A moment later, Han Li and the other two flew to a circular island and descended.

The circular island was not large, only a few hundred *li* in circumference. Besides a few small mountains and a small lake, there wasn't much vegetation on the island, making it appear somewhat desolate.

Some sparsely distributed vermilion buildings could be seen on the small mountains and by the lake.

The surface of the central area of the island looked uneven, with ravines more than ten *zhang* wide distributed everywhere, interconnected to form a complete pattern. In the very center stood a white circular tower, about a hundred *zhang* high, with dense runes engraved on the outside.

The white-bearded old man led Han Li and the other two to the front of the circular tower.

Around the circular tower, there were about a hundred cultivators, divided into three teams, taking turns patrolling. When they saw the white-bearded old man, they stopped and saluted him.

At the entrance of the circular tower, a layer of translucent light curtain was lit, also equipped with restrictions. Only after the white-bearded old man took out a Holy Puppet Sect token and a white light flew out of it, the restrictions were lifted on their own, and the three of them were allowed to enter.

After entering the circular tower, Han Li realized that the space inside the tower was actually larger than it looked from the outside.

The inside of the tower was hollow overall. On the walls all around, there were more than a dozen huge water droplet-shaped runes engraved, each inlaid with a blue, glittering spirit stone of high quality or above.

All the lines on the walls connected down and led to a half-person-high square stone platform in the center of the ground. A formation plate controlling the array was engraved on it, emitting a soft white light.

Around the stone platform, close to the walls, there were eight low stone platforms, each with a Mahayana Stage cultivator sitting cross-legged, all in a state of closed-eyed meditation, indifferent to the appearance of the three.

Next to the stone platform, there was also a young man dressed as a woodcutter, seemingly a Mahayana Stage cultivator, frowning and staring at the formation plate, looking somewhat absent-minded. Sensing Han Li and the others entering the tower, he came back to his senses and asked:

"Elder Chu, aren't you responsible for guarding the forbidden area on the back mountain? Why have you come here?"

"Elder Qi, these two fellow cultivators are helpers invited by the Vice Sect Master. They will be stationed here with you. I am ordered to bring them over," the white-bearded old man replied.

"Understood," the woodcutter-like man nodded and said.

The white-bearded old man bid farewell and left first.

"I am Qi Heng. May I know how to address you two seniors?" Elder Qi bowed to Han Li and the other two and asked.

"Lin Jiu," Lin Jiu pointed to the center of his mask, between his eyebrows, and said.

"Jiao Fifteen," Han Li replied calmly.

His gaze had actually been sizing up this woodcutter-like Elder Qi for a long time, and he had been feeling a faint sense of familiarity, but it was not very obvious, and he couldn't remember whether he had ever seen him before.

After a few polite greetings, none of them were in the mood to chat, so Qi Heng said:

"Two seniors, there are some temporary cave dwellings by the small lake on the island. You two can go and rest there. During your stay here, your activities on the island will not be restricted in any way, but you need to be careful not to touch some restrictions. I have to keep an eye on things here, so I won't take you two over there."

Hearing this, Han Li and the other two bid farewell and left the circular tower together, heading towards the small lake.

Out of their own considerations, the cave dwellings they chose were slightly far apart, one on the west side of the small lake, and the other on the east side.

The woods on the east side were slightly denser. A three-courtyard residence with vermilion walls and black tiles was located here. When Han Li arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he saw that the gate was engraved with runes, which were obviously restrictions.

However, thinking that Qi Heng had said before that there would be no restrictions, he walked straight up the steps and pressed his palm on the door.

Sure enough, the light on the door lit up, and with a "creak," it opened inward.

Entering the courtyard, Han Li saw that the furnishings inside were not much different from ordinary secular dwellings, but in some subtle places, he could always find some small array runes.

For example, there was a small dust-removing array under the stone table in the center of the courtyard. It would activate on its own every once in a while, absorbing all the fallen dead leaves and dirt in the courtyard, cleaning it up.

And in the main hall, there were also two servants, a man and a woman, standing. They looked young, with fair skin and red lips, very pleasing, but Han Li could tell at a glance that they were just puppets, not living people.

Judging from the quality and grade, these two puppets, being servants, were naturally not high-end types, but their craftsmanship was indeed somewhat unique, and Han Li couldn't help but applaud these ingenious ideas after observing them.

Han Li himself had considerable attainments in the art of puppetry, but after all, he had learned it in the Spirit World. The puppets of the Immortal World were very different from those of the Spirit World in terms of manufacturing materials and techniques. He could take this opportunity to learn more about them.

After all, if he wanted to restore the Crab Daoist to its original state, the original puppetry techniques would probably not be enough.

...

Time flew by, and more than two years passed.

During this period, the Holy Puppet Sect was calm, and the enemy had not appeared, but the entire sect was still in a state of high alert, and the defensive posture did not weaken in the slightest. However, the minds of the Wuchang Alliance members had changed somewhat.

Beside the lake on the small island, Han Li and Lin Jiu walked side by side, along the path by the lake, towards the small mountain next to it.

"Fellow cultivator Jiao Fifteen, it's been more than two full years, and there hasn't been any movement at all. Maybe this mission will be surprisingly easy to complete," Lin Jiu said with a smile, his tone relaxed.

"If we can spend the remaining time so peacefully, that would naturally be the best," Han Li looked up at the blue sky and replied with a smile.

In the past two years, he had almost run through the mountains and rivers of this small island, and secretly found out the arrays and puppets hidden in every place, and carefully checked them several times.

Later, he would occasionally go to the circular tower to observe the runes inside and outside the tower. As they interacted more and more, he became more familiar with Qi Heng, and the two would occasionally discuss some aspects of puppetry.

Although Qi Heng's cultivation was not high, his knowledge of puppetry was not shallow, and he enjoyed talking with Han Li. However, he was tight-lipped about some of the sect's secret techniques and matters, and did not reveal anything.

At the same time, inside a secret room on the main island of the Holy Puppet Sect.

The Vice Sect Master, dressed in a water-blue palace dress, was sitting next to a stone chair. Her face, now without the veil, was exquisite and beautiful, and her eyes revealed a hint of gentleness.

Sitting in front of her was Bai Suyu, who was not wearing the rabbit head mask at the moment, but showed her true face.

"Suyu, it's not that I'm heartlessly ignoring the life and death of the family, but I have my own unavoidable difficulties. After leaving the Candle Dragon Dao and leaving the Ancient Cloud Continent, I severed all ties with that place, and have not set foot there once in so many years," the palace-dressed woman said with a hint of apology in her tone.

"Since you severed all contact, why did you send someone to find me?" Bai Suyu said indifferently, without any expression on her face.

Although she knew that the woman in front of her was her ancestor Bai Fengyi, she just couldn't get close to her. Whenever she thought of how her grandfather had been brutally killed by the Heavenly Devil in order to save her from leaving, she could never let it go.

If the person in front of her had not disappeared back then, or could have returned to take care of the family, perhaps those tragic events would not have happened later, and her grandfather would not have died.

"This matter is actually not to be blamed on Fengyi. The events of that year were a mess. As her master, I should be primarily responsible." At this time, Lin San, who had been standing aside with his back to the two, turned around and said with a sigh.

Her face was also not wearing the red fox mask, and her exposed face was like a painting, with charm hidden in her eyebrows, and seductiveness in her eyes. She was Yun Ni, one of the thirteen Golden Immortal Dao Lords of the Candle Dragon Dao.

"Master..."

"Master..."

Bai Fengyi and Bai Suyu both spoke at the same time.

"Silly disciple, you thought that after you left, you would be able to fulfill the two of us, but you don't know that that guy is not only a heartless man, but also a coward. This time, I wanted him to come and help you, but he said that he didn't know how to face you and didn't dare to see you," Yun Ni said with a wry smile.

"That does sound like his style..." Bai Fengyi chuckled and muttered.

"Master, who are you talking about?" Bai Suyu couldn't help but ask.

"He used to be a handsome immortal in white clothes, but now... just a sloppy old drunkard, let's not mention him, it just makes me angry..." Yun Ni's eyes revealed a faint smile as she scolded.

"Even though she is angry at what he has done, she can't help but smile when she thinks of that person. Master is still the same as always, not changing at all," Bai Fengyi sighed in her heart as she watched this scene.

"Speaking of which, it's been more than two years, and there hasn't been any movement on that side. Could something have changed?" Yun Ni sighed softly and asked, changing the subject:

"The information we got two years ago was very reliable, it won't be fake. The longer the other party lies dormant, the more ferocious their attack will be later," Bai Fengyi said with a slight frown.

"If they happen to attack a year from now, even through the Wuchang Alliance, I'm afraid we won't be able to gather so many True Immortal Stage cultivators again. What will you do then?" Yun Ni asked again.

"By then, the Sect Master should also be able to rush back. With his cultivation, plus that immortal puppet, even without the help of the Wuchang Alliance, we should be able to cope with this crisis," Bai Fengyi said.

Hearing this, Yun Ni nodded slightly, and just as she was about to say something, her expression suddenly changed.

Immediately afterwards, a thunderstorm suddenly exploded, and the entire secret room began to shake violently.

Yun Ni and Bai Fengyi exchanged a glance, wiped their palms on their faces, and the red fox mask covered them again. Seeing this, Bai Suyu immediately took out her mask and put it on. The three rushed out of the secret room at the same time.