Volume 1, Chapter 12: War Spirit Puppet, Evil Qi Soaring to the Heavens

The roar and pressure swept through the entire ruin space like an invisible storm.

Led by Sun Miao, the left-wing team moved at full speed toward the core area of the central route. The closer they got, the thicker and more violent the Evil Qi in the air became, like congealed blood, carrying a nauseating mixture of rust and sulfur. Many Disciples were forced to frequently consume Anti-Evil Qi Pills, yet their complexions remained grim.

The scenery along the way grew increasingly horrifying. Stone structures that had been relatively intact had collapsed over large areas, and the ground was covered in massive claw marks and impact craters. Residual dark red Evil Qi burned in the craters like flames, lingering for a long time. Occasionally, one could see broken remains of Puppets and scattered bloodstains, clearly indicating that the central team had experienced a fierce battle.

"Faster! Move faster!" Sun Miao's expression was solemn. He could feel the energy collisions coming from ahead growing increasingly intense, and Han Feiyu's Aura seemed somewhat unstable.

Passing through a stretch of collapsed palace ruins, the scene before them suddenly opened up, instantly making their scalps tingle.

This was an extremely vast circular plaza, its ground paved with massive, solid dark cyan stones, now covered in spiderweb-like cracks. In the center of the plaza stood a giant, ten zhang tall, cast entirely from an unknown dark gold metal! It was clad in tattered ancient armor, and its head lacked facial features, possessing only a raging, tangible dark red Soul flame that emitted monstrous Evil Qi and killing intent! In its right hand, it gripped a broken giant stone axe that still radiated terrifying fluctuations!

This was the War Spirit Puppet! The pressure it emitted had reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and it even faintly touched the threshold of the Golden Core! What was more terrifying was that it did not seem to be a completely inanimate object; the brutality and combat instinct exuding from that Soul flame made it resemble an ancient war general who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!

At this moment, the core team of the central route led by Han Feiyu was locked in a bitter battle. The Inner Sect Disciples, who had originally been in high spirits, were now in a sorry state. Of the two Foundation Establishment Early Stage deacons, one had an unnaturally bent left arm and blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to control a tortoise-shell shield to block the axe light of the War Spirit Puppet; the other was pale-faced, continuously casting incantations in an attempt to trap the Puppet with a Formation, but the Evil Qi surrounding the Puppet was like a Domain, constantly eroding and destroying the Formation's spiritual light.

Han Feiyu himself had his moon-white brocade robe torn in many places, his hair bun slightly disheveled, and he held a longsword shimmering with azure light. His sword moves were fierce, and his Sword Qi slashed across the air. Every strike carried the sound of wind and thunder, clearly showing he was using his full power, yet he could only leave shallow white marks on the War Spirit Puppet, and instead was shaken by that terrifying brute force, causing his Qi and blood to churn. Around him, seven or eight Inner Sect Disciples at the Qi Refining Late Stage formed a sword array to assist in the attack, but the effect was minimal, and two had already been injured and fallen.

The right-wing team led by Su Qingyue had arrived a step earlier than Sun Miao's group and was launching attacks from the other side, attempting to distract the Puppet, but with little success.

"Junior Martial Uncle Sun! Quickly help us trap this fiend! Its core is the War Spirit fire in its head! Attack there!" Seeing Sun Miao and the others arrive, Han Feiyu felt a boost in spirit and shouted urgently.

Sun Miao did not dare to delay. He immediately ordered Chen Feng to lead men to harass from the flank, while he himself, along with two other Foundation Establishment deacons who were still in decent condition, joined forces to activate a binding Magic Treasure bestowed by the Sect—the [Heavenly Mysterious Silk Net]. A large net shimmering with silver runes appeared out of thin air and descended over the War Spirit Puppet!

The War Spirit Puppet seemed to sense the threat; it let out a silent roar toward the sky (a vibration on the Soul level), and the broken axe in its hand swept horizontally. A semi-circular dark red Evil Qi axe light tore through the air and slashed fiercely onto the silver net!

"Screech!" The silver net's spiritual light flickered violently, and it was actually slashed open with a large tear by the axe light! Sun Miao and the other two groaned, their Aura thrown into disarray.

"Such powerful Evil Qi! It can actually corrupt the spirituality of a Magic Treasure!" one deacon said in horror.

Taking this opportunity, a fierce look flashed in Han Feiyu's eyes. He bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the longsword in his hand. The longsword immediately shone with brilliant azure light, emitting a clear Dragon roar!

"Wind Thunder Evil-Slaying Sword! Strike!"

A cyan sword rainbow, several times thicker than before and wreathed in the power of wind and thunder, struck fiercely toward the War Spirit fire in the War Spirit Puppet's head like a sword of divine punishment!

This strike had already surpassed the power of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, almost reaching the threshold of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

The War Spirit Puppet suddenly raised its left arm, and its metal palm, covered in cracks, ferociously grabbed toward the sword rainbow!

"Boom—!!!"

An earth-shattering explosion rang out! Where the cyan sword rainbow collided with the dark gold palm, blinding light mixed with rampaging Evil Qi and Spiritual Qi, forming a chaotic energy storm that swept outward, blowing everyone off balance!

As the light dissipated, it could be seen that several deep cracks had appeared on the War Spirit Puppet's left palm, and two fingers were even unnaturally twisted. But the War Spirit fire at its head only dimmed slightly for an instant before raging again, becoming even more brutal! Han Feiyu, meanwhile, was like someone struck by a heavy blow; he staggered backward, his face deathly pale, and the hand holding the sword trembled slightly, clearly having consumed a massive amount of energy and suffered from the backlash.

"It's no use! This War Spirit Puppet has too much Evil Qi, and its material is extremely special. It is difficult for our attacks to truly heavily damage its core!" Han Feiyu gritted his teeth, a trace of unwillingness and anxiety flashing in his eyes. If they dragged this out any longer, their elite team would likely suffer serious casualties.

Lin Xuan stood in the left-wing team, his gaze fixed tightly on the War Spirit Puppet. Under his "Spiritual Qi Perception" and the special intuition brought by the Ancient God Body Refining Technique, the "essence" of this Puppet was clearer. It was not a purely metallic creation; its core was that "War Spirit fire," formed from the residual Battle Intent of ancient Body Cultivator experts, mixed with the vast Earth Vein Evil Qi of this place, and nurtured over endless years. This flame was both its power source and its "Soul." Its massive body was cast from a special metal capable of highly conducting and containing Evil Qi, making it incredibly sturdy and able to absorb and deflect most Spiritual Qi attacks.

To defeat it, one must either use power far exceeding its level to forcibly destroy its body and War Spirit, or... find the core nodes where its Evil Qi circulates, or, use a more pure and domineering "Evil Qi" or "Qi and blood" power to disintegrate it from the inside!

"Elder Sun, Senior Brother Han, perhaps we can try attacking the three dark red markings on the center of its chest and where its spine connects!" Lin Xuan suddenly called out. In his perception, those three locations were the hubs where Evil Qi circulated within the Puppet's body, like vital acupoints on a human body; the energy was most concentrated there, and they were relatively fragile.

Upon hearing this, Han Feiyu swept his Divine Sense across and indeed discovered those three inconspicuous dark red markings, where the energy flow was indeed exceptionally active. "Good! Focus the attack on those three markings!"

Sun Miao also immediately directed everyone to adjust the direction of their attacks.

However, the War Spirit Puppet seemed to have sensed their intention; its offensive became even more frenzied. As it swung its broken axe, Evil Qi axe lights slashed everywhere, forcing everyone to keep their distance, let alone precisely attack those three vital points.

The situation once again fell into a stalemate, and it was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Yunni Sect side. The continuous fierce battle consumed a massive amount of energy, and more Disciples were injured, their Spiritual Qi bottoming out.

Lin Xuan's thoughts raced. This couldn't go on. The Ancient God Body Refining Technique recorded that when ancient Body Cultivators fought, they often used their own Qi and blood to draw upon the Earth Evil, turning it for their own use, and could even briefly control the Evil Qi Domain... Perhaps he could give it a try?

He took a deep breath and no longer hesitated. The eight hundred strands of [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] within his body began to circulate at an unprecedented speed. At the same time, he began to follow a dangerous technique from the basic volume of the Ancient God Body Refining Technique called "Drawing Evil into the Body, Qi and Blood as a Furnace," actively absorbing the violent Earth Vein Evil Qi from the surroundings!

This was no different from playing with fire! Ordinary Cultivators, even those in the Foundation Establishment Stage, would not dare to do this. But Lin Xuan's Physical Body had been tempered to the Martial Dao Extreme Realm, and he had also initially cultivated the Ancient God Body Refining Technique, so his tolerance for Evil Qi far exceeded that of ordinary people. More importantly, the nature of his [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] was special, possessing both the controllability of Spiritual Qi and the inclusiveness of Qi and blood, allowing it to act as a buffer and medium for transformation.

Wisps of icy, violent dark red Evil Qi surged into Lin Xuan's body from all directions, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

Intense pain struck instantly, as if countless ice blades were slicing through his Meridians!

But immediately after, his [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] began to circulate, and his blood and Qi burned like a furnace, forcibly enveloping, refining, and purifying the invading Evil Qi!

Removing its violence and leaving behind its pure "Origin of Power"!

On the surface of his skin, a faint layer of dark golden patterns, somewhat similar to those on the War Spirit Puppet, began to emerge, and dark red light swirled within his eyes.

A heavy, ancient, and fierce Aura slowly rose from his body; although its intensity was far from that of the War Spirit Puppet, its nature caused the War Spirit Fire to fluctuate slightly!

"What is he trying to do?!" Su Qingyue had been distracted, watching Lin Xuan, and upon seeing his strange behavior, she couldn't help but exclaim.

Han Feiyu and Sun Miao also looked over, stunned.

Lin Xuan took a step forward, actually walking straight toward the War Spirit Puppet, which was surging with Evil Qi!

His steps were heavy, leaving shallow footprints on the ground with every stride, while dark golden and dark red lights intertwined around his body, his Aura continuously rising!

The War Spirit Puppet seemed attracted by the Aura emanating from this "little guy"—an Aura that was of the same Origin yet seemed a fraction more "Advanced"—and it suddenly turned its head, its Soul fire locking onto Lin Xuan, letting out a roar filled with confusion and fury, abandoning Han Feiyu and the others, and swung its axe down toward Lin Xuan!

Before the axe even arrived, the condensed pressure of the Evil Qi had already caused the surrounding air to solidify!

"Watch out!" Wang Mang and Li Dali shouted in anxiety.

A sharp light exploded in Lin Xuan's eyes; he did not dodge or retreat, and the pure Evil Qi he had just refined, mixed with the vast [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] and his blood and Qi, all surged into his right fist!

On his fist, the dark golden light condensed to the extreme, faintly forming a miniature vortex, causing the Evil Qi in the surrounding space to tremble slightly!

The first form of the incomplete "Three Mountain-Shaking Forms"—the intent of "Mountain Crushing"—was pushed to the limit he could currently achieve!

This punch was no longer just pure physical strength; it also incorporated the power of the Earth Vein Evil Qi he had initially refined!

Before the fist and axe connected, two Evil Qi force fields, similar in nature yet completely different, collided with a roar!

"Hum—!"

Amidst the dull, strange sound, the giant axe swung down by the War Spirit Puppet actually experienced an extremely brief stagnation!

The Evil Qi light condensed on the axe blade also flickered in disorder for an instant!

This is the moment!

Lin Xuan's figure moved like lightning; in that moment of stagnation, he narrowly sidestepped the front of the axe blade, sliding into the Puppet's embrace like a fish, pressing against the massive axe surface!

His right fist, without any flashy moves, carried an unstoppable, mountain-collapsing, and earth-splitting resolute will as it slammed fiercely into the center of the War Spirit Puppet's chest, right in the middle of the dark red markings!

"Dong—!!!"

This sound was not the clashing of metal, but like a heavy hammer striking an ancient war drum!

Low, deep, and Soul-piercing!

With the point of Lin Xuan's fist as the center, a circle of dark golden ripples spread across the Puppet's dark golden chest!

The dark red markings rippled and twisted violently, like the surface of water after a stone had been thrown into it, and fine cracks even appeared on the surface!

"Roar—!!!"

The War Spirit Puppet let out a roar of unprecedented pain and fury!

Its massive body swayed noticeably for the first time!

The War Spirit Fire in its head flickered wildly, and the broken axe in its right hand slashed around chaotically, but it couldn't exert force because Lin Xuan was pressed right against it.

"Now! Attack the other two markings!" Lin Xuan roared, his voice tinged with hoarseness, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

That strike just now had exhausted most of his strength, and forcibly refining the Evil Qi had placed a significant burden on his Meridians.

But the effect was significant! The War Spirit Puppet's Aura was clearly in disorder, and the circulation of its Evil Qi had become sluggish!

How could Han Feiyu, Sun Miao, and the others miss this golden opportunity?

"Wind Thunder Sword! Strike the spine!" Han Feiyu forcefully raised his spiritual power and activated his ultimate move again, the sword light aiming straight for the markings at the connection point of the Puppet's spine on its back!

Sun Miao and two Foundation Establishment deacons also fully activated the tattered [Mysterious Silk Heaven Web], coordinating with the concentrated attacks of the other Disciples to tightly bind the Puppet's arms and broken axe, creating an opportunity for Han Feiyu!

Su Qingyue gritted her teeth, her long sword transforming into an ice-blue streak as she, along with the other Disciples, attacked the other marking on the Puppet's waist!

"Boom, boom, boom—!!!"

Several powerful attacks landed in succession, precisely hitting the three vital markings Lin Xuan had pointed out!

The dark golden metal shell surrounding the War Spirit Puppet began to crack over a large area!

The War Spirit Fire in its head flickered crazily, emitting a shriek of unwillingness!

Finally, amidst a series of violent, teeth-grinding sounds of metal twisting and breaking, this terrifying ancient War Spirit Puppet collapsed with a roar!

Its massive body turned into countless broken metal pieces and dark red Evil Qi that scattered across the sky, crashing down!

After losing its vessel, the War Spirit Fire shrank rapidly and dimmed, turning into a faint dark red star-like speck, seemingly wanting to escape into the ground.

Just at this moment, the few metal fragments in Lin Xuan's possession (including the newly obtained ones) suddenly grew slightly warm.

With a thought, he reached out, his palm wrapped in [Source Martial Spiritual Energy], and made a grab in the air toward the fleeing War Spirit speck!

A weak suction force came, and the dark red speck was actually drawn by the Aura of the metal fragments in his palm, pausing slightly.

In that moment of pause, Lin Xuan had already captured it in his hand, sealing it layer by layer with [Source Martial Spiritual Energy], and temporarily suppressing it in a corner of his Storage Ring.

All this happened in a flash, and with the dust filling the air, no one noticed.

The plaza was deathly silent.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the pile of rubble, then looked at the youth in plain clothes who was half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily, with blood at the corner of his mouth, yet holding his back straight.

It was him who pointed out the vital points.

It was him who fearlessly closed in and delivered the decisive first strike.

It was him who, with a Qi Refinement Stage cultivation (on the surface), withstood the Foundation Establishment Stage (Late Stage) War Spirit Puppet without dying, and even created the winning opportunity!

Shock, disbelief, admiration, jealousy, complexity... all sorts of emotions churned in everyone's hearts.

Han Feiyu sheathed his long sword and slowly walked in front of Lin Xuan, looking at him with complex eyes for a long time before saying in a deep voice: "Lin Xuan... you deserve the greatest credit for defeating this Puppet this time. I, Han Feiyu, will remember this."

Sun Miao also walked over and helped Lin Xuan up, his tone carrying unprecedented solemnity: "Young Friend Lin, if it weren't for you today, we would likely have suffered heavy casualties. Upon returning, I will certainly report this truthfully and request a reward for you!"

Lin Xuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, calmed his blood and Qi, and slowly stood straight, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally landing on the entrance to the passage that had been revealed after the War Spirit Puppet crumbled, leading into the deeper darkness.

"The exploration of the ruins is not over yet." His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable strength.

Everyone felt a shiver. That's right, having defeated the gate-guarding War Spirit Puppet, the true core of the ruins might just be ahead.

But after this battle, no one dared to underestimate this seemingly ordinary youth again.

Su Qingyue watched Lin Xuan's upright back from afar, and the last trace of coldness and alienation in her eyes finally shattered completely, replaced by an indescribable shock and bewilderment.

Wang Mang and Li Dali excitedly clenched their fists, feeling honored.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, some gazes from the Inner Sect Disciple group became even colder and more wary.

(End of Volume 1, Chapter 12)

[Next Chapter Preview]: War Spirit Puppet, Evil Qi soaring to the sky! Lin Xuan fearlessly draws in Evil Qi, settling the situation with one punch, saving the crisis, and shocking everyone! The true core passage opens, and the secret of the deepest part of the ruins is about to be revealed! Is it the ultimate Legacy of an ancient Body Cultivator, or more terrifying danger? Han Feiyu's attitude changes, Sun Miao strongly tries to recruit him, what changes will happen to Lin Xuan's status in the Yunni Sect? Su Qingyue's Dao Heart is completely shaken; how will she face this "former fiancé" whose brilliance is becoming increasingly dazzling? Have Zhao Long's secret schemes already been lurking in the ruins? What variables will be triggered by Lin Xuan obtaining the War Spirit Fire? Next Chapter: Land of the Core, Legacy Choice! Lin Xuan: "The gatekeeper is finished, it's time to see what the owner left behind."