The year in the Taigu Immortal Path was coming to a close.

There was one thing that Wu Yu still had to accomplish, so he had to move quickly.

Even though the Floating Dreams Pagoda gave him the ability to gain some time, it still passed quickly.

Additionally, Wu Yu was concerned the group might have found a way to escape and thus hastily exited.

"I currently have no time to strengthen my mystique. I also don't possess any immortal medicines or essences that would allow me to improve the clones. The quickest way to bolster my strength is to obtain more puppet guards from the Floating Dreams Pagoda." Wu Yu had long made his plans.

When he ferociously reached the ninth tier, the improved him immediately went to clash with some puppets.

The truth was that when the light silhouette of the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal had appeared, it had lit the path ahead for him. He had gained a great understanding of his own dao, and it had surpassed all expectations. Thus, he could very possibly race towards the 10th tier of the Violet Kingdom of the Inner Sea!

Wu Yu's dao had reached a realm of purity. It far surpassed the understanding that similar cultivators at his level possessed. It was on the level of a Primordial Spirit Transformation cultivator.

However, he would still require time to gradually digest and condense his own enlightenment.

Ultimately, it was still sufficient to progress to his current level!

Within the bright and clean Floating Dreams Pagoda, Wu Yu wielded the 10,000 Dragons Staff, the dream of every cultivator around, and brandished the full power of the mystical dragons. Wherever the staff danced, it was as though countless mystical dragons were twirling around him, emitting raucous roars. Unknowingly, he had basically become one with the staff.

The 10,000 Dragons Staff had already acknowledged him as its owner.

The Demonic Flame General's materials were still lodged within the Immortals’ Viewing Platform. The remaining pieces had been divided up amongst the geniuses stuck within. It was clear that he would not be able to restore the Demonic Flame General any time soon.

The usage of the puppet guards was crucial. The Demonic Flame General was a mighty helper, and Wu Yu would naturally not leave it in shambles, stuck in the depths of some Sumeru Pouch.

Once again, he summoned the nine puppets spirit designs in front of him. Red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, purple, black, and white - the nine colors were arrayed and dazzling.

As Wu Yu had risen by two tiers, the weakest two puppets had already changed. Within the black and white circles appeared two even stronger puppets.

It was clear that the strength of the puppets within the Floating Dreams Pagoda had not reached its peak.

The strongest puppet amongst the nine was the one within the white circle. It was currently equal to a seventh tier Primordial Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator. If Wu Yu were able to possess it, he would be unstoppable within the Taigu Immortal Path just using the puppet to sweep away all the rabble.

Of course, that was assuming Wu Yu could beat it. He would first require even greater strength than that, and at that point, he himself would be invincible, far surpassing the likes of Prince Le.

The puppet he would challenge would be the one in the black circle.

Of note, within the purple spirit design lay a massive steel puppet. It possessed the might of a fifth tier Primordial Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator, but Wu Yu did not challenge it. If he was able to beat the puppet within the black spirit design, all the weaker puppets would naturally acquiesce to him.

"Weird. Why are there two puppets within the black spirit design?" Ming Long asked curiously.

Wu Yu also noticed that this was a new sight to him, both the number and the puppets. It was the first time something like this had happened.

Both of the puppets were tall and skinny. They were like two bamboo poles. It was difficult to identify what they looked like, as they were vaguely shrouded. He was only able to tell that one was black and the other was white.

Furthermore, standing near the spirit design allowed one to sense a faint whiff of ghostly qi.

"It should be that when these two puppets combine and fight together, they ought to fundamentally possess the strength of a sixth tier Primordial Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator. If they were to appear at the same time, it would definitely be a trial. There has not been a situation where two puppets appeared till now." Regardless of the number of puppets, none would block Wu Yu's path!

He cautiously moved towards the black spirit design, once again attempting to triumph over an opponent seven tiers higher. A puppet this formidable was also a rare sight in the Yan Huang Ancient Region.

When Wu Yu's attention was focused on the black spirit design, as he approached it, the rest of the spirit designs instantly sunk into the ground and disappeared.

"If there ever comes a day where I gain full control of the Floating Dreams Pagoda, I will be able to use all of the puppets within on a whim." The remaining black spirit design began to shine radiantly. Black, shimmering light enveloped the surroundings, and at that very moment, horrific amounts of ghostly qi swamped the entire world of the Floating Dreams Pagoda. Weirdly enough, just a split second later, everything disappeared!

The spirit design had completely vanished and Wu Yu was finally able to get a good look at his opponents.

"They truly resemble the Black and White Deities." Wu Yu felt a tremor within his heart.

The puppet was built in the image of a popular folk legend, the Black and White Deities, much like the ghostly cultivator duo he had once fought, who were in turn inspired by the same legend. Although they were made with countless precious treasures and materials, they looked almost like real humans with flesh and blood. One was black and the other was white, both wearing long robes. They wore long, thin caps and possessed tongues one chi[1] long, hanging from their mouths.

Upon closer inspection, the entire bodies of those two, including the skin, were of one color. One was ink black, while the other was alabaster white. The one in black seemed very cold,its gaze piercing and sharp. Ghosts seemed to periodically phase around him at any point in time, appearing and disappearing, fully capable of being utilized to slaughter. On the other hand, the one in white had a silly smile hung atop its face. Yet with the icy aura the puppet exuded, it seemed more like a smile that could see through anything and everything one was thinking, sending shivers down one's spine.

They were almost exact replicas of how the Black and White Deities were said to be. It was obvious that their bodies were riddled with numerous spirit designs. These puppets' value clearly approached that of an advanced dao treasure.

Of which, the Black Deity wielded a black metal chain, coiled around its arm like a poisonous serpent. It was likely crafted in the likeness of the Spirit Hooking Chains, which it possessed in legends. At the same time, its fingernails were long and sharp as knives, almost two cun long,[2] glinting with cold light. They seemed like they could even pierce through ordinary dao treasures.

Meanwhile, the White Deity was wielding a large cudgel, crafted in the resemblance of the Wailing Cudgel. Even its size was accurate. The huge cudgel possessed numerous spikes on top. If used to smash onto someone's cranium, it would undoubtedly achieve an effect similar to that of the 10,000 Dragons Staff. One would be left with a broken skull and bleeding profusely.

These two puppets were unmoving, merely standing there. They were like the Black and White Deities in the flesh, capable of scaring a mortal to death with just their presence.

Alas, they could not frighten Wu Yu.

"Immortal Ape Transformation!"

"Lawful Embodiment of Heaven and Earth!" Wu Yu's battle intent soared into the skies. Even his will to fight was at an unprecedented high. Right at this moment, Wu Yu supplemented his strength with the Prime Heavenly Lord Supreme God Technique, turning into a golden ape. With vicious violence, he expanded to his largest size, and with his most terrifying strength, he grasped the Otherworldly Infinite 10,000 Dragons Staff. Just looking at him gave the feeling that he could eliminate everything with just his aura alone!

The Black and White Deities, seeing that Wu Yu was prepared, immediately acted! Once they moved, the tens of thousands of spirit designs kicked into overdrive.

Weng!

The Black Deity was extremely quick. The spirit design powering it allowed it to move so quickly that the entire Floating Dreams Pagoda was filled with countless shadows. Without the Eyes of Fire and Gold, it would have been virtually impossible to identify where it truly was.

Meanwhile, the White Deity was exuding piercing rays of white light. It served to obstruct one's vision and hamper their senses.

When they acted together, their coordination was flawless. Both of them utilized their abilities to their peak. Wu Yu himself was in a tight spot. Although he could see the Black Deity, in his largest form of the Lawful Embodiment of Heaven and Earth, his speed was restricted and therefore he could not easily retaliate.

The Black Deity was treating him like a huge feral beast. It suddenly flashed behind Wu Yu and the Spirit Hooking Chains lashed out, attempting to choke Wu Yu from behind. Its hands held firm while its legs were pressed onto Wu Yu's back, almost seeming like it was riding Wu Yu. This allowed it to choke him more effectively!

Immediately after, bolt after bolt of black lightning arced through the Spirit Hooking Chains, rushing into Wu Yu's body. These lightning bolts were like poisonous serpents, spitting and hissing as they rushed towards him.

At that moment, the White Deity appeared in front of Wu Yu's eyes, wielding its Wailing Cudgel, still emitting piercing waves of light. This radiance would basically blind anyone, but that was just the icing on the cake, which was the Wailing Cudgel, the core of the White Deity's offense.

One would suppress while the other assaulted!

Their skills overlapped and complemented each other.

However, the current Wu Yu was not such an easy foe to be pincered!

Change!

With the Lawful Embodiment of Heaven and Earth, he could change size at will.

After changing to his largest size and being throttled by the Spirit Hooking Chains, he turned tiny in a flash, just one chi tall. The transformation speed was also too quick to react to. Wu Yu immediately bypassed the ambush by the Black Deity and he was currently at his quickest speed.

Boom!

Wu Yu's sudden change had almost caused the White Deity to crush the Black Deity with its weapon.

The Lawful Embodiment of Heaven and Earth's freely changing transformations gave Wu Yu the ability to adapt in battle. Once he escaped from the duo's assault, he immediately rushed to the White Deity's flank, instantly turning into a giant and slamming down his 10,000 Dragons Staff onto the puppet with alarming force!

Boom!

Although the White Deity was able to react and block in time, with Wu Yu's gargantuan strength, it was knocked flying! Wu Yu held the upper hand in this first confrontation!

However, the battle had only just begun.

There were no shortcuts involved in obtaining victory. This was also not a battle of life and death! The two puppets had great synergy and demonstrated strength beyond just a simple addition of their powers. They possessed many secretive killing moves that were difficult to guard against.

Yet Wu Yu was not anxious in fighting them. This way, he would be able to comprehend things from this battle and improve upon his own understanding.

This would also allow him to gain a better grasp of the 10,000 Dragons Staff's strength and draw out the true potential of the otherworldly infinite power. When such force burst forth, it would do so with annihilating might. Even the Black and White Deities would only be able to run from its might.

However, to the puppets, they had to fight to the bitter end. They were programmed to do so and felt nothing towards Wu Yu.

Three days later, Wu Yu was heaving, completely cloaked in sweat.

Under his barbaric assaults with the addition of the Violent Art, he had finally managed to turn the Black Deity into paste.

Now that there was only the White Deity left, things were much easier.

Shortly after, he was victorious. Of course, Wu Yu's body was also riddled with numerous injuries.

He would now require a period of time to recuperate. The Black and White Deities, which had been pulverized, also needed time to repair.

"I can finally challenge the group on equal footing!" Wu Yu, after beating the Black and White Deities, was filled with utter confidence as his fighting spirit blazed with anticipation.

1. 1 chi = one-third of a meter, 1.094 ft, one-tenth of a zhang

2. 1 cun = 3 and one-third centimeters or 1.312 inches