The Haughty Queen Wants to Turn Xiao Yuan into a Puppet

Thick, dark clouds gathered above the valley, instantly obscuring the first rays of dawn. The entire valley was shrouded in darkness, only illuminated by flashes of silver lightning that pierced the clouds.

When the dark clouds gathered in the sky, the elixir fragrance on the stone platform was also so strong that it reached its peak. Even the energy of the heaven and earth around the stone platform was attracted by this elixir fragrance and trembled slightly.

Inside the medicine cauldron, dark golden flames burned fiercely. Above the flames, a perfectly round pill, its color a striking blue and red, spun rapidly. An astonishing energy continuously emanated from it, striking the inner wall of the cauldron with a clanging metallic sound.

As Xiao Yuan gazed at the swirling pills inside the cauldron, a smile involuntarily appeared on his slightly pale face. His eyelids slowly drooped, and a wave of exhaustion spread from the depths of his soul, making him feel drowsy. Although his soul power had been replenished by the Soul Nourishing Pearl during this pill refining session, he hadn't rested for a full half-month, which had taken a huge toll on his spirit. After this, he would probably need a good night's sleep.

The lightning that tore through the dark clouds in the sky illuminated Xiao Yuan's slightly pale face. Judging from his condition, he was clearly too weak to deal with the Dan Lei. "Young friend Xiao Yuan, I am deeply grateful. Leave the Dan Lei to me. You should rest for a while."

Seeing Xiao Yuan's weakened state, Tang Zhen snapped out of his excitement and quickly clasped his hands in greeting.

After speaking, Tang Zhen was about to take off and fight the so-called Pill Lightning when he suddenly heard Xiao Yuan's faint laughter, "Valley Master Tang, leave the Pill Lightning to me."

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen was taken aback, then hurriedly said, "Young friend Xiao Yuan, don't worry, this pill lightning can't harm me. How could you possibly withstand this pill lightning in your current state?"

Xiao Yuan smiled upon hearing this, then waved his hand, and the Di Yao Kui Shen Yun, whose entire body was a dazzling silver, appeared. He glanced at Tang Zhen and chuckled, "Valley Master Tang, I have a use for this Pill Lightning, so please don't try to take it from me, okay?"

Upon seeing the suddenly appearing Di Yao Kui, Tang Zhen was also taken aback. Then, a look of surprise flashed across his eyes, and he exclaimed, "A puppet?"

With Tang Zhen's keen eyesight, he could naturally see through the Di Yao Kui's true nature at a glance. Xiao Yuan was not surprised by this, and nodded as he looked up at the increasingly dense dark clouds in the sky.

"Since you insist, young friend Xiao Yuan, then let your puppet do it. If there are any problems later, just let me know."

Although he didn't know why Xiao Yuan had such confidence in his puppet, Dan Lei was summoned by Xiao Yuan, so he naturally couldn't say much. Moreover, the former had already done him a great favor by helping him successfully refine the Fire Bodhi Pill, so he naturally wouldn't say anything about this small matter.

Xiao Yuan nodded with a smile, gazing at the sky. He then raised his hand and said softly, "Go."

As soon as the command was given, the Di Yao Kui stomped its foot hard on the ground, and its body shot up like a rocket, then stopped directly in the sky. Dozens of feet above its head were the heavy dark clouds that exuded a strong thunderous power.

Seeing that the Di Yao Kui could actually levitate like Dou Zong powerhouse, Tang Zhen's surprise deepened.

This Xiao Yuan not only possesses Heavenly Flames and has such high attainments in alchemy, but also has a puppet comparable to Dou Zong expert. Perhaps, Xiao Yuan is indeed related to the Venerable Yao! These changes on the stone platform were also observed by everyone present. In particular, when they saw Xiao Yuan summon a silver figure to fly into the sky, they were all stunned. Since the puppet had no aura, some people with keen senses quickly discovered its details.

"It's actually a puppet? Does Xiao Yuan intend to use this puppet to withstand the pill lightning?"

"The pill lightning formed by Grade 7 High Level Pill is no child's play. Even Dou Zong expert of five stars or above would have a hard time withstanding it. How could that puppet withstand it?"

The alchemy masters were all extremely puzzled by Xiao Yuan's actions, but because they had been slapped so hard, they dared not make any more sarcastic remarks. Everyone could now see that this young man, who looked much younger than them, was far more accomplished in alchemy than they were.

Of course, they weren't the only ones with this idea. The Burning Flame Valley disciples around the plaza were also somewhat confused about Xiao Yuan's intentions. If Xiao Yuan were in his prime and wanted to take the pill lightning, they might have believed him to some extent. But at this moment, he was already at his limit. Let alone taking the pill lightning, any Burning Flame Valley disciple could probably defeat him at this point.

However, in reality, even in this situation, if it really came down to a fight, Xiao Yuan could easily crush all the disciples of Burning Flame Valley.

"What are you thinking, Father? Although it was the puppet that received the pill lightning, the latter is clearly connected with Xiao Yuan. If the puppet is destroyed by the pill lightning, he will also be injured again. In his current state, if he suffers such a backlash, it will probably be a loss for him!"

Tang Huo'er frowned slightly as she gazed at the silver figure in the sky, unable to help but worry about Xiao Yuan.

As for her slight opinion of Xiao Yuan that morning, it has long since been forgotten.

Xiao Yuan paid no attention to the questioning gazes around the square, nor did he have time to care, because after a period of brewing, the dark clouds in the sky were beginning to stir, and deep, loud thunder rumbled continuously.

Are you alright?

Suddenly, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and Cai Lin's figure appeared beside Xiao Yuan.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Looking at Cai Lin, whose expression was solemn and whose eyes were fixed on Dan Lei, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but smile gently.

"Hmph, I just don't want to see you work so hard only to be struck by lightning and die in the end. Don't overthink it."

Seemingly sensing Xiao Yuan's smiling gaze, Cai Lin said somewhat awkwardly.

"Well, I can only repay your great kindness with my body."

Xiao Yuan nodded, casually tossed a pill to restore his energy into his mouth, and said with a smile.

"."

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin turned her head away helplessly and glared at Xiao Yuan.

This guy is clearly very handsome, but sometimes he can be quite glib and smooth-talking, and yet I don't find him particularly offensive.

"Boom!"

As their gazes met, a thunderclap suddenly boomed in the sky. Immediately afterward, a bolt of Silver Lightning, as thick as a thigh, tore through the dark clouds like a giant silver python, and hurtled towards the medicine cauldron on the stone platform.

As the Silver Lightning shot out, Xiao Yuan's heart stirred. The Di Yao Kui in the sky immediately flashed down and then appeared on the stone platform first. It opened its arms and let the silver giant lightning bolt strike its body hard.

"Bang!"

The Silver Lightning struck the puppet's body, producing an unusually muffled sound that made everyone present's hearts skip a beat.

The Di Yao Kui was struck by the Silver Lightning and fell nearly dozens of meters before managing to stabilize itself. At this moment, countless silver currents flickered on its body, constantly eroding its interior. If it were a normal person, they would probably be torn apart by now, but the Di Yao Kui felt nothing. On the contrary, its withered body gradually became stronger under the erosion of the lightning.

"It's actually absorbing the power of Dan Lei?"

Tang Zhen stared at the Di Yao Kui that had been struck by Silver Lightning but was unharmed and was instead absorbing the power of the lightning. A look of shock flashed across his eyes.

Boom! Boom! Boom! A bolt of Silver Lightning was easily intercepted by the Di Yao Kui, and the dark clouds in the sky also churned violently. A moment later, three more bolts of lightning, even thicker than the previous ones, burst out from the dark clouds with a thunderous roar!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Facing the three bolts of Silver Lightning, the Di Yao Kui, under Xiao Yuan's control, did not hesitate at all. Like a lightning rod, it directly attracted the three bolts of Silver Lightning to itself again.

Under the fierce impact of the three Silver Lightning, the Di Yao Kui's body continued to fall, and in the last instance, it was even directly smashed to the ground, with its feet deeply embedded in the hard stone slab. However, after the Silver Lightning dissipated, it rose directly into the sky, floating in the sky with its whole body radiating brilliant silver light, like an invincible God of War, majestic and awe-inspiring.

Faced with the Di Yao Kui's provocation, the Pill Lightning seemed to rage, continuously spewing massive bolts of lightning from the dark clouds. Like a machine gun, it relentlessly pounded the Di Yao Kui's body, the violent spectacle almost suffocating. On the stone platform, Xiao Yuan watched the Di Yao Kui in the sky, constantly falling and rising again under the bombardment of the Pill Lightning. A somewhat expectant smile appeared on his face. He wondered how much stronger the Di Yao Kui would become after this Pill Lightning baptism. The Di Yao Kui couldn't use Dou Qi, but it possessed an extremely terrifying physical body. This body, instead of being destroyed by the Pill Lightning, was able to absorb the lightning's power, further strengthening its painless form.

"The lightning generated by a high-grade seventh-rank pill is indeed extremely powerful. Even with the Di Yao Kui's abilities, it was quite difficult to withstand it. Fortunately, the Di Yao Kui was able to absorb the power of the lightning, allowing it to gradually adapt to the pill lightning. Otherwise, even if it felt no pain at all, it wouldn't have survived until now after being struck by so many Silver Lightning!"

Glancing at the heavy, lingering dark clouds that had been raging for so long, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but shake his head and say with a smile to Cai Lin beside him.

"Hmm, this puppet is indeed quite interesting. How about I turn you into a puppet? It sounds like that would be very fun."

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin nodded, then looked at Xiao Yuan with her bewitching eyes, sizing him up and down, and said with some ill intent.

"Then let's not. A puppet won't like you the way I do."

Xiao Yuan shook his head and said with a serious expression.

"Snort!"

Cai Lin snorted coldly upon hearing this, but a subtle smile appeared on her lips as she looked up at Lightning with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"The speed at which the lightning strikes is falling is clearly not as fast as it was before. It looks like it's about to end. I'll go down now."

After a moment, Cai Lin suddenly spoke.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt Xiao Yuan grab his hand.

"No, you'll have to help me down later. The pill refining this time was quite costly, and I'm a little tired."

Xiao Yuan's voice betrayed an undeniable weariness.

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin glanced down at Xiao Yuan's face, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes, and nodded slightly.

"What a strange puppet! Its combat power alone is probably no less than that of Five Star Dou Zong. Moreover, judging from its appearance, this puppet can absorb the power of lightning to strengthen itself. If it continues to experience the Dan Lightning a few more times, even Dou Zun expert would find it difficult to defeat it!"

On the high platform, Tang Zhen's surprise deepened. Even with his experience, he had never seen such a puppet before.

"I really didn't expect that Xiao Yuan would be able to withstand this pill lightning with just this puppet. This young man is truly amazing!"

With a sigh, Tang Zhen could also sense that the terrifying thunder in the sky was gradually coming to an end.

Of course, he wasn't the only one with this thought. Everyone was well aware of the power of the pill lightning formed by Grade 7 High Level Pill. Every time a pill of this rank appeared, it always required several Dou Zong experts to work together to protect it, precisely to guard against that final pill lightning. However, the pill lightning that had caused headaches for many alchemy masters was easily intercepted by a puppet summoned by Xiao Yuan. This naturally made many people feel somewhat incredulous. If this matter were to spread, even some Alchemic Grandmaster would probably be tempted by it. After all, with this strange puppet, they wouldn't have to worry about pill lightning when refining pills in the future.

As everyone in the square was lost in thought, another loud thunderclap resounded through the sky. A massive Silver Lightning, half a zhang in size, ripped through the sky like a silver dragon and finally struck the Di Yao Kui's body with tremendous force.

"Bang!"

This powerful collision knocked the Di Yao Kui down hard, and it landed on the plaza. Amidst the flying debris, a huge crater, over ten zhang in size, was revealed. Around the crater, cracks as thick as an arm spread out like a spider web.

The sudden turn of events startled many disciples of the Burning Flame Valley around the plaza, who hurriedly retreated and then gasped at the sight of the enormous pit.

After the most powerful Silver Lightning swept out, the heavy dark clouds in the sky gradually stopped rolling and then quickly thinned out. Beams of light pierced through the dark clouds, turning into countless spots of light that shone into the Burning Flame Valley, which had just been ravaged by the Dan Lightning.

The sunlight poured down, quickly dispelling the gloom in the valley, and the terrifying thunderous aura that had previously filled people with dread also quickly dissipated.

Seeing the lightning dissipate, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Then, all eyes turned to the huge crater in the plaza, exchanging bewildered glances. They had withstood so many bolts of lightning; could they have failed under this final strike? "Young friend Xiao Yuan, are you alright?"

Tang Zhen was also startled by Dan Lei's final outburst. He glanced at the deep pit below, then turned his gaze to Xiao Yuan and hurriedly said.

With Cai Lin protecting him, Xiao Yuan was naturally unharmed. Although his face was slightly pale, he had not suffered any damage. He waved his hand and smiled, "Don't worry, Valley Master Tang."

As soon as he finished speaking, his hand seals changed, and a deep voice rang out from the deep pit. A silver figure leaped up and landed steadily on the stone platform.

Xiao Yuan's gaze quickly fell on the Di Yao Kui in front of him. After this baptism of pill lightning, the brilliant silver on the latter's body appeared exceptionally pure. From a distance, it looked as if it were cast from silver, which was extremely eye-catching.

He squeezed the Di Yao Kui's body with his palm; it was icy cold, like touching metal, giving it an unusually tough feel. However, to Xiao Yuan's slight disappointment, he didn't seem to see any gold on the Di Yao Kui.

Demon Puppet are divided into three levels: Heaven, Earth, and Human. They can be distinguished by their color. Human-level puppets are bronze, Earth-level puppets are silver, and Heaven-level puppets are gold. The current Demon Puppet is entirely silver, so it is obviously still at the Earth level. However, if it turns into gold, then it can truly be called Tian Yao Kui, rather than Di Yao Kui.

Although it did not turn golden as a result, Xiao Yuan clearly felt that the Di Yao Kui's strength had improved after this baptism of pill lightning. According to his guess, the Di Yao Kui Shen Yun was probably no less capable than a Seven-Star Dou Zong expert.

After casually storing the Di Yao Kui in front of him into his Storage Ring, Xiao Yuan turned his gaze to the medicine cauldron, where a perfectly round pill, its color a striking blue and red, was spinning rapidly, emitting a rich fragrance that was refreshing and invigorating.

"So this is the Fire Bodhi Pill!"

Xiao Yuan's gaze lingered on the blue and red pills inside the cauldron for a moment. He couldn't help but smile, flicked his finger, and the cauldron lid flew open automatically. Immediately, a blue and red light shot out from it like lightning, and without pausing, it flew towards the sky. Judging from its appearance, it actually wanted to escape.

"Valley Master Tang, I'm entrusting it to you."

Looking at the pill that wanted to escape, Xiao Yuan smiled slightly. This level of pill also had a bit of sentience and knew how to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, so it would run away on its own as soon as it left the cauldron.

Upon hearing Xiao Yuan's words, Tang Zhen laughed loudly, then nodded. He clenched his hand towards the sky, and the space in the direction where Fire Bodhi Pill was fleeing froze instantly. Huo Pudan crashed into it and was then bounced back.

With a flick of his sleeve, a powerful suction force surged, easily drawing the Fire Bodhi Pill back. Tang Zhen then swiftly took out a fine jade bottle and placed the red and blue pill, which was constantly jumping in his palm, into it.

Holding the jade bottle in his hand, Tang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Xiao Yuan with a solemn expression, clasped his hands in a fist and said in a deep voice:

"Young friend Xiao Yuan, thank you very much! I will remember this kindness."

"I simply do what others ask of me."

Xiao Yuan waved his hand, and after relaxing, his eyelids began to droop. Fatigue swept over him like a tide, and then he saw Cai Lin's broad and reassuring chest next to him and collapsed.

Although Cai Lin noticed that Xiao Yuan seemed to have deliberately adjusted the direction of his fall, she would not step aside at this moment and let Xiao Yuan fall to the ground. Instead, she reached out and pulled him into her arms.

On the high platform, Tang Huo'er couldn't help but frown slightly upon seeing this scene, feeling a sudden sense of unease in her heart.

"Valley Master Tang, I'll take Xiao Yuan back to rest for a bit."

Cai Lin rarely spoke a word to Tang Zhen, and after casually helping Xiao Yuan put the Black Demon Cauldron into his Storage Ring, he flew with him towards the place arranged by Burning Flame Valley.