The other two cultivators flew off into the distance, disappearing into the sky in the blink of an eye. The burly man sitting atop the giant tiger remained completely still, watching them leave with a cold gaze, showing no intention of giving chase!
Han Li, hiding in the clouds, found this strange. Given the ruthless and cold-blooded way this man had just acted, he shouldn't have let them go so easily. Could he have another trick up his sleeve?
Just as Han Li was speculating wildly, the burly man's icy voice suddenly carried up from below: "You there, you've been watching the show for quite some time now. Waiting for the fisherman to reap the profits, are you? Isn't it about time you made your move!"
Han Li's heart lurched in shock.
"Could he have spotted me, even up this high?"
At that thought, Han Li swallowed hard, his heart leaping into his throat. After witnessing the power of these mechanism puppets, he had no desire to become an aerial target for the giant tiger's attacks like those other cultivators.
That super light beam was just too fast, and its power too terrifying! As Han Li estimated, facing it head-on, he wouldn't be able to safely evade its attack unless he poured all his energy into the Divine Wind Boat and constantly dodged.
After a moment's thought, Han Li immediately considered fleeing through the air right away, to avoid bringing a fatal calamity upon himself. But after another glance at the burly man's actions, that thought vanished instantly.
The puppets surrounding the burly man had adjusted the direction of their weapons, not pointing at the high sky where Han Li was, but angled towards a small mound not far away.
This nearly made Han Li bite off his own tongue in shock!
There was actually a third person here, and he had been completely unaware of them.
With a "crash" of shifting earth, a figure indeed emerged from the small mound. It was that strange person wearing a grey sack over his head, who had previously been at odds with the burly man.
"So it was you!"
"Just who are you? It seems you know some secrets about these puppet mechanism beasts!"
The burly man's eyes were piercingly cold as he glared viciously at the strange figure.
"Yellow Dragon, after all these years, your temper is still as explosive as ever!" After a brief silence, the sack-headed figure suddenly spoke, startling both his opponent and the eavesdropping Han Li.
"How do you know who I am? Are you an acquaintance of mine, Huang?" The burly man, startled that the other had called him by name, showed a surprised expression. However, since his identity was already exposed, there was no point in hiding it further. He simply tore the hood from his head and threw it to the ground, revealing the fierce face of a large man with short, bristly yellow hair.
"If you're not going to act as the Dharma Protector for your Thousand Bamboo Sect, then why did you come all this way? Is it simply because of the Great Development Technique hidden within these puppet beasts?" The strange figure ignored the big man's actions and continued speaking in an unhurried, leisurely tone.
"If you don't reveal your identity, don't blame me for being impolite!" Seeing that the stranger's words struck directly at his deepest secrets, the big man's expression darkened, and he immediately shouted sternly.
"Have you already forgotten who secretly transmitted the first layer of the Great Development Technique's incantation to you?"
After a moment's hesitation, the strange figure still uttered a sentence that caused the other man's face to change drastically and made him stumble back several steps.
"You are Senior Brother Lin?... No, that can't be right. Senior Brother Lin passed away years ago! How dare you mock me! Huang wants your life!" After his initial shock, the big man flew into a furious rage. A vicious look crossed his face as he waved his hand, and the hundred-odd puppets immediately stepped forward, surrounding the strange figure from a distance.
"Seeing that Junior Brother Huang still hasn't forgotten our old sentiments, I am quite pleased!" The strange figure's eyes suddenly took on a gentle look as he spoke. Then, he pulled the sack from his head, revealing his true face.
"Senior Brother Lin!"
"Granduncle Lin!"