Chapter 2911: Blood and Flesh Spirit Puppet

The Lizard Clan’s protective formation, an eighth-tier array, will inevitably be breached without an Integration Realm cultivator to control it.

Yi Feng's expression tightened. "A powerful enemy is attacking," he commanded. "We must unite to overcome this challenge. All of you, go and attend to your duties!"

Bu Dan and the others departed, one by one, their faces etched with concern.

Yi Feng took out a shimmering golden communication disc, cast a spell into it, and commanded, "Yuan Gang, come to Heavenly Lizard Peak immediately. I have a task for you."

"Understood, Fellow Daoist Yi," came a clear male voice from the disc.

Yi Feng arrived at a steep peak. Above the mountainside, a golden mist enveloped the area. A green stone staircase ascended from the base to the summit, where a silver stele, over ten zhang tall, stood inscribed with the golden characters "Heavenly Lizard Peak."

Yuan Gang flew from a distance and landed before Yi Feng.

"Integration Realm cultivators from the Essence Fire Clan are attacking; we need your intervention," Yi Feng said. "Rest assured, if we overcome this challenge, that low-grade seventh-tier Lightning Absorption Pearl will be yours. Have you refined the Five Thunder Staff yet?"

Yi Feng's voice was deep. Yuan Gang, whose true form was a mid-grade seventh-tier Golden Thunder Ape, had not grown up in the Heavenly Lizard Mountain Range and had been compelled to join the Lizard Clan. To secure Yuan Gang's complete loyalty, substantial benefits were naturally required.

Having advanced to the seventh tier, the Golden Thunder Ape had already survived four great heavenly tribulations. Within the next millennium, Yuan Gang would face his fifth great heavenly tribulation. If he refined a Lightning Absorption Pearl for his own use, he could likely endure not only the fifth but even the sixth tribulation without issue. Possessing the bloodline of a Mountain Ape, his physical body was considerably stronger than that of ordinary seventh-tier demonic beasts, and in human form, he could utilize formations and treasures to aid his tribulation.

Yuan Gang nodded. "I've already refined it. While my current cultivation doesn't allow me to control it for an extended period, activating the Blood Essence Great Art would resolve that."

The Blood Essence Great Art, a secret technique detailed in the Heavenly Void Jade Book, allows cultivators to temporarily boost their cultivation. However, the higher one's current cultivation, the smaller the increase and the greater the cost. This secret technique, however, carries a significant drawback: it enhances cultivation by burning one's vital essence. The greater the desired increase in cultivation, the more vital essence is consumed. Thus, only cultivators with robust physical bodies and abundant vital energy are suitable for its use. An ordinary cultivator would quickly deplete their vital essence and perish. Even Integration Realm cultivators, if they use this technique, can only advance from the early to the mid-stage before their vital essence is exhausted, leading to death. It is, in essence, a suicidal technique.

Only core members of the Lizard Clan are permitted to cultivate this secret technique, and it is exclusively suited for body cultivators; ordinary cultivators are not.

"That settles it. Follow me! Whether we can repel Yan Que now depends entirely on you," Yi Feng said.

Yi Feng nodded with satisfaction, then took out a square golden token. With a gentle flick, a golden light shot out and vanished into the golden mist. The golden mist churned violently, and a golden cloud ladder emerged from it, landing before them. Yi Feng and Yuan Gang stepped onto the ladder, which swiftly rolled up, carrying them into the golden mist.

Yuan Gang's vision blurred, and he suddenly found himself in a vast bluestone plaza, dominated by a golden palace over ten zhang tall. Two powerful divine senses swiftly swept over Yuan Gang, startling him briefly before he quickly relaxed. The golden palace gates suddenly opened, and Yi Feng led Yuan Gang inside.

The spacious and brightly lit hall featured a lifelike giant lizard carved into the stone wall opposite the entrance. Upon closer inspection, the lizard's eyes appeared deeply sunken. Yi Feng flicked his sleeve, sending two golden orbs flying into the lizard's sunken eyes. A brilliant golden light flared, and the lizard appeared to come to life, crawling across the stone wall.

"I'm here to retrieve the Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet!" Yi Feng declared. "Otherwise, we won't be able to repel the Essence Fire Clan's Integration Realm cultivators."

As soon as he finished speaking, a shimmering yellow metal orb flew out from the stone wall and landed in Yi Feng's hand. Its surface was covered with countless yellow spirit runes, emanating astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations.

Yi Feng walked out, and Yuan Gang promptly followed. With a flick of his wrist, Yi Feng sent the metal orb floating into the air and cast a spell into it. All the yellow spirit runes on the metal orb's surface illuminated brightly. After a dull thud, the orb transformed into a yellow giant ape puppet over a hundred zhang tall. Unlike ordinary puppets, this one possessed flesh, blood, and fur, along with three tightly closed eyes.

This Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet was crafted from the corpse of an eighth-tier Three-Eyed Giant Ape. During the Lizard Clan's golden age, their Grand Elder journeyed to the Qianyuan Continent and acquired it from the Qianyuan Grotto-Heaven. It was one of the Lizard Clan's ultimate trump cards; after all, a race that once boasted three Integration Realm cultivators was bound to possess means to threaten even those at that level. The Heavenly Moon Clan, one of the three major clans in the Profound Sun Realm, resides on the Qianyuan Continent. The Qianyuan Grotto-Heaven itself is a dangerous location on the continent, rumored to be the immortal's abode of an ancient cultivator who ascended to the immortal realm, filled with countless rare treasures. It opens only once every tens of thousands of years, and unlike Grand Exalted Xuanling's moving Daoist field, its location within the Profound Sun Realm is fixed.

The Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet is a unique type of automaton that requires control by a cultivator possessing the same bloodline, and the cultivator's own cultivation level cannot be too far below that of the puppet. As the Three-Eyed Giant Ape possessed the bloodline of a Mountain Ape, only demonic apes sharing this same lineage could control the Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet. After acquiring the puppet, the Lizard Clan relentlessly sought out such demonic apes. They managed to capture several, but only the Golden Thunder Ape was willing to submit; all the others who refused were killed.

"Begin the spell! The formation won't hold much longer," Yi Feng commanded.

Yuan Gang initiated a spell. His body slowly grew taller, accompanied by crackling bone sounds. Dazzling crimson light emanated from his form as his aura surged to the peak of the Fusion Realm. He cast several spells into the Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet, causing countless blood-colored runes to illuminate its surface. Yuan Gang then merged into the puppet, becoming one with it.

The Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet slowly rose, opening its three eyes, whose pupils glowed yellow.

"So this is the Integration Realm!" The Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet spoke in a human voice, its expression exhilarated.

"Go and confront Yan Que!" Yi Feng said in a deep voice.

The Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet let out an angry roar and strode rapidly down the mountain.

A colossal golden light barrier enveloped the entire Heavenly Lizard Mountain Range, its surface covered in countless arcane runes. The sky above had turned dark red, and a massive crimson fire cloud hovered high overhead. An area spanning ten thousand li had transformed into a crimson sea of fire, at the center of which stood Yan Que, his expression cold and impassive. Over a hundred thousand crimson fireballs floated high in the sky, resembling a celestial constellation.

The multitude of crimson fireballs pelted the golden light barrier, creating thunderous roars. Raging flames engulfed the barrier as the ground beneath shook violently, long, thin cracks appearing as if the very earth was about to shatter.

A yellow light shot out from within the golden light barrier, revealing a yellow giant ape over a hundred zhang tall, distinct with its three eyes.

"An eighth-tier spirit beast? No, this is a Flesh and Blood Spirit Puppet!" Yan Que's expression hardened, and a thoughtful look crossed his face.