Inside Heaven Tower, each floor contained a Teleportation Hall.
Within the Teleportation Hall was a teleportation formation that allowed one to leave that floor.
The scenery on each floor was not entirely the same.
"Aside from the Teleportation Hall, puppets might leap out from these ruined buildings at any moment. Fellow Daoists, why don't each of us share our most capable abilities first, so we can deal with any surprise attacks by the puppets?"
The man surnamed Di looked around at everyone and spoke.
All five were in the mid Core Formation stage, varying in strength. Among them, the man surnamed Di and the elderly woman had the highest cultivation, standing just a step away from the late Core Formation stage.
The elderly woman rarely spoke on her own initiative, so the group naturally looked to the man surnamed Di as their leader.
"This old woman has a Bagua mirror with decent defensive power. Handled properly, it can barely withstand an attack from a late-stage master," the elderly woman said without holding back.
Everyone looked over in surprise. Seeing the elderly woman produce a Bagua bronze mirror, they praised her one after another. "Fellow Daoist Su is far too modest! How could something capable of blocking an attack from a late-stage expert merely be called decent?"
Qin Sang said, "With Fellow Daoist Su's Bagua mirror, I imagine we won't need to worry about our safety. Although my cultivation is humble, I have attained some skill in the sword dao. I have comprehended Sword Qi Thunderclap and sword light differentiation, though regrettably, I can only produce a single ray of sword light."
The man surnamed Di clapped his hands in delight. "I never expected Fellow Daoist Qin to be a master of the sword! To have mastered Sword Qi Thunderclap, your swordsmanship must be consummate. You must be exceptionally skilled at seizing opportunities in combat—just the person to deliver the fatal blow to the puppets! These puppets are tricky to deal with; they can regenerate on their own, and their weaknesses are deeply hidden. The chances to strike are fleeting, but that shouldn't trouble Fellow Daoist Qin."
Qin Sang nodded. "Since Fellow Daoist Di says so, Qin will not shirk his duty. It is just that I know very little about the craft of puppets and have had almost no contact with them before. I worry that if we run into a puppet I know nothing about, I might miss the opportunity..."
The female cultivator surnamed Yin suddenly interjected, "Do not worry, Fellow Daoist Qin. After learning about the circumstances inside Heaven Tower, I found secret puppet arts and studied them for several years. I can give you pointers when the time comes. In addition, I have a secret technique that can detect the fluctuations of puppets. Even the puppets best at concealment can be detected when they draw near. However, I will need you all to protect me so I can focus entirely on sustaining the technique."
At these words, everyone grew even more delighted.
On the lower floors of Heaven Tower, aside from the ancient restrictions, the greatest obstacle was the various mechanical puppet beasts.
No one knew how these puppets were crafted, but over all these years, they could never be eradicated. Cultivators ventured into Heaven Tower time and again, yet their numbers never seemed to decrease.
The female cultivator surnamed Yin's ability was the perfect counter to the puppet beasts, providing them with immense convenience.
Next, the other two explained their own capabilities.
The five immediately adjusted their formation, with the other four shielding the female cultivator surnamed Yin at the center.
The puppets on the first three floors of Heaven Tower were not strong, roughly equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators; adopting this formation now was also a drill in advance to prepare for the higher floors.
Just as the formation was set, some undiscerning puppets threw themselves forward.
They were passing a crumbling wall at the time. The azure light on the wall merely rippled slightly before three dark silhouettes lunged out at them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The man surnamed Di casually thrust a palm forward, sending all three puppets flying, their chests deeply caved in.
These three puppets looked like fierce tigers, but had no fur on their bodies; instead, they seemed pieced together from blocks of bluestone.
After being struck by the man surnamed Di, clicking sounds echoed within two of the puppets before they shattered with a boom.
Debris from the puppets flew everywhere, only to weather into sand right before everyone's eyes and vanish into the darkness without leaving the slightest trace, exceedingly bizarre.
The remaining puppet still retained combat strength. With a whip of its long tail, it turned into a streak of black light, lunging straight for the man surnamed Di's face.
Sharp claws extended from the darkness, gleaming coldly, inches away from the space between his brows.
The others showed no sign of intervening.
Unflustered, the man surnamed Di shifted his hands. With one hand, he effortlessly blocked the tiger's claws, a pensive look crossing his face, while his other hand struck the puppet again, shattering it.
"Roughly equivalent to the early Foundation Establishment stage," the man surnamed Di said, turning to the others as he shared his observations. "It is said that the strength of the puppets increases floor by floor in a regular pattern, corresponding roughly to the realms of cultivators. Do you think this resembles a trial ground prepared by ancient cultivators for their juniors?"
"Not necessarily," the elderly woman said, shaking her head. "Aren't there supposed to be special floors in Heaven Tower? The scenery there is completely different from the other floors, and that is where all kinds of rare curiosities reside. Heaven Tower hides far too many secrets. As for what it was originally used for, only the ancient cultivators who lived here would know."
Talking as they moved, the group swept deep into the darkness.
Along the way, they were ambushed multiple times by puppet beasts. Their strength was virtually the same as the previous ones, and they were dealt with effortlessly.
After flying an unknown distance, they finally halted, gazing at the vast expanse ahead.
"Everyone knows what the Teleportation Hall looks like, right? The Teleportation Hall is drifting somewhere in this area. Let's split up and search."
With that, the man surnamed Di chose a direction and flew off.
The others dispersed as well, searching through the darkness.
Qin Sang flew toward the right on his own.
Seeing a ruined hall ahead, he took the initiative to approach it.
He was actually very interested in the craft of puppets.
From Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, his ability to consistently crush cultivators of the same realm had been inseparable from external aids like refined corpses and spirit beasts, which had enabled him to overcome formidable enemies and escape danger time and again.
The puppets in Heaven Tower seemed capable of reviving after death. If he could unlock the mystery behind it and craft powerful mechanical puppet beasts, his strength would receive a tremendous boost.
The moment Qin Sang drew near the ruined hall, a pack of tiger-shaped puppets pounced toward him. Some spat profound light, while others lashed out with their claws.
With a gentle sweep of the ebony sword, he easily dispatched most of the puppet beasts.
Qin Sang kept two of them, capturing them to study while continuing his search for the Teleportation Hall.
In the end, he discovered to his disappointment that the existence of these puppet beasts was likely linked to the ancient restrictions of Heaven Tower. This ability to revive after death could not be replicated, and even the materials on their bodies could not be preserved after destruction—even if stowed in the Qianjun Ring, they would inexplicably vanish.
With five people searching for the Teleportation Hall together, efficiency was far higher.
Qin Sang's search yielded nothing, but he soon received a signal and immediately turned back.
Before long, the five assembled before a grand hall.
The hall floated in the darkness, not fixed in one spot, but drifting slowly.
This hall was the most intact structure on the first floor; not even the tiles on its roof showed the slightest damage. The ancient teleportation array was right inside.
The hall was archaic and magnificent, with a peculiar design; its roof soared high like a sharp sword, exuding a powerful sword intent.
The moment he laid eyes on the hall, Qin Sang's mind instantly tightened!
This was a sensation that no one else could describe—only someone who had cultivated the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter could understand just how unique this sword intent truly was!
Chapter 779