Chapter 12: Crisis of Death

The entire hall was only ten thousand zhang in scope, all within the笼罩 of the Yin-Yang Sword Intent domain. Fierce thunder and lightning, divine water and flowing light all transformed into enormous sword forms, madly tearing and shredding. The mighty puppet was under attack at every moment, yet it still roared and charged toward Ji Ning and his companions, the Yin-Yang Sword Intent domain unable to shake it.

"Yoo~~~"

Feng Yixin Jun leaped high, his red robe fluttering.

For a moment, he seemed to transform into a divine bird bathed in flames, while around him appeared more flame birds and scorching magma.

"Set." Feng Yixin Jun instantly manifested eighteen arms, each one the beak of a flame divine bird, all diving to attack the puppet.

"Kill."

"Go."

Tianhuo Mangya and Huojin Shuijun once again joined forces with practiced ease; they had long been familiar with their combined techniques. For a moment, water and fire surged, charging straight at the puppet for close combat.

Ji Ning manifested three heads and six arms, holding six divine swords. Qinghuang Prince also rarely revealed six arms. The two of them were the strongest attackers... and the last to attack.

"Roar~~~"

The mighty puppet let out a roar, its right hand gripping a huge black axe, swinging it horizontally in a sweeping strike.

This strike seemed to cleave heaven and earth apart.

The hearts of Ji Ning and the other five instantly turned cold!

The eighteen flame divine birds that Feng Yixin Jun had manifested through his Heartworld were all split in two.

"Careful." Tianhuo Mangya was sent flying backward by the strike, shouting anxiously.

"Whoosh."

Huojin Shuijun was cut in half at the waist, blood splattering. His eyes showed shock and anger, then his entire body turned into flowing water, trying to flee.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!!!!!!" Qinghuang Prince's six enormous golden palms descended out of nowhere, slapping directly onto the axe blade, stopping its continued assault and saving Tianhuo Mangya and Huojin Shuijun.

"Brother Beiming." Qinghuang Prince spat blood as he flew backward, urgently sending a voice transmission.

Silently, six sword lights, taking advantage of the moment Qinghuang Prince blocked the axe, grazed the axe and stabbed toward the joints of the puppet's right hand fingers. Ji Ning knew well that this was a puppet, its body as tough as a magic treasure! To damage the puppet's body, even a Four-Step Dao Lord might not be able to do it.

His Blooddrop style, though highly penetrating, had no chance of piercing the puppet's body!

So Ji Ning had only one idea: attack the joints of the puppet's right hand and seize its giant axe! Because from the puppet's horizontal axe strike, Ji Ning could tell that the puppet's skill with the axe was very high! If he took away its axe, its strength would drop by more than half! Just as Ji Ning, without his six Eternal Divine Weapons, would have only ten or twenty percent of his strength left!

"Crack." "Sizzle."

Six sword lights struck simultaneously at the different finger joints of the puppet's right hand. The terrifying penetrating force caused the mighty puppet's right fingers to involuntarily loosen, and the giant axe slipped slightly from its grip.

Seeing this, Ji Ning was overjoyed and moved to seize the axe.

"Beiming, be careful." Feng Yi's voice rang in Ji Ning's mind.

"What?"

Ji Ning's face changed drastically, for an enormous shield, with irresistible force, came smashing down directly overhead! The puppet was smirking as it swung the huge shield fiercely. What it was best at was the shield! It had been forged for the purpose of buying time for its master with this shield in dangerous situations. But because it had been dispatched to chop and dig mineral veins, spending endless ages chopping, it had also become quite skilled with the axe.

Relatively speaking, the shield was what it excelled at most.

"Rumble~~~"

The shield's smash was like a dark mass pressing down, as if the very sky were crushing forward. Even a Chaotic Star, if struck by this shield, would likely be ground to dust upon contact! As the shield came smashing, layers of colored spatial layers appeared before it—layers of different spaces formed by the pressure.

Ji Ning had no chance to seize the axe; he could only wield his swords, desperately trying to withstand the blow.

"Boom!!!"

The shield slammed directly onto Ji Ning's six swords. Though he was skilled in defensive sword techniques, in the face of absolute power, it meant nothing. The shield then pressed his six hands against his body and struck him. Ji Ning felt only a roar in his head as he was sent flying backward, crashing into the hall's wall, blood spurting from his mouth.

Qinghuang Prince, Feng Yixin Jun, Tianhuo Mangya, and Huojin Shuijun all watched, their faces changing drastically, utterly stunned.

That shield's smash...

was far more powerful than the giant axe's sweeping strike!

"To make me lose my grip on the axe—impressive swordplay. I'll make your death quicker." The puppet strode forward in large steps, making the hall tremble, one hand holding the shield, the other the giant axe, charging straight at Ji Ning. Clearly, Ji Ning's making him momentarily lose his grip on the axe had angered him.

Qinghuang Prince and the others were terrified. At this moment, they no longer cared about the puppet's axe; what they feared was the shield.

"I, I..."

Ji Ning's mind was buzzing, and only gradually did he regain clarity.

A moment ago, he had lost consciousness from the strike. Fortunately, he was protected by his Eternal-grade armor and had fully mastered the Golden Statue Bodyguard technique, allowing him to survive the blow! If his bodyguard technique had been weaker—say, if his divine body barely matched a Dao weapon—he would have been shaken to death.

Luckily, Ji Ning's divine body rivaled a top-grade Dao treasure and was not so easily destroyed.

"Brother Beiming, dodge!" Prince Qinghu's six golden palms descended again, striking at the puppet, which once more swung its shield, unleashing its terrifying power.

"Boom~~~"

The six golden palms collided head-on with the massive shield.

In truth, Prince Qinghu's palm technique and the shield had a similar effect! In terms of the profundities of the Dao, Prince Qinghu was far superior! But the puppet's strength was too great—Prince Qinghu barely matched a First Step Dao Lord, while the puppet was at the peak of the Third Step Dao Lord! Even if its shield technique was slightly inferior, at the peak of the World level, it still completely overwhelmed Prince Qinghu.

For a puppet to wield the shield's profundities at a level comparable to a World-level peak was quite remarkable.

After all, puppets were far inferior to true cultivators in terms of insight.

"Pfft."

Prince Qinghu, his entire body radiating golden light as if cast from gold, could not help spitting out a mouthful of golden blood as he was sent flying backward. However, thanks to his intervention, Ji Ning regained his senses.

"Die!" The puppet swung its great axe a second time, aiming at Tianhuo Mangya and Huojin Shuijun.

"Kill him."

Ji Ning, now clear-headed, felt a chill in his eyes.

Whoosh~~~

A faint ripple appeared in the hall, so subtle it was imperceptible within the Yin-Yang Sword Intent domain. But as it neared the puppet, the puppet showed shock.

"Swish!"

A sword light like a venomous snake suddenly emerged, grazing the shield and lashing onto the puppet's head.

Boom~~~

The puppet tumbled backward uncontrollably.

As it flew back, the snake-like sword light extended again, curling around the puppet and binding it in coils.

"Withdraw." A figure shrouded in black mist appeared, looking at Ji Ning. "Following my master's orders, you may call on me once. I have captured this puppet; my promise is fulfilled."

"Mm." Ji Ning, sitting on the hall floor, nodded.

This figure in black mist was the assassin among the four puppet servants left by Emperor Snowjoy for his direct disciple.

Whoosh.

The assassin vanished instantly, returning to the cave world of the Snowjoy Scroll.

Inside the cave world.

The assassin, the golden-robed emperor, the fisherman, and the swordsman were together, watching the puppet holding the shield and axe.

"You were quick to go out," the golden-robed emperor said with a smile.

"This guy has good strength, at the peak of the Third Step Dao Lord," the assassin said coldly. "His shield skill is mediocre, and his axe technique is even weaker. His overall strength barely matches an ordinary Third Step Dao Lord. I countered him in every aspect, so winning was easy."

All four of them were at the peak of the Third Step Dao Lord.

In terms of raw power and speed, they actually reached the threshold of the Fourth Step Dao Lord, and their swordsmanship was also high. Although Ji Ning had defeated them before, it was because Emperor Snowjoy had ordered them to use only that level of swordsmanship! Still, their swordsmanship fell short of true Third Step Dao Lords, so their overall strength was at the peak of the Third Step Dao Lord.

In both power and insight, they each surpassed the shield-and-axe puppet.

...

In the hall.

Ji Ning sat on the ground. Huojin Shuijun gradually condensed his true form from the water currents. Tianhuo Mangya looked at Ji Ning. Feng Yi let out a long breath. Prince Qinghu laughed heartily.

"That was close," Feng Yi said with a smile.

"Brother Beiming, I owe you my life," Prince Qinghu said, looking at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning also breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure from that puppet had been immense! They were only five World-level cultivators. Facing a puppet at the Third Step Dao Lord level, they were crushed in an instant. Any more delay, and they would have lost their lives.

...