72: Chapter 72 Conquering the First Three Levels of the Bone Tower, Finding the Array Core and Breaking the Corpse Puppet Array

The three of them stepped into the first floor of the Bone Tower.

The space inside the tower was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside, dim and filled with a thick, suffocating stench of Death Qi and decay that made it hard to breathe.

The surrounding walls and ground were built from stark white bones, with countless twisted skull fragments embedded within them, their empty eye sockets flickering with ghostly green Soul fire, as if silently watching the intruders.

In the center of the tower floor, dozens of corpse puppets were already waiting in battle Formation.

They were not crowded together in disarray, but instead arranged in a strange bone Formation.

The front-row corpse puppets had thick, sturdy bones and held bone shields and bone blades in a defensive stance.

The back-row corpse puppets had gaunt figures, with Soul fire flickering in their eye sockets, constantly spewing gray-black Death Qi from their mouths.

These corpse puppets were generally at the Houtian Realm and were vulnerable if taken individually.

However, when Xiao Xiner tentatively unleashed a streak of Moonlight Sword Qi, a ghostly light flashed across the bone shields of the front-row corpse puppets, and they combined their strength to block most of the Sword Qi.

Although they were shaken backward and their bones cracked, thick Death Qi immediately surged from the gaps in the floor's bones, rapidly repairing their damage.

Meanwhile, the Death Qi spewed by the back-row corpse puppets merged together, transforming into a highly corrosive gray-black pillar of Qi that shot straight toward Xiao Xiner!

Xiao Xiner dodged nimbly and unleashed her Sword Qi again; although she could destroy several corpse puppets, those puppets would soon re-condense and stand up again under the nourishment of the Death Qi.

"Hmph, this is quite troublesome!" Xiao Xiner frowned slightly.

These corpse puppets were weak individually, but with the help of the Bone Tower's Death Qi and the Formation, they had become incredibly difficult to deal with, endless to kill, and a waste of Yuan energy.

"Senior Sister, this Formation circulates by borrowing the Earth Vein's Death Qi; using brute force will yield half the result with twice the effort," Li Siwen's voice came from behind.

He did not attack; instead, he activated his Dongxu Spirit Eye Technique, carefully scanning the entire bone Formation and the patterns of the bones on the ground.

Combined with the knowledge from the 'Talisman Formation True Explanation' gifted by the Saintess of Kunlun - Shang Ting, he quickly captured several key nodes of the Formation's energy circulation.

"Senior Sister, three steps to the front left, the third skull on the ground. The tunnel entrance directly behind, the seventh rib on the right wall, and also... that bone lamp hanging overhead!" Li Siwen quickly pointed out three locations.

Hearing this, Xiao Xiner did not hesitate.

Her Moonlight Sword Gang instantly split into three streaks, like precise scalpels, striking all three nodes simultaneously!

Crack! Crack! Pfft!

Three soft sounds came almost simultaneously.

The three bones that were struck shattered instantly!

The operation of the entire bone Formation suddenly stalled, the Death Qi surging toward the corpse puppets from the ground was abruptly cut off, the corpse puppets that were repairing themselves froze, and the Death Qi spewed by the back-row corpse puppets dissipated instantly!

"Now!" Li Siwen shouted.

Xiao Xiner's sword stance changed again, and her Moonlight Sword Qi spread out like a tide, instantly engulfing the corpse puppets that had lost the support of the Death Qi!

Having lost their ability to recover rapidly, these Houtian Realm corpse puppets were like paper before the Sword Qi of the Late Stage Kaiyuan Realm, instantly shredded into bone powder and unable to reorganize.

Yue Li stepped forward at the right moment, gray-white light flowing from her fingertips, absorbing all the escaping Soul Origin light spots, and her Soul body solidified by an imperceptible fraction.

"Junior Sister has sharp eyes!" Xiao Xiner sheathed her sword and looked at Li Siwen, a hint of appreciation flashing in her beautiful eyes.

Had it not been for Li Siwen precisely pointing out the Formation core, she would have eventually broken the Formation, but it would have cost her much more effort and Yuan energy.

Li Siwen smiled slightly: "Senior Sister's sword technique is precise, and we are perfectly coordinated."

Without lingering, the three of them climbed the spiral staircase made of bones to the second floor.

The layout of the second floor was similar to the first, but the number of corpse puppets guarding the level had decreased, while their strength had uniformly reached the Kaiyuan Realm!

The bone Formation they formed was also more exquisite, integrating offense and defense, with smoother circulation of Death Qi.

"For this Formation, let's both attack and end the battle quickly," Li Siwen said.

Facing a Formation composed of Kaiyuan Realm corpse puppets, although Xiao Xiner could break it alone, the consumption would inevitably be greater.

"Okay!" Xiao Xiner nodded.

The two moved simultaneously!

Li Siwen locked onto the Formation nodes with his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye, his fengwu sword striking rapidly, his crimson Sword Qi precisely interfering with and disrupting the hubs of the Death Qi circulation.

Xiao Xiner took the lead in attacking, her Moonlight Sword Gang wide and open, taking advantage of the Formation's obstructed operation to crazily harvest those Kaiyuan Realm corpse puppets with overwhelming strength.

Yue Li roamed around the perimeter, firing gray-white beams of light to purify the scattered Death Qi trying to interfere with the two, and absorbing the Soul Origin.

The two and the puppet were perfectly coordinated, with extremely high efficiency.

In just a moment, the Kaiyuan Realm corpse puppets on the second floor, along with their bone Formation, were completely dismantled and cleared.

"Amazing!" Xiao Xiner gave Li Siwen a thumbs up; she felt that her consumption just now was even less than on the first floor, and she felt refreshed inside.

Fighting side by side with Li Siwen was worry-free, effortless, and highly effective.

After a brief rest, the three turned their gaze toward the staircase leading to the third floor.

The aura there was significantly more oppressive and dangerous.

Stepping onto the third floor, the scene before them made the expressions of all three turn grave.

The space on the third floor seemed to have shrunk slightly, but the pervasive Death Qi had almost condensed into a solid, so viscous that it made movement feel somewhat sluggish.

The Soul fire burning in the eye sockets of the skulls on the tower walls was much more intense.

In the center of the floor, there were only nine corpse puppets.

But the aura they emitted had reached the Kaiyuan Realm Perfection!

They were not standing, but in a strange kneeling posture, forming a circle, with a heart-shaped object floating in the center, constantly pulsating and emitting thick black light; countless threads of Death Qi extended from the heart, connecting to the spine of each corpse puppet.

The moment the three stepped onto the third floor, those nine corpse puppets suddenly raised their heads, and the Soul fire in their eye sockets exploded with brightness!

Hum—!

A powerful pressure descended instantly!

At the same time, the black heart in the center pulsed violently once!

The Death Qi threads connecting the nine corpse puppets suddenly lit up, and a massive amount of Death Qi energy was instantly injected into their bodies!

The nine Kaiyuan Realm Perfection corpse puppets suddenly stood up, their bones making popping sounds like beans, their speed shockingly fast, and they instantly formed a battle Formation that combined offense and defense, with their auras linked together, surrounding the three!

Their attacks were no longer just Death Qi, but contained the shadows of certain martial arts techniques; claw strikes, fist imprints, and bone spurs shot out, perfectly coordinated, with power far exceeding those corpse puppets downstairs!

"Watch out!" Xiao Xiner shouted clearly, spreading her Moonlight Sword Curtain, instantly blocking several attacks, but her arm went slightly numb from the impact.

Li Siwen's fengwu sword danced rapidly, his crimson Sword Qi clashing head-on with the bone claw of a corpse puppet, yet he was forced to take half a step back, feeling a chill in his heart.

These corpse puppets were extremely powerful with the support of the Formation and that black heart.

The battle broke out instantly!

Li Siwen and Xiao Xiner stood back-to-back, their sword lights intertwined, dealing with the nine corpse puppets' storm-like siege with all their might.

Sword Gang and bone claws collided, producing a dense sound of metal clashing!

Death Qi, Yuan energy, and Internal Energy constantly consumed each other, bursting out waves of energy ripples.

The pressure on the two increased sharply!

These Kaiyuan Realm Perfection corpse puppets were already formidable, and with the coordination of the battle Formation and infinite supply of Death Qi, they were extremely difficult to deal with.

Although Li Siwen had a solid Foundation, his Realm was ultimately Refining Viscera Perfection, and he was at a slight disadvantage in a head-on collision.

Although Xiao Xiner had a higher cultivation level, she also found it extremely strenuous to deal with several times her number of enemies at the same level simultaneously.

Yue Li tried to interfere with gray-white light beams, but as that black heart pulsed, the Death Qi that surged out was extremely pure, and it could resist her purification to a certain extent, causing her auxiliary effect to be greatly reduced.

The battle fell into a stalemate; Li Siwen and Xiao Xiner's Yuan energy and Internal Energy were depleting rapidly, while the opponent could be replenished continuously.

If this continued, they would surely be exhausted to death here!

Li Siwen's Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye flashed rapidly in his eyes; while blocking attacks, he was frantically looking for the key to breaking the Formation.

His gaze finally locked firmly onto that black heart—floating in the center, constantly pulsating, providing energy for all the corpse puppets!