A dense, thick blood mist poured out from the white Nalan Ring, swiftly coalescing into a blood-colored figure in the cave’s mid-air. As soon as this figure appeared, an overwhelmingly fierce and violent aura spread out. Fortunately, both individuals in the cave were no ordinary beings, and this negative emotion failed to erode them. The moment the vicious soul appeared, it spotted Xiao Yan and Heavenly Fire Venerable. Perhaps due to its previous capture, it did not immediately lunge at them. Instead, it turned its body and transformed into a blood shadow, shooting towards the cave’s entrance with wild speed.
“Hmph, thinking of leaving?” Seeing the action of the vicious soul, Heavenly Fire Venerable let out a cold snort. He clenched his palm, and the Falling Heart Flame rapidly spread out, transforming into a net of fire that dashed out. It managed to seal the entire cave entrance before the blood shadow could escape.
Seeing the invisible net of fire, a tinge of fear flashed across the blood-red eyes of the vicious soul. Though it lacked wisdom, its instincts told it that the net before it would cause great harm.
The racing blood shadow forcibly stopped its charge with a piercing screech. It then fixed itself in mid-air, only half a yard away from the flaming net.
Hardly a moment had passed before the Heavenly Fire Venerable waved his sleeves. The flaming net instantly detached itself and, like a ravenous wolf, dove forward, enveloping the unprepared vicious soul.
*Shsh!*
As the flame touched the surface of the vicious soul, it began to seep out streams of white vapor. Sizzling sounds filled the air, accompanied by the frantic struggles of the vicious soul. Although it lacked intelligence, the Falling Heart Flame was capable of directly affecting its soul. The scorching pain in its soul could not be avoided.
Amid its struggles, thick, viscous blood-colored fog constantly flowed out from the vicious soul’s body and clashed with the surrounding net of fire, mutually eroding each other fiercely.
“Hmph!” Seeing the vicious soul’s resistance, Heavenly Fire Venerable’s eyes flashed with a cold light. His hand seals abruptly changed, causing the net of fire to slowly shrink. As the net contracted, the size of the vicious soul within also diminished.
“Xiao Yan, increase the intensity of the Falling Heart Flame!”
Seeing the increasingly smaller net of fire, Heavenly Fire Venerable suddenly bellowed.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan, who was already prepared, nodded. He flicked his fingers, and a burst of Dou Qi shot out, landing on the net of fire. The net swiftly absorbed the Dou Qi, causing the invisible flames around it to become more concentrated. The vicious soul, now under intense roasting, continuously emitted angry shrieks, but no matter how violently it struggled, it could not break free from the net’s constraints.
“Continue to strengthen it!” The Heavenly Fire Venerable’s voice was heavy and stern as he watched the struggling vicious soul.
Xiao Yan’s face remained calm as he snapped his fingers, sending wave after wave of Dou Qi into the net. As more and more Dou Qi poured in, the temperature of the Falling Heart Flame became increasingly terrifying. Eventually, the vicious soul exploded with a piercing wail, turning into a sticky clot of blood fog, floating within the net of fire.
Seeing this, Heavenly Fire Venerable let out a slight sigh of relief. He altered his hand seals, causing the net to gradually dissipate and transform into a fiery cauldron about a few feet in height. Inside the cauldron was the viscous, blood-colored fog.
Watching the deft manipulation of the fire into a cauldron, Xiao Yan’s eyes flashed with admiration. Indeed, he was once a formidable Dou Zun, and Xiao Yan acknowledged that he could not match the skill of controlling fire. The name ‘Heavenly Fire Venerable’ was well-earned.
Inside the blazing cauldron, the heat was extremely frightening. Under such high temperatures, the sticky blood fog slowly thinned. Xiao Yan knew that when all the blood color was completely burned off, the vicious soul would be successfully refined into a mass of pure soul energy.
However, this process was rather slow. At this rate, it would take at least three or four days to completely refine the vicious soul.
“Alright, now I need your help to maintain this fire cauldron. I can’t support it for much longer.”
Looking at the refined blood fog, a smile spread across the Heavenly Fire Venerable’s face as he spoke to Xiao Yan.
“Don’t worry, Elder Yaoman.”
Xiao Yan nodded and smiled. With the Heavenly Fire Venerable managing the flames, he only needed to provide enough Dou Qi to drive the Falling Heart Flame, which wouldn’t consume too much of his energy.
Hearing this, Heavenly Fire Venerable also smiled and nodded, then closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged in mid-air. A trace of soul power emerged, controlling the flames within the cauldron for refining.
As the Heavenly Fire Venerable closed his eyes, Xiao Yan once again input a burst of Dou Qi into the cauldron. Then, he clasped his hands, and a grayish-brown bamboo scroll appeared in his hand.
“Heavenly Demon Puppet.” This scroll, of course, was the treasure Xiao Yan had acquired from raiding the Magic Flame Valley. He had always been quite curious about the puppet techniques recorded in it.
He slowly unfurled the scroll, and the characters on the bamboo began to enter his mind, leaving a deep impression, impossible to erase.
The cave gradually fell into silence. Heavenly Fire Venerable focused on refining the vicious soul with the flame, while Xiao Yan immersed himself in the strange world described in the bamboo scroll.
This quiet atmosphere lasted for about an hour. When Xiao Yan heard the prompting voice of Heavenly Fire Venerable, he laughed awkwardly and hurriedly channeled another burst of Dou Qi into the fire cauldron.
After nearly an hour of study, Xiao Yan had gained some understanding of the “Heavenly Demon Puppet.” To refine such a thing, as the introduction stated, three main materials were required: a body, a demonic core, and a soul. Additionally, some special metallic materials were needed to make the puppet’s body more robust.
Tapping the bamboo scroll lightly against his arm, Xiao Yan gradually fell into deep thought. He had most of the necessary materials. For the body, he had Yun Shan’s and even the Earth Devil Old Ghost’s corporeal forms. A seventh-grade fire attribute demonic core would suffice, and for the soul, the Iron Guardian he had captured from the Soul Temple was the best replacement. He also had some special metallic materials in his Nalan Ring, although as an alchemist, he occasionally collected a little here and there.
Recalling the soul, a cold gleam flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes. He waved his hand, and a jade bottle covered with a thin, invisible flame appeared in his hand. Faint fluctuations of soul power seeped out from within.
Rubbing his finger over the bottle, he dispelled the layer of flame. Closing his eyes, a sliver of soul power entered the bottle, carrying a mental message.
“Han Feng, do you know where the Soul Temple is holding my teacher?”
“Ha ha, Xiao Yan, trying to save that old immortal? Forget it. With your pitiful strength, you are like an ant in front of a true Soul Temple expert. If you really want to know, release me and beg properly. Maybe I’ll kindly tell you some information!”
A manic laugh echoed from the jade bottle.
Xiao Yan’s face remained impassive. Without any wasted words, he flicked his fingers, and a thread of emerald flame darted into the bottle. Shortly, agonized screams resounded from within.
“Stop! Stop burning! What do you want to know? We can discuss it!”
Ignoring the terrified shouts from the bottle, Xiao Yan sealed it with a thin layer of flame and returned it to the Nalan Ring. For someone like him, enduring harsh treatment made future dealings much easier.
Having done this, Xiao Yan glanced at the fire cauldron. The viscous blood fog inside had further thinned, indicating that the refining process was going well.
He played with the bamboo scroll in his hand, then hesitated for a moment before putting it back into the Nalan Ring. He still needed to tend to the fire cauldron, so it wasn’t the best time to start the refinement just yet. After a few days, when the vicious soul was fully refined, he could begin working on the “Heavenly Demon Puppet.”
Having made up his mind, Xiao Yan sat down and began absorbing energy to replenish what he had expended.
In the quiet refinement, three days passed in a flash.
On the third day, the two men in the cave, who had kept their eyes closed, opened them almost simultaneously. They looked at the fire cauldron in mid-air, and saw that the viscous blood fog had completely dissipated, replaced by a chaotic, formless gas. Xiao Yan sensed a strong concentration of soul power within it.
“Finally, it’s refined…”
Heavenly Fire Venerable gazed at the formless, colorless gas, his eyes flashing with excitement. He made a motion with his hand, and the fire cauldron collapsed, transforming into an invisible flame that darted back to Xiao Yan and entered his body.
The chaotic gas, upon reaching the Heavenly Fire Venerable, was swallowed whole. The figure trembled, transforming into a beam of white light and entering the white Nalan Ring.
“Ha ha, Xiao Yan, I cannot thank you enough. Once I have fully absorbed this soul power, I will repay your kindness. By the way, this absorption might take some time. Be careful.”
Hearing the laughter of Heavenly Fire Venerable, Xiao Yan also smiled and nodded. He then looked up at the empty cave and softly chuckled, “Since that’s the case, it’s time for me to refine the ‘Heavenly Demon Puppet’…”
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