Journey to the End of the Night Chapter 1504 - 938: The Blossoms of Tang Di

Bai Li An's speculation led him to believe that if the Witch Plague Poison, meticulously refined by Li Qiu Xing, had already begun to spread its influence.

A widespread surge of disturbances would likely erupt among the mechanical puppets dwelling within the Mortal World's Four Seas nations, all occurring within a brief timeframe.

However, contrary to this expectation, following the complete annihilation of the mechanical puppets in Wu Su County, a profound peace persisted elsewhere, with absolutely no indicators of any impending uprisings.

The local officials in Wu Shan County, in fact, diligently escalated inquiries through their official channels, relaying the alarming issue of puppet uprisings to their respective superiors.

Yet, these critical reports, dispatched upwards through the bureaucratic chain, seemed to vanish without a trace, akin to stones plunging into the vast ocean, eliciting no discernible response whatsoever.

The absence of any reply or acknowledgment, in itself, represented the most significant problem of all.

This silence strongly suggested the presence of an individual within the imperial court who was actively suppressing public discourse and deliberately concealing the unfolding truth.

Furthermore, the uprising witnessed in Wu Shan County was likely merely a preliminary test, a small-scale prelude to a much larger, more sinister conspiracy.

Despite Yin Bai Shuang's timely intervention to avert the immediate crisis, the action had inadvertently alerted the orchestrators, effectively causing the brewing chaos to recede into an unnerving, mysterious quietude.

The puppets, originally conceived as emotionless entities, were essentially sentient weapons meticulously constructed from specialized metallic crystals.

They were designed to possess no thoughts, no feelings, executing only the commands dictated by their creators.

But as time progressed, a subtle shift occurred: they began to exhibit nascent awareness, displaying a reluctance to obey directives.

These automatons even initiated aggressive actions, launching invasions and demonstrating the capacity for independent strategic planning.

While the term 'Witch Plague' initially sounded like a mere poison, deeper contemplation revealed it to be more akin to a catalyst, an agent that awakened the dormant consciousness within these otherwise inanimate constructs.

Bai Li An collected a small sample of unburnt tung oil from the precipice of the Heavenly Pit, staining his fingertips with its dark residue.

Retrieving a mechanical puppet from his Qian Kun Bag, he carefully peeled back the chest armor and delicately applied a trace of the black tung oil onto the spirit stone situated at the puppet's core.

The automatons he had personally engineered within the Mountain Realm, alongside Fang Ge Yu, differed fundamentally from the conventionally designed mechanical puppets.

Traditional puppets, as crafted within Shi Fang City, incorporated a furnace core that served as the central control for their internal power systems.

This furnace core originated from a uniquely mined earth vein source stone, subsequently subjected to intense forging by an Artifact Master using potent furnace fire to eradicate all impurities.

Following this, a Talisman Master would meticulously inscribe spiritual patterns onto its surface, culminating in the creation of a complete furnace core, capable of autonomously drawing spiritual energy from the surrounding heaven and earth, thus ensuring a perpetual replenishment of power wherever light was present.

In contrast, the puppets Bai Li An fashioned were considerably simpler and less demanding in their construction.

He opted for the direct utilization of a spirit stone as a substitute, integrating it with painted runes, thereby prioritizing raw power over intricate design.

He remained uncertain whether the Witch Plague exerted its influence directly on the puppets themselves or solely on the furnace cores they typically employed.

It was this very uncertainty that prompted him to undertake this experimental investigation.

However, upon contact between the tainted tung oil and the spirit stone, no discernible reaction occurred, and the spirit stone continued to radiate its inherent luminescence.

The emitted light spontaneously formed a protective aura, preventing the tung oil from being absorbed into its very essence.

Bai Li An proceeded to conduct similar experiments on several other mechanical constructs.

He ascertained that all of them exhibited identical responses, and remarkably, even the spirit stone puppets imbued with ice and fire attributes demonstrated a faint, yet present, capacity to neutralize the malevolent 'black intent' within the tung oil.

Bai Li An remained in a seated position, lost in deep contemplation for an extended period before finally rising to gather all the mechanical puppets.

He then procured a torch from the encampment and ventured towards a desolate hill, accompanied by a full gourd of Moon Wine.

Within the gourd, the Moonlight Wine and Wish Pearl gently clinked against each other, producing a subtle, clear chime.

He firmly planted the torch into the earth, and as the wine began to trickle out, flames erupted skyward, coalescing into a vibrant, blazing bonfire.

A subtle, yet distinct, wine aroma permeated the air, carried by the wind into the distance.

The other individuals within the camp, completely oblivious, failed to detect this faint, ephemeral scent.

Suddenly, a young girl, who had been tending to a stove and preparing porridge, looked up with a startled expression.

She lifted her face, slightly smudged with soot from the fire, away from the stove.

After wiping her hands on her apron, she removed it, uncovering a large, dark robe concealed beneath a pile of firewood.

Her small frame moved with agility, slipping back through a partially open window.

The voluminous black robe vanished into the enveloping night.

In the aftermath of the conflict, the moonlight descended with a serene, distant radiance, illuminating the wildflowers dotting the hillside. They swayed gently in the nocturnal breeze, casting an ethereal, cool shimmer upon the ground.

Bai Li An sat upon the hill, his posture one of patient anticipation.

Before long, a diminutive silhouette materialized upon the hill.

This shadow gracefully approached Bai Li An, bowed respectfully, and from beneath the concealing hood, revealed a gaze filled with reverence and a distinct brightness.

"I have arrived, honored sir. I, 'Qing Xin', have come as summoned."

Bai Li An observed that she remained entirely concealed within the folds of her dark robe, evidently unwilling to expose her true form, even in his presence.

Though her clothes were exceptionally enigmatic, her aura did not project significant power.

Through Spiritual Observation, it was apparent that this young lady possessed an ordinary spirit root and her bone age was quite young, not surpassing twenty years. Her cultivation seemed to have reached only the Seeking Tao Realm at most.

Even though 'One Drop of Blood' does not typically scrutinize cultivation or background for recruitment, this.this Seeking Tao Realm cultivation truly fell short of what was expected.

To prevent unnecessary losses of life, members were generally kept in training rather than being deployed for actual combat missions.

Baili An had not anticipated summoning a member who was merely at the Seeking Tao Realm.

Furthermore, this individual was human, displaying no trace of demonic power within her.

He contemplated for a moment, his eyes devoid of any contempt, and spoke softly:

"The mission I am about to assign carries a notable degree of danger and complexity. If it is feasible, I hope your superior might undertake it instead."

Baili An found no fault with her deliberate concealment of her appearance and identity, understanding that as part of the Demon Alliance's forces, 'One Drop of Blood' could not be revealed.

It was perfectly understandable to Baili An that some members would prefer to remain hidden, maintaining a safe distance from the front lines.

The girl gently inclined her head, her voice, carried by the night air, was exceptionally soft and serene, showing no hint of inferiority or timidity despite her low cultivation.