Chapter 694

Chapter 694: The Predicament

“Since it’s in the direction of their old nest, let’s go check it out,” Xu Fan said.

He knew that even more powerful Bat Giant Beasts would appear later, but it wasn’t a big deal.

While Xu Fan was talking to Grape, the battle outside the protective grand formation had already ended.

The sword formation puppet stood firmly outside the protective grand formation of Hidden Spirit Island, its sharp gaze fixed ahead.

“I wonder what treasures are hidden in that Bat Giant Beast’s lair,” Xu Fan said with anticipation.

Just then, Following Shadows arrived with Wang Linger to visit.

“Not bad. Judging by your state, you’ve fully advanced to a ninth-tier Tian Puppet Master,” Xu Fan said with a smile.

“I’ve just stabilized my level, so I’m here to request a mission from the Grand Elder,” Following Shadows replied.

“A mission, huh? You want to go out and fight those Bat Giant Beasts?” Xu Fan asked.

Following Shadows nodded.

Xu Fan gave a quick instruction to Grape.

Soon, a Great Ascension stage puppet designed specifically for controlling swordsmen appeared behind Xu Fan.

“This puppet has been waiting for you for a long time. Its name is Sword Shadow. I hope you won’t let it down in the future,” Xu Fan said.

Following Shadows glanced at the Sword Shadow puppet, a flicker of fascination in his eyes before his expression turned determined.

“I will definitely live up to the Grand Elder’s expectations,” Following Shadows said firmly.

“However, if you’re asking for a mission, you should reconsider. The battles outside are too dangerous. Without precise calculations, even a small mistake could get you wiped out by the strange wind.”

“Go back and get familiar with Sword Shadow. In time, I’ll assign you the right tasks,” Xu Fan instructed.

“Understood.”

Following Shadows nodded, accepted the puppet, and left with Wang Linger.

Watching them walk away, Xu Fan smiled and said, “Looks like it won’t be long before I’m invited to a wedding celebration.”

At that moment, another wave of Bat Giant Beasts approached outside the protective grand formation of Hidden Spirit Island.

But this time, there was a different Bat Giant Beast among them—completely pitch black, like a demon from the darkness.

The most important thing was that it could move freely through the strange wind, unlike the others that had to dodge it.

“By the usual pattern, this must be the elite monster,” Xu Fan said with a smile.

“Let me take a look.”

As Xu Fan spoke, he closed his eyes and took control of the sword formation puppet outside the protective grand formation.

The spiritual swords in the sword box of the sword formation puppet surged out like a dragon of swordsmanship.

They transformed into a sword formation azure dragon, coiling outside the protective grand formation.

A dragon roar echoed, accompanied by the sound of a sword’s cry, as the sword formation azure dragon radiated a majestic aura, like a true dragon.

Then, the spiritual energy from Hidden Spirit Island surged out and infused the sword formation azure dragon.

Finally, the sword formation azure dragon began to evolve, becoming even more vivid and lifelike.

The sword formation puppet stood behind the sword formation azure dragon.

Xu Fan noticed that the further he went, the more frequent the strange winds became.

While the sect’s protective grand formation could handle it, if the strange wind hit an artifact-level Spiritual Sword, it would need major repairs afterward.

So, in this environment, the wide-ranging sword formation wasn’t suitable anymore.

Regular battles were manageable, but against slightly stronger foes, there weren’t many good options.

At that moment, the ordinary Bat Giant Beasts charged into the attack range of the sword formation azure dragon and were all swept away by a powerful tail swipe.

They then kept a wary eye on the dark Bat Giant Beast in the distance.

This Bat Giant Beast wasn’t in a hurry to attack; instead, it circled Hidden Spirit Island, its eyes flickering with thought.

“This elite monster is smart,” Xu Fan said.

“Did you cause the strange wind in this area?” the sword formation puppet asked.

But the Bat Giant Beast didn’t respond and instead turned into a streak of black light, charging straight at the sword formation azure dragon.

A pure sword qi shot out from the sword formation azure dragon, slicing through the black light.

The Bat Giant Beast’s black light vanished into the strange wind, and the sword qi was completely destroyed.

“This fighting style is so cheap,” Xu Fan complained.

The Bat Giant Beast, having dodged the sword light, reappeared from the strange wind and charged at the sword formation azure dragon again.

This time, it released a gust of strange wind, knocking off a scale from the sword formation azure dragon, which represented an artifact.

Seeing this, Xu Fan immediately became alert.

“We can’t mess around anymore; losing a Spiritual Sword is unacceptable!”

The sword formation azure dragon’s eyes glowed brightly as it clashed with the Bat Giant Beast.

After a few rounds, the sword formation azure dragon lost a few more scales, making Xu Fan wince.

“Grape, bring out those fifth-tier Spiritual Swords made from scrap. Give me one-tenth for now,” Xu Fan ordered, planning to armor up the sword formation azure dragon.

In an instant, all the Hidden Spirit Sect Disciples saw Wanbao Peak, the treasure vault, open a gap at the mountain peak.

From the gap, hundreds of thousands of fifth-tier Spiritual Swords flew out, all heading toward the sword formation azure dragon.

The upgraded version of the azure dragon appeared before the Bat Giant Beast.

With hundreds of thousands of fifth-tier Spiritual Swords reinforcing it, the sword formation azure dragon seemed to gain a buff, fighting more fiercely against the Bat Giant Beast.

After several rounds, the Bat Giant Beast realized it couldn’t gain the upper hand and took the chance to be knocked away by the sword formation azure dragon’s tail, escaping into the strange wind.

It then fled the scene.

The sword formation azure dragon roared at the Bat Giant Beast’s retreating figure before reluctantly returning to the sword box.

“Grape, avoid the Bat Giant Beast’s lair. How long will it take to reach the core area’s boundary?” Xu Fan asked.

“Master, at our current speed, it will take two hundred and thirty years.”

“Do we really have to activate the celestial tool node for teleportation?” Xu Fan muttered, stroking his chin.

Thinking about it, Xu Fan realized it would take several hundred years to reforge the celestial tool node, plus time to repair the base, totaling around seven or eight hundred years.

“This is a headache. If a few more of these things show up, we’re in trouble,” Xu Fan sighed.

“Master, your grandson Han Feiyu is here to see you,” Grape’s voice chimed in.

“Is he here to solve the problem?”

“Let him in.”

Han Feiyu, dressed in Hidden Spirit Dao robes, gave his plain face a touch of charm.

Though he wasn’t quite protagonist-level, he had no flaws in appearance.

For some reason, this thought crossed Xu Fan’s mind.

“Greetings, Master Ancestor,” Han Feiyu said with a bow.

“No need for formalities,” Xu Fan replied with a smile.

“Master Ancestor, I have a treasure to offer,” Han Feiyu said, getting straight to the point.

After watching today’s battle, he realized the sect was in a tough spot.

If they were only dealing with ordinary Bat Giant Beasts that could be avoided, it would be manageable. But now, there were Bat Giant Beasts that could merge into the strange wind, making it hard for the sword formation puppet to handle.

After seeing the battle, Han Feiyu suddenly remembered he had six magic cubes in his space ring that could break spatial seals.

These had evolved from fragments of a similar substance he found near the original cube, now transformed into tools capable of breaking spatial seals.