Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 332 - 206: Clearing Away Obstacles

After returning from the Glazed Glass Trading House, Lu Chang’sheng plunged straight into his cultivation chamber, suppressing the joy in his heart as he took out a pile of materials from the treasure vault’s Immortal Insect.

The thing that caught his eye the most was definitely the Tongling Wood. It was the rarest, the hardest to find—if not for the Trading House’s many connections, getting it in such a short time would have been nearly impossible.

Next up was the making of the puppet beast.

Lu Chang’sheng steadied his mind, picked up an auxiliary material, and began constructing the puppet beast’s framework, then refined it with the distinctive methods of the Puppetry Technique.

This was an extremely detailed and lengthy process, but fortunately, he was no longer short on time.

······

Half a year later, Lu Chang’sheng’s cultivation room was already a different scene, with scraps of various materials scattered across the floor.

Some discarded tools were tossed in the corners, and in the center of the chamber, Lu Chang’sheng was channeling his magical power, finishing up the last touches on the puppet beast.

When he finally paused and stepped back, it meant the final work was done.

"Kaka~"

A flicker of caution flashed through his eyes. The puppet beast, four or five zhang long, trembled slightly, a deep and obscure spiritual light flashed once atop its head, and then, ever so slowly, it began to move.

"Bang!"

The thick tail whipped hard against the ground, letting out a thunderous boom.

Lu Chang’sheng felt the air in front of him tremble violently, and a joy he couldn’t put into words blossomed in his heart.

"The Black Water Profound Snake puppet beast—it’s done!"

He closed his eyes a little, his magical power seeming to stretch out into countless fine threads, connecting himself with the Black Water Profound Snake before him.

At the same moment, Lu Chang’sheng also realized his spiritual sense had shifted—become somehow purer, sharper.

Before, his spiritual sense was like rusty machinery parts. Now, it was as if a layer of oil had been applied to all the gears.

Controlling it felt smoother than ever before.

This was the nature of the Puppetry Technique—it made the wielder’s spiritual sense suppler, more flexible and dynamic.

That way, handling puppet beasts became second nature.

All of a sudden, Lu Chang’sheng’s expression changed.

He immediately cut off the connection to the puppet beast, but he was still a bit late. The huge puppet beast’s body crashed into the wall of the cultivation room, grinding and rumbling. Amid clouds of dust, the thick walls cracked apart and collapsed within seconds.

"What the hell happened?"

The disturbance in the cultivation chamber had caught the attention of the Lu Mansion’s people.

Many rushed over at the sound.

Some nearby guards arrived first.

And they only saw a figure scrambling from the ruins, looking utterly battered.

"Patriarch!"

"Patriarch, are you all right?"

"I’m fine!" Lu Chang’sheng waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

Just as he finished speaking, a figure dropped to his side—it was Li Nangua, roused from her cultivation. When she saw Lu Chang’sheng was all right, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened, Chang’sheng?"

"It’s nothing, just had some trouble controlling the new puppet beast I made."

Lu Chang’sheng explained.

Li Nangua looked oddly at him. She knew he’d been making a puppet beast lately, but hadn’t known what kind—she’d just assumed it was like all the others before.

Judging by the damage now, this one was clearly on a whole different level.

Lu Chang’sheng didn’t plan to hide it from her, saying, "This time, the puppet beast’s strength is late-stage Qi Cultivation. Handled properly, it could even go toe-to-toe with an eighth-level Qi Cultivator."

"That powerful?"

Li Nangua exclaimed in surprise.

Lu Chang’sheng nodded. "The Puppetry Technique is basically a top-tier mystical art at the Qi Cultivation level, so this kind of power isn’t unusual. Honestly, the Black Water Profound Snake is still just decent—Fang Yuan has some more secret puppet beasts that are even stronger."

Li Nangua clicked her tongue in amazement, then as if remembering something, said, "Yesterday, Fang Yuan and the others came to find me to discuss making a move. Do you think we should start?"

Lu Chang’sheng didn’t answer right away. Instead, he got a careful update from Li Nangua on the current affairs among the families.

Soon, he also understood why the various clan ancestors were all so anxious.

Half a month ago, Fang Yuan and the others had somehow caught wind of news about Tongling Wood in Liuyun Immortal City. When they went there, they fell into an ambush set by the Zhu Family and others. Luckily, the clan ancestors were cautious enough to go together, or they’d have been utterly helpless.

As Lu Chang’sheng heard this, a look of bewilderment crossed his face.

"The Tongling Wood rumor from Liuyun Immortal City was just a trap?"

"Yep—and the Zhu Family set it up," Li Nangua replied, still a little shaken.

If it hadn’t been for the recent fierce disputes around White Cloud Cave Mansion and general unrest nearby, Fang Yuan and the others wouldn’t have traveled as a group.

If any one of the other family ancestors besides Fang Yuan had gone alone, facing an ambush of that scale, there’d have been no chance to escape alive.

Lu Chang’sheng sighed inwardly. This move had made the grudge between them and the Zhu Family public and undeniable.

Both sides had suffered in this ambush, but the Zhu Family hadn’t gotten away clean either. That’s why Fang Yuan and the others were in such a hurry to strike back, before the Zhu Family could ally with anyone else.

So, it was definitely better to act sooner rather than later. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Lu Chang’sheng didn’t hesitate. Although he’d hoped to build his strength for a few more years, things had come to a head. The Zhu Family wasn’t stupid, and they’d come after him relentlessly if he delayed. Soon it wouldn’t be peaceful here anymore.

Right away, he sought out Fang Yuan, who was still recovering from his wounds, along with the other clan ancestors, to start making plans.