Devour

Chapter 408: The Reality and Fakeness of the Human Puppet

Master Li carefully examined the corpses, his brows furrowed as he spoke slowly, "Very strange! They're missing bones and internal organs, and there's not a drop of blood left. They must have been dead for more than ten days, and their souls have long since dissipated. Even the Life-Slaying Pill is useless."

Wang Xiongwu sneered scornfully at Wang Hong and said sarcastically, "Haha, the Elders' Council was destroyed by the enemy long ago... How could you, the dignified Holy Master of Jingtao Sect, be kept in the dark?"

Wang Hong argued furiously, "For the past month, I've been at the Sword Burial Tomb on the banks of the Wangchen River, discussing Dao with Senior Sword Maniac. Because the Neibijing Conference was of grave importance, I hurried back to Jingao Island this morning. The sect's daily affairs are handled by the Law Enforcement and Transmission Elders, while the Elder Council is presided over by the two Supreme Elders, Bi Bo and Jiao Che. How could I have known something so serious had happened?"

Master Li pondered and said, "If we contact the Sword Maniac about this, we can confirm the clues. Elder Bibo is ranked 64th on the Sage List, and Elder Jiaoche is ranked 62nd. They are both masters of the middle stage of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and ordinary demons and evil spirits cannot get close to them. We must first find them and find out what is going on."

Cheng Bai stared at the mutilated corpses, feeling that the scars looked familiar. He wondered, "Such a cruel method... could it be him? Why would this guy come to the Sword Immortal Tomb on Jing'ao Island?"

Seeing the miserable scene everywhere, Wang Xiongwu said angrily, "I have such bad luck! I just got a Holy Son, and now the Council of Elders has been destroyed."

He squinted at Wang Hong and said suspiciously, "Maybe some evil-minded people are coveting the secret of longevity and aphrodisiacism, and are stirring up a rebellion, killing each other and killing everyone!"

Cheng Bai ignored the angry and suspicious words and asked Wang Hong, "How many elders in the Jingtao Sect Elders Council possess sword bones?"

Wang Hong's heart was pounding as he swallowed his breath and said, "Those born with sword bodies are extremely rare. The Elders Council consists of eleven people, all of whom are the elite talents of Jingtao Sect who have survived three thousand reincarnation cycles. Only five of them have sword bones."

Cheng Bai asked curiously, "Doesn't Saint Wang have a sword bone?"

Wang Hong said proudly, "I possess the 'Ice Condensing Mysterious Body'. Even a thousand-year-old swordsman with a natural sword bone would be far inferior to me in terms of achievement in magic!"

Wang Xiongwu, however, showed no mercy and taunted him, "Hmph! The Mysterious Ice Condensation Body is a mutation of the Five Elements Spirit Body, possessing an icy nature. You should have been frozen into an ice man at your early twenties, killed instantly. This short-lived physique, seen only once every ten thousand years, is a lucky escape. The fact that you've managed to survive is simply due to the good fortune of meeting a renowned teacher who taught you the appropriate cultivation techniques like the 'Sea Boiling Sutra.' Why are you so proud?"

Wang Hong was so angry when he heard him act like he was taking advantage of his age that he almost gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice, "These people in the Wang family are such a sinner! Why didn't they blast him into some corner back then?"

The ancient tomb is deep and quiet, and the wall decorations are polished as smooth as jade, reflecting the soft light cast by the moonstone lanterns.

They walked inside, through a long tomb passage, and arrived at the multi-level courtyards outside the main tomb chamber. The terrain before them opened up, with groups of stone figures and horses standing on either side. The scene was solemn and awe-inspiring, and the luxury was breathtaking.

Master Li gazed at the stone gates along the way, pausing to point them out. "The Immortal Master Way adheres to the principle of 'the tomb is the true home,' and even sword masters are not immune to this. The small stone chambers behind these gates are like side rooms to the courtyard."

"The tomb is even fully equipped with carriages and carriages, and is surrounded by people. The pomp and circumstance is even greater than that of an earthly emperor." Cheng Bai sighed and stopped, confirming, "Did the original owner of the ancient tomb come from the Immortal Master Dao?"

Master Li twirled his beard and said, "That's probably true. Speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen a master transform a secret cave into a tomb to seal the Three Corpses."

Wang Hong briefly explained, "This is the shortest tomb passage. The secret realm lies deep beneath Jing'ao Island, and the open areas reveal a different world. The quiet chambers discovered by our sect once housed numerous treasures, but are now empty. The burial objects have been divided up or consumed by successive generations of disciples over the years."

He paused briefly, glanced at a certain Saint Son, and said with a half-smile, "If anyone doesn't believe it, they can go inside and take a look for themselves."

Wang Xiongwu revealed his secrets, "These stone figures and horses are crafted from rare spiritual stones like fire-repelling stone and water-repelling stone. They're even more expensive than Yanfei Purple Jade. They haven't been spent even after three thousand reincarnation eras. Our sect is truly wealthy."

Wang Hong said awkwardly, "We must retain some of our heritage to support our sect. We must grow and develop instead of just sitting back and living off our resources."

Wang Xiongwu looked around and said, "We've walked for quite a while but haven't seen any bodies. Could it be that the enemy left before they even entered the main tomb?"

Cheng Bai keenly noticed something unusual about his surroundings and pondered, "Stone men holding stone swords, stone horses with wings, thirty-six of each. This is clearly a killing formation guarding the mausoleum, and it's not activated yet."

Suddenly, Bei Tingjun said alertly: "Someone came out from inside!"

A low rumbling sound echoed, and the tall, heavy stone door before them slowly opened. The passageway beyond was no longer dim, and two figures emerged, walking steadily side by side.

The two men were dressed in black armor and carried green-gold swords on their backs. Their eyes were as cold and captivating as lightning, and their three strands of green beards fluttered gently with their movements, giving them a very immortal temperament.

Wang Hong was overjoyed when he saw you. He took a half step forward and greeted you politely, "Great-grandmaster Wang Jiaoche, great-grandmaster Pan Bibo, I finally found you."

Wang Jiaoche, who was tall and slender, nodded slightly in return and said slowly, "Saint Lord Hongde, have you discovered the enemy who trespassed into the secret realm?"

Wang Hong hurriedly said, "I just had some free time today after overseeing the internal competition to select the Holy Son. I came to the tomb to chat. Unexpectedly, I saw that my uncles had died in the cave ahead, their bodies mutilated. May I ask what powerful enemy has the audacity to invade the secret realm of Jingao Island?"

Pan Bibo said solemnly, "The invading enemy possesses a mysterious identity and cunning tactics. They were able to blend in unnoticed among the important members of our elders' council. It is difficult for us to distinguish the real from the fake. We have no choice but to close our doors and hold our ground."

Wang Hong was surprised and asked, "With the experience of the two Supreme Elders, can't they tell the details of the attacker?"

Cheng Bai interrupted, "I've heard of a 'heart-replacement puppet technique' where they extract a person's spirit, soul, and internal organs, then piece them together to create a human puppet. These evil creatures not only look identical, but their thoughts and abilities are also extremely similar, making it difficult for others to distinguish the real from the fake."

Wang Jiaoche roared angrily, "Evil sorcery is a scourge to the martial arts world. It is intolerable to heaven! If I see you, I will execute you without mercy!"

Pan Bibo murmured, "So the two of us will defend this gate to the death and will not allow the evil thieves to take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the secret realm."

Wang Hong was a clever man. Hearing the effects of the sorcery, he became suspicious and asked, "What do you mean, two great elders? Are you not even allowing me to enter or leave the main tomb?"

Wang Jiaoche shouted, "I have no choice! How can I know if there are any human puppets among you?"

Pan Bibo echoed, "If the evil succeeds, the consequences will be disastrous! Master, please understand our difficulties and don't put us in such a dilemma."

Wang Xiongwu, with a gloomy face, scolded, "How dare you two old stubborn people stop the Sect Master and the Most Powerful Son? This is outrageous!"

Pan Bibo looked at him with disdain and shouted, "Everyone in our Council of Elders started out as the Holy Son, going through hardships and rising step by step to reach our current position. You're just a young kid, you haven't even grown all your hair yet, you're still so immature!"

Wang Jiaoche echoed, "Master, I have even been a Holy Lord for thousands of years. Do you have such qualifications?"

"You..." Wang Xiongwu was suddenly speechless, thinking that his name was indeed not loud enough.

Master Li looked at the two of them and said slowly, "Actually, it's not difficult to distinguish between a human and a puppet."

Everyone present couldn't help but look at Master Li, eager to hear his solution.

"Although the human puppet is very similar to a real person, and can be said to have both form and spirit, the original vitality has disappeared after being transformed into a human puppet. Whether it is the inner elixir or the holy fetus, the true spirit contained in them is lifeless, causing the human puppet's domain ability to be very different from before." Master Li's wonderful remarks were like thunder that split the night sky, waking people up from a dream.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Bai contacted Li Tong through his spiritual sense and said admiringly, "Master, you are so knowledgeable. I didn't know that humans and puppets could be distinguished in this way."

Li Tong disagreed and retorted, "What he said first was indeed good, but the second one is subpar. High-level human puppets can imitate rune inner alchemy, martial arts secrets, and even visions and magical powers almost exactly."