Chapter 354 - 341: Death Replacement Puppet, Divine Palace Envoy

Meanwhile, Zhang Chi quickly returned to his cave residence. He immediately took out the Jade Scroll, pressed it against his forehead, and extended his Divine Thought to inspect it.

'This... it's actually a Life-Saving Divine Technique? The Canglan Sect is truly worthy of its reputation as a fallen, top-tier Sect. And those two Supreme Elders have been more than generous to me.'

Zhang Chi was pleasantly surprised as he examined it.

What the Jade Scroll contained was not an ordinary Magic, but a Divine Technique that surpassed even Celestial Grade Magic Skills.

Normally, this Divine Technique could only be practiced by someone with Divinity Transformation Cultivation.

However, this particular one was special, so its threshold was relatively lower.

This Divine Technique was called the Puppet Substitute Death Technique.

As the name implied, after cultivating it, one could have a Puppet die in their place.

However, there were also restrictions to practicing this Divine Technique.

First, one's Cultivation and Divine Thought had to be sufficiently powerful. It was best to reach the Divinity Transformation Realm; if not, one needed to be as close to it as possible.

It could be used even if one's Cultivation was insufficient, but the effect would be much weaker, and the price to pay would be far greater.

For instance, an ordinary Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator would find it very difficult to master this Divine Secret Skill. Even if they did, each use would consume ninety percent of their remaining Lifespan.

For the Middle Stage, it was eighty percent; for the Late Stage, sixty percent; and for the Peak, fifty percent.

However, a Divinity Transformation Early Stage expert would supposedly only lose thirty percent of their Lifespan, while those at the Middle Stage and above would lose a mere ten percent.

Second, there were two other limitations to using this Divine Secret Skill.

First, each Cultivator could only use it three times in their entire life; a fourth attempt would have no effect at all.

Second, one needed to prepare at least one Death Replacement Puppet in advance.

This was different from the ordinary Puppets Zhang Chi refined; it was more like a special Magical Treasure, and a single-use consumable at that.

Of course, this Death Replacement Puppet was very difficult to refine, demanding a high level of both Artifact Refining skill and materials.

Trying to buy one directly was practically impossible.

But Zhang Chi wasn't concerned about these issues.

First, his Divine Thought was powerful, and with the aid of the Great Dream Heart Scripture, mastering this Divine Technique wouldn't be difficult.

Second, using this Divine Secret Skill would neither consume his Lifespan nor be limited in the number of uses.

This was because he had the help of the Jade Pendant.

At this moment, he communicated with the Jade Pendant using his consciousness and immediately had a realization—it was just as he'd thought.

Therefore, the only problem he needed to solve was refining the Death Replacement Puppet.

Fortunately, the Jade Scroll contained not only the Secret Technique but also the detailed method for refining it.

However, these Death Replacement Puppets were also graded. Low Grade ones were the easiest to refine, required the simplest materials, but could only be used by Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Middle Grade puppets corresponded to Divinity Transformation Cultivators.

As for Upper Grade, Top Grade, and higher levels, there were no records in the scroll.

This was because Death Replacement Puppets of that level were incredibly difficult to refine, and their materials were exceedingly rare in the world.

Moreover, Zhang Chi was still a long way from the Divinity Transformation Realm, let alone the realms beyond it.

As for grades below Low Grade, they simply didn't exist.

This was because cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm could not possibly master this Secret Technique, rendering a Death Replacement Puppet useless even if they had one.

As things stood, Zhang Chi's Artifact Refining skill was just barely sufficient to refine a Low Grade Death Replacement Puppet.

He also checked the materials list and was surprised to find that he already had most of the required items in his Storage Ring.

Furthermore, the Storage Bags from the two Supreme Elders also contained some of the necessary materials.

Between the two sources, he was only missing a handful of items, all of which were relatively easy to find.

Thus, Zhang Chi immediately sent a Communication Talisman to his two disciples, asking them to gather the materials for him.

Meanwhile, he immediately began cultivating the Divine Technique himself.

His progress was astonishingly fast; in just ten days or so, he had completely mastered it.

He wasn't surprised by this.

After all, the main difficulty of this Divine Technique lay in its numerous restrictions; the actual process of practicing it was relatively easy. Even other Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivators could definitely achieve a preliminary grasp after studying it for two or three hundred years.

Otherwise, the two Supreme Elders would not have given him this Divine Technique.

'Excellent. This Divine Technique has too many restrictions for other cultivators. They wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary, and they'd be crippled afterward. But for me, it can become one of my regular trump cards.'

Having mastered this Divine Technique, Zhang Chi was more satisfied than ever.

Another month passed. His two disciples came to see him, having successfully brought the missing materials.

Zhang Chi didn't take advantage of them. He gave them some Spirit Stones and offered them some guidance on their cultivation.

They both benefited greatly and became even more respectful toward Zhang Chi.

After his two disciples left, Zhang Chi began the process of refining the Death Replacement Puppet.

He started by materializing the components in his Dream Space to simulate the refining process. At first, he failed every time.

But by the third year, after a number of failures he'd lost count of, he could finally guarantee success with every attempt.

And so, Zhang Chi finally began refining it in the real world. As expected, he succeeded on his very first attempt. The process was so easy and effortless, it felt like he could do it with his eyes closed.

"So this is the Death Replacement Puppet? It's truly incredible!"

At this moment, Zhang Chi held an object that looked like a wooden puppet toy, about half the size of his palm, and couldn't help but marvel.

The object looked much like a child's toy, but it actually radiated an incredibly profound aura.

Zhang Chi dripped a bit of his Primordial Essence Blood onto it, and an extremely profound connection instantly formed between him and the Death Replacement Puppet.

Zhang Chi considered testing its effect but decided against it on second thought.

For one thing, he knew the Divine Technique was genuine.

For another, he only had enough materials to refine one puppet; gathering the components for another would be a slow process.

Ultimately, however, he used the Turtle Shell Divination Skill to perform a reading. He confirmed that the puppet was indeed fine and would function as intended. Only then did he feel at ease, storing it in a secret chamber within his cave residence, where it was heavily protected by an Array.

This way, according to the Divine Technique's description, if he were to suffer a fatal blow while outside, the Death Replacement Puppet would instantly take the damage for him, and he would be teleported here by the Power of Space.

This aspect of it was truly miraculous.

Of course, this didn't mean he could now act recklessly without fear of any expert.

The methods of the truly powerful were mysterious and unpredictable; they might have ways to nullify his Puppet Substitute Death Technique. An expert could also trap him without killing him, or even strike him down across space itself.

Moreover, if the Death Replacement Puppet were to be successfully used, he would escape with his life, but he would appear here completely naked. Unless he stored all his treasures within his body, he would surely lose them.

Furthermore, the puppet's materials were very precious. He had only managed to refine one this time thanks to the help of the two Supreme Elders and the spoils from his previous Exploration.

If this one was used, he would have to spend a great deal of time and Spirit Stones to gather the materials for the next one.

Even so, it still gave him a much greater sense of security.

After that, in addition to his daily Cultivation, he began refining more Star Swords.

In the fifth year, his original seventy-two Flying Swords increased to eighty-one.

He had once again used up all his Star Divine Iron.

In that same year, a major event occurred. The Desert Divine Palace officially announced that a massive Beast Tide was imminent, urging all oases, large and small, along with their countless Cultivators and Immortal Cultivation Influences, to prepare for war.

To this end, the Desert Divine Palace would also dispatch envoys to assist and supervise. It also took the rare step of opening up exchanges for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

To exchange for these Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, one simply needed to find the local Desert Divine Palace envoys to handle the transaction.

Thus, early one morning, Zhang Chi arrived at the Floating Celestial Palace, deep within the Canglan Sect.

It wasn't just Zhang Chi; the Canglan City Lord and other Nascent Soul True Monarchs were also present. Even the Sect Leader and the two Supreme Elders, Lu and Mei, were in attendance.

But they were not the center of attention. The focus was on a young-looking man and woman seated in the highest seats of honor.

The man wore a suit of Silver Armor, looking both handsome and imposing. The woman was tall and athletic, fair-skinned and beautiful, with a valiant, heroic air about her.

The two of them wore the identity tokens of the Desert Divine Palace at their waists; they were indeed the two envoys, and their Cultivation levels were extremely high.

Judging by the fluctuations of Spiritual Power they emanated, one could tell they were both at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

But when Zhang Chi saw the male cultivator, he couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise and apprehension.

He had seen this cultivator before. It was the same Palace Master's Disciple who had led the attack on the Demon Bear Race.

His Cultivation was now even stronger than before, infinitely close to the Nascent Soul Peak, and he seemed ready to break through at any moment.

Right now, this young cultivator was clearly concealing his true Cultivation.

The other cultivators couldn't tell, but with his powerful Divine Thought, Zhang Chi could easily discern the man's true level.

'An envoy this powerful has come... Could the Desert Divine Palace be targeting me? Or perhaps... is the Canglan Oasis about to face huge trouble?'

Zhang Chi couldn't help but speculate.

On the surface, however, he remained perfectly calm and quickly regained his composure.

'If he knew I was the one who dealt with the Demon Bear Race, he would have made a move already. He wouldn't go through all this trouble.'

'So, I absolutely must not lose my composure.'

'As for the Canglan Oasis... if it really runs into big trouble, I can just leave. That's the worst-case scenario.'

'Besides, with this Palace Master's Disciple here, even if trouble does arise, he should be able to handle it.'

—

"We greet the two envoys..."

At the same time, Zhang Chi blended in with his fellow sect members, stepping forward to bow with clasped hands. The Sect Leader and the two Supreme Elders maintained fawning smiles as they introduced the various Nascent Soul True Monarchs to the two envoys.

The two envoys merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment, never revealing their names.

When Zhang Chi was introduced, the young cultivator didn't spare him a second glance, which made Zhang Chi even more certain of his suspicions.

"Since you are an Artifact Refiner, can you refine Top Grade Magical Treasures?"

It was the valiant-looking Female Cultivator who gave Zhang Chi a second look and asked the question.

"Replying to Lord Envoy, I can currently only refine Upper Grade Peak Magical Treasures," Zhang Chi replied immediately.

"What a pity."

The Female Cultivator shook her head slightly and paid him no further mind.

A short while later, a grand banquet was held in the Palace, with Golden Core Female Cultivators arranged to dance for entertainment.

Only after the banquet concluded did the real business begin.

"Esteemed Envoys, may we see the exchange list now and trade for some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures?" the Canglan Sect Leader asked cautiously.

The other Nascent Soul True Monarchs remained silent, but their gazes immediately shot over, their faces filled with anticipation.

"You may," the Silver Armored youth said. "As long as you have items to turn in for Merit Points, you can find me to make an exchange at any time."

"Once the Beast Tide begins, I will fix this in the sky above your sect's main square."

The Silver Armored Youth was a man of few words, but he didn't refuse. With a casual wave of his hand, a foot-long Scroll flew out. It began to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, rapidly expanding as it unfurled.

An exchange list immediately appeared on its surface, filled with dense rows of text. Some of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were even accompanied by animated illustrations.