69: Working together to slay the puppet and the sword stone

Gray mist churned, and five Sword Puppets of different forms blocked their path. They had no physical bodies, being entirely condensed from pure Sword Qi and the Evil Qi that had accumulated in this place for ten thousand years. Their scarlet “eyes” locked onto the intruders, radiating a terrifying, mad Sword Intent.

"I'll take the main attack, you guys provide support and protect the Domain!" Lin Feng spoke rapidly. Before his words even finished, he shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring! The long sword in his hand was fully unsheathed, transforming into a chilling, bone-piercing stream of light, heading straight for the humanoid sword puppet in the front!

"Clang—!"

The sword tip collided with the Sword Qi arm condensed by the Sword Puppet, emitting a crisp sound like metal clashing! Sparks flew! Lin Feng's figure swayed slightly, while the Sword Puppet was shaken back half a step, the Sword Qi on its arm dimming slightly.

What a powerful Sword Puppet! Just one was able to clash head-on with Lin Feng without losing ground!

The other four Sword Puppets also launched their attacks simultaneously! The Beast-form Sword Puppet roared and pounced, the Insect-form Sword Puppet released a dense rain of Sword Qi needles, and another Sword Puppet, like a shadow, silently circled toward the flank!

"Shrink the Domain! Focus the defense!" Wen Youyi roared, shrinking the Star Domain to cover only six people. The defense power sharply increased, allowing it to forcefully withstand the first wave of fierce attacks from the other four Sword Puppets! The light shield shook violently, and the spirit devouring mist took the opportunity to frantically erode it, making Wen Youyi's face turn even paler.

"Iron Pillar, use Ground Shaker to interfere! Wang and Li, use Spells to restrain the shadow one! Senior Brother Zhang, use Talismans for covering strikes!" Wen Youyi maintained the Domain with effort, rapidly issuing instructions through the “communicator.”

Zhao Iron Pillar stomped his feet fiercely, and the violent tremor caused the pouncing Beast-form Sword Puppet to pause its movement. The Spells from Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li seemed to have eyes, accurately bombarding the Shadow-like Sword Puppet attempting a sneak attack, forcing it to dodge repeatedly. Senior Brother Zhang, meanwhile, scattered large handfuls of Attack Talismans like they were worthless onto the Insect-form Sword Puppet releasing the needle rain, causing the Sword Qi around its body to dissipate from the explosions.

Their attacks could not inflict fatal damage on the Sword Puppets, but their perfect coordination and harassment greatly alleviated the pressure on Lin Feng!

Lin Feng was focused solely on the task. His Sword Technique unfolded like a sudden storm, every strike precisely hitting the Sword Qi nodes of the Humanoid Sword Puppet before him! His sword was fast, accurate, and ruthless, carrying a resolute Sword Intent that charged forward without hesitation!

"Tear!"

After dozens of moves, Lin Feng finally found a flaw and pierced the Humanoid Sword Puppet's “heart module”—a highly condensed Evil Qi Core! The Sword Puppet let out a silent shriek, then disintegrated with a crash, dissolving into pure Sword Qi.

Having dealt with one, Lin Feng did not stop. His sword light swept out, like the Milky Way pouring onto the earth, rolling toward the Insect-form Sword Puppet that had been disoriented by the Talisman explosions!

The core five people, led by Wen Youyi, cooperated fully, tightly restraining the other three Sword Puppets. Zhao Iron Pillar even took a claw attack from the Beast-form Sword Puppet head-on, leaving a deep, bone-visible wound on his chest, yet he did not retreat a single step, creating precious damage-dealing time for Lin Feng.

The battle was fierce yet brief.

With Lin Feng as the absolute main force and The core five people providing perfect support, the remaining four Sword Puppets were also defeated one by one.

When the last Sword Puppet dissipated, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Except for Lin Feng, whose aura remained stable, The core five people, led by Wen Youyi, had severely depleted their Spiritual Power, and Zhao Iron Pillar was seriously injured.

"Quick, take Medicinal Pills to recover!" Wen Youyi quickly took out Medicinal Pills and distributed them to everyone.

Lin Feng glanced at Zhao Iron Pillar, who was treating his wounds, flicked his finger, and a silver Medicinal Pill the size of a longan, emitting sharp Sword Qi, flew toward Zhao Iron Pillar: "'Sword Origin Pill,' it has miraculous effects on external injuries and Sword Qi erosion."

Zhao Iron Pillar was stunned for a moment. He took the Medicinal Pill, felt the immense medicinal power within, and grinned: "Thanks, Cold Face Brother!" He didn't stand on ceremony and swallowed it immediately. Once the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, a warm yet sharp medicinal force spread out. The wound on his chest began to heal at a visible rate, and the residual Sword Qi was forced out.

Wen Youyi's evaluation of Lin Feng rose another point in his heart. This person appeared cold on the outside, but his heart was not without feeling.

After a short rest, the group continued forward, passing through the open Valley. In the center of the Valley was an expanse of Milky-White Pool, perhaps only Ten Feet in circumference. The water was clear but exuded an astonishingly sharp Qi. At the bottom of the pool were scattered over a dozen stones, the size of pigeon eggs, irregularly shaped, entirely silver-white, and seemingly with liquid Sword Qi flowing inside.

sword gallstone!

"This is it." A hint of eagerness finally appeared in Lin Feng's eyes. He carefully used a specialized Jade Scoop to collect the five best-quality ones and placed them into a Jade Box. Then he looked at Wen Youyi: "The rest are yours."

Wen Youyi didn't stand on ceremony either, collecting the remaining eight sword gallstones. This item was a top-grade Material for refining Sword Pills and improving the quality of Flying Swords; its value was immense.

With the transaction complete, Lin Feng seemed relieved. He looked at Wen Youyi, fulfilling his third promise.

"A clue regarding the 'Star Core'." His tone remained flat. "Three thousand li east from here, there is an Ancient Ruin named 'Falling Star Lake.' The bottom of the lake seems abnormal and resonates with Star Power. But that place... is controlled by the Disciples of an Elder named 'Black Fiend' and is treated as their Private Domain."

Elder Black Fiend? Wen Youyi's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't that Chen Jian's Master? What a narrow escape!

"Source of the information?"

"I once chased an Enemy to the lakeside and sensed the abnormality at the bottom of the lake, but I was driven away by Black Fiend's Followers." Lin Feng spoke concisely.

Wen Youyi nodded, firmly committing the information to memory. Whether true or false, it was an important clue.

"The matter here is settled, let's go." Lin Feng said no more, turning to lead the way back.

The group exited the Sword Scar Fissure along the original route. Although the process was dangerous, their harvest was considerable, and they had obtained a crucial piece of intelligence.

However, when they flew out of the Fissure and saw daylight again, they found several figures hovering in the air not far away. Leading them was the grim-faced Fire Cloud Child of the Five Elements Courtyard, accompanied by several Inner Sect Disciples with powerful auras!

"Lin Feng, Wen Youyi! What a coincidence!" Fire Cloud Child said with a strained smile, his gaze sweeping over the group like a venomous snake. "It seems you've gained quite a harvest down below?"

(End of Chapter)