Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

"puff!!!!"

With his natal magic weapon destroyed, Lin Wuwen was struck dumb, coughing up another mouthful of blood. His true essence went berserk, and he weakened, his aura plummeting to rock bottom.

He collapsed to his knees, his hands supporting him, coughing up mouthfuls of blood, his eyes losing their light rapidly.

"No... This is impossible... How could I, Lin Wuwen, be defeated by a mere brat..." he muttered to himself, his heart filled with endless regret and despair.

Chu Chang slowly withdrew his slightly hot fist, looking at Lin Wuwen kneeling on the ground, who had lost the ability to resist. There was no pity on his face.

"Lin Wuwen, you have committed numerous evils. For your own selfish desires, you captured tens of thousands of mortals and cultivators to create demonic puppets. Today, you die at my hands, which can be considered as retribution."

Chu Chang spoke coldly as he slowly raised his right hand.

Although Lin Wuwen was weak, he was still a seasoned veteran. Upon hearing Chu Chang's words, a hidden malice and madness suddenly flashed deep in his eyes.

"Hahahaha... Karma? I don't believe in karma, I only believe in strength! Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"

Lin Wuwen suddenly raised his head, his skin rapidly expanding as his Purple Mansion Dao Embryo within him began to reverse wildly. He actually wanted to self-destruct his Purple Mansion and perish together with Chu Chang!

Even if Chu Chang's physical body was strong, the self-destruction of a mid-stage Purple Mansion expert would definitely cause him unbearable damage at such close range.

"Die!" Lin Wuwen laughed maniacally.

However, as Chu Chang looked at his swelling body, a mocking sneer appeared on his lips.

"Self-destruct? You don't even have the right to self-destruct in front of me."

Chu Chang drew his fingers into a sword shape and gently slashed downwards at Lin Wuwen's head.

"Activate the entry 【A sword falling from the sky】."

hum!

In the void above Lin Wuwen's head, a tiny ripple suddenly appeared in space.

Without any dramatic fluctuations of magical power, or even any dazzling light, a three-foot-long divine sword formed entirely from pure Yang sword energy, of the utmost Yang strength, silently emerged from the void.

This sword strike possesses the rule attributes of "absolute lock-on" and "absolute defense penetration".

Before Lin Wuwen could even react to what was happening above his head, the Pure Yang Divine Sword, at a speed beyond the limits of his comprehension, pierced through his skull like cutting tofu, disappearing right down to the hilt, all the way to the ground!

puff!

The pure Yang sword energy entered his body and instantly transformed into thousands of tiny golden sword intents, which dissolved the raging demonic energy within Lin Wuwen's body, which was about to explode, like spring snow melting away in an instant.

Lin Wuwen's swollen body instantly deflated, all his vitality, madness, and resentment were frozen by this one sword strike.

"You...this...is..."

Lin Wuwen's eyes widened, and he let out two unwilling groans.

Chu Chang walked up to him expressionlessly, brought his right palm together, transforming it into a flesh-and-blood palm blade, and swung it lightly.

laugh.

A golden light flashed.

Lin Wuwen's head, bearing an expression of endless regret, terror, and disbelief, flew high into the air, leaving a trail of blood in its wake, before tumbling down into the ruins of the dried-up stone pool.

Lin Wuwen, a powerful figure in the Divine Sword Sect and a mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm expert, has fallen.

Chu Chang bent down, expressionlessly collecting the storage ring on Lin Wuwen's finger and his head, which had died with its eyes wide open. Then he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He slowly turned around, looking at the dawn breaking outside, his eyes gleaming even brighter.

"Lin Wuwen is dead, and the Divine Sword Sect...it's time for a new master."

Inside the underground palace, dust gradually settled.

Lin Wuwen's headless body lay limp in a pool of blood, his wounds charred black by the pure yang sword energy, showing no signs of life.

Chu Chang walked forward expressionlessly, bent down and pulled off the dark gold storage bag from Lin Wuwen's waist.

This storage bag is imprinted with Lin Wuwen's soul. If it were anyone else, it would be quite a struggle to forcibly break it open, and they might even trigger a self-destruction restriction.

But now that Lin Wuwen is dead and his soul has dissipated, coupled with Chu Chang's powerful cultivation at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm, his divine sense surged in like a tidal wave, instantly pulverizing the remaining faint imprint.

Splash...

Chu Chang swept his divine sense across the storage bag and dumped all the items from it onto the edge of the dried-up pond.

Besides the piles of top-grade spirit stones, the dazzling array of insidious and poisonous potions, and fragments of magical artifacts, the most eye-catching items were several secret letters sewn from special animal hides and sealed tightly with sealing wax, as well as a black jade slip that emitted a faint blood-red glow.

Chu Chang casually opened one of the letters, and as his gaze swept over it, the temperature in his eyes instantly dropped to freezing point.

"In the 312th year of the Great Yuan Calendar, five hundred high-quality blood offerings were sent, all of them being independent cultivators and ordinary people from surrounding villages. We hope Sect Master Lin will accept them..."

"...The fog is about to rise in the restricted area outside the city. We have joined forces to seal off the outer perimeter and enter to hunt down disciples undergoing training. The divine souls and blood essence obtained will be divided 50/50."

At the end of the letter were the clan emblems of several renowned cultivation families within the Great Yuan Dynasty!

"The Xiao family, the Zhao family, the Iron Sword Sect... even the City Lord's Mansion!"

Chu Chang looked at those familiar names, a chilling sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

No wonder those powerful family members act so recklessly in the restricted area outside the city; no wonder so many independent cultivators and disciples from small sects mysteriously disappear in the restricted area every year.

It turns out that this was not an accident at all, but a "blood feast" hunting extravaganza led by Lin Wuwen, the sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect, and secretly participated in by several powerful families!

They turned the restricted area outside the city into a natural slaughterhouse, killing cultivators and collecting their blood and marrow to cultivate demonic arts and create demonic puppets.

"What a bunch of beasts in human skin."

Chu Chang crumpled the letter into shreds. Although he was not some benevolent saint, these people's actions had completely crossed the line for cultivators.

"If I were to take Lin Wuwen's head directly to the Divine Sword Sect to settle scores right now, those families and forces that colluded with him would surely flee at the mere mention of it, and might even unite against me. The defenses of Dayuan City, the sect's grand formation, several Purple Mansion Ancestors... even if I were made of iron, how many nails could I possibly hammer in by myself?"

Chu Chang calmly analyzed the situation.

He needs help.

Or rather, he needs a group of absolutely loyal, fearless, and ready-to-fight "tools" for him.

Chu Chang's gaze slowly fell on the black jade slip that was emitting a blood-red light.

He pressed the jade slip to his forehead, immersing his consciousness into it, and five powerful, sinister characters instantly appeared in his mind!

The Secret Techniques of the Heavenly Demon Puppet.

This jade slip contains the core inheritance of the demonic path that Lin Wuwen has devoted his life to studying.

It not only records in detail how to refine blood marrow from living people and make low-level blood demon puppets, but also records a supreme forbidden technique called "Heavenly Demon Reincarnation Puppet".

"The Heavenly Demon Reincarnation Puppet... is based on the complete corpse of a powerhouse at the Purple Mansion stage or above, preserving their physical instincts and combat memories from their lifetime. Its meridians are reshaped using demonic energy elixirs. Once refined, it can not only unleash ten times the strength of its host in life, but can even continue to advance with the nurturing of its master!"

A sharp glint flashed in Chu Chang's eyes.

This was practically a secret technique tailor-made for him.

At his feet lay the warm, recently deceased body of a mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm expert, along with a perfectly preserved head.

"Lin Wuwen, in your previous life you wanted to turn me into a demonic puppet. Now, karma has come full circle, so you shall become my first demonic reincarnation puppet!"

Chu Chang sneered and immediately set to work.

Although he didn't possess Lin Wuwen's insidious demonic arts, he was endowed with the "Taiyin-Yangtai Chaotic Body," whose chaotic true essence could evolve into all the laws of the world. As long as he simulated demonic energy according to the secret technique's energy circulation route and incantation marks, the effect would be even purer than if Lin Wuwen had done it himself.

"rise!"

Chu Chang drew his fingers, and Lin Wuwen's headless corpse and his unseeing head simultaneously floated into the air.

His first task was to reattach the head that he had severed.

Chu Chang sat down cross-legged, and the chaotic true essence within his body instantly transformed into the pitch-black Taiyin demonic power. His hands frantically formed hand seals like butterflies flitting among flowers, and complex, twisted black runes condensed at his fingertips, turning into a sky full of black rain that drizzled down onto Lin Wuwen's corpse.

"With blood as the guide and bones as the bridge, the secret thread of the Heavenly Demon is connected!"

Chu Chang flicked his finger, and dozens of black threads, condensed from pure demonic energy, pierced into the broken wound on Lin Wuwen's neck like fine needles.

Chi Chi Chi!

Black threads crisscrossed wildly at the wound, stitching together the broken spine, trachea, blood vessels, and meridians. Under the eerie power of the "Heavenly Demon Puppet Secret Technique," the previously necrotic cells miraculously regained their eerie vitality.

Accompanied by a sickening groan of muscle contractions, Lin Wuwen's head slowly descended onto the neck.

Black, demonic patterns crawled wildly along the seam like centipedes, eventually disappearing completely beneath the skin. Without close inspection, one would never guess that the head had been neatly severed.

The first step is to sew up the flesh, and then it's done.

The next step, the second and most crucial, is the "Demon Fire Refining Bones" and "Opening the Demonic Veins".

Lin Wuwen's meridians had been completely destroyed by Chu Chang's pure Yang sword energy. To restore his fighting ability, his meridians must be completely rebuilt with secret medicine and demonic fire, and his bones must be tempered to be stronger.

"Although the Pool of Myriad Spirits' Blood Marrow has dried up, the turbid, underground energy accumulated at the bottom of the pool over decades is still there, which can be used as fuel!"

Chu Chang pressed one hand to the ground, causing a heavy tremor.

boom!

Beneath the underground palace, he forcibly extracted dense black Yin Demon Fire, which transformed into a black fire dragon that completely enveloped Lin Wuwen, who was suspended in mid-air.

"go!"

Chu Chang flicked his finger again, producing over a dozen bottles of body-tempering potions he had found in Lin Wuwen's storage bag. These potions melted in the demonic fire, transforming into pure medicinal power that continuously seeped into Lin Wuwen's body through his pores.

Crackling sounds!

The sounds of bones shattering and reforming echoed continuously within the demonic flames. Lin Wuwen's body trembled violently within the demonic flames; although he was unconscious, the instinctive convulsions of his flesh still appeared exceptionally ferocious.

Chu Chang was completely focused, his divine sense as sharp as a blade, precisely controlling the demonic fire. He was not only reshaping Lin Wuwen's physical body, but also using chaotic true essence to inscribe defensive array patterns deep within Lin Wuwen's bones.

This training lasted for a whole day and night.

As the first light of dawn shone into the underground palace through the ventilation shafts the next day, the demonic fire in mid-air finally began to die down.

At this moment, Lin Wuwen's skin had an eerie dark gold hue, faintly gleaming with a metallic sheen. His fatal wounds had completely healed, his withered muscles had bulged again, and the imposing presence he exuded was even stronger than when he was alive!

"The final step, the soul imprint, the Heavenly Demon turns, open!"

Chu Chang's eyes widened, and from between his brows, an extremely dazzling golden divine sense shot out, transforming into an intricate golden "卍" symbol (this was a divine soul defense golden seal he created after fusing with the Vajra Invincible Technique), which forcibly entered Lin Wuwen's empty sea of ​​consciousness.

boom!

Lin Wuwen's body trembled violently, and in his previously lifeless sea of ​​consciousness, Chu Changsheng's indelible mark of enslavement was instantly etched.

From then on, as long as Chu Chang had a single thought, no matter how far apart they were, Lin Wuwen would carry it out unconditionally. Even if it meant self-destruction, he would not hesitate for a moment.

Swish!

Lin Wuwen's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened at that moment.

Those were eyes devoid of any emotion, as black as an abyss.

He slowly descended from mid-air, kneeling on one knee before Chu Chang, his voice hoarse and stiff, yet filled with utmost respect:

"Owner."

Looking at Lin Wuwen kneeling respectfully before him, Chu Chang let out a long sigh of relief, and a hearty smile finally appeared on his face.

It worked!

A genuine super bodyguard with the strength of the mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm, and there is absolutely no possibility of him betraying you!

"Get up," Chu Chang said calmly.

"Yes, Master." Lin Wuwen stood up stiffly and stood quietly behind Chu Chang, concealing his aura. Now, he looked no different from the refined and scholarly sect master of the Divine Sword Sect in his previous life, and no one could tell that he had become a puppet.

Chu Chang stroked his chin, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"With Lin Wuwen's identity as a cover, many things become much easier."

Chu Chang looked at Lin Wuwen and coldly gave the order: "Lin Wuwen, after the Great Yuan Inspector leaves, as the Sect Master of the Divine Sword Sect, you should go back and take charge of the overall situation."

"Yes, Master."

"Upon returning, immediately conduct a covert investigation into the movements of the Xiao family, the Zhao family, and the Iron Sword Sect. Pay particular attention to their recent blood-for-food transactions within the forbidden zone." Chu Chang's eyes were sharp as knives. "Since they enjoy killing within the forbidden zone, then I will make them stay there forever!"

"Yes, sir." Lin Wuwen bowed slightly.

Chu Chang turned around and looked at the chaotic underground palace.

Although the "Pool of Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Marrow" here has been destroyed, he has obtained something a thousand times more precious than this pool.

"Divine Sword Sect, Great Yuan City..."

Chu Chang stepped out of the underground palace, facing the first rays of morning sunlight, a sinister smirk appearing on his lips.

"This bloody game that you yourselves woven, now it's my turn to be the dealer."

Lin Wuwen's figure flickered, transforming into a hidden streak of blood-red light, and sped towards the main peak of the Divine Sword Sect.

Chu Chang, on the other hand, concealed his aura and silently blended into the jungle below, like a lone wolf hidden in the shadows, quietly waiting for its prey to come to it.