NOVPUBThe spider leaped out from the dust and saw the flying bird in the sky.
From the void behind them, an odd-sounding and frantic voice suddenly burst forth:
"Damn it! He got away!"
"We’re out of time! There’s no chance to deploy ’The Emperor’!"
"We can only use the savages’ methods!"
As they spoke, the giant wooden spider gradually vanished into thin air.
In the sky, the black-cloaked figures also disappeared one after another.
...
"Fellow cultivators, how may I address each of you?"
With a slight shift, they all dodged a towering mountain in the path, and the seven regrouped posthaste.
Wang Ba slightly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the five people, and then he asked with a smile.
"Hehe, my surname is Zhang..."
The smile squeezed onto the face of the leading cultivator as he spoke.
But in an instant, as if he had suddenly received a signal, his gaze turned icy cold.
Without any warning, a myriad of fine lines of mana suddenly shot out from his body and, like scattered petals from the heavens, fiercely struck at Wang Ba!
And the four behind him acted in unison, striking Zhao Feng with precise coordination!
Yet Wang Ba’s expression remained unchanged. As if anticipating their move, he had already drifted back the moment the leading cultivator made his move.
At the same time, a robust sword-light erupted beside him!
Hum!
The sword-light, swift as a whip, struck first despite being launched later.
It immediately cut through the numerous mana threads targeting Wang Ba and, with relentless force, the sword-light struck at the leading cultivator.
Facing the sword-light that seemed primed for a long while, the leading cultivator’s empty eyes showed no emotion.
He stiffly raised his hand to form a magic barrier, but before the might of the sword-light, it shattered like paper in an instant.
Even as the leading cultivator dodged instantly, he still had an arm sliced off.
The severed hand flew up and, under the sword-light, the flesh was instantly pulverized by the Sword Qi emanating from the sword-light, revealing a wooden bone structure within.
"So it is a puppet!"
A look of unsurprise surfaced on Zhao Feng’s face.
Despite the serious injury, the leading cultivator’s face was still devoid of any change as he quickly retreated.
However, from within his body came a strange-sounding voice, now a bit shocked:
"You all figured it out already? Where did I slip up?"
At the same time, the other four cultivators quickly regrouped with the leader.
Yet just like the lead cultivator, their faces were devoid of any expression.
Their auras of mana, completely foreign to those from Fenglin Continent, were no longer hidden.
"All puppets!"
Wang Ba said with a slightly heavy tone, as he flew beside Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng gave a slight nod.
Neither of them responded to the leader’s question.
The other party, however, didn’t seem to be in a hurry, that strangely accented voice calmly stating:
"Seems I’ve underestimated you. I didn’t expect you to be hiding a Sword Cultivator... Too bad, my true body isn’t here; otherwise, capturing you would have given me two more puppets to make."
The leading cultivator lifted his remaining hand slightly, beckoning, and the distant wooden bone of the hand flew back to the severed arm.
In just the blink of an eye, flesh, blood vessels, and skin grew over the wooden skeleton...
And a new arm and hand were easily formed.
Wang Ba’s expression became stern.
This method was indeed different from the puppetry he had seen before.
Although it was not as sinister as the Bone Dao of the Tianmen Cult, these entities that were neither human nor puppet were clearly no better.
"So, this is the Dao Shengzhou Cultivators’ Art?"
Just as Wang Ba thought they were about to attack,
The next moment,
The five puppets suddenly scattered and fled in all directions!
This development surprised both Wang Ba and Zhao Feng.
"Senior Brother."
Wang Ba couldn’t help but turn to Zhao Feng.
He wasn’t afraid of these puppets, but his abilities were somewhat stretched thin chasing these fleeing figures.
Whereas his senior brother’s speed far surpassed his own.
Zhao Feng nodded slightly.
"Leave it to me."
He then flicked his finger.
Ding!
A delicate sword-light immediately leaped from his fingertip.
Soon after, the sword-light trembled and split into five, swiftly chasing after the five fleeing puppets.
A few breaths later,
The five sword-lights returned, each carrying a wooden skeleton, to the two cultivators’ side.
The flesh on the five wooden skeletons had been completely stripped away, leaving only a framework of wood that almost perfectly resembled human bones.
It was as if the wooden skeletons had naturally grown inside those five people.
Quite unique.
The will within them also seemed to be eradicated by the sword-light, with no more sounds from the odd accent heard again.
"Dao Shengzhou’s puppets actually look like this."
Wang Ba was slightly surprised.
But at that instant, Zhao Feng’s expression suddenly changed!
Before he could warn him, the sword-light around the five wooden skeletons suddenly lit up, instantly shattering the sword-light and engulfing both Wang Ba and Zhao Feng within a terrifying glow!
Boom!
A dramatic explosion kicked up a column of dust on the spot!
In the distance, not far above the ground,
A gigantic wooden spider gently rubbed its leg spines, akin to hooks, as a voice with a strange accent softly said:
"They should be dead now, right?"
"Forget it, there’s no time to worry!"
The wooden spider disappeared into the air once again.
Around the area, faint ripples passed through the sky.
...
Boom!!
Dust whirled through the air.
A monstrous black figure was faintly visible within it.
