Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8434: No. 1 _1

The puppet was crafted from wood, featuring a bald head, yet the craftsmanship appeared remarkably exquisite. Lacking any hair, its spherical head bore a pair of eyes formed from red crystals. The nose consisted of a small wooden sphere, which, if colored red, might resemble a clown's. Its mouth mimicked a human's, while two slender lines extended from the chin, suggesting the ability to manipulate the mouth. The whole head was rounded, giving it a somewhat timid appearance. And somewhat endearing.

A short neck connected to a plump, rounded body. Nothing particularly unique marked its body aside from the chubby build. The arms and legs were similarly rounded, though the detailing was superb. The joints received careful attention. Even the finger joints seemed highly flexible, yet overall, it retained a somewhat foolish look.

While Zhao Hai examined the puppet closely, it abruptly spoke, "Esteemed guest, welcome to the Divine Secrets City. I am the Divine Secrets City's number one puppet. Please follow me." With that, the puppet shifted aside and performed a rather rigid gesture.

Its voice came out rigidly, much like that of a machine, devoid of any feeling. Utterly mechanical, and now its hand remained extended, as though it would hold the pose indefinitely unless Zhao Hai advanced.

Zhao Hai glanced at the puppet with a smile. "This is interesting." Then he proceeded directly into the city. The puppet trailed after him, moving at a leisurely pace. Suddenly, Zhao Hai asked, "Number one, are there any other people in the Divine Secrets City?"

The number one puppet kept walking ahead, but a gleam appeared in its dark eyes. It replied, "There are no living beings left in the city. The city's original master has perished. Number one had to inter him personally." The mechanical tone remained as unyielding as ever, yet it still responded to Zhao Hai's inquiry.

Zhao Hai gave a nod. By now, he had stepped inside the city. Upon entering, he froze in astonishment. He never imagined the city could resemble this. Innumerable structures filled the area, each one appearing utterly bizarre. For none of these buildings resembled typical dwellings. All of them were profoundly unusual.

Zhao Hai spotted a dwelling shaped like a boot, another like a hand, one resembling a blade, a sword-shaped house, a tiger-like abode, an elephant-form structure, a snake-inspired home, a flower-mimicking building, a net-piled edifice, and a water-like residence. It truly evoked water. From afar, it resembled a bubble fashioned from some mysterious substance. There was even a fire-appearing house, flames flickering endlessly, with only faint hints of entrances and openings visible amid the blaze.

This realm was one of wild oddities. Everything felt so fresh, so peculiar, so defying convention. Zhao Hai stood dumbfounded. He had traversed numerous realms in the cultivation world, yet never encountered a city quite like this.

The number one puppet walked alongside Zhao Hai and stated, "Honored guest, please head to the guest area in the city for rest." Zhao Hai signaled for it to lead, but he stayed put. He simply gazed silently at the city and its dwellings, remaining motionless for quite some time.

After roughly two hours, Zhao Hai finally exhaled deeply. He turned toward the number one puppet with a grin. "This is truly fascinating. I never anticipated the Divine Secrets Sect employing such an advanced formation technique. Excellent, truly outstanding, most impressive."

The number one puppet stood there blankly. Zhao Hai grinned and continued, "A lethal array has been established throughout this city. Entering the city means stepping into the killing array. If I guess correctly, those oddly shaped houses aren't merely for aesthetics, are they? They possess offensive capabilities too. They didn't access the city through the gates. Nor did they scale the walls. The entry method into the city must be quite distinctive."

Here, Zhao Hai halted briefly before proceeding, "I believe only two methods exist for entering and exiting this city. The first involves an underground tunnel within the city. To get inside from outside, one must use this subterranean path. This tunnel runs beneath the whole city, thus evading the formation's influence."

Pausing once more, Zhao Hai went on, "The second method relies on a teleportation array. Every building in this city likely contains a teleportation array, allowing access in and out. Alternatively, the entire city might be illusory, with the actual city located underground, isn't that right, number one?"

Number one's eyes flickered, and it responded in its rigid tone, "This is a secret of the Divine Secrets Sect. Number one cannot reveal it." Each time it spoke, its eyes would glow, but this instance, the glow lingered slightly longer. Most might overlook it, but Zhao Hai noticed.

Zhao Hai eyed number one and smiled. "Oh, is that so? Hehe, truth be told, I've always wondered. Back then, numerous Divine Secrets Sect members must have relocated here, correct? So why did they perish in this place? They constructed it themselves, yet ended up dead here. In the Blood Sea Realm, they had few foes, so dying here seems unlikely. Once the Cloud Sea Realm forces withdrew, they could have departed. No cause for death here, right? But you claim they're all gone, leaving just one explanation—someone eliminated them. Yet who could have done so?"

At this juncture, Zhao Hai ceased and faced number one directly. He smiled and added, "Number one, did you know? Though I'm from the Blood Slaughter Sect, I've studied human spirits extensively. Your body shows strong spiritual Qi fluctuations, seemingly sustaining your operations. But I doubt that's accurate. Rather, those potent spiritual Qi waves likely mask the spirit fluctuations within you. Meaning, a spirit resides in your form."

Zhao Hai's eyes gleamed as he regarded number one. "A Yin spirit occupies your body, leading to just one possibility. Either you employed the Spiritual Array Sect's technique, though that's improbable, since the Spiritual Array Sect fell before the Divine Secrets Sect. Had the Divine Secrets Sect acquired their methods, their puppet arts would have advanced further, making it nearly impossible for Cloud Sea Realm forces to eradicate them. Thus, I surmise the soul in you didn't arise from that approach."

Number one remained standing blankly. However, its eyes kept flashing steadily. Clearly, it wasn't as vacant as it seemed. Zhao Hai observed it and smiled. "I've also discovered something else. Typical puppets use metal due to its superior durability, sturdiness, and security against wear. Yet you're constructed from wood. The material forming you appears as common Ironwood at first glance, but alas, my knowledge runs deep. I recognize it's no ordinary Ironwood, but Iron Soul Wood. This rare timber nurtures souls effectively. Therefore, the presence of a divine soul in you probably stems from the second method I intended to mention. You cultivated your divine soul within the Iron Soul Wood."

Here, Zhao Hai regarded number one with a smile. "Shall we speculate on the events back then? You were a Divine Secrets Sect disciple, perhaps even a prodigy. Within the sect, your cultivation progressed swiftly, positioning you among those the Divine Secrets Sect nurtured intensively. But that assault from the Cloud Sea Realm struck without warning. Moreover, they amassed most of their forces against you. The Divine Secrets Sect couldn't resist and swiftly crumbled. Certain sect elders guided some disciples—including you—in using the sect's ultimate escape measure to flee into this hidden realm. Your plan was to depart later and resurrect the Divine Secrets Sect once the external crisis passed."

"Yet upon arrival, your situation differed from the others. You bore severe wounds. Due to the abrupt entry, you carried few medicinal pills. Your injuries failed to heal, and your sect companions couldn't aid you. Even if methods existed, they withheld pills, as using them on you would leave none for their needs. Thus, your condition worsened daily. Your life neared its end."

"Death held no appeal for you. As a genius, how could you perish? So you initiated your scheme. You risked everything for this final gambit. Earlier, you'd stumbled upon a chunk of Iron Soul Wood. Your intent was to shift your soul into it for gradual nurturing. Eventually, with a strengthened soul, you might seize a human body and achieve rebirth. However, extracting the Iron Soul Wood outright to house your soul risked peril. Should your fellow disciples learn of it, they wouldn't assist; instead, they'd harvest your soul for crafting immortal artifacts. Thus, you devised a ruse. You fashioned a puppet from the Iron Soul Wood, masking it externally to resemble a standard wooden puppet. Then, you inserted your soul into the Iron Soul Wood. This allowed the puppet's energy signatures to conceal your soul's aura. Consequently, others would view you merely as a commonplace wooden puppet, unaware your soul hid within this wooden construct."

"However, as your soul entered the puppet, an unexpected event occurred. You realized your soul could infiltrate any array within the puppet. You could even access the primary array nucleus, granting control over the entire setup. Elation filled you, for this discovery hinted at a novel path to eternal life!"