Chapter 22: Ninth Floor
After defeating the Puppet King of Death, his body began to disintegrate but remained standing. Feng Yan watched until he completely disappeared. She then looked around and found that almost all the remaining puppets had been destroyed by the explosion of their previous collision. However, some puppets were still able to fight. Feng Yan decided to act quickly
before the [Explosive Bull Blood] technique wore off, and she moved swiftly to destroy them all.
...
"I've finished off all the death puppets!" (Feng Yan)
"You're getting closer. Only one more king remains before you reach Shun." (First Claw)
After eliminating all the death puppets, Feng Yan deactivated the [Explosive Bull Blood] technique. She then fell to the ground, reacting to the intense power of the technique. Although Feng Yan used mechanical strength to manage the damage from the [Explosive Bull Blood] enhancement, the recoil was still strong and caused some harm.
"This hurts a lot!" (Feng Yan)
Feng Yan sat down and began to recover her strength using mechanical power. After a while, she awoke again, feeling very hungry, and food appeared before her eyes at First Claw's command. She then got up again to head to the ninth floor.
...
"The Combat Tower Test – Round 120 – Eighth Floor – Copy Puppets!"
Feng Yan ascended to the floor of the copy puppets. Unlike usual, only five gates opened, revealing five shiny silver puppets. However, there was something very different about these puppets; they didn't look like ordinary puppets but rather like smooth, moving silver statues.
Attack!
The five puppets attacked with full force as soon as they saw Feng Yan. Feng Yan knew that the copy puppets were the strongest she had faced in the nine floors so far. Having encountered them before, she knew their combat techniques. The copy puppets reached Feng Yan and began their attack, but she did not dodge and instead attacked with tremendous strength, kicking the first puppet that attacked her.
Explosion!
Unlike usual, the puppet did not shatter. Instead, it exploded and turned into silver liquid spreading on the ground. Seconds later, the liquid began to crawl slowly, then quickly split into four parts and merged with the other copy puppets. The copy puppets' shapes changed entirely, forming exact replicas of Feng Yan's body without any features. Without delay, they attacked her using her own fighting style.
Feng Yan smiled wickedly as she watched the puppets attacking her, then launched her attack:
Bull Serpent Art > Serpent Bite > Double Lightning Fangs!
Her arms moved so fast that anyone watching would think her
arms had turned into two Serpent s. Electricity wrapped around her fingers due to the high-speed friction between her skin and her sleeves. She struck two puppets, causing them to explode from the white lightning that passed through their bodies. The remaining two puppets retreated, but Feng Yan didn't give them a chance and attacked them with incredible speed:
Bull Serpent Art >Bull Rush > Electric Bull Gore!
Feng Yan charged with all her might, surrounded by electric
sparks. She quickly reached the remaining puppets and destroyed them completely with one strike, causing them to explode into silver liquid. Feng Yan paused after defeating all the copy puppets, but she knew this was not the end.
Gather!
After Feng Yan destroyed all five copy puppets, the silver
liquid gathered in one place. Three more gates opened, and three new puppets emerged. The liquid merged with these new puppets, and they formed into replicas of Feng Yan but with a more powerful aura. Feng Yan did not fear, knowing how to deal with them. Before they could attack, she decided to act:
Bull Serpent Art > Explosive Bull Rage > Lightning Frenzy!
She activated the explosive power quickly and used
mechanical force combined with the simplest concepts of world-destroying power – friction – to generate a large amount of electric charges. Red electric charges appeared around her, and she charged at the copy puppets at lightning speed, splitting the air in half.
The copy puppets tried to defend against the attack, but
Feng Yan's insane speed caused them to explode one after another. In less than ten seconds, she eliminated the three puppets that emerged from the gate, turning them into silver liquid. She looked at the closed gates and saw three
of them shut, with one gate for the Puppet King of Copies.
"Two more rounds. As long as everything goes as
planned, I shouldn't face any problems. The copy puppets may seem very troublesome, but they can be easily defeated using a simple strategy: Fight first with a powerful but obviously flawed style and defeat the copy puppet. Since the copy puppet is not intelligent, it will replicate the entire technique, including its flaws. Then, you can exploit the weaknesses you
created yourself to defeat the copy puppets that copied the previous technique. This strategy has worked even with the Puppet King of Copies in previous rounds, but will it work now that he has become intelligent? Let's find out."
Feng Yan smiled with excitement as she watched two gates
open before meeting the Puppet King of Copies. She wanted to see what kind of opponent the Puppet King of Copies would be. She then began fighting the last two puppets before meeting the king. As usual, she used the same strategy to
defeat them and started the battle, confident of victory.
...
Boom!
Feng Yan shattered the last two puppets the same way as the
previous ones, eagerly waiting for the Puppet King of Copies to appear. The king didn't keep her waiting for long and quickly emerged from behind the gate. He looked like the previous puppets, but with a silver crown on his head, distinguishing him from the rest. The silver liquid gathered with the king, and
this time the result was completely different. The Puppet King's shape changed entirely to become an exact replica of Feng Yan, even down to her clothes.
Feng Yan felt like she was looking into a mirror. Before she
could recover, the Puppet King of Copies spoke in a voice identical to hers:
"So, you're Feng Yan, the girl who caused a stir in the Eternal Tower millions of years ago?"
"I'm honored that the Puppet King of Copies has heard of me before. What a privilege."
"I've heard a little, but as they say, hearing is not like seeing. So, let's see who you really are."
Before Feng Yan could respond, the Puppet King of Copies
attacked with the [Explosive Bull Rush] technique. Feng Yan was shocked, not because the king could copy her technique, but because she felt the explosive power had also been replicated. After a moment, her heart ignited with excitement. She decided to use the same technique with equal power.
Boom!
The two collided with their elbows, their faces just centimeters apart. They both stepped back ten paces. While still in the air,
Feng Yan took advantage of the moment to use mechanical and explosive power together for another attack. The Puppet King of Copies was not idle and prepared his attack too!
Bull Serpent Art > Explosive Bull Shock: Fifty Shocks in One: Explosive Lightning Spear!
Mirror Silver Power > Counter Twin!
Electric charges gathered in Feng Yan's hand, and she
released a thick red lightning bolt like a spear aimed at the Puppet King of Copies. The king responded with the same attack, but the lightning was blue. All this happened before they landed.
Boom!
The two lightning bolts collided and canceled each other
out. Feng Yan was very surprised by this strange power. She looked at the Puppet King of Copies, who seemed to understand what was going through her mind and said:
"Feng Yan, if you think I'm as easy as the puppets you've faced, you're mistaken! I'm completely different from them."
"So, then, I won't waste any more time, Puppet King of Copies. Since you're so powerful, I will bring out my strongest technique!"
Bull Serpent Art > Bull Serpent Transformation!
Upon hearing these words from Feng Yan, the Puppet King of
Copies felt a great fear and shivers down his spine. He saw Feng Yan producinga red mist from her pores, forming a curtain of smoke that obscured his vision. Although he couldn't see anything, he knew deep down that whatever emerged from
the smoke would be something he couldn't defeat at all! After a brief wait, eyes glowing with a white symbol appeared from the bloody mist, and he heard Feng Yan's soft but hellish voice:
Bull Serpent Art > Bloody Thunder Mist: Abyss of the End!
These were the last words the Puppet King of Copies heard
before meeting his demise at Feng Yan's hands. He could hardly believe he was defeated by a single technique, unable to even replicate anything or get a clear look at Feng Yan. All he saw was the bloody mist forming a massive vortex that swallowed everything. At that moment, he remembered the true meaning of terror that he had forgotten for a long time. Yet, he felt a strange relief, finally freed from his greater prison.
Thus, Feng Yan overcame the last obstacle on her path to her
goal. All that remained was one final opponent: Shun.