Fourth-Order Puppet

Suddenly, the Spiritual Qi surrounding Cloud Ridge Mountain surged violently.

A hemispherical cyan barrier rose from the ground, like an emerald dome, covering an area of dozens of miles in radius.

Jing Wuming looked at the suddenly rising array barrier, a bad premonition welled up in his heart.

While he meticulously planned to take control of the Xing Family, the Xing Family was clearly also secretly laying a trap for him.

"Die!"

Jing Wuming temporarily set aside his concerns about the formation and resolved to kill Xing Xinyu first.

The giant ape phantom let out a deafening roar, and its Xiao Shan -like body strode forward.

He clenched his right fist and swung it out violently, aiming it at Xing Xinyu.

Wherever the fist passed, the air was violently compressed, forming sharp gusts of air and howling winds.

A thick vine suddenly emerged from the depths of Cloud Ridge Mountain. Like a giant python awakened from its trance, it snaked and stretched towards Xing Xinyu at an astonishing speed.

The vines had a faint green sheen on their surface, giving them a vibrant yet resilient appearance. They grew rapidly, quickly forming a thick wall of vines in front of Xing Xinyu.

The vine-covered wall is lush and green, exuding a strong sense of life and giving people a feeling of indestructibility.

At that moment, the giant ape phantom's earth-shattering punch had already landed.

His fist slammed heavily against the vine wall, creating a deafening roar, as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had split open.

A terrifying gale swept in all directions, destroying everything in its path, shredding countless rocks and snapping countless trees.

The vine wall collapsed with a crash, turning into countless tiny wood chips that scattered in all directions.

The giant ape phantom was also forced to retreat repeatedly by the powerful recoil.

"Xing Wenyao! I didn't expect to see you here!"

Jing Wuming stared coldly at Xing Wenyao, who stood atop Cloud Ridge Mountain.

That vine was actually created by Xing Wenyao's natal Life-Bound Treasure, the green wooden ruler.

"Brother Jing, it's been several years. Your cultivation has not yet broken through to the peak of the Nascent Soul. It seems you haven't taken the Demon Soul Spirit-Breaking Pill yet."

"You went to great lengths to lure me here, just for the Demon Soul Spirit-Breaking Pill?" Jing Wuming.

"That's not true. A cultivator can only consume one Demon Soul Spirit-Breaking Pill in their lifetime. I've already consumed one, so naturally I won't be your enemy because of it. But unfortunately, Brother Jing is pressing me relentlessly, intending to annex my Xing Family. I have no choice but to resist," Xing Wenyao said.

"When did you find out that I was plotting against the Xing Family?" Jing Wuming asked.

"From the moment you let that bitch Jing Feiyao seduce me, back then, I was merely going with the flow, using the Jing Family's power to get rid of Xing Gaohan."

"I suspected from the beginning that the 'Anti-Xing Society' was being manipulated by your Jing Family. I am also well aware that Jing Feiyao has been secretly providing you with intelligence."

"The whereabouts of those treasures in the Xing Family Treasury were also revealed to Jing Feiyao by Xing Mo, all to lure you here."

Xing Wenyao's words revealed a sense of absolute confidence.

Jing Wuming expressionless, showing no sign of panic.

What secrets are hidden in the Cloud Ridge Mountain?

"Brother Jing, if you want to know, then I will grant your wish."

As soon as Xing Wenyao finished speaking, Cloud Ridge Mountain suddenly began to shake violently.

Countless rocks tumbled down like a torrential rain, raising clouds of dust.

Deep, bottomless cracks rapidly spread across the mountain's surface, covering the entire mountain like a spider web.

It was as if some enormous creature was struggling deep within the mountain, trying to break free of its constraints and burst forth from the mountain.

The mountain collapsed, boulders rolled down, and the earth shook violently.

A humanoid puppet, hundreds of feet tall, crawled out from a crack in the mountain.

The puppet's body was as tall as a mountain, radiating a cold metallic luster, and covered with complex inscriptions, as if it contained a world-destroying power.

"A fourth-order puppet!"

Jing Wuming's eyes sharpened, and his expression turned serious.

He looked around, seemingly trying to find a weak point in the array barrier so he could escape.

"Jing Wuming, stop daydreaming. You cannot escape. This formation is called the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, the strongest Confinement Formation of my Xing Family. You have absolutely no chance of breaking through it in a short time."

Jing Wuming stared at Xing Wenyao, his killing intent palpable.

"Then I'll kill you first, and this formation will break."

"Kill me? Hahaha... You overestimate yourself."

Xing Wenyao laughed loudly, pointed at the giant puppet, and continued speaking.

"The method for creating this puppet originated from the Nethergod Mountain Secret Realm. It was one of the strongest reliances of the Underworld Nether God Temple in suppressing the entire Cultivation World of the Sea of Disorder. It took me ten years and most of the Xing Family's Treasury to successfully create it. How could you, Jing Wuming, possibly contend with it alone?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the puppet took heavy steps and lunged at Jing Wuming.

With each step it takes, it can traverse distances of several miles. Each step causes the earth to shake and the mountains to tremble.

"Roar!"

The giant ape phantom roared, and its enormous hand swung out with a sharp gust of wind, aiming straight for the oncoming puppet.

The two enormous creatures clashed head-on.

Their combined power was as vast as mountains and as deep as the sea; each strike seemed capable of shaking heaven and earth.

The puppet was powerful, but the giant ape phantom was more agile.

The two exchanged blows, fighting back and forth, and for a time they were deadlocked.

Xing Wenyao watched coldly from the sidelines, not joining the fight.

The puppet is driven by the Spirit Stone within its body; while the giant ape phantom is Cultivation Method cultivated by Jing Wuming, and the condensed phenomenon consumes Jing Wuming's magical Law Power.

A prolonged battle would only be detrimental to Jing Wuming.

He turned to look at Xing Xinyu and said.

"You go and kill Jing Lie, then stay behind to cover for him. After you kill Jing Wuming, his Demon Soul Spirit-Breaking Pill will be yours."

Xing Xinyu's expression brightened. "Good!"

As the two sides went to war, Song Wen quietly left and headed towards Fangzhu City.

He realized that this was the best time to plan the Holy Spirit Pill.

Song Wen traveled swiftly and arrived outside Fangzhu City in less than a quarter of an hour.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, Shan Yue was still hidden in the wilderness.

Song Wen found her in a dense forest at the foot of a mountain.

"Contact Xing Shan now and lure her out."

Shan Yue glanced at the hazy sky and asked hesitantly.

"Now? Will she agree?"

Song Wen said, "She will definitely agree. Someone in the Xing Family clearly wants to use Xing Shan to get clues about the 'Anti-Xing Society' from you. Whether Xing Shan likes it or not, someone will force her to agree."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Shan Yue took out Xing Shan's Message Jade Slip.

She was about to send a message when she suddenly remembered something and asked Song Wen Wendao.

"Should we still meet in the Underground Cavern?"

Song Wen shook his head. "Of course not! That Underground Cavern must have been taken over by the Xing Family. We have to find another place."

Looking around, Song Wen pointed to a bare, rocky mountain and said...

"Let's set the location at the summit of that rocky mountain."