Calm Before the Struggle

Entering the vast main hall, which inspired awe in all who saw it, the Five Elements Sect members swept their gazes past the ten dazzling light orbs and the jade-white bones. Only then did they clearly notice that around the towering stone seat sat more than a dozen figures, motionless as sculptures.

These figures were entirely a deathly ash-gray, nearly blending into the color of the main hall floor. Without close inspection, they could easily be overlooked.

They remained cross-legged and utterly still. From afar, they looked like stone statues carved by the most masterful artisans, steeped in ancientness and the passage of time.

Their eyes were shut, their faces devoid of expression, and not the slightest Life Aura emanated from them. In that posture, they seemed to have existed here since ancient times, preserving who knew how many ages.

Yet what caused unease was that, despite appearing lifeless, every faction present—whether the overbearing Nether Python, the mysterious and sinister Soul Hall, or the other great sects—had tacitly stopped outside a hundred-meter radius of the stone seat. No one dared set foot in that area lightly.

It was as if an invisible boundary existed there, and crossing it would invite certain doom.

"Puppets?"

Seeing those stone-carved figures without the slightest trace of Life Aura, Qing Lin asked softly in surprise. Her emerald eyes were filled with curiosity and a hint of barely detectable vigilance.

The Pill Beast in her arms seemed to sense something as well. It slightly raised its head toward the stone figures, letting out an extremely soft whimper.

"Mm..."

Lin Ming slowly nodded, a grave look passing through his eyes as he said in a low voice:

"And they are probably rather high-level Puppets. The cold, purely battle-born energy fluctuation within their bodies feels similar to Frost