CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 97: TALISMAN PUPPETS ARRAY_1

The tomb passage was different from the ruins of the Barbarian Bull Venerable.

It was exceptionally wide; even a thousand people walking abreast would not find it crowded.

Around the passage, a stone statue stood every ten meters.

These statues, holding either long spears or halberds, all looked utterly menacing.

"Brother Lu, how should we proceed? Please lead the way."

Despite having stepped into the passage, none of the disciples from the Three Great Immortal Sects dared to charge rashly inward.

They were unsure if any dangers lurked within.

Therefore, they all fixed their gazes on Lu Ming, who walked alongside Shen Mo.

The news about the Spirit Talisman Master’s tomb had come from him.

Naturally, everyone believed he possessed at least some understanding of the tomb’s interior.

Sure enough, feeling the crowd’s focused attention, Lu Ming said seriously, "This tomb was left by a cultivator skilled in the Talisman Path who passed away hundreds of years ago."

"This Senior was known as the Spirit Talisman Master, and before he passed away, his cultivation had reached the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm."

"Moreover, he was also a Grade III Talisman Master. My Master reckoned that while the treasures he left behind are few, each one is exceptionally precious."

Lu Ming continued, sharing the information he had: "This Senior, before he passed away, chose to leave his tomb and its valuable treasures in the Mountain River Realm for later generations to explore. However, he also set up two trials."

"Only those who pass these two trials will be qualified to claim the treasures."

As he spoke, Lu Ming’s gaze swept over the statues lining both sides of the passage. "This first trial is... the Talisman Puppets Array!"

"Talisman Puppets Array?"

Xiao Ling’er raised her eyebrows slightly and also looked at these statues, asking in surprise, "Brother Lu, are you talking about... these statues?"

"Precisely."

Lu Ming casually produced a Spirit Stone from his robes and flung it down the passage.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

As the Spirit Stone flew down the passage, the once rigid and lifeless statues suddenly opened their eyes, one after another.

The dust coating their surfaces peeled off.

They suddenly came alive!

BANG!

The Spirit Stone shot forward, but before it could reach the midpoint of the passage, a spear flew out and shattered it.

"These fellows aren’t ordinary statues; they’re Talisman Puppets!"

Li Chen of the Ghost Corpse School, being the most familiar with such methods, recognized their true nature at a glance.

A Talisman Puppet, as the name suggests, is a puppet crafted by cultivators using special means.

There are numerous types of Talisman Puppets in the cultivation world, varying in grade and rank.

Low-grade Talisman Puppets possess little combat strength and only rudimentary gnosis, making them inexpensive.

Sects or individual cultivators often use them for menial tasks like tending to Spirit Fields or stoking furnaces.

However, high-grade Talisman Puppets can possess formidable destructive power, capable of slaying enemies and guarding cave mansions.

Clearly, the nearly one hundred statues lining the entrance passage were not mere decorations; they were high-grade Talisman Puppets with significant combat capabilities, tasked with guarding the cave mansion.

They are somewhat similar to the Ghouls refined by the Ghost Corpse School, but the key difference is that Ghouls are typically created using the remains of cultivators.

Talisman Puppets, however, do not involve the physical bodies of actual cultivators.

Consequently, the growth potential of Talisman Puppets is far inferior to that of Ghouls.

"The force of that spear strike just now was equivalent to a full-powered blow from a cultivator at Layer I of the Qi Gathering Realm," Li Chen stated calmly. "This passage is one thousand meters long. Judging by their attack speed, even with swift movement techniques, one would need to endure at least twenty attacks to reach the other end."

"An ordinary early-stage Qi Gathering Realm cultivator wouldn’t be able to withstand that."

A regular Layer I Qi Gathering Realm cultivator could withstand, at most, three attacks from a cultivator of the same level without dying.

If one had practiced a special external cultivation method that significantly enhanced their physical strength, their defensive power might be greater.

However, regardless, it would be difficult to withstand twenty consecutive heavy blows from cultivators of the same level.

Unless one’s actual combat power far surpassed that of Layer I of the Qi Gathering Realm.

And yet, among the disciples of the Three Great Immortal Sects, those possessing combat power exceeding their cultivation realm were exceedingly rare.

This meant that the very first trial alone would eliminate more than half of the participants.

"Let me give it a try."

Just as everyone present hesitated, someone stepped forward.

The first to attempt the trial was Yang Qingshan.

He was confident, having cultivated his Bronze Tendon and Iron Bone technique to its peak, and his physical resilience far surpassed others at his level.

Thus, he was undaunted by the Talisman Puppets Array.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

With a stamp of his foot, Yang Qingshan’s figure shot across the passage.

The moment his foot landed on the white jade slabs, countless Talisman Puppets sprang into action.

BOOM!

A Talisman Puppet wielding a long spear charged fiercely towards him.

The spear tore through the air, attacking with terrifying force.

"Humph!"

Yang Qingshan took the blow head-on. His body swayed slightly, but he wasn’t gravely injured.

He dared not linger and pressed onward.

Subsequently, more Talisman Puppets attacked him one after another.

By the time Yang Qingshan reached the end of the passage, he had endured a total of twenty-four attacks.

As his foot landed on the stone steps at the end of the passage, the tension Yang Qingshan had been holding in eased slightly, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

He had just withstood numerous heavy blows; even with his iron-like physique, he had suffered considerable internal injuries.

But... at least he had passed!

Although he had succeeded, the spectating disciples still felt their scalps tingle.

"That fellow cultivated such a formidable external cultivation method and was still severely injured! We, who focus on cultivating Qi and nurturing our spirits, have weaker physiques. We probably couldn’t even withstand ten blows."

"But... are you willing to just leave like that?"

"Exactly! There must be valuable treasures in this tomb, and the Prohibitions have already been disabled. If we don’t try to pass the trial now, we might never encounter such an opportunity again in our lives!"

Soon, several more disciples decided to attempt the trial.

They all entrusted the spiritual medicine and treasures they had gathered in the Mountain River Realm to their teammates, each clutching a Realm Breaking Talisman.

If they found themselves unable to endure, they would crush the Realm Breaking Talisman to return, thus preserving their lives and the fruits of their recent labors.

However, courage alone could not compensate for a lack of ability.

The few who decided to attempt the trial all failed.

The one who got furthest was merely four steps from the end of the passage.

But he had already been battered by the Talisman Puppets until he was a bloody mess and could no longer hold on.

"Shen Mo, can you make it?" As Cao Ren watched disciple after disciple attempt the trial, he quietly asked Shen Mo.

"This trial isn’t difficult," Shen Mo stated calmly.

His Bloody Dragon-shaped Body technique was not cultivated for nothing.

Even before achieving his Dragon Body, he could have passed this trial easily. Now that he had condensed his Dragon Body, it would be even less of a concern.

"I don’t think I can make it. Perhaps... I shouldn’t go in."

After an internal struggle, Cao Ren ultimately decided not to proceed.

"Mm, staying here isn’t a bad choice for you. After all, even if you were to luckily pass this trial, there are other challenges within. The treasures in this tomb won’t be easy to obtain."

Shen Mo considered Cao Ren’s decision to retreat a sensible one.

There were quite a few like Cao Ren who chose to give up.

But still, more people decided to try no matter what.