to face might not just be a heavily damaged Qi Family, but the even larger and more professional assassin organization hidden behind them.

Lin Chen clenched the ice-cold flake in his hand, its sharp edges digging painfully into his palm.

He raised his head and looked out of the cave.

Unknowingly, the sky had already darkened. The last glow of the setting sun was slowly receding from the other side of the valley, and heavy shadows began to swallow the entire Shiyuan Valley bit by bit from east to west.

Night was about to fall.

The mountain wind blew through the valley entrance, letting out a wailing howl, as if countless eyes were quietly opening in the darkness, peeping at this small, newly lit campfire.