Chapter 69

A black shadow darted forward, pouncing on Zhuang Shen and biting down on his arm.

Although the Heavenly God Armor provided formidable defense, it only protected the chest and abdomen, leaving the limbs largely defenseless.

The bite instantly penetrated, and a current of electricity struck Zhuang Shen. Despite the armor's strong defensive capabilities, it was weakest against lightning attacks. The shock made his entire body numb, and he staggered.

Only then did he see that the thing biting him was a wolf-shaped puppet.

"War Puppet?" Zhuang Shen exclaimed. "How did you control it without the Spirit Guidance Technique?"

"Guess!" Tang Jie shouted back, discarding his sword.

He used his fists instead!

He punched Zhuang Shen hard, the blow landing on the Heavenly God Armor and causing his chest to ache.

Zhuang Shen immediately knew something was wrong.

The Heavenly God Armor, being only a technique-level artifact, was not very effective against lightning and powerful impacts.

Tang Jie, having discarded his sword in favor of his fists, clearly had a plan, targeting the armor's weakness.

Over the past three years, he had been evading the Heavenly God Temple, and he knew a lot about it. The Heavenly God Armor was the temple's most famous item, and he knew how to deal with it.

After being hit, he was thrown back again, and Tang Jie quickly followed up, elbowing Zhuang Shen in the face.

If this hit landed, it would shatter Zhuang Shen's face.

Zhuang Shen shouted and reached into his bag, pulling out a rope and throwing it into the air. The rope coiled around Tang Jie like a snake, binding him and throwing him to the ground.

Having succeeded, Zhuang Shen laughed. "How about this Immortal Binding Rope? Tang Jie, hand over the Military Mirror, and save yourself from the Soul Search Technique!"

"Soul Search Technique?" Despite being tightly bound, Tang Jie was not panicked. He looked at Zhuang Shen mockingly. "But do you know how to use it?"

"I don't, but I have this." Zhuang Shen pulled out another item from his bag.

A Soul Search Talisman.

Zhuang Shen said proudly, "This was specially obtained from the Divine Temple by the Eagle Master, designed to deal with people like you. It was personally refined by a Purple Mansion Master, and it's very valuable. You can consider yourself lucky to experience it."

Seeing the Soul Search Talisman, Tang Jie smiled. "Your bag is truly a treasure trove. They must have given you a lot of good things. The Purple Fire Sword, the bag, the Heavenly God Armor, the Immortal Binding Rope, the Soul Search Talisman, and even the Isolation Array Diagram. They really invested a lot, but..."

Before he could finish, the wolf-shaped war puppet suddenly lowered its head and launched three bone-piercing darts at Zhuang Shen.

Zhuang Shen was shocked and dodged, but two darts hit the Heavenly God Armor and fell harmlessly. The third grazed his arm.

It was just a minor scratch, but Zhuang Shen found he could no longer use his spiritual energy.

"Spirit Sealing Powder?" Zhuang Shen was alarmed. The wolf-shaped puppet roared and charged at him again, its horned head aimed at him.

Without hesitation, Zhuang Shen pulled out a small talisman from his bag and waved it in the air. A wolf leaped out, growing rapidly and engaging the puppet in battle.

"Beast Taming?" Tang Jie's eyes narrowed at the sight of the wolf.

Beast Taming was a specialty of the Beast Taming Sect, skilled in capturing and refining wild beasts into battle pets. The Beast Taming Sect and the Heavenly God Temple had a long-standing alliance, so it was not surprising that Zhuang Shen had this ability.

However, with one person bound by a technique-level artifact and the other affected by Spirit Sealing Powder, the battle had turned into a strange contest between a puppet and a tamed beast.

Despite being affected by the Spirit Sealing Powder, Zhuang Shen could still move. He quickly took a pill from his bag and swallowed it, neutralizing the effects of the powder.

Detoxification Pill!

At the same time, Tang Jie rolled on the ground and disappeared.

Zhuang Shen's world suddenly flipped, and he could no longer tell where he was.

"Illusion Array?" Zhuang Shen exclaimed.

"Exactly!" Tang Jie's voice echoed from the mist. "Yi Yi, help me get free!"

A small figure flew out of the puppet, which was Yi Yi.

No wonder Tang Jie could control the war puppet without the Spirit Guidance Technique; it was because of this little creature.

Without Yi Yi, the puppet stopped, and fortunately, the tamed beast was also confused by the illusion array and could not find them.

Zhuang Shen turned and slashed with his sword, but it missed. The area behind him was empty.

Tang Jie's voice rang out again. "Your Eagle Master did well, but he made two mistakes. The first mistake was forgetting who Xun Muyang is."

"Xun Muyang?" Zhuang Shen was shocked to hear this name.

"Yes. Big Brother Xun, the master of array formations... If he could give me the Military Mirror, why couldn't he also teach me array formations?" As he spoke, he thrust his sword at Zhuang Shen's back.

Zhuang Shen reacted quickly, lunging forward. The sword tip grazed his back, sparking against the Heavenly God Armor.

The attack failed, and Zhuang Shen counterattacked, the Purple Fire Sword emitting a fiery glow that struck Tang Jie. Tang Jie's chest shield reappeared, blocking the attack.

Zhuang Shen pointed at the air. "Come back!"

The Immortal Binding Rope returned to his hand, and Yi Yi screamed. Zhuang Shen threw the rope again, binding Tang Jie once more.

Tang Jie fell back into the mist, and Yi Yi frantically worked to free him, shouting, "Annoying, annoying, can't you stop getting caught so quickly?"

"Can't you stop him from taking the rope back?" Tang Jie responded irritably.

"It's no use. It's his thing. Unless you can erase the talisman he left on it, he can always take it back. Big dummy!" Yi Yi stomped her foot.

In a short time, they had exchanged several blows, revealing their hidden cards.

Zhuang Shen had various technique-level artifacts, and Tang Jie used all his skills, resulting in a stalemate. Now, with the ropes finally off, Tang Jie hesitated to come out.

Zhuang Shen searched fiercely, shouting, "Tang Jie, come out! Fight me like a real man!"

"Damn, you sound so righteous, but why don't you fight me without all those artifacts?" Tang Jie, hidden in the mist, was at a loss.

Yi Yi asked curiously, "Didn't you say the more treasures he has, the better?"

Tang Jie rolled his eyes. "That's only if he can't beat me."

It had to be admitted that Zhuang Shen's combat skills and adaptability were excellent, likely due to training from the Heavenly God Temple. Otherwise, at his age, he wouldn't be so decisive.

If not for the fact that he had to infiltrate the Moon Washing Academy and couldn't learn the Heavenly God Temple's techniques in advance, Tang Jie might not have been able to fight him.

However, just as Zhuang Shen had underestimated him, he realized he had also underestimated Zhuang Shen.

Who would have thought that Zhuang Shen, not only agile, had so many artifacts? Tang Jie had assumed that the Heavenly God Temple would give Zhuang Shen two or three artifacts to deal with him.

Now it was clear that his perspective was narrow. Clearly, in the eyes of the Heavenly God Temple, technique-level artifacts were not a big deal. If Zhuang Shen had more power, they might have given him even more, or even some magical treasures.

Seeing Tang Jie hiding, Zhuang Shen's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Do you think a simple illusion array can hide you forever?"

He took out a small bottle, swallowed a pill, and his body began to swell.

Originally a thin and pale youth, after taking the pill, his body bulged with blood and muscle, his bones growing rapidly, transforming him into a fierce and powerful man.

A punch to the ground sent a shockwave, dispersing much of the illusionary mist.

Tang Jie's face turned grim. He groaned, "Demon Blood Pill... How many treasures does this guy have?"

He was now truly annoyed by the number of artifacts Zhuang Shen possessed.

The Demon Blood Pill was a pill made from the blood of a demonic beast, allowing the user to temporarily gain the strength of that beast. It was similar to Li Yu's golden scales, but refined into a pill that cultivators could absorb.

Zhuang Shen had clearly taken a Demon Blood Pill from a powerful demonic beast, making his aura overwhelmingly powerful.

The illusion array, though versatile, was only a low-level array and could be broken by brute force. Zhuang Shen, not knowing array formations, chose the most direct method. His punches sent shockwaves, and the illusionary mist was dispelled, revealing Tang Jie's figure.

Seeing Tang Jie, Zhuang Shen laughed and walked over. "Where will you hide now?"

He no longer used the Immortal Binding Rope to catch Tang Jie but reached out with his large hand.

Tang Jie thrust his sword, but Zhuang Shen ignored it, grabbing Tang Jie's hand. The sword hit his hand with a metallic sound, showing that his physique was even stronger than Tang Jie's.

Tang Jie, with no choice, retreated, and Zhuang Shen roared, "Forcing me to use the Blood Refining Beast Pill, I will torture you to vent my anger."

The Blood Refining Beast Pill was the most effective low-level Demon Blood Pill, but it had significant side effects, leaving the user extremely weak afterward.

According to the plan, the Demon Blood Pill was not for capturing Tang Jie but for escaping the Moon Washing Academy after extracting information. However, Tang Jie, a mere Spirit Spring stage cultivator, proved to be unexpectedly difficult to handle, even with three technique-level artifacts. Moreover, using artifacts consumed more spiritual energy than Tang Jie, and he was now running low, forcing him to use the Demon Blood Pill.

Now he could only pray that after extracting information, he would have a chance to escape. Otherwise, he would be doomed.

He did not know that, regardless of success or failure, the Heavenly God Temple would kill him as a scapegoat to appease the Moon Washing Sect. His mind was filled with thoughts of the rewards he would receive after completing his mission and joining the Heavenly God Temple.

Unlike other spies of the Heavenly God Temple, Zhuang Shen was indeed a native of Wenxin, but he came from a poor family and had no chance to cultivate. The Heavenly God Temple found him and promised him the opportunity to cultivate if he worked for them.

He knew the risks of infiltrating the Moon Washing Sect, but he was willing to take the chance for a better future.

Now, relying on the power of the Blood Refining Beast Pill, he no longer used his sword shield. The tamed beast, having lost its target, was thrown back into the talisman, and he charged at Tang Jie.

With his current strength, he needed no other means.

Tang Jie could not avoid the collision and was hit, the water shield breaking instantly. He was thrown into the air, landing and spitting blood, unable to get up.

Yi Yi controlled the war puppet to attack Zhuang Shen, and Tang Jie shouted, "Yi Yi, no!"

With a loud bang, the puppet was punched back, its body cracking, and Yi Yi was thrown out, crying on the ground.

Zhuang Shen laughed and walked towards Tang Jie, who could only sit on the ground and move backward, looking like a man at the end of his rope. He picked up a broom and threw it.

Zhuang Shen swatted the broom away, and Tang Jie threw a handful of dust.

Zhuang Shen closed his eyes slightly to avoid the dust and laughed, "Is that all you've got? Come on, you said you wanted to kill me, and that you wanted my treasures. Here's the Purple Fire Sword and the Heavenly God Armor. Come and take them."

Tang Jie picked up a flower pot, the root sculpture he had brought from the Wei residence with Yi Yi.

Holding the root sculpture, he lifted the flower pot and said coldly, "I also said that your Eagle Master made two mistakes. The second mistake was focusing too much on the Military Mirror and neglecting..."

Before he could finish, he raised the flower pot and swung it like a flail, aiming at Zhuang Shen.

Raging Sword Technique!

"Useless trick," Zhuang Shen sneered, raising his arm to block the flower pot.

But at that moment, he saw the root sculpture emit a green light.

"What is this..." The green light filled his vision, expanding infinitely.

Before he could say "sword light," a flash of blood appeared, and his arm was severed!

"Ahh!" Zhuang Shen screamed in pain. The sword cut off his arm and drained the power from the Demon Blood Pill, leaving him weak and unable to stand.

Wood chips flew, and a green longsword appeared in Tang Jie's hand.

"...neglecting the Green Light Sword!"

At that moment, Tang Jie's voice echoed.

The flower pot fell to the ground, shattering.

A bronze mirror flew out, spinning on the ground.

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