Chapter 639: Guardian Puppet? (I)
A terrifying surge of energy erupted behind him. The instant Woo Shuo realized something was wrong, he decisively chose to stake his life on holding back that terrifying opponent. Woo Yiyan did not hesitate either. He immediately turned around, steered clear of the center of the battle, and sprinted toward the exit of the secret realm.
Feeling the terrifying aura behind him, Woo Yiyan silently speculated, How terrifying! Could that thing be an ancient Shamanic Clan puppet Xiao Yu obtained from the trial? A guardian puppet?
The massive physique, formidable defenses, and extraordinary regenerative powers perfectly aligned with the legendary traits of Shamanic cultivators. According to secret archives kept by the Woo Family, the skills of elite Shamanic Clan experts closely resembled those of yao from the demon realm. In fact, at their peak, Shamanic cultivators were arguably even more terrifying than the yao.
At the height of the Shamanic Clan's glory, the demon realm had not even dared to show itself, much less invade this world. It waited until the Shamanic Clan had declined before putting its invasion plans into motion. The vitality of shamanic cultivators was terrifyingly powerful. A sufficiently strong Shamanic Clan expert could continue moving and fighting even after losing their head, with almost no reduction in combat strength.
The yao could not achieve such feats. Although their vitality was incredibly powerful, the core controlling a yao's body still resided in its head. Once the head was gone, a yao lost 90% of its threat. Moreover, shamanic cultivators far surpassed the yao in both defensive power and mastery over the laws and order of the world. The only area in which they fell short was in numbers, as the Shamanic Clan could never rival the yao's vast population.
The difference between the two was like heaven and earth. Otherwise, ten thousand years ago, this world would never have been able to contend with the demon realm, let alone hold the upper hand. But over time, the Shamanic Clan gradually declined, and shamanic cultivators vanished into the river of history. The balance of power was completely reversed. Today, this world stood on the brink of destruction, not far from being entirely consumed by the demon realm.
That's entirely possible! With the great catastrophe approaching, perhaps the expert who established this Shamanic Clan secret realm already foresaw its danger. He knew the current age was no longer suited to the Shamanic Clan's inheritance, and that there would probably never be a more suitable successor than Xiao Yu.
So rather than let the inheritance go to waste, he passed part of it to Xiao Yu? There's a good chance that's the truth... When I get back, I'll recommend to the family elders that the Shamanic Clan secret realm be treated with far greater importance. Woo Yiyan's thoughts raced.
The thought passed in an instant, and Woo Yiyan immediately understood the situation. If Xiao Yu had truly inherited the secret realm and gained the guardian puppet left behind by that ancient Shamanic Clan expert, then fighting here would be extraordinarily foolish. There was no telling what other powerful methods that expert might have left behind besides this guardian puppet. He had to run. Getting out of there came first!
Just as Woo Yiyan rushed desperately toward the secret realm's exit, an incomparably terrifying aura suddenly descended upon the world. A powerful saber intent emerged like the first ray of light piercing an eternal night. The instant it appeared, it radiated an immeasurable momentum capable of destroying heaven and earth. Woo Yiyan felt all five of his senses fail at once. The wind ceased to blow, every trace of light vanished from the world, and everything sank into endless darkness.
Then, within that boundless darkness, a terrifying blade of light split the night apart. The instant its dreadful aura appeared, it unleashed a heaven-destroying might. Woo Yiyan's body trembled uncontrollably, while a primal shudder rose from the depths of his soul. He even had the illusion that even an army of gods and demons would meet total annihilation before this world-shaking strike.
"This is bad!" The jade talisman hanging over his chest released a cool aura, instantly pulling Woo Yiyan out of the nightmare-like illusion. Clarity immediately returned to his eyes, though they still carried lingering fear.
What a terrifying slash! The power behind that attack is already approaching the Nascent Soul realm, isn't it? Woo Yiyan was inwardly shaken.
As expected of the guardian puppet left behind by an ancient Shamanic Clan expert. Even in the hands of a martial artist who had only recently entered the Shackles realm, it could unleash such overwhelming power.
At this point, Woo Yiyan became even more convinced that the gigantic monster clad in brilliant golden scales was the guardian puppet left behind by the master of this secret realm. He simply could not understand what had happened during the trial that led to Xiao Yu obtaining it.
However, Woo Yiyan had no time to dwell on his shock. His expression froze, and in the next instant his eyes turned bloodshot, crimson veins spreading across his pupils. He sensed Woo Shuo's aura, not far away, rapidly fading. Woo Shuo was dead!
"Uncle Shuo!" Woo Yiyan felt a stabbing pain in his heart, his eyes nearly splitting with grief and rage.
The overwhelming sense of danger drew out his latent potential as the purple bloodline power within him boiled violently.
"Why are you running? Weren't you looking for me?" A calm, indifferent voice came from behind him. Woo Yiyan recognized it immediately.
That person was Xiao Yu. Yet Woo Yiyan did not dare respond. The terrifying sense of danger behind him made every hair on his body stand on end. A colossal shadow loomed overhead, and death's shadow enveloped him in an instant.
Just as Lin Zheyu's gigantic hand was about to seize Woo Yiyan, a crisp, ethereal chime rang out from his body. A purple ring emerged from beneath the skin at the back of his neck. Bathed in a ghostly purple glow, it rapidly expanded, erupting with wave after wave of powerful purple ripples.
Lin Zheyu's massive, scale-covered hand clenched with tremendous force, but instead of grabbing Woo Yiyan, it closed around the purple ring. The instant the golden scales collided with it, a deafening metallic crash echoed through the air.
Lin Zheyu's overwhelming strength clashed head-on with the purple energy rippling from the ring, erupting into a thunderous explosion at the center of his palm.
The purple energy ripples were unimaginably destructive. Under their relentless erosion, the golden scales covering Lin Zheyu's hand rapidly melted away. Within just a few breaths, sections of the scales had completely dissolved, exposing the flesh beneath. The moment his skin came into contact with the purple energy, it was instantly stripped away into a bloody mess, exposing the white bone underneath.
"What terrifying power! Is this the Woo Family's life-saving trump card for him?" The thought flashed through Lin Zheyu's mind.
With a thought, a vast surge of life force flowed into his hand. Fresh muscles and skin regenerated at an astonishing speed, only to be rapidly eroded away again by the purple energy. The two forces settled into a strange equilibrium. The peculiar purple ring was incapable of overcoming Lin Zheyu's vitality, but Lin Zheyu was likewise unable to break through its protection and seize Woo Yiyan within.
The purple ring vibrated violently, struggling to break free from Lin Zheyu's grasp and escape. But now that he had it in hand, how could he possibly let it get away?
Lin Zheyu let out a cold laugh as he said calmly, "As expected of the Woo Family's most talented genius in the past thousand years. You really aren't so easy to kill. For this ring dharma treasure to unleash such power in the hands of a Shackles realm martial artist would still be considered rare, even among Nascent Soul realm dharma treasures. The Woo Family certainly spared no expense."
A dharma treasure's strength ultimately depended on who wielded it. In Woo Yiyan's hands, this treasure could only display its current level of power, posing no real threat to Lin Zheyu. All he had to do was wait until Woo Yiyan exhausted his energy. Once that happened, he could break through the treasure's protection and seize him. If, however, this dharma treasure were wielded by a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, Lin Zheyu's only option would be to flee for his life.
Woo Yiyan narrowed his eyes as he said slowly, "Xiao Yu! So you really did obtain part of the Shamanic Clan's inheritance from the trial. Your talent and fortune truly are extraordinary. This powerful puppet must be the guardian puppet the master of this secret realm left behind to protect their successor, am I right?"
As he spoke to stall for time, his bloodline power churned wildly within him while he repeatedly attempted to force the dharma treasure free from Lin Zheyu's grasp.
A guardian puppet?
Lin Zheyu was momentarily taken aback.
He had not expected Woo Yiyan to mistake his Shamanic Clan's true form, clad in the Golden Body scales, for the guardian puppet left behind by the master of the secret realm. Hearing Woo Yiyan speak with such confidence, Lin Zheyu almost burst out laughing.
Senior Qiong Yun... No, he should be calling him master now. What Master Qiong Yun had left behind was not some comparatively weak guardian puppet, but a powerful dharma treasure capable of withstanding a strike from a Void Cavern realm expert, the Primordial Chaos Pool. And the Primordial Chaos Pool was more than just a defensive dharma treasure. It also stored an immense amount of chaos-origin energy for Lin Zheyu's cultivation.
"That's right. Surrender. You're not getting away," Lin Zheyu replied indifferently.
The purple ring remained locked in a stalemate with Lin Zheyu's hand. It trembled violently in his grasp, letting out sharp buzzes as it struggled to escape. Before pursuing Woo Yiyan, Lin Zheyu unleashed the final strike of the Seven Absolute Sabers, Gods and Demons Extinguished, to kill Woo Shuo as quickly as possible and prevent Woo Yiyan from escaping. The power of that saber technique truly was extraordinary.
Lin Zheyu had indeed slain Woo Shuo, a peak Shackles realm expert, with a single strike. But the price had been enormous. Once Gods and Demons Extinguished was unleashed, it burned away one's essence, qi, and spirit, pouring everything into a single attack capable of cutting down all the gods and demons of the heavens. Only such an all-or-nothing resolve, a will prepared to perish together with the enemy, could unleash a slash of such terrifying power.
Although Lin Zheyu's three divine repositories contained an immense reserve of energy, Gods and Demons Extinguished still placed an enormous burden on him. Even his own origin energy could not restore him to his peak state in an instant.
Thus, while Woo Yiyan sought to buy time and wrest control of the purple ring free from Lin Zheyu's grasp, Lin Zheyu was doing exactly the same, stalling while recovering as quickly as possible. He estimated that another strike of Gods and Demons Extinguished might be enough to break through the ring's defenses.
"There are no eternal enemies in this world. Why don't we end things here? If you stop now, I can make the decision myself. We'll wipe the slate clean and forget all past grievances."
Looking at Lin Zheyu, Woo Yiyan spoke calmly. His face was slightly flushed, and an uneasy feeling began to creep into his heart.