coobybook Chapter 45 A Moment of Life and Death
Chapter 45 A Moment of Life and Death
"and many more."
Tao Tao was about to rush forward when Bai Yan grabbed her by the back of her collar. "You were able to get here without being hindered by the restrictions, purely because of the Taotie's essence blood. But there are powerful things ahead, so don't be impulsive."
Although Bai Yan disdains anything powerful, he is, after all, only an avatar with a reduced cultivation level. If something stronger than him were to appear, it would still be quite difficult to ensure the two of them escape unscathed.
"A powerful object?" Tao Tao tilted his head and carefully examined the platform in front of him. The platform looked very ancient, with several stone pillars standing around it. The pillars were not very thick, and strange patterns were carved on them. Tao Tao felt that they looked familiar, so he rubbed his eyes and took a closer look.
Isn't that her original form?
"They're here." Just as Tao Tao's attention was drawn to the patterns on the pillar, Bai Yan suddenly said in a deep voice. Upon hearing this, Tao Tao turned to look at him, and suddenly the entire space trembled, and the red lotus in the water swayed, emitting a strange fragrance.
Then, the water began to flow backward up the nine stone pillars and all the way to the top of the hall. This was the first time Tao Tao had ever seen anything like it. She looked up in surprise and found that as the water spread across the top of the hall, a five-pointed star formation was gradually forming where the water flowed.
As the magic array formed, it instantly stirred up a huge wave. Bai Yan led Tao Tao backward. In the instant the wave disappeared, they saw a pair of scarlet eyes appear in the darkness directly in front of them. Being stared at by those eyes made them feel a chill down their spines.
The pair of eyes slowly emerged and soon saw his true form: a tall, handsome man holding an axe in his right hand and a shield in his left, wearing armor and a black helmet. With a muffled groan, he suddenly increased his speed, picked up the axe, and charged towards Tao Tao and the others without hesitation.
“He is not a living thing…” Tao Tao was very perceptive and immediately noticed the problem. Bai Yan nodded with a faint smile, “Yes, it is a puppet, but it is exquisitely crafted and is of the highest quality.”
As they were talking, they saw the puppet approaching and both of them dodged at the same time. But the puppet went crazy and chased after Bai Yan, completely ignoring Tao Tao.
This puppet was placed here specifically to guard this place, so naturally it had to target the one that posed the greatest threat. Bai Yan had no intention of attacking, but the puppet kept chasing him. He was fast and moved back and forth in the hall, while the clumsy puppet couldn't catch up at all.
Tao Tao was naturally happy to be ignored. She tilted her head and asked, "Ayan, why didn't you hit him?"
"Enough with the nonsense, get to your business." Bai Yan naturally disdained to make a move. Although this puppet was of superior quality, it was nothing more than a matter of lifting a hand to him. How could he, the dignified True Dragon Ancestor, possibly compromise his identity?
Serious business?
These words reminded Tao Tao that since Bai Yan was there to distract her, she could simply sneak over and take the treasure.
So she glanced back and saw that the puppet's attention was entirely on Bai Yan, then tiptoed toward the central platform.
As soon as she approached, the red lotus suddenly became arrogant, wishing it could grow a row of teeth to attack Tao Tao. The fragrance emanating from them grew stronger and stronger, which was supposed to be meant to confuse her, but Tao Tao was completely unaware of it. Instead, she went over and picked one of the lotus flowers.
She leaned closer and sniffed, unconsciously swallowing. "It smells so good..."
For her, everything was edible, and she wasn't afraid of a lotus flower. So she simply stuffed the lotus flower into her mouth and took a bite. Her little face immediately scrunched up, and she threw it away with a look of disgust. "It tastes awful!"
This stuff tastes bitter, even though it smells delicious.
Tao Tao completely lost interest in the lotus flowers, no longer turning back to their fragrant aroma, and rushed to the central platform, reaching out to grab the suspended box.
Sensing the fluctuations of the restriction, the puppet that was chasing Bai Yan suddenly turned around and realized that Tao Tao had already reached for the box. In its haste, it didn't care about anything else and swung the axe in its hand at Tao Tao.
With a whoosh, Tao Tao turned around and unleashed her twin rings. The rings collided forcefully with the axe, producing a crisp sound. The strong aftershock forced Tao Tao back, and she felt a metallic taste in her mouth, with a sharp pain shooting through her internal organs.
The superior puppet was indeed extraordinary, far beyond Tao Tao's reach. She had already reached her limit by withstanding this attack; if she forced herself to fight him, she would have no chance of winning at all.
Seeing Tao Tao forced to retreat, Bai Yan narrowed his eyes with interest, not intending to go over and help, completely watching the show.
Seeing that the axe hadn't done anything to Tao Tao, the puppet roared and transformed into a whirlwind. With a powerful grip, the axe spun in the air and flew towards him. He caught the axe in mid-air, soared into the sky, raised it high, and used almost all his strength to chop at Tao Tao.
This was no easy feat; Tao Tao couldn't withstand it at all. She quickly retrieved her shield from her storage bracelet, but under the puppet's onslaught, her shield looked incredibly weak.
"Ayan..." In a panic, Tao Tao could only turn to Bai Yan for help. But Bai Yan leaned leisurely against the stone wall and said casually, "Life and death are predestined. Whether you can avoid this calamity depends on yourself."
He clearly didn't want to help, so Tao Tao stopped thinking about it. She clasped her hands together and activated the double rings to return to her front, quickly expanding them to form the first line of defense. Then she searched through her storage bracelets, using everything that could be used for defense, even talismans.
Tuantuan sensed the danger to its owner, jumped out of the pet carrier, and used its small body to shield Taotao.
"Tuantuan, step back! You can't block this!" Tao Tao immediately scolded. She knew very well that no matter how powerful Tuantuan was, its defense was not enough. Even a powerful attack from a high-grade puppet would seriously injure it.
"Waaah!" No matter what Tao Tao said, Tuan Tuan didn't budge an inch, determined to protect her, its master, to the death.
This left Tao Tao feeling helpless, and she said with a wry smile, "I haven't even shared a single thing with you."
"Heh!" The puppet let out a low groan, and the axe, already protected by three layers of restrictions, slashed down at an extremely fast speed. In an instant, the three layers of protection set up by Tao Tao were destroyed, and the double rings lost their luster and fell to the ground.
Only Tuan Tuan, having grown larger, was still struggling to hold on. The reason it could endure for so long was entirely due to burning its life force. Even if it could truly survive, its own chances of survival were slim.
"Get out of the way, I don't need you to carry me!" Tao Tao knew how dangerous the situation was, so she angrily slapped Tuan Tuan away. A blue line appeared between her eyebrows, and a clear cry came from above her head. Her body transformed into a white giant beast, and at the same time, a pair of huge blue wings appeared behind her, emitting a dazzling light.
Bai Yan unconsciously curled the corners of his lips, "You've finally awakened the Azure Phoenix's divine soul."