The 3 demonic sect disciples were thrown away, but they didn't show any pain. 

'So they have no free will,' Han Shun thought. The demonic sect disciples got up from the ground, seemingly unscathed and ready to attack Han Shun.

Han Shun wasn't in the mood to fight. Besides, he knew that he would only tire himself if he fought three puppets that couldn't get tired.

"I know that you guys are nothing but puppets. I don't want to fight any of you," Han Shun said. He looked around to find the Master of these puppets, but it was too dark.

"Show yourself. I won't fight you. I know that you're the real puppeteer of these demonic sect's disciples," Han Shun said boldly. It was a gamble, of course. He didn't know if the Master would be ambushing him from behind or he would just simply fight Han Shun to death. 

But he was raised by Bai Gege. He feared nothing but Bai Gege in his life. 

If this demonic sect guy wanted a fight, he should give it to him.

The puppets froze on the spot, looking at Han Shun for a while before pointing in the same direction.

Han Shun's eyes darted in the direction they were pointing, and a man suddenly stood about 10 feet from him. He also wore a black robe, but a glowing purple line around his robe to accentuate his rank. He was a thin man with a mask covering half of his face, from his forehead to his nose. 

He smiled at Han Shun, but his smile didn't reach his eyes, "You already know about the secret behind the demonic sect. That means you've been granted permission by our God to see what lies beneath the surface."

…

Han Shun didn't understand what this guy was talking about, but he just nodded as he got curious about what would come next.

"You and I are the only ones who know about this secret currently. So I'm obliged to tell you everything you need to know," the man said. "Follow me."

The man summoned a purple rope wrapped around Han Shun's wrist, and Han Shun was forced to follow the man deeper into the forest. He didn't know where he would go, but he had to be extra careful if this was actually a trap.

The puppet master led him into a cave, and he knocked on the cave and placed his palm. The steel door barring the cave suddenly glowed with purple light before it opened, just like Baishe's cave.

Han Shun followed the man into the lair, and he was stunned when he saw the inside.

The lair was empty, with only a small offering statue of a headless man. Two purple butterflies circled around the statue without rest. They looked like the same mystical butterflies that Bai Gege and that mysterious man used to teleport and fly. 

The puppet master kneeled in front of the statue and paid his respect by kowtowing, while Han Shun stood still behind him. He didn't want to pay respect to something that he wasn't familiar with. 

Besides, he had no intention to pay respect other than Bai Gege. 

After paying respect, the puppet master said, "This is the statue of Master of Nothingness. He is the God of all. He owns the heaven, hell, earth, and everything in between."

"Master of Nothingness?"

"Yes, everything is nothing at some point. The Master of Nothingness created countless worlds and destroyed them at will. He is the God of all."

"He is OUR Master."

"Our?!"

This time, Han Shun had to voice his disagreement. He never wanted to be a part of something he didn't know. Worshipping a god that he never knew existed sounded so ridiculous in his head!

"He is not my God! I refuse to worship something I don't know!"

The puppet master smiled mysteriously, "I don't think you have the right to resist. You must've met him somewhere, that's why you know about this secret. You just haven't realized it yet."

 ...

Han Shun knew about this thing from that mysterious man. But that man had been with him since he was a kid, and he also claimed that he was basically Han Shun. They were the same person.

He felt ridiculous that he would have a god that created and destroyed a world at will just because he felt like it. 

"Anyway, since you've known about this. I assume it's safe to show my face," the man said. He grabbed his mask and took it off, showing his real face in front of Han Shun. 

Han Shun gasped, but that was because he was surprised by the age of the supposed master of this demonic sect and the purple veins surrounding the part covered with the mask before. 

"You're… young…."

"Well, I was just around your age when I entered this sect," the man replied. "And then, I got a prophecy from the God of Nothingness, and after knowing his secret, I became the new leader."

"And the veins—" the puppet master smiled pitifully. "It's a sign that I will also turn into a puppet soon. Because my mission in this world has been completed."

The puppet master looked at Han Shun and asked, "May I know your real name? If it's not possible, may I know your surname at least?"

"… Han, my surname is Han…."

"I see," the puppet master nodded. "So you're the kid that has been prophecies to take over this sect and bring it to the new era."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Han Shun said. He didn't understand prophecy, this sect, and whatever new era this puppet master was talking about.

The puppet master smiled meaningfully, "God of Nothingness came to my dream yesterday. He said that I would meet his incarnation. His incarnation is a young man who has obtained his golden core, he knows about the secret behind demonic sect, and his surname is Han."

"You fit all that requisite."