Chapter 173: Thousand Bamboo Sect

, long tentacles danced out in trails of afterimages. *Bang bang*, amidst a barrage of dense low rumbles, Zhao Yuandue's illusionary technique was swiftly shattered by Xun Hong.A beam of azure light...“Although the price of these water droplets is not low, it's worth it to avoid a battle.”

Lu Xiaottian put the water beads, which had lost their luster considerably, back in their container. He hadn't expected this thing, just purchased, to be so useful. Using it to stem the escape of water was indeed a good treasure. As for the octopus monster from before, it was only a third-rank beast; he could effortlessly eliminate it. It wasn't a big deal at all. Naturally, there was no need to leave it behind and accept the worship of those villagers.

"Eh Lu Xia Tian was about to leave when he suddenly saw a whirlwind of dust and stones a few miles away, with magical energy surging. This commotion was definitely caused by a Qi Refining cultivator. However, judging from their aura, the other party's cultivation level probably wasn't much higher than his."

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

I was originally hesitant to get involved in the conflict, but then I realized that cultivators fight against heaven, earth, and people. If one always avoids confrontation, it wouldn't be a true cultivator's path.

Thus, Lu Xia Tian adjusted the fluctuation of his internal energy to its minimum and began approaching the heart of the battle.

After traveling several miles, Lu Xiaotian hid behind a small earthen mound and saw a white-clothed swordsman with bloodstains on his body fighting fiercely with a copper humanoid puppet that was over two meters tall. A thin, yellow-faced old man sat on the shoulder of the copper puppet.

The bronze automaton held a large copper hammer and swung it with the force of a tiger, its power overwhelming. With one blow, it struck the man in white, sending him flying several dozen feet through the air, coughing up blood.

“To actually dare block my path, you're truly a fool who doesn't know when to die. If it weren't for this old master having a bit of a cold heart and not noticing your trap, I would have dealt with you long ago and you wouldn't be here now” Lao Huangnian rode atop the mechanical puppet, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “Well, never mind that. Let me deal with you first, then I'll enjoy your wife and your fellow disciples.”

To his shame, upon Lao Huang's reminder, Lu Xia Tian searched around and found two stunningly beautiful figures lying in the grass. They were completely naked. One of them was a young woman, her face flushed red with embarrassment, her brows laced with spring-like colors. It was clear that Lao Huang had used some trickery on her. Moreover, Lu Xia Tian recognized this woman – she was Wang Yuan, the fiery beauty who had been in his team during their time at the望月 Mountain Range. Lu Xia Tian had never seen such a seductive scene. Seeing these naked figures made his throat dry, and he bit his tongue to divert his gaze.

“You’re dreaming, waiting for my two fellow disciples to arrive, you won’t be able to fly away.” The man in white struggled to stand up from the ground. Before he could steady himself, the bronze puppet smashed down with its hammer. The man in white fled in embarrassment again, and the copper hammer hit the ground, blasting a pit several dozen feet in radius. The tremendous impact caught the man in white who hadn't flown far, causing him to tumble head over heels on the ground before coming to a stop.

"Dreaming You think those two of your fellow disciples could still be alive to get here" Lao Huang sneered with a smile.

“The Southern Martial Nation is within the jurisdiction of our Xuantian Gate. Three Qi Refining disciples died here, and my Xuantian Gate's Golden Core ancestor will definitely come to inspect. You remnants of the Qizhu Sect are all destined for death.” The man in white roared with fury and anger.

The Thousand Bamboo Sect, renowned for its puppetry I hear they were driven out of the Yueyue Cultivation World long ago and are now in the Nanhuang. Lu Xiaoteng's heart skipped a beat, recalling a major event from ten thousand years ago in the Yueyue Cultivation World. At that time, the Ancient Sword Sect was not yet the number one sect in the Yueyue Cultivation World, but rather the Thousand Bamboo Sect. Legend has it that the Thousand Bamboo Sect had a divine transformation-level puppet that swept across the land, seeking to unify the entire Yueyue Cultivation World. They successively defeated and subdued dozens of sects. Afterward, for reasons unknown, the divine transformation-level puppet was destroyed in a thunderstorm. The remaining dozens of immortal gates in the Yueyue Cultivation World banded together and attacked, ultimately causing the Thousand Bamboo Sect to suffer heavy losses and flee to the Nanhuang with its remnants.

"Unfortunately, you won't be able to see this day." Lao Huang snorted coldly, looking at the swaying figure in white, and shouted fiercely, "Go to death!"

Under the manipulation of Lao Huang, the bronze puppet swung its hammer, but it curved in mid-air and flew out of the puppet's hand, smashing towards Lu Xiaoteng's head.

He was actually discovered. Lu Xiaotian was slightly surprised. It seemed this La Huang Nian wasn't a simple character. Even during combat, he still maintained vigilance towards his surroundings. It's just that this bronze puppet, although powerful, hadn't reached the point of completely overwhelming him.

Here's the translation, keeping HTML tags as you requested:

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!

Lu Xiaitian let out a cold snort, the Lie Di Dao suddenly exploded with a burst of golden light, its blade expanding ten or so times in size, directly slashing at the yellow warhammer.

At the same time, a whole person sprang from behind the earthen slope, and another golden flying sword shot out, directly stabbing towards the bronze man's sallow complexion.

>

The bronze puppet suddenly reached out and slapped the golden flying sword.

>

With a crack, the black flying sword shattered into pieces, revealing a smaller black flying sword within. Its aura had suddenly become ten or dozens of times stronger. It was precisely because Lu Xia Tian had reforged the outer shell of the black flying sword. At such close proximity, Lu Xia Tian didn't believe that the other party still had any moves that could withstand it.

As expected, Lao Huangnian was startled. However, when the black flying sword was only a few feet away from him, Lao Huangnian unexpectedly split into two, simultaneously shooting out from the shoulders of the copper man puppet, left and right. Their postures were identical.

“Puppetry!” Lu Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise. The secret art he obtained from the big-headed monster he killed in the望月 Mountain Range turned out to be related to the Thousand Bamboo Sect. Two identical figures, Lu Xiaotian and everyone else were slightly stunned for just a moment.

The bronze puppet struck again, sending the black flying sword scattering.

This bronze puppet is surprisingly powerful. Although the black flying sword isn't as sharp as the Earth-Splitting Blade, it still left a white mark on the opponent's palm. But after all, it's still a powerful magic weapon. To withstand a magic weapon with his flesh, he's already a Foundation Establishment cultivator now.

“You actually know the puppetry technique, it seems you are indeed related to the lost secret arts of my Qianzhu sect. I didn't expect that after searching high and low, I found you without any effort. Boy, even if you run away now, you have to face the endless pursuit of my Qianzhu sect! Unless you hand over everything related to the puppetry technique.”

With a yellowed face, Huang Nian was afraid that his bronze puppet would be damaged. After recalling the bronze hammer, he swung it and struck the golden flying sword away. However, facing the Earth-Splitting Blade, he had to put in some effort. Lu Xiaoteng was surprised. In his heart, he was also extremely frightened. This young man seemed young, but he actually had such sinister methods. His sword was hidden within his sleeve, and his aura was so subtle that one couldn't feel it at all. If it weren't for the Puppet Shadow Technique that momentarily distracted the opponent, he might have already been decapitated. Fortunately, he had managed to dodge the attack, and from the opponent's mouth, he learned about the lost teachings of the Qianzhu Sect, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.

Lu Xia Tian glanced at the man in white. The latter was heavily injured at this point, barely holding on with a single breath. Seeing that a rescuer had appeared, though he didn't know who it was, he let out a final gasp and collapsed unconscious to the ground. It seemed his plan to join forces had completely failed.

Handing over everything related to puppetry is probably not what they truly want. Their real goal might be the puppet dolls themselves. Compared to puppetry, puppet dolls are treasures that can drive even cultivators of the Golden Core stage into madness. It's a shame the monstrous individual has already used their own power, leaving him with only the art of crafting the puppets.

Lu XiaTian let out a hum, he would never place his hopes on an enemy's mercy. Just now, he had tested it out, this bronze puppet was no different from his normal strength. After all, the Earth-Splitting Blade was also a powerful magic weapon, the other party was just a beginner puppet master of the fourth rank, that's all.

This person has accomplices, and time is of the essence. Lu Xia Tian furrowed his brow, reaching out into the air with his hand, then suddenly flipping over. The enormous copper golem puppet enveloped him below.

La Huang Nian was just about to control the copper puppet to swing its hammer at Lu Xia Tian. Only to see the latter coldly spit out "Hanhuang Yin" a few words, with a turn of his hand, a large ice seal several meters square, with mysterious runes all over it, appeared out of thin air and smashed down from above. The moment Hanhuang Yin appeared, the ground was covered with a thick layer of ice crystals due to the cold brought by this four-sided seal, and it quickly spread outwards.

"Damn it, what kind of spell is this" Lao Huangnian shivered and hurriedly cast a fire spirit shield to protect himself from the cold. Although he was also a Qi-refining cultivator, his main focus was on mechanism puppets, and most of his combat power came from his bronze puppet. His body couldn't withstand such cold. He was certain that this ice seal appearing out of thin air was definitely not caused by any magic weapon. It was an extremely powerful spell technique he had never seen before. He must smash this seal.

La Huang gritted his teeth, controlling the bronze puppet as he swung a hammer towards the ice seal.

>

With a thunderous roar, a hammer struck with immense force against a mountain-like surface. A thick layer of ice shattered, but the powerful frigid energy of the Grand Frost Seal swirled around, causing the broken ice to swell back into place. The copper golem wielded its hammer to meet the icy imprint head-on. Despite the golem's incredible strength, it was unable to deflect the formidable seal.

The cold and desolate seal of the Fa Zhu skill was indeed formidable, able to instantly cast spells without any extra preparation. Lu Xiaotian's face flashed with a hint of satisfaction. "Hanhuang Yin" first consumed the mana accumulated inside the Fa Zhu. Although he was still in a stalemate with the opponent's bronze puppet, Lu Xiaotian's dantian felt no loss of mana at this time.

Of course, the copper puppet consumes the spiritual stone on the brow. Lao Huang doesn't have any extra consumption for now, but it still requires divine consciousness to control the copper puppet. But Lu Xia Tian, who has already split his primordial spirit, can completely multitask while controlling the Cold Desolation Seal in battle.

This is the text outside of the HTML tags.Please provide me with the text you want me to translate within the tags, and I will do my best to provide an accurate English translation.

With the Cold Wilderness Seal and Copper Man Puppet locked in a stalemate, the Splitting Earth Blade transformed into a golden ray and slashed directly at Lao Huangnian's brow.

La Huang was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Lu Xiaoteng could wield such powerful magic while simultaneously controlling the razor-sharp golden sword without any hindrance. Although fighting with a bronze puppet didn't consume his mana, it still required divine sense control. He did have some remaining power to control other mechanical puppets, but he definitely couldn't be as relaxed as this young man in front of him.

At this time, the bronze puppet was pressed down by the Ice Seal, unable to escape at all. La Huangnian's face changed drastically, and he once again controlled the bronze puppet to release a circle of ochre-yellow light shield, but the light shield didn't block the Splitting Earth Blade for even a moment before being pierced through by it.

Liao Huang's expression was panicked as he drew out a short dagger, barely managing to block the Splitting Earth Blade. As an organ puppet master, his skill with blades was lacking compared to a true warrior. Distracted, the enormous bronze puppet under his control was also suppressed by the World-Shaking Ice Seal, its body shrinking considerably.

Finally, under the light of the waning year, the Earth-Splitting Blade pierced through his chest with a single blow. His heavy corpse fell to the ground, but his soul escaped from his lifeless body, "Boy, you destroyed my physical body and obtained the secret teachings of our Qianzhu Sect. Even if you escape to the ends of the earth, the Qianzhu Sect will find you and skin you alive!"

In the year of the Yellow Tiger, Xiaoqiu's nascent soul moved like lightning, even faster than the blade that had sliced through it. Lu Xiaoteng pursued relentlessly. However, Lu Xiaoteng wasn't surprised by this situation. It was common knowledge that puppet masters controlled their puppets with their nascent souls, and a cultivator of the same rank as the puppet master would generally be stronger. Unlike cultivators in the Qi Condensation Stage, those who had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage had greatly strengthened their nascent souls. Even after their physical bodies perished, they could exist independently for a period. But within that time, if they couldn't find a suitable vessel to inhabit, they were still destined to dissipate into nothingness.

The Thousand Bamboo Sect had been driven out of the Viewing Moon Immortal Cultivation Realm long ago. If they wanted to return, they would have to see if dozens of sects in the Viewing Moon Immortal Cultivation Realm agreed. Lu Xia Tian coldly snorted; as for those seeking revenge against him, the Thousand Bamboo Sect wasn't the only one. That bronze puppet was indeed quite good. Lu Xia Tian took off the storage pouch from Lao Huang Nian Shi's corpse and then put the bronze puppet into his own storage pouch.

Although the fight was intense, it only lasted for a very short time. Wang Yuan and another disciple of their sect who had been drugged with laxatives by someone a year earlier, were frozen stiff by Lu Xiaoteng's cold seal. They regained their senses quickly, and hastily put on their clothes in a few moves.

Wang Yuan's face was slightly flushed, and she looked at Lu Xia Tian with a hint of flirtation. Compared to her current Dao partner, Lu Xia Tian was undoubtedly much stronger. What surprised her was that she felt familiar looking at Lu Xia Tian.

This woman's temperament is just like before, she doesn't hesitate to sacrifice her appearance for what she wants. Lu Xia Tian's slight agitation just now has calmed down instead.

Let me know if you'd like me to translate anything else!

"Brother, what did you do..." Not far away, two people broke through the air and flew over. At the front was a young man in a short tunic, followed by another man whose skin color was similar to that of Lao Huang.

"Oh no, his fellow disciples have arrived." Lu Xia Tian's expression changed slightly, and he turned around and left.

Wang Yuan and another woman were also terrified, their faces pale. They didn't even have time to save the man in white. The two women glanced at each other and then scattered in different directions, hoping that by separating, they might have a chance of surviving. Staying together would drastically reduce their chances of living.

However, they escaped for a short while, giving the two women a slight sense of relief. Two members of the Qianzhu teaching rushed straight towards Lu Xiaoteng and didn't waste their energy on these two insignificant ants.

This is the translated text:

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate! hint of confusion.Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!"This account doesn't add up. A few of us teaming up might be able to fight against Lu Xiaoteng, but if we face a c...