The Puppet's target was the Soul in Song Zongwu's hand. It was clearly trying to stop him from viewing the memories.
Ren Qing's expression was a mixture of shock and uncertainty. He gripped the Great Miao Blade tightly in his right hand.
His Double Pupils shifted. He could see numerous flaws in the Puppet and felt its constitution was even weaker than when it had been alive.
The Puppet was already half a meter from Song Zongwu, its right arm reaching out limply.
CLANG!!!
Ren Qing drew the Great Miao Blade from his back, its sharp edge flashing across the room.
His footwork gradually sped up, but he kept his overall speed at the level of an ordinary Martial Artist Realm practitioner.
A long stride, a swing of the blade, a retreat.
Ren Qing's movements were crisp and efficient, as if every move had been planned in advance. He even created distance at the same moment he swung his blade.
The Puppet's arm was severed at the root, turning into sludge the moment it hit the floor.
'It really doesn't seem that dangerous?'
Ren Qing found it a bit incredible, but his attacks immediately became more aggressive. He continuously struck with his blade while twisting and dodging.
The Puppet was already hacked to pieces.
But Ren Qing did not sheathe his Great Miao Blade. Instead, his expression grew solemn.
The sludge reformed into a human shape and began to mimic Ren Qing's movements in a lifelike, almost comical way.
To make matters worse, a loud noise came from outside Si Bu Hall. Forbidden Guards had likely arrived but were being held back by some unknown means.
'I either end this fight before the Forbidden Guards get here, or I interrupt Song Zongwu in time.'
Ren Qing saw that the Puppet still posed no threat. He switched to a two-handed grip, the blade scraping across the floor with a piercing sound.
The blade pierced through the Puppet like a long spear.
But the Puppet was as if Immortal. After reforming, its appearance was even closer to Ren Qing's, and it became even more difficult to deal with.
'Damn it, what kind of Magic Technique does that Forbidden Area possess? Why is it so bizarre when combined like this?!'
Ren Qing didn't dare hesitate. He slashed the Puppet to pieces, one strike after another.
The two were locked in a struggle. On the surface, the Puppet was still powerless to fight back, but its speed of regeneration was increasing.
Ren Qing was facing a tireless enemy that could also seemingly grow infinitely stronger during battle. One could imagine how troublesome it was.
Before long, wounds began to appear on his body.
Anyone else might have lost their composure and fallen into a disadvantage.
But Ren Qing only grew more focused. The speed at which his Double Pupils shifted broke past its limits, and wolf fur began to sprout on his legs.
Because he had discovered the benefits of this battle. Ren Qing was also growing stronger through combat, and his mastery of the Divine Sutra was becoming more profound.
'Worst case, I can just interrupt Song Zongwu. All I need to do is swing my blade without reservation.'
Ren Qing immersed himself in the fight. The feeling of improving with every breath was exhilarating, and he even cast the pain from his wounds to the back of his mind.
As Time passed, although the Great Miao Blade could no longer harm the Puppet, he remained undefeated thanks to his ability of Anticipating the Enemy.
But Ren Qing did not realize that the Puppet was already showing signs of having Mutated.
ROAR!!!
The Puppet transformed into a werewolf, radiating an extremely powerful aura.
Ren Qing stumbled back several steps and came to his senses. Only then did he realize the Puppet had copied his Divine Sutra, and had even taken it a step further.
Seeing this, he was about to interrupt Song Zongwu, but his Double Pupils noticed something strange.
The Puppet's aura seemed to have reached the peak of the Half-Corpse Realm, but in reality, it was like a river without a source. Its body had become fuel for a burning flame.
'It will collapse in ten breaths at most...'
Ren Qing raised his blade and stood in front of the Puppet.
BANG!!!
The Puppet became a blur of motion, slamming a claw into Ren Qing's chest. Fractures spread across his ribs as he was sent flying.
The Puppet fixed its gaze on Song Zongwu again and immediately broke into a sprint.
Ren Qing knew the Puppet couldn't possibly harm Song Zongwu. Its goal was simply to stop the memories in the Soul from being accessed.
His reason told him not to be rash, but his body made the opposite decision.
Ren Qing adjusted his posture in mid-air, bringing himself into a state of balance.
He then kicked off the wall. The Werewolf Transformation covered the lower half of his body, and he slid the Great Miao Blade back into its scabbard.
Seven breaths remained.
The increasingly heavy footsteps of the Forbidden Guards could be heard faintly from outside, signaling they were getting closer.
Ren Qing only had one chance to strike. If the Puppet didn't die, he would inevitably suffer grievous injuries.
He didn't hesitate in the slightest. After a brief moment of gathering power, he erupted with force.
His figure shot after the Puppet.
In the vision of his Double Pupils, the flow of Time had slowed several times over. He could see every single strand of hair on the Puppet's body.
The Great Miao Blade left its scabbard.
Ren Qing brushed past the Puppet.
He reappeared ten meters away, his back to the Puppet, wrapping the Great Miao Blade in a cloth strip and skillfully staunching his own wound.
Behind him, a massive head flew into the air, then landed on the floor and rolled a few times.
The Puppet, unwilling to give up, still tried to reform, but its body was already beginning to disintegrate. In the blink of an eye, it had turned to ash and vanished.
A moment later, the wall burst open, and a three-meter-tall muscle giant strode in.
Song Zongwu opened his eyes at almost the same time. His face was covered in a lingering gloom, his expression terrifying.
The moment he awoke, he knocked Ren Qing unconscious. He mainly didn't want him to interfere and end up in a dangerous situation.
The muscle giant glanced around, completely ignoring Ren Qing, and fixed his gaze on Song Zongwu.
"Elder Song, after raising such a fuss, there isn't even a single Mysterious Object..."
SWOOSH!!!
A Longsword came from an awkward angle, slicing open the muscle giant's neck and sending blood splashing everywhere.
The muscle giant's wound healed on its own, recovering by more than half in just a few breaths.
"Did I hear someone mention a Mysterious Object?"
Miss Bai stepped into the room through the hole, casually pulled her Longsword from the wall, and slid it back into its Sword Scabbard.
The muscle giant gave an embarrassed laugh and said nothing, obediently waiting for Song Zongwu to speak.
Song Zongwu pondered for a moment before asking, "How many Forbidden Guards are still in Sanxiang City right now?"
The muscle giant began, "Aside from the Forbidden Guards stationed in the South, East, West, and North City Districts, in the Government Office there are a total of..."
He suddenly realized something, and his expression turned grave.
"The numbers are wrong."
Song Zongwu said in a flat tone, "Seven people are trapped and dead inside the Forbidden Area."
"How long has it been?"
"At least a month."
Miss Bai offered a rare opinion. "Does that mean we can prepare to collect the bodies?"
Song Zongwu let out a long sigh. "First, seal off the area around the Forbidden Area. Then, we'll find a chance to retrieve the core Mysterious Object inside. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable."
The muscle giant nodded and asked, "Are there any records of this Forbidden Area's name in the Government Office's archives?"
"No, but I already know what Magic Technique forms the core of the Forbidden Area."
"The Disaster Relief Technique. This Forbidden Area is called the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area."
"The Disaster Relief Technique..."
Miss Bai couldn't help but mutter the name a few times. She seemed to have heard of it as well.
[Disaster Relief Technique]
[Created by ***. To cultivate this Skill, one must be a Celestial Killer Lone Star—born to cause the death of one's parents. Anyone who gets close to them is destined to die a horrible death. Upon mastery, one can erase their own existence, thereby mitigating disaster.]
The Cultivator who created this Magic Technique was known as The Nameless; they had no surname, and absolutely no one knew who they were.