Because he was being dragged by Duan Chen, pulled along behind, Jun Ci didn't have to worry about falling behind if he detached.
His face was a very saturated shade of crimson. Fortunately, Duan Chen was in front of him now and couldn't see what he looked like.
Otherwise, anyone who didn't know would think Jun Ci and Duan Chen had done something.
Such a thought would truly give one goosebumps.
Jun Ci's fingers desperately covered his mouth to prevent anything from flowing out.
He had now transformed into an exceptionally special physique.
The dark energy flowing from his fingertips and absorbed back was all used to remodel his body.
However, only a very small amount of energy could be used to remodel his body. Most of the energy filled his body, reshaping its current form.
If Duan Chen hadn't been dragging him, Jun Ci might have collapsed to his knees right then and there.
Duan Chen knew very well that Jun Ci behind him was in a bad state, but he had no other choice but to push forward with all his might.
Only when he reached the very center, the absolute core of this formation, could they both be saved.
If it really went as that man said, starting the desert arena matches, killing the puppets here or the people alive, then they would be trapped here forever.
He hadn't missed the malevolent glint in that man's eyes when he proposed the idea.
And precisely because he hadn't missed it, he wouldn't give that man a chance, nor would he be soft-hearted towards him.
Step by step.
Duan Chen could clearly feel Jun Ci behind him spitting blood, mouthful after mouthful.
He felt like he was carrying an energy bomb.
But thankfully, just as Jun Ci's blood was about to drench Duan Chen's back, he successfully blasted away all the puppets in front of him and stood in the very center of the desert arena.
Here, there was a puppet.
Unlike the other puppets, this puppet had no human resemblance at all.
It could only be described as a plastic mannequin from a department store.
Its entire body was silvery white like jade and emanated a strong radiance.
It was impossible to determine the puppet's gender, or rather, it could be said that the puppet had no gender at all.
Upon hearing footsteps approaching, the puppet's eyes suddenly opened, revealing a vacant, silvery-white gaze.
Duan Chen, holding Jun Ci's hand, couldn't help but tense up for a moment.
This thing was powerful.
He could feel it.
The instant this thing opened its eyes, a vast psychic energy field swept across the entire desert arena.
It caused the yellow sand here to swirl and dance incessantly.
Duan Chen felt an extreme sense of crisis and directly threw Jun Ci behind him out of the way.
Although Jun Ci was continuously spitting blood, he understood the urgency of the situation. The moment he was thrown, he adjusted his body's gravity in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground.
Even though he accidentally knocked over two puppets, it wasn't a big deal.
"Careful!"
Even as he was being thrown, Jun Ci managed to speak, reminding Duan Chen.
Duan Chen naturally knew to be careful.
He knew to be careful, and he also knew that this silver-white entity before him likely possessed a very powerful talent.
And this talent was probably something that most spirit hunters here couldn't deal with.
His mind began to ponder what kind of talent, one that most spirit hunters couldn't handle, could solidify the puppet's status within this sandy arena.
So, what kind of talent could it be?
However, Duan Chen didn't have much time to think, as the silver-white puppet had already attacked first.
Its speed was incredibly fast.
It was as if it intended to kill Duan Chen instantly.
Duan Chen would not just stand there and let himself die. His speed was not much slower than this puppet's.
The moment the puppet locked its gaze onto Duan Chen, he retreated from his original position, leaped into the air, and moved backward.
The spot where he had been standing was directly pierced by an arm, yes, an arm. It was human-colored.
However, it wasn't a real human arm but an arm from a nearby puppet, ripped off by the silver-white puppet and thrown at Duan Chen.
Although it didn't seem overly ostentatious, it had a certain ruthlessness to it.
No…
Duan Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. He realized his previous assumption might have been wrong.
This puppet wasn't completely devoid of emotion. While its eyes flashed with inorganic light, there were occasional flickers of fluctuation.
Duan Chen could sense something akin to being alive yet not quite alive from this puppet.
It was somewhat like a legendary zombie.
But clearly, it didn't possess human characteristics. It was purely mechanical, purely metallic. It couldn't possibly be a zombie formed from a human, nor could it be a corpse.
Therefore, its existence seemed exceptionally strange.
It was hard to imagine what kind of talent such a puppet could possess.
Generally, talents were something only humans possessed.
Could a puppet have talent…
No.
This wasn't talent.
The moment he realized this, Duan Chen hadn't yet broken free from his fixed thinking, but as he grasped this fact, his pupils suddenly constricted.
Another anomaly!
How could this be?
How could there be anomalies within a secret realm?
This was absolutely impossible!
Secret realms might contain dangers or some monsters, but they absolutely would not contain anomalies!
Something has gone terribly wrong…
Duan Chen muttered to himself, utterly unsure of what to do. He frowned deeply, reached out, grabbed a puppet beside him, and, disregarding its struggles, threw it directly at the silver-white puppet in the center.
Then, he landed with a roll, his target crystal clear: he was heading straight for the core that the initial silver-white puppet was guarding.
There lay the most important core of this entire desert arena.
As long as that core was destroyed, the entire desert arena would dissipate, returning to the original desert, and the illusionary maze would not appear.
A fierce glint appeared in his eyes. Exposing his back to the silver-white puppet, he charged forward.