Transcending Dreams

B2 - Chapter 97

It was strange to sit in plain view of a likely occupied compound without anyone coming to check on him.

William had no misconceptions about being hidden. His entrance, with the metal platform slamming into the ground and creating enough disturbance to resemble a small earthquake, would have made hiding impossible.

Even if that had somehow been ignored, anyone or anything with decently high cultivation looking in his direction would have seen him sitting on the grass. And he hadnt moved for hours.

He spent the time glancing at the status screen, experimenting with his Lightning Qi, and speaking quietly with his suddenly excitable egg. It felt strangely peaceful, even though what awaited him was anything but.

It was a gift to be left alone for hours and given plenty of time to fully recover, but at the same time, the why was constantly being asked in his mind.

William glanced at his status screen again and finally saw what he was waiting for.

Spiritual Energy: 1940/1940 (20% per Hour)

He grabbed the constantly rocking spirit beast egg and ignored the feeling of indignation it pinged at him. He sent it into his spatial stone and started his trek.

Though, 'trek' was an exaggeration. William could cover the distance between him and the compound in less than a minute if he tried, but he was wary of any hidden traps on the way there.

He shouldnt have been.

William met no resistance of any kind on the way to the gates of the compound. He could even see guards stationed on either side, and he simply stared at him without reacting to his presence.

He supposed that made sense. After all, he had been sitting in the field for far too long. They would have known he was there, and if they had been bothered, they would have already done something about it.

The closer William got to the gates, the more he saw the oddness of the guards themselves. They seemed like regular human cultivators from afar, but there was something unnatural about them.

Halt. The guard on the right jerked his arm up and held his palm out. State your business.

William had no intention of getting close. Not with the basic status above their heads.

[Species: Flesh Puppet | Level: 151]

[Species: Flesh Puppet | Level: 150]

He targeted the one that spoke to him and used [Observe].

[Observe not available on automatons]

Of course.

Speak, stranger. Why are you on our mistresss lands.

That gave William a rather massive clue about who was inside. Still, speaking to these things was not something he was keen on extending. They smelt of rotten flesh, and their eyes glowed a faint, malignant light, giving off a feeling that they would prefer to do nothing more than feast on his flesh.

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If your mistress is Empress Sophia, then I was invited.

You were invited. Now, you are not, the guard replied in a dead tone. Leave, and you may yet live.

William glanced between the two, clearly remembering how the corrupted avatar tried to lure him here, promising a possible escape route under her control. She had needed him for something and now she didnt.

He was allowed to stay in the vicinity for hours without being disturbed, only told to go back after he approached. Leaving aside the fact that there was no place to go back to, alarms were going off in his head, and his gut told him he knew precisely why the corrupted avatar no longer needed him.

William wasnt the only one that was targeting this place. Kae was the other, and his gut told him his fellow disciple was in the corrupted avatars clutches.

His eyes sharpened as he studied the Flesh Puppet guards with renewed interest. There was a high chance he would need to fight through them in a short while. He was primarily concerned about the number inside.

William would prefer to save [Force Multiplier] for the corrupted avatar, but that might not be an option he had. It would depend on the fragility of these Flesh Puppets.

They looked inherently weak in terms of speed, with their jerky motions and slow movements. He hoped that would also apply when involved in a fight. That would reduce the difficulty of dealing with these to the point where he could do so without martial skills.

I dont think so, William said, taking a step forward, the yellowish-red light in the Flesh Puppets eyes growing stronger. I came all the way here, and I wont leave without meeting the avatar.

The Flesh Puppets stared at him for a long moment, pausing as if they were getting instructions on what to do.

Denied, they replied in unison. You will be removed by force.

William wanted this. Any reason to test himself against the Flesh Puppets.

He waited for them to make the first move, wanting to get an idea of the speed he would be against. The light in the Flesh Puppets' eyes grew stronger as it took on a reddish tint, something he noted as a possible tell before an attack.

It would make dealing with these things even easier.

The wait for the Flesh Puppets to do something was nearly torturous. It took less than a second, but with the speed that William was now used to, that might as well be an eternity. Still, he refrained from acting first in case this was a false opening that encouraged him to make a mistake.

Williams eyes widened, and he pushed off the ground to appear ten feet away. Both Flesh Puppets bit down where his body was previously, teeth clacking together loudly. Their necks had bulging vessels that seemed to be pulsing angrily, perhaps from the sheer force they put in their bite.

He ignored how they went straight into attempting to eat his flesh instead of using Qi or physical strikes though he supposed using teeth was a sort of physical strike. No, he was noting how the odd movement they possessed.

The Flesh Puppets were faster than he would have guessed, but not quite fast enough to take him by surprise. He would be able to handily beat them in speed if what they showed was the best they had to offer.

The odd part was the movement of their limbs. The jerky, awkward motions William noticed when commanded to halt at the start still existed. It was like there was a delay in the connection between the brain and muscles.

He narrowed his eyes in confusion when the Flesh Puppets simply stood there. Their eyes, which had lost the reddish tint after their strange attack, slowly regained it over a second. This time, he was ready.

William disappeared from his spot the moment the Flesh Puppets moved, reappearing close by. Only about five feet away. He was curious if they would take any action due to his proximity.

They didnt.

He stopped being passive, reasonably confident that he understood their limitations. The Flesh Puppets had returned to staring at him without that reddish tint in their eyes. It was like they were getting commands on what to do from afar, causing a significant delay in their actions.

William shot toward them with a fist shining bright blue, infused with Qi. He kept track of both Flesh Puppets but targeted one for his first strike. He landed a haymaker that caved in the targeted Flesh Puppets skull with a sickening crack, but something was wrong.

He quickly retreated and stared at the now-horribly disfigured Flesh Puppet in shock. The skin on its cheek was broken through to show teeth and bone, but there was no sign of blood at all. What should have been fatal damage to all other opponents he had foughtcultivators, spirit beasts, and automatonswas treated as nothing by the Flesh Puppet.

Their eyes once again gained a reddish tint. William casually avoided their pointless attempt to attack. He decided to see how much damage it needed to take before dying.