A fierce, terrifying wind whistled through the secret chamber. The North Dragon King’s massive fist, as dark as black iron, swung like a death scythe, mercilessly striking at Xiao Yan’s head. The sudden change was enough to make anyone pale with shock. However, the gaunt figure standing before the fire cauldron did not lose his smile. He looked at the North Dragon King, who had just emerged from the cauldron, and pointed at him with a single finger.
“Bang!”
With Xiao Yan’s finger pointing, the charging North Dragon King’s body suddenly stiffened. Streams of pink flames surged out of his body without warning, enveloping his entire form. The inescapable flames quickly seeped into his brain, surrounding the remnant soul that controlled this body.
“Scoundrel, what have you done to me?” The sudden turn of events enraged the North Dragon King, who roared in anger.
“North Dragon King, using your soul concealment technique before me only overestimates you,” Xiao Yan replied with a slight smile. His soul power was far stronger than the North Dragon King’s, and he would never allow such a low-level mistake. But this scene was precisely what he most wanted to see.
Ordinary methods of creating puppets, while making the puppet’s body hard and painless, produce mere mindless dolls. Xiao Yan would never waste such a good material on such an inferior puppet. With his current strength, if he was to create one, it would be made to perfection!
A perfect puppet not only needs a body as strong as steel, devoid of pain, but also must possess seasoned combat experience and killing techniques. However, puppets are usually controlled by their masters; if left unchecked, even the strongest puppets appear stiff. For such a puppet to be truly perfect, it must have some wisdom or, at least, battle experience.
The North Dragon King had fought countless battles in his life, accumulating an immense wealth of combat experience. If Xiao Yan could refine his remnant soul and merge it with the puppet, the resulting puppet would be a true machine of slaughter!
That day, Xiao Yan had shattered the North Dragon King’s soul but intentionally left a remnant hidden within his body. This remnant soul, inheriting the North Dragon King’s ruthless nature, had lain dormant until Xiao Yan’s refining of the body reached a formidable stage. It then attempted to kill Xiao Yan, but unfortunately, it was all a trap designed to lure it out.
Only by merging the remnant soul with the main body can the puppet achieve perfection.
“I found you.” Xiao Yan smiled faintly as he watched the pink flames envelop the North Dragon King. He could feel the heteroflame now tightly enclosing the North Dragon King’s remnant soul.
“Don’t…” The North Dragon King, sensing the peril, his eyes flashed with terror. But before he could finish, Xiao Yan casually waved his hand. The Pure Lotus Demon Flame rushed forward, engulfing the remnant soul in a ferocious blaze. The terrifying heat consumed the remnant soul entirely in a matter of minutes.
As the North Dragon King’s final remnant soul was refined, wisps of somewhat ethereal gas appeared in the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. Under Xiao Yan’s control, they slowly drifted and fused into the puppet’s mind. As these ethereal streams merged, the once vacant eyes of the North Dragon King’s body gradually flickered with a cold, metallic luster, contrasting with the black-iron color of his body. From a distance, he appeared majestic and intimidating. Moreover, his previously stiff body loosened, not due to laxness, but because the explosive power was now hidden from the naked eye, making his attacks more efficient.
Looking at the black-iron figure standing before him, Xiao Yan let out a slight sigh of relief. He flicked his finger, and a drop of essence blood flew to the puppet’s forehead, forming a faint blood mark. A psychic connection naturally formed.
“From now on, you will be called… North King.”
The robust, black-shadowed face rippled, and a cold, emotionless, raspy voice slowly emerged from its mouth, “Yes, Master.”
This puppet was different from the previous Heavenly Demon Puppets. Those lacked any intelligence, entirely dependent on manual control. But now, “North King” would take the initiative at Xiao Yan’s mental command, and in battle, he would move fluidly, almost as if reborn…
“Currently, North King should be able to match a Five-Star Dou Sheng in strength,” Xiao Yan mused, examining the puppet. A puppet that could rival a Five-Star Dou Sheng would cause a sensation if the news spread. But Xiao Yan was still unsatisfied. The North Dragon King’s original strength was close to a Six-Star Dou Sheng, and his exceptional physique meant the puppet’s potential was not yet fully realized.
“Puppets cannot use Dou Qi, relying solely on physical strength. Even with the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, the improvement is limited.”
In the past, the Earth Demon Puppet gained power by absorbing thunder energy. This time, Xiao Yan used the same method, refining special materials into North King, giving him the ability to absorb thunder energy. The limit was now much higher than before. The only remaining task was to find enough thunder energy. Creating pills to attract Dan Lei would not be sufficient to reach a Six-Star Dou Sheng.
“Maybe it’s time to go there…,” Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, smiled lightly, and immediately turned to leave the chamber. Behind him, North King, like a shadow, followed closely.
Upon exiting the chamber, Xiao Yan saw Cai Lin in the courtyard, who turned, her eyes catching sight of the transformed North Dragon King, surprise flickering in her eyes. Ten days of refinement by the Pure Lotus Demon Flame had greatly altered his appearance; his black-iron-like body no longer resembled the feared North Dragon King of the Ancient Dragon Clan.
“Success?”
Xiao Yan nodded, briefly spoke to Cai Lin, and then, accompanied by North King, swiftly departed towards the void space beyond Dragon Island.
“Rumble!”
In the pitch-black void, a low, continuous thunder rumbled from afar. In the distance, silver light shone, and massive lightning, like dragons, roared wildly.
Xiao Yan hovered in the air, gazing at the enormous Lightning Pool. This was where he had first refined the Heavenly Demon Puppet and met Tian Changge, the Chancellor of the Inner Academy. At that time, Tian Changge was pursued by strange black lightning, which Xiao Yan knew was terrifying. Now, however, his goal was precisely this lightning.
He needed its power to perfect North King!
“Go.”
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, and with a nod, led the way into the surging Lightning Pool, followed closely by the black-iron figure of North King.
When Xiao Yan entered the Lightning Pool in the past, he had to be extremely cautious to avoid the lightning. But now, facing this formidable place, he appeared quite at ease. As he soared through the pool, the lightning bolts, which normally would have struck, hesitated and scattered, instinctively sensing a terrifying presence.
Without stopping, Xiao Yan headed for the deepest part of the pool. The lightning, sensing the protection of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, dared not attack. It seemed the third-ranked heteroflame on the Flames List was well-deserved.
Despite the vast expanse of the Void Lightning Pool, Xiao Yan’s speed brought him to its depths in less than ten minutes.
“No wonder even Tian Changge had to flee.”
Reaching the depths, Xiao Yan saw the dim surroundings and, looking ahead, saw the massive, dark dragons of black lightning. Even with his current strength, his face grew grave.
After a moment, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, a hint of joy on his face. If he could absorb this lightning, North King would be perfected and able to battle a Six-Star Dou Sheng. That kind of help would be invaluable to Xiao Yan.
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