Testing the Host Body

The bones in Puppet's hand mended in an instant, but he realized the person below was by no means ordinary. The highly condensed spiritual fire on that pebble, along with the sheer power contained within it, strongly suggested that this was a martial artist at the level of the Longevity View. The lookout mercenary had absolute trust in Puppet and walked away without looking back. The handsome young man stared at his receding figure, a look of ferocity flashing across his face. Yet another power seemed to exist within his body, forcibly suppressing his violent urge, and the flush creeping up his neck and face gradually receded. He signaled for the people behind him to wait and walked forward alone. After closing the distance, he looked up at Puppet standing above. "You're Blood Staff?" Puppet had no intention of answering. The handsome youth grinned. "Must be you. No mistake about it. I came here this time to invite you—" Puppet replied without a second thought, "I refuse." "Yes, yes, exactly like that." The light in the handsome youth's eyes intensified. This was it—this utter indifference, not caring who you were, what you were, or what your purpose was, regarding you with pure, unadulterated contempt. What immense arrogance! This was precisely the most perfect vessel he needed! He revealed a profound smile. "That won't be up to you." By now, the lookout had sprinted to the rear and informed the other members that an enemy had appeared. The mercenaries were highly trained; upon hearing the news, they immediately fanned out to take up positions and brought out all the weapons they had prepared. This time, they had specifically brought along two mortars loaded with customized shells, meant precisely for handling tough nuts to crack. They swiftly located the highest vantage point and set up the mortars. Though they realized this enemy was out of the ordinary, they were not particularly anxious, for Puppet had resolved every formidable foe they had ever encountered. Watching the elderly man intently gathering samples, Brother Xuan turned his head and asked, "Old man, aren't you going to take cover?" Without looking back, the old man replied, "If you people can't hold them off, where could I possibly hide? I'll put my faith in Mr. Blood Staff." Brother Xuan signaled to a team member. Catching on, the man stepped behind the elder and struck him on the side of the neck with a chop. The elder passed out without a sound and was promptly dragged off to a concealed spot. Brother Xuan chuckled. "Better to just take a rest. Don't want you getting clipped by a stray bullet. Your life might not matter much, but if you die, who knows who we'd collect our money from." The old man was in no state to argue—that chop had been far from light. As for whether the mercenary's strike carried some personal grudge, that was hard to tell. Meanwhile, up front, the handsome youth had barely uttered a single word before he vanished from below the hill. In the next instant, he abruptly reappeared directly in front of Puppet, less than a meter away. Upon detecting him, Puppet stepped back, darting far away in a flash. The handsome youth stared into Puppet's eyes, watching his tranquil, unruffled gaze, and the corners of his mouth curled into an ever-widening grin. Even knowing there was a gap in strength between them, to still maintain such cold detachment and apathy—this was arrogance rooted to the very marrow. However, he felt a slight pang of regret. For mental power to invade and assimilate, it was best done with the host's willing consent; only then could the vessel's latent potential be brought out to the absolute fullest. Thus, after finding a vessel, he would typically spin grand promises of what they yearned for, dangling empty promises to tempt their minds into willingly harboring his spirit. Yet while that approach worked well for other vessels, it was virtually useless against an arrogant one. The more someone matched his desired trait, the less they would ever care what you had to say. Rather than wasting breath, it was better to subdue the person first, usurp them with his Divine Visage, and then gradually wear down and fuse with their spirit over time, thoroughly remaking them into an external incarnation. Still, the vessel was the foundation of everything—paramount in importance—so he could not afford to batter it to pieces. Watching the figure retreat, the handsome youth seemed hardly to move at all, yet once again appeared right in front of Puppet. This was to keep up the pressure; he wanted to see whether the other could maintain such arrogance under extreme duress. Puppet retreated once more, his expression still largely unchanged. Yet he said, "You have a strong stench. Stay away from me." The handsome youth had worn an amused, in-control expression, but upon hearing those words, his demeanor turned violently savage in an instant. A terrifying malice radiated from him, spreading outward alongside his mental power and field. Even the followers of the Primitive Sect far to the rear stepped back, for once he entered this state, he ceased to care about anything. Though he still needed this body, his fury could no longer be restrained. Blinding crimson flames soared around him, leaping into the air, and a fist blazing with massive plumes of light slammed toward Puppet. Puppet intended to raise his cane, but suddenly realized that just as the thought formed, the opponent's fist had already breached his inner guard, leaving no space to swing it back for a block. At this critical juncture, however, the mutated tissue throughout his body sensed danger ahead of him. One of his arms rose proactively, shielding his face and head, while his spiritual fire surged toward it. Yet his spiritual fire was shattered in an instant. Next came a crisp snap as his arm broke on the spot, and a terrifying force of jin penetrated into his chest. This jin was horrific; wherever it invaded, bones and internal organs were minced in a heartbeat. Puppet hurled himself backward violently. This was not merely to escape his opponent, but to use the backward momentum to dissipate that jin; otherwise, he felt the sheer force would burst his entire body open. Having thrown the punch, the handsome young man wanted to press the attack, but the presence inside him surfaced once more, suppressing his emotions as it said, "Be careful. Don't ruin it." The brutal aura around him slowly subsided, and through deep, drawn-out breaths, the outward-radiating light was gradually forced back down. Standing firm in the distance, Puppet's shattered arm and pulverized chest rapidly regenerated, healing far faster than an ordinary martial artist's would. Yet just as he adjusted himself, the handsome youth appeared before him again without warning and lashed out with a kick. This movement was so fast it was virtually beyond his reaction speed, leaving him unable to dodge. He could only hastily block with his elbow before being sent hurtling through the air. Before he even touched the ground, the spiritual fire on his body spilled outward, checking his momentum in midair, while his twisted arm snapped straight and healed at rapid speed. A burst of light flashed ahead as the handsome youth rushed up before him. Looking at the crimson flames that practically blotted out his view, Puppet maneuvered under the impetus of his spiritual fire, pivoting aside to avoid the frontal assault. But as the opponent's flames whipped past, they nearly extinguished the spiritual fire on his flank—a testament to their overwhelming power. The handsome youth let out a soft exclamation of surprise. He had thought this blow would strip Puppet of all capacity to resist and end the fight right then and there; he had not expected him to evade it. Ever since Puppet's mutated tissue had channeled the power of purple qi last time, he had mastered a technique for short-lived bursts of strength. His body's normal mutated tissue differed little from that of other martial artists, but the purple mutated tissue was something only a genuine Longevity View martial artist could form. Though it was still exceedingly faint, it allowed him to briefly unleash an intensity rivaling that of the Longevity View. However, this was limited. The purple qi was also prone to exhaustion; once that threshold was crossed, it would dissipate completely. And Puppet's ability to absorb extra-terrestrial energy relied primarily on this purple qi. If he drained its power, his combat capability would very likely plummet, so it could only be brought to bear at the most crucial moments. Puppet cleanly dodged several incoming punches, his movements appearing graceful and nimble. At first, the handsome youth had deliberately restrained his pace, but upon realizing this, he grew slightly more serious. The moment he stepped things up, it immediately exceeded the ceiling of what Puppet could handle. Amidst an exploding ring of air and spiritual fire, Puppet shot backward like a meteor, streaking past the mercenaries before crashing deep into the hillside behind them with a thunderous boom, more than half of his bones shattered. The mercenaries had not even registered what was happening before a deafening rumble reverberated in their ears, leaving their heads spinning and almost knocking them off their feet. Only after a moment did they come to their senses. Brother Xuan was the first to recover; looking back, he cried out in shock, "Boss!" At that moment, Puppet stepped out from the deep crater. He twirled his cane as golden flames danced across his body. Taking a breath, he stepped forward, actively charging at the handsome young man. In a flash, he reached close quarters and swung his cane straight at the man's head! "Oh? Recovering that quickly?" With a casual air, the handsome youth raised a hand to block. But halfway through its trajectory, the cane abruptly shifted direction, whipping toward his waist. Against an ordinary foe, such a technique might work well enough, but against an enemy far stronger than oneself, it rarely succeeded. Rushing in on forward momentum, an attack ought to be carried out in a single breath; altering the strike midway usually only slowed down the attack and broke its continuity. In reality, however, this blow was exceptionally ingenious. It employed a unique kind of jin; while seemingly sacrificing speed, it boosted overall power. If the opponent did not dodge, the force would pour directly into their body; if they did dodge, continuous swings would stack further momentum, ultimately culminating in a strike of immense destructive force. "Good tactic." The handsome youth offered a word of praise. The vessel he sought required not only physical qualifications but also a high level of combat awareness. Now that this man possessed both, his admiration only deepened. To honor that appreciation, he was willing to play along. Thus, he deliberately dodged several times. Then, the moment the opponent's power reached its absolute peak, he reached out and pressed down, his palm colliding straight against the head of the cane!