Chapter 386: Patterned Bone Puppet!
The entrance to the Seal Bone Tomb—a Secret Realm that opened only once every five centuries—now hovered right before Jiang Chen’s eyes. A single step forward was all it would take to cross the threshold.
However, immense danger always shadowed such Secret Realms. The miserable fates of Mo Sha and Shui Wuhen were proof enough.
Thus, despite the monumental temptation, Jiang Chen remained entirely unmoved. He simply stood at the perimeter, his gaze piercing the entrance to carefully observe the interior. Nothing more.
So many skeletons. Who knows how many cultivators died in there? he thought. Could these all be sacrificial burials? If I’m going to explore this place, I definitely need to send in a spirit pet or a puppet first.
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, his mind racing with calculations. He attempted to extend his spiritual sense through the gateway, but hit an invisible wall.
The entrance bridged vast spatial distances, imposing heavy restrictions on anything trying to pass through. Unless a cultivator broke through to the Golden Core stage and evolved their spiritual sense into Divine Sense, probing the realm from the outside was impossible.
Having weighed his options, Jiang Chen’s figure blurred as he used Teleportation to return outside. Moving at breakneck speed, he located Fortress, who was currently idling beneath the shade of the poplar tree.
Sensing its master’s approach, the puppet immediately snapped to attention. “Master.”
Jiang Chen offered a faint smile. “I need a favor.”
Naturally, Fortress had no concept of refusal. “Yes, Master.”Jiang Chen shot a brief glance at the poplar tree spirit before cautiously leading Fortress into the stone house. The moment the door clicked shut, he eagerly shifted them both into his portable space.
Adjusting to the sudden change in scenery, Fortress scanned its new surroundings. It looked remarkably similar to the previous Spirit Farm—the same environment, the same ambient energy. The only difference was the absence of the poplar tree spirit.
Jiang Chen pointed toward the swirling entrance of the Seal Bone Tomb. “We have nine minutes left. Go inside and scout the area for me. Record everything you see, loot anything that isn’t nailed down, and before you leave, grab one of those skeletons and bring it back.”
Fortress locked its optical sensors onto the portal and gave a firm nod. “Yes, Master!”
It marched forward without a shred of hesitation.
Watching the puppet approach the threshold, Jiang Chen called out a final directive. “If you encounter lethal danger or an unpredictable variable, retreat immediately. Do not force the issue.”
Fortress didn’t even have time to vocalize its acknowledgment before stepping into the rift. The gray vortex rippled, swallowing the puppet and depositing it into the Secret Realm.
Jiang Chen stood at the edge, his eyes tracking Fortress’s every movement.
Initially, much like a fledgling cultivator entering a Secret Realm for the first time, the puppet seemed disoriented, its head swiveling to take in the bizarre, unfamiliar environment. Fortunately, its core programming prioritized its master’s orders. It meticulously recorded its surroundings and, knowing time was of the essence, swiftly commenced its exploration.
But the moment it took a step, the environment reacted violently.
The outer perimeter was blanketed in a layer of golden quicksand. Upon closer inspection, every individual grain of sand was inscribed with microscopic repulsion runes.
As Fortress’s foot touched the ground, its massive, heavy frame was suddenly thrust into the air, rendered weightless. Instantly, a torrential swarm of golden sand converged upon it, grinding against its chassis in a frenzied attempt to erode the puppet into dust from the outside in.
Jiang Chen’s brow shot up. Decisively stepping forward, he thrust a hand through the portal, surged the wood-attribute spiritual power within his dantian, and unleashed a powerful, localized suction force directly at Fortress.
Whoosh!
The puppet was violently yanked backward.
Even as it hurtled toward the exit, Fortress didn’t forget its primary objective. In the split second before crossing the threshold, it reached out and snatched a skeletal corpse from the ground.
With a heavy thud, both Fortress and the skeleton tumbled out of the portal, crashing hard onto the dirt of the portable space.
Having lost their target, the golden sands ceased their pursuit, swirling back into place. They were clearly a localized defense mechanism meant to guard the Secret Realm’s perimeter.
Jiang Chen frowned deeply. “Entering through this specific portal already reduces the environmental damage by fifty percent. If I had walked through the normal entrance, the results would have been catastrophic.”
It was glaringly obvious that exploring the Seal Bone Tomb would be a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, he still had two more entry opportunities, giving him ample time to prepare a proper strategy.
Furthermore, he had yet to utilize the system to upgrade the Bone Pattern Lock. If he pushed it to the Miracle Hands level, the negative side effects might vanish entirely, perhaps even granting him unrestricted access.
With that thought in mind, Jiang Chen shifted his gaze to the skeleton Fortress had retrieved.
It appeared to be human. Every trace of hair, skin, flesh, and tendon had been stripped clean. Strangely, however, the bleached bones were covered in peculiar, intricate etchings.
As a top-tier grandmaster in the path of puppetry, Jiang Chen recognized them instantly: these were puppet control runes.
Different puppets required different runic arrays, and every puppet master possessed their own unique methodology and signature symbols. But the underlying principle remained the same. Simply put, this skeleton could be activated and controlled.
Jiang Chen stroked his chin, a pragmatic gleam in his eye. “If I can use these remains as disposable scouts, Fortress won’t have to risk taking any more damage.”
He glanced sideways at his loyal puppet. It was a good thing he had reacted so quickly to pull it back. A few seconds longer, and its chassis would have been completely eroded by the golden quicksand. As it stood, it had only suffered minor surface abrasions.
Satisfied, Jiang Chen used Teleportation to bring them both back outside. “Go rest and repair yourself,” he instructed.
Fortress’s eyes flickered. “Yes, Master.” It immediately lumbered back toward the poplar tree spirit.
Jiang Chen then focused his full attention on his attribute panel.
[Consume 10 years of Lifespan to upgrade Bone Pattern Lock to Miracle Hands?]
“Yes.”
A mere ten years was a negligible business expense; Jiang Chen didn’t bat an eye. Instantly, his consciousness was pulled into a profound, mysterious state of Epiphany.
Moments later, the text on the panel blurred and refreshed.
[Remaining Lifespan: 687 years]
[Bone Pattern Lock: Miracle Hands]
[Effect 1:] Through a special medium, open a fixed-point entrance with no time limit.
[Effect 2:] Damage from outer repulsion runes reduced by 50%.
[Effect 3:] Spirit Qi absorption rate of the tomb’s parasitic runes reduced by 50%.
[Effect 4:] Consume spiritual power to briefly control a Patterned Bone Puppet for 10 minutes.
[Effect 5:] Rune Spirit Flower automatically recognizes you as its master; absorbing it can Awaken the power of etching marks.
[Effect 6:] Activate the Three-Pattern Barrier, absorbing 50% of incoming damage and converting it into Spirit Qi.
[Special Effect 1:] Randomly receive environmental hints regarding the Seal Bone Tomb.
[Special Effect 2:] Master the power of etching marks; unlocks the option to walk the Ten-Thousand Pattern Immortal Path.
[Negative Effect 1:] The longer you remain inside, the more your physical form will gradually assimilate into the Seal Bone Tomb.
Reading through the updated effects, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.
The so-called Bone Pattern Lock wasn’t just a skill—it was a master key. A key specifically designed to plunder the Seal Bone Tomb.
With this in his arsenal, the Fated Chances and heavenly treasures hidden within were practically his for the taking. However, the drawback was severe: the longer he stayed inside, the higher the risk of being permanently assimilated into the tomb’s architecture.
Fortunately, Jiang Chen was “exceptionally talented” in the path of puppetry. He didn’t need to risk his own neck; he could simply outsource the exploration to his disposable assets.
Wasting no time, he re-entered the portable space. He drew a thread of spiritual power from his dantian and channeled it directly into the skeleton lying before him.
Instantly, a harsh clattering of bone echoed through the space as the skeleton jerked to life and rigidly climbed to its feet.
However, this Patterned Bone Puppet felt entirely different from Fortress or his spirit pets. There was no seamless mental connection, no fluid sensation of moving it like an extension of his own body.
It was a crude, rudimentary tool. It could only execute the most basic, simple commands—nothing more!