Yang Jing glanced at the Earth Puppet. He could tell that the intelligence it had awakened was rather cunning, with a sly opportunism.
"Since you’ve agreed, come into this bead."
The Earth Puppet carefully examined the Sea-Calming Pearl, then glanced around. In the distance, the Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation Cultivators of the Nine Marvels Sect were watching like hungry tigers. It had no other choice.
In the next moment, a streak of Spiritual Light shot out from the Earth Puppet’s body and flew into the Sea-Calming Pearl.
Without its intelligence, the Earth Puppet immediately lost the ability to move.
All the Nascent Soul Cultivators present were green with envy. Although their own skills in Artifact Refining were limited, they had spent the last few months poring over the Puppet Chapter of the Creation Scripture. As a result, they understood perfectly well how precious the Earth Puppet was.
One could say that by abandoning their original bodies and entering this Earth Puppet, they would not only gain a lifespan longer than that of a Demon, but their aptitude would also be transformed. Divinity Transformation would be well within their grasp.
However, those chosen for the mission of guarding the Grand Array had been carefully screened. Even though they were incredibly tempted, none were foolish enough to throw their lives away like moths to a flame.
The part of Nine Marvels’ Artifact Spirit residing in the Divine Puppet flew out and entered the Earth Puppet.
The Earth Puppet, which had its eyes closed, suddenly opened them. He looked down at his own small hands.
"So, this is what it feels like to have a body?"
He could feel an incredible affinity with the Spiritual Qi of the world; with a mere thought, he could command it as if it were an extension of his own limbs. His inner channels were like great rivers, capable of easily holding all the Spiritual Mechanism he could devour from a thousand-li radius.
"Senior, you’ve only just obtained this body and need to enter seclusion to familiarize yourself with it. It’s best to wait until the Spirit Vein on Canghe Island is restored before going out."
Yang Jing said to Nine Marvels.
Having just obtained a body, Nine Marvels couldn’t immediately unleash its full Power. The gazes of the other Nascent Soul Cultivators inside the Grand Array were a testament to the Earth Puppet’s value.
Others might try to seize the body for themselves and steal the Earth Puppet away.
The Celestial Sword Sect, for one, likely coveted this Earth Puppet. However, due to the myriad connections between the two Top Tier Sects, they had refrained from trying to snatch it.
Nine Marvels easily understood Yang Jing’s unspoken warning, and his expression turned solemn.
"That’s true."
With this Earth Puppet, he already had the Power of a Top Tier Nascent Soul Cultivator, and that was with just a Divine Fragment of himself. If he were to move his entire Artifact Spirit into this body, he would instantly gain the Power of a Divinity Transformation Cultivator.
But even a Divinity Transformation Cultivator can be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. If he fell into a trap and was besieged by several other Divinity Transformation Cultivators, even he would perish.
And the Earth Puppet was valuable enough to entice multiple Divinity Transformation Cultivators to conspire against him.
"You did too good a job Refining this Earth Puppet, and now it’s a liability," Nine Marvels said, shaking his head. "An innocent man is made a criminal by the treasure he carries. I never thought I’d find myself in this position."
Nine Marvels gestured for Yang Jing to follow him back to the Quiet Chamber.
When the Earth Puppet had first emerged, the Quiet Chamber was completely destroyed in the cataclysmic upheaval. But with a single wave of his hand, Nine Marvels sent the scattered rubble flying back into place. As if time itself were reversing, the Quiet Chamber was restored to its original state.
The Spiritual Eye Object, placed in the center of the Quiet Chamber, gushed forth a continuous, surging torrent of Spiritual Mechanism, which poured into the desiccated Spirit Vein.
"The body of an Earth Puppet is truly wondrous," Nine Marvels remarked with awe. "It even possesses some of the Talent Divine Techniques of an Earth Immortal."
"Using this body’s Earth Escape, I can go anywhere under heaven."
Yang Jing simply smiled.
"I promised you that once I had Refined the body, I would grant you one wish. Yang Jing, what is it you desire?"
Nine Marvels had no intention of breaking his promise. For Yang Jing to be able to refine a Puppet like the Earth Puppet meant that on the path of Artifact Refining, there were almost none who could stand as his equal.
Moreover, his innate Talent was exceptional. Nine Marvels had no doubt that Yang Jing’s future would be boundless.
"I would like a piece of Jianmu."
Yang Jing said, proceeding to list the required dimensions for the Jianmu, based on the schematics from the Flying Ship True Spirit.
Nine Marvels gave a wry smile. He knew that with Yang Jing’s current standing, his request would be anything but ordinary. Jianmu was a divine tree from the Upper Realm that connected heaven, earth, humanity, and the gods.
The original Jianmu had been destroyed long ago, during the severing of the link between heaven and earth. The ones that survived were all offshoots cultivated by dedicated individuals. Even if their miraculous properties were a far cry from the original’s, they were still far beyond any ordinary Spirit Wood.
"Thankfully, you’re asking for dead wood. If you wanted it alive, there’d be nothing I could do. But you’ll have to wait several years. Jianmu is no ordinary Spiritual Material. Even for me, Refining such a divine wood will require considerable effort. Furthermore, you will have to work with me to refine Tier Four Magical Treasures every year. A Spiritual Object like Jianmu consumes an astronomical amount of Spiritual Qi."
Nine Marvels said with a wince. It looked like he was really going to be cleaned out, with nothing left to his name.
Yang Jing nodded.
He wanted a Spiritual Material like Jianmu for one reason, of course: the True Spirit Flying Boat.
His trip to the Central Continent had greatly broadened Yang Jing’s horizons. The Nine Heavens World, vast as it was, was nothing more than a slightly larger cage for High Tier Cultivators.
No matter how great a Cultivator’s Talent, upon reaching the Middle Stage of Divinity Transformation, they would hit a ceiling. They would be unable to advance another inch, trapped at that level for the rest of their lives.
Although Yang Jing was still a long way from the Middle Stage of Divinity Transformation, there was no harm in planning ahead. The Flying Ship True Spirit was the contingency he was preparing for his future.
The Flying Ship True Spirit could emulate the might of a True Spirit, or even transform directly into one. The True Spirit Kunpeng possessed the ability of Breaking the Boundary, allowing it to travel between various worlds. Since Jianmu was a divine tree that connected the realms of mortals and gods, using it as the Dragon Bone for the Flying Ship True Spirit would surely create a synergistic effect.
Once Yang Jing reached the Divinity Transformation stage, he might be able to use the True Spirit Flying Boat to travel to the legendary Upper Realm.
However, this plan was fraught with peril. The Outer Celestial Demons beyond the Nine Heavens World were a major obstacle in themselves. In the Outer Realm, the Power of the Celestial Demons was not suppressed as it was within the Nine Heavens World.
Worse still were the Celestial Slaughter Demon Saints, whose Power was equivalent to that of Void Refining Cultivators. Even with the Kunpeng’s ability to fly by Breaking the Boundary, escaping safely from their grasp would be next to impossible.
Yang Jing pushed aside these thoughts, bid farewell to Nine Marvels, and departed.
He hadn’t flown far when the Sea-Calming Pearl on his person began to throb restlessly.
"Daddy! Daddy! When are you going to Refine a body for me? I can’t see or hear anything inside this pearl! It’s pitch-black everywhere, and I’m so bored!"
Yang Jing tapped the Sea-Calming Pearl.
"Patience, patience. For your master, creating a body is a simple matter. And stop calling me daddy."
"Okay, Daddy."
The Sea-Calming Pearl fell silent.
The Earth Puppet was an extraordinary creation, almost like a naturally born divine being from the legends. As the Divine Soul born alongside it, the spirit possessed a degree of Divine Intent and was skilled at reading the human heart. Realizing that Yang Jing truly intended to take it as his disciple, it finally felt at ease.
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