The woman called Nan Rufeng gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to crush the jade slip in her hand, several long arrows shot out from the darkness.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The arrows accurately struck the puppets, decapitating them before vanishing without a trace.
These were arrows formed from spiritual energy.
As long as their spiritual energy did not deplete, the arrows would always be there.
At that moment, several figures darted out from the shadows, rescuing them.
Seeing the figures appear before her, Nan Rufeng's eyes welled up.
She seemed to see hope, her delicate face solemn. "Someone has come to help us. I'll keep this jade slip for now and will only use it in dire emergencies!"
With the assistance of Feng Ninghe and the others, they now had time to catch their breath and take out elixirs to heal.
Feng Ninghe hurled several mist eggs, simultaneously shouting, "Escape quickly while you can!"
She had prepared thousands of mist eggs, but now only a little over a hundred remained in her hand.
The thick smoke and faint fragrance successfully confused the puppets, giving them a chance to escape.
The group dared not delay, and fled without a word.
Only when they reached a safe location did they stop to rest.
Nan Rufeng quickly took an elixir to regulate her chaotic aura. After tending to her wounds, she bandaged the injuries of the other cultivators.
The cultivators' injuries were not light. They sat cross-legged, absorbing spiritual energy.
"Thank you."
Nan Rufeng stood up generously and cupped her hands towards Feng Ninghe and the others, expressing her gratitude. "Thank you for your assistance. Otherwise, our trial would likely be over by now."
Feng Ninghe shook her head slowly, her gaze calmly falling on the woman before her. "By helping you, I am also helping myself. The trial is far from over. If we can join forces, our chances of victory will increase."
Nan Rufeng understood her meaning, and the gratitude in her eyes did not diminish. "Regardless, you intervened to help us. An apology is still necessary. My name is Nan Rufeng. May I know your name, young lady?"
Feng Ninghe then briefly introduced herself and the people with her.
As her gaze fell upon Xiao Zhao, Nan Rufeng's eyes flickered. "It's a spirit beast, isn't it?"
She had noticed this group when the others were discussing Xiao Zhao.
A spirit beast that could transform into human form was naturally extraordinary. Ordinary divine beasts did not possess such an ability; only divine beasts could transform into human form.
Being able to tame a divine beast already proved her capability.
Feng Ninghe turned her gaze to Xiao Zhao and nodded slightly. "You have keen eyes, young lady. You saw his uniqueness at a glance."
Nan Rufeng smiled dismissively. "The guardians of the Thunder Cloud Tower are not fools. If the child were an ordinary human, the Thunder Cloud Tower would not allow six of you to travel together."
Such logic was simple and easy to understand, yet some people refused to believe it.
A hint of emotion appeared on the woman's face. "Miss Feng, how did you know the puppets were attacking? Fortunately, you left beforehand. By the time we reacted, it was already too late to escape."
In response to the question, Feng Ninghe replied nonchalantly, "My intuition is just particularly sharp. How did you escape?"
Being surrounded by so many puppets, escaping was no easy feat.
A hint of worry crossed Nan Rufeng's face as she gently stroked the last jade slip in her hand. "Du Zhang led us to attack from the same direction, and we forcefully carved out a bloody path..."
To distract the puppets, they split up, with many puppets following each team.
When they couldn't hold on, they used jade slips, took elixirs to heal, absorbed spiritual energy, and adjusted their bodies as much as possible.
When the barrier disappeared, they continued to fight the puppets.
In this manner, they managed to hold on until now.
Feng Linyuan looked up at the sky, his deep male voice carrying a hint of profundity. "The trial has only just begun, five hours in. This is only the third stage. Passing the seventh level will not be easy."
The sky was clear, and the surroundings were tranquil.
Even though they were in a safe place, they dared not relax. Who knew where the puppets might emerge from.
"In previous years, those who passed the third stage were already considered prodigies. Furthermore, no one has ever managed to pass the seventh level of the Thunder Cloud Tower."
Mentioning the trial, Nan Rufeng's eyes filled with emotion. "A thousand years ago, Pu Yin, the strongest in the academy, managed to pass the sixth stage. Since then, no one has been able to pass it."
It was already difficult to pass the third stage, let alone the sixth.
Feng Ninghe took this opportunity to inquire thoroughly about the Dragon Domain.
Nan Rufeng, having grown up in the Dragon Domain, was well-acquainted with it and revealed everything she knew.
The academies of the Dragon Domain were stationed at the border.
The puppets also came from the border.
They had no idea why the puppets were coming from the border, nor why these creatures contained spirit crystals within them.
"These are common knowledge. Everyone should know them, yet you seem to know little about the Dragon Domain."
Nan Rufeng noticed something unusual and subtly observed the people before her.
These were things passed down through generations. How could people of the Dragon Domain not understand them?
Feng Ninghe smiled and replied with a hint of composure, "We indeed do not understand the Dragon Domain. We come from the Xuan Continent."
"Xuan Continent?"
"Where is that?"
The cultivators accompanying Nan Rufeng showed expressions of surprise and couldn't help but examine Feng Ninghe and the others.
They had never heard of the Xuan Continent, nor did they know where it was.
Nan Rufeng's beautiful face showed a hint of thought, and her clear voice slowly spoke, "I do have some impression of the Xuan Continent. My mother once told me about it."
Her words drew everyone's attention to Nan Rufeng.
Sensing their doubts, Nan Rufeng revealed all that she knew.
The Dragon Domain had established a barrier long ago, separating the Xuan Continent from the Dragon Domain.
This not only prevented cultivators from the Xuan Continent from entering the Dragon Domain but also kept out the puppets.
The spiritual energy within the Xuan Continent was inferior to that of the Dragon Domain. There were even ordinary people who could not cultivate, making it far inferior to the Dragon Domain.
The Dragon Domain did not expect any cultivation prodigies from the Xuan Continent.
Since the barrier was established, no one from the Xuan Continent had been able to enter the Dragon Domain.
Nan Rufeng looked at the people before her with a hint of admiration. "The fact that you were able to come to the Dragon Domain from the Xuan Continent demonstrates your capabilities. This is my first time seeing cultivators from the Xuan Continent."
An ordinary person, upon learning they were from the Xuan Continent, would likely show disdain and not take them seriously.
After all, in the eyes of most, the Xuan Continent was far inferior to the puppets and not worth mentioning.
Feng Linyuan pondered for a moment and then spoke softly, "Are puppets only found at the border? Or are they everywhere?"