Chapter 545: Chapter 543: Divine Demon Blood
At the very instant he touched the puppet, Xu Yang sensed the spiritual patterns on its body suddenly intertwine, generating a defense even greater than the force of his charge, dispersing his power almost entirely.
As for the puppet, although it was knocked flying, it remained completely unharmed.
Immediately, the puppet moved to stand aside, as if declaring, "You have passed."
"Remarkable, to be able to refine a puppet to this level, and those spiritual patterns on its body... It must be when the puppet senses its opponent’s force outstripping its defense, it erupts with an equal measure of defensive power."
Xu Yang was full of admiration.
This way, the puppet would never be damaged.
Though it sounds simple, to actually refine a puppet to this extent is anything but easy.
Xu Yang lingered, gazing at the puppet with keen interest a moment longer before moving onward.
As he drew near, he paused briefly.
Beside the jade-like path, a solitary blade of grass stood; and atop the grass, astonishingly, rested a single pill.
If one didn’t look closely, it would be easy to miss.
Xu Yang casually picked it up, and it turned out to be a seventh-tier elixir—the Thousand Cloud Elixir.
Though it held little value for him, for martial artists who had just attained the True Monarch realm, the Thousand Cloud Elixir was still highly beneficial.
"This must be the opportunity here."
Xu Yang smiled faintly, set the Thousand Cloud Elixir back in place, and stepped past the puppet to forge deeper within.
More than half an hour later.
Xu Yang had already reached the fourteenth trial.
Here, each puppet along the way had already attained High-tier True Monarch strength.
Unlike the typical external obstacle trials, here, paths and steps might wind to a small pavilion in the mountain wilds, stretch into a mountain ridge, a valley, or a puppet might suddenly spring forth from nowhere.
The Evil Qi in the air also grew denser, gnawing at the mind and spirit.
Yet to Xu Yang, such things posed virtually no threat.
At this moment, having just dispatched another puppet, Xu Yang found, in a crevice of the mountain wall beside him, a whitish bone smooth as jade.
Holy Elephant Jade Bone!
Xu Yang picked up the Jade Bone, instantly sensing the vast essence concentrated within—a spiritual energy as elusive as ether.
Just this Jade Bone alone felt like a holy relic, hard to put down!
Bang!
Xu Yang abruptly exerted force, crushing the Jade Bone, as a pure, flawless mist of spiritual energy surged forth, enveloping him completely.
After several dozen breaths.
Xu Yang breathed out a thick, turbid breath, muttering, "Indeed, it nourishes the Life Fire Soul, though at my level, this degree of Jade Bone brings little improvement."
It was undeniable that the Holy Elephant Jade Bone was a rare treasure.
Pristine and flawless, impossibly gentle, it nourished the Life Fire Soul far better than any mundane pill or Spirit Elixir.
Soon after, he pressed on.
Until the sixteenth trial.
The puppets here had reached True Monarch Perfection level.
Gazing at the puppet ahead, Xu Yang’s eyes flickered, surprise flashing across his face before it swiftly returned to calm.
In the next instant, he strode forward—swift as lightning.
Boom!
The puppet erupted, causing the ground to violently quake.
A murderous intent of staggering ferocity swept through the Periphery Void.
This puppet wielded no weapon, but attacked with wild brutality. Spiritual patterns surged as it struck downward with a palm, weaving a giant net that twisted the fabric of space, collapsing heaven and earth upon itself.
The giant net, filled with overwhelming binding power, descended from the sky.
"The sixteenth trial already boasts such might—by the final trial, that puppet may well match the True Monarch Perfection experts of the seven great factions."
Xu Yang mused inwardly.
His smooth progress thus far was simply because his strength was overwhelming.
Most martial artists would find these fifteenth or sixteenth trials insurmountable, even for High-tier True Monarchs.
In the blink of an eye, Xu Yang leaped up—his fist, like a cannon shot, carrying force wild and tyrannical, crashed down on the giant net with the weight of a mountain.
Bang!
Crack!
In an instant, the giant net shattered.
The massive fist pressed on, colliding with the puppet’s palm strike.
Bang!
Ripples exploded in all directions. In the Periphery Void, swathes of vegetation were crushed, the earth roared and the mountains shook, the shockwaves terrifying!
The puppet’s figure trembled, forced into a bedraggled retreat.
Stomping the ground to dust, it let out a savage roar, a blood-red light blazing in its eyes, like twin fires flickering with blood.
Evil Qi surged, murderous will overflowing across the land!
Boom!
The puppet’s form changed. Under a cascade of blood-red spiritual patterns, it transformed into a crimson tiger, its gaping jaws turning into a horrifying vortex that sought to devour Xu Yang whole.
"Even such Divine Techniques can be performed?"
Xu Yang was astounded. The puppets here could already wield Divine Techniques with formidable spiritual wit, but for it to display transformation techniques as well was truly incredible.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Xu Yang faced the crimson vortex head-on, curved his hand into a claw, conjured a phantom blade, and slashed with lightning speed.
Spurt!
The blade cleaved into the massive maw, making the vortex falter!
Xu Yang’s eyes shone: "Explode!"
He abruptly withdrew.
The blade edge remained, erupting in a thunderous blast.
Rumble!
The vortex in the tiger’s maws was shattered outright, violent power threatening to rip the beast apart completely.
Yet the blood-red spiritual patterns on its body reappeared, forcefully suppressing that wild energy, flickering back in an instant to reform the puppet’s true body, no longer barring his path!
"Divine Demon Blood!"
Xu Yang glanced at the massive stone opposite the puppet.
Atop the stone, an alabaster jade bottle stood, and within, a solitary drop of blood so crimson it made one shudder, even through the bottle’s wall.
Xu Yang’s eyes glinted with curiosity; Shi Hu had spoken of this Divine Demon Blood with great anticipation.
It could strengthen the fleshly body.
"Refined from ancient beast blood and heaven’s rarest treasures—if it works as expected, it’ll aid my resistance against the Evil Qi of the cauldron world!"
Xu Yang licked his lips and strode forward briskly.
Swish!
Suddenly, a figure leapt out from behind the boulder, eyeing Xu Yang with mocking intent.
"Boy, I’ve been waiting for you!"
"Set the jade bottle down and toss it over—I’ll let you pass."
A True Monarch Perfection level middle-aged man stared greedily at the Divine Demon Blood.
Here, everyone who wanted to progress had to make it past this puppet trial.
If you failed, there was nothing for it but to withdraw.
Those who passed could take the reward, and move on.
But only those who passed could claim it—otherwise, the puppet’s spiritual patterns would unleash their full might, instantly crushing the thief as punishment!
Plenty of martial artists had died on the Scarlet Blood Arena for just that reason.
Xu Yang looked at the man indifferently and said, "I noticed you early on—you must’ve gotten quite a bit of Divine Demon Blood with tricks like that, haven’t you?"
"Of course!"
The man’s expression twisted with pride, but then cooled. "Quit playing nice, boy. You may have some skill, but you’re no match for me!"
"You alone aren’t enough. Call your companion out as well."
"What? You can actually..."
The middle-aged man’s expression shifted, staring at Xu Yang in disbelief.
Xu Yang didn’t spare him a glance; instead, he scanned the silent surroundings, then suddenly turned, fixing his eyes mockingly on a colossal ancient tree in the distance. "The one hiding in that tree—must I invite you out personally?"
As soon as the words left his lips, the ancient tree shuddered violently.
A vague shadow emerged beneath the tree, like the tree’s own shadow come to life.
Immediately after, a skinny martial artist slowly stepped out from the ancient trunk.
He seemed to merge with the tree itself; emerging had not bent or harmed the tree in the slightest.
To an ordinary onlooker, it would have been utterly inconceivable!
Even Xu Yang raised his brows—judging by his perception, this man’s soul was intertwined with the ancient tree’s very life, inseparable from it!
As he walked out, there was not the least sense of strain—he immediately split into two separate entities.
Xu Yang guessed he must have cultivated some rare, special arts.
"You could actually sense me?"
The skinny martial artist was even more shocked than the middle-aged man before him.
