The battle did not last long.
Jiao Hong, Luo Xiao, and Lin Manzi had already fought a brutal battle. They had little True Essence or power from the Origin Laws left. Even with the Blood Cloud Saber Demon gone, they were no match for Xi Kui and his hundreds of puppets.
Boom!
As the battle wore on, all three grew exhausted. Luo Xiao had just repelled the attacks of three puppets when he suddenly sensed something wrong. He turned, only to find a tiger-shaped puppet at his back.
"Oh no."
The tiger-shaped puppet raised its claws and slammed one into Luo Xiao's back. His expression had barely changed before he let out a muffled groan and spat blood. The blow sent him crashing into the ground.
A Half-Step Creation Puppet!
An ordinary puppet at the Ninth Layer of Venerable Martial Realm might have formidable defenses, but its attacks alone would struggle to truly injure Luo Xiao.
This tiger-shaped puppet was one of the dozen or so whose combat strength rivaled Half-Step Creation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Luo Xiao had barely hit the ground when dozens of puppets swooped down together, hauled him out of the crater, and pinned him fast!
Those puppets were not especially strong, but their defenses were astonishing. Already gravely wounded, Luo Xiao could not break free of their grip.
And that was only because the Blood Cloud Saber Demon had ordered them not to kill their captives. Otherwise, Luo Xiao would already have been a corpse.
"Junior Brother Luo!"
"Senior Brother Luo!"
Jiao Hong and Lin Manzi cried out in shock, grief crossing their faces. In that brief moment of distraction, Xi Kui reached Lin Manzi's side.
"Watch out, Junior Sister Lin!" Stronger than the others, Jiao Hong clearly sensed Xi Kui's approach. Alarm shot through him.