Suddenly, Feng Ninghe opened her eyes, a hint of a smile appearing in them: "Finally, I've found it!"
Feng Ninghe lowered her gaze and crushed a jade slip in her hand.
The jade slip shattered with a crisp sound.
A shield instantly enveloped the house tightly.
Sheng Linglong also noticed the shield immediately. While fending off the human puppets, she couldn't help but curse softly, "This woman has so many people protecting her, and she's even used a shield! What exactly is she doing!"
"Yes, we're fighting desperately here just to kill a few more human puppets, and she's hiding in the back!"
The cultivators accompanying Sheng Linglong gradually voiced their displeasure.
Even though the jade slip Feng Ninghe used was her own, they still found her behavior annoying.
Du Chang spoke at this moment, his clear male voice carrying a hint of warning: "Linglong."
Sheng Linglong, already displeased, felt her anger flare further: "Brother Du, everything I've said is true. Many eyes are watching here, and she is indeed hiding in the wooden house. I saw it clearly; she wasn't injured at all, so there was no need for healing. If she's not injured but hides behind others, what else could she be doing but hiding!"
Her words silenced Du Chang.
He said no more, and a hint of doubt crept into his gaze as he looked at the small wooden house. Someone who could tame divine beasts was certainly not foolish. It was a crucial moment; this woman wouldn't be so foolish as to just hide behind others and wait to be protected.
Just then, Feng Ninghe emerged from the small wooden house, her gaze calmly falling upon the surroundings: "Everyone, if you are willing to use your shield jade slips on this small wooden house, you can enter and take shelter until the trial ends!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Sheng Linglong scoffed, her eyes filled with disdain: "This small wooden house of yours can only accommodate five people at most. Our team still has two shield jade slips left. Are you trying to trick us into giving you all of them?"
At this moment, everyone's gaze turned towards the small wooden house. The appearance of a house out of nowhere was indeed astonishing, but this house seemed far too small.
Du Chang did not speak immediately, a hint of contemplation on his handsome face, secretly wondering how much truth there was to her words.
"Our team only has one jade slip left. Even if I try to hold on, it won't last long. I'll just go all out!"
At this moment, a voice came from not far away. A young man quickly called over his teammates, shattered the shield jade slip, and the shield superimposed itself onto the small wooden house. Then, they all scrambled into the wooden house.
Feng Ninghe also turned her gaze to Feng Xing and the others: "Quick, come in."
Xiao Zhao transformed into the appearance of a child and rushed into the wooden house. Feng Xing and the others, already exhausted from the battle, also entered the wooden house. The small wooden house, which appeared small from the outside, could actually accommodate ten people at once.
"I'm coming too! I only have two shield jade slips left!" Nan Rufeng led his teammates and strode forward.
In just a moment, over ten cultivators had entered the wooden house. With these cultivators gone, the human puppets became even more difficult to deal with. Even Du Chang felt the pressure. His eyelids twitched involuntarily, and he looked around with a solemn expression.
The wooden house was protected by a shield, and the human puppets, unable to breach it, turned their attacks towards their location.
"If this continues, we won't last long!"
Du Chang furrowed his brows slightly and intentionally raised his voice: "Sheng Tian disciples, heed my command! Take our remaining two shield jade slips and head to the wooden house!"
These human puppets were already difficult to deal with, and now with nearly half the cultivators gone, it was even worse.
"Absolutely not!"
Sheng Linglong was the first to refuse, shaking her head vehemently and rejecting the proposal: "We don't know Feng Ninghe well, and this small wooden house looks really small. It probably can't hold many people. Who knows what schemes this woman has in mind?"
Du Chang's steps faltered slightly, a faint glint appearing in his eyes: "Nan Rufeng didn't come out after entering, which is enough to show that the wooden house isn't as small as we imagine. Doesn't it make you suspicious that she can conjure a house out of nowhere?" Nan Rufeng wasn't a fool. If even she could stay in the wooden house for so long, this house could surely accommodate many people.
"But..."
Sheng Linglong's hesitation did not diminish in the slightest. Before she could finish speaking, Du Chang interrupted her: "No 'buts.' There are still over three hours until the trial ends. With the two shield jade slips we have, we won't be able to last until the end. It's better to cooperate."
Du Chang stepped forward without hesitation. As he stepped forward, the disciples of Sheng Tian Academy followed closely behind. Sheng Linglong, though unwilling, understood what was most important at the moment. She stomped her foot and quickly followed.
Since even Du Chang had entered the small wooden house, other cultivators with jade slips followed suit. The remaining two teams, however, were enduring苦苦煎熬 (kǔ kǔ jiān'áo - suffering and enduring), desperately fending off the human puppets because they had no shield jade slips. Only ten cultivators remained here. The human puppets charged at them fiercely, their gaping mouths biting into a cultivator's shoulder. The human puppets' mouths were ten times larger than ordinary human mouths; a bite like this would be devastating.
*Whoosh!*
An arrow shot down from the sky, striking the human puppet. The human puppet released its bite, and the cultivator, in pain, fell to the ground. He wanted to escape but had lost his escape jade slip and had nowhere to go.
"You all come in too! Hold on until the trial ends!"
At this moment, a clear female voice slowly descended, echoing through the forest. The woman who spoke was dressed in white, holding a Crescent Moon Red. Her bright yet cold face was utterly composed. Feng Ninghe had, at some point, left the shield and was firing arrows, covering their retreat.
Ye Ze's pupils contracted sharply. The heart in his chest trembled inexplicably, and his eyes were fixed on the woman: "But... but we don't have any shields left."
"It doesn't matter."
Feng Ninghe opened her lips and calmly uttered a few words: "The shield's duration will last until the trial ends, no problem. Stop dawdling and hurry into the wooden house. If you're any later, even if you want to, these human puppets won't agree!"
The eyes of the crowd inexplicably welled up. They seemed to see a savior and shook their heads heavily. The two teams worked together to cover the injured cultivators, allowing them to leave first. Several sharp arrows were shot desperately at this moment, covering the cultivators' retreat. In just a moment, everyone had entered the wooden house. The door of the wooden house closed.
*Bang!*
A dense mass of human puppets slammed their massive bodies against the shield. The shield was impenetrable, and apart from a faint sound, there were no signs of breakage. In the forest, the human puppets roared one after another, and in the blink of an eye, the area outside the shield was filled with them...