Puppet Gate

The flames seemed to have their own consciousness, burning everything he could defend against to ashes.

"Aaaaaah!" After the flames burned away everything Cao Yuan could defend himself with, they began to scorch his body. No matter how hard he tried to extinguish the flames by exhausting his spiritual power, he could only turn into ashes after his spiritual power was gone.

Linda, who was further away, managed to avoid the first wave of flames, but he was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground. Keep in mind that Linda was a Golden Core cultivator; if he couldn't avoid the flames, a Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself certainly couldn't handle them.

"I can't die, I can't die." Lin Da got up and tried to rush into the ancient sect ruins, but this time the ruins were triggered exceptionally slowly.

Linda could only watch helplessly as the fire snake coiled around him, and miraculously, he retained his consciousness amidst countless burning pains.

I could clearly feel myself melting from my lower limbs until my consciousness faded away.

Inside the already silent secret chamber, the two people who entered first were completely lifeless.

Ruan Qingyu walked towards the spot where Lin Da had last disappeared, her expression unchanged, and picked up the black jade token that had fallen to the ground.

"If you soak this token in your blood again, this secret treasure will recognize you as its master, so that it won't be unable to use you if something is discovered later." Yun Yin stared at the secret treasure token from the side, and only looked away after confirming that there was no danger.

Nodding, Ruan Qingyu made a cut on her fingertip without hesitation. After the blood smeared onto the black jade token, Ruan Qingyu felt as if she could sense an anomaly in a certain space within her consciousness.

Having dealt with the two enemies who had hunted her down in her past life, Ruan Qingyu finally had time to look at the place that was said to be the ruins of an ancient sect.

Just now, the phoenix fire spread, and the wall that was originally standing at the front was damaged again, and most of it collapsed.

Ruan Qingyu bypassed the ashes and walked towards the building inside.

This cluster of buildings was all black and gray. Although it was full of spiritual energy, the aura within it made Ruan Qingyu frown.

"Could there really be good things in a place like this?" Ruan Qingyu had never been to the Secret Treasure before, but now this place was neither filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, nor did it have any colorful glow.

None of the wonderful things I imagined were there; it was completely different from what outsiders often described as a great place.

"I sense something moving inside. Although there's no sign of life, it's definitely moving," Yun Yin's deep voice echoed in his mind.

Reminded, Ruan Qingyu carefully walked inside, keeping the black jade token firmly in her hand.

Perhaps because of the passage of time, the entire building is empty, and only the reliefs on the surrounding walls can be seen, indicating that it is not an architectural style from the last hundred years.

Recalling the checkpoint that Linda had mentioned earlier, Ruan Qingyu couldn't see it either. Could it be that the place changes as the people who enter change?

Ruan Qingyu continued on her journey without encountering any obstacles or checkpoints.

Until they arrived at the last room, which was still lit, illuminating everything inside clearly. All they could see were black puppets.

It was impossible to tell what material it was made of. With a slight movement of her hand, Ruan Qingyu unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, leaving a few marks on the puppet closest to the outside.

“They’re all materials used to make magical artifacts. If we can use them, we might be able to have our own small team.” Ruan Qingyu was a little excited. Having been chased by a large number of people before, she understood best the principle that sometimes a large number of people can really kill an elephant.

If she could use these puppets, she would be able to fight even powerful enemies in the future.

Ruan Qingyu attempted to store the first puppet into her storage bracelet, and soon the puppet standing in place was stored inside.

"She actually managed to put them in!" This can only mean that these puppets are unclaimed, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to take them away so easily.

Then, Ruan Qingyu waved her hand and took all the puppets in the room into her possession.

Until a black-armored puppet remained in place, seemingly sensing her presence. The black-armored puppet suddenly raised its head, and if it weren't for the blue flames burning in its eyes, one might mistake it for a real person.

Ruan Qingyu cautiously observed the black-armored puppet, unsure whether it was friend or foe.

Suddenly, the black-armored puppet spoke: "Fated one, I am the last guardian of the Puppet Sect. In the past, due to an ancient calamity, the Puppet Sect could only escape by breaking through its current realm. Now, only my remaining divine consciousness remains. Are you willing to inherit the knowledge of my Puppet Sect?"

The sound came suddenly. There was no movement when Ruan Qingyu put away the puppet, but it suddenly moved when Ruan Qingyu touched it.

"Is this person a divine consciousness, or just a voice recorded inside a puppet?" Ruan Qingyu asked cautiously within her consciousness.

Although Yunyin was not an expert on matters of sect inheritance, he had heard quite a bit about them.

“In ancient times, cultivators progressed rapidly but also experienced many conflicts. I had never heard of the Puppet Sect before. But if it is a sect I have never been to, it is possible that it left behind its legacy information when it was destroyed.”

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingyu immediately understood. That's how it is in the cultivation world; some people strive to become immortals, while others seek to pass on their mantle to others.

Thinking of this, Ruan Qingyu stood not far away, solemnly cupping her hands: "Disciple Ruan Qingyu is willing to inherit the puppetry techniques."

The consciousness within the black armored puppet was very excited, repeatedly saying "good, good, good" three times, and then raising its trembling hand and reaching out.

"This is the essence of our Puppet Sect's entire legacy. I hope you can study it carefully, as it may become a great help in your cultivation in the future."

On the black-armored puppet's hand, a green halo rose and fell continuously.

Ruan Qingyu looked closely but found nothing amiss. She then stepped forward and respectfully extended her hands.

The next moment, the green ball of light rushed towards Ruan Qingyu's forehead. She instinctively resisted, but this action was almost identical to the techniques passed down through bloodline inheritance.

Suppressing the strange citrus in her heart, Ruan Qingyu allowed the green light to completely penetrate her consciousness.

At that moment, the black armored puppet that had been standing lost control again, and its mechanical arms drooped to its sides.

After sensing the strange aura, Yun Yin suddenly looked at Ruan Qingyu and cried out, "Awooo!"

At this moment, Ruan Qingyu, whose aura had changed drastically, was in a state of inner turmoil, because what was in front of the green light was indeed a large amount of knowledge inheritance from the Puppet Sect, but in the end it was a wisp of someone else's soul consciousness.

Someone has possessed my body!

Ruan Qingyu quickly summoned the Phoenix Divine Fire that was originally in her dantian and directly summoned it from her dantian into her sea of ​​consciousness.

Originally, Ruan Qingyu's sea of ​​consciousness was filled with large patches of phoenix flowers, but now all the phoenix flowers have withered, simply because a certain divine soul emitting an ominous green light is attacking it fiercely within.

"Not bad, not bad, it's actually the innate phoenix body! This kind of physique is worthy of me! Hahahaha!" A somewhat aged voice, but filled with a manic aura, reverberated in Ruan Qingyu's mind.

The already withered phoenix flowers were completely reduced to ashes, and a scene of cataclysmic destruction began to appear in his sea of ​​consciousness, indicating that the other party was trying to seize control of his body.

This was the first time in Ruan Qingyu's two lives that she had encountered such a soul attack. At this moment, her soul was being attacked and she was feeling dizzy. Fortunately, a reassuring aura came from another contracted consciousness.

After calming her mind and fully establishing contact with the Phoenix Divine Fire, Ruan Qingyu's red-glowing divine soul appeared directly in her sea of ​​consciousness.

At this moment, the green light was constantly attacking various parts of her sea of ​​consciousness. After discovering her appearance, it abandoned its attack on her sea of ​​consciousness and instead flew towards Ruan Qingyu.

"Hahaha, junior, if you still wish to be reincarnated, then automatically leave this body. I can find you a good place to go; otherwise, I will tear your soul apart and devour it completely!" The green light suddenly grew larger and flew towards Ruan Qingyu's red soul.

Ruan Qingyu ignored his arrogant remarks and stood there blankly.

The next moment, the green light suddenly struggled and kept crying out in pain.

"Ah! Ah!! Spare me, spare me!"

"You actually possess the Phoenix Divine Fire? Could you truly be a member of the Phoenix Clan?" At this moment, the old ghost, who had survived for who knows how many years, began to regret possessing such a formidable opponent.

Having remained dormant for some time, it finally found an opportunity to unleash the Phoenix Divine Fire to devour its opponent. It coldly watched as the Phoenix Divine Fire enveloped its opponent's soul, relentlessly consuming it.

As for the many benefits mentioned in the other party's words, such as all cultivation techniques and even treasures from the Immortal Realm, and even news of ancient secret realms, she paid no heed.

Only after the green-glowing divine soul gradually weakened and could no longer make any sound did Ruan Qingyu withdraw the Phoenix Divine Fire, then pounce on it and devour the fingernail-sized divine soul completely.

Hmph, how dare they try to possess me? Then I'll make them watch me get devoured.

It was at this moment that Ruan Qingyu learned the origin of this wisp of divine soul.

The original owner of this soul was indeed the successor of the Puppet Sect. In ancient times, the Puppet Sect suffered a severe blow. He was the only one who survived, but unfortunately fell into a shattered space while fleeing for his life.

Ten thousand years have passed, and they still haven't found a way out. Who knew that this Puppet Sect's lineage would generate its own secret token, summoning a destined person to it.

If it weren't for Ruan Qingyu, either Lin Da or Cao Yuan would have been careless and devoured by this puppet sect inheritor.

Initially, he genuinely wanted to find a successor, but his cultivation was insufficient, and his lifespan gradually came to an end. He then transferred his divine soul into the Xuanjia puppet.

Over time, this gave rise to a demon in his heart, a desire to find a young body for himself.

Fortunately, although Ruan Qingyu suffered an undeserved disaster, after the other party's soul was devoured, he did indeed hand over all the inheritance information of the Puppet Sect to her.

She killed two people as soon as she entered the level, which made the other party realize that her cultivation level was not bad.

That's why he skipped the trial, hoping to lull Ruan Qingyu into a false sense of security. Now, all the resources and things left for the heir have gone to Ruan Qingyu after the other party's soul was devoured.

Needless to say, Ruan Qingyu had patiently counted the remaining spirit stones at first. But now, seeing that there were so many, enough for two mountains, she simply tossed them into her storage bracelet.

It was at this moment that Ruan Qingyu realized there was another anxious and worried Lei Bao outside.

Yun Yin, who had been closely monitoring Ruan Qingyu's condition, felt relieved as soon as he realized that Ruan Qingyu's consciousness had stabilized.

But she still watched 'Ruan Qingyu' who had opened her eyes warily, afraid that the other party had already changed into a different person.