Chapter 152: Choosing One of Three Orange Puppet Components

Chapter 152: Choosing One of Three Orange Puppet Components

Above the secret realm platform, the hatches of the ember warships opened one by one, and powerful Song clan members, their bodies radiating formidable auras, descended from the sky.

As each ember warship captain leaped out of their ship, a faint light flowed from their foreheads, and the ships above them rapidly shrank, eventually merging into a stream of light that disappeared into their ember ancestral acupoints.

Thus, as the ember warship captains landed, the number of warships in the sky rapidly decreased, clearing the once crowded sky.

In the crowd, Song Chi followed a few other first-stage clan members in an orderly manner, heading toward the cave's interior.

Around him, the clan members were engaged in low, continuous conversations.

Soon, Song Chi gained a basic understanding of the people around him.

These dozens of first-stage Song clan members were all between thirty-four and thirty-six years old on average, having ascended to the first stage about three to five years ago.

The reason they were only now challenging this Immortal Puppet Secret Realm, as their conversations suggested, was due to direct guidance from their senior relatives.

This indicated that the Song clan's higher-ups had known about the acceleration of this Immortal Puppet Secret Realm for about five or six years and had already given their direct descendants a heads-up.

This revelation stirred Song Chi's heart, making him marvel at the depth of a family that had been passed down for nearly three thousand years. The idea of absolute fairness was nothing but a joke in such a context.

Of course, this wasn't meant as a criticism. For a family to remain united for nearly three thousand years, it would be abnormal if they didn't have some internal biases. Selfishness is a fundamental human trait.

As long as the family could maintain a broad consensus, it already surpassed over ninety percent of medium to large-scale forces. The Song family, in this regard, was currently doing very well.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, the group of several hundred people had already reached the cave's interior.

Looking up, Song Chi found that the space inside the mountain was not small, easily accommodating over three hundred people.

In front of the crowd, six bronze portals stood silently, and at the center of these portals, there were swirling black spatial vortexes.

Seeing this, Song Chi was slightly taken aback.

"Is this the legacy of a family that has been passed down for nearly three thousand years..."

His shock stemmed from the fact that these six portals alone represented six secret realms. Even if all of them were fragmented secret realms, they were far beyond the measure of ordinary wealth.

Moreover, this was just what was visible. No one knew what other, possibly more significant secret realms the Song clan might have hidden in other secret locations.

As Grandfather Song Ming Song had mentioned, many other direct and mainline branches of the Song clan also controlled secret realms.

This alone revealed the terrifying depth of the Song family's resources.

Song Chi's gaze shifted among the six portals, wondering if the Mora Secret Realm was among them.

At that moment, a figure suddenly emerged from the massive, three-thousand-meter-long warship inside the mountain.

Seeing the aged figure emerge from the Chasing Deer warship, the several hundred Song clan members in the cave bowed simultaneously.

"Pay respects to Elder Tian Shu!"

The aged figure was named Song Tian Shu, born from the Tian lineage, one of the two main direct lines of the Song clan. According to the information from his quantum communication bracelet, this elder was over fifteen hundred years old, ranking among the top five of the Song clan's elders, with a terrifyingly high seniority.

The old man nodded lightly, his gaze sweeping over the three hundred people before pointing to the leftmost of the six bronze portals.

"Go ahead!"

Hearing this, the twenty or so third-stage clan members at the front of the group moved first, followed by the second-stage members, and finally Song Chi and his group.

Once he recovered from the dizziness and weightlessness, Song Chi immediately scanned his surroundings, assessing the environment.

However, he quickly realized that this Immortal Puppet Secret Realm was different from the Mora Secret Realm and the Dragon Blood Secret Realm he had visited before. There were no floating lands in the star sea here.

Currently, all the Song clan members who had entered the secret realm stood in the black starry sky, and at the end of their field of vision, there was an ancient tower that seemed to reach the heavens, radiating a red glow.

Staring at the tower, Song Chi's eyes flickered, deep in thought.

As his grandmother had mentioned, this Immortal Puppet Secret Realm also originated from the ancient Immortal Domain civilization, the same civilization that had created the Marketplace of All Realms he controlled. When he first heard the term "Immortal Domain civilization," he immediately thought of the Marketplace of All Realms.

Suppressing his curiosity, Song Chi summoned the Sky Realm and sped toward the ancient tower at the end of his field of vision, along with the other clan members.

The first to reach the base of the Supreme Immortal Puppet Tower and enter the challenge were those twenty or so third-stage ember warship captains.

Song Chi noticed that as these third-stage captains entered the Immortal Puppet Tower and began their challenges, twenty or so glowing orbs appeared on the first floor of the tower.

In less than twenty seconds, one of these glowing orbs disappeared from the first floor, reappearing on the second floor, indicating that someone had already passed the first floor.

At that moment, he overheard a first-stage clan member beside him exclaim in surprise:

"Reaching the second floor in less than twenty seconds, this person has a chance to reach the twentieth floor and beyond..."

"I think it's Song Yi Ming from the First Direct Line. I heard he awakened his ember seed only about thirty years ago. Although he's currently at the blue fire stage, his warship is equipped with some extremely high-quality components, including an orange-grade engine."

"Twentieth floor? You're underestimating Song Yi Ming. With the combat power of his warship, he's definitely aiming for purple or even orange-grade puppet components. To obtain an orange-grade puppet component, he needs to reach at least the thirtieth floor."

---

...

Hearing the discussion, Song Chi didn't have a chance to say anything before a young man, also a First-Rank Ember Fleet Captain, who had just awakened not long ago and wasn't very familiar with the Immortal Puppet Tower, asked:

"Excuse me, fellow clan members, the cruiser needs to reach the thirtieth floor to possibly obtain an orange puppet part. I wonder, what about us, First-Rank Ember Fleet Captains?"

Song Chi had a rough idea about this. From what his grandmother had told him, the Immortal Puppet Tower's evaluation criteria were not based on personal or ship strength but on the time since one's awakening of the ember seed.

Given this, the standard for everyone should be the same, requiring one to reach the thirtieth floor to have a chance at obtaining an orange puppet part. However, due to the different times of awakening, the Immortal Puppet Tower would most likely adjust the difficulty of each floor for individual challenges.

His guess was correct. Soon, a middle-aged Second-Rank clan member, around forty or fifty years old, provided an explanation that matched Song Chi's thoughts.

As Song Chi delved deeper into understanding the specifics and rules of the Supreme Immortal Puppet Tower, a Second-Rank Ember Fleet Captain stepped forward from the crowd and walked straight toward the Immortal Puppet Tower.

This Second-Rank Ember Fleet Captain seemed even more famous than Song Yiming. His appearance instantly drew the attention of the majority.

"That's Song Ze from the Earth Vein of the two main bloodlines. He ascended from Zero-Rank to Second-Rank in less than two years. They say his ember seed is a purple flame, and he is the great-grandson of a Fourth-Rank elder from the Earth Vein. He has the potential to impact the family lineage."

...

Amidst the numerous discussions, several Second-Rank Ember Fleet Captains began to challenge the Immortal Puppet Tower, controlling their ships to rush in.

Song Chi, naturally, was not one to lag behind. The Skybound quickly followed suit.

In just a few minutes, several prominent descendants from various family lines had appeared. Although their exact capabilities were unknown, it was better to challenge the tower first to be safe.

In the boundless starry sky, a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[The challenge on the first floor is about to begin. Please prepare.]



Having already heard about this from the clan members, Song Chi quickly focused his mind.

Ten seconds later, a ripple spread through the vast starry sky, and a humanoid puppet over twenty meters tall, with wings on its back, appeared a hundred meters ahead.

Buzz!

The Skybound immediately responded. The engines roared as the ship rapidly retreated, increasing the distance from the humanoid puppet. Meanwhile, the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon at the ship's prow, after a brief charge, unleashed a sword beam that surged toward the humanoid puppet.

Song Chi quickly assessed the strength of the First-Rank humanoid puppet. Under the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon, which had been upgraded to Level 30, the puppet was instantly annihilated, posing almost no threat to the Skybound.

The second floor challenge was similarly simple, featuring four humanoid puppets of equal strength.

One minute later, the Skybound successfully entered the third floor.

...

This pattern continued until the thirteenth floor, where all the humanoid puppets were still at the First-Rank level. By the time the 256 First-Rank humanoid puppets on the thirteenth floor were defeated by the Skybound's cannons, the fourteenth floor finally introduced Second-Rank humanoid puppets, with eight of them.

Song Chi took this more seriously, but the pressure was still manageable.

However, as he completed the fifteenth and sixteenth floors, he noticed something. With each ascending floor, the surrounding starry sky was gradually shrinking, restricting the movement range of the Ember Fleet ships.

Realizing this, Song Chi became more cautious. As the movement range shrank, the greatest advantage of the Ember Fleet ships—relying on their terrifying speed for long-range hit-and-run tactics—would soon be lost.

As expected.

By the twenty-fourth floor, the movement range had shrunk to a radius of several hundred thousand meters, severely limiting the Skybound's maneuverability.

On the twenty-fifth floor, the movement range was reduced to a radius of three hundred thousand meters, with 96 Second-Rank humanoid puppets as the challenge.

During this challenge, the Skybound was repeatedly approached by the humanoid puppets, which penetrated the dark matter energy shield and attacked the Obsidian Hull Armor. In the end, the Skybound suffered 4% damage to its hull armor and 2% damage to its hull, allowing Song Chi to reach the twenty-sixth floor.

Looking around, of the over three hundred Song clan members, more than half had already been sent out of the Immortal Puppet Tower. Most of them didn't make it past the twentieth floor. Some only obtained white-quality puppet parts, while others, who fell at the eighteenth or nineteenth floors, received blue-quality parts.

One of the first Third-Rank clan members to enter the Immortal Puppet Tower had reached the twenty-sixth floor but fell at the twenty-seventh floor, obtaining a purple-quality puppet part.

At this moment, the nearly three hundred Song clan members were all focused on the Immortal Puppet Tower, their faces filled with anticipation, curious about how many would reach the thirtieth floor.

"Look, someone has made it to the twenty-sixth floor. There are now thirteen people challenging the twenty-sixth floor. I wonder if any of these thirteen will succeed in passing the twenty-sixth floor and entering the twenty-seventh floor."

"I think it's difficult. So far, only five people have passed the twenty-sixth floor, and Clan Brother Yusi has already fallen at the twenty-seventh floor. Currently, only two people are challenging the twenty-seventh floor, one is at the twenty-eighth floor, and one is at the thirtieth floor."

"I bet the one at the thirtieth floor is likely Song Ze from the Earth Vein."

"Hey, someone has passed the twenty-sixth floor. Now there are three people on the twenty-seventh floor!"

...

Song Chi was unaware of the discussions outside. He had just successfully passed the twenty-sixth floor and entered the twenty-seventh floor. However, as a result, the Skybound's hull armor was already more than 20% damaged, and the hull itself was 2% damaged.

In the 26th level, the operational area had shrunk to a mere 200,000 meters in diameter, and the enemies were 104 second-tier humanoid puppets.

The reduction in operational space and the increase in enemies made it easier for more second-tier humanoid puppets to swarm the Sky dome.

These puppets were no pushovers, boasting both formidable offensive and defensive capabilities. It took three shots from the electromagnetic thunder cannon to take down one of them, which was why the ship's armor damage had skyrocketed from 4% to 20%.

On the 27th level of the Immortal Puppet Tower, Song Chi surveyed his surroundings. When he realized the operational area had further shrunk to 150,000 meters, his expression darkened.

Then, he saw the puppet unit the tower had generated, and he fell silent.

In front of him stood a single, humanoid puppet with wings on its back. However, this puppet was over 400 meters tall and exuded a powerful third-tier aura.

"Third-tier puppet!"

He muttered to himself, and the Sky dome's engines and thrusters roared to life, propelling the ship backward.

At the ship's prow, the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon roared, and a ten-meter-long sword light projection shot forward.

The 400-meter-tall humanoid puppet was about to flap its wings, but the sword light projection was faster, crossing thousands of meters to strike its chest.

This attack interrupted the puppet's movement, allowing the Sky dome to retreat to a safe distance.

From over 100,000 meters away, Song Chi saw the humanoid puppet rapidly closing in.

While waiting for the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon to recharge, he continued to attack with the electromagnetic thunder cannon.

The third-tier Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon was incredibly powerful, and a few more shots would likely take down the puppet.

However, the electromagnetic thunder cannon was ineffective against the third-tier puppet, barely slowing it down.

Soon, the humanoid puppet caught up to the Sky dome and began a relentless assault on the obsidian hull.

Five minutes later, the third-tier humanoid puppet finally fell to the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon.

However, the Sky dome had paid a heavy price, with 54% of its armor and 21% of its hull damaged.

Song Chi had no choice but to activate the Healing Fruit component.

"Hull repair in progress. Armor repaired 25%, current damage 29%. Hull repaired 10%, current damage 11%. Please perform a full repair as soon as possible!"

With the Healing Fruit in effect, the challenge of the 28th level began.

This time, the Immortal Puppet Tower generated the same third-tier humanoid puppet, but the operational area had shrunk further, from 150,000 meters to 100,000 meters, further compressing the Sky dome's maneuvering space.

Song Chi's strategy was the same as before. After a few minutes, the Sky dome's armor damage exceeded 50%, reaching 58%, with 22% hull damage.

But the third-tier humanoid puppet fell to the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon once again.

On the 29th level, the operational area remained at 100,000 meters, but the number of third-tier puppets increased to two.

With a powerful flapping of their wings, the two humanoid puppets created terrifying tornadoes behind them and dashed toward the Sky dome, which had retreated to the edge of the operational area.

Seeing this, Song Chi remained calm. The main cannon at the prow of the Sky dome rapidly gathered a sharp sword light.

Even though Song Chi had been charging the "Mingdong Extreme Yang Sword Light" immediately after defeating the puppet on the 28th level, it still wasn't fast enough to outpace the two third-tier humanoid puppets.

As their terrifying claws were about to penetrate the dark matter energy shield and strike the already heavily damaged obsidian hull, Song Chi activated the "Obsidian Guard" feature.

A thick layer of obsidian armor instantly formed around the Sky dome, enveloping it completely.

With a loud metallic screech, the Sky dome shook violently.

The automated ship's AI issued a warning.

"Warning: Armor damage 61%, hull damage 25%. Please perform a full repair as soon as possible!"

What would have been the worst possible news at any other time now sounded like music to Song Chi's ears.

The Obsidian Guard had successfully defended against the attacks of the two third-tier humanoid puppets.

Under normal circumstances, those strikes would have likely destroyed the obsidian armor and caused the hull damage to exceed 50%. But now, the damage was only marginally worse.

Thus, Song Chi knew the Obsidian Guard had successfully protected the Sky dome.

A fierce light flashed in his eyes.

"My turn. Mingdong Extreme Yang Sword Light, tear these trash apart!"

With a roar, the fully charged Mingdong Extreme Yang Sword Light erupted.

In front of the Sky dome, the two humanoid puppets were about to strike again but were instantly pierced by the hundred-meter-long sword light.

Under the slicing power of the Third-Class Chaotic Yang Sword Intent, the two Third-Class humanoid puppets had no resistance. Their bodies were cut in half by the hundred-meter-long sword beam.

Unlike the Blood Blade cruiser, which had a Third-Class orange-quality energy shield, or the peak Third-Class sandworm with its super-alloy-like skin and powerful vitality, these puppets were instantly obliterated by the terrifying sword beam.

Inside the Sky Dome, Song Chi felt a sense of relief. With this, he had cleared the twenty-ninth level. He wondered what the thirtieth level would bring.

As he pondered, a violent spatial ripple appeared several kilometers ahead, causing Song Chi's pupils to narrow.

Three Third-Class humanoid puppet soldiers materialized several kilometers away. Fortunately, the activity range around him remained unchanged.

At the main control panel of the Sky Dome, Song Chi's eyes flickered as he weighed whether to continue the challenge or concede defeat.

He hesitated because this was only the thirtieth level, and he wasn't sure if he would receive satisfactory high-quality puppet parts if he withdrew now. According to what his clan members had said, one needed to successfully clear the thirtieth level to obtain orange-quality puppet parts.

The thought of being just one step away from orange-quality parts made it hard for Song Chi to give up.

However, if he continued, the Sky Dome might be destroyed.

While the rules of the Supreme Immortal Puppet Tower allowed challengers to withdraw at any time if they felt things were going badly, the three Third-Class puppet soldiers were no joke. Their attacks were not child's play, and Song Chi couldn't guarantee he would be able to call out "concede" in a critical moment.

Battle situations could change in an instant, and a single misstep could lead to ship destruction and death.

As he wrestled with this decision, Song Chi noticed the layer of obsidian armor on the Sky Dome's hull that hadn't yet dissipated.

This observation gave him the resolve to continue.

After the [Obsidian Hull Armor] was upgraded to Level 30, its Obsidian Guard characteristic lasted for 20 minutes. As long as this layer remained, the Sky Dome wouldn't be instantly destroyed.

Thus, he decided to continue the challenge. However, if the Obsidian Guard characteristic ended or the obsidian layer was completely shattered, he would immediately concede and end the challenge.

With Song Chi's decision to continue, the three Third-Class humanoid puppet soldiers quickly moved into action.

Their puppet wings flapped violently, and they transformed into three streaks of light, accompanied by intense tornadoes, hurtling toward him.

Meanwhile, outside the Immortal Puppet Tower, a familiar figure appeared in a flash of red light.

"Clan Brother Song Ze, if I'm not mistaken, the one who just cleared the thirtieth level but failed at the thirty-first must be you. Can you reveal the quality of the puppet parts you received as a reward?"

Upon hearing this from a veteran Third-Class Flame Ship captain, Song Ze nodded slightly and a stiff smile appeared on his usually cold face.

"Orange!"

"Wow!" The surrounding crowd drew in a sharp breath, their eyes filled with envy.

An orange-quality honor part was a super part that most of them would never acquire in their lifetimes.

After the initial shock, the crowd's attention returned to the Immortal Puppet Tower, their eyes brimming with curiosity.

Now that Song Ze had come out, who was still inside at the thirtieth level? Could it be Song Yiming?

Seeing the crowd's reaction, Song Ze, who hadn't turned around, now did so. His eyes narrowed in surprise.

Someone else had made it to the thirtieth level besides him?

According to the information he had, the likelihood of it being Song Yiming was slim.

"Could it be a genius from one of the main branches?"

This development made Song Ze, who had been about to leave, stop and wait thoughtfully.

Only those who had experienced it knew the terror of the twenty-ninth and thirtieth levels. Anyone who could reach these levels was undoubtedly a genius, and Song Ze was naturally curious.

Inside the Supreme Immortal Puppet Tower, at the thirtieth level, the Sky Dome tried its best to evade, hoping to give the Chaotic Yang Sword Beam Cannon more chances to fire. However, the activity range was too small.

A radius of ten thousand meters might seem large, but in the face of Flame Ships and Third-Class beings, it was a distance that could be crossed in two seconds (not at light-speed cruise).

With three Third-Class puppet soldiers in hot pursuit, the Sky Dome's evasive space was further reduced.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Once again, a Third-Class puppet soldier's claw struck the Sky Dome, causing it to crash into the air wall below.

Most critically, Song Chi heard a faint "crack."

Though almost inaudible, Song Chi was certain it was a sign that the obsidian armor layer was about to collapse.

This didn't surprise him. The obsidian armor layer was generated from a purple-quality hull armor, not orange or red. Facing multiple attacks from three—no, five—Third-Class puppet soldiers, it was inevitable that it would fail.

At this moment, Song Chi's mind began to work at an incredible speed. The limit-breaking state he had entered on the 29th floor was still active, supporting his mental and cognitive functions as they raced and calculated.

He mentally listed all the specific attributes of the components currently loaded on the Sky Vault, considering how they might be useful in this situation.

He had no intention of giving up, quite the opposite. Because the obsidian armor layer was nearing its breaking point, he wanted to see if he could find a way to turn the tide in this final moment.

The Fire Chrysanthemum Soldier Puppet... no, a second-tier puppet would be useless against three third-tier puppets.

The Phantom Recommender's "Phantom Trace" feature... also no, with air walls on all sides, activating this feature would likely result in the Sky Vault suffering the same fate as the Saint Covenant and John Tross, traveling at 1300% the speed of light.

...

Component after component flashed through his mind, only to be quickly dismissed.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

At that moment, the three third-tier puppet soldier puppets, relentless as ever, swooped down at incredible speed.

Buzz!

The Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon fired again, a ten-meter-long sword light shadow striking one of the third-tier puppet soldier puppets, but with little effect.

Song Chi estimated that to completely destroy the three third-tier puppet soldier puppets, he would need at least three to four more shots for each one.

But they clearly wouldn't give the Sky Vault that time.

Just then, the Sky Vault made an unexpected move. Its hatch opened slightly, then quickly closed again, but the action was genuine.

Soon, the three third-tier puppet soldier puppets noticed the anomaly. A small black snake had appeared on the side of the Sky Vault, and as time passed, it rapidly grew to a hundred meters in length.

However, compared to the three semi-humanoid puppet soldier puppets, each over four hundred meters tall, the hundred-meter-long Komoyin Giant Snake was clearly no match.

In the main control room of the Sky Vault, Song Chi gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, activated the red-quality [Servitude Badge] at his side.

"Servitude Seal: Berserk, activate!!"

As he activated this feature of the [Servitude Badge], the hundred-meter-long Komoyin Giant Snake was suddenly enveloped in a dense, blood-red energy. Its body began to rapidly expand.

Two hundred meters;

Four hundred meters;

...

In just a second, the originally hundred-meter-long Komoyin Giant Snake had grown to a kilometer in length, and a fierce third-tier aura radiated from its body.

Sssss!

With a skyward roar, the berserk Komoyin Giant Snake received Song Chi's mental command.

Intense blood-red energy gathered on its surface, forming a two-kilometer-long crimson snake shadow.

This was the Komoyin Giant Snake's innate ability.

"Komoyin Giant Snake's Bite!"

The crimson snake shadow soared into the sky, colliding head-on with the three semi-humanoid puppet soldier puppets.

As a powerful third-tier energy shockwave spread, the already strained obsidian armor layer of the Sky Vault became even more precarious.

However, the kilometer-long Komoyin Giant Snake quickly coiled around the Sky Vault, protecting it within.

When the terrifying energy shockwave dissipated, the three somewhat battered puppet soldier puppets finally fell to the ground, engaging in a fierce battle with the berserk Komoyin Giant Snake.

Seizing this opportunity, Song Chi maneuvered the Sky Vault to a safe distance, while the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon continued to fire.

Three minutes later, with another ten-meter-long Pure Yang Sword Light striking the head of one of the third-tier puppet soldier puppets, its already damaged body finally collapsed.

On the side, the other two third-tier puppet soldier puppets lay motionless on the air walls below.

Relieved, Song Chi in the Sky Vault finally let out a long breath. He immediately exited the limit-breaking state, as his mental energy was already at its limit. Maintaining the limit-breaking state any longer would leave his mind with irreparable damage.

Immediately, a strong sense of fatigue washed over him. Supported by the limit-breaking state and focused on the battle below, he hadn't noticed it until now. With the limit-breaking state gone, the extreme fatigue filled his entire mind.

Just then, a few thousand meters ahead, a violent spatial fluctuation occurred, and four more puppet soldier puppets, each over a hundred meters tall, quietly appeared.

Seeing this, Song Chi immediately chose to end the challenge.

Joking, the 30th floor had already pushed him to his limits. Did he dare to challenge the 31st floor? That would be suicide!!!

As he confirmed the end of the challenge, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

[This challenge in the Supreme Immortal Puppet Tower has ended. Final score: 30 floors. Evaluation: Excellent]



[Based on your performance, you can choose one of the following three rewards as the final reward for this challenge. You have two minutes to make your choice. Please choose quickly.]



1. [Night Gargoyle Soldier Puppet Tree] - Orange

2. [Yellow Turban Strength Soldier Puppet Tree] - Orange

3. [Void Shadow Killer Soldier Puppet Tree] - Orange

PS: You know what I'm going to ask, right? Guess which one the protagonist will choose next.

Also, this chapter is a 8400-word mega chapter, with 4000 words added as a bonus for last month's monthly vote.

If you have a monthly vote, I hope you can cast it for this book. Thank you.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end