Twilight's Threshold Chapter 380: The Seven-Step Poison Puppet (Part Two) - Novel Cool

Chapter 380: The Seven-Step Poison Puppet (Part Two)

Chapter 380: The Seven-Step Poison Puppet (Part Two)

"Of course, to be considered a master of a great path, one must possess extraordinary abilities."

Seeing Hu Ma's interest in the topic, Old Abacus became enthusiastic and explained in a low voice, "When sorcerers craft poison puppets, at first, they indeed focus on the toxins of these venomous creatures, understanding and utilizing their poisons to harm and injure others."

"Naturally, once they understand this, they can also use their knowledge to cure and save people from poison puppets."

"But that's just the tip of the iceberg. In the eyes of ordinary people, these venomous creatures only possess toxins. However, in the eyes of those with great abilities, these venomous insects also possess a spiritual nature."

"Born in the wilderness, they absorb the essence of the sun and moon, embodying mysterious and eerie powers from the cycle of yin and yang. Some bring disaster, some bring wealth, some can bewitch people, and some can even make people encounter ghosts. There are even those that can make the dead move."

"Whether a sorcerer has truly entered the path of poison puppetry depends on whether they can perceive the malevolent aura or spirituality of these creatures and integrate it into their poison puppetry."

"..."

This explanation was new to Hu Ma, but it made perfect sense to him.

Aside from this, he recalled an incident during his escort of Xiang Yaotou home. On the peaceful southern road, they encountered someone with a two-headed serpent that instantly destroyed the feng shui of the surrounding area, filling the entire place with a malevolent aura.

The Head-Breaking Path and the Poison Puppetry Path share some similarities. In the eyes of poison puppet masters, that two-headed serpent was indeed a treasure.

As for attracting wealth, isn't the golden toad a symbol of that? Although he was still unsure about the depth of the Blood Feast Mine's secrets, he suddenly realized this was an excellent opportunity to broaden his knowledge.

If not for Wu Gong Clan Leader seeking him out, he might never have witnessed such a mysterious poison puppet crafting method!

Hu Ma decided to sit outside and observe from a distance, but without a vessel of wine in front of him. Old Abacus had warned, "Poison puppet crafting requires tranquility."

"If you bring wine here, its scent might cause trouble. Some poison puppet crafters, in order to nurture their poison bugs, never bathe more than a few times in their entire lives. Why? Because bathing changes their scent, and the bugs might not recognize them, leading to a counterattack."

"..."

"..."

After about half an hour, Wu Ya and the pale-faced young sorcerer returned from outside the valley.

Each of them carried a bag made of leather, bulging as if something was struggling inside.

They approached the poison puppet altar and emptied the contents of their bags into the Hundred Toad Pot held by Wu Gong Clan Leader. From a distance, Hu Ma could see snakes, toads, and centipedes entangled in a chaotic mess. When they first emerged, they seemed ready to attack, but as they entered the pot, they suddenly calmed down.

Strangely, the pot held by Wu Gong Clan Leader didn't appear deep, only a shallow two or three fingers in depth. Yet, the venomous creatures, which seemed ready to escape, instantly became peaceful upon entering the pot.

It was as if the pot possessed a magical power that subdued their ferocity.

Wu Gong Clan Leader then placed the pot on the ground and stood up, drawing a curved blade. He lifted his clothes, revealing dark skin, and slowly sliced open his abdomen. After rummaging inside for a while, he pulled out a blood-soaked bamboo tube.

Carefully opening the tube, he poured a round, baby fist-sized object into the pot. Then, he immediately knelt on the ground and began kowtowing repeatedly.

"What's that...?"

The bloody scene caused Hu Ma to furrow his brows, seeking an explanation from Old Abacus.

"That's the poison puppet egg he's about to craft..."

Old Abacus also frowned, whispering, "Some poison bugs are not only powerful but also very delicate. They must be kept within the body. He's using his own essence and blood to nurture this poison puppet before placing it in the pot."

"No wonder he said he'd lose half his life if he crafted this poison puppet. In truth, he's already lost half his life even before starting the crafting process..."

"But this also proves that his words are not empty boasts. Ordinary poison puppet crafting only requires venomous insects from the outside, but he has selected so many, and they are all just supporting roles. The true purpose is to craft the poison bug he brought with him!"

"A hundred bugs vying for dominance, with the human body as their vessel. This poison bug is extraordinary, and even before its birth, it exudes a malevolent aura..."

"..."

Speaking of which, Wu Gong Clan Leader bowed several times to the poison puppet pot and then stood up. He took a few more bamboo tubes, removed their stoppers, and poured strange liquids into them.

After that, he, Wu Ya, and the pale-faced young sorcerer all cut their palms and dripped their fresh blood into the pot.

"This is feeding the poison puppet," Old Abacus explained softly from the side. "Using one's own fresh blood or special toxins to nurture the poison bug is to cultivate its malevolent aura."

"However, Wu Gong is indeed determined. He's using the Dark Empyrean to feed the poison bug. Ordinary bugs might become malevolent if they come into contact with the Dark Empyrean, but he's using it directly to nurture the bug. What's the difference between this and feeding fresh blood to a corpse?"

"The cauldron he uses for crafting these puppets is also a remarkable item, no wonder it's considered a holy artifact."

"The most crucial part of crafting these puppets is the cauldron itself. The more puppets crafted, the more it takes on a malevolent nature. Ordinary worms crafted within it become infused with evil energy. If a worm already possesses such energy, then once crafted, it would likely become even more sinister and powerful."

"..."

As he carefully listened, he witnessed Clan Leader Wu Gong feeding the poison bug and then bowing again to the cauldron. He sat cross-legged, chanting softly.

In his hand, a small white bone hammer appeared, and with each chant, he gently tapped the cauldron.

"Chi, chi, chi..."

The copper cauldron began to emit a chaotic sound of crawling and biting, even though the shelter was still quite a distance away. The hissing of the worms shouldn't have been loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.

It was as if the sound was echoing right next to their ears and then drilling into their hearts.

"The puppet combat has begun..."

Old Abacus rummaged in his pocket for a while and took out two yellow talismans. He moistened them with his saliva and stuck one on each of his ears. He kindly offered some to Hu Ma, "This sound carries an evil aura. It's probably not good to listen to. Do you want two as well?"

"One Blood Pellet for two... one talisman?"

"..."

Hu Ma sighed helplessly and shook his head, "No need. This puppet combat is..."

"It's about making these poison bugs fight each other, right? The one that survives in the end will be the most venomous, vicious, and malevolent."

Old Abacus whispered, "Moreover, it's not just about selecting the most powerful one. It's also about stimulating its ferocity. Once it kills the other bugs, it will concentrate their toxins and evil energy within itself, making it extremely dangerous to use against others."

"When someone is cursed by a sorcerer's poison, the caster can cure it, but outsiders find it difficult to treat. This is because it's hard to identify the specific toxins and their mutual generation and restriction relationships."

"You might think you've just been bitten by a snake and go buy snake medicine, but it could be a toad's poison instead. Using snake medicine might even hasten your death."

"Of course, this is just an analogy. The reality of being cursed by a poison bug is far more complicated."

"..."

Hearing this, Hu Ma nodded slowly. He had heard similar stories before. As he watched Clan Leader Wu Gong, Wu Ya, and the young sorcerer chanting from a distance, curiosity began to stir within him.

"They're starting the puppet combat on the first day. Could it be that the poison bug is already complete within a day?"

"..."

"Not even close..."

Old Abacus shook his head and said softly, "Crafting these puppets requires seven steps, and he's only on the third step now..."

"First, they fight the poison bugs to select the truly venomous one. Then, they worship the bug with incense and blood, bowing reverently. This is to unite the bug's body and mind with their own, allowing them to control it at will."

"After worshipping, the fifth step is to retrieve the bug. They have to take the fully formed bug out of the cauldron, help it break free, and keep it close, either in a small container or directly on their body for convenience."

"After retrieving the bug, they release it to harm others."

"These bugs are inherently venomous, vicious, and malevolent. They are born to harm others. If they aren't used for this purpose after being crafted, they might turn on their master."

"Therefore, before crafting the bug, the target to be harmed is usually decided. Once the bug is crafted, it will be released to harm that person, dissipating its ferocity. Only then can it be safely kept by the caster without causing any harm to them."

"..."

Hu Ma listened with growing astonishment, "It sounds like they're going to use a living person to sacrifice to the bug as soon as it's crafted..."

"And after releasing the bug to harm someone, what if the person isn't harmed enough and the bug isn't complete?"

"..."

"Of course..."

Old Abacus explained, "After releasing the bug to harm someone, it still needs to be recalled. Being able to release and recall the bug is what makes it a complete and true poison bug. If it can be released but not recalled, it's considered a failed bug and will eventually turn on its master."

"Right now, the old clan leader is still in the combat phase. After this, he will worship the bug, and in between, he will also use some methods to feed and nurture it."

"The most crucial part is the worship. Whether the bug succeeds or fails depends entirely on how well this is done. I estimate he will need to worship for at least seven days; otherwise, such a vicious bug might be uncontrollable."

"..."

"..."

"In other words, the later stages aren't that interesting to watch?"

Hu Ma watched the actions of Clan Leader Wu Gong and his group for a while, then sighed and stood up.

Old Abacus was a bit curious, "Stay and listen a bit more. I'll give you some Blood Pellets later; I'm not asking for much... It's still early, where are you going?"

Without turning his head, Hu Ma said, "To sleep!"

(End of Chapter)

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