In an instant, the energy originally infused into the Earth Attribute Puppet was completely absorbed by the Taotie.

"Is this... energy conversion?" Xu Ran was slightly astonished upon witnessing this scene.

After all, the Earth Attribute energy in the background was said to be limitless, so why did the Taotie shadow sever the thin connection to the Earth Attribute Puppet and instead absorb it directly?

There’s only one possibility: the Taotie shadow within the Giant Tripod can convert Earth Attribute Energy into other forces to supply the Earth Attribute Puppet.

After all, the energy of the Earth Attribute background is virtually limitless, but considering the recent battles with various Attribute Puppets,

The energy these puppets can accept is limited, even if the background energy is infinite, it cannot completely supply the puppets at once.

Otherwise, from the outset, that background could have transferred all its energy to the puppets, and Xu Ran would immediately have failed this trial.

And now, the Giant Tripod appearing before him is clearly a Divine Artifact, containing incredibly abundant energy, possibly more than the sum of energies from five different backgrounds.

However, because it seems to have lost something, it is incomplete, and thus unable to fully release the power within the Giant Tripod.

Nonetheless, the energy harbored by the Taotie shadow surpasses the combined power of a Puppet.

Fortunately, the Taotie shadow can transfer this energy to the puppet, thereby breaking the puppet’s inherent limitations to achieve a surplus of energy, and maybe, even trigger some transformations.

Xu Ran’s mind constantly considered various potential scenarios. The next moment, his gaze focused sharply on the Earth Attribute Puppet standing on the Giant Tripod.

At this time, it absorbed the power contained in the Taotie, and its exterior slowly began to transform.

The form of the Earth Attribute Puppet started rapidly expanding, and the previously wooden exterior began to shed continuously, revealing its inner structure, a skeleton made of dark golden stone.

The limbs, resembling segments of a centipede, were composed of small dark golden stones, with green mist jets spraying from the gaps between each stone piece.

These mists dispersed into the air, quickly condensing into vapor, which fell to the ground.

Instantly, the ground presented a corroded pit.

"This green mist is poisonous!"

Upon seeing this, Xu Ran immediately became vigilant.

The Earth Attribute Puppet was now surrounded by this green mist; getting close could corrode every inch of your body, leaving a honeycomb-shaped pit on the surface!

"Earth Vein Poison Gas!"

Outside the Dueling Arena, the Senior Brother observed the green mist leaking into the air and spoke softly.

Though his voice was minimal, it could be distinctly heard by all the Soul Bodies in the quiet Dueling Arena.

The phrase "Earth Vein Poison Gas" immediately evoked a sense of dread on the faces of the Soul Bodies, some even showing expressions of fear, as if they had genuinely experienced it before.

"An Earth Vein, buried deep underground, unseen by light or water, devoid of any living creatures!"

"Yet, because the Earth Vein harbors powerful energy, it invisibly lures bizarre creatures inside, only to be instantly slain by the vein!"

"The left-behind corpses, combined with the Earth Vein’s inherent peculiarity, cause both to merge and spawn a green mist, called Earth Vein Poison Gas, which can erode everything in existence, and if old enough, can even damage the vein and leak its energy!"

At this time, the Second Brother’s voice emerged beside him, explaining the origin of Earth Vein Poison Gas to the Soul Bodies.

In fact, his explanation was unnecessary as the Soul Bodies present were well aware of it; some had even encountered the gas, and the terrifying scene resurfaced, making their bodies shiver!

"Back then, I attempted to excavate an Earth Vein for refining my physique but unexpectedly came across Earth Vein Poison Gas. Among my group, I was the sole survivor; the others perished in gruesome ways!"

Then, a Soul Body murmured softly.

"At that time, I had already ascended to First Rank Divine King, yet despite such status, the Earth Vein Poison Gas, though not killing you instantly, would cling to you until death!"

"If luck hadn’t allowed me to be chosen by the Nine-Layered Giant Tower, freeing myself from the gas’s clutches within the tower, I might have already fallen!"

His voice trembled continuously while recounting the time he encountered the Earth Vein Poison Gas, a memory that had yet to fade away.

Indeed, those present had heard this tale countless times, but most still hadn’t directly witnessed the Earth Vein Poison Gas.

It’s essential to understand, Earth Vein Poison Gas is renowned as the ultimate poison in the world, impossible to remove, purify, or evade even by a Divine King.

Their gaze toward Xu Ran in the mirror turned sympathetic.

Being deemed the ultimate poison isn’t solely for its terrifying erosive potential; it’s the inescapable ensnarement that lingers without dispersing before death.

Though in the Nine-Layered Giant Tower, trial failures do not result in death.

But who is Xu Ran?

Great Success [Innate Saint’s Sacred Body], fortified continually by endless Innate Qi.

This equates to an extremely capable body endurance. Upon contact with Earth Vein Poison Gas, he would not instantly die; rather, his body would incur continuous erosion. However, due to the powerful repair capability of Great Success [Innate Saint’s Sacred Body], it allows rapid restoration of bodily damage.