"So that's how it works." Xie Zhaolin nodded, her voice calm again. "A clever design."
"Of course it is!" You You's little face immediately brightened with pride at the praise. "Anything made by You Ji is bound to be top-notch!"
Even if the puppet could only unleash late-stage Foundation Establishment strength right now, its top-tier materials and complex puppet array gave it combat power far beyond others of the same level. For her current stage, it was already an incredible asset.
"Good." She didn't say more. With a thought, she recalled the An Jin Guardian into the You Ming Bracelet.
After all that happened, her impression of You You grew even more complicated. That woman might be scheming, but her talent and foresight were beyond extraordinary.
"Let's go. It's time to leave."
As she turned, a thought flashed in her mind—the Shihun Yin Puppet she'd defeated earlier at the entrance of the Hundred Blades Soul-Locking Bridge.
That puppet's material was special, and considering it had served as the guardian of this cave dwelling, its refinement level must've been impressive.
"That Shihun Yin Puppet's core might be damaged, but the outer shell and some parts should still be usable. Since I've inherited this place's legacy, leaving them to rot here would be a waste. Better to take them, maybe I can repair it later or reuse the materials."
With You You, a master puppet maker, by her side and no shortage of resources, recycling was the smartest move.
She changed direction, retracing her steps back toward the entrance of the Hundred Blades Soul-Locking Bridge.
Soon, she stood again before that bridge stretching across the void.
The moment her foot touched the bridge, that familiar invisible pressure surged toward her from all directions.
She'd been expecting it this time. After the previous trials and the refining of the An Jin Guardian, her Primordial Soul had clearly become more solid, yet the weight pressing on her consciousness was still unmistakable. It forced her to divert a portion of her divine sense to resist it.
Her steps were steady. The Liuyun Ribbon floated gently around her, radiating faint baleful qi to help offset the pressure. Even so, an unwelcome image flickered through her mind—Jiu Jiu crossing this same bridge.
She remembered it vividly. Back then, Jiu Jiu had crossed with complete ease.
Her steps had been light, her expression calm, and she'd even had spare energy to glance around.
Xie Zhaolin hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now that she looked back, something about that memory felt glaringly off.
"You You, this Hundred Blades Soul-Locking Bridge targets a cultivator's Primordial Soul, right? Under what condition would someone feel… almost no resistance while crossing?"
Inside the jade slip, You You went silent for a second.
"No resistance at all?" she repeated, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Master, are you sure? The Hundred Blades Soul-Locking Bridge's restriction acts directly on the source of the Primordial Soul! Unless someone's trained in an incredibly advanced soul-forging technique or has a rare soul-defense treasure, even a Divine Transformation cultivator would still feel obvious suppression and impact."
She paused briefly, then added with certainty, "They might be strong enough to endure it head-on, sure, but there's no way they'd feel nothing! The whole point of this bridge is the clash between one's soul and the restriction's will. The stronger the cultivator, the stronger the soul, so the pressure weakens, but the confrontation still happens. It's impossible to ignore it completely."
Xie Zhaolin frowned slightly as she listened.
You You's explanation confirmed her suspicion—Jiu Jiu's crossing had been far from normal.
"So unless her soul's strength… or essence itself, far surpasses the bridge's detection limit—or she has some treasure that completely nullifies soul-based attacks?" she murmured.
"Far surpass the limit? Then we're talking about something on the level of a late Void Refinement monster's soul avatar! As for a treasure that completely blocks this kind of attack… never even heard of one!" You You muttered. "Master, whoever that person was, she's definitely not ordinary."
Xie Zhaolin was silent for a while, a cold light flashing in her eyes.
Jiu Jiu's identity and purpose were clearly far more complicated than she'd imagined. Still, the woman was gone. Chasing that mystery now would be pointless.
"Forget it," she said finally, shaking her head. "Whatever secrets she's hiding, strengthening myself comes first."
She stopped dwelling on it and walked briskly across the Hundred Blades Soul-Locking Bridge.
Once she crossed, she found herself back at the broad cave entrance.
The Shihun Yin Puppet's remains were still lying there, the gaping hole in its chest stark and ugly. The yinsha energy that had lingered before was gone, leaving behind only cold metal.
She crouched beside the corpse again, inspecting it more carefully this time.
Her fingers brushed over the puppet's dark, icy surface—Soul-Eroding Spirit Gold.
That material could hold yinsha energy and even erode Primordial Souls to some degree, making it perfect for refining certain kinds of puppets. mShe studied the limb joints and the remaining array marks inside. You You's craftsmanship was exquisite. The fine detailing alone showed real mastery.
"The core's completely destroyed, no saving it," You You said matter-of-factly, her tone professional. "But the body and most of the main energy circuits are intact. You can take it with you, Master. If you ever want to craft a new yin-type puppet, this frame can serve as the base. It'll save you a lot of work and materials. Or you could dismantle it and harvest the Soul-Eroding Spirit Gold."
Xie Zhaolin nodded. With a thought, she stored the massive corpse away.
Once that was done, she stood and dusted off her hands out of habit. mBy now, she'd pretty much cleaned this cave dwelling of anything valuable. mHer gaze shifted toward the tunnel's depths—the way out.
"You You, is there another exit?" She had no intention of fighting those two plant beasts again.
"Of course there is!" You You replied at once. "Master, take out the Heart of Ten Thousand Puppets."
She pulled out the chaotic crystal.
"You can't fully refine or control it yet, but basic functions should be fine," You You explained. "Inject a strand of divine sense, focus your thoughts on leaving the cave, and pick a safe location near its outer perimeter. The Heart of Ten Thousand Puppets will channel the dwelling's power to teleport you directly there."
Following her guidance, Xie Zhaolin injected a wisp of divine sense into the Heart of Ten Thousand Puppets.
The crystal pulsed faintly, its internal gears whirring faster.
She concentrated, picturing a secluded valley she'd noticed before entering, some distance from the main entrance.
A moment later, space rippled around her, her figure blurred, and she vanished from sight.