Turning Shen Yun into a Puppet

Qifeng Mountain is quite famous throughout the Northern Region of the Central Plains, not because there are phoenixes on the mountain, but because the Wind and Thunder North Pavilion stands on the mountain.

The Wind and Thunder Pavilion is divided into four sections: East, West, South, and North. The East Pavilion is the main one, while the West, South, and North Pavilions are secondary. The East Pavilion is the most powerful, while the other three pavilions are slightly less powerful. Even so, any one of the three pavilions is qualified to be among the top-tier forces in the Central State Plains. When the four pavilions are combined, they can rival some of the top forces and can be considered a giant in the Northern Region of the Central Plains.

Qifeng Mountain is quite precipitous, with steep slopes and peaks shrouded in a thick layer of mist, giving it a fairyland-like feel. Many buildings are hidden in the lush greenery, appearing and disappearing in the mist. But the most eye-catching thing on the mountaintop is the giant silver tower on the highest peak.

This colossal tower, soaring straight into the clouds, is called the North Thunder Tower. Its entire body is covered in a dazzling silver, and faintly, one can hear the rumbling of thunder emanating from within. This is the sacred cultivation ground of the Wind and Thunder North Pavilion, and only those who demonstrate outstanding performance are qualified to enter it for cultivation.

The highest level of the North Thunder Tower is a rather spacious hall. At this moment, several people are sitting in the hall, and a powerful aura permeates the space, making the guards at the entrance of the hall tremble with fear.

"Elder Yun's Soul Thunder Tablet has been shattered."

In the center of the hall stood a silver throne, with faint lightning spreading around it. On it, a figure dressed in a silver robe leaned back, his silver-gray eyes slowly sweeping across the room. His soft voice echoed throughout the hall.

His voice wasn't particularly loud, but it had a strong sense of pressure that made people dare not ignore it easily.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three elderly men, each dressed in different robes, changed drastically. They knew the Soul Thunder Tablet all too well; it contained a trace of their Soul Imprint. If they were to perish one day, the Soul Thunder Tablet would shatter. So, Shen Yun was asking, "Is there anyone who dares to attack my Wind and Thunder North Pavilion in the Northern Region of the Central Plains? Could it be someone from the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion?"

An elderly man in black with long, silver eyebrows spoke in a somber voice.

"We don't know yet. Elder Yun accompanied Hong Chen to Tianbei City this time, right? Elders Feng, Lei, and Dian, you should set off and investigate what happened. No matter who attacked, even if it was someone from the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, capture them first. People from my Wind and Thunder North Pavilion are not so easily killed!"

On the throne, a figure dressed in a silver robe spoke slowly.

"Yes!"

The three elders immediately stood up, respectfully responded, and then their figures flashed out as light and shadow, quickly disappearing from sight.

With the disappearance of the three elders, the hall became empty and quiet once again. After a while, the figure on the throne slowly stood up, and with a light wave of his sleeve, a thunderous roar resounded throughout the hall.

"They dare to mess with someone from my Wind and Thunder North Pavilion here; they're really bold. If we don't find them, those two will laugh at us."

In a Secret Chamber of the Han Clan.

Xiao Yuan recovered from his cultivation state, pointed his finger towards his brow, and drew out the soul power stored in the Soul Nourishing Pearl over the past few days, injecting it into the silver-white Storage Ring where Heavenly Flame Venerable was located.

It's definitely not a good time to break the seal within my body and deal with the people of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion. After all, because of Han Yue's matter, Medusa is in a bad mood, and the heart of this enchanting beauty is much more important than the small fry of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

Therefore, we had no choice but to plan ahead and awaken Heavenly Flame Venerable.

Otherwise, if Fei Tian were to lose his mind and come in person, even with his sealed strength and the combined power of Medusa, he would still be no match for Fei Tian, who was at the Peak Dou Zong realm and had cultivated the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body.

As for marrying Han Yue, he wasn't in a hurry. He could wait until the Wind and Thunder Pavilion matter was resolved before taking action.

Although Xiao Yuan was indeed lecherous, he still knew when to do what.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Yuan waved his hand, and a black shadow swept out from his Storage Ring, then landed heavily on the ground, kicking up some dust.

The one who appeared on the ground was Elder Shen Yun of the Wind and Thunder North Pavilion.

The reason for deliberately leaving his corpse and soul behind was, of course, to refine the Tian Yao Kui.

Although Shen Yun was only Four-Star Dou Zong in his lifetime, his physical strength was actually quite good because he had cultivated the Three Thousand Lightning Movement and some Dou Technique of the Wind and Wind and Thunder Pavilion, which led to the tempering of his body by heavenly lightning. He was at least better than Hong Tianxiao, a Five Star Dou Zong.

Unfortunately, Hong Tianxiao was beaten to pieces by Medusa and his body was never found intact.

Otherwise, Xiao Yuan would have had another corpse as material.

Although Xiao Yuan possessed the remains of Heavenly Flame Venerable, a Dou Zun expert, they contained only bones and no flesh. To refine them into a puppet, he would need a pill similar to the Bone Growing Blood Melting Pill as an aid.

With Xiao Yuan's current alchemy skills, it's practically impossible for him to refine pills of that level.

After clearing his mind of distractions, Xiao Yuan clenched his fist, and dark golden flames surged forth. With a flick of his finger, the flames swept out, completely enveloping Shen Yun's corpse. Under the intense heat, Shen Yun's robes were instantly reduced to dust.

Xiao Yuan remained calm and continued his operation. The intense heat caused the corpse to turn fiery red. As the corpse continued to be roasted, wisps of faint black energy suddenly emerged from it and were burned away by the dark golden flames.

This black aura is a kind of corpse aura, faintly containing some subtle thoughts contained by the owner before death. If this black aura is not completely expelled, it will be difficult for the rest of the soul to completely merge with the body. However, the crafting of the "Tian Yao Kui" requires the complete fusion of the body, Magic Core, and soul. Therefore, this so-called corpse aura must be expelled.

Xiao Yuan controlled the temperature of the flames to a very precise degree, enough to expel the residual corpse energy from the body without burning it. It took Xiao Yuan a full two hours just to temper the body and completely expel the corpse energy from the body.

As the last trace of corpse energy left the body, Xiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He then flicked his finger, and two powerful gusts of wind shot out, finally creating fist-sized holes in the corpse's chest and forehead.

No blood flowed out of the cave, because any remaining blood had been evaporated during the tempering of the corpse energy. This was also a small step in the refining of the "Tian Yao Kui".

At this moment, Shen Yun's corpse had shrunk several times in size, and the skin of his entire body was a cold grayish-white color. The skin clung tightly to the dry muscles, and his hands had become exceptionally thin and long, like sharp daggers.

According to the Bamboo Slip, Xiao Yuan slightly tempered the corpse, then reached out and took out a silver Magic Core shimmering with lightning from Shen Yun's Storage Ring, and guided it into a small hole in the corpse's chest. Afterwards, he coldly took out a jade bottle, from which a powerful soul fluctuation faintly emanated.

"Xiao Yuan, what do you want from me to let me go?" As soon as the jade bottle appeared, a furious roar filled with resentment and venom came from it.

"Elder Shen, don't worry, I'll let you out soon." Xiao Yuan sneered, clenched his fist, and the jade bottle shattered, revealing a somewhat weak soul inside. As soon as the soul appeared, it didn't care about anything and turned to flee away from Xiao Yuan, but Xiao Yuan, who was prepared, grabbed it back in one swift motion.

With a chilling gaze, he glanced at Shen Yun's struggling soul, then flames surged from his hand, engulfing it completely. A shrill scream and venomous curses echoed throughout the Mountain Cave.

Ignoring the venomous curses, Xiao Yuan continued to intensify the flames. With this intense heat, Shen Yun, who had been sealed for so long, had his consciousness, hidden within his soul, vanish in an instant with a faint sound. Xiao Yuan glanced at the white mist in his palm, then tossed it lightly. The white mist transformed into a white Shen Yun of energy, which "whooshed" into the hole on the corpse's forehead.

As the mindless soul entered, Shen Yun's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, his pupils filled with a grayish-white light. Seeing this scene, Xiao Yuan was not surprised. With a flick of his fingers, one after another, metallic objects with strange luster flashed out from his Storage Ring and finally floated in front of him.

Xiao Yuan glanced at the numerous strange metals floating in front of him, nodded slightly, clenched his fist, and dark golden flames surged from his palm like pillars of fire. A suction force surged out, pulling the metals in. Under the terrifying high temperature of the dark golden Heavenly Flames, these strange metals gradually showed signs of melting, although they were still quite far from being completely melted.

At this moment, Xiao Yuan was multitasking. On one hand, he controlled the flames to temper the corpses at a constant temperature, and on the other hand, he used extremely high temperatures to refine these strange metals. This high and low flame temperature required extremely high flame control ability, but fortunately, Xiao Yuan had now practiced the "Five Round Fire Separation Method", so he did not feel flustered.

Both refining processes require a considerable amount of time, especially the tempering of the corpses. Only when the corpses reach a certain level can they achieve perfect compatibility with the souls and Magic Core placed within them. Knowing this was not a task that could be completed quickly, Xiao Yuan, sitting cross-legged on the boulder, gradually closed his eyes, quietly waiting for the moment when perfect compatibility would be achieved. This wait lasted for four full days. During those four days, the strange metals were completely refined into a dark golden liquid, slowly flowing within the flames, releasing a mysterious luster.

The metal forging was completely finished, but the perfect fit required for the body, soul, and Magic Core was still not achieved. However, Xiao Yuan was not impatient at all. He knew that the more impatient he was, the more he would miss that fleeting moment of perfection. If that happened, not only would the body be ruined, but the Magic Core and even the soul within would instantly become useless. This was almost the most difficult aspect of forging the "Tian Yao Kui" to control. Xiao Yuan maintained this calm and composed mindset, and another three days passed.

Three days later, at some point, Xiao Yuan, who had been motionless like an old monk in deep meditation, suddenly trembled, his tightly closed eyes snapped open, and a hint of undisguised joy appeared in his dark eyes.

That perfect moment, flashing like lightning during the tempering process, has arrived!

Inside the Mountain Cave, Xiao Yuan suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a hint of joy flashing across them. He then quickly formed a strange hand seal, and a slightly odd shout came from his mouth.

As the shout rang out, Shen Yun's corpse suddenly trembled. The soul swirling in his mind was as if forcibly shattered by an invisible force, turning into countless tiny points of light that densely scattered across every part of his body. At the instant the soul turned into points of light, the Magic Core resting on his chest also emitted a faint buzzing sound. Immediately afterward, streams of violent energy surged out from it like rushing lake water, finally flowing along the meridians in his body with a thunderous roar.

With the changes in the soul and the Magic Core, the gray-white color on the surface of the body became increasingly intense, and the size of the entire body was slowly shrinking. A majestic aura, devoid of any emotion, slowly emanated from the corpse. Feeling this aura, which was comparable to Three Star Dou Zong expert, Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up slightly. He suppressed the excitement in his heart, moved his hand, and the dark golden liquid that was floating in front of him slowly floated out and finally poured onto the cold corpse.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Extremely hot molten metal dripped onto the corpse, instantly bursting into white mist and emitting a faint metallic smell. However, the skin of the corpse in contact with the solution showed no signs of damage. After a series of refining processes, the puppet's physical strength had reached an extremely formidable level.

Soul power swept across the puppet's body like ripples on water, while the dark golden solution was slowly applied to every part of its body. In an instant, white mist carrying a metallic smell continuously emanated from the puppet's body, and the hissing sound produced when the high temperature came into contact with the skin was quite eerie.

When the solution was completely applied to the puppet's body, its cold, grayish-white color was replaced by a dark gold, which shimmered and gave it an extremely solid and strange feel.

Xiao Yuan glanced at the puppet whose body was covered in the solution, and let out a soft breath. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, dark golden flames surged out again, enveloping the puppet completely. The terrifying high temperature slowly seeped out. As the high temperature continued to scorch, the dark golden solution began to slowly erode into the puppet's skin. As this erosion intensified, the puppet's body gradually turned purplish-red, vaguely resembling a block of copper.

According to the Bamboo Slip, the Tian Yao Kui are divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human. The best way to distinguish these three grades is to observe their skin color: Heaven is gold, Earth is silver, and Human is bronze. The color displayed by this puppet is clearly the last grade among the three.

However, Xiao Yuan was not disappointed. The refining process was not yet finished, so there was no need to rush to conclusions.

As the dark golden solution was gradually absorbed by the puppet, suddenly, a few silver lights flashed across its pale blue skin. In the end, the silver light covered most of its body. Although some areas still had a purplish-red copper shimmer, it was negligible compared to the majority of the shimmering silver light.

When the silver light reached its peak, it stopped completely, and the rising momentum also came to an abrupt halt. The silver light slowly dimmed, as if all the light had seeped into the puppet's body. At this moment, the puppet looked ordinary, but Xiao Yuan could feel that the puppet's momentum had not weakened in the slightest. Obviously, the dissipation of the silver light was just to prevent the puppet from being too conspicuous.

Amidst the dark golden flames, the puppet slowly straightened its body, then stood motionless in mid-air in the Mountain Cave without any support, its eyes filled with an empty, grayish-white color.

Xiao Yuan lightly bit the tip of his tongue, and a drop of blood containing a trace of the Soul Imprint slowly floated out, finally landing precisely on the puppet's forehead, slowly infiltrating and eventually turning into a dark red bloodstain the size of a thumb.

As the drop of blood entered the puppet's brain without hindrance, leaving an indelible mark, a faint glimmer of life slowly appeared in the puppet's empty eyes. It twisted its still somewhat stiff neck, looked down at Xiao Yuan sitting cross-legged on the boulder, then placed its feet on the ground, knelt on one knee, and slowly lowered its head towards Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan closed his eyes slightly. When his soul blood fell into the puppet's forehead earlier, he clearly felt that his soul was as if it had been split into two parts. One part controlled himself, and the other part controlled the puppet in front of him. At this moment, he had a vague feeling that the puppet in front of him would obey any command he gave. Even if the command was for it to attack Xiao Yuan himself, it would probably launch an attack without hesitation.

Having been imprinted with Soul Imprint, this puppet would become Xiao Yuan's closest bodyguard, because it would never harbor any thoughts of betrayal.

Although it was just an Di Yao Kui, Xiao Yuan was still quite satisfied. He could sense that the strength of this Di Yao Kui was probably no weaker than that of a Four-Star Dou Zong level expert.

"Tsk, it would be much more interesting if we could turn all the elders of the Wind and Thunder North Pavilion into puppets!"

Xiao Yuan looked at the "Elder Shen" in front of him, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

I really want to see what kind of expressions the people from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion will have when they see "Shen Yun"!