The sentient human puppets tilted their heads, staring at the black hole, also contemplating whether to leave.
The remaining human puppets stayed put, as if awaiting orders.
*
The border.
Many cultivators were gathered here.
"The human puppets are so quiet!"
"No human puppets have appeared for seven full days; something must have happened!"
"Normally, human puppets would surge out daily, attempting to break through the border. What's going on this time?"
The cultivators looked at the scene before them in surprise, murmuring amongst themselves.
For the past seven days, they had experienced unprecedented peace, no longer living in fear of encountering powerful human puppets.
News of the human puppets' sudden quiescence had spread throughout the entire border.
Pu Yin gritted her teeth, staring ahead. "Is anyone willing to accompany me to investigate? If we can discover the anomaly in the human puppets' behavior, perhaps we can break this stalemate of millennia."
The cultivators fell silent, exchanging glances.
Inside the border lay countless human puppets. If they were to be surrounded, it was uncertain if they could escape safely.
"I'll go with you."
Suddenly, a steady male voice rang out from the side.
A man of handsome appearance and calm demeanor strode forward.
He walked slowly towards Pu Yin. "With our combined strength, survival should not be an issue. Let's go and assess the situation first. If we sense anything amiss, we can leave promptly."
Pu Yin did not hesitate, nodding gently in agreement.
Seeing this, the other cultivators also volunteered, following suit.
As they stepped into the border, a disciple retreated in panic. "Run! The human puppets are coming again!"
Pu Yin looked up.
Countless human heads were gathered in a dense mass.
The ground began to vibrate subtly.
The human puppets surged forward like a flood.
Even Pu Yin's pupils involuntarily contracted. "There are so many human puppets this time! I knew seven days of quiet wouldn't be good. Now they've all rushed out at once! Quickly! Form the array!"
The cultivators dared not delay, forming a line behind her, with her at the forefront…
Lin Country.
"Mother, Father is coming out!" Kuaishuge
Si Xin Xin sensed something, her bright eyes blinking. She gently tugged at Feng Ninghe's sleeve with slight excitement.
Feng Ninghe looked up towards the black hole in the sky.
The black hole emitted a faint sound.
A solitary, tall figure appeared before them.
The man descended like an unapproachable scorching sun, his exquisite face etched with arrogance, his gaze profound.
His appearance instantly drew everyone's attention.
Feng Ninghe's gaze involuntarily lingered on him.
The man's black robe was made of clean, fine silk. The silver chain around his waist gleamed with a hint of coldness.
It was evident he was in good condition, his complexion ruddy rather than tired.
Feng Ninghe's uneasy heart finally settled, but a trace of doubt arose.
Si Jianye's composed demeanor did not suggest he had just fought with human puppets.
What had happened to him inside the black hole?
Si Jianye landed on the ground.
Si Xin Xin eagerly rushed to his side, her childish voice soft and adorable. "Daddy, you're finally back! If you didn't come back soon, Mommy would have worried herself to death!"
Her voice instantly drew Si Jianye's attention. His narrow eyes locked onto Feng Ninghe. "Oh?"
Feng Ninghe's lips twitched involuntarily, and she quickly changed the subject. "What did you see inside the black hole?"
As the topic shifted, everyone crowded closer, looking at Si Jianye with curiosity.
They all wanted to know the situation inside the black hole.
Si Jianye's gaze deepened. A coldness flickered across his chiseled face, and his voice was solemn. "There are countless human puppets inside, an alarming number. Some of them even possess sentience."
Human puppets without sentience were like walking corpses, only knowing to attack ferociously. Even so, they were troublesome enough.
Once human puppets gained sentience, they would become even more terrifying and difficult to deal with.
"What? Human puppets with sentience?"
The Imperial Advisor gasped, a clear look of dread on his face. "These human puppets can actually develop sentience!"
It was hard to imagine what the scene would be like if they had to face a group of sentient human puppets.
Gong Yi Yuan's expression flickered, his gaze dimming slightly. "The human puppet war a thousand years ago was difficult enough without sentient human puppets. If all human puppets had sentience..."
He could not bear to imagine the rest.
Feng Ninghe turned her gaze to the soldiers fighting.
After ten days of battle, the number of human puppets had decreased by more than half.
With the assistance of the cultivators, the soldiers were clearly more at ease, and casualties had been reduced.
These human puppets alone were enough to overwhelm them, let alone sentient ones.
Axi shivered, clicking his tongue with emotion. "The Dragon Domain has so many human puppets. The Xuan Continent is much more peaceful. We should just stay here quietly."
"Why are there human puppets in the Dragon Domain?"
Feng Ninghe looked up at Si Jianye, not hiding her doubts. "Where do the human puppets come from?"
Si Jianye also had many questions about the human puppets.
What he wanted to know more was why the human puppets were subservient to him.
Si Jianye lowered his gaze to meet Feng Ninghe's, his intense eyes hiding a deeper meaning. "The black hole is the human puppets' nest. But I believe no one would be willing to step into it."
Even he felt a prickle of unease when facing the human puppets.
If these human puppets had not been subservient to him, he himself would have found it difficult to last seven days inside the black hole, let alone others.
Thinking of the densely packed human puppets clawing at the black hole, Feng Ninghe shivered involuntarily.
She could imagine how terrifying the human puppets inside the black hole must be.
Clang!
A loud noise echoed from not far away.
Everyone turned to look, and saw a massive human puppet crawling out of the black hole, landing heavily on the ground.
Countless hands clawed at the black hole, and the human puppets surged out again, scrambling to climb out.
The human puppet, having fallen from a height, slowly moved its arms as if limbering up.
Soon, the human puppet quickly got up and charged fiercely towards the people!
"The human puppets are falling again!"
"Charge! We must not let these abominable human puppets leave the canyon forest! We'll fight them!"
The cultivators, disregarding caution, drew their swords and charged forward.
Feng Ninghe bit her lip as she stared at the black hole. "Damn human puppets are here again."
Si Jianye spoke softly. "As long as the black hole exists, these human puppets will continue to descend. To solve the problem, the black hole must be sealed, preventing them from falling."
As long as he stood there, the human puppets would obediently stop advancing.
But this was not a long-term solution; it could only hold them back for a while.
He did not want to face these troublesome human puppets constantly.