bioinnovel Chapter 106 Puppet
Chapter 106 Puppet
"The fog is strange; when divine sense probes into it, it's like a mud ox sinking into the sea, severely obstructed."
Yu Qingyi said after trying it.
Qin Xiao nodded: "The effect of combining a natural maze with some kind of concealment restriction. Stay close to me and don't get separated."
After saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the entrance of the valley.
The spiritual energy enveloped the six women.
Wherever it passed, the fog automatically parted to the sides, revealing a faint path.
The surroundings were eerily quiet; even the sounds of the wind and insects had vanished.
The only sound was the faint crunch of dry branches underfoot.
Fog not only obstructs vision but also confuses one's sense of direction.
If an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator were to enter, they would get lost in no time, let alone a mortal.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fog ahead suddenly thinned out.
Then, a breathtaking scene came into view.
The mist seemed to be a boundary; beyond it lay primeval forests, while deep within the valleys, there was a vast expanse of ruins filled with crumbling walls!
The massive, shattered stone pillar lay collapsed on the ground, its carvings now blurred and indistinct.
The dilapidated stone temple is now only a base and some walls remaining. Its style is simple and heavy, quite different from the architecture of other countries today.
Scattered on the ground are fragments of weathered stone carvings, from which one can vaguely discern the outlines of birds, beasts, tools, and even human figures.
Further away, there are dried-up riverbeds and the remains of collapsed arch bridges.
Everything was shrouded in an atmosphere of remoteness, desolation, and decay.
Near the entrance to the ruins, there is a broken stone tablet that is half-buried in the ground.
The monument is mostly covered by soil and vines, but on the corner that is exposed, an ancient-style character "工" is faintly discernible.
"Heavenly Craft Valley..."
Yu Qingyi read it in a low voice.
"Those mortals who managed to get here and come out alive are truly lucky."
Yu Fengling couldn't help but sigh.
"Be careful."
Qin Xiao suddenly spoke up to remind them, his divine sense sweeping across the depths of the ruins, "Although this place is dilapidated, the restrictions remain, and there are things here."
Before the words were finished, a faint "crackling" sound came from the shadow of a half-collapsed stone temple ahead.
Immediately afterwards, two tall, humanoid puppets made entirely of some kind of dark blue metal emerged from the shadows with heavy steps.
Upon closer inspection, the puppet had no eyes or nose, only a large metal mouth covered with sharp teeth.
The joints were engraved with dim runes, and his body emanated spiritual energy fluctuations equivalent to those of a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.
They "looked" at Qin Xiao and his group of five, turning their heads and making a metallic scraping sound.
"puppet?"
Yu Qingyi drew her Cold Water Sword, its blue light gleaming.
"It seems that even though this Heavenly Craft Valley is dilapidated, it is not a place where just anyone can trespass."
Qin Xiao's gaze swept over the two puppets, then glanced deeper into the ruins. "Perfect, you can use them to practice."
"yes!"
The six goddesses' expressions hardened, and they quickly summoned their respective flying swords.
"According to the previously deduced 'Seven Stars Surrounding the Moon' formation, change formation!"
Yu Qingyi's clear, cold voice rang out, directing the entire scene.
The six women quickly changed positions, forming an assault formation with Yu Qingyi as the spearhead, Luo Qingluan and Mu Ziyan on the flanks, and Yu Fengling, Li Anning, and Li Changle as the rearguard.
"Qingyi focuses on breaking through armor, Qingluan provides support and distraction on the right flank, and Ziyan provides a solid defense on the left!"
Yu Fengling quickly added, her usual innocent charm gone, replaced by focused attention in her peach blossom eyes, "Anning, Changle, remotely interfere with the puppet's joint runes, pay attention to the rhythm!"
"clear!"
The women responded in unison, their tacit understanding honed over months of arduous training now evident.
"roar!"
Suddenly, two metal golems let out a muffled roar and pounced forward with a heavy gust of wind.
Their movements appear stiff, yet they move incredibly fast.
The metal arm left afterimages as it swung.
Yu Qingyi made the first move, her Cold Water Sword trembled, and a barrier of azure sword energy unfolded in front of the formation.
At the same time, she moved with the sword, transforming into a streak of icy blue light, and stabbed straight into the chest of the puppet on the left.
Luo Qingluan coordinated perfectly, her jade hand lightly raised, and the sword light, though delayed, arrived first, shooting towards the same point.
"Clang! Sizzle!"
They hit almost simultaneously! Sparks flew from the puppet's chest, the runes were extinguished, and its momentum was momentarily halted.
The puppet on the right abandoned Yu Qingyi and instead swung its arm to smash Mu Ziyan on the flank.
Mu Ziyan remained calm and unhurried, casting a spell that raised a thick earthen wall in front of her.
"boom!"
The puppet slammed its fist into the earthen wall, sending earth and stones flying.
The earthen wall shook violently but did not break. Mu Ziyan's pretty face paled slightly, but she stood firmly.
"Now!"
Li Anning and Li Changle seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack.
Several wind ropes wrapped around the puppet's leg joints.
Although it did not completely restrain him, it made his movements noticeably sluggish.
Immediately afterwards, a blazing fireball condensed by Li Changle roared over and struck the rune on his knee joint!
"Bang!"
Flames exploded, and the puppet's figure swayed.
At this moment, Yu Fengling let out a sharp cry, and the golden, green, and blue spiritual energy converged into a sword beam, which, taking advantage of the puppet's loss of balance, slammed into its side!
"Snap!"
The sound of metal shattering rang out as a dent was blasted into the puppet's side, with faint sounds of gears breaking inside. The puppet became increasingly unsteady on its feet.
The six women coordinated their movements fluidly and skillfully, demonstrating excellent offense and defense.
Although it was their first time facing such an opponent who was neither alive nor dead, they were somewhat cautious.
However, thanks to their ingenious teamwork and complementary attributes, they quickly gained the upper hand.
Qin Xiao stood a short distance away with his hands behind his back, his divine sense covering the entire area, a hint of approval in his eyes.
"They lack experience, but their foundation and teamwork are already quite good."
Qin Xiao silently commented.
These two puppets are only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
Moreover, due to its age, the flow of spiritual energy is sluggish.
It's only a matter of time before the six women win.
Sure enough, after fighting for about half a cup of tea's time, Yu Qingyi seized an opening on the left puppet, and a condensed "Mysterious Ice Sword Qi" pierced through the core rune in its chest, causing it to crash to the ground and turn into a pile of scrap metal.
The puppet on the right was unable to hold out alone and was quickly dismantled under the combined attack of the six women.
The battle ended, and the six women were slightly out of breath, but their faces were flushed with excitement.
Their first joint effort against such a bizarre puppet, and their successful victory, greatly boosted their confidence.
"Well done."
Qin Xiao stepped forward and waved his hand to collect the few remaining core runes and metal materials from the two puppet remains. "Such results on the first collaboration."
"However, this is just the outer perimeter. Continue deeper, remain vigilant, and do not break formation."
After speaking, Qin Xiao took the lead and stepped forward.
The women followed closely behind, cautiously exploring deeper into the ruins.
The further you go in, the more shocking the dilapidated scene becomes.
The collapsed palaces grew larger and larger, and the scattered stone carvings became more and more intricate, making it easy to see the grandeur of this place in its heyday.
There were even several completely destroyed puppet remains on the ground, in a different form than before.
"This place must have been an extraordinary sect of cultivators and craftsmen back then."
Luo Qingluan looked around and sighed softly.
"Unfortunately, it couldn't withstand the passage of time."
Mu Ziyan also said.
As they were moving, another unusual movement occurred ahead.
Six puppets of different shapes slowly emerged from the shadows of the ruins from different directions!