Chapter 27: You Killed the One I Loved Most?

This is a man. He is dressed in strange black garments, and on his chest sits a small puppet. The moment Li Yan sees his attire, he knows this is the puppeteer who ruined Xue Huaiyuan’s entire life.

Li Yan asks the puppeteer sternly, "Why did you choose Xue Huaiyuan to be the vessel for your gu-raising? Was it just because of his birth date?" Although Li Yan does not know how to raise gu, he feels that things cannot be that simple.

The puppeteer does not answer. Instead, he attacks. Strands of thread grow from the puppeteer’s hands and lash out toward Li Yan. Li Yan frowns, his face darkening; he knows that if these threads touch him, he will be controlled by the puppeteer. He first tries to cut the threads with his blade. While he succeeds in severing them, the danger is not averted. The severed threads remain tangled on his blade, crawling along the steel toward him with incredible speed.

Li Yan is momentarily stunned by the power of the threads. Deciding that cutting them is useless, he attempts to burn them with energy transformed into flame. At first, this method is effective; the threads recoil and do not reappear for a long time. However, it lasts for only a fleeting moment. Soon, the threads begin to recover, moving even faster and growing thicker than before.

Li Yan’s brow furrows; he realizes this approach is failing. He quickly begins to chant the Puppet Incantation, praying in his heart that it will work. But no matter how many times he chants, the incantation fails to take effect. Panic begins to set in, but he takes a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. Once composed, he tries the incantation again, and this time, he successfully seizes control of the threads. Pleased, he manipulates them, intending to teach the puppeteer a lesson. Yet, to his surprise, the moment the threads touch the puppeteer’s body, they bounce back at an even greater speed. Caught off guard, Li Yan is struck and falls to the ground, screaming in agony.

The puppeteer laughs gleefully at Li Yan’s cries. Li Yan no longer has the capacity to care about the puppeteer’s actions; he feels as if thousands of threads are moving inside him, piercing through his body. The pain is so excruciating he can barely think. After laughing for a while, the puppeteer yanks on the threads, forcing the fallen Li Yan to stand up against his will.

The puppeteer drags Li Yan into a room within the Xue manor. With a sinister smile, he says, "Wait for your death. I will carve your flesh out piece by piece and feed it to the dogs. After all, you killed the person I love most."

Li Yan is momentarily stunned by these words. When he spoke of the person he loved most, could he have been referring to Xue Huaiyuan? Before Li Yan can contemplate this, he sees the puppeteer’s fingernails grow into sharp points. The puppeteer rubs them repeatedly against Li Yan’s body before moving to strip his clothes. Feeling a shudder of fear and discomfort, Li Yan desperately searches for the puppeteer’s weakness. Every man has one.

The puppeteer aims his sharp nails at Li Yan’s arm and begins to gouge the flesh out bit by bit. Li Yan is drenched in sweat, screaming repeatedly, yet he still cannot find a solution. Then, as the puppeteer leans over, Li Yan notices the small puppet on the man’s chest again. The heart is a vital spot; perhaps the small puppet is the puppeteer’s weakness. Gritting his teeth, Li Yan silently chants the incantation, channeling his energy to strike at the small puppet on the man's chest.

The puppeteer, who was in the middle of carving, falls to the ground in agony after the small puppet is hit. Li Yan sees the threads controlling him vanish and tests his limbs, finding he can move again. Overjoyed, he celebrates his correct decision, but his happiness is short-lived. The puppeteer, after a moment of pain, stands up, rips the small puppet off, and crushes it. Upon its destruction, the puppeteer is not only unharmed but suddenly spawns numerous puppet clones. Li Yan feels truly helpless.

He counts at least twenty clones. He knows he cannot defeat so many of them alone. He enters his semi-infected state and summons his own clones, injecting a bit of his energy into each to ensure they do not fail. His clones engage the puppet clones, while he faces the puppeteer himself.

The puppeteer’s state has become terrifying. His body is shrouded in black mist, and a chorus of voices from within him speaks in unison, each with a distinct tone. Furthermore, he splits into many shadows, all of which join in to surround and attack Li Yan. Faced with the shadows and the puppeteer, Li Yan feels a sense of despair. He does not know why things have turned out this way, but he summons even more clones to help him fend off the shadows.

Recalling the puppeteer’s words and witnessing his horrific power, Li Yan knows he can no longer hold back. He decides to use his ultimate move. Utilizing his uncanny power, he calls upon the heavens to strike with a thunder tribulation. His heart races with anxiety, as this is his first time attempting such a feat, but to his surprise, he succeeds. The thunder rolls.

Yet, to Li Yan’s shock, the puppeteer remains unfazed. The puppeteer sneers and summons even more puppet figures, some hovering in the air, others on the ground. Li Yan is dumbfounded by the sheer number of them. As the lightning strikes, it unluckily hits mostly the puppet figures, with only a few bolts reaching the puppeteer. Seeing this, Li Yan sinks into distress. How can he possibly defeat this puppeteer? He cannot think of a way, but after a moment of reflection, he considers a new possibility.