Chapter 92: Silver Shadow

Zhou Yuan and Su Youwei both stared with shock at the silver battle armor before them. Yao Yao, standing nearby, also had a look of surprise in her beautiful eyes. After examining it, she finally said, "This isn't battle armor; it should be called a battle puppet."

"Battle puppet?" Zhou Yuan was momentarily stunned.

"The Battle Puppet Sect really has some skill to be able to create battle puppets of this caliber," Yao Yao exclaimed in admiration. "If I'm not mistaken, this battle puppet isn't a standalone type. Instead, it can merge with a person, assisting each other to unleash astonishing power."

"To integrate a person and a battle puppet into one – tsk, tsk – the Battle Puppet Sect truly dares to conceive and execute such an idea."

"Merge with a person?" Zhou Yuan frowned, clearly perplexed.

"Touch it with your hand," Yao Yao said.

Zhou Yuan hesitated slightly, then extended a finger and cautiously tapped the silver armor in front of him.

Just as Zhou Yuan's finger touched the armor, it suddenly dissolved rapidly, turning into a silvery liquid that then flowed up Zhou Yuan's arm.

Within a few breaths, the silver liquid enveloped Zhou Yuan's body.

After covering him, the silver liquid began to solidify and take shape. Soon, Zhou Yuan's body was encased in the familiar silver armor.

The silver battle armor's closed eyes suddenly opened, and silver light shimmered within them. A surprised exclamation emerged from its "mouth": "What an incredible battle puppet!"

Though the voice was slightly altered, it was clearly Zhou Yuan's.

"I feel incredibly powerful right now!" Zhou Yuan exclaimed, overjoyed. The silver armor tightly enveloped his body, and he could control the battle puppet as if it were his own limbs. The two seemed to have truly merged, a perfect fit.

What astonished Zhou Yuan most was the immense strength he now felt. This silver armor had granted him extraordinary power.

Feeling the surging power, Zhou Yuan couldn't resist testing it. He suddenly clenched his hand, and the battle armor's sharp hand immediately closed into a fist.

Zhou Yuan dropped to one knee and slammed his fist into the ground.

The impact caused the entire underground palace to tremble violently. Zhou Yuan watched in shock as a crack instantly appeared in the ground before him, the surface even beginning to spiderweb.

"So strong! The power of this punch even rivals a Genesis Stage expert!" Zhou Yuan exclaimed in ecstasy.

However, no sooner had his exclamation faded than a sharp pain shot through his forehead, and his vision suddenly went dark.

The silver battle armor suddenly contracted, transforming into a hovering silver sphere. Zhou Yuan tumbled out of it, landing on the ground, pale-faced and with his eyes tightly shut.

"Your Highness?!" Seeing this, Su Youwei's beautiful face changed instantly. She rushed forward and cradled him in her arms.

"Sister Yao Yao, what's wrong with him?" Su Youwei asked urgently.

Yao Yao stepped closer, took a look, and said, "He's fine. His spirit energy is just depleted. He'll recover slowly after some rest."

Relieved, Su Youwei let out a breath. She extended her slender, pale fingers and gently massaged Zhou Yuan's temples.

Zhou Yuan remained unconscious for nearly half an hour before slowly regaining awareness. His first instinct was to clutch his head, which felt like it was about to explode.

"What happened to me?" After a long while, he finally felt some relief, though his face remained ashen. He looked at Yao Yao and asked with lingering trepidation.

Yao Yao gave him an exasperated look and chided, "Who told you to misuse that power?"

"When this battle puppet merges with you, it links to your spirit energy and uses it as its power source. But you didn't even consider your current spirit energy cultivation level! How could you possibly activate a battle puppet that possesses Genesis Stage power?"

"The consequence of forcing it is draining your spirit energy. Luckily, you didn't unleash too much power, or your spirit energy would have been completely depleted by now."

Zhou Yuan's face paled in alarm. He clearly hadn't expected such a hidden danger in activating the battle puppet.

"Well, why didn't you say so earlier!" Zhou Yuan groaned, lamenting his ignorance.

He glanced at the hovering silver sphere with lingering fear and deep regret. Earlier, he had thought that with this battle puppet, he could directly contend with Genesis Stage experts. But now, it seemed he had been too naive; there truly was no such thing as unearned power in this world.

"Sister Yao Yao, you can have this thing. It's perfect for you," Zhou Yuan said, rubbing his forehead.

"So considerate?" Yao Yao first chuckled playfully, then lightly shook her head.

"However, the drop of blood you offered earlier has already merged with it. I don't know how to undo that, so it's likely no one else can use this silver battle puppet besides you."

"Uh..." Zhou Yuan scratched his head. He clearly hadn't realized that his previous drop of blood had made the silver battle puppet recognize him as its master.

"Still, you can let me study it. If I get all the necessary materials in the future, I might even try to create one myself," Yao Yao said with keen interest.

Zhou Yuan naturally nodded.

"It seems I'll need to advance my spirit energy cultivation to the Reality Stage at least, if I want to truly unleash this battle puppet's power." He felt a hint of regret. He was only at the mid-Void Stage now, and reaching the Reality Stage felt like a distant goal.

"You should be secretly pleased. This battle puppet is likely the Battle Puppet Sect's pinnacle creation. The idea of a human merging with a battle puppet, even allowing cultivation techniques and Genesis Arts to be unleashed through the puppet's power – such a daring concept, and they actually managed to achieve it."

"Furthermore, if your Genesis Rune mastery improves in the future, you might be able to make it even stronger."

Yao Yao gazed at the silver sphere with her beautiful eyes and sighed, "It possesses potential for growth, something other battle puppets can't compare to. That's why I said the Battle Puppet Sect really has some remarkable capabilities."

To receive such an appraisal from Yao Yao, Zhou Yuan truly understood the silver armor's formidable nature. He immediately smiled; this thing was indeed a treasure. Even if he couldn't use it now, it might become a powerful asset in the future.

"From now on, I'll call you 'Silver Shadow'," Zhou Yuan said with a smile to the silver sphere. Such a unique entity deserved a name of its own.

As if it understood Zhou Yuan's words, a gleam of silver light flickered on the sphere.

Zhou Yuan then placed the silver sphere back into a jade box and carefully stored it in his Cosmos Pouch.

They continued to search the underground palace but found no further treasures. Nevertheless, Zhou Yuan and Su Youwei were content, while Yao Yao seemed entirely unconcerned.

"Let's go," Zhou Yuan said with a smile, now that the underground palace's treasure was secured.

The three exited the underground palace. The bronze door closed, and the Genesis Rune barrier gradually reformed. Zhou Yuan felt a sense of relief seeing the barrier sealed once more. Upon returning to Great Zhou City, he would have Zhou Qing send people to take over. If they could fully integrate these battle puppets, the power of their Great Zhou royal family would surge dramatically.

Thus, this underground palace could be considered the dawn of Great Zhou's hope.