Chapter 1413: Entering the Ten Thousand Puppet Palace

Wuchang's five companions also attacked another hundred-eyed sand spider, with the same result. The hundred-eyed sand spider, adept at earth magic, immediately burrowed into the desert when it saw the situation was unfavorable, using the terrain to contend against the six Nascent Soul cultivators.

Initially, the hundred-eyed sand spiders would emerge from the ground. However, after suffering a minor setback, they remained hidden beneath the desert, continuously harassing Wuchang and his five companions, preventing them from proceeding smoothly.

"We need to find a way to kill them; this isn't sustainable," the green-robed elder said with a frown. The persistent harassment from the hundred-eyed sand spiders was not a good sign.

"Let me try!" Huang Fugui declared. He conjured a small, exquisite yellow pagoda. After casting a spell into it, the pagoda suddenly glowed with countless yellow runes and rapidly expanded to over a hundred feet tall. The base of the yellow giant pagoda emitted a large swath of yellow radiance, covering a vast area. A significant amount of golden sand flew up, drawn into the yellow giant pagoda.

Less than half an hour later, the golden desert remained unchanged.

"It's no use. Even with a spirit treasure, you can't collect the sand here," Wuchang said, shaking his head.

"Let us try!" The green-robed elder and the young woman in white, whether by conjuring magic treasures or casting spiritual techniques, were unable to harm the hundred-eyed sand spiders hidden beneath the desert. The spiders remained concealed underground, refusing to surface, and using the terrain, they were virtually invulnerable.

"I'll give it a try!" Wang Qingshan said after a slight hesitation, pulling out the Xuanhuang Mirror. As his immense magical power flowed into the Xuanhuang Mirror, numerous yellow runes immediately appeared on its surface. After brightening considerably, the mirror emitted a beam of yellow light that enveloped a sand dune. The sand dune rapidly petrified, transforming into earthy yellow rock.

Petrification-ability magic treasures were extremely rare, so it surprised Wuchang and his five companions that Wang Qingshan possessed such an unusual earth-attributed treasure. Wang Qingshan, of course, had prepared himself for any consequences by revealing the Xuanhuang Mirror.

"Hurry, I can't maintain this for long!" Wang Qingshan urged. As the yellow radiance continuously moved, the desert suddenly transformed into solid ground. Wuchang, delighted, quickly cast a spell, causing the red flying boat's escape light to surge, propelling it forward.

Shielded by the Xuanhuang Mirror, the red flying boat advanced swiftly. The two hundred-eyed sand spiders attempted to intercept it, but they narrowly avoided the petrifying spiritual light emitted by the Xuanhuang Mirror multiple times. Combined with the interference from Li Ling'er and the others, the two hundred-eyed sand spiders gained no advantage.

A day later, the red flying boat stopped again, and the two hundred-eyed sand spiders had departed.

"Myriad Puppet Palace! We're finally here," Huang Fugui muttered to himself, his eyes glowing with excitement.

Following Huang Fugui's gaze, a massive palace of golden bricks and glazed tiles stood tall in the desert. The palace was over a hundred feet high, and its thick stone pillars were carved with numerous exquisite patterns. Above the palace entrance hung a rectangular golden plaque, prominently displaying the three silver characters "Myriad Puppet Palace," shimmering with spiritual light. The main gate of the Myriad Puppet Palace was tightly shut, adorned with a colossal character "傀" (puppet), visible from a great distance.

"I've heard that the Myriad Puppet Palace is a labyrinth, filled with numerous restrictions and puppet beasts, and it houses a vast collection of treasures," Wang Qingshan said thoughtfully as he put away his Xuanhuang Mirror. The Puppet Emperor had once unified the northern cultivation world, amassing countless rare and precious items, but it was unknown how many remained within the Myriad Puppet Palace.

The young woman in white raised her delicate hand, sending out hundreds of white spiritual bees that flew towards the Myriad Puppet Palace. As soon as the white spiritual bees approached within a hundred feet of the palace, a deafening thunderclap echoed from above. More than a dozen thick yellow lightning bolts descended, striking the white spiritual bees precisely, and a large swathe of yellow lightning engulfed them. Shortly after, the yellow lightning dispersed, and the white spiritual bees were gone.

"This restriction can only be forced through. Fortunately, its power seems to have weakened," Wuchang said. As he spoke, he conjured a fist-sized golden orb, its surface inscribed with arcane silver patterns. The green-robed elder, in turn, conjured a fist-sized silver orb, its surface adorned with arcane golden patterns. The two orbs spun rapidly around them, unleashing countless golden and silver runes that transformed into a massive two-colored light barrier, enveloping all six of them.

They slowly advanced towards the Myriad Puppet Palace. As they approached within a hundred feet, a loud thunderclap echoed from above, and a large burst of yellow lightning struck the two-colored light barrier. A wisp of smoke rose, and the barrier's spiritual light dimmed slightly. Wuchang and the green-robed elder frantically channeled their magical power into their orb treasures. The orb treasures radiated dazzling spiritual light, making the two-colored barrier increasingly dense and solidified.

Before long, the six of them stood at the entrance of the Myriad Puppet Palace. The two-colored light barrier had become faint and flickering, and all six were covered in cold sweat. If it had been any other Nascent Soul cultivators, reaching this point would have been extremely difficult, let alone acquiring treasures.

"The Myriad Puppet Palace gate is crafted from ink-gold stone, incredibly heavy, and can only be opened with brute force. We're counting on you, Fellow Daoist Wu," the green-robed elder said, gazing at the towering palace gate with eager eyes.

Wuchang put away his red flying boat. His body radiated intense blue light, and a crackling sound of bones resounded from within him. His physique swelled by more than a full circle, revealing bulging veins and visible blood vessels beneath his skin. He placed both hands on the palace gate and pushed with all his might. His face turned crimson as the palace gate slowly opened, revealing a spacious golden palace. At the front of the main hall stood a massive statue of a woman in a golden dress, gazing into the distance—this was the statue of the Puppet Emperor. Exquisite murals were carved on the stone walls, and on both the left and right sides, there were long bluestone passages leading to unknown destinations.

Li Ling'er released two human-sized ape puppet beasts, which roamed around the hall, but encountered no abnormalities.

"Let's take the right passage. Be careful of mechanisms and restrictions," Wuchang said with a deep breath, his voice solemn, as he stepped inside. Wang Qingshan and the other five followed closely behind.

The passage was quite spacious, allowing five people to walk side by side without issue. After walking over a hundred feet, a humanoid puppet beast clad in golden armor suddenly appeared. In its right hand, it clutched a gleaming golden spear, exuding an intimidating spiritual aura.

"Is this a fourth-tier puppet beast? We could make a decent profit by taking some parts off it," Huang Fugui exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

Wuchang frowned, reminding him, "The puppet beasts in the Myriad Puppet Palace cannot be taken away. Others have tried before, and forcibly collecting them will lead to serious trouble." Besides being notoriously timid, Huang Fugui was also famed for his greed, often selling junk as precious treasures to low-level cultivators.

"What a pity! If only we could take it. This is a puppet beast crafted by the Puppet Emperor; it would surely fetch an astronomical price," Huang Fugui said with a regretful tone, a pained expression on his face.

Wang Qingshan merely smiled without speaking. If Huang Fugui wasn't greedy, would he even be Huang Fugui?

After turning left and walking straight for over a hundred feet, a stone chamber roughly an acre in size appeared before them. Scattered on the ground were some remnants of puppet beasts and a broken flying dagger magic treasure.