Two other cultivators fled far away, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The burly man sat astride the giant tiger, unmoving, watching them leave with cold eyes, showing no intention of pursuing!
Han Li hid in the clouds, feeling something was amiss. Given the ruthless and cold-hearted manner the man had just displayed, he shouldn't have let them go so easily. Could there be some other trick?
While Han Li was speculating, the burly man's icy voice suddenly rang out below:
"My lord, you've been watching the show for quite a while. Waiting for the perfect moment to reap the benefits, aren't you? It's time to act!"
Han Li was shocked upon hearing this.
"Could it be that even hiding this high up, I've been discovered by him?"
Thinking of this, Han Li swallowed dryly, his heart leaping into his throat.
After witnessing the power of those mechanical puppets, Han Li had no desire to become a target for the giant tiger's attack in mid-air, just like those cultivators.
That super light beam was too fast, its power too terrifying! By Han Li's own estimation, unless hefully mobilized the Divine Wind Boat to dodge continuously, he really couldn't safely evade the giant light beam's attack.
After a moment's thought, Han Li wanted to flee immediately through the air to avoid attracting a fatal disaster! But when he glanced again at the burly man's actions, this thought vanished instantly.
The puppets surrounding the burly man had turned their weapons not toward the high sky where he was, but diagonally toward a small earthen mound not far away.
This made Han Li so startled he nearly bit his own tongue!
There was actually a third person here, and he had been completely unaware.
With a "rustle" sound of turning soil, a figure indeed emerged from the small earthen mound. It was the strange person wearing a gray cloth sack who had confronted the burly man earlier.
"I knew it was you!"
"Who exactly are you? You seem to know some secrets about these puppet mechanical beasts!"
The burly man's gaze was bone-chillingly cold, staring fiercely at the strange person.
"Huang Long, after all these years, your temper is still as fiery as ever!" After a moment of silence, the sack-wearing stranger suddenly said something that both his opponent and the eavesdropping Han Li found utterly astonishing.
"How do you know who I are? Are you an acquaintance of mine?" the burly man asked, revealing a surprised expression upon hearing his name spoken so directly.
Since his identity was already exposed, there was no point in hiding it further. He simply tore off the hood from his head and threw it to the ground, revealing a fierce-looking face with short, scorched-yellow hair.
"If you're not going to do your duty as a Protector of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, why come all the way here? Is it just because of the half of the Great Derivation Technique hidden in the puppet beast?" The stranger seemed oblivious to the man's actions, speaking in a slow, leisurely tone.
"If you don't reveal your identity, don't blame me for being rude!" Huang Long's face changed, and he shouted sternly as the stranger's words struck directly at his most hidden secrets.
"Have you forgotten who secretly taught you the first layer of the Great Derivation Technique?"
After a moment's hesitation, the stranger spoke a sentence that made the other man's face change drastically, forcing him to retreat several steps.
"You're Senior Brother Lin?... No, Senior Brother Lin passed away many years ago. How dare you mock me! I want your life!" The large man was startled at first, then flew into a rage, waving his hand to signal the hundred or so puppets to surround the stranger from a distance.
"Seeing that Junior Brother Huang hasn't forgotten our old bond, I'm very pleased!" The stranger suddenly spoke with a gentle look in his eyes, then pulled the sack from his head, revealing his true face.
"Senior Brother Lin!"
"Uncle Lin!"
The large man and Han Li, who had been closely following the situation, cried out almost simultaneously. The large man spoke aloud, while Han Li merely exclaimed inwardly.
This stranger was none other than the elder surnamed Lin whom Han Li had seen in a stone house when he first entered Yellow Maple Valley, and who was particularly fond of carving. Because the small monkeys he carved were lifelike and extremely cute, Han Li had a deep impression of him and recognized him at once.
"It really is Senior Brother Lin! How have you aged so much? And aren't you already..." Even though he had called out, the large man still couldn't believe it. After scrutinizing him further, he finally rushed forward with wild joy and grabbed the "Senior Brother Lin's" hands, his expression extremely emotional.
"Haha! Junior Brother Huang, back then I only faked my death. The one who died was... What are you doing!"
Han Li's Uncle Lin had been smiling as he spoke, but his expression suddenly changed. With a look of shock and anger, he violently flung off Junior Brother Huang's hands. Two deep, chopstick-sized blood holes had appeared on his wrist, and black blood was flowing out continuously, clearly laced with a potent poison.
"Senior Brother Lin's mind hasn't deteriorated during all these years of escape, has it? But how could you still be so careless as to let Junior Brother injure your wrist? Tsk tsk! That's the Black Silk Gu I went through so much trouble to obtain from the Gu Poison Sect. I'm afraid it won't be easy to clear! This is all your fault, Senior Brother. If you were going to fake your death, you should have stayed hidden and lived in anonymity. Why did you have to contact old subordinates,vainly attempted stealing the second half of the Great Derivation Technique? This has made our current Sect Leader Jin very unhappy, forcing Junior Brother to carry out this extermination!" Huang Long let out a few cold laughs, speaking with sarcasm.
"Good! Good! Truly a wonderfully enthusiastic Junior Brother!"
In his fury, Senior Brother Lin immediately calmed down. He quickly circulated his energy to force out some of the poisoned blood, then took out a small green jade bottle and poured all the yellow medicinal powder inside into his mouth. Only then did he fix his gaze on the yellow-haired large man, his expression icy.
"I suppose the messages my good subordinate passed on were all false! There's no second half of the Great Derivation Technique in the puppet beast at all. This was all just a trap to lure me out! What I find strange is, why would the people from the Secret Shop cooperate with you so readily?"
"Money moves people's hearts. This worldly proverb holds just as true in the cultivation world! As long as our sect offers enough benefits, there's nothing we can't accomplish!" Huang Long said with a sneer.
He then turned his head and shouted toward the woods to one side:
"Come out, everyone. Come and meet the former Sect Leader Lin's only son and Senior Brother Lin, who was once so handsome and elegant!"
"Hee hee! Little sister has long heard of Senior Brother Lin's great name. It's a pity I joined too late and never had the honor of meeting him!"
"Hmph! What Senior Brother Lin? He's just a stray dog now!"
A delicate, feminine voice and a coarse, jealous male voice came from the woods. Then a man and a woman walked out side by side.
"Let me introduce you, Senior Brother. These two are the new Protectors of our sect. They are..."
Huang Long had intended to mock his former Senior Brother Lin, who had always overshadowed him. But before he could finish, Senior Brother Lin, realizing he had fallen into a trap, suddenly spun rapidly, his hands waving frantically. A large cloud of black dots, flashing with various colors of light, shot from his body, landing all around him.
Immediately, countless points of light flickered on the ground, and then fully armed puppet soldiers appeared around him, growing from small to large. There were fully two hundred of them, a truly spectacular sight.
"Be careful! This man has actually cultivated the third layer of the Great Derivation Technique and can control so many puppets! Everyone must hold him down at all costs. Don't let him escape. Once the poison in his system flares up, even with heaven-defying abilities, he'll have no choice but to surrender!" After speaking, the large man Huang Long directed his puppets to attack.
The man and woman exchanged a glance, then also threw out over two hundred puppet beasts, all joining the assault.
Instantly, a unique puppet battle erupted. Light arrows and beams of various colors flew back and forth, while in the foreground, large numbers of soldier puppets wielding weapons and mechanical beasts engaged in close combat with blades and claws! Han Li, who had been watching from above, was completely stunned.
Although he hadn't fully understood what was happening, Han Li had gained a hazy grasp of the situation—about seventy or eighty percent of it.
This Senior Brother Lin must have originally come from the Thousand Bamboo Sect before joining Yellow Maple Valley, and was even the son of a Sect Leader! But clearly, he had lost his power and had been hiding in Yellow Maple Valley ever since. Now, because he still coveted the Great Derivation Technique, the new Sect Leader had sent former fellow disciples to hunt him down and eliminate him completely.
Once Han Li had figured out the relationships, he couldn't help but sigh.
Then, seeing the fierce battle below, he knew this was not a fight where a early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself could intervene for any opportunistic gain. It was better to slip away early, lest he accidentally get caught in the crossfire.
Having weighed the pros and cons, Han Li immediately retracted the Green Fire Barrier. Then, pushing the Divine Wind Boat beneath his feet to full power, he transformed into a long white streak of light and shot toward the horizon.
Han Li's sudden movement was too dramatic to go unnoticed by the four people engaged in fierce combat below. It shocked them, causing them to involuntarily ease their attacks.
None of them had expected someone to have been eavesdropping on their conversation all along. It seemed many secrets had been overheard. But seeing that Han Li had the sense to flee immediately and wasn't an ally of their opponent, the four exchanged glances and, almost in unison, threw themselves back into the battle.