“It’s not that I’m against joining forces, but I can’t trust certain creatures that are neither human nor ghost. It’s better if we each deal with these puppets separately!”
Yan Zheng spoke slowly at this moment, but his words immediately targeted the members of the Blood Spirit and Soul Spirit clans, clearly indicating the deep-rooted enmity between them had escalated to a life-or-death conflict.
“As you wish. I wouldn’t want to work with a bunch of useless trash either!”
Yu Li’s eyes flashed with a cold, murderous intent. If he had been fully confident in defeating Yan Zheng and Ning Mo, he would have struck without hesitation. However, clearly, his strength had not yet reached that level.
“In that case, everyone should act according to their own capabilities and deal with the immediate threat first!”
Yan Wanyu did not insist on cooperation. Both Yan Zheng and Yu Li had made their positions clear—they could confront the threat together, but collaboration was completely out of the question…
As that melodious voice faded away, a powerful aura instantly filled the entire space. At this moment, Xiao Yufan truly felt the immense strength of everyone present. There were no fewer than twenty experts at the peak of the先天 (Prenatal) realm!
“Those who dare to intrude upon the Yu Long Sect shall die!”
As if responding to the overwhelming pressure, several ethereal figures of puppets slowly opened their eyes, and a voice brimming with authority echoed through the air.
“The last ancient martial era has already declined. For a mighty sect like this to leave behind only a few puppets as guardians—whether it’s tragic or pitiable is hard to say…”
Yu Li swept his gaze over the several phantom figures and finally chose a puppet statue near the Blood Spirit clan. If they divided evenly, each faction would face no more than one phantom.
The atmosphere abruptly tensed, and everyone launched their attacks simultaneously. Even Ye Kong, who stood behind Xiao Yufan, was eager to test himself against the Yu Long Sect’s puppet guardians.
“My apologies!”
Regardless of whether these puppets possessed consciousness, Xiao Yufan still slightly bowed his head. After all, the Yu Long Secret Art was likely connected to the Yu Long Sect, and even without that, the treasures he had obtained from the two stone chambers were reason enough for gratitude.
Based on the phantom’s aura, its strength was merely half a step into the Tong Ling (Spirit Connection) realm. Xiao Yufan was confident that even without Cheng Ying and the others, he could deal with it effortlessly. Although he currently stood at the peak of the先天 realm, even experts at the half-step Tong Ling level would find it impossible to gain any advantage over him.
His hand seals shifted rapidly. Xiao Yufan wanted to end the battle quickly. Prolonged combat would drain his energy, putting him at a disadvantage when it came to claiming the true inheritance.
In the span of a few breaths, under Ye Kong’s astonished gaze, the Annihilation Heaven Seal and the Crea-Heaven Palm techniques had already taken shape. Now at the peak of the先天 (先天) realm, Xiao Yufan could summon ancient martial arts techniques with minimal effort.
Ye Kong had mastered the Crea-Heaven Palm to perfection, yet even he knew he couldn’t reach this level. Each ancient martial arts technique consumed a significant amount of internal energy, but for Xiao Yufan, it seemed to have little effect.
This was naturally due to the Yu Long Secret Art within Xiao Yufan’s body. Although the Yu Long Secret Art had not yet broken through to the next level, as his strength increased, its terrifying recovery speed had improved significantly. The consumption caused by using ancient martial arts techniques was practically negligible for him.
Boom!
The massive palm print struck the phantom head-on. Xiao Yufan watched as the increasingly solid figure faded slightly, indicating that his attack had indeed damaged the core of the puppet statue.
Looking at the other battlefields, aside from the Blood Spirit and Qian Ling clans, and Guo Chen and Yan Wanyu, the others appeared quite battered. This situation was not only a test of their strength but also of their endurance limits.
Although he had heavily damaged the puppet, Xiao Yufan knew it wouldn’t be this easy to finish it off. He remained vigilant, staring intently at the fading phantom!
On this phantom, he sensed a strangely familiar aura. More precisely, the Yu Long Secret Art within his body had triggered this sensation…
Instead of attacking again immediately, Xiao Yufan felt something was off. At that moment, the fading phantom actually dimmed further, resembling a statue standing still. Xiao Yufan also noticed a thin thread of azure light slowly seeping into his body.
It was residual energy from within the puppet. The Yu Long Secret Art was actually absorbing it!
As soon as the first thread entered his body, Xiao Yufan felt the long-stagnant Yu Long Secret Art begin to stir!
Fourth layer, fifth layer, sixth layer!
Xiao Yufan, already stunned, stood frozen in place. What exactly was happening? Why had the Yu Long Secret Art suddenly surged forward like this? Could it be that the azure threads emanating from the puppet were from the same source as the Yu Long Secret Art?
A wild joy slowly spread across Xiao Yufan’s face. The Yu Long Secret Art was his greatest asset. Even when it had remained at the third layer, it had been immensely helpful. Now, breaking through to the sixth layer so effortlessly, Xiao Yufan could already foresee how terrifying it would be when he used it again.
Everything had happened so suddenly, yet so naturally. Xiao Yufan’s current mood could only be described as exhilarating.
Seeing the phantom near Xiao Yufan fade away, even Guo Chen slightly furrowed his brows. Relying on his cultivation level of half-step Tong Ling realm, he still had to put in considerable effort to handle his opponent. How could Xiao Yufan, who was merely at the peak of the先天 realm, achieve this so effortlessly?
Of course, it wasn’t just Guo Chen. Yan Zheng and the others were also quite surprised. They hadn’t expected Xiao Yufan to be this fast. This was a half-step Tong Ling puppet, yet he had taken it down in just a few moves. Couldn’t he at least consider others’ feelings?
Faced with the many astonished gazes, Xiao Yufan could only helplessly smile. He couldn’t exactly explain everything out loud, which worked out well—he hadn’t revealed his true strength, yet had stunned everyone, achieving two goals at once.
In fact, his current focus wasn’t on Yan Zheng and the others, but on those phantoms!
One puppet had propelled the Yu Long Secret Art from the third to the sixth layer. While this could be attributed to a long period of accumulated progress, it clearly demonstrated how significantly those azure threads influenced the Yu Long Secret Art.
However, Xiao Yufan soon felt disappointed. He quickly discovered that none of the other puppets emitted such an aura. In other words, he had been extremely lucky to encounter the only one with such properties.
At this moment, Xiao Yufan became even more convinced that the Yu Long Secret Art shared deep roots with the Yu Long Sect. Therefore, he was determined to obtain the Yu Long Sect’s inheritance. If anyone dared to stand in his way, he wouldn’t mind showing everyone just how worthless their pride was in his eyes…
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