Taking a Bold Risk

'I need to let it attack me for the plan to work.'

Li Yun thought, his eyes focusing entirely on the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet as he contemplated his strategy.

At this moment, the other puppets, including the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet, were still a little distance away. He needed to let it close the gap first while ensuring the two 2nd level Qi Training Realm puppets wouldn't interfere.

The best way to achieve that would be to kill the two 2nd level Qi Training Realm puppets first and then focus his attention on the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet. However, with the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet present, it was impossible to eliminate the other two.

Therefore, he had to think of a way to prevent the two 2nd level Qi Training Realm puppets from interfering.

And the only way he could achieve that was...

"Hehe... If only these puppets were human."

Li Yun smiled lightly. If they were human, he could use his left eye—the eye of the vampire, which he called the Red Demonic Eye. He named his right eye the Purple Divine Eye.

The strange thing about his eyes was that he was born with the Purple Divine Eye, which was one of the main reasons he could comprehend the way of alchemy.

As for the Red Demonic Eye, Li Yun gained it when he first found himself in this world as a vampire.

He thought that if the puppets were human, he might be able to put them in illusions with his Red Demonic Eye, but since they were puppets, that might not work.

That was the only reason he hadn't used his left eye on them since the battle started.

"I can only do that, it seems."

Li Yun muttered to himself and decided to handle the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet while maintaining a safe distance from the one 2nd level Qi Training Realm puppet, ensuring they wouldn't interfere.

"It will be hard but challenging and exciting."

He smiled and stopped moving.

"Raging Heaven."

Using the first stage of the Heaven Raging Chaos Art, he adjusted himself into his peak combat form and activated his Purple Divine Eye.

He then waited for the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet to attack him.

Moments later, the puppets appeared in front of him, with the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet leading, followed by the one 2nd level Qi Training Realm puppet. They were ten feet apart.

'It's enough.'

Li Yun thought with determination. The ten-foot distance gave him enough time to handle the 3rd level puppet.

He just had to execute everything according to the plan in his head.

'This is the most difficult part.'

Li Yun took a deep breath as he saw the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet stop a short distance away.

'Here it comes.'

The puppet then used its martial technique and vanished reappearing just before Li Yun with a deadly thrust of its sword aimed at his heart. It moved with blinding speed, its blade slicing through the air as it closed in for what seemed like an inevitable strike.

But Li Yun was ready.

In the split second before the puppet's blade could connect, Li Yun executed his plan. He had anticipated the puppet's movement, predicting the exact moment and trajectory of its attack with his Purple Divine Eye. As the puppet lunged, Li Yun's body moved with precision. His sword, which had appeared lax and unfocused, suddenly became a blur of motion.

Li Yun swung his sword in a wide arc, timing the strike perfectly. The blade was not aimed at where the puppet was but where it would be—a split second ahead in time.

He was taking a risk here by doing this. By not defending himself from the puppet's attack and instead swinging his sword at a position where no one stood, Li Yun was making a bold and dangerous choice.

If the timing of his attack was even slightly off, the puppet's strike could land first, dealing a devastating blow before his own attack could reach its target.

The puppet had already committed to its movement, and Li Yun's gamble was to attack the spot where the puppet would soon appear. It was a high-risk maneuver, but at that moment, it was his only option.

Everything depended on how accurately he had predicted the puppet's movement, and most importantly, on the precision of his Purple Divine Eye. But Li Yun had complete confidence in his right eye.

The world around him seemed to slow as the purple hue of his right eye glowed faintly, enhancing his perception to the point where he could see the puppet's rapid movements as if they were happening in slow motion. He had seen this moment in his mind's eye, calculated the puppet's trajectory, and trusted in his own ability to strike with perfect timing.

The arc of his sword cut through the air, and just as he predicted, the puppet materialized in its path. The blade connected with a satisfying, resonant impact. The force of Li Yun's strike met the puppet with overwhelming precision and power, stopping it in its tracks.

For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze as the puppet's own speed worked against it, driving it further into the path of Li Yun's blade and then,

"Thunderclap Dragon Sword!"

The moment Li Yun felt his sword connected, he immediately used the 6th layer of the Thunderclap Dragon Sword and thrusted forward. His sword pierced the torso of the puppet creating a hole in it.

A moment later, the puppet's form exploded into fragments of wood and other materials, scattering across the flat stage in a chaotic burst.

"I did it." Li Yun exclaimed in joy. "I finally killed it."

It seemed impossible at first but he finally killed it.

'But this isn't over.'

He turned his attention towards the last two puppets which arrived before him at this moment.

'Not until I ascend to the fourth floor.'