Chapter 1935: The Puppets of the Gods

The white-robed man had a feminine bearing and unearthly features.

This was Divine Emissary Star Dragon, the leader of the thirty-six divine emissaries.

When they heard the phrase “Divine Puppets,” the other divine emissaries' expressions turned a bit strange.

One of them couldn’t help but laugh. “I bet the Nine Great Demon Races have no idea that to us, their Nine Progenitors are no more than puppets we can use as we please.”

Another Divine Emissary jeered, “Even if they knew, they couldn’t criticize us. The gods promised to help the Nine Progenitors rebuild their bodies. Refining them into puppets counts!”

The other divine emissaries chuckled, but then, a frantic cry resounded from afar.

“This is bad! Esteemed Divine Emissaries, the… the Tyrant has fought his way into the Ancestral Demon Grounds!”

A white-haired elder rushed in.

“So quickly?” The divine emissaries were instantly solemn, and their smiles vanished.

Divine Emissary Star Dragon immediately issued orders. “Zuo Mu, bring the others and intercept that heretic!”

“Got it!”

Zuo Mu nodded and hurriedly led a group of divine emissaries away. Only Divine Emissary Star Dragon and nine others remained by the Chaos Pool.

The nine divine emissaries were activating the formation discs with all their might. Divine Emissary Star Dragon could tell that the Nine Progenitors confined within the cauldrons wouldn’t last much longer. One more step, and they’d be completely refined into Divine Puppets!

“No need to struggle any further,” said Star Dragon. “Over one hundred Demon Sovereigns of the Nine Great Demon Races died in Nightslayer Ridge, and just now, the forty Profound Demon Sovereigns protecting the Ancestral Demon Grounds died. Su Yi, the demons’ most hated foe, has already fought his way inside! If you refuse to submit, he’ll flatten this place, and none of you will escape disaster. You might not be concerned with that, but surely you care about your clansmen’s lives?”

His voice echoed throughout the Chaos Pool. The nine figures within the cauldrons struggled violently.

“After he’s flattened this place, he’s sure to sever the Nine Great Demon races’ roots and wipe them out down to the last man. If you can accept that, well, I have nothing else to say,” said Divine Emissary Star Dragon. “But if you cannot accept that, be good and cooperate. Once you’ve become Divine Puppets, you’ll be able to kill Su Yi with your own two hands!”

Suddenly, a raspy voice emanated from one of the cauldrons. “Is Su Yi…. really that strong?”

Divine Emissary Star Dragon’s spirits soared as he realized he’d finally moved them. He was just about to strike while the iron was hot when agonized cries emanated from afar.

“This…” Divine Emissary Star Dragon turned to look, and his expression shifted.

Off in the distance, fresh blood splattered the sky, and heads flew through the air. Unstoppable sword qi ran rampant, slicing the surroundings to bits!

Twenty-or-so divine emissaries were locked in fierce combat alongside the older-generation demon experts stationed in the Ancestral Demon Grounds.

Yet their opponent, a young man in blue, cut through them with unstoppable momentum. None could stand in his way. With a casual swing, sword qi streaked through the air, staining heaven and earth red. Cries of agony rose and fell in waves.

The sight sent chills down Divine Emissary Star Dragon’s back.

The heretic is obviously far stronger than we anticipated!

“See that? That’s Su Yi, the Heretic Reincarnator the gods do not tolerate! If you continue to refuse me, all of us will be finished!” roared Divine Emissary Star Dragon. He was completely frantic.

Su Yi was cutting through everyone in his path too quickly. No one could even slow him down.

That hoarse voice resounded from within the cauldron once more. “Very well. We agree!”

There was no doubt about it. The progenitors were aware of the disturbance outside, and they understood how pressed for time they were, so they immediately made their decision.

Boom!

Before this voice had even finished echoing through the air, the nine cauldrons lit up, rumbling like thunder. Countless markings of the Divine Dao surged forth, enveloping the nine cauldrons—and the Nine Progenitors— completely.

They then underwent a shocking transformation.

“Success!” Divine Emissary Star Dragon’s eyes lit up with unconcealable delight, and the nine divine emissaries activating the formation discs felt a massive weight lift from their shoulders.

But then, a calm voice rang out. “It seems the gods’ dogs have tricked the spirits of the Nine Great Demon Races’ progenitors, too.”

Su Yi appeared shortly after. Divine Emissary Star Dragon and his companions visibly lost their composure. All of them were instantly on guard.

When they glanced at the spot where Su Yi had been fighting the other divine emissaries and demon experts earlier, they saw complete carnage! All of his opponents were dead!

“Don’t be afraid. I’m quite interested in fighting the nine of them. I won’t ruin your plans; that’d spoil my good mood,” Su Yi said casually.

“???” Divine Emissary Star Dragon was baffled.

What’s that supposed to mean? Is he seriously not at all afraid of the Divine Puppets?

The other nine divine emissaries were dumbstruck.

How brazen do you have to be to say something like that?

But when they confirmed that Su Yi really wasn’t going to attack them, they couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Still, they felt like their hearts were tied up in knots.

Su Yi clearly didn't see them as a threat. Wasn't his attitude, in a sense, an expression of disdain for them?

Su Yi disregarded their feelings and just stood there, hands behind his back as he gazed at the nine tripod cauldrons in the Chaos Pool. A hint of surprise appeared on his brow.

The cauldrons themselves weren’t all that wondrous, but the power of the Grand Dao within the Chaos Pool was shocking!

If I cultivated in there, I might not break through, but I could at least temper my cultivation to the pinnacle of the Great Unity Stage,

thought Su Yi.

A moment later, he returned his gaze to the cauldrons. He could see that the nine demonic figures inside were undergoing a shocking transformation. There was no doubt about it: these were the Nine Progenitors of the Nine Great Demon Races!

“How do you refine a Divine Puppet, anyway?” asked Su Yi.

Divine Emissary Star Dragon froze, stunned. He couldn’t help but find this absurd.

The heretic’s seriously developed an interest in refining Divine Puppets at a time like this? Who even does that?

But in the end, Divine Emissary Star Dragon took a moment to calm himself, then said, “Divine Puppets require an intact soul to refine. The higher the cultivation, the more terrifying the puppet. However, only the gods know the details of how to refine them.”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. “When you’ve finished refining the nine of them into Divine Puppets, how strong will they be?”

Divine Emissary Star Dragon’s eyes flashed. “They’ll perhaps be a little weaker than Lesser Gods, but they’ll be far beyond the Immortal Realm’s Great Realm experts. You could call them demigods, I suppose.”

“Demigods?” Su Yi’s eyes lit up. “I’m glad I didn’t rush to attack earlier. It would have been terrible if I’d ruined such precious puppets.”

“???” The divine emissaries were baffled.

Don’t tell me that guy thinks he can steal and control the Divine Puppets? He’s sick in the head!

“And what about you all? Which god do you serve?” asked Su Yi.

The pressure of Divine Emissary Dragon Lord increased many times over, and his entire body went taut. He instinctively avoided Su Yi’s gaze. “We don’t serve any one god specifically. We're from one of the ruling factions of the God Domain, the Three Purities Daoist Court!”

As he spoke, his eyes blazed with irrepressible fervor and reverence.

The Three Purities Daoist Court! A first-rate, enormous faction even by the standards of the God Domain as a whole. It was beyond “ordinary” divine factions.

“Oh,” said Su Yi. Something suddenly occurred to him. “So, you're from the same sect as Huo Jianfeng, that ‘unparalleled’ divine son or something. Is Huo Jianfeng participating in this operation too?”

Divine Emissary Star Dragon’s pupils constricted. He hadn’t anticipated that Su Yi would realize so much so quickly!

He said nothing, but his response was still sufficient proof that Su Yi was right on the mark.

“No wonder the Spirit Domain sent a million demons into the Immortal Realm, and no wonder they said they wanted to ruin my reputation. So, it was Huo Jianfeng and his faction manipulating everything from behind the scenes this entire time.”

Su Yi understood. Every debt had its debtor. Now that he knew who was truly behind this, he’d naturally repay them one day.

Boom!

Within the Chaos Pool, the nine cauldrons rumbled and boomed. Beams of divine light shot forth, illuminating the entire hidden realm.

Nine figures appeared reflected within the light.

Six men and three women!

All of them were like demon gods with monstrous auras. Their imposing majesty was far beyond the Three Stages of the Great Realm. It was just as Divine Emissary Star Dragon had said. They were like demigods!

Su Yi’s pupils constricted. He felt intense pressure bearing down on him, but… he couldn’t say that he sensed much of a

threat.

“Not bad, not bad. These are at least worth fighting. You haven’t let me down,” murmured Su Yi.

Meanwhile, the divine emissaries’ expressions had changed dramatically. All of them looked excited, even smug.

“Su Yi, I really ought to thank you!” Divine Emissary Star Dragon burst into laughter. “If not for your unbridled arrogance, these nine Divine Puppets could never have entered the world so smoothly! As an expression of my gratitude, I’ll have them send you on your way personally!”

With that, he waved. “Go on. Get him!”

Boom!

Divine flames soared into the firmament as the Divine Puppets akin to demigods attacked Su Yi together.

Divine Emissary Star Dragon and the others, meanwhile, fled further away. They planned to watch the spectacle from a safe distance!

Boom!

The first to charge at Su Yi was a man with long silver hair. When he swung his fist, a radiant moon came crashing down with terrifying destructive power, like dazzling, resplendent moonlight.

The divine emissaries gasped, visibly awed. This was the power of a demigod! They weren’t comparable to true gods, but they were still far beyond the world’s Great Realm experts!

And now, nine demigod-level divine puppets were attacking at once. How could their power possibly be ordinary?

Su Yi’s expression didn’t so much as ripple. He raised his hand, threw a punch, and clashed with the silver-haired man head-on.

Bang!!!

The brilliant moon exploded, stirring up countless dazzling beams of moonlight. The sky was thrown into turmoil on all sides. A flood of destructive power swept outward.

Su Yi was forced several dozen feet back, his blood and qi churning.

Before he could steady himself on his feet, the other Divine Puppets attacked.

All of them displayed strength not one whit inferior to the silver-haired man’s, and soon, Su Yi was completely surrounded.

Seth's Thoughts

As a refresher, Huo Jianfeng was first mentioned in passing in chapter 1884.

“....the gods seem agitated, and apparently, they’ll be sending a group of powerful experts into the Immortal Realm before the Path of Divinity appears. (...) these experts will include the Dipankara Buddha’s subordinate, the Temple Guardian Arhat Jia Yun, as well as Huo Jianfeng, one of the Four Sons of the Dao of the Three Purities Daoist Court...."

We met him briefly in Chapter 1903. He was one of the three divine children watching the Immortal Peach Assembly from a distance.

Three figures stood atop a mountain adorned with cliffside springs, waterfalls, and a churning sea of clouds. A Buddhist monk, a Daoist, and a woman.

In short, Huo Jianfeng is a divine son. Readers met him briefly, but Su Yi hasn't met him yet.

The Daoist(')s brow tightly furrowed. (...) He was Huo Jianfeng, one of the Three Purities Daoist Court’s Four Sons of the Dao!