Zhan Jiawei slowly raised its head, opening its eyes. Its eyes, crafted from rubies, shot two faint streaks of blood-red light, coldly sweeping over the three cultivators from Shang Tang Palace without a trace of emotion.
Huangfu Bing'er’s icy gaze was filled with pity and derision, looking upon Du Ran and the other two Shang Tang Palace cultivators as if they were already dead. She had held two terrifying trump cards in her hand, ones she had yet to deploy.
A ninth-tier Silver Armored Guard puppet. A minor divine-ability magic artifact, the Scarlet Flood Dragon Sword.
This ninth-tier Silver Armored Guard puppet was obtained by Ye Qin from the Holy Emperor, and subsequently, he acquired the manufacturing schematic for the Silver Armored Guard puppets from a descendant of the Yin family. The schematic also included the secret art for controlling the Silver Armored Guard puppets, which was passed on to her.
Controlling this Silver Guard consumed an immense amount of top-grade spirit stones. Huangfu Bing'er dared not use it lightly.
On this giant island, there was no replenishment of top-grade spirit stones; every piece used was one less. It was best to conserve them.
Otherwise, once the top-grade spirit stones she carried were depleted, it would become nothing more than junk, no different from scrap metal. As for the minor divine-ability magic artifact, the Scarlet Flood Dragon Sword, unleashing its power required sacrificing a full tier of Golden Core cultivation, consuming the vital essence of the Great Sage.
It was a resource to be used only as an absolute last resort. Huangfu Bing'er had not used the Silver Armored Guard or the Scarlet Flood Dragon Sword against the Corrupt Wolves because her own strength, coupled with the Corrupt Bone Crocodile Skeleton Demon, was barely sufficient to withstand the wolves’ attacks without being defeated.
She only needed to stall for one day, until her husband awoke from his slumber, and the mission would be accomplished. Since she was not yet cornered, she naturally was unwilling to waste the Silver Armored Guard and the Scarlet Flood Dragon Sword on a few mere corrupted beasts.
When Huangfu Bing'er saw the three Golden Core cultivators from Shang Tang Palace—Du Ran and the others—appear, though startled, she had never taken them, these mid-stage Golden Core cultivators, seriously from the very beginning. Unleashing the Silver Armored Guard puppet, she immediately began forming the hand seals to control it, then swiftly retreated, positioning herself in a corner to shield Ye Qin.
She left the ninth-tier, peak-strength Silver Armored Guard puppet to face the three mid-stage Golden Core cultivators alone. Even the Corrupt Bone Crocodile Skeleton Demon quickly retreated to stand guard over Ye Qin.
“A puppet?... What tier of Armored Guard puppet is this?!” Du Ran’s eyes constricted sharply, and he instantly halted his advance.
The puppet exuded an intangible majesty and a terrifying aura that made even a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator like him feel a suffocating pressure in his heart. “It must be a ninth-tier Armored Guard puppet to possess such a chilling presence.” What shocked him even more was the bursts of dazzling golden light emanating from the puppet.
Among the raw materials for refining the Five Elements and Three Wonders artifacts, there was no silver-colored material. Apart from mundane silver, only the rare, law-repelling material known as Mithril existed in the cultivation world, and it was silver.
“Silver light… Could this puppet be forged from Mithril?” Du Ran’s gaze was fixed, and he swallowed hard with difficulty. “During refining, even a piece of Mithril the size of a fingertip can forge a top-grade magic artifact imbued with law-repelling properties.
Its market price is significantly higher than that of ordinary top-grade magic artifacts. This one before us is a full five zhang tall—how much Mithril would it take to craft something like this!?” “A ninth-tier Armored Guard puppet is terrifying in itself, capable of matching a peak late-stage Golden Core cultivator… If it is made from law-repelling material, its power is even more unimaginable.
Few Nascent Soul cultivators in the East Sea could possess such staggering wealth to specially refine a Mithril Armored Guard puppet like this.” The Golden Core cultivators from Shang Tang Palace were all experienced individuals, not ignorant rustics. The elder Peng and the younger cultivator Xu recognized at a glance that this ninth-tier Mithril Armored Guard puppet represented an extraordinary feat.
If it were displayed in the East Sea cultivation world, it would be utterly sensational, capable of drawing the greedy gazes of countless Golden Core cultivators. Even Nascent Soul cultivators would find themselves intensely interested in such a Mithril Armored Guard puppet.
“Senior Brother Du, this situation is not good! This ninth-tier Armored Guard puppet likely incorporates a substantial amount of Mithril.
The three of us combined might not be its match. Moreover, we still have Madam Ye and the Skeleton Demon watching us like hawks…” The young cultivator showed fear, daring not to press closer to Huangfu Bing'er.
The elder Peng, being exceptionally experienced, knew he was no match for the Armored Guard puppet. Without making a sound, he cautiously retreated.
“Nonsense, it’s just a Golden Core-level puppet, what are you afraid of? Perhaps it’s just a bluff.
Aren’t you also a Golden Core cultivator! If you come to the Sea of Blood for experience, you shouldn't fear danger—charge in immediately!
Senior Brother Peng and I will back you up; we guarantee your safety! If you dare to retreat, I will charge you with the grave crime of desertion!” Du Ran did not dare to advance, but he harshly ordered the young cultivator.
The young cultivator named Xu immediately felt utter despair. The hierarchy in the Shang Tang Palace was extremely strict.
An external cultivator like him dared not disobey the captain’s orders; fleeing in the face of the enemy was akin to rebelling against the palace, an act unforgivable by the East Sea’s largest cultivation powers, the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance. Huangfu Bing'er would not wait for them to debate who should attack and who should defend; she formed the control hand seals.
The Silver Armored Guard paused briefly, then stomped its right foot hard on the ground, leaping forward. Wielding its great silver spear, it transformed into a streak of silver light, shooting toward the young cultivator Xu at the front.
The young cultivator dared not retreat and, driven by necessity, immediately poured his magic power into his soulless magic artifact, the “Azure Flame Banner.” The Azure Flame Banner unfurled, igniting hundreds of zhang of scorching azure flames that swept toward the Silver Armored Guard. He could only hope that this Armored Guard puppet was merely an impressive facade and not as powerful as it seemed.
Whoosh! The Silver Armored Guard neither dodged nor evaded, charging headlong into the engulfing embrace of the Azure Flame Banner.
The young cultivator widened his eyes. The raging flames emitted by the Azure Flame Banner were so intense that they could incinerate Golden Core-level Corrupt Wolves.
Perhaps they could even melt this strange Armored Guard. But he was destined to be disappointed.
Hiss! The Azure Flame Banner, wreathed in surging flames, was pierced through like a piece of torn cloth by a flash of silver light.
A silver silhouette shot out from the sea of azure flames. Thud!
The great silver spear struck the young cultivator squarely, piercing a massive bloody hole in his chest. The young cultivator, engulfed by the flames brought by the Silver Armored Guard, shrieked miserably as he turned to ash.
The Azure Flame Banner artifact couldn't even withstand a single strike from the Silver Armored Guard. “No good, it truly is a ninth-tier Mithril Armored Guard!
Damn it, how could Elder Ye of the Purple Sword Palace possess such a terrifying ninth-tier puppet? Even the direct descendants of the ancestors of Shang Tang Palace do not have such a fearsome puppet!” Du Ran was horrified.
He, a disciple of the Du clan, belonged only to a collateral branch of the Du family in Shang Tang Palace, not even ranking among the true direct heirs. He was inferior even to true direct heirs like Du Qingliang.
He possessed no strong means of self-preservation. He didn't dare linger for a moment longer; he stamped his foot and flew out of the ruined encampment into the Blood Mist Wasteland beyond.
Forget revenge; simply escaping with his life would be an achievement. Seeing his comrade instantly killed, Elder Peng knew the terrifying power of this ninth-tier Silver Armored Guard and certainly dared not delay.
He fled right behind Du Ran. The Silver Armored Guard gripped its great silver spear tightly and turned to pursue Du Ran and Elder Peng.
Its speed was twice that of Elder Peng. With a swift flicker, it caught up to the slightly lagging elder and thrust its spear forward.
Elder Peng sensed an unstoppable, terrifying aura rushing from behind him. In sheer terror, he gambled his life, unleashing his Nascent Soul magic artifact, the “Heavenly Rock Flying Sword,” and hastily threw out several high-grade magic artifacts.
Various high-grade Earth element spells and expensive Earth element talismans for life preservation were all deployed in an attempt to block the Silver Armored Guard’s great silver spear. Despite all this, Elder Peng’s heart was filled with dread.
A ninth-tier Armored Guard puppet possessed the peak strength of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, far surpassing their mid-stage Golden Core cultivation. And a ninth-tier Mithril Armored Guard puppet, impervious to the influence of any spell, magic power, or spiritual energy, possessed an unimaginably terrifying destructive force.
If the three of them, as mid-stage Golden Core cultivators, had pooled their strength to resist this Silver Armored Guard using their Nascent Soul artifacts together, they might have secured a sliver of hope. But now...
the leading squad leader, Du Ran, had fled first. Thinking of this, Elder Peng shot a resentful glance toward Du Ran, who was fleeing even faster than himself.
Then again, one couldn't entirely blame Du Ran for being desperate to escape. Du Ran understood even more clearly than Elder Peng that the three mid-stage Golden Core cultivators working together might possibly withstand the Silver Armored Guard’s frenzied assault.
But they mustn't forget that Huangfu Bing'er and the Skeleton Demon were also present. Although Huangfu Bing'er’s magic power was heavily depleted, she could still control the Ice Fire Sword Array, making her no easy target either.
They stood absolutely no chance of victory. Du Ran had only one thought: rather than dying together, it was better to flee quickly alone.
Having two cannon fodder behind him to cushion the blow might increase his own chances of escape. Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out. Elder Peng glanced back, and his face immediately turned ashen.
He saw his Heavenly Rock Flying Sword, trailing countless colossal rocks, instantly slam against the Silver Armored Guard. The gray-brown boulders, condensed from Earth element spiritual energy, rained down, instantly covering an area of one to two hundred zhang around them, crashing toward the Silver Armored Guard with terrifying momentum.
However, beneath the silver light radiating from the Silver Armored Guard, these boulders condensed from earth spiritual energy began to melt away like snow under the fierce sun before they could even make contact, vanishing into nothingness and exposing the Heavenly Rock Flying Sword within. The barrage of giant rocks released by the Heavenly Rock Flying Sword failed to slow the Silver Armored Guard’s advance in the slightest.
With a sharp crack, the Heavenly Rock Flying Sword, struck by the great silver spear, instantly flew backward as a fissure appeared on its blade. A red light flashed in the Silver Armored Guard’s eyes.
The great silver spear in its hand spun violently, piercing through several high-grade magic artifacts and high-grade Earth element talismans before surging toward Elder Peng. Elder Peng was terrified out of his wits.
He only managed to flee about a hundred zhang before a streak of silver light tore through his chest. Puff!
Elder Peng’s vision went black. He reached out to his chest in disbelief, and his entire body crashed to the ground.
Then, the Silver Armored Guard drew the blood-soaked great silver spear from Elder Peng’s chest cavity and held it steadily. Expressionless, the cold red light in its eyes fixed upon Du Ran, who had fled three to four hundred zhang away and was about to escape the ruined encampment into the Blood Mist Wasteland.