The Church of Light in the magical plane faced an unprecedented crisis. If they could weather the Great Elven King's onslaught, the Church of Light would finally establish an unshakable foothold in the magical plane and usher in an era of greater prosperity.

Should the Church of Light falter under the coordinated attack of the Great Elven King's army, everything they had built would crumble. Alexander would lose everything he had gained; even if he managed to escape with his life, he would be relegated to guerilla warfare in the mountains, forever denied any chance of rising again.

All Liu Hui could do now was order the weapon factories to operate at full capacity, churning out high-tech weaponry at a frantic pace to arm the forces of the Church of Light. After all, the Church was vastly outmatched by the Great Elven King’s army in terms of sheer numbers and individual power. Their only hope for victory lay in finding an edge through superior technology.

As for the potential attack from the emissary of the Goddess of Nature, Liu Hui currently had no viable countermeasures. To deal with this possible divine messenger, he had considered offering Alexander immensely powerful nuclear bombs. However, he quickly realized that against a true emissary of the Goddess of Nature, those bombs, so devastating in the eyes of humanity, would be mere trivialities, incapable of inflicting any real harm. An emissary, being a form of deity, possessed power far beyond human comprehension, their full capabilities unknown to anyone.

To counter this formidable potential threat, Liu Hui began planning for contingencies, knowing that relying solely on high-yield nuclear weapons against a divine emissary was precarious. This led him to recall the powerful combat automaton that Xiaoyaozi had previously mentioned. If Liu Hui had any chance of withstanding the attacks of the Goddess of Nature’s emissary, it would have to be through this potential automaton.

Liu Hui placed his hopes on Xiaoyaozi and began ceaselessly hailing him, determined to secure the combat automaton. Perhaps weary of the constant pings, or for other reasons, Xiaoyaozi—after citing that something precious of his had been destroyed by Liu Hui and lost for a year—finally appeared before him.

Xiaoyaozi appeared unchanged, still possessing that ethereal, transcendent bearing, yet unmistakably sly and calculating.

Liu Hui had numerous questions for Xiaoyaozi, so he began by inquiring about the White Jade Tablet. Upon hearing this topic, Xiaoyaozi immediately feigned ignorance and confusion, claiming he knew nothing about it, only that it was his most treasured possession. Furthermore, he declared that since Liu Hui had destroyed this most precious item, he was heartbroken and wished to discuss the matter no further.

Liu Hui felt a sense of helplessness, coupled with mounting suspicion. Xiaoyaozi was the embodiment of cunning; the fact that he hadn't demanded compensation for destroying his most valuable possession seemed utterly inconceivable. Could it be that this item was merely one of three insignificant trinkets to Xiaoyaozi, which is why he hadn't dwelled on it?

Unable to glean any secrets about the White Jade Tablet, Liu Hui smoothly changed the subject, asking when Xiaoyaozi’s combat automaton would be finished. As the conversation turned to Xiaoyaozi’s area of expertise, his demeanor instantly brightened. He spoke with great enthusiasm, explaining that he had been refining the combat automaton for Liu Hui throughout the past year. If all went smoothly, this most powerful automaton in history would be ready in three months.

Liu Hui pressed for details on the automaton’s combat capabilities. Xiaoyaozi thumped his chest and guaranteed its immense power, explaining that it would be sealed with every potent cultivation combat spell. If this automaton fought at full strength, he claimed, it could rival a true cultivation master.

Liu Hui remained unconvinced by Xiaoyaozi’s analogy regarding the combat automaton’s strength, yet at this juncture, he had little choice but to trust him, hoping the automaton would indeed be as powerful as advertised and capable of repelling the Goddess of Nature’s emissary.

Having concluded this discussion, Xiaoyaozi’s face shifted back into a familiar, greasy smirk. Liu Hui flinched, feeling a familiar resignation; he knew Xiaoyaozi was about to start pleading poverty. Sure enough, Xiaoyaozi immediately began complaining about the hardships of fighting the Celestial Demon race and the immense resources consumed in crafting the automaton. He then shamelessly demanded that Liu Hui pay an additional deposit of fifty thousand Level Four Beast Cores, or the automaton’s forging could not continue.

Liu Hui desperately needed the combat automaton to defend against the Goddess of Nature’s emissary. Having already invested fifty thousand Level Four Beast Cores, retreat was no longer an option. Thus, he reluctantly transferred another fifty thousand Level Four Beast Cores to Xiaoyaozi, praying that the automaton would be completed in the shortest possible time.

Upon receiving the fifty thousand Level Four Beast Cores, Xiaoyaozi beamed with delight and guaranteed Liu Hui that he would deliver the automaton within three months.

Hanging up the communication with Xiaoyaozi, Liu Hui felt a deep sense of frustration. In front of Xiaoyaozi, he felt like a child, unable to gain any advantage, unlike the confident dealings he had with Tzege and Alexander.

As Liu Hui thought of Tzege, Tzege contacted him via the Planar Trading Device.

The moment Liu Hui accepted the call, he saw Tzege’s ecstatic expression on the screen. He smiled and greeted him, "Lord Tzege, greetings! You appear to be in high spirits today. What brings you such joy?" Tzege responded happily, "Lord Liu Hui, I am overwhelmingly delighted! Do you know, just a few days ago, our Zerg and the Divine Race engaged in a decisive, epoch-making battle. In this monumental conflict, our Zerg emerged victorious."

"Across a battlefield spanning a radius of ten thousand light-years, both sides fought to the death.

However, because we had several tens of millions more commanders capable of remote direction, we held a significant informational advantage on that front. This allowed us to concentrate superior forces and crush the Divine Race armies one by one. It was this very advantage that led to our ultimate defeat of the powerful Divine Race forces on that field. Although our Zerg suffered grievous losses in that final battle, the Divine Race forces lost even more severely. They can no longer fully maintain their front lines and have begun a general strategic contraction, leaving us in the position of strategic advantage as the primary aggressor." Hearing that Tzege's Zerg forces had finally achieved strategic superiority over the Divine Race armies, Liu Hui was overjoyed, repeatedly offering his congratulations. Tzege emotionally replied, "Mr. Liu Hui, I must thank you for the assistance you provided. It was because of your white powder that we were able to defeat the formidable Divine Race army. We have now fully penetrated the Divine Race territory. Yesterday, we even captured an extra-large city within their domain, seizing a crucial Divine Race soldier manufacturing base."

Liu Hui asked curiously, "What exactly is this Divine Race soldier manufacturing base?"

Tzege excitedly explained, "The Divine Race soldier manufacturing base is the ultimate secret of Divine Race technology. Within this facility, the Divine Race utilizes various applications of energy to fabricate powerful Divine Race soldiers." Liu Hui was delighted. "You captured the Divine Race soldier manufacturing base, so does that mean you can utilize Divine Race technology to create Divine Race soldiers to fight for you?"

Tzege shook his head with regret. "Although the Divine Race abandoned the manufacturing base, they took away the key equipment required to imbue the newly manufactured soldiers with life. We have inspected the facility; it can still produce Divine Race soldiers, but these creations lack souls—they are merely energy constructs, like mindless walking dead, uncontrollable and useless to us."

Liu Hui paused. "I see! I had hoped gaining the base meant acquiring their energy application technology!" Tzege suddenly remembered something. "Do you recall those highly concentrated elemental energy stones you gave me over a decade ago?"

Tzege’s reminder immediately brought back to Liu Hui the memory of when he couldn't utilize Beast Cores and had handed them over to Tzege for research into extracting their energy. Unfortunately, the Zerg at that time had been unable to decipher the secrets within the Beast Cores, and as time passed, Liu Hui had nearly forgotten the matter entirely. He nodded, "I remember that."

Tzege continued, "We previously couldn't crack the secret of those elemental energy stones, but after obtaining the Divine Race soldier manufacturing base and capturing the scientists within, we were able to use the base's energy equipment to finally harness the energy contained in those stones."

Since gaining Xiaoyaozi’s assistance, Liu Hui could now use the energy from Beast Cores, so Tzege’s discussion of energy application no longer interested him. Nevertheless, he politely inquired, "How have you managed to utilize these energy stones?"

Tzege explained, "Through the research conducted by the captured Divine Race scientists, they discovered that the energy stones you provided are a rare type of elemental energy stone where energies of different attributes can mutually reinforce and counteract each other to generate new forms of energy. Using these stones, they actually managed to construct a Divine Race soldier capable of self-recharging its energy." He added, "Previously, Divine Race soldiers required recharging once their internal energy was depleted; this new model, however, can generate new energy within its own body."

Liu Hui instantly became interested. "These Divine Race scientists managed to create self-recharging soldiers using these energy stones—are they capable of manufacturing complete, controllable Divine Race soldiers?"

Tzege shook his head. "Because they lost the core technology, even those Divine Race scientists cannot manufacture complete Divine Race soldiers. As I mentioned, the soldiers they create lack souls; they are just lifeless energy bodies, entirely without function."

Liu Hui was disappointed. He had hoped Tzege could mass-produce Divine Race soldiers, perhaps trading them via the Planar Trading Device. Even if they were useless on Earth, they could be traded to Alexander to counter the Goddess of Nature’s emissary. But without the core soul technology, the resulting soldiers were useless, dashing Liu Hui's plan to borrow an army.

Still, Liu Hui held onto a shred of hope. He gave Tzege some Level Eight energy stones and asked him to try manufacturing a single Divine Race soldier to test whether it could be traded across planes.

...

Three months later, Xiaoyaozi contacted Liu Hui.

"Senior, you finally deigned to contact me proactively." Liu Hui regarded Xiaoyaozi with a teasing smile.

Xiaoyaozi looked displeased. "Young friend, I worked night and day to rush the creation of your combat automaton, especially after losing my most precious possession. And yet you speak to me like this; you have truly wounded my heart." Hearing this, Liu Hui was thrilled and exclaimed, "Senior, are you perhaps telling me today that your combat automaton is finished and ready for trade?"

Xiaoyaozi’s expression instantly shifted into a sly smile. "Naturally. Since I accepted your deposit, I naturally had to find a way to finish crafting this item for you as quickly as possible." Liu Hui expressed his concern, "Senior, you haven't cut corners, have you?"

Xiaoyaozi puffed up his beard indignantly. "Young friend, I, Xiaoyaozi, am a man of my word, and my products have never had any issues. You will know once you use it." While Liu Hui had reservations about Xiaoyaozi’s personal integrity, he had complete confidence in the quality of his craftsmanship. "Senior, let us proceed with the transaction immediately!" Xiaoyaozi grinned his oily grin again, pulling out a puppet-like object nearly as tall as a man and placing it on the Planar Trading Device. Liu Hui looked at the strange wooden figure and asked, "Senior, is this the combat automaton you mentioned? It looks as though it’s made of wood."

Xiaoyaozi declared proudly, "Young friend, this combat automaton represents the pinnacle achievement of our Artifact Forging Sect. Do not be fooled by its ordinary appearance; its combat power is exceptionally formidable, guaranteed to meet your requirements."

Though Liu Hui remained skeptical, he placed the remaining one hundred thousand Level Four Beast Cores onto the Planar Trading Device and clicked 'Trade.' The seemingly ordinary wooden puppet automaton appeared before him, while the hundred thousand Level Four Beast Cores vanished into Xiaoyaozi’s possession.

Upon receiving the hundred thousand Level Four Beast Cores, Xiaoyaozi became ecstatic. "Young friend, drip your fresh blood onto it to establish recognition, and you can use it." As Liu Hui stared at the plain wooden figure, preparing to ask Xiaoyaozi more questions, a sudden incident occurred. The door to the room behind him exploded inward, and a masked figure clad entirely in black bizarrely appeared, lunging a long sword toward Xiaoyaozi. Then Liu Hui heard a strange shriek from Xiaoyaozi, and the Planar Trading Device abruptly disconnected.

Liu Hui stared at the shocking scene before him, speechless for a long moment. After what felt like an eternity, he murmured, "Is this the Celestial Demon race the old fellow mentioned? Judging by this attack, it seems they sent an assassin to eliminate him?" Liu Hui began to worry about Xiaoyaozi’s safety but could do nothing, left only hoping that Xiaoyaozi could navigate this peril safely. After a moment of distracted thought, he refocused his attention on the somewhat odd-looking combat automaton standing in the room.

Liu Hui sliced open his finger and let his blood drip onto the automaton. As the blood touched its surface, the automaton emitted a powerful suction force. Under this intense pull, Liu Hui's blood was rapidly drawn from the wound on his finger and absorbed by the construct.

Liu Hui was horrified, watching his blood stream out as if from a faucet, completely unable to stop it as he was immobilized. Just as he feared his blood would be completely drained by this bizarre automaton, the construct suddenly emitted a flash of red light, enveloping Liu Hui. At this point, the automaton ceased drawing his blood. Liu Hui estimated that in that brief moment, he had lost over half the blood in his body.

Once the red light enveloped both him and the automaton, Liu Hui suddenly became aware of the automaton's presence. His consciousness began to shift onto the construct, and he instantly felt as if the automaton had become an extension of his own body. He could command every aspect of the automaton and knew all its functions intimately.

When Liu Hui commanded the automaton to open its eyes, the red light enveloping him and the construct had completely dissipated. Liu Hui, viewing through the automaton’s eyes, saw his original body standing nearby, looking at the construct with curiosity. Simultaneously, the consciousness Liu Hui had left in his original body watched the newly opened eyes of the automaton. This sensation of seeing himself—of having two versions of 'self'—felt profoundly miraculous.

Liu Hui began to sense everything within the combat automaton’s structure and immediately noticed its movements were exceptionally fluid, with no discernible resistance, feeling nothing like wooden material.

Scanning its interior, he discovered its internal structure. In the automaton’s 'head' was a strange formation, sealed with numerous cultivation spells. In its 'heart' region was an odd spiritual energy matrix, emitting potent spiritual energy fluctuations.

Though he hadn't tested it yet, Liu Hui roughly understood the purpose: the formation in the brain sealed powerful cultivation spells, while the spiritual energy matrix continuously supplied spiritual power to activate these sealed spells, unleashing immense combat strength. As long as the spiritual energy matrix remained sufficiently supplied, the automaton could continuously attack using these imprinted spells.

With a thought, Liu Hui located a flight spell called Wind Riding Art among the sealed abilities. He activated it with his thought, and energy surged from the spiritual matrix into the spell. Liu Hui instantly felt the automaton’s body lighten, and then it rose into the air.

Liu Hui was overjoyed. His original body remained seated in the room while the other part of his consciousness piloted the automaton out the window and upward. Fortunately, it was night, and the automaton Xiaoyaozi built was so miraculous that it ascended rapidly, evading the surveillance systems of the "Sky City."

Seeing the automaton perform its wonders, Liu Hui’s excitement soared. He increased the spiritual energy fed into the Wind Riding Art, granting the automaton phenomenal speed, and it vanished into the sky in a blur of light. Liu Hui roughly calculated that the automaton’s flight speed now exceeded five kilometers per second.

Thirty seconds later, the combat puppet controlled by Liu Hui materialized in the void of space. He zipped through the vacuum at incredible speed, the sheer thrill of this flight bringing him immense pleasure. Gazing at the distant Moon and Earth, a profound sense of exhilaration washed over him. In the past, reaching the void required reliance on mankind’s advanced spacecraft, but now, using the combat puppet, he could ascend with effortless ease. Furthermore, even once in space, the connection between Liu Hui’s true self and his puppet remained perfectly clear, utterly unimpeded and seamless.

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1z Yue Da?1? 1xx Ao 1?1 Kou