Chapter 647: The Puppeteer Family, the Whirlpool's Strange Phenomenon

After several tests, Jiang Chen confirmed that as long as he didn't enter within a ten-thousand-mile range, there would be no danger.

Ten thousand meters was the critical point.

The whirlpool was connected to the other seas on all sides.

Jiang Chen was quite certain that monsters lived in those other seas.

But near the whirlpool, there wasn't a single monster.

Even the starlight of the Star Sea had vanished; here, even starlight did not exist.

The whirlpool seemed to have become a forbidden zone, which no monster or living creature dared approach.

But if he couldn't get close, then he couldn't explore it thoroughly.

The Detection Technique couldn't fly out ten thousand meters either.

"Let's try using the Undead Legion!"

Jiang Chen summoned ten Headless Knights and had them charge toward the whirlpool from different directions.

He wanted to borrow the Headless Knights' vision to see what was inside the whirlpool.

After all, Headless Knights couldn't die; even if they suffered a fatal attack, they would be reborn in his Summon Queue.

The Headless Knights activated their Charge Skill and rushed forward at a speed of 3,000 meters per second.

Ten Headless Knights charged in from different directions and different angles.

Just as they entered the ten-thousand-meter range of the whirlpool, they had advanced less than a hundred meters in less than 0.1 seconds.

They all collapsed in utter silence.

Without any sound or movement, the Headless Knights died instantly, then appeared in the Summon Queue.

They died at the same time, with almost no difference in sequence.

Through the Headless Knights' vision, Jiang Chen sensed an attack on the soul.

It also had almost no difference in sequence.

A sharp light flickered in Jiang Chen's eyes. "Try again."

Ten Headless Knights were too few; this time, he released ten thousand Headless Knights.

The Headless Knights formed a circle around the whirlpool, covering all directions, in the sky and in the water.

At Jiang Chen's command, the Headless Knights all activated their Charge Skill and charged forward again.

Jiang Chen's Soul Energy surged wildly as he connected to ten thousand fields of vision.

Immediately after, a shocking scene unfolded before him.

He saw a flash of blue light, and then he saw a gigantic face.

This face resembled a human face, but it was also filled with all kinds of monsters.

The human face was composed of Soul Energy, immensely powerful yet with chaotic consciousness.

It appeared above the whirlpool like a wild beast and let out a furious roar.

The soul sound traveled ten thousand meters, and all the Headless Knights collapsed simultaneously.

Jiang Chen himself also trembled violently, his face turning pale.

Because his soul was connected to the Headless Knights, that roar had implicated his own soul as well.

The Nine-Colored Dragon Soul Crystal continuously spewed Soul Energy, healing Jiang Chen.

The soul wound was very light, just a tremor, and it was healed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Chen began to form some conjectures about the whirlpool.

That human face explained many things.

The human face was just a form; the essence was still a Soul Attack.

More fundamentally, it was the chaotic consciousness within, meaning this Soul Energy was composed of countless strands of souls combined together.

Their souls had merged, but their consciousness had not been unified.

These souls came from the monster creatures that had been drawn in by the current, whether good or bad.

They were sucked into the whirlpool, their souls firmly trapped by it, becoming the whirlpool's power.

Their consciousness had not been destroyed; it was also trapped here together.

Jiang Chen suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

If the consciousness existed and could still think, then was the whirlpool an eternal prison of torment?

"What exactly is inside the whirlpool?"

"Imprisoning souls—this is not something an ordinary person could do."

Jiang Chen prepared to try once more, to lure out the human face again and observe it.

Although the observation time was only about 0.1 seconds, if time was insufficient, he could make up for it with frequency; by observing several times, he might discover something.

Just as he was about to summon the Headless Knights again, Jiang Chen suddenly stopped.

Turning his head, he saw two professionals flying over from a distance.

A man and a woman, holding hands, looking like a couple.

The man appeared to be around forty years old.

The woman seemed about the same age, but she had preserved her looks well, appearing much younger.

The two flew to Jiang Chen's side, and the man clasped his hands toward Jiang Chen. "Brother, have you come to admire the Central Great Whirlpool too?"

The Central Great Whirlpool was the name of this whirlpool.

Jiang Chen grunted in acknowledgment.

The man continued, "In a little while, it will be time for the whirlpool's reverse flow. This is a rare spectacle that happens only once a year."

Jiang Chen asked, "What is the whirlpool's reverse flow?"

He had never seen a reverse whirlpool in any record, nor had he heard anyone mention it.

The man laughed heartily, "That's just the name I gave the strange sight. I read about it in an ancient text: the central whirlpool erupts once a year with a Sea water spout, said to be spectacular."

Jiang Chen was startled, "A Sea water spout—what would that cause?"

The man shook his head, "It's exactly what it sounds like. I haven't seen it myself, but it's said to be spectacular."

At that moment the woman said, "Let's get closer and watch."

The man readily agreed, and the two flew toward it.

Jiang Chen barked sharply, "Come back."

The man paused, "Little brother, what's up?"

Jiang Chen said, "Don't get within ten thousand meters; it's dangerous and can kill people."

The man was slightly taken aback, not fully believing Jiang Chen's words.

It was clear Jiang Chen wasn't joking.

Suddenly he drew a metal bead from his pocket.

The bead, only fist-sized, was tossed into the air, and his finger released a Skill.

With a bang the bead exploded, turning into a half‑person‑tall sword‑wielding puppet.

Jiang Chen looked at the man, "Puppet Master?"

Puppet Masters are rare, and the profession carries a Bloodline inheritance; in the Shenlong Empire there is only one Puppet Master family.

The man must belong to that family.

He said with a hint of pride, "Indeed, the Southwest Wang Clan! Wang Feng."

The Southwest Wang Clan, a Puppet Master family, is an extremely ancient clan in the Shenlong Empire.

Their history even predates the Shenlong Empire, existing before its founding.

Their ancestors served the Shenlong Empire and rendered indelible Contribution to the entire Human Race.

Historical records of the Shenlong Empire all mention them.

But in the past hundred years the Southwest Wang Clan has not produced any Divine-level Strongman, showing a slight decline.

Yet within the Empire, no one still dares to look down on them.

Even families that possess Divine-level Strongmen dare not trouble them.

One reason is that the Wang Clan is full of honor.

The other is that the clan possesses Divine-level puppets.

Wang Feng, as a descendant of the Southwest Wang Clan and already at Level 83, could very likely become the next Divine-level Puppet Master, and he can indeed be proud.

Jiang Chen's mind instantly flashed with a wealth of information about the Southwest Wang Clan; the Wang Clan is a great family.

Jiang Chen's tone showed slight respect; the Wang Clan indeed made a huge Contribution to the Shenlong Empire and the entire Human Race.

Wang Feng's expression grew even more arrogant; he pointed his finger forward, and the swordsman puppet immediately charged.

The puppet's aura was hidden, but judging by its speed it should have roughly Level 80 combat power.

Moreover, Jiang Chen could sense a Soul fluctuation within the puppet, seemingly forming a special link with Wang Feng.

Jiang Chen concluded that Wang Feng was manipulating the puppet with his own Soul.

In that case, Puppet Masters appear to have some study of the Soul.

At least among other professions below Divine Level, Jiang Chen rarely sees any that research the Soul.

The puppet surged past the ten‑thousand‑meter limit, then abruptly halted and fell from the sky.

Wang Feng let out a muffled groan, and his whole body instantly became listless.

His face turned pale, his expression tinged with fear, as if he had seen something terrifying.

Jiang Chen knew his Soul had been somewhat injured; after all, he used his Soul to control the puppet, and when the puppet was destroyed his Soul would also be affected.

But such injury was minor; even without treatment it would recover after a few days.

"Brother Feng Ge, are you okay?"

Wang Feng shook his head to indicate he was fine.

Then he turned to Jiang Chen and asked, "What exactly is happening here?"

Wang Feng's tone was still decent; he didn't blame Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen had kindly warned himself that, had he gone over earlier, it might have been the puppet that died instead.

Losing a puppet was fine; even if a puppet is hard to make, it's better than dying oneself.

The earlier Soul Attack was terrifying; he knew that if he had gone, he certainly wouldn't have survived.

By that reckoning, Jiang Chen's warning had indeed saved his own life.

Jiang Chen said, "I still haven't figured it out; it must be a Soul Attack."

Wang Feng said, "Information on the central great whirlpool is scarce; I only saw a fragment in an ancestor's notebook, which mentioned that the central great whirlpool produces a Sea water spout every few years."

"Then, after calculations, I derived the exact timing of the Sea water spout."

Wang Feng's family is ancient enough that it's not surprising they know things outsiders don't.

But he wasn't clear what the Sea water spout actually was.

The notes only said it was spectacular, without specifics.

Suddenly a rumble rang out from the whirlpool.

The Sea water that had been continuously flowing in suddenly turned violent!

The whirlpool's center boiled as if, water columns rose, and Sea water kept surging upward, forming pillars.

Jiang Chen's complexion shifted slightly, and he shouted, "Retreat!"