I Have an Omen System-Chapter 56 - 55: Cyan Imperial Armor Captain

Until his last breath, Lu Ming still couldn’t understand.

’I hid my intentions so well. How did Fellow Daoist Huaizhong realize I was going to kill him for his treasures?’

Qin Xuan, on the other hand, looked bewildered. He held his Lifebound Copper Sword, feeling the faint wisp of Essence it fed back to him, and fell into deep thought.

’I went to all the trouble of preparing so many countermeasures, and Fellow Daoist Lu was really only at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer?’

He bent down to pick up the Thunder Talisman Lu Ming had prepared. Even this talisman, on which Lu Ming had pinned all his hopes, had power that barely reached the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer.

Qin Xuan looked up, his expression one of wistful disappointment.

’Only after leaving the Holy Sect did I realize... the Cultivators out here are so sincere!’

’It’s really unsettling.’

Qin Xuan clicked his tongue and calmed himself down.

However, that didn’t stop Qin Xuan from looting the corpse. Every little bit counts, after all.

Qin Xuan began patting down the body. First, he took Lu Ming’s Storage Pouch and all his Magic Talismans, then he produced an exquisite, three-inch-long dagger from his robes.

With a flick of his wrist, he easily peeled off Lu Ming’s entire face. The body was still warm, the skin steaming slightly. The freshly peeled hide was as thin as a cicada’s wing.

Qin Xuan carefully laid it over his own face. He swiped a hand across it, and a strange, pitch-black Demonic Qi surged forth. A miraculous thing happened.

He transformed, taking on Lu Ming’s appearance. His features and aura were identical, so perfect that not even Lu Ming’s own father could spot the difference.

’Not bad at all. The Holy Sect’s Skin Painting and Disguise Technique really is useful.’

Qin Xuan casually performed the simplest Water Mirror Technique, studying his reflection in the misty surface and nodding in satisfaction.

This was an Illusion Technique recorded in the White Bone Yin Talisman manual. It required the Essence Blood and facial skin of a Cultivator with a lower Cultivation than the caster.

Lu Ming had been a perfect fit.

Unfortunately, Qin Xuan was already nearing the maximum number of Bone Shadow Soldiers he could control.

’A White Bone Yin Talisman in the Qi Cultivation Stage can hold up to ten skeletons, but I can only actively control three Bone Shadow Soldiers at a time. Any more would overtax my Divine Sense and trigger a backlash...’

Li Fan, Chen He, Zhou Kai, Li Cang, the two Qi Cultivation Eighth-Layer Cultivators from the Blazing Fire Sect, the Foundation Establishment Silver Bone, and a few other small fry...

Qin Xuan now had nine Bone Shadow Soldiers stored in his White Bone Yin Talisman.

’Forget it, one more Yin Soldier is just one more. A huge battle might break out at any moment, so it’s good to have the extra fighting strength.’

With very little effort, Qin Xuan performed Refinement on Lu Ming’s skinless, fleshless corpse, turning it into another Bone Shadow Soldier.

’In the future, unless I meet someone with a high Cultivation, I’ll just dismantle the low-level small fry for parts. The Bone Shadow Soldiers can always be reassembled anyway...’

Just then, the faint sound of Cold Nether Sect disciples talking drifted from further down the corridor.

Qin Xuan immediately put away the White Bone Yin Talisman and concealed himself in the shadows.

"Careful, there’s something here!"

An old voice, belonging to a Cold Nether Sect disciple, called out.

"Junior Martial Uncle Han, it’s just a metal armguard," a younger voice added, followed by the sound of metal striking metal.

"It seems we aren’t the first ones here."

The owner of the aged voice took the metal armguard and noticed a familiar flame pattern. "This is a standard-issue Magical Artifact of the Blazing Fire Sect," he said. "They stopped using this model long ago. It must be at least fifty years old."

"Junior Martial Uncle Han, look! There’s a sword mark here. Could a major battle have happened here fifty years ago?"

The old Cultivator, called Junior Martial Uncle Han, crouched down. His fingers gently traced a deep sword mark on the floor before he looked up toward the far end of the tunnel.

"No. This Sword Qi was left behind by a Purple Mansion Cultivator at least three hundred years ago."

"It seems the rumors are true. The Puppet Sect is worthy of being a Divinity Transformation Sect. Even after ten thousand years of dormancy, it consumes a batch of Cultivators every time it reappears, yet they still keep coming wave after wave."

"Fortune favors the bold, after all."

The young Cold Nether Sect disciple grinned, but his voice held no mirth, only a probing tone.

"They say the Puppet Sect’s ’Thousand Mechanisms Transformation’ Secret Technique lets a person control hundreds of Puppets simultaneously, effectively becoming a one-man army. Junior Martial Uncle Han, should we try to find it? It would be a terrible waste if those Sinful Demons from the Blood Demon Sword Sect were to seize it."

"What are you thinking?"

The old voice suddenly turned sharp as he scolded, "Nephew Fang, don’t forget that both of our lifespans are nearly exhausted. The entire reason we lowered our Cultivation Realms was to acquire the Thousand Puppet Spiritual Liquid for the Sect. As for the Puppet Sect’s inheritance, that’s a job for other disciples.

If the Sinful Demons of the Blood Demon Sword Sect want it, let them have it. Don’t lose sight of our priorities."

"You are right, Junior Martial Uncle," the young disciple said in a low voice, though it was thick with resentment.

After that, the two fell completely silent.

Hidden in the darkness, Qin Xuan’s eyes glinted, deep and unreadable.

’These two from the Cold Nether Sect are extraordinary. They seem to have a higher status than even Bai Ningshuang.’

’And where are the other Cold Nether Sect disciples the Golden Finger mentioned? Why haven’t I seen any of them?’

Fearing discovery, Qin Xuan didn’t follow too closely and thus couldn’t get a clear look at their faces. However, he secretly sent two Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles flying silently toward them, where they attached themselves to the pair.

Han and Fang advanced cautiously.

The light of a Lighting Talisman cast wavering shadows on the Bronze Wall. They remained completely oblivious to the Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles that had landed on their shoulders and were quietly melting away.

The corridor gradually sloped downward, and the metallic tang in the air grew thicker.

After walking for about ten minutes, the passage suddenly opened into a large, circular hall, and the air filled with a clamor of voices.

"Junior Martial Uncle Han, Senior Brother Fang, you’re finally here!"

Bai Ningshuang’s androgynous voice was tinged with clear delight.

Besides Bai Ningshuang, the voices of numerous other Cold Nether Sect disciples chimed in. There had to be at least forty or fifty people.

At this, joy surged in Qin Xuan’s heart.

’Bai Ningshuang is here, just as I thought. That Soul-devouring Banner is as good as mine!’

Ji Boyan’s requirement for the assessment in the Thousand Mechanisms Ancient Tomb was to see which Steward killed the most Cold Nether Sect disciples.

Bai Ningshuang, the chief True Inheritance disciple of the Cold Nether Sect, plus all these Qi Cultivation small fry at his side... they were practically serving their heads up to Qin Xuan on a silver platter.

However, to be safe, Qin Xuan did not enter the hall.

From his vantage point, he could only see twelve life-sized Bronze Puppets in the center of the hall. They were arranged in a circle, each one kneeling on one knee with its head bowed and arms lowered, as if in worship.

Behind the twelve Puppets was a massive wall covered in a relief carving. It depicted a majestic palace floating in the sky—a scene from the height of the Puppet Sect’s power.

Surrounding the palace was a vast army of Puppets, as though the carving depicted an earth-shattering war.

"The Puppet Sect’s Twelve Cyan Imperial Armor Captains!"

Bai Ningshuang cried out, "Legend says that when the twelve Cyan Imperial Armor Puppets fight as one, a Qi Cultivation Cultivator can take on a Heaven Dao Foundation Establishment expert and hold their own!"

Overjoyed, Bai Ningshuang started forward to take a closer look but was suddenly pulled back.

"Don’t move!"

Junior Martial Uncle Han pointed to a nearly invisible thread on the ground, his aged voice full of warning. "Be careful of the Puppet Manipulation Mechanism. There is definitely a trigger-activated trap surrounding these Twelve Cyan Imperial Armor Captains."

Startled, Bai Ningshuang scrambled backward.

Junior Martial Uncle Han shook his head, carefully took out a copper coin, and gently tossed it toward one of the Puppets.

The instant the copper coin touched the Puppet’s shoulder, the motionless bronze statue abruptly looked up, its eyes flaring with red light. All twelve Puppets in the hall rose to their feet simultaneously, their joints letting out the ear-piercing screech of grinding metal.

"Trespassers in the Daoist’s Tomb... die!"

A mechanical voice resounded from all directions.

The bronze figure struck by the coin seemed to spring to life. Its movements were slow yet forceful. It opened its mouth, revealing a cavernous, dark throat where a blue light began to coalesce.

"Hmph. Just a Qi Cultivation Peak Puppet," Junior Martial Uncle Han scoffed, quickly manifesting an Ice Shield in front of himself.

BANG!

The blue light slammed into the shield, and spiderweb cracks instantly spread across the surface of the ice.

Seeing this, Bai Ningshuang, who was standing nearby, moved like lightning. He instantly summoned a Cold Ice Talisman, which flared and transformed into a cyan sword light that swept out and cut the Puppet in two at the waist.

But bizarrely, the Puppet, though severed in two, did not stop. Its upper torso continued its attack, swinging its blade down!