Chapter 294: The Restricted Area and the Golden Immortal Puppet
"Fellow daoists of the Transient Guild, you've already done more than enough for the Holy Puppet Sect. Are you really going to lay down your lives for a sect that has nothing to do with you? If you leave now, we won't stop you," Xue Han declared in a booming voice that was audible across the entire main island.
Bai Fengyi's heart immediately sank slightly upon hearing this, and the remaining Transient Guild members also began exchanging uncertain glances with one another.
They had already fulfilled their mission by protecting the array islands to the best of their abilities, but they had failed due to factors outside of their control, and several of them had most likely already met their demise, while the rest of them were at a very real risk of meeting the same fate.
The reward offered by the Holy Puppet Sect was indeed quite substantial, but it certainly wasn't worth dying for.
Right as everyone was hesitating about how to proceed, Yun Ni's voice suddenly rang out in their minds.
"The compensation issued by the Holy Puppet Sect is already in my storage bracelet, and they've given twice the promised reward. All you have to do to receive the reward is defend the Holy Puppet Sect to the best of your abilities."
Everyone's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this, but it didn't take long before they calmed down, and someone transmitted their voice to Yun Ni in response.
"The compensation is indeed very alluring, but it won't matter for anything if we're dead. If we keep this up, there's a very good chance that we'll all be wiped out here."
"Rest assured, I naturally won't let all of you die here. I'll issue the order to retreat at the right opportunity, but prior to that, anyone who dares to flee will be deemed to have disobeyed orders. I'm sure you all know what the consequences of such a transgression are," Yun Ni threatened in a cold voice.
Some of the Transient Guild members were still reluctant to stay, but no one dared to leave in the face of the combination of the increased reward and Qilin 3's threats.
Right at this moment, an earth-shattering boom suddenly rang out from behind the plaza of the Holy Puppet Sect, and a pillar of white light erupted into the sky before disintegrating.
"Looks like Fellow Daoist Zhong Luan has already succeeded on his end," Xue Han chuckled.
A hint of elation also flashed through Lu Ji's eyes as he nodded in response, while all of the Holy Puppet Sect cultivators were extremely alarmed and infuriated by this turn of events.
"Something's happened at the restricted area! How could this be? I left five elders there!" Bai Fengyi exclaimed.
"Haven't all of the most precious treasures of the sect already been transferred elsewhere? Is there something important in the restricted area?" Yun Ni asked.
"There's a Golden Immortal Stage immortal puppet in the restricted area, and it's the most precious treasure of our entire Holy Puppet Sect," Bai Fengyi replied with a wry smile.
"If you had such a thing, then why didn't you use it before?" Yun Ni asked with a perplexed expression.
"The immortal puppet has been passed down in our Holy Puppet Sect for a very long time, but it's not a complete immortal puppet as it's missing a suitable core. Hence, it can only be used when fused with our sect master, in which case it can display mid-Golden Immortal Stage power. Outside of that, it's constantly being nurtured in a spirit pond in the restricted area," Bai Fengyi explained.
As soon as her voice trailed off, seven or eight more pillars of white light erupted into the heavens in unison from behind the plaza.
"The restrictions in the restricted area are about to be broken!"
An alarmed look appeared on Bai Fengyi's face, and she was just about to fly away in that direction when she was stopped by Yun Ni.
"Don't panic. You still need to oversee proceedings here, and if you leave, all of the Holy Puppet Sect cultivators will be without a leader. If that happens, I don't think they'll even be able to withstand a single wave of attacks," Yun Ni cautioned.
Bai Fengyi forced herself to calm down upon hearing this, then turned to several of the nearby Holy Puppet Sect elders as she instructed, "Elder Yu, Elder Fu... Go and reinforce the restricted area right now!"
Meanwhile, Yun Ni's gaze roamed back and forth between Han Li and Xiong Shan for a moment before she finally decided, "Wyrm 15, go and give them a hand."
Han Li nodded in response before flying away with the three Holy Puppet Sect elders.
"Qilin 9, assist Deputy Sect Master Bai to keep that scar-faced man occupied to the best of your abilities. I'm going to use a secret technique to try and wound the other Golden Immortal," Yun Ni said as she turned to Xiong Shan.
Xiong Shan also nodded in response before making his way over to Bai Fengyi's side.
"Looks like it's time for the final battle, Fellow Daoist Lu Ji," Xue Han chuckled as he watched the four True Immortals depart from the battlefield.
He then turned to the Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivators and the azure-armored Dao Warriors down below as he yelled, "Everyone, victory is imminent! Charge!"
His declaration was met with a resounding collective wary cry as all of the Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivators surged toward the center of the battlefield, and with that, the final stage of the battle commenced.
……
Meanwhile, a string of resounding booms were ringing out incessantly within a well-concealed valley behind the plaza on the main island.
As Han Li and the others arrived outside the valley, they saw eight pillars of white light erupting straight into the heavens, forming a vortex of white light up above.
"The array has already been breached! Perhaps the enemy has already entered the restricted area!" a Holy Puppet Sect elder with white hair and a white beard said in a concerned voice.
"We have to enter the valley right away," another azure-robed elderly man yelled in an urgent voice.
The four of them immediately flew into the valley, and along the way, they were greeted by the sight of toppled mountains, severed rivers, felled trees, and countless bodies that belonged to Holy Puppet Sect disciples and elders.
"Elder Lu!"
The azure-robed elder who was flying at the forefront suddenly shuddered as a pained look appeared on his face.
Everyone looked down to find that portly old man with a benevolent-looking face had been pinned to a cliff face up ahead by a longsword.
That man was none other than the azure-robed elderly man's closest friend in the sect.
However, there was no time to stop and grieve, and everyone continued to fly toward the place in the valley where the pillars of light had risen up.
Before long, they reached the end of the valley, where a waterfall that was over 1,000 feet tall awaited them.
The waterfall was cascading down from above, sending water splashing in all directions to form a series of arched-bridge-like rainbows in the air.
Beneath the waterfall was a large green pond, within which was an octagonal white stone altar, and that was what the eight pillars of white light were rising up from.
Outside the pond, a battle was still taking place. A tall elderly man with his entire body drenched in blood was fighting alongside an eight-armed puppet against three Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivators, and it was clear that the elderly man wasn't going to be able to last much longer.
Scattered around them were the remains of around a dozen Holy Puppet Sect cultivators and puppets, all of which were in horrific condition.
Out of the three Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivators, only one of them was at the True Immortal Stage, while the other two were both at the Grand Ascension Stage, so they were extremely alarmed by the arrival of four enemy True Immortals and hurriedly took a glance at the vortex up above.
The azure-robed elder was furious, and he immediately charged toward one of the Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivators, who slashed a crimson halberd through the air to release a streak of crimson light, which swept directly toward the azure-robed elder's throat.
At the same time, he made a strange hand seal with his other hand, and a layer of crimson light appeared over his body.
"You're not getting away!" the azure-robed elderly roared in a furious voice, then knocked the halberd aside with his longsword, and the a burst of azure light erupted out of the sword's blade, instantly elongating by several feet to decapitate the Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivator.
At the same time, the azure-robed elder swept his other sleeve through the air to release a burst of flames that enveloped his opponent's head before incinerating it into ashes along with his nascent soul.
The other two Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivators didn't dare to hesitate any longer upon seeing this, and they hurriedly fled in opposite directions.
One of them was only able to fly about 1,000 feet before he was pinned down firmly against the ground by a giant lion puppet.
As for the only True Immortal among the trio, his entire body was enveloped in a layer of hazy starlight, and with just a single punch, he was able to knock back the Holy Puppet Sect elder that was standing in his way, following which he leaped over 10,000 feet up into the air to escape from the valley.
Everyone was just about to give chase when the tall elderly man suddenly stumbled and began to fall forward.
Han Li immediately appeared beside the elder to support him, but he was looking in the direction that the Ubiquitous Pavilion True Immortal had fled in with a peculiar look on his face.
The tall elderly man's body was riddled with over 100 wounds that were deep enough to expose bone, and not a single spot on his body wasn't drenched in blood.
However, he paid no heed to the severity of his own injuries as he pointed at the vortex in the sky with a trembling finger and said in an urgent voice, "Hurry... Go... Someone has already entered the restricted area!"
The three Holy Puppet Sect elders' expressions changed drastically upon hearing this.
The azure-robed elder pierced through the head of the Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivator pinned under the giant lion puppet with his sword, making sure to destroy his nascent soul as well, then returned to the tall elderly man's side before feeding him a pill.
After taking the pill, the elderly man was finally unable to cling onto consciousness any longer, and he slumped to the ground in an unconscious state.
Meanwhile, the severely ravaged eight-armed puppet stumbled over to the elderly man's side before falling apart into a pile of scrap materials.
The azure-robed elder hesitated momentarily, then approached Han Li as he said, "Fellow daoist of the Transient Guild, may I trouble you to go after the person that just escaped? It doesn't matter if you manage to successfully kill him or not, just make sure that he won't come back here."
Han Li took a glance at the vortex in the sky, and he knew that the three elders were about to enter the restricted area to pursue the intruder. As an outsider, he naturally couldn't be allowed into the restricted area, and that was why he was being diverted away.
With that in mind, he nodded in response. "Sure."
After that, he vanished from the spot, flying away as a streak of light.
Following his departure, the azure-robed elder turned to his two companions as he said, "Leave the snow lion puppet behind to look after Elder Fang. We have to go in right away."
The other two elders nodded in response, and the three of them flew into the vortex in the sky in unison.
Meanwhile, Han Li had only just flown out of the valley before stopping in his tracks.
He stood in mid-air as he swept his gaze across his surroundings, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he flew toward a forest outside the valley.
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