Chapter 44: Master, you’re invincible!

The puppet launched forward, twisting mid-air before forcefully halting and landing with a heavy thud.

Then, it nimbly adjusted its stance, locking onto its target again.

However, just as its gaze settled ahead, a figure came charging at full speed—spear in hand, like an arrow aimed directly at its heart!

The puppet couldn’t dodge in time.

Bullseye.

But the expected scene of the spear piercing through never came.

Instead, sparks exploded from its chest as it staggered back, scraping the ground and leaving a trail of fire.

“So tough!”

The blow sent a jarring recoil through Ye Lian’s arm, making it go numb—the puppet’s body was as hard as a high-grade alloy.

Her attack’s momentum instantly fizzled.

The puppet regained its balance and immediately reached out with one hand for the spear and swung its other hand at Ye Lian.

Her eyes sharpened.

She reacted instantly, dodging backward and avoiding the strike by a hair’s breadth.

Landing again, a trace of seriousness crept onto Ye Lian’s pretty face behind her armor.

This gray-black behemoth… was no pushover.

Bai Xue put away her weapon and clasped her hands over her chest, looking slightly anxious.

This thing—dark, hard, huge, and fast—was absurdly powerful!

At that moment, the puppet was already charging at full speed.

“…”

Ye Lian gripped her spear tightly and simply stared as it rushed toward her.

The puppet suddenly spread its arms wide and lunged forward, trying to capture her.

But Ye Lian would never sit and wait for death.

With a swift motion, she slid out of the way and struck at the puppet’s joint from the side.

Again, sparks flew—no real damage at all.

This hunk of iron seemed to have no weak points!

Her attack failed, but Ye Lian didn’t falter.

Pushing off the ground with her toes, she leapt high into the air and thrust her spear straight at the puppet’s head.

Clang!

A sharp metallic ring echoed through the area.

Hit in the head, the puppet’s red eyes flickered violently.

Its upper body suddenly began spinning, arms extended, rotating faster and faster—like a pitch-black tornado!

Ye Lian couldn’t dodge in time.

Mid-air, she raised her spear to block the incoming storm.

The moment the whirlwind struck, her whole body shot backward like a cannonball.

“Master is amazing…”

Bai Xue’s eyes sparkled in awe.

To the untrained eye, it looked like Ye Lian had been smacked away.

But if one paid closer attention, they’d notice that the instant the black tornado touched her spear, she had already begun retreating with accelerating speed.

Which meant… she barely took any damage at all.

To pull off something that daring at such close range and in such a split-second window—it was truly incredible!

The puppet, of course, didn’t have time for admiration.

It had only one goal: to capture and crush the two intruders.

With a spin, it launched forward again, like a top flying straight at Ye Lian.

She had just landed when her pupils dilated—the black cyclone was growing larger and larger in her vision.

Her body reacted before her mind.

Whoosh! She slipped out of the danger zone just in time.

The puppet’s strike missed.

Its upper body stopped spinning abruptly.

Its head tilted and its glowing red eyes locked onto Ye Lian—then unleashed a blast of crimson laser!

This time, the attack came too fast—too sudden.

Ye Lian couldn’t react in time and could only watch as the beam struck her dead-on.

“Master!” Bai Xue cried out in alarm.

Her heart clenched.

***

But moments later, her worry calmed.

Because that deadly beam strike melted away on contact with Ye Lian, as if ice dissolving into water.

“Flame resistance has increased…”

Bai Xue murmured to herself, eyes on Ye Lian’s gleaming Silver Moon Divine Armor.

The beam just now had actually been a fire-type attack.

But to the Silver Moon Divine Armor, ordinary attacks didn’t do much—in fact, they only enhanced its elemental resistance.

Bai Xue let out a breath of relief.

She had worried for nothing.

At the same time, her admiration for Ye Lian surged like a mighty river, endless and unstoppable.

The mechanical puppet, of course, didn’t react at all.

‘No—wait—it was still relentlessly chasing after them, clearly intent on killing its target.’

“Fine, I’m done playing with you.”

With a flick, Ye Lian withdrew her spear, and a flash of violet glinted in her eyes.

She was ready to go all out.

Bai Xue saw a blur of white appear above the puppet, and in the next instant, a white whip lashed down, striking the massive puppet and sending it flying.

No, that wasn’t a whip—it was Ye Lian’s whip-like leg.

Before the puppet even hit the ground, she was already in pursuit, appearing above it again, twisting mid-air, and delivering a vicious sweeping kick.

With a thunderous bang, the puppet slammed hard into the stone bridge, kicking up a cloud of dust.

That strike had enormous force, yet the bridge remained completely undamaged.

It spoke volumes about the bridge’s quality!

Ye Lian dropped down from the sky, one hand pressing firmly on the puppet’s head, ready to smash it apart with full force.

But at that moment, her mind was suddenly flooded with blueprints—detailed schematics that left her momentarily stunned.

They were blueprints for the mechanical puppet!

Even more surprising, she now had a strange sense of connection to its core.

It felt as if, with just a single destructive thought, the entire puppet would collapse and disintegrate.

It seems I can control it.’

With that thought, Ye Lian began to invade the puppet’s control system.

The puppet raised both arms, attempting to counterattack.

But just as its hands were about to grab her—it froze in place.

‘Done. Looks like I really can control it.’

Ye Lian pulled her hand back, looking slightly surprised.

She had no idea who crafted the puppet, but the techniques used shared a surprising similarity to divine-tier alchemy.

If she had to compare the two, the puppet’s craftsmanship seemed to be on an even higher level.

That is, assuming she could eventually grasp it.

As of now, she was still at the beginner level.

“Master, are you alright?”

Bai Xue came running over.

“I’m fine. I’ve taken control of it.”

Ye Lian stood up and replied calmly.

“Control?” Bai Xue looked confused.

“Like this.” Ye Lian stepped down from the mechanical puppet.

The puppet slowly rose to its feet, then dropped to one knee—striking a pose of absolute submission.

The sight made Bai Xue’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

Just a moment ago, this thing had been trying to kill her master.

And now it looked like a loyal servant!

“Master, you’re invincible!” she cried, eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked at Ye Lian.

“It’s not that impressive. Its internal structure just happens to be something I understand. That’s why I was able to hack in and take over.”

“Master, you don’t have to be so modest!”

Bai Xue stared at her with shining eyes.

“Alright then, I won’t be modest.”

Ye Lian glanced at the kneeling puppet and placed one hand on its leg.

Immediately, silver patterns began to glow and ripple across its entire body—so many that Bai Xue couldn’t even begin to count them.

***

After a while, the patterns faded away.

“Master, what did you just do to it?” Bai Xue asked curiously.

“I gave it a few commands,” Ye Lian said simply.

“Oh.” Bai Xue didn’t press further.

“Let’s head inside. There might still be things to clear out.”

Tilting her head toward the city gate, Ye Lian spoke calmly.

But inside, she was filled with anticipation.

This place… maybe she wouldn’t even need to fight to take control of it.

“Yes, Master~” Bai Xue responded cheerfully.

Now that they had this giant to escort them, she felt much more confident about exploring the city.

But to her surprise, when the giant approached the city gate—it stopped in place.

Facing the stone bridge, it stood completely still, just like a guard.