The Emperor's Puppet

Lao Huang's four hooves touched the ground. Feeling the familiar spiritual energy of Purple Bamboo Peak and the surging, majestic, and profound Quasi-Emperor power within his body, the massive ox face still could not hide its excitement and thrill.

His bell-sized ox eyes involuntarily glanced toward Little White with a trace of unconcealable smugness.

Heh heh, little snake, oh little snake, didn't expect this, did you? I, Lao Huang, am now a Quasi-Emperor too! Let's see how you try to scare me with your aura now!

Lao Huang thought gleefully to himself, even deliberately releasing a tiny bit more of his Quasi-Emperor aura with a hint of showing off.

Little White lazily raised half of his small head, his dark golden vertical pupils sweeping a faint glance over Lao Huang.

Just this single glance was like a basin of cold water poured over Lao Huang's little sense of smugness, causing his heart to tighten for no apparent reason.

But he immediately straightened his posture, snorting in his heart, What is there to be afraid of! I am also a Quasi-Emperor now! We are both Quasi-Emperors, who is afraid of who!

However, the little white snake did not reveal the surprised or wary expression he had anticipated. Instead, he spoke:

Oh, not bad, Lao Huang! It has only been a short while, and you are already a Quasi-Emperor? Congratulations! Plowing the fields will definitely be faster and take less effort for you from now on, right?

These words sounded like congratulations, but no matter how one listened, the tone seemed to say, Oh, you leveled up? That is great, your work efficiency will be higher from now on.

Lao Huang choked for a moment, blowing a puff of white air from his ox nose, and replied in a muffled voice, Hmph! That is only natural! From now on, I, Lao Huang, can take perfect care of the spiritual fields on Purple Bamboo Peak all by myself!

In his heart, however, he was frantically complaining: What is there to be so smug about! Did you not just become a Quasi-Emperor a step earlier than me? Once I get used to this power, I might catch up to you very soon! We are all Quasi-Emperors, neither of us is nobler than the other!

The little white snake seemed to see right through Lao Huang's thoughts, an extremely obscure hint of amusement flashing through his dark golden vertical pupils.

Heh, silly ox, getting smug already? You probably would not even dream that I, Lord Bai, am no mere Quasi-Emperor...

Little White sneered inwardly. If I were to leak even a sliver of true Great Emperor aura, the way you are now, you would probably drop to the ground in terror right on the spot!

He even maliciously pictured the scene of Lao Huang panicking under a Great Emperor's pressure, almost failing to hold back his laughter.

But he held it in after all, though the slightly raised tip of his tail exposed his inner delight.

Mm, keep up the good work, Lao Huang.

Little White finally just gave a lukewarm reply, then pulled his head back, continuing to comfortably coil around Gu Changge's wrist to doze off. His posture made it clear that he thought nothing of the newly promoted, ambitious Quasi-Emperor Lao Huang.

Looking at Little White's lazy, ox-ignoring appearance, Lao Huang was so angry that his horns itched. However, he did not dare misbehave in front of Gu Changge, so he could only bottle up his energy and swear secretly: Just you wait! Once I completely master the power of a Quasi-Emperor, I will definitely make you, you lazy snake, look at me in a new light!

He flicked his thick tail, deciding to turn his frustration into motivation. He would first go and deeply plow the newly reclaimed spiritual field on the back mountain again, and at the same time, get familiar with how refreshing it felt to plow the land with Quasi-Emperor power!

Gu Changge took in all the secret rivalry between the ox and the snake but merely smiled faintly, not pointing it out.

A little harmless competition was not a bad thing.

After Lao Huang withdrew, the peak of Purple Bamboo Peak returned to tranquility.

Gu Changge's gaze fell into the Pagoda of Eternal Geniuses.

Inside the pagoda, Xuanyangzi and a few disciples were battling against powerful phantoms of ancient geniuses. Each of them had their backs drenched in sweat and was covered in wounds, yet their eyes were sharp, their battle intent soaring, as they honed themselves through constant defeat.

Suddenly, Gu Changge remembered the Great Emperor realm puppets he had previously obtained from the Heaven Patrolling Immortal Envoy.

With a sweep of his sleeve, five dark-colored puppets covered in archaic runes appeared in the courtyard.

I took a rough look before. The construction of their energy cores does have some unique aspects, able to stably output Great Emperor-level power with a relatively streamlined structure.

But the method used for the control core is too overbearing and rigid, lacking the agility to adapt. If they encounter an opponent who excels in speed, they can easily be countered.

The defense system leans heavily toward physical and energy resistance, and the attack modules are quite fierce, but they lack variation. They rely too much on crushing with absolute power, so they would inevitably be at a disadvantage against highly skilled peers.

The materials are acceptable but not top-tier. When withstanding an extreme burst of power, there is a risk of the joints and energy transmission nodes collapsing.

He extended his index finger. Spiritual energy flowed at his fingertip, acting like the most precise surgical scalpel as he tapped the core of the puppet's chest once more.

Hum...

A structural blueprint, more complex and profound than before, unfolded layer by layer. Countless immortal Dao runes, as fine as dust, flowed like a galaxy, thoroughly analyzing the puppet's most fundamental design concepts and operational logic.

Overall, they can be considered adequate standard-issue weapons of war, but they are far from perfect. There is a lot of room for optimization!

He waved his sleeve again, and this time, the materials that flew out were even more astonishing.

Chaos Breathing Earth, Eternal Immortal Gold, Solar Crystal Cores, Lunar Jade Marrow, Void Star Sand...

Various supreme divine materials that only existed in legends floated in the air, emitting majestic Dao rhymes and energy fluctuations that slightly distorted the surrounding space.

The grade of these materials far exceeded those used to forge the puppets. If any single piece were to fall into the outside world, it would be enough to trigger a bloody war among Great Emperor-level existences.

Using Chaos Breathing Earth as the foundation to mold an imperishable Dao body that can bear all techniques; Eternal Immortal Gold to forge its skeleton and meridians, making it indestructible; harmonizing the power of the sun and moon so Yin and Yang complement each other, providing an endless stream of energy.

Melting Void Star Sand into the surface to enhance its affinity with spatial laws and its concealment abilities... The foundational materials should be worry-free.

Gu Changge brought his fingers together like a pen, using his own supreme immortal essence as a guide to begin sketching brand new rune sequences in the void, which contained his own ultimate truths of the Dao of Formations.

These runes were more complex and agile, seemingly possessing life of their own, resonating with those top-tier divine materials.

Smelting, shaping, carving formations, awakening spirits... The entire process flowed as smoothly as moving clouds and flowing water, yet it implicitly aligned with the Heavenly Dao. Several hours later, the immortal light gradually faded, and ten completely renewed puppets floated quietly.

Their appearance was still about nine feet tall, their entire bodies exhibiting a restrained dark golden color, but their lines were smoother and more natural, with chaotic air currents faintly flowing over their surfaces.

Their eyes were no longer purely crimson, but as deep as a sea of stars, occasionally flashing with an agile brilliance.

The pressure they emitted had impressively reached the peak of the Great Emperor realm, yet their auras were more perfectly fused and restrained, like dormant primordial beasts ready to unleash an earth-shattering strike at any moment.

Mm, the energy circulation is flawless and harmonious, and they have developed an initial sentience, able to autonomously handle complex battle situations. The defense system has seven layers of formations superimposed, enough to resist most Emperor realm techniques.

The attack modes contain nine basic variations that can be combined at will. Although they are still limited by the materials and refining methods and failed to break through the limits of this realm to step into the Immortal Dao domain, within the Great Emperor realm of this world, they should rarely meet their match.

To be used to guard the sect, they should be more than enough.