"Boom!" Hit repeatedly by such overwhelming assaults, the half-saint automaton's already-cracked head exploded instantly, white fragments of flesh and bone spraying outward. "Crack, crack." As the head burst, the automaton's hand, which had just been raised, suddenly stiffened. A strange ripple emanated from the severed neck, spreading out before fading into nothingness. With the dissipation of this ripple, the automaton's body began to age visibly—rapidly—until it turned to fine powder and drifted downward. "Huff." "A brilliant glow surged forth, and Xiao Yan's body rapidly shrank, soon returning to its original size. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, glanced at the current situation on his side, and saw that everyone except himself and Xun'er had sustained injuries. Even the formidable Gu Qingyang, who had previously clashed with the half-Saint automaton, had been struck with a palm that caused internal injuries—though fortunately, his internal qi was exceptionally robust, preventing the injuries from worsening. 'This thing is truly tenacious,' Xiao Yan murmured. With a flick of his fingers, one by one, pills shot out from his storage seal and floated before the group, then drifted into each of their mouths. 'Everyone take a moment to rest and recover. I'll stay on guard,' Xiao Yan said firmly. No one objected to his words. They all swallowed the pills and quickly settled into meditation posture, striving to enter a state of cultivation as soon as possible. In such a crisis-ridden environment, it was essential to keep their internal qi constantly flowing and abundant to ensure their very lives were secure. "Brother Xiao Yan, shall we intervene?" Xun'er walked beside Xiao Yan, her beautiful eyes gazing at the several battle circles, speaking softly. The battle circles here aren't particularly strong, even among the Huayu group, who have already lost a Huadian master whose heart was shattered by the half-Saint puppet. Yet their strength is clearly formidable, and through their combined efforts, they have managed to firmly contain the half-Saint puppet—winning the battle seems inevitable. In other directions, the Tian Yao Huang clan has also suffered casualties, though not severe—within acceptable limits—and they too have successfully held the half-Saint puppet in check. However, when compared to these groups, the final two battle zones appear notably more devastating. The four teams there were formed under desperate circumstances, though each boasts strong individual capabilities. Nevertheless, their coordination lacks cohesion, resulting in several top-tier masters reaching the Douzun stage being eliminated by the half-Saint puppet. Indeed, these are the areas with the heaviest losses. "No, we can manage on our own..." Xiao Yan's gaze flickered slightly before he shook his head. It wasn't the right time to show kindness now. These people were all competitors. Once the half-Saint puppets were eliminated, they might even secretly turn on their former allies. Therefore, it was better not to get involved. As for any unforeseen incidents that might cause the half-Saint puppets to lose control, those weren't particularly troublesome at the moment. After their previous encounters, Xiao Yan had gained a solid understanding of these so-called half-Saint puppets—though they were named such, their actual combat strength fell far short of that of true half-Saint masters. Otherwise, his party wouldn't have been able to defeat them without any casualties. Xun'er nodded in agreement. She understood the same logic. If she stepped in now to offer help, they might just end up making their own moves behind the scenes. This wasn't the time to be generous. "There it is—the legendary bodhi mind..." Xiao Yan glanced once more at the surrounding battle circles, then turned his gaze toward the bodhi ancient tree. At a height of a hundred paces above the ground, a radiant glow spread out in concentric waves, pulsing with an astonishing vitality. "This bodhi tree is more unusual than I anticipated. These half-saint automatons must have been genuine half-saint warriors in life. Yet even in their final moments, they became mere automatons—this clearly indicates that the bodhi tree itself is capable of surpassing even their strength." Xiao Yan fixed his eyes on the radiating glow, his mind racing with thoughts. While the half-saint automatons were not the most troublesome, the true challenge lay with the bodhi tree itself—no one knew exactly what extraordinary means it possessed. "I'll have to be especially cautious this time. Otherwise, I'll risk losing both my treasure and myself..." "Crash!" As Xiang Yan's thoughts raced through his mind, a deep, resonant sound suddenly erupted from the distance. When he turned around, he saw the Houn Yu, expressionless, deliver a single punch that shattered his ancestor's head into a mass of pale, fragmented flesh. After delivering that blow that pulverized the half-Saint automaton's head, the Houn Yu exhaled deeply and then lifted his head, gazing steadily at Xiang Yan. The previously impassive face quickly bloomed into a warm, pleasant smile—something that left the latter seething with quiet contempt. Was this man actually performing a series of facial expressions? Once the Houn Yu and his companions had dispatched the automaton, the others quickly settled into meditation to restore their qi, clearly having sustained immense strain from the earlier battle. Approximately ten minutes after that, the battlefield of the Tian Yao Huang clan finally began to settle. After defeating roughly three of the clan's Tian Yao Huang warriors, the half-Saint automaton was finally found and its head was struck to pieces. "Damn it!" Nine Phoenixes, their faces dark with anger, kicked the puppet's body hard, sending it flying. To eliminate this threat, they had sacrificed three powerful senior elders from the Heavenly Phoenix Clan—such a price was truly steep. Taking a deep breath to calm her fury, Nine Phoenix regained composure and raised her hand, taking the lead to sit cross-legged, swallowing a pill that swiftly restored her aura. Faced with such a volume of attacks, the half-Saint puppet's body trembled and instantly exploded—its shockwave sending nearby over a dozen strong warriors reeling, their internal qi surging and spilling blood from their mouths. The cost to them in this battle was truly devastating. After this engagement concluded, the final battlefield continued for several minutes, until, after sacrificing five lives through the relentless exchange of life for punches, the last half-Saint puppet was finally dispatched. When the head of that final half-Saint puppet exploded, the group lay motionless on the ground, nearly spent, unwilling even to move their fingers. When the last half-Saint puppet turned to dust, the group—having rested for a while—slowly opened their eyes. With the aid of the elixirs, their vital energies had recovered to nearly full. With the group now fully recovered, Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward the Bodhi Ancient Tree and after a moment said, "The conditions below will certainly be several times more dangerous than they are now. Therefore, I recommend that anyone who hasn't yet reached the rank of Six-Star Battle Sovereign remain here and not proceed further." Hearing this, the group hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement. Now that the half-Saint puppet has already appeared, no one could be certain what other challenges might lie ahead. If their strength wasn't sufficient, going on would likely mean certain death. "Master, then we'll stay here with Yan Yan. You go with the Young Miss." Several elders from the Huazong Clan exchanged glances and said. They were well aware of the benefits offered by the Bodhi Ancient Tree. Though they knew they themselves might not be fortunate enough to personally enjoy them, they still wished to bring some of that good fortune to the Huazong Clan. With Yunyun now demonstrating solid strength and having a connection to Xiao Yan, if any great opportunity arose, there would be countless advantages for the clan. "Very well. Then you take care." Yun Yun hesitated slightly, then nodded gently. She didn't harbor any strong desire to compete for the treasure, but she did sense the extraordinary nature of the Bodhi ancient tree—she felt a certain unease when she thought of having Xiao Yan and his party go there, even though she knew Xiao Yan's strength surpassed her own. Xiao Yan nodded in return, then turned his gaze toward the massive trunk of the Bodhi ancient tree, knowing that the true Bodhi heart must be hidden within. "Let's go," he said, exhaling softly. His pores tightened as if under tension. With a gentle wave of his hand, he rose and began to walk slowly toward the Bodhi ancient tree. Behind him, Xun'er and the others, standing in solemn readiness, followed with serious expressions and alertness. "Then we'll move as well," they said, unable to contain their eagerness as they saw Xiao Yan and his party taking the lead. Without pausing to rest, they raised their hands and began to follow, heading toward the Bodhi ancient tree. Later, the other several broken squads, seeing this scene, gritted their teeth and forced themselves to rise, having paid such a great price to reach here—they would absolutely not return empty-handed. Under the allure of the bodhi mind, everyone quickened their pace. Yet as they drew closer to the bodhi ancient tree, an increasing sense of tension settled within each of them. No one knew what further powers the ancient tree might hold, and it was precisely this uncertainty that instilled fear. When everyone reached the base of the Bodhi ancient tree, a brilliant radiance suddenly erupted from the trunk at its hundred-foot height, forming a luminous column that instantly enveloped Xiao Yan and all the others. This sudden development left everyone stunned; as they reached for their qi to summon it, they were horrified to find that their internal qi had completely vanished.