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Chapter One Hundred and Forty: The Miraculous Creation

As soon as Miss Vilyric spoke, the other three, experienced in battles or adventures, immediately reacted, halting their steps to hide behind the surrounding stone walls and cover, peeking out from the slight angles available to observe outside.

A moment later, the target detected by the Priestess’s keen senses indeed appeared in the distance.

“Eh… What is that thing… An evil demon?”

“No, I have never seen a record of such an evil demon. Although this place is a tomb, the balance of yin and yang here seems particularly stable, so evil demons absolutely wouldn’t manifest in this environment.”

Xiao Kong quickly made a reasonable judgment.

“Um, it looks like some kind of puppet soldier, could it be the guard she left here?”

Speaking of guards… it does look somewhat like one, though this one’s appearance is quite shabby.

The figure slowly advancing towards them was that of a tall armored warrior.

However, it wasn’t a real living being, nor was it one of the more common skeletons found in tombs.

Aside from some parts covered by a rusted chainmail that had taken on spots over time, most of this “warrior” was actually stuffed and tied up with straw-like material!

Indeed, this was a true scarecrow.

Despite being nothing but a pile of dried grass, it moved autonomously like a real creature, holding weapons and patrolling, which was truly absurd.

Yet, this scene undeniably unfolded before the four of them.

The scarecrow seemed unaware of the intruders as it moved closer and closer.

“Pat… Pat… Pat…”

The tattered armor clinked as it walked with a raspy sound, as if it could break apart at any moment and scatter everywhere, and the spear held by the scarecrow was already worn and lacked its original sharpness, looking like it posed little threat.

For some reason, however, Murong Yun held his breath, his expression serious, and clenched his fists slightly.

That was the vigilance of a martial artist, one who had reached the Realm of Seeking Immortals, against threats sufficient to endanger him.

The White-clad Middle-aged Man whispered.

“What should we do, everyone? We probably can’t avoid it now.”

This path, while not a one-way street, had no stone chambers for quite a distance, making it entirely visible front and back; unless Vilyric and the others retreated far back, the patrolling scarecrow would certainly discover their presence as it turned the corner they were currently at.

Xiao Kong also added in a low voice.

“The puppet soldier’s movement is controlled by its core. Don’t be fooled by its shabby appearance; its actual abilities probably haven’t diminished much at all. If we want to avoid being detected and surrounded by more guards, we’d best eliminate it before it can raise the alarm.”

“One strike to take it down. If this is indeed the guard she left behind, there must be many troublesome traps hidden around…”

“One strike to take it down, huh.”

Nodding, the Priestess looked around again.

Her thoughts were similar, but in order to take down this scarecrow in the least noisy way possible, they still needed to think about who would attack.

“Murong Yun, do you think you can do it?”

“…I can try, but I’ve never dealt with such an enemy before, so I can’t guarantee it’ll be foolproof.”

“Tsk, how disappointing.”

Even though she put forth that suggestion, it seemed Xiao Kong wasn’t very keen on taking action, and since Miss Vilyric was a peace-loving Priestess, she obviously wouldn’t casually swing her staff at someone. Thus, the candidate to fight was already determined.

Well, it definitely wouldn’t be Princess Ling.

“Come forth, Little Fang.”

“Buzz ~”

With a flash of light, the figure of the golden-haired giant dog, having shrunk, appeared in the magic circle from the blind spot around the corner.

Hmm… It seems that even though there’s a space blockade, simple summoning-type skills remain unaffected. Could it be because it was directly summoned from the Kingdom of God? What if it’s a situation like Xiao Guang, who isn’t in the pet space?

It feels complex; I should study it later.

Without making much noise, the giant beast, having communicated with Vilyric through their contract, slightly nodded before moving next to the wall, silently observing the scarecrow warrior that was now nearly within reach, poised like a predator ready to pounce.

“Pat… Pat… Pat…”

The scarecrow’s heavy steel boots continued to stomp on the ground.

Twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters…

In an instant, the giant dog turned into a golden bolt of lightning, crossing the ten meters in a flash, approaching the enemy with a sound like the air being sliced!

“Whoosh!!!”

But just as the golden shadow was about to arrive, the scarecrow warrior suddenly changed its formerly sluggish movements, as if it had transformed from a feeble old woman to a seasoned elite warrior. It quickly aimed its spear at the giant dog’s lower abdomen, trying to use the fiercest and most correct life-threatening tactic to push back the strong enemy.

Simultaneously, a towering vague shadow rose behind the tattered scarecrow, seemingly about to let out a deafening roar!

But.

“Bang!”

The rusted spear thrusting toward the beast shattered on impact, the golden shadow and the scarecrow missed each other entirely, and before the shadow could emit any warning, it disintegrated into silence. Meanwhile, the scarecrow, which had been directly pierced in the chest, staggered and fell.

Seeing the battle concluded, Vilyric and the others naturally stepped around the corner to the side of the defeated Ya Zi, who turned around just in time to reveal a light red, diamond-shaped crystal it held in its claws, presenting it to the Black-haired Girl.

Even though they had effortlessly defeated this puppet soldier, the giant dog didn’t display its usual disdain and arrogance. Instead, it seemed deeply reflective.

[What a miraculous creation, able to power such agile warriors in such a simplified form. Truly a genius behind its existence. I wonder whose work it is.]

“Indeed, if it were armed with better gear, this warrior could probably exhibit strength on par with the Realm of Seeking Immortals. Had I faced this before my breakthrough, I might have been in a hard-fought battle… Truly unbelievable.”

Ya Zi nodded.

[My Lord, this is the core of that puppet.]

“Good work, Little Fang. You’re as reliable as always ~”

Nodding with a smile, Vilyric accepted the palm-sized crystal, which pulsed rhythmically like a heartbeat, carefully inspecting it.

These puppet soldiers in the tomb, without a doubt, were created and left behind by the Spiritual Fox Priestess. Beyond that, she could think of no other possibilities.

This crystal may once have sat quietly in the palm of a girl’s hand, as she, like a creator, placed it into an otherwise unremarkable scarecrow’s chest, granting it powers and a mission it never should have had.

Having also witnessed the astonishing battle capacity just now, the Priestess couldn’t help but be curious.

What kind of person is Ming Xi…?

Information Detection.

[Type 72 Guard Core Power Source]

[Grade: Spiritual Tool]

[Created by the Spiritual Fox Priestess with her own powers, through 71 experiments and improvements, this composite magic crystal generates a simulated soul for the suitable carrier, directly granting it combat abilities and the power to absorb energy from the air.

The simulated soul cannot grow; its innate limit has been set, which is a defect of this model series.

Although it is still an incomplete lower-tier test product, the overall structure already shows a budding form, and the created puppet warrior’s comprehensive rating can reach lv40-lv50.]

Lv40—lv50, huh…

Though merely fish-level for the Priestess, this status is likely the maximum an ordinary person could reach under normal circumstances, requiring a once-in-a-thousand genius to attain through diligent practice, making it a rare existence worthy of being called legendary or of the Realm of Seeking Immortals.

However, the Spiritual Fox Priestess could instantly grant such power to a casually tied-up scarecrow with just one crystal. If this thing could be mass-produced…

Heh, thinking of that potential scenario is truly fantastical.

In a way, it’s even more terrifying than the so-called Abyss Beasts.