Chapter 1538: I, Ye Xuan, Swear on My Blood

A flash of sword light burst from the cave.

The Great Daoist Brush Master turned pale with fright. Without a second thought, he spun around and transformed into a wisp of ghostly light that vanished into the night.

The one who emerged was none other than Ye Guan.

Strike while the iron is hot, and finish off the wounded!

Ye Guan had hoped to take advantage of the moment and eliminate the Great Daoist Brush Master in one strike. Unfortunately, the man fled too fast, and his soul vanished in an instant.

Moreover, Ye Guan couldn't recklessly extend his divine sense in this place. If it brushed against some ancient powerhouse, it would be seen as a provocation.

Realizing that the Great Daoist Brush Master had escaped, Ye Guan's expression turned grim. However, he didn't dwell on it. He turned and headed back into the cave.

The two puppets still stood by the stone gate like silent guardians.

Ye Guan's expression grew serious. He hadn't expected one of them to be real and the other fake. Whoever came up with this trap was no ordinary schemer.

He also felt a surge of relief; if that punch had landed squarely on his chest, he would have died on the spot.

He had to admit that the Great Daoist Brush Master was terrifying. He'd lost only his fleshly body, after all.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Ye Guan focused on the puppets again. The one on the left was real, and the one on the right was fake. His eyes locked onto the fake one, but he kept the real one in his peripheral vision. He had to move fast; he needed to rush into the hall before the real one could react.

To be safe, he summoned twelve True Void Spirits to help him. Just as he was about to dash forward, he suddenly stopped and frowned. His gaze shifted to the left.

After a moment of silence, his figure suddenly blurred and charged straight at it.

In a blink, he was in front of the real one. He thrust his sword forward, and at that same moment, the puppet launched a heavy punch at him.

Ye Guan tensed, and a trace of nervousness flickered in his eyes.

Swish!

His sword effortlessly tore through the figure's punch. The next moment, Ye Guan broke through the stone gate and entered the hall.

The real puppet didn't chase him.

Ye Guan let out a long breath.

Damn... whoever set up this trap was a devious one.

Good thing he had employed reverse psychology on himself, or his attack would have landed on the real puppet.

They even swapped positions! How wicked!

Glancing briefly outside the hall, Ye Guan turned his eyes to the dark and oppressive interior. At the center of the hall sat a coffin, and three sticks of incense were placed in front of it.

Ye Guan frowned slightly.

A voice suddenly echoed from within the coffin. "It's been a long time since there were any visitors.

"

Hm,

three unique bloodlines and True Void Spirits? Your Sword Dao is quite intriguing as well. Are you from the Ancient God Nation?"

Ye Guan replied, "I'm not."

A light chuckle came from the coffin. "Good. You're not an ordinary young man."

"Senior, I was just passing by and found this place to be rather unusual. I meant no offense by coming here."

"No offense taken. I've been here for countless years. I'm more than glad to finally have a visitor."

Ye Guan nodded. "Glad to hear it."

"Your bloodlines are... rare. I've never seen anything like those."

Ye Guan revealed a proud smile. "Well, my father is incredibly strong. He's achieved the seventh level of the True Dao."

"

Hahaha!

" A laugh echoed from the coffin. "Seventh level? That's not exactly impressive in this universe. And if we're talking about the Boundary of Truth and Illusion, it's even less remarkable."

Ye Guan curiously asked, "Senior, are you from the Boundary of Truth and Illusion?"

"I am."

Ye Guan's interest deepened. "Then... how did you end up here?"

"I was wounded during a war a long time ago, so I came here to recover..." He paused for a moment before asking, "Do you want to become stronger?"

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Of course I do. Senior, were those puppets outside your creation?"

"Yes. It was made to prevent others from disturbing me."

Ye Guan still felt lingering fear. "That thing was terrifying. Good thing I was quick on my feet, or I'd be dead by now."

The voice laughed. "Would you like to learn how to make one?"

Ye Guan's eyes lit up, but he hesitated. "There must be a condition, right?"

"

Hahaha!

" the voice laughed again. "It's just a minor technique, Shadow Puppetry Art. What condition could there be?"

Just then, a black ancient book slowly floated out from the coffin and landed before Ye Guan.

Ye Guan picked it up. Three strange symbols were written on its cover, and he couldn't read them.

"Can't read it?"

Ye Guan shook his head.

"Those words are from the common script within the Boundary of Truth and Illusion. Release your divine sense, I'll give you knowledge of the script."

Ye Guan stared at the coffin in silence.

"

Haha!

Still cautious, eh? Worried I'll take over your body?"

Ye Guan nodded. "A little."

"That's perfectly reasonable. Caution is wise."

A gentle beam of light floated out of the coffin and hovered in front of Ye Guan.

"You can examine it first before absorbing it."

Ye Guan carefully scanned it. Once he confirmed it was safe, he absorbed the beam. Immediately afterward, knowledge of a foreign language filled his mind.

"This Shadow Puppetry Art is a type of secret technique from the Boundary of Truth and Illusion. It is not exactly high-end there, but here? Quite rare."

Ye Guan bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior."

"It's just a small thing."

Ye Guan sincerely replied, "It may be small to you, but it's incredibly valuable to someone like me."

As if to prove that, he bowed once again.

"To craft a puppet, you'll need four components. First, your own blood. Secondly, you'll need a piece of Shadow Soul Wood. It's endemic to the Boundary of Truth and Illusion and is quite scarce here. Thirdly, you must worship the Bizarre God and use its power to enhance the puppets."

Ye Guan was intrigued. "Bizarre God?"

"He's one of those so-called 'gods' in the Boundary of Truth and Illusion. He created the Shadow Puppetry Art. Don't worry, he can't reach this world, so your worship is just a formality."

Ye Guan nodded. "I see."

"You've got decent potential. I don't have much else to offer you, but I'll give you a few treasures."

A storage ring floated out from the coffin.

Ye Guan took it and looked inside. It held three Immortal artifacts. They were not as powerful as the Great Dao River, but were all superior to the Star Spring. There were also several rare spiritual stones.

"These crystals are True Spirit Crystals from the Boundary of Truth and Illusion. They would be extremely useful to you right now."

Ye Guan put the ring away and bowed respectfully. "Thank you again, Senior."

The voice added, "You should leave soon. This place still harbors remnants of powerful beings from that war. Many of them bear deep hostility toward the lifeforms of this world. With your current strength, you won't stand a chance against them. Don't let greed cost you your life."

Ye Guan replied, "I understand."

He bowed once more and turned around to leave. As he reached the doorway, he paused and turned back toward the coffin. "Senior, about this Shadow Puppetry Art..."

"You have questions?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes. The manual explains how to create the puppet but not how to worship the Bizarre God..."

"That's easy. All you need is a simple ritual. Once the Bizarre God acknowledges your devotion and grants you his faith power, you can use it to create your puppets."

Ye Guan said, "Then, please guide me."

"Just repeat after me."

"Alright." Ye Guan nodded. He hesitated before asking, "Senior, is there... any hidden danger in worshiping this god?"

"You're worried about the karma?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Exactly."

"No real danger. But if you're that worried, you can always skip the ritual. Just wait until you reach the eighth level of the True Dao. At that level, you won't need faith power from the Bizarre God at all. The choice is yours."

Ye Guan pondered for a moment. "Senior, please guide me."

The voice from the coffin chuckled. "Very well. In a moment, just repeat after me..."

Ye Guan nodded. "Alright."

A short while later, he raised his hand, and a small gash opened on his fingertip.

A drop of fresh blood welled up. Then, he recited, "I, Ye Xuan, swear on my blood to honor the Bizarre God... Namo Mahakala..."

Boom!

A crimson pillar of light crashed down from the heavens, slamming straight into Ye Guan. His eyes flew wide open, and a strange, pitch-black darkness swirled within them.

"

Hahaha!

"

A peal of raucous laughter erupted from the coffin.

"I knew you were using a fake name, but I bet you never imagined that once the incantation is spoken, you and the person named in the incantation will be bound together in a Blood Sacrifice Soul Transfer ritual!"

"

Hmm?

The one you named is quite powerful...

Hahaha!

The heavens are truly on my side!"