The bows loosened, and the sound of arrows flying cut through the air. Dozens of them streaked toward the retreating puppet, almost every single one aimed precisely at its joints.
He used his divine consciousness to control the puppet, moving it as seamlessly as his own body. He drove both feet into the ground, launching himself into the air.
In midair, he executed several fluid flips while his swords danced in a blur, deflecting the incoming arrows. Not a single projectile broke through his defense, and he even used their powerful momentum to propel himself backward.
Clack clack clack clack clack!
The twelve mechanisms behind him fired countless silver darts. In the blink of an eye, the Thousand-Mechanism Array erupted in a whirlwind of flying weapons.
Whoosh whoosh! Clang! Whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh! Clang!
Constant explosions echoed across the space. Arrows and darts flew at maximum speed; barely anyone could see them clearly.
The puppets darted and weaved through the storm of hidden weapons, leaving the Daxia Sword Sect disciples drenched in cold sweat.
The scar-faced man’s rage contorted his features even further. All he could do was watch as the black puppet crept ever closer to his territory.
The moment the black puppet crossed into range again, its twin blades slashed out in a brilliant flurry, reducing every bow machine it passed into a heap of shattered parts.
The puppet kicked the ground and leaped high, its bright red eyes meeting the man’s. Then, both swords stabbed down, each into a separate statue.
Two statues exploded.
The scar-faced man let out a piercing scream before his voice abruptly failed. His vocal cords had shattered.
Blood gushed from his mouth. To his horror, an invisible force seized his left arm and twisted it like a wrung cloth.
His eyes bulged, and the sickening crack made the onlookers’ skin crawl. A shard of white bone punched through his skin.
And all the while, he maintained a death grip on the last jade token, holding on.
The Daxia Sword Sect disciples could only gape in disbelief.
“Is this... is this Junior Brother Li’s true strength? Even controlling a puppet, he’s dodging all those weapons like it’s nothing!”
Zhou Zhi waved his fist passionately and shouted, “The way those twin blades danced and flashed was beautiful!”
Then he turned to the others, his voice sharp. “If we make it out of this alive, it'll be thanks to Junior Brother Li. If anyone dares breathe a word about his left-handed swordsmanship, I’ll kill you myself.”
At this point, only two stone statues remained beneath the scar-faced man’s platform. In contrast, Li Guanqi still had four.
A special transmission spell let the scar-faced man send his voice across the array. “Damn it... Did you use two swords to bypass the supposed limitations, allowing you to destroy two statues simultaneously?!”
Li Guanqi smirked. “You’re not that stupid after all.”
A grin filled with madness stretched across the man’s face. “You little shit... Do you know why the Thousand-Mechanism Array trapped everyone here?”
A chill crept down Li Guanqi’s spine—something felt wrong.
Then, a mechanical voice interrupted his train of thought.
“Silver has two remaining stone statues. Replenish one?”
Without hesitation, the scar-faced man roared, “Yes!”
A barb shot through the pen of black-robed men, piercing one of them before dragging him underground. Moments later, he reappeared at the base of the man’s platform with his four limbs pinned to the ground. He struggled with all his strength, but he could not move at all.
When he realized there was no escape, the man’s will broke. He glared venomously at the scar-faced man on the platform. “Motherfucker! Wei Kun! You’re a fucking bastard! Let me go! Let me go! I don’t want to die! Wei Kun! I’m your younger brother!”
The scar-faced man licked his lips and said in a low voice, “Alright, I have three lives now. Let’s continue.”
Li Guanqi’s throat trembled. Only now did he understand what Wei Kun had meant by “twelve against nineteen.”
He’d never imagined this.
Li Guanqi looked back at his fellow disciples, and unease spread across every face. Some of the more timid disciples couldn’t help but speculate in terror.
One such disciple said, " If Junior Brother Li only had two statues left... would he...?”
Although the teenager had not finished his sentence, everyone knew what he meant. It was a decision that depended on Li Guanqi's humanity.
They were all sure Li Guanqi would win if Wei Kun only had five statues. However, if Wei Kun used up all his men... Li Guanqi might still win, but not without a cost. Someone from their side would die. Maybe more than one.
Zhou Zhi gritted his teeth and fell silent. He looked at everyone with varying expressions, then looked at Li Guanqi’s back, determined.
“If someone has to die, let me be the first one!”
The girl in his arms looked up at him with reddened eyes, and the group fell into stunned silence. The boy who’d spoken earlier murmured with guilt, “Eldest Senior Brother...”
“That’s enough!” Zhou Zhi barked. “Don’t try to persuade me. I’ve made up my mind.”
Li Guanqi seemed to sense something. He turned to look at Zhou Zhi through the glowing screen and spoke, fully aware his voice wouldn’t reach him.
Zhou Zhi read Li Guanqi’s lips and caught every single word.
“I won’t let a single one of you die.”
When Li Guanqi turned his head back, his eyes were gleaming with madness. He reached out to press on three of the four stone statues on his console.
The statues exploded.
Everyone froze in shock. Zhou Zhi roared, “Li Guanqi, have you gone mad?! What are you doing?”
Wei Kun was ecstatic. “Hahahaha! Are you preparing for death already? Can’t bear to use their lives, so you’d rather go down with them? Perfect! Since you’ve made up your mind, I will gladly oblige!”
But Li Guanqi remained calm. “Activate limitless turns.”
The red barrier surrounding him thickened and became redder than ever.
The robotic voice from before returned. “Black has sacrificed three statues to activate limitless turns!”
All the spirit light lines on the platforms turned red.
Li Guanqi still controlled four hundred boxes, but the turn-based restrictions were gone. If Li Guanqi was strong enough, he could relentlessly attack and invade Wei Kun's territory.