“This won’t do, they are endless. You must get rid of the man outside, otherwise, he will continue to teleport human puppets in,” observed a puppetsmith.

  General Pang and his troops had been constantly killing the human puppets and were able to ensure the safety of the puppetsmiths. However, the steady stream of human puppets gave them no time to catch their breath. Moreover, they were burning their vitality, so it was impossible to persist for a long time!

  “He is outside the formation, and we can’t break through it. Who can?” General Pang asked a question that troubled everyone as he chopped a human puppet in half.

  “You must hold on. I believe that Brother Bai will definitely handle this problem!” Ling Yue stubbornly upheld his trust in Bai Xiaofei despite having not seen him anywhere at all.

  However, they were unaware of the real trouble ——

  Everything that was happening inside the auction house was being recorded and transmitted through Recording Eyeballs!

  The chaotic imperial city, the gruesome fight in the auction house. Everything was being watched by the whole Ethereal Empire. And among the many scenes, the focus were the three cores of the formation.

  “If I’m not mistaken, you are a puppetsmith of the Holy Puppysmith Mountain. It’s quite rare for a puppetsmith to reach this level, but it’s still impossible for you to beat me!” The Shadow Death assassin facing Shi Kui shrieked with laughter while launching an attack every time Shi Kui tried to move.

  “Wanna know something? I don’t plan on letting you keep hitting me like this.” Shi Kui wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth with a slight smile. “Thank you for beating me up for so long, or else I’d really have no chance against you like you said!” He suddenly raised the huge hammer in his hand and smashed it on the ground.

  The next second, a formation lit up with a dark red light that enveloped the entire battlefield!

  “This is a puppet given to me by my master. He said it was a defective product, strong but takes a long time to arrange and take effect. Fortunately, you gave me long enough to complete it. Sumeru Formation!” shouted Shi Kui as he started moving. Unlike just now, his speed erupted to the point that he was even faster than the Shadow Death assassin!

  Alerted by his speed, the Shadow Death assassin quickly responded. His right hand shone as he used it to meet the hammer, the same move that he had repeatedly used to counter Shi Kui earlier.

  This time, however, it was not the sound of Shi Kui being sent flying, but the crunches of the assassin’s bones being shattered!

  “You think my speed is the only thing enhanced by the formation? No, everything is!” said Shi Kui before letting out a roar and leaping after the assassin, then swung his hammer at the latter’s waist and disabled him!

  Outside, all the spectators who saw this scene cheered in joy. They knew very well that the fate of everyone inside the auction house depended on whether the formation that was sealing it could be broken!

  After handling the assassin, Shi Kui walked to the little girl - the core of the formation - with a conflicted look on his face.

  “Kill her! Kill her and this formation will be ruined! If you don’t, you will all be dragged to death! Not just you, but also the emperor of Ethereal, and that Bai Xiaofei! Everyone will die!!” the assassin taunted with a hoarse voice, obviously enjoying the feeling of toying with human nature very much even though he was already nearing the end of his life.

  “Don’t listen to him. Uncle will make sure that you’re safe,” comforted Shi Kui as he untied the rope on the little girl.

  From the very beginning, Shi Kui was risking his life with the assassin not to destroy the girl, but to save her, who shouldn’t have been involved in this war.

  “Thank you, big brother. You are my hero. Can you tell me your name?” The frightened little girl finally gained a sense of security, her eyes that were red from crying filled with jubilation.

  “My name is Shi Kui. Don’t listen to the bad guy, we have a very powerful ally. Once he returns to the battlefield, all problems will be resolved easily.” Like Ling Yue, Shi Kui believed that Bai Xiaofei would come back.

  However, he was worried that Bai Xiaofei wouldn’t come back in time. After all, it had been so long…


  “I know, brother Shi Kui. I know what will happen here, the bad man said it very clearly. Thank you, thank you for saving me, and I also know what I should do,” the little girl whispered and kissed Shi Kui gently on his cheek. “If I could, I would marry a hero like you when I grow up. If I could, I would be a powerful person, then I could save you.”


  The girl’s earnest face as she said those words was so lovable that Shi Kui stretched out his hand to stroke her head. However, she suddenly pushed him away and picked up a broken piece of tile on the ground…


  Without any hesitation, she used it to slit her own neck, dying her clothes red…


  “Big brother, thank you. I believe in the person you have to wait for, but the Great Emperor may not be able to wait until then, while I’m just a little girl…”


  The girl grew weak as she spoke. Rushing to her, Shi Kui was in tears. He tried to stop the blood with his hand while taking out a recovery pill from his storage ring. However, the little girl kept her lips tightly pressed after finishing speaking. No matter how hard Shi Kui tried, he couldn’t get her to take the pill…


  Everyone knew the words that she didn’t finish.

  I’m just a little girl, sacrificing my life is all I can do for Ethereal. Although I’m young, I understand…


  As life left her little body, Shi Kui was already sobbing. He turned around and glared furiously at the dying assassin, shouting, “I want you to suffer a fate worse than death!”


  ……


  After Yan Ran’er resolved the assassin on her side with violence, the drunkard that was used as the formation eye made the same decision after leaving a thought-provoking message for everyone.

  “I used to be rubbish. After I hurt my family because of my drinking, everyone looked at me like trash. I was decadent for 30 years. Perhaps that’s why they chose me. Perhaps in their eyes, I’m a selfish person.”


  “Do you know I’ve always wanted to be a hero? I just don’t have the ability! I’m not a puppet master, I’m not a fighter, I’m a drunkard who loves drinking, a waste that even my family can’t keep. But it’s different now, I will be remembered as a hero. Young girl, thank you for helping me and giving me this opportunity.”


  “Goodbye Ethereal, this is all I can do for you. Also, my lovely child and my kindest wife, I’m so sorry for hurting you…”


  Yan Ran’er quietly watched as it happened right before her eyes. She wanted to stop him, but she did not know if she should, until the drunkard… no, the hero slowly fell in a pool of blood.

  ……


  At the final formation core, Ni Xue used a bunch of seemingly useless puppets to wear down the assassin there to death. However, the technique she used to evade attacks was not what a normal person was capable of.

  The formation eye on her side was a white-haired old lady, who had been chosen by Shadow Death because of her particularity. Everyone who knew her had a common impression of her: bitter, selfish, and a pure profiteer.

  At this moment, they finally knew why she was so.

  The old lady had no children, but she had been supporting poor children anonymously for fifty years! No one knew about this because she did not deem it necessary to announce it to the world.

  Now, however, she told her story as she needed people to continue to support those poor children who had dreams but no conditions. After entrusting the matter to Ni Xue, the old lady made the same choice as the other two…


  With that, the three formation cores were destroyed, leaving three stories to be remembered by the whole empire. Just like the alcoholic hero said, from that moment on, the three of them would be forever recorded in Ethereal history!

  The moment the formation disappeared, Tan Xin in the auction hall reacted. After slowly recovering her combat ability, she waited until this instance to act!

  “Frozen Hell, Dainty Tower!”


  Her power of creation fully activated as a chilling wave of air instantly froze the assassin on the roof who was teleporting human puppets inside. After a few moments, a glittering ice tower permanently pierced and separated his life away from his body.

  At that same time, General Pang led his elite team to eliminate the rest of the human puppets. When the battle was over, he and his soldiers stood properly in front of Ling Yue as the lights on their bodies gradually dimmed.

  “Reporting to Your Majesty, we have accomplished our mission!” shouted General Pang and the thirty elites who knelt down on one knee, never to get up again. This became the last respect that they would pay their Great Emperor…


  “Great… You’ve done a great job. I will forever remember your deeds…”


  Tears slid down Ling Yue’s face. The whole auction house was dead silent. Everyone watched quietly as the moment became eternal…


  This was Ethereal!