Stellar Transformations

B10C29: Sword immortal puppet

The ruptured space is recovering extremely fast. In just a while, that spatial rift the size of Guishui City disappears completely.

Qin Yu is standing in midair. Zhou Xian is also standing in midair before him.

“I know Heaven better than you do!” That sentence gave Qin Yu’s entire body a shock.

Could it be Heaven will not punish such a misdeed as massacring and destroying a city at all? Is that really so?

Zhou Xian is looking at Qin Yu smilingly with his perpetual know-it-all expression.

But at the moment Qin Yu finds his smiling expression so disgusting. When he thinks about that good, honest mother and that innocent, wide-eyed little boy, who drooled over Tanghulu, he loathes Zhou Xian even more.

“Causing the sky to collapse and the earth to rend with a wave of the hand, have you understood my power?” Zhou Xian asks smilingly.

“Enough!”

A powerful voice, indifferent yet having a tinge of anger, resounds through the sky. The face of Zhou Xian, who just now was still smiling, changes color. In an instant, his expression and manner seem to be so friendly.

“It is good to see you, Uncle Lan. This time it has been so long since you left the clan. My father also misses you very much. Before I came here, he had even entrusted me with the task of sending his regards to you.” Zhou Xian appears to be humble and courteous.

Uncle Lan has appeared in the sky out of thin air.

He takes a look at the original place of Guishui City. At the moment, there is only a large body of water and not even a tile can be seen here. The originally exuberant city has already disappeared just like that. The river Li, which ran by Guishui City in the past, has filled the former site of the city with its water.

Guishui City has been destroyed but Uncle Lan is not angry at all.

“Zhou Xian, you should go home now.” He says indifferently.

Zhou Xian bows, saying: “The matter that yifu told me to handle has been settled so I should return now indeed. Biaomei must be very bored after returning too so I had better go and keep her company. Uncle Lan, I take my leave.”

“Um.” Uncle Lan says with a nod.

Zhou Xian bows then soars straight into the sky. A black hole naturally appears in the sky. He immediately goes through it and disappears.

“Xiao Yu.” Uncle Lan goes up to Qin Yu’s face.

Qin Yu raises his head to look at him: “Uncle Lan, could it be killing innocents wantonly isn’t a crime? Zhou Xian massacred the entire population of a city at will, why doesn’t Heaven punish him at all?”

Uncle Lan strokes Qin Yu’s head and says sincerely: “Xiao Yu, Heaven ... definitely isn’t something you can imagine. It’s not something a brat like Zhou Xian can describe as he pleases either. But ... at least in my current opinion, massacre indeed isn’t a crime.”

Uncle Lan raises his head, looking into the sky. At this moment, Qin Yu feels that Uncle Lan seems to be one with nature.

“What actually is Heaven? I’ve pondered over this for countless years, but I still don’t know the answer ... However, the seniors with countless years of experience in my clan concluded that Heaven is the most heartless thing. It doesn’t care at all if you’re a mass murderer or a kind-hearted person, if you’ve helped tens of millions of people or killed tens of millions of them. Perhaps everything is negligible in the eyes of Heaven.”

Uncle Lan seems to be somewhat downhearted.

“The fittest survive in natural selection. Either you’ll kill me or I’ll kill you. Whether it’s everybody uniting to surround and kill one person or one person massacring countless people ... whatever happens, Heaven doesn’t care about these petty things.” Uncle Lan is very sure.

At the moment, there is a hint of brutality in his eyes.

“If Heaven cared, would so many things have happened? Would I have ended up in my current situation? Heaven ... is the most ruthless thing! Or I should say that it has no feelings at all.” Uncle Lan’s expression is grim.

He suddenly gives a smile of self-derision: “Maybe ... Heaven can have feelings. But, it doesn’t care one bit about who you are, how high your status is and how formidable your power is, just like how a human doesn’t care about the death of an ant. Heaven has feelings, only it doesn’t like to use them in dealing with people.”

Uncle Lan looks at Qin Yu: “Xiao Yu, do you still remember that when meeting you for the 1st time I told you ... not to love Li’er if you didn’t want to die? Do you still remember?”

“Yes, I do.” Qin Yu says with a nod.

Uncle Lan says with a sigh: “I thought so at the time, but later I thought that ... some matters shouldn’t be obstructed forcefully and it was better to follow true feelings. So I helped you by using my magic powers to make it impossible for the other members of my clan to know about the relationship between you and Li’er.”

Qin Yu understands in his heart.

He knows that the clan of Uncle Lan, Li’er and Zhou Xian has some magic powers and Uncle Lan should be exceptionally powerful, enough to make the other members of the clan unable to discover the relationship between Li’er and him.

“But, even though I can hide it temporarily, I can’t hide it for life! Because you already fell in love with Li’er, you must face everything. Of course, you can also choose to give up, in which case, you’ll be able to live peacefully and happily without having to worry about things.” Uncle Lan says smilingly.

“Uncle Lan.”

Qin Yu lightly shakes his head. “Live peacefully and happily? I’d rather die than live like a walking corpse. Since Li’er can wait for me, how can I be afraid of troubles?”

“Uncle Lan, you know what, my only goal when I was little was to help my father and obtain his look of approval. When I was stuck at the peak Houtian level without being able to make a breakthrough, I thought ... I would die willingly if I could reach the Xiantian level through practice and help my father.”

Qin Yu seems to be recalling those years in the past. At that time, his father was the single most important person in his heart, but now there is also Li’er aside from his father.

“I already achieved that desire ... I even killed Xiang Yang, allowing my Qin clan to unify the Chu dynasty and establish the Qin dynasty.” Qin Yu is high-spirited and vigorous. “It can be said that my life is already good enough.”

“Some people live their lives in ignorance but mine is already glorious enough so I won’t care even if I die. Is there still anything that can stop me now?”

Uncle Lan’s eyes have a tinge of delight.

“My father once said a few words that I’ll never forget -- ‘just do whatever you think is right. The Qin clan’s sons flinch from nothing, not even death’. I won’t fear anything. Nothing deserves to be feared by me either. Zhou Xian is formidable but that’s only true for now. I’ll practice and improve. One day, Li’er and I will be together openly. No one will be able to stop me!”

Pa! Pa!

Uncle Lan claps his hands with joy: “Very good. Xiao Yu, looks like I don’t need to say much. I’m very happy that you can think so.”

“Looking at you, I feel as if I’m looking at myself in the past. Only ... you’re weaker than I was. But your conviction is more resolute than mine. This is where you’re stronger than I was.”

Uncle Lan is looking at Qin Yu with even more appreciation and approval in his eyes.

“Follow your true feelings. You only need to remember not to do anything that later you’ll regret doing. This is already enough!” Uncle Lan encourages while patting Qin Yu’s shoulders.

At the moment, the things Qin Yu is curious to know the most in his mind are what clan Li’er actually belongs to and what power level he must reach to be together with Li’er.

Both of these things are what he wants to know urgently.

“Uncle Lan, can you tell me why I will die if your clan’s members know that Li’er and I are together?” Qin Yu asks carefully.

Uncle Lan gives a smile.

“Xiao Yu, you should know Zhou Xian’s power, right? Even at your current level, not to mention Zhou Xian’s, you’ve already stopped caring about looks, because ... looks can change.”

Qin Yu nods his head in approval.

Uncle Lan continues: “Li’er is a girl adored by my clan’s young men and even by other clans’ young men. This is not only because of her status and aura of elegance. Most importantly, she has a secret. This is the main reason why young men of so many clans pursue her.”

Now Qin Yu understands.

He has too many rivals already.

“Therefore ... once the relationship between you and Li’er is uncovered, Li’er’s father won’t even need to act because those love rivals will be able to kill you nobody knows how many times over!” Uncle Lan says jokingly.

Qin Yu forces a smile.

Looks like having too many love rivals is not a good thing.

“Is every one of them about on Zhou Xian’s level?” He continues asking.

Uncle Lan says smilingly: “There are some differences in power among those love rivals but ... any of them can kill you easily, even with just a finger.”

At last Qin Yu fully understands the gap between him and them.

And it is an extra colossal one.

“Are you still confident?” Uncle Lan looks at him with a smile.

Qin Yu does not answer but the look in his eyes says it all.

His expression becoming solemn, Uncle Lan says: “Li’er has already returned to my clan. This time it will be very hard for her to go out. I also have to return to help her. Otherwise, given her father’s temperament, it’s even useless for her to oppose him by threatening him with suicide. I can’t promise you much. I can only promise that ... Li’er won’t be betrothed to anyone. She’ll wait for you.”

“Thank you.” Qin Yu says gratefully.

Judging from what he heard Li’er and Zhou Xian talk to each other, clearly Uncle Lan is powerful enough to oppose Li’er’s father head-on. With Uncle Lan’s presence, Li’er will have a much easier time.

“Don’t worry. My clan is eternal. A hundred million years is just like a snap of the fingers to us. But you can’t relax.” Uncle Lan pats Qin Yu’s shoulders and says.

“Rest assured, Uncle Lan.” Qin Yu’s heart is full of confidence. “Uncle Lan, what level in practice do I have to reach to be able to go and look for Li’er in your clan? Golden immortal? Mystic immortal?” Qin Yu asks carefully.

Uncle Lan is startled then says comfortingly at once: “Don’t worry ... When you reach the Ni Yang Realm, you will know what power level you have to reach to be able to go and look for Li’er.”

“The Ni Yang Realm!” Qin Yu is shocked.

Uncle Lan is really a bit too terrifying. He has only talked about the matter of the Ni Yang Realm to Li’er and has never told Uncle Lan about it, how did Uncle Lan possibly know?

“The Ni Yang Realm is also a test for you. If you can’t even get through it and obtain that treasure, you’d better give up early on.” Uncle Lan says smilingly.

His eyes brightening, Qin Yu says: “I certainly won’t give up. I’ll rush into that Ni Yang Realm.”

“When you’ve reached the deepest part of the Ni Yang Realm, you’ll know what power level you have to reach to be able to go and look for Li’er. Try your best to practice. If you go in there with your current power, your chance of success will be too low.” Uncle Lan says with a sigh.

Qin Yu nods.

He certainly knows that. Even Immortal Emperor Ni Yang left behind a message for him, saying that whoever weaker than a Dacheng-stage Xiuxianist will definitely die if they go in there. This clearly means that the power of a Dacheng-stage Xiuxianist is only the minimum threshold, which makes it easy to imagine how dangerous the inside of the Ni Yang Realm is.

“I have to go now, Xiao Yu. Li’er has just returned. Given her father’s temperament, she’d have a hard time during the short period after her return. Before leaving, I have a gift for you.”

Uncle Lan makes a wave of his sleeve.

A light beam flashes through the air. A black-robed grim man then appears in front of them. His imposing manner even makes Qin Yu feel a thrill of terror.

“Who ... is this senior, Uncle Lan?” Qin Yu looks doubtfully at this black-robed man.

Uncle Lan bursts into laughter: “Senior? No, he’s not a living person at all. This is a sword immortal puppet I made from some materials.”

“Sword immortal puppet?” Qin Yu is astonished.

Uncle Lan says with a nod: “That’s right. It’s like an immortal item. You can personalize it by blood as well. Just take this sword immortal puppet. Its maximum offense is comparable to that of a level-9 golden immortal!”

“Level-9 golden immortal!” Qin Yu’s heart gets a shock.

If he has this sword immortal puppet, will he not be without equal?

“Xiao Yu, this sword immortal puppet’s maximum offense is comparable to that of a level-9 golden immortal, but ... it also requires an extremely shocking supply of energy.”

“Energy? I’ve got the Qingyu Immortal Mansion. There’s quite a lot of elemental holy rock in there.” Qin Yu is exceptionally excited inside at the moment.

“You think it’s so easy? Personalize it by blood first then you’ll see.” Uncle Lan does not lay bare the facts.

Qin Yu immediately flies forwards and personalizes that sword immortal puppet by blood. When he lets a drop of blood fall on it, the blood is absorbed quickly like mercury spilling over the ground.

With a thought, he sucks the sword immortal puppet into his body. Its basic usage is not much different from that of an immortal item.

The moment the sword immortal puppet is sucked in, Qin Yu totally understands how to use it. At this moment -- his face is filled with a forced smile.

The sword immortal puppet has a Multiplying Elemental Holy Formation in it. This formation provides energy for the sword immortal puppet but it requires elemental holy rock, and top-grade elemental holy rock at that!

Even though Qin Yu has the Qingyu Immortal Mansion, he does not even have a piece of top-grade elemental holy rock.

“Xiao Yu.” Uncle Lan says smilingly. “The Multiplying Elemental Holy Formation of this sword immortal puppet has 9 positions. When you put a piece of top-grade elemental holy rock in it, the puppet will only have the power of a level-1 golden immortal. If you put 2 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock in it, the puppet will only have the power of a level-2 golden immortal ... Only when you put 9 pieces of elemental holy rock in it will the puppet have the power of a level-9 golden immortal!”

Qin Yu understands in his heart.

Even though nobody knows how many hundred times a level-9 golden immortal is more powerful than a level-1 one, the energy of 9 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock seems to be only 9 times as large as that of a piece.

The Multiplying Elemental Holy Formation is the reason why 9 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock can generate the power of a level-9 golden immortal whereas one piece can only generate the power of a level-1 one.

After all, only 9 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock can form the complete formation. It is only because of this reason that the puppet’s offense is most powerful when 9 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock are used.

“Uncle Lan, the Qingyu Immortal Mansion is made entirely of a huge chunk of elemental holy ore. Though the places such as the artificial mountains, the storehouse and so on have some pieces of elemental holy rock, most of them are low-grade and middle-grade. Even the high-grade ones are extremely rare. And I don’t have even one piece of top-grade elemental holy rock!” Qin Yu is very frustrated.

Top-grade elemental holy rock is exceedingly precious. It is very rare even in the immortal world and demon world. Generally, even golden immortal experts are unwilling to use it casually.

“You do. That Qingyu Immortal Mansion is made of a very good chunk of elemental holy ore. If you smash it completely, you’ll be able to extract 20 to 30 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock.” Uncle Lan says with a smile.

Qin Yu gives a forced smile.

Can he have the resolve to smash an immortal mansion completely?

The Qingyu Immortal Mansion is valuable not only because of it being made entirely of elemental holy ore but also because of the defensive formations Immortal Emperor Ni Yang left behind. Such a safe immortal mansion is extremely precious.

“There’s another way. Elemental holy essence is even more precious than top-grade elemental holy rock. A piece of elemental holy essence is equal to 100 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock. You have one, don’t you?” Uncle Lan says with a smile.

“Uncle Lan, that elemental holy essence is the core of the Qingyu Immortal Mansion. If I used it, what else could I control the mansion with?” Qin Yu is very frustrated inside. “Plus, elemental holy essence is worth 100 times as much as top-grade elemental holy rock, but who would trade with me?!”

In the mortal world, who can take out 100 pieces of top-grade elemental holy rock? Perhaps nobody in this world can take out even one piece, let alone 100!

Moreover, if he used the elemental holy essence, he would have nothing to control the Qingyu Immortal Mansion with.

“Ha-ha ... I won’t joke with you anymore.” Uncle Lan says smilingly.

“Of course I know you don’t have top-grade elemental holy rock. I’ve got one piece, only one. This one piece is enough to give the puppet the power of a level-1 golden immortal. Naturally, when its energy is used up, the puppet will be powerless.”

After saying so, Uncle Lan gives Qin Yu a piece of top-grade elemental holy rock.

Qin Yu immediately receives it. There is only one piece, but it is better than nothing after all.

“Uncle Lan, how long can this piece be used?” Qin Yu asks.

Uncle Lan says with a smile: “This sword immortal puppet contains a sword art called the Heaven-Sundering Sword Art, which has 9 moves in total. Each move requires a different amount of energy. If you execute the 9th move, perhaps you’ll have to spend about 80% of the energy of this piece of top-grade elemental holy rock just to do it once.”

Now Qin Yu understands.

A piece of top-grade elemental holy rock probably only has enough energy for a fight. After the fight, without top-grade elemental holy rock, he will not be able to use the sword immortal puppet despite having it.

“Xiao Yu.” Uncle Lan’s expression becomes serious. “Giving you the sword immortal puppet, I only hope that later you will go a bit farther. And giving you just one piece of top-grade elemental holy rock, I hope that you don’t rely completely on external forces. You must depend on yourself in everything. The sword immortal puppet can only be used when you have no other way to protect your life.”

“I have quite a lot of top-grade elemental holy rock indeed, but I can’t give you more of it. If I did ... this would do you harm. If I gave it to you now, it could allow you to run amok among golden immortals. However, what would you rely on to contend against the likes of Zhou Xian later?”

Facing the hopeful look in Uncle Lan’s eyes, Qin Yu fully understands Uncle Lan’s pains.

“Uncle Lan, I won’t let you down.” He says slowly.

Uncle Lan smiles with delight: “All right, I’m leaving now. If I stayed here any longer, Li’er would have a hard time.”

A black door appears behind him, leading to nothingness.

He walks straight towards that black door. The moment he reaches the door, he turns his head around and looks at Qin Yu: “Xiao Yu, don’t fail to match Li’er’s expectations for you, and mine as well.”

“Yes.” Qin Yu nods vigorously.

Delighted, Uncle Lan walks into the black door. Right afterwards, the black passage disappears. Uncle Lan also disappears from this world as if he never existed.

End of b10c29.