Chapter 125: Secret Puppet Master
Chapter 173: The Puppeteer
After carefully observing Qing Lin's every move, even though he was very reluctant to admit it, Mo Basi had to accept that there existed a miraculous pupil in the world that could directly control snake-type magical beasts.
If these eyes fell into the hands of a human who hated the Snake-People Tribe, the consequences would be unimaginable! He must be killed here!
"If we want to resolve this, I think we should do it as soon as possible. Once we enter the crack, we might not be able to find them."
Watching Mo Basi, whose emotions were clearly stirred by him, Qian Da Pang secretly scoffed, while also feeling fortunate that he hadn't chosen to cooperate with other Snake-People leaders.
Otherwise, the other party would most likely see through his intentions, leading to deviations in the plan.
"Make a move? Do you take me for a fool? I know your little schemes better than anyone!"
Unexpectedly, Mo Basi, who had been eager to act, suddenly calmed down and instead looked at Qian Da Pang with disdain.
Seeing this, Qian Da Pang felt a bit regretful. Clearly, someone had secretly warned him, otherwise, an idiot like Mo Basi wouldn't have reacted in time.
After an hour of battle, the Fire Snakes gradually became exhausted, and many of the still-living Fire Snakes directly retreated into the crack.
But at the same time, many factions had suffered losses beyond their expectations and chose to withdraw.
Roughly calculated, half the people had already been eliminated before even entering the crack.
However, some people were not in a hurry to leave, but stood still and waited.
Perhaps it was for the ultimate ownership of the strange flames, or perhaps they harbored the thought of 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it'—
Only they themselves knew the specifics.
Because White Mask was too large, it was inconvenient for him to move after entering the crack, so Mu Yang had him carry Qing Lin and wait outside.
"Let's go."
Passing through the still-hesitant crowd, Mu Yang stood on the crack and looked down. Below was a boiling magma and several cave entrance leading to unknown places.
"Should we split up?"
Lü Man hesitated. If they wanted to find the strange flames as quickly as possible, splitting up seemed like a good option to her.
The cost was a certain risk; if they were alone, they might be attacked by others searching for the strange flames.
"No need, I'll do it."
Xi, who had been slacking off for half a day, stepped forward and, as if by magic, took out several small bee-like gadgets from her storage space.
The scout puppets flapped the small wings on their bodies, and under Xi's control, they hovered in front of Mu Yang and Lü Man before flying into the crack.
A moment later, Xi closed her eyes, as if feeling something, or perhaps sharing the scout puppets' vision.
Three armored puppets surrounded her, one in front and two behind, and another spun around her as its center. Many people had already delved into the cave entrance at the bottom of the crack to search, but the three of them were still waiting above for the results.
Only when all those who could pose a threat to them had entered the crack did Xi open her eyes.
"How is it?"
Lü Man asked.
"No results, it's too deep. My puppets explored at least 3 kilometers into the cave entrance, but found no trace of the strange flames. However, there are very rare fire-attribute medicinal herbs growing inside. If you're interested, you can go pick them."
As she spoke, Xi looked at Mu Yang.
The two exchanged glances, instinctively looking at the magma lake at the very bottom.
"You also think it's there?"
"Yes."
Mu Yang nodded.
He recalled the setting of Green Lotus Core Flame: it was a flame that existed in the earth's core magma, born deep within the earth, go through countless refinements, fusions, compressions, and carvings by the earth's fire.
Ten years to form a spirit, a hundred years to take shape, a thousand years to become a lotus.
"What, what?"
Looking at the two speaking in riddles, Lü Man's confusion was enough to fill the huge crack in front of her.
Damn it, these damned riddlers, get out of the Dou Qi Continent!
"I'll go find Qing Lin for a bit, we'll depart soon. You explain to Lü Man—"
By the time Mu Yang borrowed a Dou Ling-level Fire Snake from Qing Lin, Xi had almost finished explaining their ideas to Lü Man.
"Now it's up to you. The two of us will guard outside the magma, trying our best to prevent others from entering and disturbing the magma flow.
97
Xi poked Mu Yang's arm, her tone carrying a hint of regret.
She really wanted to see what the Green Lotus Core Flame looked like before it was picked. Would its structure be the same as a normal plant?
However, most first-tier Contractor did not have the ability to delve into the magma, and she hadn't prepared any tools beforehand, so she could only wait outside.
As for Mu Yang, because of his "Great Sun God Body," two types of solar energy, and the "Scarlet Sun" fitting the Dou Qi cultivation system, he could withstand the erosion of the magma for a long time.
Lü Man was a Dou Huang, so theoretically she could too. But her Dou Qi was wood-attribute, and her combat power would be reduced by 99% upon entering the magma, which was no different from throwing her life away.
"I'll leave it to you."
After a simple tactical arrangement, Mu Yang leaped down, disappearing into the magma with the Dou Ling-level Fire Snake.
Those still near the crack noticed the trio's actions. The natives, like Lü Man initially, couldn't understand why Mu Yang would enter the magma. Weren't there so many cave entrance to explore around?
The Contractor, however, immediately understood.
Those cave entrance might just be a smokescreen, trapping them in a blind spot of thinking that "the strange flames are in a certain cave entrance," but the Green Lotus Core Flame was originally inside the magma!
So, some people quickly notified their teammates who had entered the cave entrance, telling them to come back quickly; others rapidly approached the magma, wanting to use tools to enter it and search for the strange flames.
"Sorry everyone, we've booked the place."
Xi chuckled, looking at those Contractor, her tone gentle and seemingly harmless, but the Contractor dared not underestimate her.
This was because the other party was a Contractor ranked among the top fifty in the Arena. In terms of combat power, all the Contractorpresent were no match for her, but they were not lone wolves, nor would they adhere to martial ethics for a fair duel.
"Puppeteer, I admit you are indeed very strong. But with just the two of you, it's impossible to stop all of us."
The Contractor wielding a giant hammer said with confidence. Hearing this, the natives couldn't help but wonder what he was so confident about; his thick skin seemed a bit excessive.
"What if you add me?"
White Mask descended from the sky with a sneer, the powerful airflow caused by his landing making all the Contractor look sideways.
The black scales covering his entire body reflected the firelight of the magma, making him look like an eight-winged fire dragon favored by flames.
"You're awesome."
The giant hammer Contractor chose to back down.
White Mask and Lü Man were both Dou Huangs, and with a Puppeteer whose abilities were bizarre, the chances of victory for the dozen or so Contractor present were extremely low.
It would be better to call back the Dou Kings and Dou Huangs who had entered the cave entrance to explore. Then he could speak boastfully again.
"Go."
How could Xi not know what they were thinking? Her mana surged, and the small White Mask at her waist instantly split into two masks of different colors.
One was a golden-red symbolizing raging flames, while the other was a cyan-blue resembling lightning but not quite lightning.
The two masks were worn by two armored puppets, and their forms changed accordingly.
One puppet transformed into an expressionless Mu Yang, able to summon all-consuming flames with a flick of his fingers, but his combat power was estimated to be only 60% of the original.
The other puppet transformed into a grim-faced individual with a long saber at his waist. Each swing of the saber carried a sharpness that could cut through anything, but his performance was slightly inferior to the former.
This was the true purpose of the masks: to allow the puppets to temporarily transform into the mask's owner and gain a portion of their abilities.
However, with Xi's current ability, the transformation could only last for 4 minutes.