Chapter 990: The Origin of the Golden Crab

"It's not convenient to talk here. Let's return underground first." The Crab Daoist glanced around, a glint flashing in his eyes as he raised his hand.

Han Li felt his body wrapped in a gentle force, and before his eyes flickered, he found himself in the underground hall.

The other golden "Crab Daoist" that had been in the crystal coffin was now awake as well, standing respectfully to the side.

Not only that, but beside him stood two humanoid puppets.

These two puppets also looked exactly like the Crab Daoist, except one was entirely pitch-black, while the other was pure white.

The black puppet glared at the Crab Daoist with a fierce light in its eyes, as if it wanted to devour him, its expression unspeakably ferocious.

The white puppet, on the other hand, was gentle and solemn, a warm smile always on its face, putting people at ease.

Seeing this, Han Li was slightly startled and looked at the Crab Daoist.

But the three puppets paid no attention to Han Li; their gazes were all fixed on the Crab Daoist.

The golden puppet did not speak, a strange glint flashing in its eyes before it looked away.

"Hmph! You were lucky this time, surviving the Dao-Heaven Tribulation. But don't get cocky. One day, I will kill you and take your place!" the black puppet sneered coldly.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on finally attaining the Great Way. You summoned us—do you have any instructions?" the white puppet said with a warm smile, its appearance identical but its demeanor completely different.

"Indeed, there are some matters that require your efforts. Fellow Daoist Black Spirit, go to Puppet City and inform Sha Xin that I have emerged from seclusion. Have her make preparations." the Crab Daoist instructed the black puppet.

Though the black puppet was clearly reluctant, it turned and headed outside without another word.

"Fellow Daoist White Spirit, please go and lift the spatial restrictions around the Great Waste, then bring all the people from Puppet City here." the Crab Daoist said to the white puppet.

The white puppet acknowledged and also turned to leave.

"As for you, Fellow Daoist Golden Spirit, go make preparations. I will soon activate the origin power of the Scale-Scale Void Realm to open a spatial passage to the outside." the Crab Daoist said to the golden puppet.

The golden puppet nodded and also turned to exit the hall.

Han Li watched the three puppets leave one by one, a contemplative expression on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Han seems quite curious about those three puppets." the Crab Daoist sat down on a chair beside the hall and gestured for Han Li to sit, speaking calmly.

"A little. Those three puppets seem to possess complete intelligence. What kind of puppets are they?" Han Li nodded and asked.

"Given your experience and insight, Fellow Daoist Han, you probably already have some inkling. Why not share your thoughts?" the Crab Daoist said with a faint smile.

"It seems nothing escapes you, Fellow Daoist Crab. Could those three puppets be related to the Three Corpses you severed?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Haha, you are correct, Fellow Daoist Han. I did indeed seal the Three Corpses I severed into those three puppets." the Crab Daoist laughed heartily.

"I've heard that cultivators above the Great Luo stage find it very troublesome to deal with the severed Three Corpses. They cannot be killed, as killing them harms the original body, but keeping them nearby risks rebellion. That's why the Heavenly Court people go to great lengths to seal them in the Gray Realm. For you to seal the Three Corpses into puppets and keep them for use is truly remarkable!" Han Li said in surprise.

"You are right, Fellow Daoist Han. The Three Corpses are indeed hard to handle. Most Great Luo or Dao Ancestors seal them away. I only dared to keep them close because I cultivate the Puppet Law, which specializes in control." the Crab Daoist explained.

Han Li nodded silently, feeling he had gained much insight.

Such experiences after the Great Luo stage were not something one could hear just anywhere.

"Fellow Daoist Crab, let's get back to the point. What was it you mentioned earlier?" he asked again.

"There's no rush. First, let me finish what I have to say. As you guessed, my identity is closely related to the Yeyang Dynasty. To be precise, I am the younger brother of the current Holy Emperor, Shi Kongyu, and thus the uncle of Shi Chuankong." the Crab Daoist said slowly.

Though Han Li had suspected a strong connection between the Crab Daoist and the Yeyang Dynasty, he hadn't expected this, and was inwardly startled.

"Since you are the Demon Lord's brother, why are you here in the Scale-Scale Void Realm? And from what Erkuai and City Lord Sha Xin said earlier, it seems you are now enemies?" Han Li chose his words carefully.

"That's a long story, going back to when we were both vying for the throne of Holy Emperor. I won't go into the details, but in the end, he won and I lost. The space law I had painstakingly cultivated was drained from me. Fortunately, I had some skills and help from others, allowing me to escape from Shi Kongyu and hide here in the Scale-Scale Void Realm." the Crab Daoist said calmly.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was in turmoil.

The Crab Daoist spoke simply, but the struggle back then must have been fierce, and the mention of "space law being drained" shocked him greatly.

However, this seemed to involve the secrets of the Yeyang Dynasty, so he didn't ask further.

"I see. But Shi Kongyu probably wouldn't let you off easily, would he?" Han Li nodded and then said.

"Of course. Shi Kongyu appears refined and magnanimous, but he is actually vengeful. Naturally, he wanted to eliminate the root of the trouble. However, the Scale-Scale Void Realm is a special space within the Holy Domain that has existed since ancient times. Anyone entering here has their cultivation completely suppressed, and cultivators above the Great Luo stage cannot set foot here at all. Shi Kongyu cannot enter, so I managed to preserve my life." the Crab Daoist nodded.

"Great Luo cultivators cannot enter the Scale-Scale Void Realm... Could someone have set up a restriction here? But is there really a restriction that can limit Shi Kongyu?" Han Li frowned, finding it hard to believe.

"The Scale-Scale Void Realm was a space created by an ancient Dao Ancestor. That senior set this strict rule within this space. It is precisely because this rule is too rigid, disrupting the balance of the Heavenly Dao here, that this place is so desolate." the Crab Daoist explained.

"Oh, is that so?" Han Li was taken aback, then looked around, a hint of awe in his eyes.

He had now delved deeper into the laws, but could only influence a limited area around him, and once he withdrew the laws, everything returned to normal.

That ancient Dao Ancestor could apply his laws to the entire Scale-Scale Void Realm, unchanged for eons—a realm Han Li could not yet hope to reach.

"Fellow Daoist Han, since your cultivation hasn't reached that level, you don't quite understand such matters. But with your talent, you will likely reach that level soon." the Crab Daoist seemed to smile.

"I hope so, as you say. Since this place has such a rule, how did you enter here and even advance to the Dao Ancestor stage?" Han Li changed the subject and asked.

"When Shi Kongyu drained my internal laws, my cultivation dropped significantly to the Taiyi stage, allowing me to enter. After arriving here, I was fortunate to obtain the legacy left by that ancient Dao Ancestor, becoming something of a half-master of the Scale-Scale Void Realm, thus不受此地规则的束缚." the Crab Daoist explained.

"I see. Then what happened later? How did you become a puppet and end up in the lower realm?" Han Li nodded in understanding and pressed further.

"Staying here, I found no way to advance in space law, so I turned to cultivate another profound law—the Puppet Law, which was also the law of that ancient Dao Ancestor. I had good talent in the Puppet Law, and with the help of the senior's legacy, I eventually comprehended it to the Great Luo stage. I even severed two corpses, reaching the peak of Great Luo. However, when I was severing the last corpse, that scoundrel Erkuai betrayed me and brought Shi Kongyu into the fray, causing my failure and the destruction of my physical body. Forced to, I sealed my soul and memories into a puppet—the golden crab—and cast it into the lower realm, hoping for a comeback. You know the rest, Fellow Daoist Han, so I won't go into detail." the Crab Daoist sighed and continued.

"May I ask what it is you want my help with?" Han Li nodded slowly after hearing this.

"Though I have now attained the Dao Ancestor position, if I were to contend with Shi Kongyu, I would still be more likely to lose than win. To avenge the past, I need to find external help." the Crab Daoist looked at Han Li and said.

"Are you suggesting we join forces against Shi Kongyu?" Han Li raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Exactly." the Crab Daoist nodded with a smile.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Crab. Though I consider myself somewhat capable, I am merely a small Taiyi cultivator, far inferior to Shi Kongyu. How could I possibly help you?" Han Li said with a wry smile.

"Don't sell yourself short, Fellow Daoist Han. In the short term, you may not pose a threat to Shi Kongyu, but with your talent and fortune, you will one day reach our level. Moreover, now that you have opened so many mysterious apertures in your body, once you leave, your strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds. I believe that day is not far off." the Crab Daoist laughed.

Han Li's heart stirred. So the Crab Daoist had been so relentless in helping him improve his physical cultivation with this in mind.

However, though he and the Crab Daoist were friends, he had already fulfilled his previous promises. Now, rashly involving himself in a conflict between two Dao Ancestor-level beings could easily lead to his annihilation.

With this thought, he couldn't help but hesitate.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han. I'm not asking you to stay here now. I only hope that when your strength is sufficient in the future, you can return and lend me a hand. And I won't have you participate in my struggle with Shi Kongyu for nothing. Consider this a small token of interest for our agreement today." The Crab Daoist waved his hand, producing a jade bottle and handing it over.