.
After leaving the Devil Flame Valley, Xiao Ling hurried non-stop towards Canaan Academy.
Along the way, Xiao Ling felt a mix of emotions, tinged with frustration.
He was somewhat surprised that the old Earth Demon hadn't pursued him and attacked him. If he had fought outside the Devil Flame Valley, free from its restrictions and distractions, it would have been much easier to defeat the old Earth Demon.
Not long after, Xiao Ling returned to Canaan Academy.
He first sought out Great Elder Su Qian and briefly recounted his experiences in the Devil Flame Valley.
Then, he hurried into a secret chamber, intending to begin refining a "Heavenly Demon Puppet" for Han Yue.
Xiao Ling entered the chamber alone. Its quiet and secluded location was ideal for undertaking the challenging task of refining.
He first retrieved the Dou Zun remains from the Demon Beast Mountains from his storage ring. Although lifeless, the remains still emanated powerful energy, making them the perfect material for refining the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
The corpse's former owner was a renowned Dou Zun master. While refining it into a Heavenly Demon Puppet might not fully restore its peak strength, returning it to the Dou Zun realm,
even if it couldn't be directly refined into a Heavenly Demon Puppet, ensuring it possessed the strength of a high-level Dou Zong wouldn't be a problem.
This way, even if Han Yue wasn't by his side, Xiao Ling wouldn't have to worry about her safety with the Heavenly Demon Puppet as his trump card.
Even if Fei Tian, the leader of the Fenglei North Pavilion, arrived, he'd be beaten.
Then, Xiao Ling gently flipped his palm, and a magic core gleaming with lightning appeared in his palm.
This lightning-attributed magic core, with blue-white arcs flowing across its surface, emitted a heart-pounding energy surge.
It came from the Canaan Academy's treasury, acquired by Xiao Ling through a trade with Great Elder Su Qian.
This seventh-tier magic core was of top quality, surpassing the two seventh-tier magic cores Xiao Ling had previously retrieved from the Dou Zun ruins. It was an essential component in the refining of the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
As for the soul Xiao Ling had already decided on, it would be the Wu Guardian, who resided within the Myriad Souls Banner.
Over the years, the souls Xiao Ling had collected had been absorbed and fused by Wu Guardian, fueling its ever-increasing strength, now reaching the Seven-Star Dou Zong realm.
Although Xiao Ling had never had the opportunity to demonstrate Wu Guardian's prowess in battle, his powerful soul would be perfectly suited for refining the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
These three ingredients were undoubtedly the best Xiao Ling currently possessed.
He took a deep breath, calming his inner turmoil. Then, he slowly sat down and began regulating his breathing, ensuring his state of mind was at its peak.
Upon completing his breathing, Xiao Ling's eyes suddenly opened, gleaming with brilliance and energy.
The process of refining the Heavenly Demon Puppet was extremely demanding, not only testing the refiner's mental concentration but also requiring precise control of every detail.
Xiao Ling was well aware of this, and so he focused his attention, devoting his entire being to the task, determined to achieve success in one go.
Xiao Ling clenched his palms, and a sapphire-blue flame emerged. With a flick of his fingertips, the flames, like a nimble dancer, gracefully enveloped the Dou Zun corpse.
Under the scorching heat, the corpse's surface quickly turned a fiery red, as if infused with new vitality.
However, as the flames continued to scorch the corpse, wisps of faint black energy escaped. These were corpse qi, imbued with the subtle thoughts of the corpse's owner. These vanished in the emerald green flames.
If this corpse qi was not expelled, it would hinder the complete fusion of soul and body.
Since the refinement of the Heavenly Demon Puppet requires the perfect fusion of body, demon core, and soul, the expulsion of this corpse qi is crucial.
Xiao Ling masterfully controlled the flame's temperature, forcing out the corpse qi without damaging the corpse. The process took him two and a half hours, until the last trace of corpse qi was completely purified.
When the last trace of corpse qi dissipated, Xiao Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. With a flick of his finger, two powerful streams of Dou Qi shot out, creating fist-sized holes in the corpse's chest and forehead.
No blood flowed from the cave, for all the blood had been evaporated during the previous tempering, a minor step in refining the Heavenly Demon Puppet. The
Dou Zun's corpse had shrunk, its skin a cold grayish-white, clinging tightly to its withered flesh. Its hands had become slender and pointed, like daggers.
Xiao Ling further tempered the corpse according to the instructions in the scroll. Then, with a wave of his hand, the seventh-rank thunder-attributed demon core emerged, slowly dropping into the small hole in the corpse's chest, embedding itself perfectly.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Ling retrieved the Ten Thousand Souls Banner from the system space. As soon as
it appeared, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner exuded an eerie aura, causing the once scorching chamber's temperature to plummet. With
a thought, Xiao Ling's mind swirled, and a pitch-black soul emerged from the banner, hovering in mid-air, its eyes glazed over. It was the guardian Wu.
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Although the Myriad Souls Banner had already obliterated Guardian Wu's consciousness, fulfilling the requirements for refining the Heavenly Demon Puppet, to ensure the success of the craft, Xiao Ling still used the strange fire to refine Guardian Wu's soul according to the instructions on the bamboo slips.
Throughout the refinement process, Guardian Wu's soul completely obeyed Xiao Ling's commands, remaining unresponsive. This earned Xiao Ling a silent compliment on the effectiveness of the Myriad Souls Banner.
After refining Iron Guardian's soul, Xiao Ling glanced at the black mist in his palm and, with a gentle toss, transformed it into a black dragon of energy that swiftly penetrated the orifice on the corpse's forehead. As the soul was infused, the corpse's eyes suddenly opened, their dark pupils devoid of a single ray of light.
Xiao Ling was unfazed. With a flick of his fingers, a series of metallic objects with a strange sheen flew out of the ring, hovering before him. He nodded slightly, and a sapphire-blue flame erupted like a pillar of fire, drawing the metal in with a suction force.
Under the intense heat of the strange fire, the metals began to melt, though complete fusion would take some time.
Xiao Ling's mind was divided between tempering the corpse at a constant temperature and refining the metal at an extremely high temperature. This exquisite control of the flames was a piece of cake for him, having mastered the Great Evolution Art.
Knowing it wouldn't be a quick task, he sat cross-legged on his cushion, closed his eyes, and quietly awaited the perfect moment of harmony.
...
In the heart of Canaan Academy, a lush forest nestled a solitary cabin. Far from the bustle of the academy, it offered the perfect place for quiet cultivation.
Little Medical Fairy sat in the cabin, surrounded by the delicate fragrance of herbs. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows, adding a touch of peace to her tranquil demeanor.
Amidst this tranquility, her mind remained restless.
The toxic energy within her body, as her cultivation progressed, began to show signs of becoming uncontrollable.
Xiao Yixian felt the poisonous energy within her body begin to stir slightly, as if testing the boundaries of its restraints, yet it was firmly suppressed by her cultivation.
She sighed softly, muttering to herself, "Ever since breaking through to the Dou Queen realm, the poisonous energy within me seems increasingly difficult to control." Her brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of worry in her eyes.
To prevent her poisonous energy from affecting others, Xiao Yixian chose to leave Xiao Ling's courtyard and cultivate alone in this quiet cabin.
At Canaan Academy, Xiao Yixian rarely ventured out, fearing the possibility of the poisonous energy within her suddenly becoming uncontrolled and leaking out.
While this might not pose a serious threat to the elders with higher cultivation, if accidentally exposed to the ordinary students of the inner courtyard, the consequences would undoubtedly be severe.
After all, even when not intended to attack, the poisonous energy released by the Evil Poison Body is still incredibly powerful, far beyond the ability of ordinary people to withstand.
She took a deep breath, slowly adjusted her practice rhythm, and strived to regain control of the restless poisonous energy.
Time ticked by, and Xiao Yixian's efforts finally paid off. The poison gradually subsided, and her mind calmed down.
She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that she would need to be more cautious in her future cultivation. Perhaps she needed to find a way to allow this power to coexist harmoniously with her.
During her breaks in practice, Xiao Yixian's mind drifted to Xiao Ling, and a faint smile crept across her face, half-hidden by the veil.
"Now that Xiao Ling has reached the Dou Zong realm, I can't fall behind," she silently encouraged herself, her eyes gleaming with determination. "I must become stronger. Only when I'm strong enough can I fight alongside him and no longer be the me who constantly needs his protection."
...
Five days passed quietly, and the metal finally refined into a dark golden molten liquid, emitting a mysterious luster as it flowed.
However, the perfect harmony of body, soul, and magic core had yet to be achieved.
Xiao Ling remained calm, knowing that impatience would only cause that fleeting moment of perfection to slip away, leading to failure in the refining process.
Two and a half days later, Xiao Ling suddenly opened his eyes, a flicker of joy flashing across them. He had finally captured that perfect moment.
In the secret chamber, Xiao Ling quickly formed a strange seal. With a low cry, the corpse trembled, and the soul within its brain was shattered by an invisible force, transforming into countless tiny points of light that scattered throughout its body.
Simultaneously, the magic core in its chest hummed, and violent energy surged out, coursing through its meridians.
As the soul and magic core transformed, the corpse's grayish-white hue deepened, its size slowly shrank, and a majestic aura emanated from it.
Xiao Ling sensed this aura, his eyes gleaming. With a flick of his hand, he poured a dark golden solution onto the corpse. The
hot metal solution erupted in a white mist upon contact with the corpse, but it caused no damage. After refining, the puppet's physical strength had become extremely formidable. Xiao Ling knew that the refining of this Heavenly Demon Puppet was nearing completion.
(End of Chapter)