The Blood Puppet Sect Strikes

In the skies above Eastern Mulberry Region, a massive black hole suddenly tore open.

The next moment, two terrifying auras erupted from within, instantly shaking the entire region. The overwhelming pressure far surpassed anything Nascent Soul cultivators could produce—something the people here had never experienced before.

"Eastern Mulberry Region truly is a blessed land. Only our Blood Puppet Sect is worthy of such a place. How dare a mere minor sect occupy it?"

Mu Kui, one of the invaders, sneered coldly as he looked down at the sect below. With a wave of his hand, an enormous palm blotted out the sky, descending upon the sect's core structures with crushing force. His attack was ruthless, clearly intending to annihilate the sect entirely. In an instant, terror gripped everyone below. The colossal hand blotted out the heavens, casting a suffocating shadow of death over them.

None of them had ever experienced the full might of a Divine Transformation-stage expert. Though the Golden Crow was also at that level, she usually suppressed her aura to the bare minimum, never unleashing it recklessly.

But just as despair threatened to consume them, a cold snort rang out.

"Five Elements Annihilation Slash!!!"

A figure shot out from the sect, a radiant sword in hand bursting with multicolored brilliance. The sword light clashed fiercely against the descending palm.

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion erupted as the massive hand and the five-colored light collided. The figure was sent flying backward, but the enormous palm dissipated into nothingness. The oppressive sense of death vanished, and the people below finally dared to breathe again.

Meanwhile, the invaders in the sky—including Mu Kui—were stunned.

"So you're the one ranked first on the Heavenly Leaderboard? A mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, yet you blocked my attack. Truly worthy of being a Five Elements Holy Body… but unfortunately, you must die today."

After his initial shock, Mu Kui's expression darkened into one of overwhelming killing intent. Su Min had genuinely made him feel threatened. He was a peak Divine Transformation expert, yet an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator had withstood his casual strike. That was not a good sign. If she were allowed to reach the Divine Transformation stage, who knew how powerful she would become?

His murderous intent was now overflowing.

"Tsk, you want to kill me?"

Su Min wiped the blood from the corner of her lips before popping a fifth-grade healing pill into her mouth. She had only suffered minor injuries from that exchange—partly because she had wanted to test the gap between herself and a Divine Transformation expert. That was why she hadn't immediately asked the Golden Crow to intervene.

The result? She could barely withstand a few attacks—and that was when her opponent wasn't even going all out.

"Oh? With just four Nascent Soul cultivators?"

Mu Kui scoffed at her words, but his expression abruptly changed in the next instant. A terrifying energy erupted from the sect below as a massive formation activated, sealing the entire area. Even the spatial tunnel they had come through was forcibly closed.

~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~ 

In an instant, over a hundred Blood Puppet Sect members were trapped. But that wasn't what truly alarmed Mu Kui. At the center of the formation, an oppressive, scorching aura flared to life, its golden light illuminating the heavens. A massive golden bird soared into the sky, circling ominously.

"Three-Legged Golden Crow!!!"

Both Mu Kui and Mu Ling exclaimed in shock.

But before they could react, the golden figure shrank rapidly, transforming into a dazzling female warrior clad in golden battle armor, a radiant sword in hand. Though her cultivation was only at the early Divine Transformation stage, her presence alone suffocated both Mu Kui (peak Divine Transformation) and Mu Ling (mid Divine Transformation).

Moreover, from her aura, they sensed two terrifying things.

"Solar True Flame… Fusang Divine Tree… Golden Crow Empress, do you truly intend to make an enemy of our Blood Puppet Sect for the sake of this woman?"

Their faces twisted with unease. Without even fighting, they knew that the two of them together stood no chance. If possible, they wanted to avoid this battle. But the Golden Crow had no intention of humoring them. Divine beasts were innately proud, and she always kept her promises.

Without hesitation, she shot forward in a blaze of golden light, her sword slashing out. A fiery golden bird materialized in the sky, crashing down upon the Blood Puppet Sect members.

BOOM!!!

The explosion that followed was cataclysmic. The Blood Puppet Sect's members hastily activated a joint defensive formation, barely managing to block the attack. Several weaker Golden Core cultivators were instantly obliterated, while even the two Divine Transformation experts were left reeling.

"Guh—!!!"

Mu Ling, the weaker of the two, vomited a mouthful of blood. His injuries were far worse than Su Min's, and unlike her, he didn't have a fifth-grade healing pill. All he could do was swallow a third-grade one—barely enough to stabilize himself.

"We have to use our trump card. A divine beast is already stronger than a human of the same level, let alone a royal one. And now, with this formation and divine artifacts, she alone could slaughter all of us."

Mu Ling gritted his teeth. The Golden Crow's single strike had injured their entire force, and that wasn't even her full power. Dragging this out would be suicide. No wonder Su Min had been so fearless—this Golden Crow alone was enough to wipe them out.

Exchanging a glance, the two quickly formed hand seals. In the next instant, a massive coffin materialized in the sky.

"That's their trump card?"

Su Min's pupils constricted. Even the Ancient Mansion Holy City hadn't known about this.

"Don't let that thing awaken!!!"

The Golden Crow's expression shifted as she spread her wings, darting forward to stop the coffin—but it was too late.

BOOM!!!

The coffin exploded, releasing a crimson aura that dyed half the sky blood-red.

"A puppet made from the corpse of a Unity-stage expert?!"

The Golden Crow's face turned grave. Divine Transformation, Dao Comprehension, Unity, Mahayana—even in death, a Unity-stage expert's body was no joke. Even an Dao Comprehension-stage cultivator would struggle against such a foe.

"Ancestor, we beseech you—slay this Golden Crow!"

The Blood Puppet Sect members bowed deeply toward the corpse. Slowly, a faint light flickered in its hollow eye sockets.

"There's still a trace of its spirit left… but it can barely distinguish friend from foe. Still, the passage of time has eroded most of its essence. It probably has combat power comparable to an early Enlightenment-stage expert—stronger than that peak Divine Transformation cultivator."

The Golden Crow's golden eyes gleamed as she analyzed the puppet. Though she remained composed, she didn't underestimate it.

"Can you handle it?" Su Min asked, stepping forward. If necessary, she and Xie Yingying could join forces to hold off one of the Divine Transformation experts.

"No need. I want to see just how powerful this Unity-stage corpse is."

The Golden Crow smirked. She possessed the complete inheritance of the Golden Crow lineage. The armor she wore was the Heavenly Golden Crow Battle Armor, a top-tier Heaven-grade treasure. In her hands was her clan's immortal weapon. Even against an Enlightenment-stage opponent and two Divine Transformation experts, she had no fear.

Truth be told, even if Su Min reached the Divine Transformation stage, she wouldn't be able to match the Golden Crow's sheer wealth of resources. The Golden Crow's lineage had been accumulating treasures for millennia—far beyond what a grassroots cultivator like Su Min could compare to.

Mu Kui and Mu Ling also realized this.

"This isn't enough. Though our ancestor willingly underwent the Blood Puppet Sect's secret arts to preserve his body, the erosion of time has drained too much of his essence. I'll hold off the Golden Crow with the ancestor. You—seize that woman. Once we have her, both the Golden Crow and the others will hesitate to act."

Mu Kui's eyes gleamed with calculation. Though his interaction with Su Min had been brief, he could tell that the Golden Crow and the other Nascent Soul experts all deferred to her. He didn't know how she had earned their loyalty, but capturing her was their only way out.

Their ancestor had died too long ago. As the Blood Puppet Sect's strongest expert in his time, he had sealed himself away to avoid the Heavenly Decay of Mortality. Before his death, he used the sect's forbidden arts to transform himself into a puppet—at the cost of nearly all his soul dissipating, leaving only a body that would slowly decay.

Even with their best efforts to preserve it, most of its power had faded. At its peak, this puppet had been comparable to a peak Enlightenment-stage expert, nearing Unity-stage combat power.

"Understood."

Mu Ling nodded grimly. As a mid Divine Transformation expert, he had an overwhelming advantage over Su Min's early Nascent Soul stage. His cold gaze locked onto her, brimming with killing intent.

"They're coming for me. You two—handle the Nascent Soul cultivators."

Su Min smirked before turning to the Azure Dragon King and the Peacock King behind her. She and Xie Yingying would deal with Mu Ling.

"Leave them to us."

The two beast kings nodded. They could tell that the Blood Puppet Sect's Nascent Soul experts were all artificially boosted—weaklings who relied on external means. Even fighting a dozen of them wouldn't be an issue. As for the Golden Core cultivators? They were even less of a threat.

"Begin."

Almost simultaneously, both sides erupted into action.

Hundreds of top-tier cultivators clashed in the skies, their battle so intense it seemed like the apocalypse had arrived.