The lair of the puppets reeked of foul odor.
Si Jianye also did not wish to foul his nose.
"The Underworld King speaks wisely."
Gongyi Yuan looked up at the black hole in the sky and echoed softly, "If the major sects combine their strength, perhaps they can seal the black hole."
Feng Ninghe turned her gaze to Si Jianye, deliberately lowering her voice, "If the black hole is sealed, will you have a way to travel to the Dragon Realm?"
Since the thing this man desired was in the Dragon Realm, he would surely go there.
Ji Binyu and Lin Yuran had already fled, and she would eventually go to the Dragon Realm.
Si Jianye nodded slightly, and his lips parted, uttering the chilling words slowly, "Yes."
A simple word, yet it eased their hearts.
Feng Ninghe then walked towards the people from other sects and nations, "Esteemed sirs, only by repairing the damaged barrier can we completely block the puppets within the barrier. I implore you to lend me a hand and jointly repair the barrier!"
Among the crowd, Di Wenbin was the first to step forward, his eyes filled with determination, "The Immortal Sect is willing to lend the Empress a hand."
His eyes held a hint of emotion as he gazed at Feng Ninghe.
In such a short time, Feng Ninghe had grown to a level that was beyond reach.
Not only was her cultivation high, but she was now also the Empress of Lin Country.
Di Wenbin genuinely admired Feng Ninghe, even wishing to be as powerful as her.
"Li Country is also willing to lend the Empress a hand!"
The Emperor of Li stepped out from the crowd, his gaze towards Feng Ninghe filled with a touch of relief.
The Empress stood beside the Emperor of Li.
Upon learning of the puppets' appearance in Lin Country, the Emperor and Empress of Li had rushed over immediately.
They had watched Feng Ninghe grow up, and seeing her reach this point, the Emperor and Empress of Li could finally rest easy.
"And us!"
The Grand Elder of the Feng family arrived with the three elders of the Feng family.
Feng Ninghe had not returned to the Feng family for a long time, but she had not forgotten them, occasionally sending people to deliver some elixirs to the Feng family.
With an ample supply of elixirs, the elders of the Feng family had all reached the Nascent Soul stage.
Originally at the bottom of the four great families in Li Country, Feng Ninghe, through her own efforts, had elevated the Feng family to the head of the four great families.
"And our Bai family!"
The members of the Bai family stepped forward without hesitation.
Looking at the familiar faces before her, Feng Ninghe's heart involuntarily warmed. She nodded slowly, "Then I shall trouble all of you to help me repair the formation!"
She strode forward, leading the crowd to repair the formation.
As they conversed, over a hundred puppets descended through the black hole.
Si Jianye looked up at the scene before him, his tall figure standing still.
Seeing that Si Jianye did not intend to help, A'xi instinctively leaned closer, "Underworld King, do you not plan to assist?"
Si Jianye's chilling eyes swept over him, and his cold voice, devoid of any emotion, asked, "Do you think such a matter requires my personal intervention?"
A'xi seemed to realize something and nodded repeatedly, "The Underworld King is right. Moreover, you spent a full seven days in the black hole, fighting desperately with the puppets. It was not easy to return safely, so it is natural that you need to conserve your spiritual energy and rest."
Si Jianye said nothing more, his gaze fixed on the black hole.
The crowd joined forces, using their spiritual energy to repair the barrier.
The black hole began to shrink rapidly at a visible rate.
The puppets scrambled to reach out and claw at the black hole, attempting to continue their descent.
But the black hole grew smaller and smaller, until it finally closed.
"The black hole is gone! The barrier has been successfully repaired!"
"This means no more puppets will emerge from the black hole. All we need to do is eliminate the puppets on the ground, and we will have achieved our goal!"
"Brothers, charge! Let's kill all the remaining puppets!"
The soldiers and cultivators saw hope, their eyes burning with fervent anticipation. Their morale soared, and they fought with renewed vigor.
The puppets kept falling from the black hole, seemingly endless. They could see no sign of an end.
Now that the barrier was repaired, no more puppets would fall.
With the disappearance of the black hole, Feng Ninghe also lowered her hands, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe the sweat from her brow.
Even with everyone working together to repair the barrier, it had been arduous, but thankfully, they had succeeded.
Feng Ninghe stood still, gazing at the scattered puppets on the ground.
Even when knocked down, as long as their heads remained attached, the puppets would immediately rise, and their wounds would heal rapidly within a short time.
She looked up at the sky.
Her curiosity about the Dragon Realm grew even more intense. What kind of place was it?
After a moment, Feng Ninghe withdrew her gaze and looked at the people behind her, "Thank you for your hard work. Once the puppets are completely eradicated, Lin Country will surely host a banquet to express our gratitude!"
Di Wenbin waved his hand dismissively, "Eliminating puppets is everyone's responsibility. If these things continued to fall, not only Lin Country, but even Jinling would be in danger."
If the sects of Jinling refused to help, Lin Country alone would be unable to cope.
Lin Country would no longer focus on eliminating puppets but would only protect its own citizens, leaving other countries in trouble.
The Emperor of Li narrowed his eyes, a hint of deep thought appearing in them, "I never imagined there was a Dragon Realm besides the Xuan Continent. The Dragon Realm is densely populated with puppets. We must always station guards at the barrier to prevent such situations from happening again in the future."
Feng Ninghe looked at the Emperor of Li with slight approval, "The Emperor of Li is correct. Now that everyone knows the barrier to the Dragon Realm is here, we must be even more cautious."
After a brief exchange, Feng Ninghe instructed her subordinates to arrange for inns for the cultivators to rest.
Since everyone had come to help, they had been staying in the Lin Valley.
Upon receiving the order, the subordinates did not dare to delay and quickly carried out the instructions.
It was not until nightfall that Feng Ninghe and the others finally had the opportunity to return to the palace.
Bai Niannian rubbed her sore arms and sighed softly, "The crisis in Lin Country is finally resolved. I will rest well tonight and visit my parents tomorrow."
Feng Xing's eyes also showed a hint of relief, and a slight smile appeared, "The number of puppets is no longer significant. The rest can be left to them to handle."
Soon, they boarded a carriage.
Feng Ninghe turned to Si Jianye, "Did you encounter any high-level puppets in the black hole?"
In response to her question, Si Jianye nodded slowly, "There was a puppet at the Integration stage, and it possessed intelligence."
The Integration stage was above the Nascent Soul stage.
"Integration stage?"
Feng Ninghe's delicate brows furrowed involuntarily, "The puppets' cultivation is so strong? How could it be so powerful?"
Most puppets lacked intelligence, yet they were all strong, tall, and robust, with cultivation levels above the Foundation Establishment stage.
Si Jianye's expression did not change much as his low, hoarse voice slowly stated, "If you want to know the truth, you can find out at the puppets' lair."
However, it was impossible for them to go to the puppets' lair unless they were tired of living.
Feng Ninghe spoke again, "Besides the puppets, what else did you see in the black hole?"
She wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about the Dragon Realm.