Chapter 66

Zhuge Xiang and the other two moved very quickly, soon reaching the exit of the storage chamber. Just as Zhuge Xiang was about to activate the mechanism to open the gate, he suddenly heard Lu Yuling's urgent voice: "Zhuge Xiang, be careful!"

An unprecedented sense of intense danger appeared, making the hair on his body stand on end. The aura of death was closer than ever. Zhuge Xiang's reaction was quick; he took a sudden step, his figure flashing to the side, pressing against the wall of the passage.

A dazzling and brilliant beam of light flashed past Zhuge Xiang's eyes. The destructive power it contained left no doubt in Zhuge Xiang's mind that if he were hit, not even his bones would remain.

Although the seal of the storage chamber had long been broken, there were still mechanisms that could control the gate of the storage chamber. When they entered, Zhuge Xiang had picked up a paper ball that Lu Yuling had dropped, which indicated the mechanism to control the gate. This is why Zhuge Xiang was able to close the gate.

The gate, shimmering with an array formation, was not easy to break through. However, under the attack of the beam, the gate of the storage chamber was pierced like a snowball facing a red-hot iron rod, offering no resistance at all.

Without even looking, Zhuge Xiang knew that the beam was emitted by the mechanical puppet, even though it was an unfinished product. The attack was still shocking, and Zhuge Xiang vaguely felt that the beam's attack could rival the main cannon of the Asura warship from that day.

Run!!!

Faced with this fierce mechanical puppet, the beam's attack was comparable to a spell cast by someone at the Soul Transformation stage. Zhuge Xiang and the others had no intention of resisting. They escaped through the hole created by the beam, running down the 999 steps. The sound of explosions behind them clearly indicated that the mechanical puppet had shattered the gate of the storage chamber.

"Run faster! These mechanical puppets cannot leave the palace on their own. As long as we run down, we'll be fine." Lingbo Weibu was in full effect, and Lu Yuling's figure was elusive, like a mountain goat, moving very quickly.

Without a word, Zi Xiang's speed was also very fast. Zhuge Xiang couldn't understand her steps, but it was clearly a martial arts technique. With her cultivation at the ninth level of the Qi Nourishment stage, her speed was also very fast.

As for Zhuge Xiang, his speed surpassed that of Zi Xiang and Lu Yuling. The 30% movement speed bonus from the Star Chasing Boots, his cultivation at the sixth level of the Qi Nourishment stage, and the activation of the Bloodthirsty Technique made Zhuge Xiang's speed so fast that he even left Zi Xiang and Lu Yuling behind.

The 999 steps, with their cultivation, didn't take long to run down. However, at this moment, time seemed very long. As the icy ground at the bottom of the 999 steps came into view, Zhuge Xiang and the others were not at all happy. The sound of running behind them was getting closer, and if the mechanical puppet had a life, they could almost hear its breathing.

Zhuge Xiang's speed was very fast, and with the boost from the Star Chasing Boots and the Bloodthirsty Technique, he was ahead of the others, running down the 999 steps first. However, when he turned around, his expression was not good.

Although the mechanical puppet was an unfinished product and even some parts fell off as it ran, its speed was not slow. It was slightly faster than Lu Yuling and Zi Xiang, and the distance between it and the two was within reach.

Zi Xiang and Lu Yuling, seeing Zhuge Xiang standing at the bottom of the steps, their eyes filled with hope as the distance grew closer. However, just as they were about to run down the last few steps of the 999 steps, suddenly, in the dim light of the Ice Maiden's Tomb, they felt the sky above them darken. Looking up, they saw the huge mechanical puppet, flying down from above, already above their heads.

Seeing the mechanical puppet flying down above them, both Lu Yuling and Zi Xiang's faces were very grim, especially Zi Xiang, whose eyes were filled with despair. They were so close to escaping, but did they still fail?

Seeing the mechanical puppet flying down, Zi Xiang's eyes were filled with despair. However, at this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared, standing between her and the mechanical puppet, emitting a blood-red aura. It was none other than Zhuge Xiang...

Lu Yuling's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, clearly not expecting Zhuge Xiang to rush out. Although they had some friendship and could be considered friends, Lu Yuling never thought that Zhuge Xiang would sacrifice himself to save her. However, Zhuge Xiang did just that. Although the mechanical puppet was an unfinished product, its power was far beyond what Zhuge Xiang could resist.

Zi Xiang also stared in shock, unable to understand why Zhuge Xiang would rush out without hesitation. The mechanical puppet's aerial attack was so powerful that even a disciple at the Body Tempering stage or the Meridian Unblocking stage might not be able to block it, let alone a disciple at the Qi Nourishment stage.

Zhuge Xiang's hand moved at his waist, and a short knife appeared in his hand. He raised it high and blocked the mechanical puppet's massive steel claw. To the surprise of Lu Yuling and Zi Xiang, the mechanical puppet's aerial attack was completely blocked by Zhuge Xiang's short knife.

"Indeed..." The blocking blade successfully blocked the mechanical puppet's attack, and Zhuge Xiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his cold sweat soaking his clothes. Fortunately, his guess was correct.

The mechanical puppet was very strong, as evidenced by the beam it emitted. If it were complete, it would have at least the combat power of the Soul Transformation stage. However, this mechanical puppet was an unfinished product. Although its attack was comparable to the Soul Transformation stage, its essence was still an unfinished product, and its physical attacks could not be too strong.

The blocking blade could only block attacks below the Soul Transformation stage. Zhuge Xiang didn't believe that the mechanical puppet's aerial attack, with its unfinished body, could reach the level of a Soul Transformation stage attack.

Zhuge Xiang's guess was correct. The attack design was complete, but many other designs were not. Otherwise, the mechanical puppet's speed would have caught up with Zhuge Xiang and the others long ago. Therefore, Zhuge Xiang's blocking blade blocked the mechanical puppet's attack.

With wide eyes, both Lu Yuling and Zi Xiang were deeply shocked that Zhuge Xiang could block the mechanical puppet's attack. They could see that the mechanical puppet's aerial attack could not reach the Soul Transformation stage, but it was far beyond what a disciple at the Qi Nourishment stage could block. Yet, Zhuge Xiang managed to do it.

Taking advantage of Zhuge Xiang blocking the mechanical puppet's attack, Lu Yuling and Zi Xiang ran down the last few steps and were safe.

While in mid-air, Zhuge Xiang twisted his waist, his feet landing on the mechanical puppet's body. With a loud explosion, he activated the explosive step, his figure flashing like a cannonball, landing steadily outside the 999 steps.

On the ground, the mechanical puppet's claws scratched the steps. The spirit stone steps, which could not be damaged by the magical tools used by Li Ling and the others, were now marked with several deep and long scratches. The mechanical puppet's eyes glowed, staring intently at Zhuge Xiang and the others, but it did not dare to leave the steps. It let out a long howl, though no sound was heard, a strong light radiated out.

"Ugh... Ugh..." The silent roar made the animals on the ground of the Ice Maiden's Tomb howl. The silent Ice Maiden's Tomb seemed to suddenly come to life. Whether it was fierce tigers and bears or rabbits and wild dogs, they all howled to the sky, their eyes glowing with a blood-red light.

"Let's go. The puppets in the Ice Maiden's Tomb have all been activated," Lu Yuling said solemnly, seeing this scene.

"Puppets?" Looking at the animals within a ten-mile radius of the Ice Maiden's Tomb, Zhuge Xiang finally understood.

No wonder he felt something was off about these animals earlier. The ground of the Ice Maiden's Tomb was frozen, with no grass, yet the herbivores could survive. It turned out that these animals were all mechanical puppets.

"Let's go..." After a brush with death, they all felt a sense of relief. Seeing the mechanical puppets in the Ice Maiden's Tomb start to go berserk, Zhuge Xiang and the others did not dare to stay and left the Ice Maiden's Tomb. Although they needed moonlight to enter, they could leave at any time.

The huge gate in the canyon opened without warning, and Zhuge Xiang and the others jumped out. The gate then slowly closed. Looking back, they could faintly see countless blood-red lights rapidly approaching from the other side of the gate, which were the eyes of the mechanical puppets. Finally, with a thud, the gate closed and disappeared. Zhuge Xiang and the others finally relaxed, sitting on the ground, exhausted.

"Alright, take them out. Keeping them all to yourself is not a good thing," Zhuge Xiang said, extending his hand to Zi Xiang after a moment of rest.

Pouting, Zi Xiang, though reluctant, knew she couldn't keep them all to herself. She took out two fist-sized, glowing spirit stones and said regretfully, "It's a pity I didn't notice the mechanical puppet's abnormality earlier. Otherwise, I would have picked up more spirit stones. After risking my life and planning for so long, I only got these two spirit stones, and I didn't even have time to collect the magical tools from Li Ling and the others."

Looking at the glowing spirit stones on the ground, Lu Yuling said, "I picked up an unfinished mechanical puppet inside. I don't want these spirit stones. These are both medium-grade spirit stones, worth more than ten times a first-grade spirit stone."

Zhuge Xiang and Zi Xiang had agreed to split the spoils equally, including the items from Li Ling and the others. With exactly two spirit stones, Zhuge Xiang took one without hesitation. A fist-sized ordinary spirit stone was worth a thousand spirit stone coins, and a medium-grade spirit stone was worth ten thousand spirit stone coins. Although it was not much compared to the treasures in the Ice Maiden's Tomb, it was a significant gain for Zhuge Xiang and the others.

After exploring the Ice Maiden's Tomb, Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling expressed their intention to return to the sect. Zi Xiang also said she needed to return to the sect for supplies. However, when she said this, she glanced at Zhuge Xiang with a hint of resentment, clearly because her storage ring had been confiscated by Zhuge Xiang, forcing her to return for supplies.

Ignoring Zi Xiang's gaze, Zhuge Xiang had no intention of returning the items. The three rested in the canyon for a night and then hurried back to the sect headquarters.

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