It’s quite interesting to say, as long as you retreat, the armed puppets stop attacking, as if following some kind of command.
But there’s no one here. Who gave them the orders?
The more Ling Xiao observed, the more bizarre it seemed. However, unable to figure it out for the moment, he simply stopped thinking about it, or his brain might explode.
At this point, no one could help anyone else; they could only rely on their own abilities.
With a delicate scoff, Feng Yaorao flicked her black whip again, its terrifying force causing the entire hall to shake continuously.
The armed puppet’s neck was directly ensnared, then smashed onto the ground dozens of times by Feng Yaorao.
After those dozens of strikes, the puppet’s body was somewhat deformed, showing some dents, but that was all. The armed puppet’s defence was truly formidable.
On the other side, Lan Yuer went all out, her Moon Shadow Slash at full power slicing repeatedly at the puppet, targeting the same spot each time.
After dozens of strikes, the puppet was knocked back multiple times, a small gash appearing on its neck.
No blood came from that gash; instead, a strange liquid flowed out.
“Could it be that this thing isn’t powered by spirit stones?”
Ling Xiao was momentarily stunned.
He hadn’t rushed to attack, observing all the while, and this sight surprised him.
“These are the armed puppets of the True Demon Empire, entirely crafted from special metal. They have highly complex array inscriptions inside, powered by ‘spirit oil’ harvested from the seabed,” Feng Yaorao explained, catching her breath.
“Spirit oil?”
“Yes, similar to spirit stones but in liquid form, with higher purity and greater value,” Feng Yaorao nodded. “This stuff is unique to the True Demon Empire. Rumour has it, the Yin-Yang Demon King of the empire relies on spirit oil to power their armed puppets, which also possess intelligence comparable to humans.”
“No way, the mighty Yin-Yang Demon King is a puppet?” Ling Xiao could hardly believe it.
“Believe it or not, for now, focus on figuring out how to defeat these armed puppets,” Feng Yaorao said helplessly.
“That’s not too difficult,” Ling Xiao smiled slightly. After observing for so long, he had found the armed puppet’s weakness.
Though these puppets’ weaknesses were much harder to spot and more concealed compared to those of the Blue-Eyed Clan, Ling Xiao’s Mountain River Martial Soul was no pushover.
Combined with his Will of Destruction, he was confident he could destroy it.
“Shadow Sword Art: Sword Demon Descends!”
A sword move infused with the Will of Destruction shot through the air, striking the armed puppet from over ten metres away.
Crack, crack, crack!
A series of cracking sounds rang out.
Whoosh!
Finally, the sword light pierced the puppet’s abdomen, exposing the gleaming golden inscriptions inside.
“What a refined armed puppet. I should get one to play with sometime,” Ling Xiao remarked, admiring the intricate and precise internal structure, both envious and amazed.
He hadn’t expected the puppets he considered crude to be so beautifully perfect.
“Such terrifying destructive power!” Feng Yaorao was even more shocked.
She even wondered whether she had spared Ling Xiao’s life before, or if he had spared hers.
Ling Xiao paid no mind to her shock, slowly walking towards the throne.
“This time’s reward isn’t bad. It’s a complete armed puppet blueprint, along with a set of tools and some materials,” Ling Xiao smiled slightly. He figured this place was likely where the True Demon Empire once trained soldiers. Those who excelled received rewards, though they probably never imagined their rewards would now benefit the disciples of the Twelve Sects.
As for spirit oil, Ling Xiao already had some leads. The Sea Clan surely knew where to find it. He could trade with them later. Creating these armed puppets would be great, whether for selling or guarding his home.
As mentioned before, every sect’s development required money and their own industries.
For the Divine Sword Sect to join the ranks of the Twelve Sects, they needed a unique specialty. Specialising in crafting and selling puppets could be a good choice.
After all, these armed puppets could enter dangerous places, like treasure hunting or diving, taking on dirty or dangerous tasks warriors were unwilling to do.
There was definitely a market for this.
“Senior Sister, Miss Feng, I’ll head off first. Take care,” Ling Xiao said. Though he wanted to help Lan Yuer, he hardened his heart and decided to part ways.
On the martial path, one had to strive alone. Relying on others’ help or charity would never lead to greatness.
“I’m fine,” Lan Yuer nodded, understanding Ling Xiao’s intent, reassuring him.
Feng Yaorao had no real connection with Ling Xiao, even a slight grudge, and had no desire to stay with this little monster.
“Hope we meet again in the finals. I really want to see the Saint Child’s shocked expression,” Feng Yaorao said, perhaps due to a woman’s rivalry, showing strong jealousy towards the Saint Child.
“See you,” Ling Xiao smiled slightly, teleporting away from the throne.
After he left, Feng Yaorao sighed, “I thought I could shine at the Martial Arts Festival, but it seems there are too many prodigies. No offence, Miss Lan, your strength can easily make the top hundred, but the top fifty is less certain.”
“I understand. With the Mountain River Martial Soul emerging this time, the Martial Arts Festival will be filled with prodigies. I need to improve further, or I’ll really fall behind you all,” Lan Yuer said, clenching her teeth.
She hoped to gain more benefits in the preliminaries, and parting with Ling Xiao might be the best choice.
…
Whoosh!
A figure appeared out of nowhere.
Looking around, he saw fresh corpses on the ground, some still bleeding. Strangest of all, their martial veins had been carved out, their deaths gruesome.
“This is the True Demon Forbidden Land. With opportunities come dangers,” Ling Xiao sighed. Along his journey, he had seen too much slaughter, but he no longer felt the constant sorrow of before.
The Mysterious Realm was a warrior’s world. Only the strong could control their own fate.
Some longed to live an ordinary life.
But little did they know, a yawn from a demon could destroy a city, killing countless ordinary people.
Those people had no chance to protect themselves.
Having risen from a beggar, Ling Xiao knew well the importance of strength and status.
Living an ordinary, ordinary life?
That was just self-deception for those drunk on comforting platitudes.
In such a world, the only fate for ordinary people was to live oppressed and die inexplicably.
