Chapter 246: Chapter 246: Ouyang Chen Reappears

So-called Puppets are nothing more than corpses or wooden dolls refined with special materials, granting them a second life. Puppets feel no pain, will not betray their masters, and possess formidable combat strength. They are the top choice for many Secret Realm Guardians!

Generally, Low Level Puppets rely on Talismans to provide the Energy for their movements. Higher Level ones, however, have a Spirit Core placed in their heads and are driven by it! As for the highest-level Puppets, they are more than just puppets. They possess a remnant of their own soul, can think, feel pain, retain their combat consciousness from when they were alive, and can even use Martial Skills. Even the Puppet Dao within the Alchemy Inheritance rates them extremely highly! However, these kinds of Puppets are extremely difficult to refine, and the success rate is incredibly low. Thus, they are rarely seen.

The two Pill Child Puppets here should belong to the second category, driven by the Spirit Cores in their heads. ’As long as I destroy the Spirit Cores in their heads, I can subdue them!’

At this thought, Shen Haoran’s speed increased by a few degrees, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived before the two Pill Children.

As he once again neared the Pill Furnace, the two Pill Children stirred. The Sharp Swords in their hands danced, sending waves of tangible Sword Qi slashing toward Shen Haoran. The fierce gale tore through the surrounding air!

The strength of these two Pill Children was not low; they were both Tier Nine Spirit Pupils. Shen Haoran didn’t dare to underestimate them!

He blocked with his Qilin Arm held before him. The sharp Sword Qi carved white marks across the pitch-black arm, and a piercing pain followed. A trace of fresh blood trickled from his arm. This was the first time Shen Haoran had been injured since obtaining the Qilin Arm!

However, Shen Haoran paid no mind to such a superficial wound. Using his Qilin Arm, his figure flashed, and he appeared before one of the Pill Children. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian erupted on his left hand, and an exquisite Black Flame Lotus instantly took shape!

The next moment, Shen Haoran slammed the Black Flame Lotus into the Pill Child’s mouth with his palm. He then shot backward, dodging the other Pill Child’s attack!

"Explode!"

As Shen Haoran retreated, he watched the Pill Child that was about to pursue him and formed a Seal Technique with his hands. Immediately, the head of the Pill Child with the Black Flame Lotus stuffed in its mouth began to swell violently. Then, with a BOOM, it exploded. A terrifying gust of fiery wind spread outwards, knocking over all the medicine cabinets. The sound of shattering Jade Bottles echoed through the room!

Shen Haoran watched the Pill Child being devoured by the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, a cold smile touching his lips. The explosion just now had blown the Pill Child’s head to pieces, and the Spirit Core inside was completely shattered. This Puppet was now useless!

’One more to go!’ Shen Haoran’s figure flashed as he charged forward again!

This time, Shen Haoran chose to overwhelm it with brute force. His Qilin Arm moved in an impenetrable flurry, and his tyrannical physical strength shattered the Sharp Sword in the Pill Child’s hand! The Pill Child’s movements were stiff, and after a few exchanges, Shen Haoran smashed its head with a single punch, destroying the Spirit Core within.

Whew... After dealing with the two Pill Child Puppets, Shen Haoran took a deep breath. His Qilin Arm receded, and he walked toward the Pill Furnace. He was very curious about what was inside that would warrant two Pill Children to guard it.

BANG...

With a muffled thud, Shen Haoran blasted open the pitch-black Pill Furnace with his palm. Instantly, a rich Pill Fragrance wafted out from within. Upon smelling it, Shen Haoran immediately felt refreshed and clear-headed!

’What is this...’ Shen Haoran’s face lit up with joy as he craned his neck to look inside the Pill Furnace.

At this moment, a perfectly round Elixir was floating inside the Pill Furnace. A faint, cloud-like mist enveloped it, making it seem to appear and disappear from view!

Seeing the faint, cloud-like mist around the Elixir, Shen Haoran cried out in shock, "A Pill Cloud! It’s actually a Pill Cloud!"

The so-called Pill Cloud is formed when an Elixir’s quality reaches the Top Grade and its excess Energy overflows. For an Elixir that has formed a Pill Cloud, not only will its Medicinal Power not fade with time, but it will actually grow purer the older it gets! This Elixir has been brewing inside the Pill Furnace for ten thousand years. The Medicinal Power it contains has likely reached an unimaginable level!

’No wonder Pill Children were left to guard this place!’ Shen Haoran exclaimed in his heart. ’An Elixir that could condense a Pill Cloud is already a once-in-a-century sight. Not only have I encountered one, but it’s one that has been brewing for ten thousand years. Even if the Elixir’s grade was low to begin with, after ten thousand years of sedimentation, it must have undergone a qualitative leap!’

At this thought, the suction from Shen Haoran’s hand surged, pulling the Elixir out from the Pill Furnace. As the Elixir landed in his hand, he could still feel a gentle warmth, as if it had just been refined!

’An Elixir that formed a Pill Cloud is truly worthy of its reputation!’ Shen Haoran praised again before taking out a high-quality Jade Bottle and placing the Elixir inside. After doing this, Shen Haoran began to circle the pitch-black Pill Furnace.

’This is a pretty good treasure too!’ A fiery glint flashed in Shen Haoran’s eyes. ’I happen to be missing a suitable Pill Furnace, and this one has just been delivered to my doorstep!’ With a wave of his hand, a suction force emerged, pulling the pitch-black Pill Furnace into his Storage Ring.

Clapping his hands together, Shen Haoran nodded in satisfaction. ’My luck is pretty good. I’ve only just begun and I’ve already obtained an Elixir that has formed a Pill Cloud. Judging by its quality, it must be at least Seventh Grade.’

’I wonder what other good things are in this grand hall!’ Shen Haoran licked his lips, then called out to Changmao, who was in the corner eating Elixirs like they were candy, "Changmao, stop eating! Let’s go, we’ll keep looking!"

BOOM...

However, just as Shen Haoran’s words fell, a world-shaking boom echoed from the depths of the grand hall. The entire hall began to tremble, and dust from the rafters was shaken loose, raining down!

"What happened?" The massive commotion caused all the disciples in the grand hall to stop what they were doing, their brows furrowing tightly.

"It seems like the noise came from the depths of the hall!" Changmao was startled by the loud noise and, with a WHOOSH, leaped onto Shen Haoran’s shoulder, pointing toward the back of the hall.

"I know. Let’s go check it out!" With that, he pushed open the door of the Alchemy Room, and his figure flashed as he rushed toward the depths of the hall! At the same time, the other disciples in the hall had also located the source of the sound and were rushing toward the back of the hall from all directions.

「 」

Inside the Library Pavilion, Xue Gong frowned slightly. He placed a Scroll he was holding into his Storage Ring, also intending to head toward the depths of the hall. A noise like that could mean some great treasure was appearing, and he didn’t want to miss it.

However, just as he was about to leave the Library Pavilion, a black shadow suddenly appeared before him. The figure was completely wrapped in a large black robe, with wisps of black energy occasionally drifting from it, giving it an extremely sinister appearance!

"Who are you?" Xue Gong asked coldly, looking at the black-robed figure with vigilance. From this person, Xue Gong felt a threat to his very life!

"Have you forgotten me so soon?" a hoarse voice came from within the black robe. But to Xue Gong’s ears, this voice was like a bolt from the blue!

"You... You’re... Young Master Chen!"