Chapter 1605: What is This Thing?

Chapter 1590: What is this thing?

In the Ghost King's Catacombs, Dong Rui had indeed seen a peculiar creature that possessed all these characteristics—

A Sky Demon!

Sky Demons come in myriad forms; "Sky Demon" is merely a general term, and the inhabitants of the God Realm are all quite distinct in appearance.

The Ghost King's Catacombs, or more accurately, True Master Minghui's abode, contained numerous Sky Demon remains. Most were carelessly discarded in a landfill, but a few were preserved as exhibits, encased within glowing, transparent pillars.

Dong Rui remembered clearly that one of these Sky Demon remains possessed all the aforementioned traits.

It was female.

Inside the pillar was also an excavated tunnel, one end connected to this female Sky Demon, the other to the outside world.

He had even crawled into this tunnel himself to examine it, leaving a deep impression.

So, Cao Wendao had mimicked the appearance of a Sky Demon to create a demon puppet?

How utterly perverse! When he commanded the demon puppet, wasn't it akin to commanding a Sky Demon or a deity?

Could the Celestial Palace permit him such a practice?

Cao Wendao paid no mind to his thoughts, issuing a direct command to the demon puppet: "Seize him!"

If Wei Yishan could just be captured, this terrible night might still end somewhat acceptably.

However, the grey-robed figure did not take Dong Rui back. Instead, a vague thought surfaced in the minds of both Dong Rui and Cao Wendao: "Want to eat, bring it!"

This wasn't even language; it was merely a thought, yet both could clearly perceive it.

Dong Rui knew this was Cao Wendao's primary demon puppet communicating.

Demon puppets usually communicate with their masters telepathically, not by forming complete sentences, but by conveying their state or needs, such as hunger, injury, or pain.

But for Dong Rui to actually receive the enemy puppet's communication, it was as if this monster was speaking directly to him!

Without needing Dong Rui's permission, the grey-robed figure yanked the pack from his back, tilted its head back, and shoved it into its mouth.

The movement was impatient.

Clearly, the grey-robed figure considered the contents of the backpack exceptionally delicious, so much so that it ignored its master's command to eat them first.

Its mask opened on its own, revealing a face devoid of eyes or a nose, only a sunken, black-hole-like maw that opened vertically, surrounded by a ring of sharp, pointed teeth.

The item in Dong Rui's backpack was the size of a small watermelon, impossible for a human to swallow whole. Yet, the grey-robed figure gulped it down effortlessly, package and all, in one go.

It was baffling how such a large piece of food could slide down its gullet and into its belly.

Dong Rui couldn't help but curse loudly, "Holy crap!"

His egg! This monstrous thing ate his egg!

While the grey-robed figure's head was tilted back, he quickly produced a dart tube with his left hand and pressed the trigger firmly.

Dammit, he had to do it himself in the end!

They were so close that the dart tube was almost pressed against the grey-robed figure when fired. With a rapid succession of "thud-thud" sounds, dozens of steel darts struck the grey-robed figure.

This was a masterpiece from Pine Ridge Manor; though not as exaggerated as the Pear Blossom Storm Needles, each dart carried a powerful repelling effect. Caught off guard, the grey-robed figure was repeatedly forced back over ten feet.

Then, these steel darts exploded.

Under Pine Ridge Manor's specifications, these darts would detonate two breaths after hitting an enemy. Knowing his own combat skills were average, Dong Rui had specially commissioned this dart tube for self-defense, requesting the strongest possible repelling effect, with explosion power being secondary.

If he could create distance from the enemy, he could escape.

At that moment, with two more "whoosh" sounds, the bat demon puppet transformed into an arrow and lunged at Cao Wendao.

The demon puppets in the forest had mostly been cleared out, and the grey-robed figure had gone after Dong Rui, leaving Cao Wendao isolated and the best target on the field.

While demon puppets were difficult to fight, one could attack the puppeteer instead.

Seizing this opportunity, the Ghost Ape leaped over, scooped up Dong Rui, and shielded him in its arms.

With a summoning motion of its left palm, the purple-gold bronze staff flew into its hand. It aimed directly at the grey-robed figure and brought the staff down on its head!

With a crisp "clang," it struck squarely.

The sequence of movements was fluid and seamless, splitting the grey-robed figure's head open.

Dong Rui ignored everything else, pulled a medicine bottle from his pocket, bit open the stopper, and gulped down half the contents.

As the medicine took effect, Dong Rui felt a surge of energy, and even his pain was halved. This was a pain-relieving elixir; his bone injuries would require treatment back at Spring Stream Manor.

He didn't forget to glance at the grey-robed figure on the ground.

It had first endured the explosion of Pine Ridge Manor's steel darts, then had its head smashed by the Ghost Ape, yet there wasn't a single drop of blood. Instead, fragments were scattered all over the ground.

They weren't bodily remains or chunks of flesh, but rather fragments resembling shattered ceramic or clay sculptures.

A large hole had been blasted into the grey-robed figure's arm, revealing dark, bronze-colored bones.

It seemed oblivious to pain, propping itself up with its arm and standing again.

The fragments on the ground, as if guided, flew back to its body, repairing its injuries, much like iron filings drawn to a powerful magnet.

In just two breaths, the grey-robed figure was whole again, without even a single crease missing from its clothing.

This sight would have appeared utterly bizarre to others, but Dong Rui pondered, "It's not a body of flesh and blood!"

Cao Wendao's primary demon puppet was actually not made of flesh and blood! How was one to interpret this?

Then again, only demon puppeteers typically chose demonic beasts and living creatures as their base materials. Others who crafted puppets usually opted for inanimate objects like metal, clay, or spiritual wood.

Therefore, to defeat such a puppet, one would need to locate its core.

But why would Cao Wendao do this? His specialty was clearly insect puppets.

Dong Rui knew very well that skilled demon puppeteers, when crafting their creations, should adapt to the circumstances and strive to maximize the inherent advantages of their work.

This meant that the grey-robed figure's current form was what Cao Wendao believed to be its most potent characteristic.

It was also incredibly lifelike.

However, he also mentioned that the base material for this primary demon puppet was a living creature brought by Ghost King Xuanlu from the Howling Forest.

Cao Wendao's face was alight with pride when he said this, making it seem truthful.

That place had first been contaminated by the remains of celestial beings, then encountered malevolent energy surging forth from geological shifts. What living creature could still survive there?

Was it some kind of wood demon?

Just now, the grey-robed figure had spat out vines and injured the bat demon puppet. Could this imply its true form was actually a plant?

Dong Rui was eager to discover the reason because a demon puppet's origin inevitably determined its characteristics and attack methods. Without understanding the true nature of this thing, it would be difficult to deal with it.

Seeing its master take the medicine, the Ghost Ape swung its great staff and attacked the grey-robed figure again.

But the grey-robed figure dodged twice, then, with a bare-handed technique, caught the descending purple-gold staff.

The Ghost Ape's strength had been repeatedly enhanced and calibrated by Dong Rui; it had more than doubled or tripled since it first met He Lingchuan four or five years ago. Even a massive boulder would be pulverized by its blows.

Yet, the grey-robed figure was not only quickly adapting to its movement and staff techniques, but also managed to withstand tens of thousands of pounds of force without flinching.