The voice of the Nascent Soul Cultivator was not loud, but it hit Fang Hao’s heart like a heavy hammer!

His nerves, which had just begun to relax, instantly tightened like a bowstring again!

Finished!

Just after driving away a pack of jackals, he had run into a fierce tiger!

And a fierce tiger at the Nascent Soul Stage at that!

Fang Hao looked up and saw the green-robed Cultivator standing in mid-air, his sleeves fluttering, appearing casual, but that deep-as-the-sea pressure made it impossible for him to breathe.

The other party’s gaze did not linger on him, a small Foundation Establishment Cultivator, at all; instead, it was filled with interest and a trace of greed as it sized up the golden puppet standing before him.

"Tsk tsk, this Puppet... the material is extraordinary, its spiritual charm is restrained, it is actually at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage level! Rare, truly rare!"

The green-robed Cultivator exclaimed in wonder, his eyes growing brighter, "Little guy, this treasure is not something you should possess. Hand it over, and I can spare your life."

The words were spoken lightly, but their unquestionable tone was bone-chillingly cold.

Fang Hao cursed wildly in his heart!

Spare my life? I’d have to be a fool to believe you!

Who wouldn’t be envious upon seeing such a precious treasure?

If I hand over the golden puppet, I’ll be silenced in the next second!

His brain whirred rapidly.

Fight head-on? That’s suicide!

The opponent is a bona fide Nascent Soul Cultivator, not a mindless, inanimate object like the golden puppet.

A Nascent Soul Cultivator has unfathomable methods; even if the golden puppet could block a few hits, if the opponent wanted to kill him, there would be countless ways to do so.

Run? Where to run?

Under the nose of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, how far could a Foundation Establishment Cultivator run?

The only chance of survival lay with the golden puppet!

He had to rely on it to deter the opponent and fight for a slim chance to escape!

Fang Hao hardened his heart, squeezed out a look of panic and struggle on his face, and stammered, "Sen... Senior, please understand! This Puppet... is... was bestowed upon this Junior by an elder in my family for self-defense; it has... has a Bloodline Restriction, and others cannot command it..."

As he spoke, he secretly exerted all his power to activate the golden puppet!

The golden puppet’s massive body shook violently, dark golden light flowed across it, and that terrifying pressure of the Middle Nascent Soul Stage erupted without reservation!

At the same time, Fang Hao quietly injected a trace of Chaos Qi into the golden puppet’s core, giving its aura an indescribable sense of antiquity and mystery!

"Oh? A Bloodline Restriction?" The green-robed Cultivator raised an eyebrow, appearing somewhat surprised.

He carefully sensed the aura emitted by the golden puppet and indeed felt an obscure, difficult-to-understand Restriction fluctuation. Moreover, the material and spiritual charm of the Puppet also exuded an unusual air; it did not look like something an ordinary Sect could refine.

This raised a trace of suspicion in his heart.

Could this kid really have some incredible backing?

Otherwise, how could a Foundation Establishment Cultivator possess a Middle Nascent Soul Stage Puppet for protection?

Just at this moment of hesitation, Fang Hao moved!

He furiously injected his remaining spiritual power into the golden puppet and roared, "Puppet Elder! Protect me!"

Receiving the command, the golden puppet’s eyes suddenly erupted with blinding golden light!

Its massive fist, carrying the terrifying power to tear the Void Realm, struck without any flourishes toward the green-robed Cultivator in the air!

For this punch, Fang Hao was almost overdrawing his Divine Soul power to control it, striving to unleash the strongest deterrent force!

At the same time, Fang Hao himself utilized Shrinking the Ground to an Inch and the Divine Spirit Steps, pushing his speed to the limit, and fled wildly toward the other side of the canyon without looking back!

He didn’t dare to look at the result at all, only praying that this punch could block the opponent for a moment!

"Hmph! Overestimating yourself!"

The green-robed Cultivator snorted coldly, a flash of anger in his eyes as he saw the golden puppet suddenly launch an attack.

But he did not take the punch head-on; instead, his figure flickered, vanishing from the spot like a ghost, easily avoiding the fist.

The speed of a Nascent Soul Cultivator was far beyond imagination!

Boom!

The golden puppet’s fist struck empty air, and the violent energy shattered the rocks below into powder!

The green-robed Cultivator appeared on the other side, looking at Fang Hao’s fleeing back, a cold sneer curling his lips: "Want to run? Mere parlor tricks!"

He waved his sleeve, and a cyan spiritual power handprint appeared out of thin air, blotting out the sky as it reached out to grab Fang Hao!

The speed was astonishing!

Seeing he was about to be caught, Fang Hao’s mind raced, and he commanded the golden puppet to turn instantly, crossing its arms to block behind him!

Bang!

The cyan handprint slammed heavily onto the golden puppet’s arms, emitting a deafening roar!

The golden puppet’s body shook violently, and it was knocked sliding dozens of zhang backward, plowing two deep trenches into the ground, but it had ultimately blocked the blow!

"Hmm? Such a hard shell!" The green-robed Cultivator was somewhat surprised; the Puppet’s defensive power exceeded his expectations.

Taking this opportunity, Fang Hao was already about to rush out of the canyon!

While running, he desperately stuffed qi recovery pills into his mouth to replenish his consumed spiritual power.

The green-robed Cultivator’s eyes turned cold; he was clearly truly angry now.

He formed seals with both hands, and cyan light surged around him; he was clearly about to cast a more powerful Spell!

Just at this moment, another unexpected event occurred!

Perhaps the commotion from the golden puppet’s punch and the blocking of the handprint had been too great, triggering the already loose mountain above the canyon!

Rumble—!

Large swathes of rock began to collapse, tumbling into the canyon!

Dust and smoke filled the air, obstructing vision!

The green-robed Cultivator frowned, forced to divide his attention to block the falling boulders.

Although he did not fear them, being interfered with by this debris was quite troublesome.

As for Fang Hao, he took advantage of this chaotic moment to rush out of the canyon like a fish, plunging into the dense primeval forest without looking back!

Once inside the forest, he immediately concentrated on restraining his aura, using the cover of the trees to flee for his life!

The green-robed Cultivator swept away the falling rocks with a wave of his sleeve, but when he looked again, he had lost sight of Fang Hao.

He swept the forest with his Divine Sense, but Fang Hao had long been prepared, running the Ethereal Art to its limit, and with the complex environment of the forest, he found it difficult to lock onto him for a moment.

"Hmph! Consider yourself lucky to have run fast!"

The green-robed Cultivator looked gloomily in the direction where Fang Hao had disappeared, then looked at the golden puppet that was still standing in the canyon, exuding a dangerous aura, and ultimately chose not to pursue.

To risk deep into the dense forest to hunt down a slippery kid for an uncertain treasure, and also have to face a troublesome nascent soul puppet, carried too much risk and wasn’t worth the loss.

He snorted coldly, his figure flickered, and he turned into a streak of cyan light, disappearing into the horizon.

Sensing that the terrifying pressure had finally moved away, Fang Hao, who was hiding in the depths of the dense forest, dared to stop, leaning against a large tree, gasping for air, his whole body soaked in cold sweat.

It was truly dangerous to the extreme just now! He almost died!

After resting for a good while and calming his wildly beating heart, Fang Hao carefully snuck back to the vicinity of the canyon entrance.

Confirming that the Nascent Soul Cultivator had truly left, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the corpses all over the ground and the scattered goods, Fang Hao felt a complex mix of emotions.

The caravan had been wiped out, and he was the only one left.

He sighed and began to clean up the battlefield.

He first gathered the bodies of Steward Qian, Tu Gang, Hou Tong, and those familiar-faced Guest Elders and guards, buried them simply in a spot, and erected an unmarked wooden tablet.

The dead are the most important; this was the least he could do.

Then, it was time to harvest the spoils of war.

The Storage Rings and Storage Pouches of the three Golden Core bandits and the dozen or so Foundation Establishment leaders were all collected, not a single one missed.

The scattered goods of the caravan that could be packed were also put into those ownerless Storage Pouches.

Finally, with a thought, he recalled the golden puppet into his Storage Ring.

This treasure had performed a great service this time, but it had also been exposed; he would have to use it more carefully in the future.

After finishing all this, only deathly silence and the smell of blood remained in the canyon.

Fang Hao stood at the valley entrance, looking toward the direction of Hundred Flowers City, then looked back at the road he came from, feeling empty inside.

The caravan was gone, and the mission could be considered a failure.

Should he still go to Hundred Flowers City? If he went, how would he explain? Would the Prince’s Mansion hold him accountable?

A pile of questions flooded his mind, leaving him a bit bewildered.

"Forget it! Let’s get to Hundred Flowers City first!"

After thinking for a long time without any leads, Fang Hao simply stopped thinking about it.

The most urgent matter was to leave this place of trouble and find a safe place to heal and count his gains.

He summoned his Flying Sword, identified the direction, and alone, sped off toward the direction of Hundred Flowers City in the Southern Border.

His figure soon disappeared into the vast sea of forest.

The road ahead was unknown, and fortune or misfortune was hard to predict.

But having experienced a series of life-and-death trials, Fang Hao’s eyes were firmer than ever before.