Chapter 382: The Marvelous Use of the Thunder Body
Xiao Ze led the four into the fiery passage, his soul power spreading out to examine the path ahead. He wanted to confirm that aside from the entrance at the bottom, there were no other hidden passages. After a while, Xiao Ze decided to control the thunder body he had released earlier, letting it explore the secrets of the fiery passage. Then he led the group straight into the magma below.
The four were momentarily startled but did not scream. Instead, they followed Xiao Ze into the magma.
"Xiao Ze, is the secret of this fiery passage hidden in the magma?" they quickly deduced his intention.
"That's right. This fiery passage is just a diversion. If we keep following it, we'll eventually hit a dead end—a stone wall," Xiao Ze explained. Protected by his Emperor Flame, the surrounding magma felt like ordinary liquid, causing no harm. After less than a minute, they felt their bodies land on a cold floor.
Looking up, they saw the magma passage suspended overhead, forming a ring. Following it would have led to nothing.
"Xiao Ze, your soul perception is incredible, sensing through such thick magma," Zi Yan said enviously. They assumed Xiao Ze discovered the passage's secret due to his powerful soul strength.
"You have a strong beast physique, so your soul power grows slower, which is normal. After all, you have a long lifespan," Xiao Ze casually replied. Zi Yan smiled, acknowledging that compared to human cultivators, magical beasts indeed had a natural advantage in longevity.
Medusa scanned the new environment and spotted a distant hall. "Is that the real entrance to the relic?"
The group moved to the large hall's entrance, which was guarded by ten upright, spear-like figures.
"They look like puppets," Xiao Yi Xian observed.
"Yes, they are. Xiao Ze has two puppets himself," Qing Lin added, examining the puppets with curiosity.
Medusa placed her hand on the sword at her waist, turning to Xiao Ze. "Do we need to fight them?"
"No need. These puppets are not much of an obstacle," Xiao Ze said, moving towards them. The others followed closely. Xiao Ze's soul power enveloped the puppets briefly, and they moved towards him.
Medusa felt a sense of déjà vu, remembering how Xiao Ze had easily subdued the two Sky Demon Phoenix puppets before. "You subdued them so quickly?"
"These were not taken seriously by the Dou Saint. They were probably just made casually," Xiao Ze explained as he collected the ten puppets under the astonished gazes of the group.
"A great start—ten puppets as soon as we enter the Dou Saint's relic," Zi Yan remarked. As Xiao Ze stored the puppets, the heavy stone door before them slowly opened with a series of mechanical clicks.
An ancient and desolate aura wafted from within. The group exchanged glances before focusing on Xiao Ze.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go. There's a treasure inside this Dou Saint relic," Xiao Ze urged, leading them in. The women followed, curious about the treasure Xiao Ze mentioned.
Zi Yan couldn't contain her curiosity. "What kind of treasure is it?"
"It's a treasure related to you, something you can use," Xiao Ze replied, surprising Zi Yan. The other three women looked at her with a hint of envy, realizing Xiao Ze had come here specifically for Zi Yan's sake. Even if she hadn't found them, he would have delivered the treasure to her on Dragon Island. This gesture of his dedication to Zi Yan touched them deeply.
Having understood Xiao Ze's intentions, Zi Yan felt her heart race slightly. For her, Xiao Ze had traversed great distances to obtain a treasure from this relic.
Inside the stone door, a vast hall greeted them, with numerous corridors extending into the unknown.
"With so many passages, exploring them all could take ages," Xiao Yi Xian remarked, awed by the sheer size of the place. The others nodded in agreement, now appreciating the advantage of having exclusive access to the relic. Competing with other factions would have made things much more difficult.
"We could split up to explore," Qing Lin suggested, her eyes brightening.
"But it's safer to stick together in a Dou Saint's relic," Medusa countered.
"No need to trouble ourselves," Xiao Ze said, forming hand seals rapidly. He created several thunder bodies, each equipped with storage rings. The thunder bodies then dispersed into the various passages.
The women were left speechless.
"Let the thunder bodies handle the other passages. Anything valuable won't escape the soul power I infused in them," Xiao Ze said. "We'll focus on finding that treasure."