Chapter 471: Puppet Art, Soul Division Technique, The Sacred Assembly Begins

Chapter 471: Puppet Art, Soul Division Technique, The Sacred Assembly Begins

January 28, 2025

Upon seeing several "Third Saint Masters" simultaneously, Lu Qing was initially startled.

But soon, he realized that those figures were not real beings.

Just like when he first arrived at the Holy City, the "Third Saint Master" he saw was a puppet art manifestation.

"Puppet Art?" Lu Qing's heart stirred.

Coincidentally, at that moment, the Third Saint Master, who was practicing his sword techniques, caught a glimpse of Lu Qing out of the corner of his eye.

He was startled, and it was only after confirming that it was Lu Qing that he relaxed.

"Greetings, Junior Brother Lu."

The Third Saint Master stopped his sword practice, and several puppet art manifestations stood in place while his true body approached Lu Qing and bowed.

However, he was still shaken inside.

Judging by Lu Qing's appearance, it was evident that he had been observing his sword practice for a while.

Despite the close proximity, he hadn't noticed at all.

This made it clear that the gap in strength between him and Lu Qing was beyond imagination.

"Is this the power of a high-grade Magical Power Golden Dan?" The Third Saint Master wondered to himself.

Ever since they learned that Magical Power Golden Dan had three grades, the three brothers had privately discussed which grade Lu Qing's Golden Dan belonged to.

They concluded that Lu Qing's Magical Power Golden Dan was at least a high-grade middle-tier or even a true high-grade.

Otherwise, there was no reason for such a significant disparity in strength among them, all being recently Tribulation-crossing Golden Dan cultivators.

"It seems that your sword cultivation has improved significantly in this period, Senior." Lu Qing smiled.

The sword energy the Third Saint Master had just displayed contained a trace of the essence of the sword he had used earlier.

Undoubtedly, the other party had also been diligently cultivating without rest for the past month.

"I must thank you, Junior Brother Lu, for recording that sword intent, which has greatly benefited me." The Third Saint Master spoke sincerely.

"Sword intent is merely a reference; it's your ability to comprehend and integrate it into your sword path that matters.

It shows that you have unique insights into the way of the sword."

The Third Saint Master's name was Bai Qingfeng, which Lu Qing had discovered with his special ability during his first visit to the Holy City, so he wasn't surprised.

After chatting for a while, Lu Qing's gaze returned to the several figures standing at the edge of the cliff.

"Senior, are these puppets your puppet art manifestations?"

The Third Saint Master was surprised. "You know about puppet art, Junior Brother Lu?"

"I've heard of it, but I'm not very familiar with it. The puppet that fought against you back then was probably one of these, right?" Lu Qing smiled.

"Your insight is remarkable, Junior Brother Lu." The Third Saint Master admired.

Back then, Lu Qing had just entered the Primordial Realm, far inferior to the Third Saint Master, yet he could still discern his puppet art.

Noticing Lu Qing examining the puppet art manifestations, the Third Saint Master's heart stirred slightly.

"Are you interested in the way of puppets, Junior Brother Lu?"

"Indeed, I am." Lu Qing didn't deny it. "The puppet art is quite fascinating, especially its application in the realm of the soul, which seems uniquely creative."

Especially after seeing the Third Saint Master's ability to control multiple puppet art manifestations simultaneously while practicing the sword, Lu Qing found it incredibly novel.

The Third Saint Master thought for a moment and then took out a jade tablet.

"Junior Brother Lu, this jade tablet contains some of the ancient immortal sect's puppet art heritage.

It includes methods for refining puppets and techniques for controlling them.

Since you're interested, why not take it and study it?"

"Senior, is this appropriate?"

Lu Qing was a little surprised as he looked at the jade tablet the Third Saint Master handed to him.

"Don't be polite, Junior Brother Lu. Although the puppet art heritage is valuable, it pales in comparison to the guidance you've provided to us brothers. Please accept it without hesitation."

The Third Saint Master's words were not mere courtesy; he genuinely believed them.

Since receiving Lu Qing's guidance last month, the brothers' cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds over the past month.

Their cultivation journey had become smooth and clear, without any obstacles.

Even the eldest brother had reached the peak of the first stage of the Golden Core Realm a few days ago.

The completion of the first stage was not far off.

Therefore, the brothers finally understood the true value of Lu Qing's guidance.

With Lu Qing's guidance, they even believed that they might not encounter significant challenges even if they cultivated all the way to the third stage of the Golden Core Realm.

The Third Saint Master's earnest words made Lu Qing pause for a moment.

After a few breaths, he smiled and accepted the jade tablet.

"In that case, I won't be impolite, Senior."

Given the Third Saint Master's sincerity, it would be insincere of Lu Qing to hesitate further.

Moreover, he was genuinely interested in the puppet art.

As Lu Qing received the jade tablet, the Third Saint Master also revealed a smile.

In human interactions, one-sided giving or taking is destined to be unsustainable.

There must be a mutual exchange of goodwill to maintain a lasting relationship.

After chatting for a while longer, Lu Qing began to take his leave, not wanting to disturb the Third Saint Master's continued cultivation.

Upon returning to his cave abode, Lu Qing took out the jade tablet.

He activated his special ability and gazed upon it.

Soon, a faint purple light of special ability emerged from the tablet.

Several floating words appeared.

【Inheritance Jade Tablet: A special jade tablet containing cultivation information.】

【This jade tablet records a portion of the ancient cultivation sect, the Puppet Sect's heritage.】

【The Puppet Sect, known for its puppet manipulation techniques, was an extraordinary sect in the previous cultivation era.】

【Discovery of Heritage: Do you wish to download and simulate the heritage?】

As Lu Qing read the floating words, he immediately chose to download.

【Download in progress... Current progress...】

A quarter of an hour later, his special ability notified him that the download and simulation were complete, asking if he wanted to begin learning.

Lu Qing promptly selected to learn.

The next moment, a vast amount of comprehension and insights emerged from the depths of his mind. He closed his eyes and quietly absorbed and pondered these insights.

After a long while, when Lu Qing opened his eyes again, they were filled with astonishment.

"The Puppet Sect's heritage is indeed unique."

The jade tablet given by the Third Saint Master did indeed contain only a portion of the Puppet Sect's heritage, as he had said.

It primarily recorded the methods for crafting Puppet Bodies and the art of controlling them.

However, the highest-level Puppet Body recorded in the tablet was only at the initial stage of the Core Formation Realm.

Moreover, crafting each Puppet Body required a significant amount of rare and precious materials.

Even if Lu Qing wanted to craft one now, he would be powerless to do so.

Therefore, after contemplating it for a while, he set it aside for the time being.

What truly astonished Lu Qing was the art of controlling the puppets.

The Puppet Sect's puppet manipulation technique was an extraordinary method of soul cultivation.

It was unique because this cultivation method differed from typical soul cultivation practices.

It first required dividing a strand of soul power at the central point between the eyebrows and then, using a unique method, nurturing it into a Soul Seed.

Once the Soul Seed was fully cultivated, it could exist independently outside the main body, carrying the consciousness and power of the original body.

The stronger the cultivated Soul Seed, the greater the power it could bear.

Aside from strength, the aura of the Soul Seed was indistinguishable from that of the original body.

The reason no one could discern the Puppet Body that Lu Qing had encountered earlier was that the Soul Seed within the Puppet Body shared the same origin as the Third Saint Master.

"Soul Division Technique, Soul Seed..."

The more Lu Qing pondered the Puppet Sect's heritage, the more he felt its profound mysteries.

"The predecessor who created this technique was truly a genius of astonishing talent."

"Unfortunately, according to the records in the jade tablet, the Soul Division Technique should not be used frequently. Each cultivator can only perform the Soul Division Technique nine times at most.

Each time the soul is divided, the original soul will enter a state of weakness, requiring at least half a year of rest to fully recover.

Although my soul is strong, and recovery after soul division should not take half a year,

there will still be a period of weakness.

With the Sacred Assembly about to commence, it's not an appropriate time to cultivate this technique."

After some contemplation, Lu Qing temporarily set aside the idea of cultivating the Puppet Sect's techniques.

However, he felt a great sense of joy in his heart.

His intuition told him that the Puppet Sect's technique had immense potential.

If he could properly study and explore it, it might become an extraordinary secret art.

Whether it would truly be so would only be known after he personally cultivated it in the future.

After calming his thoughts, Lu Qing returned to his cultivation state.

In the cave, where there was no concept of day or night, Lu Qing immersed himself in his cultivation.

One day, he was suddenly awakened by a grand bell toll.

As he was about to investigate what had happened, a radiant beam flew into the cave from outside.

Lu Qing recognized it as a teleportation scroll and reached out to grab it.

He probed it with his soul power and instantly understood.

"So that's how it is. Is the Sacred Assembly about to officially begin?"

He stepped out of his cave abode and arrived at the cliff in front of the Holy Mountain, gazing at the enormous Holy City below.

However, he did not immediately descend.

The three Saint Masters had previously informed him of the significance of this Sacred Assembly, which held great importance for the fate of all living beings.

Numerous sects and powers from across the realm would surely engage in heated debates during the assembly, each advocating for their own interests.

The Holy Masters intended to first employ gentle methods to resolve the disputes, hoping to steer the Holy Assembly towards a positive direction.

As for Lu Qing, he would remain behind the scenes for now, orchestrating the formations to control the situation without revealing himself immediately.

"But can it really be resolved peacefully?"

Lu Qing felt the restlessness stirring in the Holy City below and shook his head.

After the Essence Qi revival, the heavenly rules no longer suppressed the cultivation of cultivators.

Countless cultivators had broken through their limits, entering the realms they had long yearned for, and now controlled powers they once dared not even imagine.

With great power came greater ambition.

The various sect powers under the leadership of the Holy Mountain would likely no longer be so easily controlled.

As Lu Qing pondered, a loud bell rang out in the Holy City, causing the entire city to stir.

The powerful cultivators from various sect headquarters looked up towards the center of the Holy City, where a massive platform stood.

"Is it finally beginning?"

"Hahaha, let's go! This is the moment to see if our Guiyuan Sect can dominate the Central Province!"

"I want to see what tricks those three old monsters have up their sleeves."

"Your Holiness, will you be attending this Holy Assembly?"

As the bell's reverberations faded, the members of the various sects emerged from their headquarters and made their way towards the enormous platform in the center of the Holy City.

A powerful and solemn aura permeated the city, creating invisible whirlwinds, signaling that this Holy Assembly would be no ordinary event.

The atmosphere within the city was solemn, but outside, it was bustling with excitement.

The Post-Natural Warriors who were not qualified to enter the Holy City also understood the significance of the bell's toll. They stretched their necks, eager to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside.

Amidst the solemn atmosphere, the various sect powers finally arrived at the massive platform in the center of the Holy City.

The next moment, a powerful aura of pressure descended upon them.

Three radiant beams shot out from the Holy Mountain, and in the blink of an eye, they reached above the Holy City and descended.

As the beams dissipated, three figures appeared—the three Holy Masters.

The faint pressure of the Golden Core Realm emanating from the three Holy Masters caused the hearts of the powerful cultivators present to skip a beat.

According to rumors, all three Holy Masters had survived the heavenly tribulation and attained the realm of Golden Core Immortals.

But these were just legends, never confirmed.

Now, seeing them in person, it was indeed true.

However, not everyone was intimidated by the pressure of the Golden Core Realm emanating from the three Holy Masters.

On the contrary, those who had also reached the Golden Core Realm sensed something amiss in the aura of the three Holy Masters, and their eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Fellow cultivators," the First Holy Master said with a smile, addressing the gathered cultivators.

"Thank you all for coming to the Holy City from far and wide to attend this Holy Assembly. It has been over a thousand years since the last assembly.

Time flies, but for this old man, it feels like just yesterday.

However, seeing that most of the familiar faces from the previous assembly are no longer here is truly heart-wrenching.

And now, this old man has also grown old, his hair turning white with age.

It is only then that one realizes that time is like a sharp blade, and the passing years are merciless, something no cultivator can escape."

As the First Holy Master spoke, his smile gradually faded, replaced by a sigh.

The cultivators below felt a sense of melancholy in his words, and their hearts grew heavy.

Before the revival of Essence Qi, cultivators could only reach the Primordial Realm.

And the lifespan limit of the Primordial Realm was five hundred years.

This meant that most of the cultivators who had attended the previous Holy Assembly over a thousand years ago had already reached the end of their lifespans and turned to dust.

Many of these senior cultivators were ancestors or founding masters of the current cultivators present.

Hearing the First Holy Master's words, everyone's hearts were touched by his emotions, and they couldn't help but sigh.

Only those who had also reached the Golden Core Realm, sensing this atmosphere, felt a sudden surge of vigilance in their hearts.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end