From where Nalan Yanran and the others stood, they had not noticed the interval during which Xiao Qian disappeared. All they saw was Xiao Qian pressing his hand against the Fairy Spirit Puppet.
The instant the Demon Bull launched its second ferocious assault, the Fairy Spirit Puppet's slender hands began forming seals at incredible speed, leaving only trails of afterimages.
In a flash, a terrifying Azure Lotus blazed into view. Its radiance was as dazzling as the scorching sun, and its overwhelming might surged toward the Demon Bull like a raging tsunami, toppling mountains and overturning seas.
In a single instant, that power completely engulfed the Demon Bull's huge, savage body. It then crashed heavily to the ground, its life extinguished.
Everything happened as swiftly as a lightning flash striking flint, leaving Nalan Yanran and the others dumbstruck.
"What rank was that Dou Technique? Mystic Rank? Earth Rank?"
Nalan Su's eyes widened in disbelief. His expression went numb, and the words slipped unconsciously from his lips.
He was utterly bewildered, unsure what attitude he should take toward Xiao Qian now.
He knew perfectly well that the attack unleashed by Xiao Qian's puppet had been terrifyingly powerful.
Even he would not dare thump his chest and guarantee that he could survive such an attack unscathed.
This sudden turn of events completely overturned his understanding of Xiao Qian. The seemingly ordinary youth appeared to harbor endless secrets.
Little did they know that a measure of surprise had also quietly stirred in Ling Qingzhu's heart.
The energy contained in this Crystal Core is at least at the Nirvana Realm!
Without energy of such a high level, she could never have summoned a Martial Arts Spirit so easily.
She slowly adjusted to this puppet body, her eyes filled with wonder as she quietly examined everything around her.
The architecture here had a style all its own, and the people's clothing was vastly different. Everywhere she looked, she saw signs that this place was unlike the world she knew.
"Even..." Ling Qingzhu tried circulating the Nine Heavens Immortal Art, but the result startled her. She could not sense the slightest trace of Origin Energy.
"This is another world," she quickly concluded.
To everyone watching, the puppet that should have possessed neither feelings nor thoughts was now showing a contemplative expression.
She raised her long, slender fingers and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. A light of novelty gleamed in her beautiful, starlike eyes as she looked curiously around, her manner and movements indistinguishable from those of a living human.
"Wait!"
Ling Qingzhu's beautiful eyes suddenly widened.
Just now, when the Nine Heavens Immortal Art failed to respond, she had instinctively tried another cultivation method-the Supreme Sensing Art.
To her surprise, she had actually sensed the Supreme!
"No, the Supreme here is different from the Supreme in our world. It feels as though an invisible barrier separates me from this world's Supreme, preventing me from drawing supreme power from it."
Ling Qingzhu's gaze shifted slightly, and she sank into deep thought.
Xiao Qian waited beside her for a moment. Seeing that she merely looked around with curiosity and made no other unusual moves, he finally relaxed a little.
"Then, according to our earlier agreement, the remains of this fourth-order magical beast belong to me."
As Xiao Qian spoke, he walked forward.
When he passed the Fairy Spirit Puppet, he lowered his voice and whispered, "I understand that you're curious about this world, but your body is a puppet now. I hope you can restrain your behavior a little, or there may be unpredictable consequences."
Ling Qingzhu arched her delicate brows and was about to argue, but suddenly remembered that she was now a puppet. She could only forcibly swallow the words on the tip of her tongue.
After all, judging by that ferocious magical beast, martial practitioners clearly existed in this world as well. She could not afford to let her guard down.
"I need to remove the magic core to strengthen the Fairy Spirit Puppet's body. Forgive the intrusion." Seeing that she had indeed become much more restrained, Xiao Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He then extended a finger and lightly touched the spot between Ling Qingzhu's brows.
Ling Qingzhu instinctively clenched her slender hands. Only by forcing herself to endure it did she suppress the urge to resist.
It isn't my body. It isn't my body... she repeated silently to herself.
Buzz! With a faint sound, the magic core was easily extracted. In that instant, Ling Qingzhu felt as though all her strength had been drained away, leaving her utterly weak.
Losing the energy Crystal Core meant losing her ability to protect herself, and alarm bells rang in her heart.
However, Xiao Qian merely turned away with the magic core and walked toward the Demon Bull that had died so miserably.
Then he took a Butcher's Knife from his Storage Ring and expertly cut away the finest portions of beef from the Demon Bull's body.
Xiao Qian tossed the magic core into the air. As before, it immediately shed pitch-black light, enveloping the magical beast's remains below.
Amid the flickering light, the magic core began devouring the remains and converting them.
"Patriarch Nalan, I'm treating everyone to Demon Bull meat tonight. Could you find someone to help cook it?" Holding up the remaining several hundred jin of fourth-order magical beast meat, Xiao Qian called loudly to Nalan Su.
Only then did Nalan Su seem to emerge from his daze. He cast a long look at the Fairy Spirit Puppet, who still stood in the grounds, looking this way and that. Unable to make sense of his own feelings, he forced a smile and replied, "Young friend, since you're Yanran's friend, you're naturally a friend of our Nalan Family as well. Such a small matter is hardly worth mentioning."
As he spoke, he waved a hand. Elder Nalan Nan understood at once, stepped forward, picked up the pile of raw beef, and left.
Yet his gaze kept straying toward the Fairy Spirit Puppet, and he could not help wondering, How could a puppet use a Dou Technique? By all rights, a puppet should only act under its master's control. Could it be... that Xiao Qian has already mastered such a high-ranking Dou Technique at his young age?!
These were also the thoughts deep in Nalan Su's heart, and the key reason his attitude had changed.
"Xiao Qian, she... why does she look as though she's come alive?" Just then, Nalan Yanran leaped into the grounds like a light, graceful bird, landing steadily beside Xiao Qian.
Deep shock still lingered in her beautiful eyes. She stared intently at the Fairy Spirit Puppet, examining her again and again while firing off questions like a barrage: "And what rank was that Dou Technique just now? How can a puppet use a Dou Technique? Were you controlling her and performing it?"
Nalan Su feigned composure beside them, but his ears had long since pricked up, unwilling to miss the slightest scrap of information that might provide an answer.
Yet Xiao Qian simply waited quietly until the magic core had completely devoured the remains. Only after putting it away did he turn around with a broad smile and ask, "Can we have dinner now?"
Nalan Su and Nalan Yanran were speechless.
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