Urban Martial Saint

”The fear isn’t that the sorcerer has killed all these people...” Ding Lianshun looked at the factory area ahead and said in a deep voice, ”The real fear is that the sorcerer hasn’t killed them!”

”Huh?” Ye Qing was even more surprised and said, ”Why worry about that?”

”Have you forgotten about the man from last night?” Ding Lianshun glanced at Ye Qing and said, ”That man was controlled by the female sorcerer and became insensitive to pain, fearless of danger, and bloodthirsty like a beast. In Southeast Asian Sorcery, this is called a human puppet, directly controlled by the sorcerer. Unless you cut off all his limbs, he will still pounce at you even if his head is decapitated.”

”Moving even after decapitation?” Ye Qing’s eyes widened.

”Why else would it be called a human puppet?” Yin Xianzi said in a deep voice, ”These people are controlled by Gu Insects and sorcery, much like a pile of flesh with no consciousness or sense of life and death. Therefore, being used as a human puppet is one of the most cruel tricks in sorcery, and it’s most painful for those turned into human puppets!”

Ye Qing’s face turned cold. Previously filled with killing intent towards the sorcerers, he realized he had underestimated them. These sorcerers were even more terrifying and ruthless than he had anticipated. It seems An Shiping was right; there’s no room for mercy with these sorcerers!

”If there are over a hundred human puppets, that’s trouble!” Ding Lianshun looked at the factory area ahead, his face cold and solemn, ”Tonight’s battle might be even more troublesome than last night!”

”Are these human puppets really that formidable?” Ye Qingqi asked, still recalling that the man last night wasn’t that strong?

”Human puppets aren’t about strength or weakness, but they are very hard to deal with!” Ding Lianshun said, ”Last night, one human puppet occupied me for so long. I had to sever his arms and legs to resolve him. If there truly are a hundred human puppets tonight, then it will indeed be a tough fight going in. Dangerous, perhaps not, but resolving hundreds of human puppets is no easy task.”

Yin Xianzi looked at the morning star rising in the sky and said in a deep voice, ”There’s not much time left before dawn. If we are held up by these human puppets, I’m worried we won’t be able to deal with that sorcerer before daylight!”

Ye Qing’s face changed again, understanding the implication of Yin Xianzi’s words. If they can’t deal with the sorcerer before dawn, the child will be in dire danger, fatally overwhelmed.

After a moment of silence, Ye Qing gritted his teeth and said, ”Since we are here, there’s no reason to retreat. No matter what, we must try!”

Hearing Ye Qing’s determination, Yin Xianzi and Ding Lianshun exchanged a glance and didn’t object. After all, they were here to assist Ye Qing. Success wasn’t crucial; what mattered was to exhaust Ye Qing’s luck.

”Alright, we’ll go in first, and you follow behind us. Don’t act rashly!” Yin Xianzi paused and said, ”Bring out your Wu Hong Dagger. If we encounter these human puppets, don’t hold back; resolve them quickly. Otherwise, you might be the one to die!”

Ye Qing paused slightly and said, ”Is there no way to save these human puppets?”

”There’s no way!” Ding Lianshun said, ”Once someone is turned into a human puppet by a sorcerer, they’re as good as dead. Even if the sorcerer is killed, the human puppet remains unchanged. This sorcery is a Forbidden Technique, rarely used, though in Huaxia, these sorcerers have fewer taboos!”

Ye Qing gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, ”These sorcerers are really bold, unleashing these Forbidden Techniques in Huaxia. Do they truly think no one in Huaxia can deal with them?”

Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi exchanged a glance, the most familiar with these sorcerers. Among the Southeast Asian sorcerers, there indeed were a few top figures. The key was, these sorcerers also resurrected the Corpse Ghost Dragon, which had been fake dead for thirty years; their impunity stemmed from that. If the Corpse Ghost Dragon is unsealed, apart from the Miao Borderlands’ Miaojiang Witch, there truly is no match for it in the Miao Borderlands. It’s with that leverage that these sorcerers are so brazen!

Arrangements made, Ding Lianshun leaped onto the factory’s courtyard wall. Looking inside and finding nothing unusual, he signaled to the two behind and then jumped into the factory area.

Yin Xianzi and Ye Qing jumped up together. Now, for Ye Qing, scaling a two to three-meter-high wall seemed like child’s play.

The factory area was shrouded in darkness. Ding Lianshun had entered, searching for traces within. Ye Qing and Yin Xianzi jumped down, cautious as they followed, guarded against any sudden developments.

The three circled the courtyard but found nothing; the silence in the factory was eerily unsettling.

Returning to the others, Ding Lianshun looked at the dark factory ahead and said seriously, ”It seems we’ll have to venture inside the factory to see.”

With no other choice, the three braced themselves and headed towards the darkened factory.

Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi were the same as before, with one in front and the other behind, protecting Ye Qing in the middle as the three of them cautiously walked into the factory.

As soon as Ye Qing stepped into the factory, he caught a strong scent of blood in his nostrils, making him instantly alert.

Looking at Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi beside him, the two were already prepared. Yin Xianzi had even taken out the long whip that she always kept at her waist, watching the surroundings vigilantly. With her skill and accuracy, no matter what appeared in the darkness, she could whip it away.

The three slowly entered the factory. Due to the extreme darkness, even with their abilities, they couldn’t make out the surroundings. After all, there was no light at all in this factory.

Suddenly, there was a sound of something falling to the ground from Ye Qing’s left rear. His heart skipped a beat. Before he could react, Yin Xianzi had already swept her whip in that direction, and with a slight flick, she had wrapped a shadow in her whip.

The three of them saw clearly that the shadow was a person, caught in the long whip, struggling and twisting as if trying to break free. However, the shadow made no sound despite its struggles.

Yin Xianzi forcefully threw it to the ground. However, the shadow didn’t make any sound upon impact but instead got up from the ground and rushed toward the three of them again.

With Yin Xianzi’s strength, even a master would have been heavily injured and unable to get up from such a throw. Yet, this person acted as if nothing happened, charging toward them once more, shocking everyone.

”Be careful!” Yin Xianzi said in a low voice. ”It must be a human puppet. Who knows how many are hidden here. We mustn’t get surrounded by them!”

Just as Yin Xianzi finished speaking, a light whistle suddenly came from the darkness. Following the whistle, a series of sounds of things landing came from all around. The sound was urgent, as if many people were hitting the ground, one after another, causing everyone’s heart to skip.

Undoubtedly, those fallen were also human puppets. Judging by the sounds, who knew how many human puppets were around them. It seemed Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi were right; they were indeed surrounded by these human puppets.

Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi moved quickly, immediately positioning Ye Qing in the middle upon realizing there were so many human puppets around.

”Ye Qing, Wu Hong Dagger!” Ding Lianshun shouted urgently.

”Here it is!” Ye Qing hurriedly passed the Wu Hong Dagger over, saying, ”Take it!”

Ding Lianshun asked, surprised, ”What for?”

”Weren’t you asking for the Wu Hong Dagger?” Ye Qing questioned in confusion.

”Nonsense!” Ding Lianshun said urgently, ”I’m telling you to hold onto the Wu Hong Dagger for protection. There are too many human puppets here; the two of us can’t protect you completely.”

Ye Qing was speechless, and as he listened to the footsteps around him, his heart began to race. He took off his coat, tied the child in his arms to his back, gripped the Wu Hong Dagger tightly, and braced himself to fight these human puppets head-on.

”It’s too dark in here; we can’t maneuver well and are prone to ambushes,” Yin Xianzi said in a deep voice. ”Cyclops, I’ll cover here while you find the switch to turn on the lights. Otherwise, fighting in the dark will surely put us at a disadvantage!”

”Alright!” Ding Lianshun responded, turning and running toward the factory’s wall.

Human puppets surrounded them from all directions. As soon as Ding Lianshun took a few steps, Ye Qing heard sounds of fighting coming from his direction, followed by the sound of several objects being knocked to the ground. In the darkness, Ye Qing could only see Ding Lianshun’s silhouette, unable to discern the situation, making him anxious.

With so many human puppets, even if they could defeat them, who knew how long it would take? At this rate, when would they find the sorcerer? Would the child’s life end like this?

While Ye Qing was worried and anxious, Yin Xianzi suddenly issued a low warning: ”Ye Qing, be careful!”

Ye Qing snapped back to reality, feeling a shadow rush at him. Without thinking, he quickly raised the Wu Hong Dagger in his hand and slashed at the shadow.