The puppet radiated the exact same aura as Yuan Gang. It was as if, in some unseen way, a connection had been formed between them—an eerie, almost parasitic resonance filled the air.
"If you want to hit me, try smashing your own head first."
The clown pointed at the puppet. Instantly, it moved. Raising the iron club in its hand, it didn't strike forward at an enemy, but rather spun around and smashed it toward its own head.
"Hyah!!"
Yuan Gang, mid-swing, suddenly and inexplicably reversed course. With a twist of his wrist, he brought his own iron club crashing toward his own skull. The motion was identical to the puppet's, as if mirrored perfectly. Fortunately, Yuan Gang's control over his strength was peerless. He instinctively resisted, dispersing most of the force before the club hit his head.
Sparks flew upon impact, but nothing more. His head was like iron and stone—unscathed. He gave it a shake, and it was as if nothing had happened.
"You can control my body!?"
Yuan Gang's eyes flared with fury. To force him to strike himself with his own weapon—this kind of sorcery was sinister in the extreme. His gaze landed on the puppet. He understood now: this was the clown's method of control.
"As long as I desire it, your body, your strength—all of it is mine. My servant. Under the power of my puppet, you'll never escape. Kneel and bow before me."
The clown cackled gleefully.
Puppet Life Aperture – Marionette Divine Art!!
This sinister divine ability extracts a wisp of an opponent's aura and forms a puppet in the caster's body. Using this puppet, the caster can control the opponent's every movement, forcing them to act in accordance with the caster's will.
A terrifying ability indeed.
"You want me to kneel? Clown, you're dreaming. You think a puppet is enough to control me? Watch how I break your damned magic."
Yuan Gang bared his teeth in a grin, eyes cold.
"Come now, feel the tender love of getting crushed to death."
The clown's grin widened, practically twitching with excitement.
With a mere thought, the puppet lifted its hand to strangle its own throat, while its knees began to bend slowly, clearly forcing a bow.
"He's taking it too far,"
Cheng Yaojin frowned at the sight. "This is no longer battle. This is humiliation."
Heads could be severed and blood spilled on the battlefield, but this kind of psychological degradation was vile. The clown had no honor—only pleasure in manipulation and mockery.
Yuan Gang could feel it too. As the puppet's posture changed, a forceless yet overwhelming power surged into his own body, forcing his knees to bend and his hand to rise toward his throat. The pressure was immense—suffocating.
Boom!
Yuan Gang slammed his iron club into the ground in front of him, anchoring himself and halting the forced motion.
"HYAH!!"
His face twisted with rage, golden light flashing in his eyes as he bellowed:
"You've truly pissed me off! You know nothing of my strength. BREAK!"
His roar shook the heavens. Golden light erupted from his body, a pillar of golden vital essence soaring into the sky like a beacon. His bent knees straightened violently. The choking hand dropped. The golden light intensified.
A terrifying force was awakening within.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A chorus of divine bell tolls rang out from his body. His figure began to expand, quickly swelling in size—reaching nearly a hundred zhang tall in mere breaths. He had transformed into a golden explosive ape.
Boom!
The clown's face twisted in horror. At that moment, the puppet radiated golden light, then exploded into pieces with a thunderous blast.
Though formidable, the puppet was not invincible. If the controlled target's strength exceeded the puppet's limits, the feedback would rupture the puppet, causing a backlash to the caster.
The clown's body shuddered slightly. While the full extent of the damage was unclear, he had certainly not escaped unscathed.
Yuan Gang's power far exceeded expectations.
"So powerful... This explosive ape must've been born with divine strength. Reaching nearly a hundred zhang in height—that means his body contains almost a million jins of force. Normally, it takes ten thousand jins of strength to grow a single zhang taller."
Yi Tianxing narrowed his eyes. "A rare gift indeed."
Among body refiners, talent and physique make all the difference. A single level in cultivation could mean vastly different strength depending on natural endowment.
"HYAH!!"
Yuan Gang roared again. The iron club in his hand grew in size to match his towering frame. With a mighty swing, he hurled it toward the clown.
Just as the puppet exploded, the clown had been momentarily stunned by the backlash. Yuan Gang reacted instantly—one massive strike launched the moment the puppet shattered.
Thud!!
It was like a pedestrian getting hit by a freight train. By the time the clown recovered, the club was already upon him.
Crack!
The clown couldn't resist—blood sprayed from his mouth as his body was launched skyward, rapidly vanishing into a tiny black speck on the horizon.
"You damned monkey, I won't let this go!!"
The clown's voice echoed furiously in the distance—but his body was already gone, flung away like a comet.
"KILL!!"
On the city walls, Dae soldiers cheered as they saw the clown sent flying. Outside, the monster army—bereft of command—resumed their relentless charge, identical to the previous night. They hurled themselves at Sunset City with suicidal fury.
In response, archers returned fire with even denser arrows and bolts than the day before.
Kill! Kill! Kill!!
Monsters reached the wall again and again—only to be slaughtered without mercy.
"HYAH!!"
Yuan Gang, still in his golden ape form, wasn't about to let things go. He swept his club like a reaper's scythe through the monster ranks.
What a divine monkey—he was a god of war incarnate.
His iron club moved with inhuman skill, leaving trails of overlapping afterimages. Every swing crushed monsters into blood mist and scattered limbs, leaving craters and cracks in the earth.
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of monsters were slain by his hand.
The sight was horrifying.
"What a terrifying monkey... That club—if it touches you, you die. If it grazes you, you're crippled."
Ye Zhiqiu gasped, cold sweat forming.
"What a terrifying monkey,"
Fu Hongxue's eyes locked onto Yuan Gang, his battle intent ignited.
"I thought I was strong... but this monkey—now that's what you call blessed by the heavens."
Lu Zhishen murmured in awe. Known for his herculean strength, he once pulled up a willow tree with his bare hands. Though he practiced both internal and external cultivation, even he felt a shiver of inferiority at the sight of Yuan Gang's violence.
Yet, after this rampant slaughter, Yuan Gang didn't press forward. He rushed back to the wooden horse, grabbing it tightly to prevent its escape.
This was a precious steed, rare beyond belief—he couldn't let anything happen to it.
The slaughter continued.
Life after life was extinguished. The battlefield was soon carpeted with corpses. The monster army's fanaticism was beyond belief. No matter how many died, more kept coming—charging, climbing the wall, only to be cut down.
Even so, Dae soldiers began to suffer losses.
Though minimal.
Thanks to the Yin-Yang Pills consumed during the day, which elevated their cultivation and boosted combat strength by at least ten percent, defending the walls was far easier than the previous night.
Time slipped quietly by.
As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight pierced the sky, the monster horde began to retreat rapidly.
Another night of bloodshed had ended.
Only the battlefield remained, thick with corpses.
"HYAH! People of Sunset City, listen well! I helped drive off your enemies! Open the gates immediately! Prepare your finest wine and food! Offer up your treasures in thanks! That's your payment for my protection!"
Yuan Gang shouted toward the wall, his eyes glittering with greed.
These humans were clearly wealthy. Their armors were all magic-grade, their weapons sharp and deadly. Throughout the entire night, their arrows never ceased. Not once.
Those bolts were all treasures!
The cost of just this one night's barrage must be astronomical.
In Yuan Gang's eyes, these humans were plump sheep, fat and ready for the shearing.
He had no interest in anything but treasure. And now, seeing how rich Sunset City was, he planted his feet firmly—he wasn't going anywhere.