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--- Chapter 264 ---
After gathering a few items, Han Yuan entered the most secure area of the Earth Tiger Sect, a trunk pavilion carved from the stump of the Black Abyss Tree. He sat down before the cold remains of the Old Demon Tiger, the Spine of the Devil-Eyed Purple Tiger, three drops of the Devil-Eyed Purple Tiger's blood essence, and several rare metals intended for the creation of a Mysterious Demon Puppet.
"Alright, I'm going to start. Hu Ying, don't get too close," said Han Yuan as he summoned three of his Heavenly Flames: the Ten Thousand Beast Flame (Enma), the Green Lotus Core Flame, and the Ocean Heart Flame.
Enma, the first Heavenly Flame Han Yuan refined, leapt into his right palm, purring like a cat, while the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Ocean Heart Flame remained more docile.
Watching this, Hu Ying thought, 'To think there is someone who can refine three Heavenly Flames at once. As expected of the Young Master, being a genius is just the starting point for him.' She was curious, 'Why didn't he use the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, though?'
To her surprise, as if he could read her mind, Han Yuan suddenly spoke, "Are you wondering why I didn't summon the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame?"
"Ah, Young Master, I didn't mean to..." Hu Ying blushed hard.
Han Yuan smiled. "Refining the Mysterious Demon Puppet requires not only material but also 'proper' fire. The Wind and Thunder Fury Flame is much more destructive compared to the flames I've summoned."
"The Ten Thousand Beast Flame will help purify the essence blood, the Green Lotus Core Flame will melt and purify the rare metals, and the Ocean Heart Flame, with its deep-sea pressure heat, will continuously temper the puppet's body, making it indestructible within the same realm."
'Actually, there is another flame I'm using: the Soul Fire, born from my own spiritual power and comprehension as the Master of Souls. The Mysterious Demon Puppet requires its own spirit to function, but that's a trade secret,' Han Yuan thought inwardly.
Essentially, the Mysterious Demon Puppet involves creating a homunculus by refining high-quality material that is the body of a dead expert, like the Old Demon Tiger, and complementing it with other precious materials before placing a newborn soul inside.
While this method would be deemed evil in the Douluo Continent, in a 'true' world of cultivation, only strength matters.
Here, light and dark are no longer differentiated much, becoming a chaotic gray.
A Demonic Cultivator could establish an entire empire merely to supply blood for its sect.
In fact, they might even turn the entire lower realm—equivalent to the Dou Qi Continent—into their blood bank.
Oh, and you think a Righteous Cultivator is better?
A mortal without spiritual roots is 'merely' destined to become my herb-growing slave for the next ten generations. Don't want to be a slave? Then become a spirit stone miner for a hundred generations!
Han Yuan has never claimed to be a saint. However, he maintains limits; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the Master of Souls and ruled the Astral Realm. He knows when to stop.
With that mindset, Han Yuan calmed himself and prepared to refine the Mysterious Demon Puppet.
"Water, earth, refine..." he commanded, enveloping the remains of the Old Tiger Demon and the Spine of the Devil-Eyed Purple Tiger with both the Ocean Heart Flame and the Green Lotus Core Flame, purifying them with the pressure of the deep sea and the underground.
Under Hu Ying's disbelieving gaze, the remains shrank, reaching the size of a normal adult human, though the 'puppet' appeared to be golden-skinned for some reason.
"In the refining method of the Mysterious Demon Puppet, the puppet can vary in grade," Han Yuan explained while working on the materials. "There are Skysilver, Heartgold, and the highest grade of all... Brilliant Purple."
"According to these grades, the Mysterious Demon Puppet may possess attributes considerably higher than its base material. For example, the Old Demon Tiger is a newly 1-Star Dou Ancestor Expert, but with this physique, its strength can rival that of a 2-Star Dou Ancestor Realm to some extent."
"If the Mysterious Demon Puppet reaches Skysilver Grade, its cultivation will increase by 70%, becoming equal to a 2-Star Dou Ancestor Realm in strength, defense, and speed."
"If it reaches Heartgold Grade, the cultivation will be raised by 100%, making it nearly equal to a 3-Star Dou Ancestor Realm."
Hu Ying gulped. "What if it reaches the Brilliant Purple Grade, Young Master?"
Han Yuan smiled playfully. "200%. Not only is the Brilliant Purple Demon Puppet stronger than its base material, but it also has one more terrifying quality."
"Growth!"
"A Brilliant Purple Demon Puppet can grow stronger as long as it absorbs more precious resources. Unfortunately, the highest it could reach is the peak Dou Venerate realm."
Hu Ying gasped, murmuring, "T-That's already impressive enough. We could easily dominate the Black Corner Region with such firepower."
"If we could refine more Brilliant Purple Demon Puppets..."
Before Hu Ying could finish her words, Han Yuan shook his head gently and said, "Don't even think about it. At the end of the day, the materials and conditions needed to refine the Mysterious Demon Puppet are an act against natural laws of life and death."
"We can't refine too many of them, or we will be the enemy of the whole continent."
"I understand..." Hu Ying shuddered. She realized her thoughts were too naive.
Han Yuan chuckled, "Of course, while making the Brilliant Purple Demon Puppet requires high-end materials and sacrifice, Skysilver and Heartgold ones don't require too much. At least we can make at least three of them for each Martial Union's branch all over the continent."
"I've got some Dou Emperors as materials, and that is more than enough to protect us in the North-Western Region."
"Young Master is the best!" Hu Ying couldn't help but utter. She almost felt ashamed for being a burden. Then she remembered that Han Yuan had given them legacies like pebbles.
Han Yuan smiled and said nothing at this remark. He focused on refining the Mysterious Demon Puppet again. Secretly, he whispered in his heart, 'Souls, rise.'
An invisible flame burned deep in the Mysterious Demon Puppet, growing a newborn soul as the spine merged into the puppet as one, giving it only an 'indestructible' frame.
Han Yuan then let Ten Thousand Beast Flame (Enma) awaken the Devil-Eyed Purple Tiger's essence blood before merging into the spine's marrow bones, allowing some of its old strength to return.
"Brilliant Purple..." Han Yuan saw the puppet's color change from golden to brilliant purple.
"Potential Dou Venerate..." Hu Ying rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
The current appearance of Mysterious Demon Puppet is similar to that of a 'Yaksha', but every inch of its purplish body is 'faintly' covered in red-gold armor, a crimson demonic mask with tusk-like fangs, and ceremonial white hair that reaches its back.
...
[Mysterious Demon Puppet]
[Name: Unnamed]
[Grade: Brilliant Purple]
[Innate Ability: Tiger's Spine Purple Spear, Artificial Life]
[Combat Prowess: 5-Star Dou Ancestor]
[Description: A long-gone "Mysterious Demon Puppet" made by using the body of a 1-Star Dou Ancestor Expert, the Spine and Essence Blood of Rank 8 Magical Beast - Devil-Eyed Purple Tiger, allowing it to reach Brilliant Purple Grade and possess a unique ability]
...
[Artificial Life]
[A being made through unnatural means, mimicking life but not truly alone, capable of mimicking its progenitor races to a certain degree]
...
[Tiger's Spine Purple Spear]
[An innate ability born from the latent power of the Devil-Eyed Purple Tiger, allowing the "Mysterious Demon Puppet" to eject a spear-like blade from any part of its body, and this blade is as durable and sharp as an ancient artifact, and possesses a demonic power that can affect one's mind upon being sliced]
...
Han Yuan looked at his proud creation and said, "From now on, your name will be Zing."
As Han Yuan said this, the newborn spirit within the 'Yaksha' Mysterious Demon Puppet flickered, and a pair of hollow purple eyes glowed from the depths of that crimson demonic mask.