Chapter 278: Refining Shen Yun into a Puppet
Qifeng Mountain was a well-known place across the entire northern region of Central Plains—not because it housed phoenixes, but because atop this mountain stood the Wind Lightning Pavilion's Northern Division.
The Wind Lightning Pavilion was divided into four branches—East, South, West, and North. The East Pavilion was the main branch, while the other three played supporting roles. Even so, any one of these three sub-pavilions alone had enough strength to rank among the top factions in Central Plains. Together, the four branches made up a force that could rival even the peak powers of the region, truly a dominant force in the North.
Qifeng Mountain was treacherous and steep, its peaks shrouded in dense mist, giving it an ethereal, otherworldly aura. Numerous buildings lay hidden amidst lush greenery, faintly visible. The most eye-catching of all was a towering silver structure atop the highest peak.
That spire, reaching into the clouds, was known as the Northern Lightning Tower. It shimmered with radiant silver light, and faint thunder could be heard echoing from within. It served as the sacred cultivation ground of the Wind Lightning Northern Pavilion, accessible only to those who had proven themselves exceptional.
At the top floor of the Northern Lightning Tower was a vast great hall. At that moment, several figures were seated within it. The overwhelming auras they exuded made the guards standing outside the hall shiver with unease.
"Elder Yun's Soul Lightning Tablet has shattered."
At the center of the hall stood a silver throne, veins of lightning crawling along its surface. Reclining against it was a man dressed in silver robes. His silver-gray eyes swept over the room below as his calm voice echoed throughout the hall.
Though the voice wasn't loud, it carried a tremendous pressure—none dared ignore it.
As soon as he spoke, three elders below, dressed in different robes, turned grim. They knew the Soul Lightning Tablet well. It housed a sliver of their soul essence. If they ever perished, the tablet would shatter accordingly. This meant that Shen Yun...
"Someone dared attack our Northern Pavilion in the North of Central Plains? Was it the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion?"
A black-robed elder with long silver eyebrows spoke in a low, icy tone.
"Unclear for now. Elder Yun went to Tianbei City with Hong Chen, didn't he? Wind, Thunder, Lightning—elders, go and investigate what happened. No matter who the attacker was, even if it was the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion, apprehend them first. No one kills members of the Wind Lightning Northern Pavilion and walks away freely!"
The silver-robed man on the throne commanded slowly.
"Yes!"
The three elders immediately stood up and responded in unison before transforming into streaks of light and vanishing from the hall.
Once they were gone, the hall returned to silence. After a while, the man on the throne rose and waved his sleeve, and the sound of thunder echoed violently throughout the hall.
"To dare strike at the Wind Lightning Northern Pavilion... you've got guts. If I don't drag you out into the open, those two old bastards will never let me live it down."
In a secret chamber within the Han Clan—
Xiao Yuan emerged from his meditative state. With a flick of his finger toward his brow, he extracted the soul energy stored in the Soul Nourishment Pearl and infused it into the silver-white ring where Venerable Tian Huo resided.
Now wasn't the time to break his own seal to fight the Wind Lightning Pavilion. After all, due to the matter with Han Yue, Queen Medusa was already angry, and her feelings were far more important than those Wind Lightning riffraff.
So, he had to prepare ahead of time—namely, awakening Venerable Tian Huo.
If Fei Tian, the Northern Pavilion Master, showed up personally, Xiao Yuan's current sealed strength wouldn't suffice. Even if he teamed up with Queen Medusa, they couldn't defeat a peak Dou Zong who had mastered the Three Thousand Lightning Illusions.
As for marrying Han Yue—he wasn't in a rush. That could wait until the Wind Lightning Pavilion matter was resolved.
Xiao Yuan might be a lecher, but he knew when to prioritize.
After a moment of contemplation, he waved his hand, and a black shadow shot out from his ring, landing heavily on the ground with a puff of dust.
It was none other than the elder from Wind Lightning Northern Pavilion—Shen Yun.
Xiao Yuan had kept both his corpse and soul specifically for crafting a Heavenly Demon Puppet.
Though Shen Yun had only been a four-star Dou Zong, thanks to his training in the Three Thousand Thunder Movement and other Wind Lightning Pavilion techniques, his body had been refined by heavenly lightning. His physical form was quite formidable—stronger even than Hong Tianxiao's five-star Dou Zong body.
Unfortunately, Medusa had utterly destroyed Hong Tianxiao—no intact corpse left.
Otherwise, Xiao Yuan would've had another fine specimen to work with.
Though he had the remains of Venerable Tian Huo, they were just bones—no flesh. Making a puppet out of those would require something like a Bone-Flesh Fusion Pill, which he currently couldn't refine.
Shaking off stray thoughts, Xiao Yuan summoned a dark-golden flame, flicked it forward, and engulfed Shen Yun's corpse in fire. The scorching heat instantly reduced his clothes to ash.
Xiao Yuan's expression remained calm as he maintained the heat, turning the body red-hot. As he continued roasting it, wisps of black gas seeped from the corpse and were burned away by the flame.
This black gas was corpse qi—containing traces of the soul's former will. If not thoroughly purged, the soul intended for fusion wouldn't bind properly to the body. Crafting a Heavenly Demon Puppet required perfect fusion of the body, the soul, and the magic core—so removing the corpse qi was essential.
Xiao Yuan maintained a precise temperature: enough to expel the corpse qi without damaging the body.
It took him two full hours to purify the corpse.
When the last strand of corpse qi dissipated, he breathed a sigh of relief, then flicked two jets of wind to punch fist-sized holes into the corpse's chest and forehead.
No blood flowed—the heat had long since evaporated all traces of it. This, too, was a step in the puppet-refining process.
The body had shrunk, its skin now a chilling gray-white, tightly clinging to shriveled muscle. Its hands were long and sharp, like daggers.
Following the ancient manual's instructions, Xiao Yuan slightly refined the body again before summoning a silver magic core crackling with lightning from Shen Yun's storage ring. He inserted it into the chest cavity.
Next, he pulled out a jade bottle, filled with powerful soul energy.
"Xiao Yuan! What will it take for you to let me go!?"
As soon as the bottle appeared, a furious voice laced with hatred burst forth.
"Elder Shen, don't worry—you'll be out soon."
Xiao Yuan sneered and crushed the bottle. A weakened soul emerged and immediately tried to flee—but Xiao Yuan had already prepared and caught it effortlessly.
Ignoring Shen Yun's curses and screams, he wrapped the soul in flame. The intense heat eventually destroyed even the last trace of Shen Yun's consciousness.
Xiao Yuan glanced at the now-mindless soul, then tossed it into the corpse's forehead.
As the soul entered, Shen Yun's eyes flew open—gray and lifeless.
Unmoved, Xiao Yuan flicked his fingers, summoning dozens of strange metals from his storage ring. They floated before him.
Nodding, he summoned his dark-golden flame again, and a suction force drew the metals into it.
Under the extreme heat, the metals began to melt—slowly but surely.
Controlling two different temperatures at once—one steady for the body, the other scorching for the metals—required incredible precision. Thankfully, Xiao Yuan had mastered the Five-Wheel Departed Flame Technique and wasn't overwhelmed.
Both processes took time. Especially the body—it had to reach a perfect state of compatibility with the soul and core.
Knowing it would take days, Xiao Yuan sat cross-legged and waited.
Four days passed.
By then, the strange metals had been fully refined into a dark-gold liquid, glowing faintly within the flame.
Yet the perfect fusion state had not yet arrived.
Xiao Yuan was in no rush. Impatience would only ruin everything. A mistimed fusion would waste the body, soul, and core—a fatal error in puppet creation.
He remained as calm as still water.
Three more days passed.
Suddenly, his body trembled, and his eyes snapped open—joy flashing in their depths.
The perfect fusion moment had come!
In the cave, Xiao Yuan rapidly formed a peculiar hand seal and chanted a strange incantation.
The corpse jolted. The soul hovering in its mind fragmented into countless light particles, scattering throughout the body.
Simultaneously, the magic core in its chest buzzed and released a surge of violent energy, flooding through its meridians.
As the transformation occurred, the gray-white hue of the body deepened. It shrank further. A massive, emotionless aura began to radiate from it—comparable to a three-star Dou Zong.
Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up.
Suppressing his excitement, he sent the dark-gold liquid gently toward the puppet.
Chi! Chi!
The molten metal hissed as it hit the corpse, releasing plumes of white smoke and a metallic scent. Yet the puppet's skin showed no damage, proof of its incredible durability after all the refinement.
His soul energy swept over the puppet, guiding the metal across every inch of its body. The hissing and fog were unnerving.
When the coating was complete, the gray-white color was replaced by a dark-golden sheen. It shimmered with a strange, metallic toughness.
Xiao Yuan exhaled lightly, then summoned his flame once more, wrapping the puppet within.
The heat caused the metal to seep into the puppet's skin. Its body turned reddish-purple, almost like copper.
According to the ancient texts, Heavenly Demon Puppets came in three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human—distinguishable by skin tone: gold, silver, and copper respectively.
This one showed the color of the lowest rank.
But Xiao Yuan wasn't disappointed—there was still more to do.
As the molten metal was fully absorbed, a faint silver glow spread across the puppet's body. Though a few copper spots remained, they were minimal compared to the silvery luster now covering most of it.
When the silver glow peaked, it dimmed suddenly—absorbed into the puppet's body.
Despite looking plain, the puppet's aura hadn't diminished. Clearly, the glow vanished merely to avoid drawing attention.
Inside the flame, the puppet stood upright, floating in mid-air, eyes full of lifeless gray light.
Xiao Yuan bit his tongue and drew a drop of soul-infused blood. It floated to the puppet's forehead, sinking in to form a thumb-sized dark-red mark.
As the blood fused and etched an unremovable imprint into the puppet's mind, a faint spark of life appeared in its eyes. It moved its stiff neck, looked down at Xiao Yuan, then dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
Xiao Yuan closed his eyes. As the soul imprint merged, he felt part of his soul split—one part still within him, the other now in complete control of the puppet.
He now had a bodyguard who would obey any command, even one that meant attacking Xiao Yuan himself.
With its soul bound, the puppet would never betray him.
Though just an Earth-grade puppet, Xiao Yuan was very satisfied. Its strength was comparable to a four-star Dou Zong.
"Tsk, if only I could turn all the Northern Pavilion elders into puppets—now that would be fun."
Xiao Yuan glanced at "Elder Shen" and grinned.
He couldn't wait to see the Wind Lightning Pavilion's reaction when they met "Shen Yun" again.
(END CHAPTER)
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