Chapter 20

As soon as he entered the cave, Tanggu felt as if he were in an ice cellar, his limbs slightly stiffening.

Lifting his eyes to look around, he saw that the walls were all a white expanse, covered in ice and snow, forming a vast underground cavern.

At the top of the cavern, icicles as thick as arms hung down, sharp like swords.

Tanggu circulated the little internal energy he had throughout his body, gradually feeling better. He did not dare to be careless, his eyes alert as he tried to take a step.

“Crunch, crunch...”

The sound of his footsteps on the snow was crisp and piercing, like the sound of young silkworms eating mulberry leaves. Hearing this, Tanggu couldn't help but frown slightly.

This sound was practically telling the snowmen inside the cave his exact location. Unless he stood still, he wouldn't make any noise.

However, Tanggu had no good solution for this. He only had half an hour, and if he failed to pass, it would be considered a failure. Therefore, standing still was absolutely impossible.

Moreover, if he stood still for a long time in such a cold environment without moving, his blood would freeze, and his limbs would stiffen, making him even less of a match for the elusive snowmen.

While he still had the strength to fight, he should move forward—

Thinking this, Tanggu did not dare to be careless and cautiously moved forward...

Along the way, he saw no signs of anything unusual. It seemed to be an ordinary underground cavern, with a winding, narrow path extending forward.

A terrifying silence enveloped the place. Apart from the sound of Tanggu's footsteps, there was no other sound. His ears and eyes were filled with a terrifying monotony, and Tanggu could even hear the pounding of his own heart.

Even if he tried to walk more quietly, the sound of his feet on the ground could not be stopped.

“Something's not right. Why can't I see any snowmen in this snow cave? Didn't they say there are nearly fifty snowmen here, with almost half of them being mechanical puppets armed with weapons?”

He looked at the path ahead, knowing that if he could follow this path to the end, it would mean success.

At that time, whether he chose to leave the cave or proceed to the next level, it would not negate his status as an outer court disciple. However, this eerie silence made him even more uneasy.

He had entered with the confidence of a second-stage Qi Dao expert, thinking the first level of the snowman cave would be easy to pass. Now, he realized he had been overly arrogant and presumptuous.

This place, with its great reputation, was clearly not easy to pass; otherwise, it wouldn't make the outer court disciples fear it like a ghost.

But now, Tanggu had no other choice but to move forward. Thinking this, he steeled his resolve... No matter how strange this place is, I will just keep moving forward. I don't believe they can stay hidden forever. If they do, I'll just walk to the end...

With this thought, Tanggu not only stopped hiding his footsteps but deliberately made them louder. As he walked, he moved with the grace of a dragon and the power of a tiger, swaying slightly.

However, if one looked closely, they would see that each step he took was exactly the same distance, and the force was evenly and tightly applied.

His hands, hidden under his sleeves, were already slightly raised, his body tense. A faint purple sword light, like swirling mist, continuously flashed between his fingers.

After taking another four or five steps forward, suddenly, a large snow pile appeared ahead. On top of the snow pile, a rare green pine tree grew, its bright green color so vivid that it made Tanggu's eyes widen, and he paused for a moment.

But at that moment, a slight mechanical sound, “click,” came from behind him, and a section of the ground silently split open.

A snowman-like mechanical puppet, with a dark blue hue visible beneath its thick snow covering, silently appeared. Its left hand rose, and a wooden longsword in its hand drew a green arc, suddenly and silently stabbing toward Tanggu's left shoulder.

“Snowman puppet!”

Seeing this, Tanggu was not alarmed but rather delighted. In fact, from the moment the green pine tree appeared, he had felt something was wrong. The path had been flat all along, and there had never been a snow pile or a green tree. So his ears were already on high alert. Indeed, the slight “click” sound, though faint, did not escape his ears.

His body suddenly spun, and his sleeve fluttered. A dragon-shaped purple light shot out from his left hand, “thud,” blocking the green wooden sword. Then, he leaped forward, delivering three consecutive punches to the armpits of the dark blue puppet.

The armpits and the back of the head of each iron puppet were its joint areas. If hit, it could lose its combat ability, allowing Tanggu to win this battle.

But at that moment, Tanggu's heart suddenly chilled. Behind him, the snow pile that had been silent suddenly shattered, and two more dark blue snowman puppets appeared, each holding a green wooden longsword, one aiming at his back and the other at his feet.

This snow pile was not just to distract and divert attention; it was also a hiding place for snowman puppets. Tanggu was taken aback.

The designer of this snowman cave was truly a genius. If you avoid the front sword, you can't avoid the two behind; if you avoid the two above, you can't avoid the one below. In an instant, you are surrounded by three iron puppets.

Although the wooden swords were wrapped in thick cotton and wouldn't immediately kill, the iron puppets were powerful. The wooden swords, made from the hardest ironwood, would cause excruciating pain if they hit a joint.

Most importantly, if you were hit by one sword, it would affect your speed and agility. A few more hits, and you would lose your combat ability. If you were then surrounded by other snowmen, you would surely fail the challenge.

Seeing this, Tanggu's heart hardened. He instantly abandoned the favorable situation and retracted his three punches. Then, he flipped and rolled on the ground, rolling dozens of feet away, avoiding the three sword attacks.

He straightened his back and stood up again, only to see that the three iron puppets had silently lined up in front of him, their wooden swords pointing at his vital points.

“Hmph!”

A cold snort. Apart from the initial surprise and slight awkwardness, Tanggu was not without the strength to fight these three iron puppets. He advanced instead of retreating, his steps like flowing clouds, revealing a hint of a world-class gait in the crisis.

At the same time, his eyes flashed, and his hands moved rapidly, sending out dozens of snake-like purple sword lights from his fingers, like light and mist, striking the left knee of the iron puppet on the left.

“Crack!”

Even the hard iron puppet, after being hit by dozens of these sword lights, could not help but stagger and fall heavily to the ground. At this moment, Tanggu's body had already strangely floated in front of it. Then, he lightly flicked his left palm, gently patting down.

“Crack!”

The iron puppet had not even had time to stand up when the green fire in its eyes quickly dimmed, and it could no longer get up. Smoke billowed from its body, and it had completely lost its combat ability.

Seeing this, Tanggu turned and faced the other two iron puppets. At this moment, he showed no fear, his eyes flashing with intense confidence in his own strength!

PS: First update of the week, new week, climbing the charts, seeking collections, and recommendation votes!

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