Chapter 231: Heart-Pounding Every Step

Outside Jiangwu Hall, people were talking in hushed tones. Inside the dark, heavy palace, Mu Feng’s expression was serious, and he remained silent, completely unaware that his every move was being projected onto the outer palace wall.

So this was what they called the Battle Puppets?

A surge of shock ran through him as he looked at the eighteen massive, chilling stone statues around him.

The cold stone statues appeared lifeless, but they felt more dangerous than an Elite Realm expert. Combined, their imposing pressure was as heavy as the Hundred Thousand Mountains. What made it even more unnerving was that the eighteen motionless statues each occupied a distinct position, faintly forming a terrifying formation of slaughter. Their massive cleaving blades, icy at the tips, pointed directly at him from afar.

After the heavy doors automatically closed, the palace became almost completely isolated; not a sound from outside could be heard. Even though thousands of students sat cross-legged in the square beyond the doors, not a trace of their presence could be detected. Clearly, the entire majestic palace was enveloped within a powerful Restriction.

Looking up, the surroundings were dimly lit, with a small oil lamp on each of the four walls. The door at the far end of the palace seemed to lead into boundless darkness.

“The Battle Puppet Restriction—what kind of formation is this?”

Recalling what the woman in white had said, Mu Feng cautiously observed his surroundings.

Unfortunately, although he was familiar with many Shamanic Restrictions, he could see nothing unusual about the stone statues and detected no trace of a Restriction. The woman in white had clearly stated before he entered that the palace was definitely set with a Restriction. The only explanation was that his own knowledge was too shallow to perceive it!

Should he advance or not?

Mu Feng hesitated, instinctively glancing at the Black Crystal Bracer on his wrist.

Unknown dangers were the most terrifying. The more he failed to see through the so-called Battle Puppet Restriction inside the palace, the more tense and fearful he became. This feeling was something he had never experienced, even when facing the layered ambushes of the Immortal Sword Sect and the Blind Master. Silently reciting the Shamanic Incantation, he replaced lung breathing with the Deep Abdominal Breathing Technique. After a gurgling sound inside his body, he slowly calmed down. Taking another look at the cold statues standing in the darkness, he resolutely took a step forward.

Roar…

From deep underground came a faint, muffled roar, as if a ferocious beast trapped in a cage was roaring loudly, about to break free. The statues in the darkness remained motionless, but their terrifying cleaving blades emitted a unified, soft hum that made hearts tremble.

At the same time, outside Jiangwu Hall, the thousands of seated students fell completely silent, all nervously widening their eyes. The huge projection on the palace wall and the clear sounds made everyone feel as if they were there. Watching Mu Feng take that step and about to trigger the Restriction, everyone’s heart raced involuntarily, growing tense.

“Could it be that I need to reach a certain position to trigger the terrifying Restriction?”

Mu Feng paused, focusing intently on observing the changes among the statues, completely unaware of the tension and watchful eyes outside Jiangwu Hall. After a moment of thought, he gritted his teeth and took a second step.

Boom…

As the second step landed, the ground suddenly shook violently, like mountains collapsing and seas splitting apart; the entire palace seemed on the verge of collapse.

The imposing eighteen stone statues remained cold and motionless. But suddenly, Talismanic Script the size of fly heads appeared on their bodies, and a fierce killing intent erupted from within. Their cleaving blades looked even more frightening, humming as if they had a spirit of their own. It seemed that in the next moment, the eighteen stone statues would come to life, transforming into eighteen brutal deities of slaughter.

Under the suddenly intensified pressure from the eighteen statues, the spot between Mu Feng’s eyebrows throbbed violently. Without any conscious effort, the Ancestral Sorcerer’s Essence Blood inside him accelerated, surging out waves of scorching essence. His blood and energy churned; though he appeared to stand still, the air around him continuously twisted and rippled.

Centered on his body, a wave of scorching heat spread far and wide, the temperature rising higher and higher. Gradually, the air, the ground, and even the walls made of obsidian became burning hot.

“Huh, what is that? Could it be that Mu Feng is actually a master hiding his strength?”

“The Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction—even if Mu Feng really is a master, there’s no way he can pass through. Once the Restriction is triggered, you’ll see just how powerful the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction is. Then we’ll see how long Mu Feng can last!”

“That’s right, the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction is incredibly powerful. Each wave of attack is a crushing assault, and each wave is more ferocious than the last. Even a Late Elite Realm expert would find it hard to break through. Although Mu Feng seems to be hiding his strength, how old is he? I heard his meridians were severely damaged before, and he only started cultivating this year. How could he possibly pass the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction?”

…

Outside Jiangwu Hall, people stared at the projection on the palace wall in shock. After a moment of silence, they began discussing fervently.

Mu Feng stood motionless, but the invisible heat emanating from his body was enough to prove his strength, leaving everyone astonished. Only then did they realize that he truly possessed extraordinary power hidden beneath his scholarly, elegant appearance. Sadly, the Battle Puppet Restriction in Jiangwu Hall was far too formidable, as many present knew from personal experience.

Ordinary people taking the assessment usually struggled after triggering just three Battle Puppet Restrictions. Even an Elite Realm expert attempting the assessment often only triggered nine Battle Puppet Restrictions.

As for the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction, across the entire Scholastic Palace, only a handful of students had ever passed it, each one a prominent figure in the palace. Mu Feng had just arrived and hadn’t even officially trained in the palace yet—how could he possibly succeed?

People chatted while instinctively shaking their heads. Meanwhile, in the Civil and Martial Hall disciples’ formation, several seated in the front row had gloomy expressions.

“Hmph, I never expected that kid to actually be a master!” Liu Lei’s face was dark; the stronger Mu Feng proved to be, the more displeased he felt. Glancing at the cold, imposing eighteen stone statues on the palace wall projection, his expression eased a bit, and he grinned viciously. “No matter how powerful he is, I don’t believe he can truly break through the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction. Let’s just hope his Black Crystal Bracer doesn’t fail at a critical moment, making it too late to withdraw!”

“Yes, Second Lord, you’re absolutely right. The Black Crystal Bracer isn’t infallible. Over the years, it hasn’t been just one or two students who died in the Battle Puppet Restriction!” A slick-tongued student quickly chimed in, his face full of flattering smiles. He was thin and small-shouldered, hunching as he simpered, with a prominent black mole on his chin.

“Li Yang, do you have to smile so fakely? A grown man, with ‘Yang’ in your name, yet you smile as softly and meekly as a girl!”

Liu Lei cast a disdainful glance at the fawning Li Yang, then turned to look at the Ghost Prodigy Lu Xuanfeng, who had been sitting silently behind him. He asked respectfully, “Brother Lu, what do you think?”

“Whether the Black Crystal Bracer will fail or not, I don’t know. But one thing is certain: the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction definitely won’t be able to hold Mu Feng back.”

Lu Xuanfeng’s expression was calm. He gave the so-called Second Lord Liu Lei a meaningful look, leaning back slightly and subtly increasing the distance between them. After a pause, he slowly added, “Right now, the only question isn’t how long he can last, but how quickly he’ll get through!”

“What?”

Liu Lei, who had been feeling rather smug, let out a shocked exclamation, his face immediately darkening.

All the students in the square were discussing how long Mu Feng could endure and whether he would be ruthlessly crushed by the eighteen battle puppets. He never expected Lu Xuanfeng behind him to suddenly voice a completely opposite view. Remembering Lu Xuanfeng’s status and the title of Ghost Prodigy, Liu Lei’s expression grew increasingly grim.