208: Puppet battle formation, a bitter struggle!
Xiao Buyu's Voice Transmission pierced everyone's mind:
“Be careful! These might be the legendary Puppets!”
Before he finished speaking, the six experts ranked on the divine ability ranking beside him had already closed in like an iron wall, tightly protecting Song Xuan Sha in the center.
The other Cultivators might have been bewildered by the word “Puppet,” but Song Xuan Sha, who hailed from the imperial family, had his pupils contract sharply.
Back then, the State of Mo rose to power precisely because it unearthed a similar Legacy from a terrifying ruin!
Zhang Sheng gasped: “These Puppets... are no different from living people!
What's more terrifying is that after enduring ten thousand years, they... they can still move!”
His spiritual perception was acute; the Spiritual Pressure rushing toward them was incredibly heavy.
Every single Puppet was clearly exuding the might of the Divine Power Realm!
As the thought arose, a sudden change occurred!
The originally rigid Puppets seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, instantly grouping into threes and fives, moving as fast as phantoms!
Different attribute Spell lights suddenly flared up—scorching Fireballs, bone-piercing Ice Cones, air-ripping Wind Blades... weaving into a deadly net that fiercely descended!
“Quick! Break them up! Don't let them form a Formation!” Song Xuan Sha's sharp cry carried a hint of panic; he recalled some terrifying rumors.
However, it was too late!
The cave was only a few hundred meters wide, and the front and back passages were completely sealed by the cold Puppet bodies!
Zhang Sheng felt his body tighten. The air and Spiritual Qi seemed instantly sucked away by an invisible great hand, and an overwhelming, irresistible gravity crashed down. His feet sank, as if trapped in a viscous swamp!
At the same time, an impenetrably thick Black Mist erupted without warning from the group of Puppets, swallowing the entire space in the blink of an eye!
This Black Mist not only obscured sight but also carried a viscous, chilling cold. Even Divine Sense penetrating it felt like hitting damp, cold cotton wool, heavily obstructed!
A sharp burst of spiritual light flashed in Zhang Sheng's eyes. His Spirit Eye, imbued with True Intent, barely managed to penetrate a sliver of the black curtain. He could only see a few dozen meters around him; his vision was compressed to the extreme!
The others were practically blind!
The roar and radiance of counterattacks instantly erupted!
The flames of Spells and the sharp cries of Spiritual Artifacts tore through the Black Mist!
But a scene that terrified everyone appeared—the attacks that struck the Puppets actually resulted in a harsh, sharp clang of metal striking metal!
Amidst flying sparks, the Puppets' dark bodies were completely unharmed. Their hardness surpassed even supreme-grade Tier 2 Spiritual Artifacts!
Ordinary Spells were like a clay ox entering the sea; only Divine Ability level strikes could damage their bodies!
Zhang Sheng's Spirit Eye struggled to track them: The coordination of these Puppets was shockingly exquisite; their advance, retreat, attack, and defense were as if they shared a single mind!
Even stranger, the Spiritual Energy attribute output by each Puppet was astonishingly pure, perfectly matching the Spells they cast!
Although everyone fought desperately, these Puppets were fearless, coordinated flawlessly, and the thick Black Mist blocked Divine Sense and vision. The situation was precarious!
“Ah—!”
An extremely mournful shriek tore through the chaos!
The chest of a Three-Star Qinglan Guard was pierced by a metallic sharp claw, his heart was brutally crushed, and hot blood splattered onto the cold stone wall!
“Break!” Scythe Edge roared, the Giant Scythe in his hand wrapped in dense black light, transforming into a fierce shadow that tore through space, hacking fiercely into a Puppet's shoulder and neck!
A harsh sound of tearing metal rang out!
“Be careful!” Xiao Buyu's warning had just left his mouth!
Boom—!!!
The Puppet's core, struck by the blow, suddenly glowed dazzling crimson!
Like a volcano erupting after ten thousand years of suppression, scorching, viscous magma mixed with a destructive torrent of energy, exploding with a roar!
The shockwave of the explosion, carrying chunks of hot molten rock, instantly swallowed Scythe Edge's burly figure completely, and the violent blast of Qi sent several nearby Cultivators flying!
“Ugh ah—!” Scythe Edge's skin made a spine-chilling “sizzle” sound under the high temperature, rapidly charring and melting. His heart-wrenching wails made one's scalp explode!
Before the spiritual light of rescue could flare up, two ghostly black shadows shot out from the smoke and dust of the explosion!
One in front, one behind, precise as if rehearsed ten million times! One sharp claw plunged directly into Scythe Edge's charred chest, while another cold light swept across his still-wailing neck!
Heart extraction!
Decapitation!
Several Cultivators possessing Divine Abilities of the Eye Technique witnessed this scene. Terrified, they shrieked via Voice Transmission: “Be careful! These damned things self-destruct!!”
Zhang Sheng's heart trembled violently. He wanted to shout: They don't just self-destruct!
They also use their companions' self-destruction as cover for precise sneak attacks!
Such coordination is unattainable even by the most elite Cultivator squads!
“Close your eyes!!” A Divine Ability Cultivator in the field suddenly roared!
The next instant, he seemed to transform into a blazing sun falling into the earth!
Dazzling, blinding pure white light erupted centered on him!
The viscous, chilling Black Mist, like snow meeting boiling soup, made a “sizzling” sound and was instantly purified and dispersed!
Compared to this, ordinary Light-type Spells were like a firefly next to a bright moon!
The cave instantly became as bright as day!
When vision returned, everyone's hearts turned cold—a dozen Qinglan Guards were lying on the cold stone floor, beneath them a spreading pool of viscous blood. They were lifeless!
“Kill—!”
Genuine roars and the light flames of Divine Abilities completely erupted!
The passage was narrow, forcing everyone to severely compress the power of their Divine Abilities, fighting the Puppets to the death in a confined space, while constantly wary of the aftershocks of their companions' violent attacks!
The Puppets' Spiritual Energy was rapidly consumed during the fierce battle.
Several Puppets whose movements were noticeably sluggish attempted to merge into the rock wall and escape, but they were firmly blocked by a suddenly rising, ice-blue light curtain emitting Extremely Cold Freezing Qi!
Ice shards instantly covered their joints!
The tide of battle finally turned after the descent of this purifying radiance!
The remaining Puppets were shredded and collapsed like rotten wood in the furious torrent of Divine Abilities, instantly turning into metal wreckage smoking with azure mist all over the ground!
Zhang Sheng was quick-witted. With a flash of the Object Manipulation Art, he collected several relatively “intact” severed Puppet limbs into his storage.
He glanced at Song Xuan Sha out of the corner of his eye—this Your Highness remained utterly calm throughout, and his mysterious Dao Protector was nowhere to be seen.
Xiao Buyu respectfully stepped forward and handed over a relatively complete Puppet remnant: “Your Highness Xuansha, please accept this item.”
His voice carried a hint of excitement: “The master of this ruin, capable of controlling such powerful Puppets, must be an absolute peak figure among the ancient Divine Power Realm experts! The Legacy here is bound to be earth-shattering!”
Song Xuan Sha's gaze swept over the wreckage, his tone brooking no argument: “Quickly break the Second Door, lest delay causes trouble!”
“Damn it! The communication jade slips are malfunctioning!” A shocked cry rang out.
“Mine too!”
All Jade Slips had lost contact with the outside world, and the fate of the remaining Cultivators was unknown.
Panic spread like a plague.
“Why panic!” Xiao Buyu's voice was like a great bell, suppressing the commotion.
“It is completely normal for high-level ruins to isolate the inside from the outside!”
He turned to Song Xuan Sha and spoke via secret Voice Transmission: “Your Highness, the stone door blocks the way ahead, and the path behind is sealed. Your subordinate suggests splitting into two groups: I will take the main force to forcefully break the Second Door, and another team will clear the path behind to escort you to withdraw first.
Whatever is gained from the ruin, Xiao Buyu will personally present it to ensure Your Highness's safety!”
Song Xuan Sha said: “Absolutely not! The ruin is unpredictable and dangerous, and the Puppets may not be completely eliminated. Splitting forces is a path to death!
Everyone, focus all your strength on breaking open the Second Stone Door!” His tone was decisive:
“What this Prince requires, I shall take myself! Why should I need others to present it to me?
Go!”
At his command, the Qinglan Guards who were refining Spiritual Crystals to recover immediately stood up, and Spiritual Energy surged around their bodies once more!
Divine Ability lights of various colors flared up again. The violent torrent of energy converged into a destructive pillar of light, violently smashing toward the invisible barrier outside the Second Stone Door!
The unknown Formation violently trembled under the relentless bombardment of hundreds of Divine Abilities. The light curtain flickered erratically, finally emitting a moan of being overwhelmed. Its energy was exhausted, and it completely dissipated!
The heavy stone door, stripped of the Formation's protection, had material that was like paper mache before the Divine Abilities!
Crash—!!!
The stone door shattered instantly!
The deep, dark space behind the door was instantly exposed to everyone's Divine Sense and vision!
The moment Zhang Sheng saw the scene inside the door, his pupils contracted sharply into pinpricks!
An extreme chill shot straight up to his crown!
He didn't even have time to think; the lightning inside his body instinctively exploded!
Amidst cracking sounds, dazzling purple electric snakes instantly wrapped around his entire body, weaving into a violent lightning protective net!
Several blurry gray shadows, carrying a nauseating stench, lunged out from the darkness behind the door like hungry ghosts smelling blood!
“Sizzle—!” The gray claws touched the lightning protective net, instantly bursting with dazzling electric sparks and a burnt smell!
The monster let out an inhuman shriek and recoiled as if electrocuted!
The moment the stone door shattered, a tide of gray monsters surged out!
Their twisted forms were identical to the monsters carved on the First Stone Door, but they exuded a hundred times the ferocity and greed!
Seeing the numerous Cultivators radiating Spiritual Qi before them, they let out excited shrieks, as if they had spotted the plumpest blood sacrifice!
However, the others did not possess Zhang Sheng's reaction speed or Eye Technique!
Many people only saw a blurry gray shadow before their eyes!
A Faceless Monster silently plastered itself onto the back of a Three-Star Qinglan Guard, its massive mouth filled with sharp teeth suddenly opening and biting down fiercely!
“Crack!” The crisp sound of a neck bone shattering made one's scalp tingle!
The monster greedily sucked the gushing hot blood, making “gurgling” swallowing sounds!
In just the blink of an eye, that sturdy Cultivator was reduced to nothing but a light, floppy, mucus-covered human skin,
slowly drifting down to the ground!