The scene snapped back.
Liam had already stepped out of the shop, slipping into the hurried bustle of monks and mortals crowding the streets.
Robes brushed past him, voices rose and fell, and spiritual auras buzzed faintly in the air.
He gave the crowd a brief glance. Unbothered.
Then, whoosh, he vanished.
A blur of smoke fading into the sky without a trace.
Not long after, the puppet returned home.
It moved without sound, entering the quiet chamber before handing over the storage bags.
Liam, seated comfortably, reached out and took them, nodding as he weighed the contents with a glance.
"Good trip… good trip," he murmured, lips curling faintly. "That offer with that woman turned out better than I expected."
A pleased smile touched his face.
He slipped the storage bags into his sleeve, the fabric swallowing them whole, before his gaze slowly turned toward the puppet standing silently nearby.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The next task… hunt the Shadow Worm."
His voice was calm, but there was a gleam of interest in his eyes.
A rare breed, shadow-based creatures that lurked in the dark.
Qi Refining realm strength, slippery and elusive, practically made to be assassins.
Masters of ambush, rarely seen, even more rarely caught.
But deadly, extremely at that.
Especially useful if one knew how to tame them.
"They're nearly impossible to detect," Liam mused under his breath, mostly to himself.
"Perfect predators for night hunts.. and even more perfect for my Dungeon"
He already knew where to find them, some shadow-infested canyon not too far off. But there was no need for him to personally step out.
His eyes flicked to the puppet again… then to the bag filled with second-grade materials he'd just acquired.
His fingers tapped the armrest of the chair lightly.
"I'm going to get busy for a while," he said with a small smile.
Night came.
The next one, to be exact.
Liam had spent the entire day tucked away in silence, refining a fresh batch of second-grade puppets for his use.
Each one was upgraded personally, crafted with careful adjustments and experimental features he came up with.
Compared to ordinary cultivators of the same realm, these puppets were flat-out stronger.
If designing puppet could be considered as a philosophical exchange, then Liam is a poet instead.
Still, the available materials weren't exactly generous.
With what he had, he could only manage three puppets at the early-stage Foundation Building, and one at mid-stage.
Each stood over two meters tall, bodies equipped with newly embedded spiritual cores, stronger than before, capable of channeling more spiritual power.
A solid leap in performance.
But even so...
"They're still using Qi Refining-grade spells," Liam muttered under his breath, hands clasped behind his back.
His eyes drifted to the puppet standing off to the side. "A bit troublesome... That'll definitely bottleneck their potential."
His tone was casual, but the slight furrow of his brow said enough.
"To obtain foundation building spells wouldn't be easy. I doubted that little girl has it too"
"It seems I also need to make a trip to a black market nearby"
He turned, his gaze falling toward the pond's surface.
The water was still, like polished glass, reflecting the entire night sky overhead.
A canvas of stars shimmered quietly over the distant silhouette of Blue Cloud Mist City. No clouds tonight, just a vast, clear sky hanging in peaceful silence.
Stunning, really.
But Liam barely lingered.
He redirected his focus to the puppets lined neatly before him.
One of them was a reworked version of his earliest prototype, the one that had accompanied him since the start.
Another had been used just yesterday, now upgraded with better spiritual core and reinforced bones.
Overall, stronger.
"Cheaper to make this way," he said, tapping his finger lightly against the puppet's arm. "But materials here are too low-grade... Can't push them any further like this."
"Resources accessibility shouldn't be a problem for this city. But due to the incoming crisis, I doubted anyone would even bother venturing into the great wilderness for these rare materials"
He clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
Just as he was speaking, his Divine consciousness picked something up outside of the house.
But familiar.
Liam stilled.
He straightened slowly and turned his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as if peering straight through the walls.
A moment of silence passed.
"Old Fu," he whispered.
His gaze narrowing, though no expression followed.
Outside the house, Old Fu's figure could be seen walking away.
His back was straight, gait steady, as if nothing was wrong.
But that air of loneliness hung thick in the air, like a quiet goodbye he didn't want to say out loud.
The old man paused halfway.
As if something tugged at him, he turned around and faced Liam's home.
His eyes curled into a smile, bright and cheerful, just like always.
And then, without a word or audience, he bowed.
A deep, heartfelt bow.
"Old Li…" Old Fu spoke softly, bending forward, his voice almost swallowed by the wind. "It's been a fun ride. From the village... to the sect. Getting kicked out together too."
"Adventuring together"
He laughed, a little too loudly for someone standing alone in the night.
"I still remember that day we left," he grinned, brushing a hand through his thinning hair. "Boasting to the whole village that I'd marry a dozen fairy beauties and become some great immortal."
Another laugh followed. Bitter, but warm.
Talking to no one.
Smiling through the air.
Rubbing the back of his head like he always did when he got embarrassed.
Liam just stood there, watching through his Divine senses.
"I really was a fool… just like you always said."
The smile faded slightly.
"But I never once regretted marrying my wife," Old Fu said softly. "Even if she is a mortal… We lived well. Decades of peace. I don't regret a single moment."
He raised his voice again, as if speaking to the stars.
"So take care of them, Old Li."
"I know you will, hahaha. And I am sorry for this"
He sniffed lightly, a flicker of sadness crossing his face. "I know you've already noticed her illness. And knowing you… you'll probably help her anyway, even if I didn't say anything."
"I know you too well. And I wouldn't mind if you want to take my wife for yourself, just... Please, take care of them for me"
That familiar laugh escaped him again.
Then, without a word more, Old Fu turned back around, and walked away.
Slowly. Into the night, into the darkness.
And Liam?
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Even if he wanted to stop him, what could he say?
Nothing would change the outcome. Old Fu had chosen to walk away, because if he stayed, he'd eventually lose himself and turn into something inhuman due to the taboo mark.
Something Liam would be forced to destroy, and he... If possible, doesn't want to kill his own friend.
So he watched him go… and turned his Divine consciousness elsewhere.
Into the house Old Fu had just left.
Inside, a woman was crying.
Tears slipping down her cheeks as she sat on the floor, a small sobbing girl clutching at her arm.
The air was heavy with grief.
Liam exhaled through his nose.
"Tch."
With a wave of his hand, he vanished from the chamber.
In the next breath, he stood inside his Divine Mind Realm, alone, hovering above the surface of the dungeon space.
Below him, the newly constructed rows of planting beds stretched wide, tiny seedlings just barely poking up through the soil.
Five puppets moved methodically around the field, tending to each plant.
Liam didn't speak. Didn't give orders.
He just stood there.
Silent.
Watching.
Waiting for the storm inside his heart to settle down.
Several hours slipped by quietly.
The moon now hung high and proud in the night sky, casting its pale glow across the world like a watchful eye.
Liam finally emerged from his Divine Space, his thoughts still lingering somewhere behind his eyes.
He said nothing.
Just stood there for a second before lifting a hand.
With a flick of his wrist, several cloaks floated out from his storage bag, their dark fabrics fluttering gently through the air.
A moment later, a series of masks followed suit, each one eerily distinct.
A crying clown with tear-streaked cheeks.
A grinning cat with slitted eyes.
A happy fool...
And a silent owl with empty, emotionless gaze.
Every single mask was handcrafted by Liam himself, forged from second-grade materials.
A small personal project he had poured time into, strange and unsettling little things, yet elegant in their own right.
Protection for the face ey?
Then, one of the puppets in the middle suddenly stirred.
Its movement was different, too fluid, too lifelike. It wasn't just walking or shifting... it moved. Like something sentient.
This was the one Liam had imprinted with his golden energy before, and now it was also the strongest.
Thanks to the recent upgrades, the previous time limit on controlling it had been completely lifted.
Now, if he wanted, Liam could unleash his full strength through this puppet with no restraints.
No more time limited either and the body wouldn't crumble under his immense spiritual energy.
Which was... convenient.
"Tonight's mission," he muttered, tapping a finger against his chin, "head to the Great Wilderness. Hunt the Shadow Worm."
His voice was low but firm, and as the order dropped into the still air, the four puppets responded immediately.
Without so much as a sound, they vanished, dispersing like phantoms into the shadows.
They darted through the gaps between buildings, barely noticeable even in motion.
Not a single soul caught wind of them as they weaved their way beyond the city walls.
Completely undetected.
And as for Liam...
He sank into his reclining chair, slow and deliberate, arms resting at his sides.
His gaze was distant, unreadable, locked on the still surface of the pond in front of him.
The faint shimmer of moonlight danced across the water, but he didn't seem to be watching it.
He was somewhere else entirely.
Zoom...
The scene shifted, time skipped forward.
Now, deep inside the Great Wilderness, somewhere inside.
A place infamous for swallowing people whole.
Treasures abounded, yes, rare herbs, spiritual beasts, heavenly materials, but death was just as common.
Probably more so.
On any given day, millions wandered in, chasing fortune.
Countless never made it back out.
You'd think with a place this abundant, there'd be countless immortal cities built around it, right?
Maybe even sects staking their claim, competing for territory?
But no. None of that.
No major sects. No massive forces. No established powers fighting over this piece of land.
Instead, there were just scattered immortal cities, hundreds of them, independent, loosely organized, chaotic at best.
Each one home to a mix of mortals and cultivators trying to get by.
Most of these cities were backed by third-rate forces, usually with a single Foundation Building cultivator keeping things from falling apart.
Maybe two, if they were lucky.
The reasons why those huge forces didn't dare to set up their bases here were due to the fact of how frequent the demonic beast tides are.
But of course, they still possessed several channels to obtain loots from monks who entered the great wilderness.
And as for the smaller cities?
Liam had heard of those too.
Tiny settlements tucked away in corners of the wilderness, run by low-level Qi Refining monks.
Places that served as hubs for underground trades, shadow dealings, and whatever dirty business the major cities didn't want to touch.
Black markets. Slave auctions. Alchemy dens. You name it.
Hidden away under the guise of isolation.
It was the wild west of cultivation.
The closer to the inner region, the lesser the population.