"Elder Qiaoyin, has any news come from the front?"

Having set up camp on the edge of the desolate land, Qiaoyin had already released no fewer than dozens of puppets, but not a single one had returned. The other disciples following her couldn't help but ask with some concern.

Qiaoyin was dressed smartly, her long hair piled up behind her head, clearly a decisive and efficient person—in modern terms, a tech-savvy individual. While her looks weren't particularly striking, her aura of authority was undeniable.

"Hmph, a bunch of cowards who fear death. Even demons can go, but these people can't. My carefully crafted puppets can climb out of the abyss if they fall in, roll even if they're missing an arm or a leg, and even if they only have a hand left, they'll crawl back to report to me. Otherwise, if someone takes their spirit stones, without a source of support, how can they send messages?"

While her puppetry skills were superb, Qiaoyin's words were somewhat unpleasant, and she had a rather bad temper. Therefore, she could only be an elder, and only wanted to be an elder. This trip was only possible because Qiu Wanqian promised her extremely rare materials. Otherwise, she probably would have already turned the Yijing Sect upside down. Even if she didn't go herself, sending a few small puppets to cause trouble would still be feasible.

Therefore, even though the people behind them heard Qiaoyin cursing them, they pretended not to hear it. After all, she was a Mahayana stage cultivator and had played a key role. They were just there as bystanders sent by the sect, and arguing with Qiaoyin would only humiliate them; why bother causing trouble for themselves?

While these people remained silent, the demons mixed in with the crowd began to whisper among themselves.

"Could it be that there really is a master inside who secretly stole the spirit stones from the puppet while we were lingering here?"

"That's right. If this is just a trap, we might be doing all the work for someone else without even realizing it. Those are all top-grade spirit stones. We can get them without anyone noticing, just sitting back and waiting for them to come to us. Where else can we find such a good opportunity?"

"Pah, don't talk nonsense. Elder Qiaoyin's puppets are not something that ordinary people can move."

"You don't understand. How can a puppet for reconnaissance be the same as one for attack? If it were used for combat, probably no one could get close. But this is just for reconnaissance, so it doesn't need to consume so much energy. Who knows, there might actually be someone lying in wait, just waiting for us to walk right into their trap."

"Hmm, that's possible. Don't the demons often go in to throw away corpses? If they can go in, why can't we? Are we really inferior to the demons?"

"Shh, how can you say such things so easily?"

The brief discussion piqued everyone's curiosity.

Fortunately, not all those sent by the sects were cunning elders; quite a few were hotheads. Many used the banner of fighting for the greater good of the world, treating this trip as a training exercise. The words spoken by a few disguised demons reflected the thoughts of most of them, though they remained silent.

Her voice was deliberately lowered, but it didn't escape the ears of the Mahayana cultivators. Upon hearing this, Qiaoyin and Xu Hua, the steward elder of the Guiyi Hall of the Yijing Sect, reacted differently. Qiaoyin snorted coldly, seemingly with the urge to tear anyone who questioned the puppets she had created to pieces, while Xu Hua frowned and glanced at the crowd as if sensing something, but ultimately said nothing.

"See that? A brilliant idea from your Yijing Sect. Not only are you wasting my puppets, but you're also getting no credit for your efforts, and some people even suspect we're just delivering spirit stones. If that's the case, then I have to wonder if someone is really trying to fish in troubled waters and make an enemy of the entire cultivation world. Let me make this clear: if anyone touches my puppets, no matter which sect they belong to, don't blame me for being ruthless. Anyone who dares to touch my things will die a thousand times over, and that won't be enough to quell my anger!"

Qiaoyin's gaze swept coolly over everyone, focusing on Xu Hua, which made the latter slightly displeased.

Bad temper? Is that a reason? Everyone has a temper, it's just that I don't want to argue with a woman like her.

Remembering Wu Tan's instructions before leaving, Xu Hua took a deep breath, calmed down, and said calmly, "Elder Qiaoyin, there's no need to worry about these trivial matters. If anyone dares to make a move against the puppet, not to mention you, I will be the first to not let them off the hook. But for now, let's think about what to do next."

If he were to follow his usual practice, he would definitely divide the manpower into two teams, one to scout ahead and the other to defend from the rear. This way, they could provide timely support if anything unusual happened. How could a mere few puppets possibly ascertain the true situation? And yet, the sect leader repeatedly instructed him that this operation must be carried out according to Qiaoyin's arrangements. So what if she can make a few dolls? They're just toys for teasing people; what great things can they accomplish!

"Let's wait a bit longer. If we still don't hear anything by tomorrow, we'll discuss it further."

Qiaoyin replied to Xuhua somewhat stiffly, but she was inwardly annoyed.

Although Xu Hua didn't say it aloud, and his tone and expression were normal, she sensed that Xu Hua looked down on the puppet. In her life, she hated nothing more than people talking about the puppets she made, but this time, the puppet was gone and never returned, leaving her without the confidence to speak. She had to suppress her displeasure and resort to delaying tactics.

Her connection with the puppets was through a special form of spiritual communication. Inside the puppets, she had installed a device capable of detecting specific spiritual vibrations; only with corresponding vibrations could she remotely control them. The higher her cultivation level, the farther her spiritual communication could travel, and the greater the precision of her control.

When the puppet was first placed in the desolate land, it could still sense something, but after a while, the senses became increasingly faint, and finally the connection was lost.

Based on her experience, even if the puppet couldn't send back a message immediately, it would return after detecting a certain distance. But this time, the puppet had been inside for most of the day without any movement.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!