Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

The words fell.

A burly figure dressed in black, with a cold expression and wielding a large sword, crashed down like a meteorite not far from Zhao Huaijin, his sword aura chilling.

He didn't even glance at anyone else, his gaze fixed on the puppet whose aura was surging, his eyes burning with killing intent.

"Uncle Zhao," Zhao Huaijin called out weakly.

The newcomer was none other than Zhao Yi, a master from the Zhao family!

Almost simultaneously.

Another figure, somewhat effeminate yet enigmatic, appeared like a ghost at the location of the Third Prince Feng Yu.

With a pair of oddly shaped weapons in his hands, he swung them in a crisscrossing motion, creating a net of countless fine, silk-like blades that instantly enveloped, cut, and strangled the two newly split secondary puppets.

Then, it turned into wisps of green smoke.

This man had an ordinary appearance; he was Zhan Tiancheng, the first guard from the Prince's mansion under the command of the Third Prince Feng Yu.

The appearance of these two was like adding cold water to a pot of oil that was about to boil, instantly changing the balance of power and bringing new variables.

"Young Master," Zhao Yi said, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Huaijin to confirm that he was temporarily unharmed, his voice carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"The patriarch ordered me to secretly protect you. As expected, this western borderland is fraught with danger."

Zhan Tiancheng stood guard like a shadow to Feng Yu's side, his voice low and calm, yet carrying a hint of coldness:

"Your Highness has been frightened."

They had clearly been following them in secret, only revealing themselves at this most critical moment.

The puppet that had recovered its severed arm seemed to be provoked by Zhao Yi and Zhan Tiancheng. It quickly gathered all its remaining energy, and its body expanded rapidly. It was about to self-destruct on the spot, taking everyone with it.

Zhao Yi snorted coldly, and the golden light of his broadsword shone brightly as he stepped forward to meet the attack head-on.

But someone was faster than him.

"Hmph, this heretic, neither human nor ghost, dares to be so insolent in front of the disciples of Qitian Palace?"

A clear, slightly arrogant voice rang out.

At the same time, countless sharp and unparalleled ice crystal wind blades instantly froze the surging energy flow around the puppet.

A middle-aged man dressed in a moon-white robe had an otherworldly air about him. His reserved demeanor was somewhat similar to Mu Qingfeng's, but his eyes were sharper and more arrogant.

He had appeared near Ye Zhi Qiu without anyone noticing. His exquisite manipulation of telekinesis and insight into the energy structure greatly delayed the puppet's self-destruction.

"Uncle-Master He!" Ye Zhi Qiu exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and delight.

The newcomer was none other than He Wushuang, the junior brother of Qitian Palace Master Mu Qingfeng.

"Shut up, heal your wounds." He Wushuang's tone was arrogant, not even glancing at Ye Zhiqiu, her entire focus on controlling the ice crystal wind blades.

"If it weren't for Senior Brother Mu's message instructing me to secretly keep an eye on your journey to the west, you wouldn't be in such a sorry state!"

Almost at the same moment He Wushuang made his move.

Another calm and composed figure, seemingly untouched by worldly concerns, appeared beside Qiu Zhengnan.

This man was dressed in a tight-fitting black outfit, with an ordinary face that was easily forgotten, except for his deep and calm eyes. He was Yuan Ji, one of the personal guards of the Qiu family patriarch.

He did not attack the puppet, but instead raised his hand as if to press down.

An invisible yet vast field of mental energy spread out, enveloping Qiu Zhengnan and nearby Chen Xi, Zhou Shi, and others, isolating them from most of the remaining cyan mist's erosion and mental impact.

"Uncle Yuan!" Qiu Zhengnan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his father must have made some arrangements.

Yuan Ji nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the altar's orb of light, his voice calm and steady as a still well:

"It's good that you're alright, Miss."

The patriarch noticed that the western border had been quite unsettled lately, fearing it was related to heresy, so he ordered me to secretly investigate and, incidentally, protect you during your training.

He frowned almost imperceptibly and said in a low voice:

"Miss, this object is strange; it seems to fluctuate with the energy of a spatial rift."

His voice wasn't loud, but all the experts present could hear it clearly.

Zhao Yi, He Wushuang, and Zhan Tiancheng all looked slightly tense.

The instant Yuan Ji finished speaking, it was as if lightning flashed through Shen Zhen's mind.

He had always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the way the energy flowed in the altar's sphere of light, and now, with Yuan Ji's explanation, he suddenly understood.

Yes.

No wonder I felt the spatial structure there was abnormal; it turns out there were cracks.

His newly acquired spatial perception was fully activated at this moment.

Although he couldn't definitively say "spatial rift" like Yuan Ji, he did "sense" that the space in that area was being distorted by an invisible force, rippling with unnatural energy.

"Spatial rift fluctuations?" He Wu's eyes narrowed. He used his profound mental power to sense the area, but he only felt that the energy in that area was chaotic like a vortex, making it difficult to accurately grasp the specific structure.

Just then.

The altar sphere seemed to sense the increased external pressure and the discovery of its spatial secrets. It suddenly contracted inward and then unleashed a powerful suction force.

It not only targets the blue mist and energy, but also begins to subtly draw upon everyone's consciousness and life force.

The puppet that He Wushuang had temporarily frozen began to flicker with unstable blue light again, and cracks appeared in the frozen layer.

"Not good!" He Wushuang shouted coldly.

"It's trying to force a fusion and detonation; it's trying to summon something even more terrifying!" He increased his psychic output.

Zhao Yi roared, and his broadsword transformed into a golden rainbow, slashing towards the head of the puppet, attempting to destroy it before it could fully unleash its power.

Zhan Tiancheng's figure flashed, and his strangely shaped weapon pierced towards the puppet's energy convergence point.

However, the suction and interference from the altar's orb of light were too strong, subtly affecting the attack trajectories of both of them, weakening and dispersing their power.

The frozen cracks on the puppet's body increased, and the aura of destruction rose once more.

Just as these old and new crises intertwined, even with the combined efforts of all the experts, the battle seemed to be slipping away, and the situation was about to slide into an unpredictable abyss once again.

"Get out of the way! Don't get in the way!"

A loud, slightly impatient voice rolled out like muffled thunder.

Before the words had even faded, a figure appeared out of thin air between Shen Zhen and the puppet, like a ghost!

This man had a commanding presence, with jet-black hair streaked with a few white strands, and wore a black robe.

"My disciple, your master has arrived."

"Master!" Shen Zhen saw the person who came and the tension in his heart suddenly eased. The person who came was his mentor and one of the people he trusted the most, Yi Tianxing.

Yi Tianxing appeared without any warning, even experts like He Wushuang and Zhao Yi were slightly surprised, their hearts filled with astonishment at the brilliance of his concealment and movement techniques.

Yi Tianxing waved his hand dismissively, ignoring Zhao Yi, He Wushuang, and the others who were watching him intently. His gaze swept over the puppet and the altar's orb of light.

"Watch closely, we need to find its 'Achilles' heel'!"

Before he finished speaking, Yi Tianxing did not move, but his right hand seemingly casually grabbed at the swollen puppet in mid-air.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no dazzling light.

But under his grasp, the puppet, which was originally berserk and chaotic and about to break free from the ice and explode, suddenly froze.

The cyan energy stream connecting it to the altar's sphere of light seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand.

"Snap, snap—!"

A cracking sound rang out, the light on the energy flow surface dimmed rapidly, and the puppet's swollen body deflated as if leaking air.

He Wu's eyes gleamed brightly:

"Yi Tianxing, I underestimated your unorthodox methods. Though crude, they hit the nail on the head!" He immediately concentrated his strength to cooperate.

Zhao Yi roared, and his greatsword flashed with golden light once more:

"Who cares about seven or eight inches? Just chop it up!"

Zhan Tiancheng's figure flashed, his blades forming a net:

"Your Highness, please step back. The energy here is becoming increasingly unstable."

However, the light sphere retaliated, and the suction force surged again.

At the same time, faint, ancient, and deep mournful cries and roars emanated from inside the sphere of light, and it even began to draw away the remaining energy of the puppet and the life force of everyone present.

"Damn it, is this ever going to end?!" Yi Tianxing cursed, his face grave.