Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master - Chapter 1347 - 530: Wu An’s Hunt_2
“So many people have died, so many have been injured, I cannot shirk my responsibility. If I hadn’t been drunk, if I had acted earlier, such a catastrophe wouldn’t have happened!”
“I am also ashamed before Zhong Dao.”
“Therefore, even if I am destined to die, I would rather do this. Next, I will give my all to capture the Demon Cultivators, fight desperately, and make amends for my mistakes. Once the mission is accomplished, I will return to face Zhong Dao and accept death! I will take full responsibility for all the consequences of this operation.”
“Of course!”
“Brothers present, if you have any doubts, you may leave now. To have followed me here already makes you worthy of my respect and regard for a lifetime! This is not fleeing from battle; it’s for your family and friends. No one will look down on you.”
Wu An’s eyes were red, speaking with conviction.
His words moved all the cultivators present deeply, and no one hesitated or backed down. Instead, their morale was uplifted as they shouted that they would go all out to help Wu An overcome this challenge!
Wu An was also moved, and immediately made a deep bow to everyone: “Having all of you brothers abandon your prospects to help me, I have not lived in vain!”
After some discussion, everyone developed a mindset of “the mournful soldier wins,” but when they wanted to move forward, they felt lost — the road ahead is long, and they had no clues in hand. Which direction should they pursue?
Just then, a streak of light came rapidly from the direction of Cloud Prison.
The light was incredibly fast, like a meteor streaking across the sky, heading straight for Wu An.
It was a Flying Message!
Wu An reached out, caught the Flying Message, and saw that the bird-shaped messager was holding a small bell.
Wu An unfolded the Flying Message, and his Divine Sense swept over it, revealing all.
The message read: “The escaping Demon Cultivators have all been affected by my Soul Loss Bell’s sound. This bell resonates with the Soul Loss Bell, allowing you to sense their location. Where the bell rings, there the Demon Cultivators are. Move quickly, do not delay.”
Clearly, this was Zhong Dao’s Flying Message.
In an instant, Wu An’s eyes heated up, and his throat choked. He wanted to say something, but couldn’t utter a word.
When the bell rings once, the demons scatter; when it rings thrice, ten thousand ghosts weep.
It turns out, Zhong Dao’s bell attacks not only eradicated many Demon Cultivators, but also left a critical clue to track them down!
Wu An gripped the small bell tightly, shouting hoarsely: “Brothers, follow me!”
The group immediately pierced through the white clouds and flew out swiftly.
Along the way, the small bell in Wu An’s hand continually trembled, emitting a sound that was sometimes urgent and sometimes slow, sometimes dense and sometimes sparse, constantly guiding their direction.
The bell’s sound became increasingly dense and urgent. Wu An’s heartbeat also accelerated with it, knowing they were getting closer to their target.
A small, deserted mountain peak appeared ahead.
The bell sounded like pouring rain.
Without any hesitation, Wu An dove down from high in the sky, leading the charge. The other cultivators followed closely behind.
A Demon Cultivator in black was meditating in the dense forest of the mountain peak, urgently recuperating, and suddenly looked up when he heard the commotion.
“Damn it!” His expression twisted as he prepared to resist fiercely.
Bang bang bang.
Boom boom!
The Demon Cultivator refused to yield and was quickly slain by Wu An and the others.
Wu An left one or two behind to clean up the battlefield and immediately led his group away.
In such a way, after moving through several places, or killing or capturing, several Demon Cultivators fell into the net successively, and Wu An’s achievements were remarkable.
Some were hidden in deep mountains and old forests, some hid among the crowds in the Black Markets, some disguised themselves as ordinary servants, and some even mingled among the disciples of the Myriad Images Sect, but none could escape the bell’s detection.
“Do you feel that the Demon Cultivators who escaped are much weaker than when they fought in Cloud Prison?”
“Could it be the price of teleportation?”
“More likely, the Infinite Realm Gap Master has devoured some of them? Although they have preserved their lives, they paid other invisible costs!”
With such speculations in mind, they encountered the Withered Bone Old Demon.
Wu An’s hair stood on end, and he gathered his full strength, ready to fight to the death, only for the Withered Bone Old Demon to surrender directly.
“Hold on, I’m willing to go back with you.” Withered Bone Old Demon conceded.
Of course, Wu An and the others wouldn’t trust him easily.
“Don’t attack, don’t attack. Bring out the sealing talismans, and I’ll seal myself to show my sincerity.” Withered Bone Old Demon quickly added.
A moment later, Withered Bone Old Demon not only self-sealed, but was also bound tightly with various techniques by Wu An and the others.
Once there was no worry, Wu An asked about his doubts.
The Withered Bone Old Demon first cursed Zhong Dao fiercely, then revealed the truth.
It turns out that although he had teleported away and temporarily gained freedom, he discovered that his soul was affected by the bell. Every so often, three rings of the bell would sound, causing his soul to be shaken and severely damaged.
Despite exhausting all means and techniques, Withered Bone Old Demon could not remove the bell sound. Seeing Wu An was both shocking and gratifying, so he quickly surrendered.
“Damn Zhong Dao!”
“I knew all along he wanted to kill the Demon Cultivators in Cloud Prison, thinking we were wasting resources.”
“He deliberately let us escape, hoping that we would all perish because of it.”
“He was ruthless this time, even I fell into his trap!”
“He wishes me dead, yet, I refuse to meet his expectations. I willingly bind myself, preserving the green hills so I won’t run out of firewood!”
The Withered Bone Old Demon’s words deeply shocked Wu An and the others.
Only then did they understand a part of Zhong Dao’s scheme.
To become a leader of a faction, one is naturally not a simple person. Zhong Dao had been in charge of the Evil Slaying Hall for many years, apparently adhering to the principle of eradicating evil completely. But he was only one of the higher echelons; the overall policy of the Myriad Images Sect had never been to his liking.
Wu An stood stunned for a long time.
He suddenly realized that Zhong Dao didn’t actually need him to catch Demon Cultivators. What Zhong Dao needed was for Wu An to achieve merit.
Wu An needed an opportunity, a stage, a victory, to prove his worth.
Zhong Dao gave him an opportunity, set up a stage, and even sent him a victory!
“Hall Master, how—how am I worthy!” At this moment, Wu An was full of gratitude toward Zhong Dao.
Dong dong dong!
Three more bell rings.
Inside the mountain cave, Qin De let out a miserable scream, collapsed to the ground, clutching his head with hands, his body convulsing violently.
His orifices bled, his skin began to crack, and his soul, already heavily damaged, was approaching collapse.
“What a formidable method…” he murmured, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible.
“I’m going to die…” Qin De collapsed on the ground, gasping, his eyes full of despair.
The death that results in soul destruction, without even the qualification to become a ghost in the Netherworld.
“No, I refuse to accept this!”
He clenched his fist tightly, his nails embedding deeply into his palm. Blood seeped from between his fingers and dripped onto the cold stone below.
He had clearly made it this far—he escaped from Cloud Prison, he had gained freedom, he still had the Saint Thief Scripture, and the Ten Thousand Methods of Falling Demon Technique!
“I’ve clearly come this far…”
How could he die here?
How could he die in such a wretched manner?
Unlike the Withered Bone Old Demon and others, Qin De never considered surrendering. For he knew that once he surrendered, he would inevitably be subjected to severe interrogation. At that point, his Demon Seed wouldn’t be preserved, not even the Ten Thousand Methods of Falling Demon Technique.
Most likely, he would have his memory erased and be imprisoned in even harsher ways, forever reduced to a tool for the sect’s suppression of the Confucian Cultivator Group’s development.
This was absolutely not what Qin De wanted!
He gritted his teeth, using the last ounce of strength to sit back cross-legged. With great difficulty, he invoked the Ten Thousand Methods of Falling Demon Technique, forming seals with his hands.
Only this ultimate-grade cultivation method could bring him a sliver of hope.
Moments later, the deadly bell rang out once more.
Puh.
Qin De spewed a mouthful of blood.
“No… I can’t withstand it…”
His consciousness began to blur. The injuries on his soul had accumulated to the extreme, starting to slowly fracture. Some fragments dissipated into the air, turning to nothingness, never to be gathered again.
Despair engulfed Qin De.
He instinctively used any power he could.
The Blood Fog Demon Seed, his own Golden Core, even the Golden Core of Song Taosheng.
An inspiration burst like lightning, illuminating his chaotic Divine Sea.
