CHAPTER 622: CHAPTER 621 ISN’T THIS MECHANICAL ASCENSION?

Huang Hanying’s true form is a Jade Clam in the Cold Pool.

By chance, she transformed from a Demon Beast into a Demon Cultivator, and then she obtained the True Inheritance Technique to become a Puppet Master. However, having no affinity with the Youthful Appearance Pill, her cultivation grew slowly while her appearance gradually aged. Yet, with her kindly face, she was more easily trusted by other cultivators, which was a blessing in disguise.

"I remember it clearly; it was a very refreshing autumn. I traveled alone to the Yan Gui Mountain Range, originally intending to find some materials for refining puppets there, but I heard rumors of Evil Cultivators in the vicinity." Though many years had passed, the memory of what she saw then still sent shivers down Huang Hanying’s spine.

Initially, Demon Cultivators found severed hands and feet occasionally washed down by the streams, and later, small demons began frequently disappearing, causing widespread panic and rumors.

A small sect in the area took the lead in investigating and, upon learning that Huang Hanying was a Puppet Master, invited her to join them—using puppets to explore ahead during the battle of wits with the Evil Cultivators effectively reduced losses.

At that time, she had not yet met Huang Niu’Er, so she settled wherever she went. Hearing that her crafted puppets could be of great use, Huang Hanying joined in without hesitation.

And because of this, after many difficulties, they managed to capture the Evil Cultivators’ entire group, allowing her to witness a shocking scene—a gruesome monster assembled from the mutilated bodies of small demons that had been tortured and killed.

Severed limb fragments hung from the rafters, and souls forcibly separated and sealed, each scene was horrifying!

From the interrogation, she learned that the Evil Cultivators found pleasure in torturing and killing cultivators.

To satisfy their sinister tastes, they’d even forcibly stuff the flayed and scarred souls into bodies assembled from severed limb remnants, awaiting the moment when the soul regained consciousness and saw the horrifying form, they would break down before their soul was devoured.

"A patchwork of corpses... an Otherworld version of Frankenstein?" Jiang Yuan grimaced, visions of classic horror movie scenes flashing in his mind, wondering if the Evil Cultivators weren’t afraid of creating some kind of bugged aberration with their chaotic antics.

Having witnessed the scene in the dim underground chamber, Huang Hanying, as goosebumps rose, suddenly had a thought—while the Evil Cultivators’ actions were deplorable, if the monstrous assembly of severed limb and remnant souls could be replaced by puppets refined by a Soul Emergence process, and controlled with a cultivator’s soul, as long as the Divine Soul was not extinguished, wouldn’t this mean immortality?

"After all, the cultivation realm has never come to a conclusion—does the earth’s demise signify the soul’s extinguishment or the body’s death? If it’s the latter, then transferring the soul into a puppet could achieve eternal life; if the former, could upgrading finely crafted puppets extend the soul’s existence?"

The old woman grew more excited as she spoke, her voice barely rising, as she continued: "At that moment, I felt as if I had suddenly understood the way of the puppet. I want to devote my entire life to pursuing the great path I wish to explore. I want to personally craft a puppet for myself and, when my lifespan comes to an end, attempt to find my method of longevity!"

Yun Shu looked down at her hands in bewilderment, half in doubt, saying: "So Grandma says I very possibly have already achieved immortality?"

Jiang Yuan slightly raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself if this really succeeds, wouldn’t this be mechanical ascension?

"You’ll soon know the answer regarding whether you’ve achieved immortality!" Huang Hanying’s lips trembled slightly with excitement, "Dear child, I have a little more than ten years of lifespan left and, in my current horrible state, there’s no hope for advancement anymore.

If I could find a reliable Artifact Refiner to help me modify my puppet, and if, after ten years, at the end of my lifespan, I haven’t died, it would prove this path is viable; if I die, you’ll have to find as many life-extending treasures as possible, after all, a puppet body doesn’t need to undergo tribulation to survive, surviving is winning!"

Unable to resist her heart’s impulse, she was eager to experiment on herself.

Yet, after seeing a real puppet today, she realized that the puppet she had designed her entire life still had flaws and required numerous modifications.

Fortunately, she was in her soul state and, though unable to refine, there were many similarities between a Puppet Master and an Artifact Refiner. As long as a skilled enough Artifact Refiner could be found, they could assist in modifications.

"Artifact Refiner? Isn’t Jin Lang suitable? I think he’s very dependable."

"No, he’s not suitable." The old lady sighed, saying: "Jin Lang is a careful good kid, but I’ve secretly observed that the flame he uses lacks power. We need an Artifact Refiner with a special flame to forge the details more naturally. Also, there’s one more thing..."

She glanced at Jiang Yuan with slight difficulty, smiling bitterly: "Once the puppet is successfully refined, I want my soul to enter it smoothly, but some part of it will surely need to be sacrificed.

At that point, I may likely end up like this girl here, not remembering who I am. In a dazed state like a newborn, needing reliable friends to care for and teach me through the initial period of difficulty.

Originally, I wanted to entrust this to my disciple, letting him carefully take care of me for a while. Once I gradually adapt to the puppet body, I can handle the small shop’s business and daily life. Then, master and disciple can go all out searching for materials to create a puppet body for him, eventually allowing his soul to emerge into the puppet body, and I will diligently care for him until we both succeed in our rebirth."

Saying this, Huang Hanying couldn’t help but sigh.

Man proposes, but heaven disposes, her step-by-step plans had completely fallen apart in her attempts with Huang Niu’Er.

This made her even more afraid of entrusting easily, for a puppet beauty with no memory like a blank canvas, once entrusted to the wrong person, was extremely likely to be...

"I actually know an Artifact Refiner, let me contact him and see if he can help Grandma." Jiang Yuan immediately thought of the Genius Refiner Leng Yutang, he had the Earth Spirit Flame and should be able to handle it.

As for the loss of memory upon merging with the puppet, it didn’t matter, at worst a temporary stay in a small courtyard.

Hu Zhile had plenty of experience teaching Yun Shu, getting them both to help at that time should make adapting to the puppet body not difficult.

The main point was that Jiang Yuan was genuinely very interested now, and he wanted to watch and see from close range the process of a cultivator turning into a puppet, and incidentally see if Granny Huang’s experiment could truly achieve immortality.

Upon hearing that her benefactor was willing to take her in, Huang Hanying gratefully thanked him repeatedly.

Words of gratitude have made me numb, Jiang Yuan took out the Communication Stone and sent a message to Leng Yutang, asking if he was busy and if he could spare some time for an urgent job.

"I’m not really busy, but the problem is..." Leng Yutang was standing in a desert, the strong wind blowing rough yellow sand against his face. He was walking aimlessly, grumbling, "I’ve freaking gotten lost!"

That day, at the Golden Carp Lake Market, he suddenly remembered Sand Hill City. Being an Angry Fire Bear, Leng Yutang eagerly bid farewell to his friends, packed up the Earth Spirit Flame, and set off for home!

And then, he got lost.

He teleported over based on his impression of the location, but where was Sand Hill City? Apart from endless deserts and boundless yellow sand, he found nothing.

But you can’t really blame Leng Yutang. Back then, he was tormented by cold poison - both physically and mentally exhausted, and he’d been driven out. He wandered aimlessly and didn’t know how he escaped the desert.

As for the city in his memory, he was only familiar with the scenery inside; he had no precise coordinates or accurate reference points. How easy is it to find a city in the vast desert?

"Mr. Jiang, don’t laugh at me, but I can’t find my way home now." Leng Yutang wanted to cry but had no tears. Finally finding someone to complain to, he sat on the ground and sighed, "That day, when you relieved my cold poison, I thought the clansmen infected with cold poison in Sand Hill City were saved!

I planned to come back when I had a chance, to let everyone see for themselves that cold poison is not terrifying and can be cured. We should no longer drive the clansmen out to fend for themselves. Instead, we should find a way to exchange the resources of Sand Hill City for Spirit Stones and then purchase Elixirs to treat the cold poison.

But now, how shameful it is! When I left Sand Hill City back then, I didn’t expect to survive, let alone pay attention to any route. Even now, with a Teleportation Talisman, I still couldn’t find the city."

Jiang Yuan: ...

He originally thought of asking about the situation in Sand Hill City to see if he could find a few more Silver-footed Snow Netherworms for refining Resurrection Talismans. Unexpectedly, this unfortunate kid returned a step ahead, but he is freaking lost and can’t find his hometown, which is truly a bit of a headache.

"Wait a moment, I can help you find it." He switched to map mode, searched the entire Wilderness World map he got from Seventh Sister, and soon found the specific location of Sand Hill City.

Upon hearing Mr. Jiang report the specific coordinates of Sand Hill City, Leng Yutang’s head buzzed with astonishment.

No, is this right?

I am the native Angry Fire Bear of Sand Hill City! And now, to return home, I need someone else to provide me with coordinates? What a disgrace to bears!

"If your Teleportation Talisman is not enough and there is no Teleportation Array in Sand Hill City, you might consider teleporting back first. I have a job here that might need assistance; you can see if you can refine something. If your talisman is enough, then go to Sand Hill City first; besides, I need Silver-footed Snow Netherworms and can help with some Elixirs." Jiang Yuan thought about how Granny Huang currently has nothing and can’t afford to pay for hiring an Artifact Refiner’s services.

If Leng Yutang can help modify a Puppet, they might consider using Teleportation Talismans or Elixirs to treat cold poison from Yun Shu in exchange.

"I..." Leng Yutang looked at the only Teleportation Talisman left, crying and laughing at the same time, and immediately asked for Mr. Jiang’s coordinates. Then, he teleported over to earn some money to buy talismans and then head directly to Sand Hill City.

Otherwise, if he teleported to Sand Hill City today and found his hometown but had trouble returning, it would delay important matters.

"Whoosh! Crash!"

He got the coordinates and teleported directly, only to be blocked by the courtyard’s protective shield, crashing onto the grass with a thump.

[Alert! An intruder trying to forcibly teleport in was detected and intercepted!]

The system sounded an alert and marked the intruder’s location.

Jiang Yuan had forgotten this part, quickly allowed Leng Yutang entry, and went to bring him in.

He was dizzy and confused from the fall, and once inside the courtyard, he was stunned - my goodness! Have I reached the Immortal Realm?!

Without bothering with courtesies, Jiang Yuan let Yun Shu entertain the Artifact Refiner, while he took Granny Huang’s Ink Jade Space from the Floating Market straight to the Golden Chicken River Market, using Sword Flight to reach the Huang Family’s shop.

He discovered that the diligent Jin Lang had set up a Protective Array around the shop to prevent any more unauthorized entries causing damage.

Heading to the second floor, naturally, there was much sighing and exclaiming during the reunion of Jin Lang and Granny Huang’s soul.

After a brief conversation to clarify instructions, he released the Restriction, and Jiang Yuan eagerly went to the shop, put the meticulously crafted puppet by Granny Huang into the Storage Bag, and took it back to the courtyard.

"Ah? Mr. Jiang means to let me and the Puppet Master cooperate to assist in crafting a puppet?" Leng Yutang listened, surprised and delighted.

As an official disciple of the Celestial Craft Sect, he had heard from his master many times that, initially, there were no Puppet Masters or Talisman Masters; everything belonged to "Artifact Refining."

But due to limited conditions, Leng Yutang never had the opportunity to meet a Puppet Master or Talisman Master. Now having the chance to collaborate and participate in making puppets is indeed a rare and precious opportunity!

Not to mention being formally invited by his savior; even if he had to pay to help, he would be willing!