The aura emanating from it was clearly that of the peak of the Tribulation Transcending Realm! Even more astonishing was the faint earthy yellow halo surrounding its physical body, a symbol of its physical body being tempered to the extreme—combined with the spiritual power of the peak of the Tribulation Transcending Realm, this puppet's combat power had actually touched the threshold of the half-step Dao Integration Realm.
"Wow, this puppet is tough!" Stone rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining. "It's much more durable than the previous ones!"
Su She looked at the puppet, his brows furrowing slightly: "The scale of this hall is far superior to the ruins along the way; the heritage inside must be extraordinary."
"No matter how extraordinary it is, there's no need to rob it," Xiao Chen said calmly. He cultivates the spear, comprehends the art of combat, and with Lin Zhou in the sect, what top-tier inheritance doesn't they have?
The purpose of coming to the secret realm is to learn from and hone one's skills with peers; I have little interest in these ancient legacies.
Jiang Li shrugged: "Just watch the show. It would probably take a lot of effort to actually fight this puppet."
He found a large rock some distance away, sat down, and watched coldly from the sidelines.
Not long after, several figures flew in from different directions and landed in front of the main hall. The leader was a young man with a delicate face, wearing a long black robe with ghost head patterns embroidered on the cuffs. A faint black mist surrounded him, within which countless tiny ghost shadows were vaguely writhing, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.
Behind him were three cultivators dressed similarly, all at the late stage of the Void Refinement realm, who looked at the effeminate young man with obvious awe.
"They're from the Ghost Clan of the Central Region!"
"That leader... could it be Gui You?"
Other cultivators arrived one after another. When they saw the effeminate young man, they all gasped and subconsciously took a few steps back, whispering among themselves.
"That's right, it's him! The prodigy of this generation from the Ghost Clan in the Central Region, Ghost You!"
"I heard that just half a year ago, when he was at the peak of the Mahayana stage, he dared to intercept and kill a rogue cultivator at the peak of the Tribulation stage. His methods were ruthless, and that rogue cultivator died without even leaving a soul behind!"
"Terrifying... a peak Mahayana cultivator defeating a peak Tribulation cultivator, such combat power is probably among the top three geniuses of the Five Domains!"
Amid the murmurs, Gui You slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding cultivators. A half-smile curled at the corner of his lips, but his eyes were as cold as ice.
He seemed accustomed to the awe around him, and walked straight toward the puppet in front of the palace gate, causing the ghostly figures in the black mist to become even more agitated.
"A peak Tribulation Transcending puppet, and it's even refined its physical body... Interesting." Gui You's voice was slightly hoarse, as if countless ghosts were whispering in his ear. "Perfect, let's try out my newly refined 'Ten Thousand Soul Banner'."
He raised his hand and a small, black banner appeared in his palm. The banner was embroidered with distorted human faces and moved without wind, emitting a shrill scream.
The surrounding cultivators' expressions changed drastically, and they all retreated again—the Ghost Clan's "Ten Thousand Soul Banner" was made from thousands of living souls, and was extremely poisonous; touching it meant certain death!
The puppet in front of the palace gate seemed to sense the threat. Its empty red eyes blazed with light, and its black iron body suddenly moved. With a single step, the ground trembled three times. Its fist, carrying the force to shatter mountains and split rocks, smashed towards Gui You!
"clang!"
Gui You neither dodged nor evaded. With a wave of the Myriad Souls Banner, dozens of solidified ghostly figures emerged from the black mist, transforming into a shield that took the puppet's punch head-on. The fist collided with the shield, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound. The ghostly shield trembled violently, but it was not shattered.
"Not bad." Guiyou licked his lips, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes, "But it's not enough."
His figure flickered, and like a ghost, he circled behind the puppet. The Banner of Ten Thousand Souls was waved again, and this time, instead of a shield, countless tiny ghost claws surged forth, densely grabbing at the puppet's joints!
"Sizzle! Sizzle!"
Although the ghost claws could not harm the puppet's black iron body, they carried a strong corrosive and chilling power, which caused the puppet's movements to slow down for a moment.
The puppet roared (though it was silent, its rage was palpable), turned and swept its black iron leg, which cut through the air with a whooshing sound, forcing the ghost back.
One man and one puppet instantly clashed in battle.
Guiyou's figure was elusive, like a ghost. The ghostly shadows summoned by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner appeared one after another, sometimes attacking vital points, sometimes disturbing the mind; the puppet, on the other hand, was powerful and unparalleled in its physical strength. Every punch and kick carried earth-shattering power, causing the surrounding air to explode.
In the distance, Xiao Chen and his three companions watched quietly.
"This ghost's movements and methods are quite insidious." Jiang Li curled her lips, not being impressed by this kind of trickery involving ghosts.
"His combat strength is indeed strong." Xiao Chen nodded. "A peak Mahayana cultivator can withstand a peak Tribulation Transcending puppet and even gain the upper hand. His soul power is probably far superior to others of the same level."
Stone, itching to get his hands on it, said in a muffled voice, "Senior brother, why don't we go up and help that lump of iron?"
Su She shook his head: "No need, just watch the show."
What he cared more about was that this Ghostly Ghost acted ruthlessly, unlike the hypocrisy of Buddhism, yet he was equally indifferent to life. Was this the pride of the Great Contradiction Era?
Just then, several more groups arrived, including the young sect leader of the Three Saints Sect of the Central Region and the Ice Phoenix Maiden of the Northern Region. They all stopped to watch the fight in front of the palace gate, each with their own calculations in their eyes.
The young sect leader of the Three Saints Sect frowned slightly as he looked at Gui You's figure: "This kid from the Gui family is making rapid progress."
Ice Phoenix Maiden's eyes were cold. She didn't speak, but her gaze swept back and forth between the puppet and Ghost Ghost, as if assessing their strength.
The battle in front of the palace gates intensified. The black iron on the puppets was corroded by the ghostly shadows, leaving many black spots, and their movements became slower and slower. Gui You's breathing was also slightly disordered, and the ghostly shadows on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner faded a bit. Clearly, maintaining a high-intensity attack was taking a toll on him.
"That's about it." A fierce glint flashed in Guiyou's eyes. He bit his tongue hard and spat a mouthful of blood onto the Ten Thousand Soul Banner!
"Ten Thousand Souls Devour Their Master!"
The banner burst into flames, and countless ghostly figures coalesced into a gigantic ghostly claw, with the power to devour everything, fiercely grabbing at the puppet's head!
The puppet flashed red light, seemingly about to deliver a final blow, but was held down firmly by the ghost claw. The black iron on its head melted rapidly under the corrosion of the ghost claw, the red light dimmed, and finally, with a "clang," it fell to the ground and became completely still.
Gui You put away the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, took a breath, and a smug smile appeared on his face. He was about to walk towards the palace gate—
"Brother Ghost, wait a moment."
A clear voice rang out, and the young sect master of the Three Saints Sect stepped out slowly, "This inheritance in the main hall is for everyone who sees it. Why don't we all go in and take a look?"
Gui You glanced at him and sneered, "With you?"
The atmosphere instantly became tense, and the other cultivators also stepped forward, their eyes fixed intently on the palace gate—the puppet had been broken, and everyone wanted a piece of the pie.
The four people, including Xiao Chen, exchanged glances in the distance. Jiang Li raised an eyebrow: "Are they going to fight?"
Xiao Chen shook his head: "No rush, let's take another look."
His gaze swept across the crowd, but inadvertently caught sight of a hidden figure in black robes at the edge of the crowd—the same person who had been watching him at the entrance. At that moment, the black-robed man's eyes were fixed on him, and a cold smile seemed to curl at the corner of his mouth beneath his hat.
Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
It seems that deep within this secret realm, there are not only opportunities and struggles, but also trouble that has come knocking.
The standoff in front of the main hall grew increasingly tense, while a hidden killing intent quietly spread from the shadows.
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