Chapter 0653 The Power of Beast Souls

Chapter 0653: Power of the Beast Soul

Qin Yun and Xiao Yuelan donned their masks and immediately sprinted off.

Neither knew who had sent the puppets, but they were both aware that the Xuanwu Puppet was formidable.

Even if they combined their strength, they stood little chance against a puppet of that level.

"Xiao Yun, let’s not speak for now!" Xiao Yuelan whispered mentally to Qin Yun. "If this puppet is after you, it won’t recognize us and won’t strike blindly."

Qin Yun nodded.

They couldn’t tell from which direction the puppet would approach, so they could only rely on luck.

The puppets crafted by the Artifact Pavilion were exquisitely made. Though they couldn’t distinguish a person’s aura, they could sense nearby souls.

As long as there were fluctuations in soul power nearby, the puppets could detect them and give chase.

Qin Yun and Xiao Yuelan were now being pursued by the puppet.

"Why is this puppet so fast?!" Qin Yun noticed the glow on his ring growing brighter and thought with alarm.

"It’s here!" Xiao Yuelan transmitted.

The crowd above Demon Martial Island also saw through one of the mirrors the puppet chasing two masked figures.

The puppet had already spotted Qin Yun and Xiao Yuelan.

Shrouded in black cloaks and wearing masks, the pair couldn’t be recognized immediately.

However, the elder controlling the puppet commanded it to speed up and pursue.

As Qin Yun and Xiao Yuelan ran, the puppet suddenly cut them off.

"Which sect claims you?" the puppet demanded.

"Demon Immortal Cave!" Xiao Yuelan answered quickly.

The elder from the Demon Immortal Cave, who was present, immediately hissed, "You wouldn’t dare lay hands on our disciples!"

The elder from the Medicine Immortal Valley said, "Was this not made clear already? These puppets are meant to test the disciples. Since the Martial Arts Championship is organized by the Artifact Pavilion, we must follow their rules!"

Elder Wen of the Artifact Pavilion, controlling the puppet, said, "Then show your faces!"

"No!" Xiao Yuelan retorted.

"If you refuse, don’t expect me to show mercy!" the puppet threatened.

"What game are you playing?" Xiao Yuelan said coldly.

"I am from the Artifact Pavilion. These puppets were deployed to give the disciples a more challenging test—nothing more!" The puppet’s words made Qin Yun’s blood boil.

He hadn’t expected such powerful puppets to be sent by the Artifact Pavilion.

Swish! Several new figures suddenly appeared.

Reinforcements had come!

Before long, a full squad of ten puppets assembled.

"Xiao Yun, we gotta split up—now!" Xiao Yuelan mentally transmitted to Qin Yun. "We need to lose them as fast as possible!"

With that, Xiao Yuelan sprinted away swiftly.

Qin Yun immediately dashed in another direction.

The ten puppets split into two groups, pursuing Qin Yun and Xiao Yuelan separately.

As he ran, Qin Yun secretly launched a mental attack at the puppets behind him.

But it had no effect—the puppets could resist mental assaults.

"Is the Star Monarch Rune Soul targeting me specifically?" Qin Yun wondered.

He activated Vanishing Shadow Ceasing Breath, vanishing without a trace or aura, yet his soul’s energy still gave him away.

"That guy is Qin Yun! I’ve seen this movement technique before!" an elder from Medicine Immortal Valley suddenly shouted. "Take him out now!"

"Impressive agility, but our puppets are top-tier and can sense souls. He won’t escape, hahaha…" Elder Wen laughed triumphantly.

The crowd watched the mirror feeds eagerly.

Just as they waited with anticipation, the mirror images abruptly cut off.

"Old Wen, what are you scheming?" Granny Ma snapped angrily.

"The mirrors malfunctioned temporarily—no signal for now!" Elder Wen pretended to panic. "I’ll fix it soon!"

Elder Wen had located Qin Yun, and whatever he planned next was clearly underhanded, so he couldn’t let others see.

...

Even after using Vanishing Shadow Ceasing Breath, Qin Yun was doggedly chased by the puppets and soon caught.

Five of them encircled him and attacked fiercely.

Qin Yun fired off shockwaves to block their strikes.

If they were just ordinary martial puppets, he wouldn’t have feared them.

But now, unarmed, he faced five Xuanwu Puppets—he was hopelessly outmatched.

"This 'test' of yours is flat-out unfair!" Qin Yun roared furiously. "Five Xuanwu Puppets against a punk like me in the early Spirit Martial stage? Don’t you think this is too much?"

He activated the "Bark" defense from his Tree Totem martial arts, covering his body in layers of bark.

"Qin Yun, you must surrender today! Fighting back is useless—you’ll only get hurt. We mean no harm; we just want to trade you to get Yang Shiyue."

A puppet warrior sneered, "Once Yang Shiyue hands over the Star Monarch Rune Soul, you’ll be fine!"

"So it’s the Star Monarch Rune Soul putting a King Artifact bounty on my head!" Qin Yun seethed upon hearing the puppet’s words.

"Not the entire Star Monarch Rune Soul! Our faction’s the strongest in it!" The puppet laughed maniacally, pummeling Qin Yun. "Let’s see how long you last!"

The five puppets pulled their punches to take him alive—he was worth more alive.

"Xiao Yun, you’re outclassed. There’s no way out!" Ling Yuner repeatedly unleashed blasts of super-gravity.

But those five puppets had incredibly sturdy bodies and immense strength, easily withstanding the attacks.

"Qin Yun, stop struggling! These puppets may look like Spirit Martial puppets, but their cores were taken from Xuanwu Puppets! We pulled out all the stops just to deal with you!"

"You didn’t know, did you? From the moment you stepped onto this island, your capture was inevitable—you were destined to fall into our hands, hahaha…"

Boom!

One of the puppets suddenly ramped up its assault, unleashing a barrage of punches.

Qin Yun immediately countered with the Dragon Vanquish Five Palms.

Bang! Bang!

His Dragon Vanquish Five Palms split the earth. When his palms struck the puppet, they only forced it back two steps.

Seething with shock and rage, Qin Yun quickly conjured root talons, manipulating the roots of nearby trees to seize the puppets’ legs.

However, the puppets released surges of power from their legs, shattering the root talons effortlessly.

Qin Yun was struck multiple times. Even with the Sky Lion Mystic Body, he stood no chance against the merciless onslaught of puppets far stronger than him.

"Qin Yun, these aren’t ordinary Spirit Martial puppets—you should understand that by now!"

"We spared no expense in acquiring these. A single one is as valuable as two Dao Artifacts, and they’re even harder to forge than Dao Artifacts!" A gloating voice rang out from one of the puppets.

"I’ll turn them into scrap!" Qin Yun growled, only to be punched in the face and sent flying.

Another puppet immediately struck him mid-air.

The five puppets took turns battering Qin Yun relentlessly.

Elder Wen knew Qin Yun possessed a powerful Profound Body, so he showed no mercy.

As he controlled the puppets, he was taken aback—Qin Yun’s resilience far exceeded his expectations.

He knew full well the strength of these puppets. Even a Martial Lord at the Xuanwu Realm would be reduced to pulp under such abuse.

Elder Wen intensified the puppets’ attacks, determined to crush Qin Yun’s resistance completely.

Soon, Qin Yun was pounded into the dirt, his face buried in the ground, his head pressed under a puppet’s foot while his back, arms, and legs were crushed underfoot.

"Qin Yun, I admit you have some skill, but what’s the use? Your gifts won’t save you. Talent means nothing if you’re dead! Cooperate with us, make Yang Shiyue hand over the Star Monarch Rune Soul, and we’ll let you go!"

"Keep dreaming!" Qin Yun shot back.

Hearing this, Elder Wen immediately commanded the puppets to stomp harder.

"You fool, you actually got involved with a disciple from the Moon Demon Cave! That girl who was with you earlier will be captured too, hahaha…" Elder Wen cackled.

Qin Yun clenched his fists, his fury threatening to shatter the Mingyang Dao Core inside him.

"Xiao Yun, don’t use the Mingyang Dao Core yet! Activate the Sky Lion Beast Spirit now!" Ling Yuner shouted in warning as she sensed Qin Yun was losing control.

The Sky Lion Beast Spirit fused within Qin Yun contained colossal power, only to be tapped in dire need.

Once used, it might vanish or take time before it could be borrowed again.

Qin Yun had never tapped into it before. But now, following Ling Yuner’s reminder, he unleashed the Sky Lion Beast Spirit’s power in a devastating eruption.

With a mighty roar, the power hidden within Qin Yun's bones seemed to boil and explode wildly, unleashing an incredibly violent force that surged from his bones and flooded into his flesh.

Pinned down hard against the ground, Qin Yun suddenly rose to his feet, forcefully repelling the five puppets.

"I'll turn these puppets into scrap!"

Qin Yun growled, his eyes emitting black energy as the *Shockwave* and *Thunderfire Martial Souls* clung to his body.

After cultivating *Bone Spirits*, his bones could now open vast inner spaces capable of containing immense inner energy.

Once *Bone Spirits* fused with Beast Spirits, the inner energy stored within these bone spaces became extraordinarily powerful and could be wielded with great flexibility.

Now, the hidden power of the Sky Lion Beast Spirit instantly amplified the inner energy within his bones, gushing like a geyser and flowing through every part of Qin Yun's body.

Elder Wen, startled by Qin Yun's sudden surge in strength, panicked and frantically sent the puppets attacking wildly.

After activating the power of the Sky Lion, Qin Yun's strength increased dramatically—his arms bulged, his hands morphing into the sharp claws of a Sky Lion.