The two of them stepped onto the steps side by side.
The black stone steps under your feet have a smooth surface and are engraved with fine five-element textures. Every time you take a step, the textures glow with a faint aura.
The stairs are very long, about a hundred steps, leading to the main entrance of the palace suspended in the void. The surroundings are silent, except for the steady footsteps of the two people and the occasional stream of light passing through the depths of the void.
Qin Tiexin put his right hand on the handle of the knife, and his left hand dropped naturally, with the fingertips slightly bent - this is the posture in which he can draw the knife or throw the dagger at any time. Liu Qing walked half a step beside him, her hands were clasped in front of her body, her ten fingers were naturally interlaced, and five-colored auras were vaguely visible on her fingertips.
Neither of them spoke.
After walking up the hundred steps, you are in front of the palace's main entrance.
The door is about three feet high, and the entire body is made of crystal stones of five colors. The door leaves are closed, and a warm halo circulates on the surface. There is no handle on the door, and there is no keyhole.
Qin Tiexin looked at Liu Qing.
Liu Qing took a deep breath, stepped forward, stretched out his right hand and pressed it on the door. Five-colored spiritual light flowed in his palm, injecting five attributes of spiritual power: gold, green, blue, red, and yellow. The crystal stones on the door lit up one after another, and finally the entire door glowed with a soft white light.
"Squeak--"
The door slowly opened inwards.
Behind the door is an empty hall.
The ground is still made of smooth black material, reflecting the light hanging from the top of the hall. There is a three-foot-high circular stone platform in the center of the hall. Above the stone platform is suspended a five-color light ball the size of a human head. The light ball rotates slowly, emitting a halo that illuminates the entire space.
Under the light ball, stood a puppet.
It is about one foot tall, and its entire body is made of five colors of metal. The limbs, torso, and head correspond to the five colors of gold, green, blue, red, and yellow respectively. It seems to be made of five parts of different materials, but it is integrated. The puppet has no facial features, and its face is a smooth metal plate, but Qin Tiexin can feel that some kind of "sight" is locked on them.
The moment the two stepped into the hall, old voices sounded from all directions:
"Those who have cleared the five realms can work together to clear the level. Time limit: half an hour. Those who defeat the puppets guarding the palace can obtain the core inheritance."
The moment the voice fell, the five-color puppet moved.
It did not charge clumsily like the previous defender. Instead, it swayed and disappeared at an extremely fast speed. The next second it appeared on the left side of Liu Qing, and its golden right fist hit his temple with a sound of breaking through the air.
The speed is astonishingly fast.
Liu Qing's face changed slightly, and in his left hand Hand Seals, an earthy yellow stone shield instantly condensed at his side.
"Bang!"
The golden fist hit the stone shield, and the stone shield shattered. Liu Qing took advantage of the force and took three steps back. Red flames ignited in his right hand, and a fireball the size of a head was shot out.
The puppet did not dodge, but raised its left hand - that hand was made of aqua blue metal - and a cold current surged out of the palm, colliding with the fireball.
"Chi--"
Water and fire collided, and white mist evaporated. The fireball was mostly offset by the cold current, and the remaining flames hit the puppet's chest, leaving only a scorched black mark, which was repaired by the spiritual light on the metal surface in the blink of an eye.
Qin Tiexin has arrived at this time.
The Mountain Shaking Step erupted under his feet, and he rushed forward like an arrow. Edgeless raised the heavy sword high and slashed it with all his strength at the back of the puppet's neck.
"Clang--!"
The blade struck the metal, making a deafening sound. The puppet leaned forward, but the metal at its neck only left an inch-deep dent, not even a crack. It punched back with its backhand, and Qin Tiexin blocked it with a horizontal knife.
"Bang!"
The fists and knives collided, and Qin Tiexin felt a huge force coming from him. The ground under his feet "clicked" and cracked open several gaps. The whole person slid back three feet before he stabilized.
So hard.
So heavy.
Qin Tiexin's hand holding the knife was slightly numb. This puppet was not only Law Technique, its strength had definitely reached the level of Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and its material was far tougher than any metal he had ever seen. Edgeless weighed 6,300 kilograms, and with his full blow, it only left a dent.
The puppet turned around and faced Qin Tiexin. It raised its hands, its left hand ignited red flames, its right hand condensed golden Sword Qi, and at the same time it sprayed a water arrow from its mouth - it was actually three series of Law Technique.
Qin Tiexin's pupils shrank, and he retreated with his mountain-shaking steps. At the same time, Edgeless swept in front of him, splitting the water arrows, and blocked Sword Qi with his sword. But the flames were already in front of him, so he dodged sideways, and the corners of his clothes were scorched.
Liu Qing's Law Technique arrived at this time.
"Vine binding!"
Several thigh-thick green vines emerged from the ground and entangled the puppet's legs. The puppet's movement stagnated, and he lowered his head to look at the vines. He raised his left leg and tried to break it, but the green vines were extremely tough and did not break free for a while.
Qin Tiexin seized the opportunity and charged forward again. This time he did not use Edgeless to chop, but pulled out the short knife from his waist. With his body shape like the wind, he walked around to the right side of the puppet and stabbed the gap between the knee joint of its right leg with the short knife.
"Ding!"
The short knife hit the metal, spattering a few sparks and leaving only a white spot on the surface.
The puppet's right leg suddenly exerted force, and the ivy broke with a "click". It turned around and hit Qin Tiexin with its golden right fist again.
Qin Tiexin stepped step by step, narrowly avoiding the wind of the fist, and circled behind the puppet like a swimming fish. The short knife stabbed the joint of its lower back again - that's where the five metals were spliced together, which should be the weak point in theory.
But when the tip of the knife hit, there was still just a soft "ding" sound.
No breach of defense.
Qin Tiexin's heart sank. This puppet's defense far exceeded expectations.
The two of them each took three steps back, forming a triangle confrontation with the puppet.
Qin Tiexin looked at Liu Qing. Liu Qing also happened to look at him. The two looked at each other and saw solemnity in each other's eyes.
If only one person comes... he will definitely not be able to pass this level.
"Cooperation?" Qin Tiexin asked briefly.
"Yeah." Liu Qing nodded, "I'm from a distance, you get up close and look for weaknesses."
Qin Tiexin charged forward again. This time he no longer pursued the goal of breaking through the defense with one blow. Instead, he used the short knife to move around the puppet's body. The light of the knife fell like raindrops on its joints, joints, and blank spaces on its facial features. Each cut was not deep, but it was fast enough and annoying enough.
The puppet's attention was attracted by Qin Tiexin. The blue light on his right arm burst into flames, and three ice blades roared out.
Qin Tiexin turned sideways to avoid two, and the third one was at the front door. The short sword in his right hand was horizontal, and the ice blade hit the blade and shattered with a "ding", but the cold air spread along the blade, and the entire right arm was instantly covered with thin frost.
At this moment, Liu Qing's Law Technique arrived.
Three fist-sized fireballs were fired at the puppet's back in a Z-shaped pattern. The puppet noticed it and returned its green left arm to defend, while the earth shield condensed behind its back.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Fireballs exploded one after another, and the earth shield shattered.
Qin Tiexin took the opportunity to shatter the thin ice on his arm, and advanced with the short knife again, stabbing the puppet's right knee. The puppet raised its leg to kick, but Qin Tiexin had already stepped back. As soon as the puppet's right leg hit the ground, Qin Tiexin suddenly rushed forward again. This time Edgeless was in hand, and the knife swept across and hit the puppet's waist and abdomen. The puppet crossed its arms to block.
"Clang!"
Amidst the loud noise, the figure of the puppet swayed.
Liu Qing's second round of Law Technique followed, and five ivy vines as thick as thighs broke out of the ground and tightly wrapped around the puppet's legs. The vines were extremely tough, and the puppet struggled but could not break free for a while.
Qin Tiexin seized this momentary opportunity, Edgeless raised it high and struck at the puppet's left shoulder with all its strength.
"Clang!"
The dent is a little deeper.
The puppet trembled like a roar, its whole body was filled with five-color light, and a violent wave of spiritual power erupted from its body. The ivy wrapping its legs broke inch by inch, and at the same time it closed its palms, and the five-color light ball began to condense.
Qin Tiexin advanced instead of retreating, stepped out with a sudden step, Edgeless Saber turned his edge, struck horizontally with the blade, and hit the puppet's closed palms hard.
"Bang!"
The condensing ball of colorful light was scattered by this shot. The puppet took a step back. Liu Qing's attack was ready - a dark red fireball that was larger than before, trailing a blazing tail flame, and accurately hit the puppet's back.
"Boom!"
The flames exploded, and the red metal on the puppet's back turned darker red visibly to the naked eye.
Come again!
The two have a tacit understanding.
Qin Tiexin first used a short knife to fight closely, and Movement Method made the puppet's attacks fail repeatedly. He sometimes feinted to attack the lower body to force the puppet to lower its head, and sometimes turned sideways to lure the puppet to take action, exposing the gap in its back, leaving Liu Qing room to attack.
Whenever the puppet attempts to cast a large-scale Law Technique, Qin Tiexin will always hit it with Edgeless just right to interrupt it, disrupting its spiritual energy concentration with pure power.
Liu Qing is always at a safe distance. His Law Technique no longer pursues tricks, but is streamlined to the extreme: fireballs, vines, and occasional water arrow interference. Huge fireballs hit the puppet's back again and again, and the vines always appear when Qin Tiexin needs to breathe, entangling the puppet for just the right moment, creating opportunities for Qin Tiexin to escape or hit hard.
Qin Tiexin Looking at those thigh-thick vines and those fireballs with astonishing temperatures, I was secretly shocked - this is not the Law Technique intensity that should be achieved during the Qi refining period. Liu Qing's attainments in the Five Elements Technique far exceeded the level he showed.
Liu Qing watched Qin Tiexin take a heavy blow from the puppet and only took three steps back. Watching his skin turn red but his movements remained unchanged after using his body to block the ice blade flames, he was equally frightened - this physical strength was already close to that of some Qi and Blood realm cultivators.
But problems soon emerged, as the two men's spiritual energy was consumed very quickly.
Qin Tiexin was breathing heavily, and the hand holding the knife began to tremble slightly. Every time he blocked, his internal organs felt like being hit by a heavy hammer, and more and more bloodshot eyes oozed from the corners of his mouth. Liu Qing's face turned pale, beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, the interval between spells became longer and longer, and the size of the fireball also began to shrink.
The piece of red metal on the puppet's back has been burned to a dark red glow, and other parts are also covered with dents, but the core is not damaged and its movements are still fast and furious.
Qin Tiexin stabbed the puppet's right eye with the short knife. It was blocked and then slashed down, leaving another white mark on the red torso. The puppet's right arm was swept by the ice blade. Qin Tiexin sideways avoided it, but staggered under his feet - his physical strength was almost reaching the limit.
The puppet grabbed the flaw and smashed the wooden shield of its left arm down like a heavy hammer.
Qin Tiexin gritted his teeth, Edgeless moved horizontally.
"Bang--!"
This time, he was knocked backwards and fell heavily three feet away. His throat felt sweet and a mouthful of blood spurted out.
The puppet turned around and locked onto Liu Qing in the distance - it judged that this long-range threat was greater.
The moment the puppet stepped towards Liu Qing, Qin Tiexin bounced off the ground.
He did not rush towards the puppet, but made an action that made Liu Qing's pupils shrink - he plunged Edgeless into the ground, held the handle of the knife with both hands, the muscles in his body tensed, and the veins popped out, and then -
"Get up--!"
The Edgeless heavy knife weighing 6,300 kilograms was actually pulled up from the ground with brute force, and a large black jade floor tile was also lifted up. Qin Tiexin roared angrily, rounded his arms, and threw the heavy knife and the floor tile at the puppet like a trebuchet.
It's not chopping, it's smashing.
The heavy knife wrapped around the floor tiles and turned into a black shadow, whizzing and hitting the puppet's back.
The puppet noticed it, but it was already charging forward. He had no time to turn around completely, so he could only turn sideways and block with the wooden shield of his left arm.
"Boom--!!!"
The floor tiles exploded and rubble flew everywhere. Edgeless The weight of the heavy knife plus the inertia of the throw caused the puppet to stumble forward three steps, completely exposing its back.
That's it now!
Liu Qing's eyes flashed, and he poured spiritual power into the fireball that had already condensed in his palm.
This fireball was not big, only about the size of a fist, but its color had changed from red to a dazzling golden white, and its internal temperature was so high that the surrounding air crackled and exploded.
"Go."
The fireball shot out silently, dragging out a twisted trace of light, and accurately hit the center of the dark red metal on the puppet's back.
The moment the fireball made contact, the puppet's back, centered on the impact point, quickly turned red and shiny, and finally turned almost blazing white.
Qin Tiexin stared at the blazing white area and suddenly shouted, "Ice!"
Liu Qing moved almost at the moment he opened his mouth. He raised his left hand, a blue light bloomed in the palm of his hand, and a three-foot-long blue ice arrow condensed out of thin air. The ice arrow was crystal clear, with snowflake patterns flowing inside, exuding a biting cold air - this was his last bit of spiritual power.
"Go!"
The ice arrow broke through the air, trailing a light blue trail, and hit the piece of blazing white metal exactly.
"Crack--!!!"
The crisp cracking sound is like a glacier cracking late at night in the cold winter.
The red metal encountered extreme cold after being extremely hot. The severe stress of thermal expansion and contraction caused the surface to be instantly covered with spider web cracks. Centered on the impact point, the cracks spread crazily in all directions, covering the entire back area in the blink of an eye.
The puppet's movements completely stopped.
It seemed to be frozen in time, its entire body was frozen in place, and even the colorful light in its eyes was frozen.
That's it now!
Qin Tiexin didn't know when he had rushed within five steps of the puppet, and the mountain-shaking steps under his feet exploded with air waves. He rushed forward, turned and moved sideways, and went around to the back of the puppet, just in time to pick up the fallen Edgeless. The whole set of actions seemed to be calculated, smooth and smooth, and took less than a breath.
He held the knife in both hands and Edgeless raised it high above his head. The strength of his whole body rose from the soles of his feet, passed through his waist and abdomen, and gathered in his arms.
Zhongyue Sword Technique·Bengyue - Concentrate all the power on one point and explode instantly.
Dark golden veins appear on the blade, which is the spiritual pattern inside Edgeless being fully activated.
Cut!
"Clang--!!!!!"
This knife struck the crack in the puppet's back firmly.
The crack expanded instantly and spread to the entire torso. The puppet's body cracked open, five-color metal fragments scattered everywhere, and the core crystal inside shattered with a "click".
It froze in place, maintaining its forward posture, and then suddenly disintegrated, turning into countless five-colored light spots and dissipating in the air.
Qin Tiexin landed on one knee, Edgeless leaned on the ground to support his body and gasped for air. The knife just now took away almost all his strength, and the muscles in both arms were trembling.
Liu Qing also fell to the ground, her face as pale as paper, holding her hands on the ground, panting so hard that she could not speak.
Silence returned to the hall.
The only sounds left were the heavy breathing of the two people and the five-colored light ball slowly rotating in the air.
A long time.
Qin Tiexin raised his head and looked at Liu Qing.
Liu Qing also happened to look over.
The two looked at each other.
Then, almost at the same time, he laughed.
It was the kind of smile that came from deep in the throat, breathless and tired, but extremely cheerful. Liu Qing laughed so hard that her shoulders shook, Qin Tiexin grinned, revealing a rare and unreserved smile.
The laughter echoed in the empty hall, young and wanton, with the heartiness of defeating a powerful enemy, and the joy of surviving a disaster, as if he wanted to laugh out all the depression, pretense, and calculations these days.
They won.
Two Qi refining stages, one at the fifth level and the other at the ninth level, worked together to defeat Foundation Establishment Early Stage's palace-guarding puppet.
Qin Tiexin stood up holding the knife, walked to Liu Qing, and stretched out his left hand.
Liu Qing held his hand and used his strength to stand up.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, your body... is really a monster."
"Your Law Technique is."
The two stood side by side, looking at the five-color light ball on the central stone platform.
The light ball slowly descended and landed on the surface of the stone platform. The light gradually faded, revealing two suspended tokens inside.