Seven-Hundred-Year Rock Crystal Beast, Azure Wood Puppet Shows Its Might

Ning Chen led the Azure Wood Puppet through the hilly terrain west of Soul Hunting Forest for nearly two hours, and a fine layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

The sun was sinking westward, and dusk was fast approaching.

Just as he was preparing to rest for a moment, the Azure Wood Puppet ahead of him suddenly stopped. Its wooden mask tilted slightly toward a low valley in the southwest.

Ning Chen's heart tightened, and he immediately looked in the direction the Azure Wood Puppet was warning him about.

Piles of stones of all sizes lay at the entrance to the valley. The rock walls were covered in crisscrossing claw marks, while many gnawed chunks of ore were scattered across the ground.

Deep within the valley's shadows, he could vaguely make out a dark gray outline.

Ning Chen cautiously approached a few steps, hid behind a waist-high boulder, and peeked out.

The outline's full form finally came into view.

It was a soul beast the size of an adult rhinoceros, with sturdy limbs.

Its entire body was covered in dark gray, rock-like hide. Three rows of irregular diamond crystals protruded from its back, reflecting a deep amber gleam in the fading sunlight.

Its breathing was long and heavy. With every exhale, two streams of hot air mixed with fine stone chips billowed from its nostrils.

It was a Rock Crystal Beast, and its cultivation far exceeded two hundred years. It was at least a high-tier hundred-year soul beast with seven hundred years of cultivation.

The Rock Crystal Beast was lying in the valley with its eyes closed, apparently resting.

Ning Chen was immediately torn between delight and concern.

He was delighted because the Rock Crystal Beast was asleep, making this a perfect opportunity for a sneak attack.

But he was concerned because its cultivation was far higher than he had anticipated.

After hesitating for a while, he saw the Rock Crystal Beast's claws twitch as though it were about to wake up.

Ning Chen gritted his teeth, and a flash of resolve passed through his eyes.

So what if it had seven hundred years of cultivation?

He possessed the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill. All eight extraordinary meridians were open, and his inner power replenished itself without end.

In a martial arts world, he would be the Martial Dao Saint Physique every martial artist dreamed of!

Over the past two months, the Nine Yang Divine Skill had tempered his muscles, bones, and flesh day and night. Coupled with the whale gelatin he had purchased to strengthen his body—

This eight-year-old body of his had long surpassed his peers in toughness!

"Let's do it!" Ning Chen muttered, all hesitation gone from his eyes.

He took three Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs from his spatial barrier and handed them to the Azure Wood Puppet. Then, Ning Chen issued it an order in his mind.

He controlled the Azure Wood Puppet as it cautiously approached the Rock Crystal Beast.

The Azure Wood Puppet was an immortal-path puppet. Now that it was in the forest, it resonated with the wood aura and naturally possessed a certain ability to conceal its presence.

Only when it came within roughly fifty meters of the Rock Crystal Beast did the sleeping beast seem to sense something.

Its enormous body shifted slightly against the ground, and one front claw unconsciously scraped at the earth.

Ning Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly stopped the Azure Wood Puppet.

Fortunately, the Rock Crystal Beast did not wake up, but Ning Chen did not dare to make the Azure Wood Puppet move any closer.

However, fifty meters was already enough!

Before deciding to launch the sneak attack, Ning Chen had removed the hooded cloak from the Azure Wood Puppet. At that moment, its puppet body, glowing with a faint azure light, was fully exposed in the valley.

The Azure Wood Puppet raised both hands, and eight Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs appeared in its palms.

After glancing toward the Rock Crystal Beast, the Azure Wood Puppet hurled all eight Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs.

Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs looked like ordinary iron pellets no larger than a thumb, yet they contained highly potent explosives and poisonous iron sand.

One was ordinarily enough to take the life of a top martial arts expert, but Ning Chen had used a full eight to deal with the Rock Crystal Beast!

The instant the Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs left its hands, before they even struck the ground, the Azure Wood Puppet rapidly retreated, putting as much distance as possible between itself and the coming blast zone.

The eight Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs traced eight arcs through the air and landed precisely around the Rock Crystal Beast in the valley.

The next instant, BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted through the valley. Flames surged into the sky, and thick smoke billowed outward.

The shockwave from the blast swept in every direction, carrying broken stones and dust with it. Rocks rained down from the valley walls, the ground shook violently, as though an earth dragon had turned over.

The ore veins at the center of the explosion were blown directly to pieces. Rubble flew everywhere, and dust filled the sky.

The sleeping Rock Crystal Beast had no time to mount any defense before it was struck head-on by the concentrated bombardment of eight Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs!

"Roar!"

A shrill, miserable howl rang out from the smoke, filled with pain and fury.

The Rock Crystal Beast's massive body was blasted half over by the explosion, and several of the diamond crystals it had been so proud of were shattered from its back.

Its dark gray rock hide was covered in dense cracks. Dark red blood gushed from the fissures, staining the ground beneath it.

Its left hind leg had been blasted into torn flesh, nearly exposing bone. There was also a horrifying wound on its abdomen, clearly the work of the iron sand and shattered rocks from the explosion.

This wave of sneak attacks had been remarkably effective!

But the Rock Crystal Beast was, after all, a high-tier hundred-year soul beast with seven hundred years of cultivation, and its vitality was exceptionally tenacious.

Despite its severe injuries, it still struggled through the agony to stand. Rage burned in its orange-yellow vertical pupils as it searched all around for the enemy daring enough to ambush it.

At that very moment, an azure-green figure had already pierced through the lingering smoke and charged straight at it like an arrow loosed from a bow!

The Azure Wood Puppet had arrived!

Before the smoke had fully dispersed, the Azure Wood Puppet had already rushed before the Rock Crystal Beast.

It made no flashy movements. It merely swung its fists, forged from Jade-Green Spiritwood, and smashed them fiercely toward the Rock Crystal Beast's head!

With a dull, thunderous crash, the Rock Crystal Beast's enormous body lurched to one side, and it let out a pained roar.

It struggled to counterattack, opening its mouth full of jagged teeth to bite the Azure Wood Puppet. Yet the puppet did not dodge at all, allowing those sharp teeth—capable of crushing stone—to clamp down on its shoulder.

With a piercing grind, only several shallow white marks were left on the Azure Wood Puppet's shoulder. The bite had failed to inflict any real damage.

The Azure Wood Puppet's counterattack followed immediately.

It swung its other fist in a wide arc and smashed it down onto the Rock Crystal Beast's body like an iron hammer.

The Rock Crystal Beast was slammed heavily into the ground, leaving a shallow crater in the earth.

Its limbs twitched a few times as it struggled to rise, but the Azure Wood Puppet gave it no chance. Punch after punch fell upon it like pile drivers, each blow carrying immense force.

Every punch left a deep dent in the Rock Crystal Beast's cracked stone armor. Blood sprayed from its wounds, staining the Azure Wood Puppet's fists red.