Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 733 - 712: Survival Through Certain Death

As soon as Huang Hanying's soul touched the puppet, a faint glow immediately appeared on it, blocking her entry.

"This is the protective energy of the puppet, which not only prevents the soul from entering but also effectively prevents the soul from leaving at will. As long as Granny Huang can successfully enter and refine it to gain control, the mission will be accomplished!"

Leng Yutang saw the crowd looking confused and quickly explained patiently, "Without this strong energy, the puppet body could easily be possessed; if the soul is slightly unstable, it would easily leave the body and dissipate into nothingness.

And refining a puppet is complicated in itself, with basically no chance of upgrading once it's made, so the protective measures must be in place from the start."

Yun Mo scratched the feathers on his head with his wings and muttered, "So you have to fight your own puppet first and only if you win."

"It's more like a magical treasure to be tamed; you have to gain its approval before refining and using it."

Bai Yunqi watched as the translucent soul fiercely clashed with the brilliant light, and immediately felt invigorated, squinting slightly with his spikes standing upright, and softly said, "No wonder it's possible to have a blank memory after fusion.

Trying to tame the puppet body requires a massive amount of soul power, and when refining takes place, the soul burns layer by layer. Ultimately, only the most core soul remains, and the memory naturally gets lost."

"Makes sense, seeking immortality through the puppet body sounds good, but it turns out to be a struggle for survival."

"Yun Shu might have done the same in the past. Without great perseverance, an ordinary cultivator would have already dissipated by now. I wonder what her background really is..."

......

Members in the courtyard watched and whispered to each other, insiders see the profundity while outsiders watch the excitement, but Jiang Yuan couldn't even understand the excitement.

At first, he could still make out Granny Huang's soul, but soon it turned almost completely into a ball of light, bustling around like special effects worth just fifty cents.

So, seemingly sitting there motionless and focused, his thoughts had already wandered for a long time.

For example, he remembered the fish pond was short of three kinds of fish to receive a picture book reward.

Initially, he thought he had figured out the rules of using the system without a manual - anything unbound by the system, existing in reality, indistinguishable from the real thing, and wouldn't cause panic or water meter checks, could be taken over.

Of course, gold coins are an exception; they can only be cashed out, and there's a withdrawal limit.

Ordinary crops, fruits, water, daily essentials, and even advanced prepared incense can be taken out as well.

He wanted to take a few fish out, but got stuck, which was very strange. They looked similar to real-world fish, and if they weren't allowed because they were living beings, then why not even the meat after slaughter?

Surely it can't be because they're worried about species invasion even when the fish are in pieces?

Even fully prepared meals from the stove can't be taken out, not even ordinary cooked rice, but raw rice and well water can be taken out.

If only things from reality could be brought here; like tilapia, bettas, or guppies, getting the picture book would be easy...

Oh right, the incense offerings at East Lake Port were converted into faith value, with a surplus of over three thousand on the first day, and the High Priest Zhou Wang held the top position.

At this speed, after rejuvenating for some time, the release amount of the protective shield on the divine statue can be increased a bit.

And after a while, when income and expenditure balance out, the protective range of the divine statue can be expanded to accommodate more refugees.

The more people there are, the more vigorous the incense offerings become, and it won't take long to recover both the principal and interest, and beyond that, it's all pure profit...

Jiang Yuan's mind wandered very seriously, and when he reached a happy thought, the corners of his mouth would slightly curl up with a hint of a smile. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Huff! Huff!"

After several rounds of entanglement, Huang Hanying's soul was almost exhausted, practically on the verge of exhaustion.

Time seemed to slow down, and the illusions before her became more and more vivid. She saw Huang Niu'Er smiling and gesturing for her to come over, with his familiar voice at her ear, "Granny, come quickly! I'm waiting for you here!"

As her consciousness was about to scatter and drift away with him, the lingering faith kept Huang Hanying's mind clear - no, this isn't right! Huang Niu'Er betrayed me, he killed me with his own hands!

Now he wants to kill me a second time!

Past events became blurry in the increasingly translucent soul's memory, but she remembered never to trust Huang Niu'Er again. If the child she raised couldn't be trusted, then who could she believe?

Looking up, she saw familiar new friends not far away, all watching her with tense expressions. Oh no, am I about to fail...

As her will loosened, her soul became even more transparent, floating lightly and always ready to dissolve in the wind.

For a moment, a desire to retreat emerged, suddenly feeling that dissipating into the wind might be fine, at least not as tiring after a life full of hardship and struggles.

"Oh no, what can we do? Granny seems to be on the verge of collapse! Can't we help?"

"There's nothing we can do; we've deliberated for a long time and haven't found a solution. Once fusion begins, no one can help. We can only hope her will is strong enough to get through this ordeal."

"Granny, can you hear us? Hang in there! Don't give in at such a critical moment!"

"Her soul power is almost negligible, sigh..."

...

Although the members of the courtyard didn't quite understand puppetry, they were nonetheless genuine cultivators. They could easily sense the strengths and weaknesses of both sides in the battle. In their hearts, they all shouted that something was amiss, and it seemed like Granny Huang was likely to have her soul scattered.

As a result, their faces involuntarily displayed expressions of anxiety, tension, and worry. The fluctuation in their emotions was sensed by Huang Hanying's soul, causing her determination to further loosen, and her consciousness became even more blurred.

"Is that... Mr. Jiang? His gentle gaze is looking at me..." The almost transparent and vanishing soul reacted before realizing who the other person was. The remnants of memories rolled within her, seemingly losing the concept of time completely, and she remembered that he was the backbone of all the cultivators in the courtyard!

Miss Hu, Senior Bai, Yun Mo, Qing Niao, Senior Xie... each of them admired him wholeheartedly, as if there was no problem in the world that he could not solve, and even their own lives were saved by him.

That's right! Mr. Jiang, who is always busy, specifically made time to personally oversee, just to see her successfully fuse into the puppet body.

His face carried a calm smile, and his gaze was determined, as if he was full of confidence in her.

If Mr. Jiang believes I can succeed, with his unfathomable strength, there must be a reason for his belief. I must grit my teeth and persevere! I cannot let Mr. Jiang down or disappoint him, and I haven't even repaid his great life-saving kindness yet!

Warrior spirit suddenly arose in her heart, and the soul of Huang Hanying, which was already almost depleted, completely ignited. The flickering soul flame once again pounced towards the puppet she had personally crafted.

Come on! Fight!

Today it's either soul scattered or rebirth!

The puppet that I painstakingly crafted with my own hands over half my life must submit to me!

The soul power bearing memories burned out; the soul power bearing the cultivation technique transformed into a flame.

At this point, she cast aside all past events, like a moth to a flame, battling was her sole focus!

After an unknown amount of time, there was only one grain left, as small as a rice grain, of the purest, most pristine soul power, carrying the determination to survive no matter what. Like a dewdrop, it gently dripped from the tip of a leaf.

"Plop!"

Very light and gentle, a drop of water broke through all restraints and fell between the eyebrows of the puppet.

The gentle light enveloping the puppet body rippled with layers of waves, swaying and shimmering, as the gleaming light gradually absorbed into the body, disappearing.

The wind blew past the treetops, where only the tireless cicadas continued to call out loudly.

"It worked!"

Everyone in the silent courtyard looked at this scene so tense they didn't dare to breathe, except for Leng Yutang, who participated in modifying the puppet. After a pause, he jumped up and shouted, "Success! Hahaha! She rose from the brink of death, she really did it!"

The exuberant cheers startled Jiang Yuan, who was lost in thought, awakening him to the fact that everything ended successfully. He thought to himself, no wonder the system remained silent from beginning to end, apparently the fusion wasn't difficult.

"That's great, my heart was in my throat just now, fearing it would end in failure!"

"Hehe, I said the omen was auspicious, didn't I?"

"This is definitely a cause for celebration! It's a great joy! Unfortunately, Xiao Chuanzi and Xiaogouzi aren't here, in all our celebrations, it's only the two of them we miss."

"Didn't it succeed? Why is there no movement? When will she wake up? Will she also be like Yun Shu at the beginning, remembering nothing?"

Facing the curious questions from the members of the courtyard, Leng Yutang cleared his throat with a smile and said, "Don't worry, once she passes this outermost barrier, refining will be much easier. It should take about the time of one incense stick to wake up.

After the fusion, who knows what it will be like, we have to wait for her to wake up. Just wait a bit, I need to carefully document the entire process, this is extremely valuable experience!"

Indeed, after patiently waiting for nearly an hour, the puppet placed on the stone platform blinked and woke up.

She could sense the continuous energy emanating from her chest, allowing her the freedom to do anything. So she slowly got up and saw a group of strangers, "people"?

What are people? Why is there this concept in her blank mind?

Who is Mr. Jiang? Why does the thought of repaying his kindness keep echoing in her mind?

"Who am I? Where is this place?" the puppet spoke. Her gentle voice sounded like the tone of Granny Huang when she was young.

An eager crowd gathered around, asking questions left and right. Yet, after being reborn, she was like a blank slate, remembering nothing except for the strong urge to repay Mr. Jiang's great kindness.

She couldn't even distinguish who "Mr. Jiang" was.

"It seems our guess was correct, when the soul power fused, it could only leave the most important belief imprinted deep in the soul." Leng Yutang scribbled with his pen on paper, not forgetting to explain, "Furthermore, it would also preserve some basic abilities, like speaking, thinking..."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan suddenly recalled when Yun Shu first awoke, she was most afraid of being destroyed if she was deemed useless.

He didn't know what she had gone through back then. Comparing to the arduous life of Granny Huang and the thought of repaying kindness she left behind, Yun Shu's situation might have been even more tragic, quite pitiable.

"Your name is Yun Ying, a puppet master who discovered the way to immortality through a puppet body by yourself." Hu Zhile stepped forward, holding her hand, and according to the previously discussed statement, took out a thick stack of prepared "materials" from the storage bag, patiently explaining, "Read these and you'll understand.

My name is Hu Zhile. We used to chat often by the Spirit Pool. Come on, don't you remember Mr. Jiang? Let me introduce him to you..."