Inside the Void Dragon Hall, Lin Ming remained seated cross-legged, his aura as deep and unfathomable as the sea. Within his Inner World, spanning over nine thousand feet, a refining process concerning creation and destruction had reached its final and most crucial stage.
The Great Heavenly Venerate's physical body, tempered by the fire of the world's essence, now floats in mid-air, its form drastically changed.
His body, which was originally as withered as a skeleton, now had a texture as warm as jade and as cold as metal. Under his skin, there was a faint flow of dark golden light, which was the manifestation of his flesh and bones being highly condensed and tending to become energy after Lin Ming used the World Power to temper various metals to the extreme.
Although its size has shrunk compared to before, every muscle fiber seems to have been rewoven, containing explosive power. There is no trace of Death Qi or impurities left on its body, making it as pure as a Human Form Sacred Artifact embryo.
This body, originally at the level of Two-Star Dou Saint, was further refined by Lin Ming's world body, making its strength no weaker than that of the Hall of Souls Vice Hall Master was at the Late Stage Three-Star Dou Saint. Therefore, it had reached the perfect state as Puppet body.
On the other side, the soul that had merged with the Hall of Souls Vice Hall Master Hun Yan, and the Great Heavenly Venerate Venerable also underwent a complete "Purified".
Their souls, stripped of all personal consciousness, emotional memories, now shone with a deep, dark silver luster.
Although it exudes a frenzied and bloodthirsty mental fluctuation, the numerous World Imprint binding its Soul Body it to obediently remain here, awaiting Lin Ming's orders.
Once Lin Ming's command is given, its deeply ingrained Soul Essence experience, spatial perception, and memories of countless Hun Clan Secret Techniques and high-level Dou Technique, along with its ferocious instincts, will make its bloodthirsty ferocity even more difficult to deal with.
In addition, the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Magic Core, which was at the Dou Sheng level, was like a colorful Little Sun, radiating a vast and intense energy fluctuation, providing a continuous energy supply for the subsequent combination of the three.
All three are ready.
Lin Ming's consciousness, like that of the most skilled craftsman, calmly examined these three "materials." He recalled the special crafting method he had comprehended while studying the two puppets in the Ancient Ruins. It was not merely a simple piecing together, but a deeper level of fusion and symbiosis.
Let's begin!
With a thought, he once again precisely controlled the power of the rules within his Inner World.
First, there was that perfect Puppet body. Lin Ming used his consciousness as a pen and the power of the world itself as ink to begin outlining and constructing incomparably complex and profound Energy Circuit and Rune Array within it.
These circuits are not randomly drawn, but rather simulate the most exquisite meridian network in the human body. However, they have been strengthened and modified on this basis to make them more capable of withstanding and unleashing the immense energy of Dou Sheng level.
Each rune that fell caused the surrounding Five Elements Origin primordial energy to resonate, emitting a subtle humming sound.
This process is extremely mentally taxing, requiring a profound level of control over energy. Only within Lin Ming's completely controlled Inner World, and with his Heavenly Realm Grand Perfection Soul Realm, could it be carried out with such effortless ease.
The moment the last Energy Circuit perfectly closed at the heart of the body, the entire body shuddered violently, and a powerful, hidden suction force was generated from within, as if a sleeping behemoth was about to awaken.
"Go!"
Lin Ming a thought, the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Magic Core, radiating colorful light, seemed to be summoned by an irresistible force. It transformed into a stream of light and precisely entered the Energy Core Hub that had just been constructed in the heart of his body!
"Boom--!"
The moment the Magic Core entered the body, it was like igniting an engine! The boundless, colorful energy surged into the newly constructed Energy Circuit like a burst dam!
On the surface of its body, brilliant colored patterns suddenly lit up, spreading across its entire body like blood vessels, and a terrifying aura far exceeding the previous one swept out like a storm!
The intense, violent, and proud energy characteristics belonging to the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix began to slowly merge with this Human Form body.
Its body began to tremble slightly, as if it could not withstand the sudden surge of immense energy.
But Lin Ming was prepared. The power of the world's essence transformed into invisible shackles, firmly stabilizing the structure of the body. At the same time, it guided the energy of the Magic Core, gently and continuously permeating, nourishing, and strengthening every inch of its body.
Next comes the most crucial step – infusing the soul core!
Lin Ming's consciousness locked onto the dark silver soul entity. Then, his mind stirred, and his eyes narrowed.
"Melt!"
The soul body, which had merged with two Dou Sheng and carried their battle memories and instincts, transformed into a stream of light under his guidance and shot straight towards the brow of the surging energy body!
"Buzz!!!"
The moment the soul core made contact with the body, there was no violent explosion, but rather a strange, harmonious resonance!
The Demonic Core Energy at the heart of that body seemed to have found a command center, flowing more smoothly and orderly. Deep within the previously empty eye sockets of the body, two dark, Black Hole -like points of light suddenly lit up!
An aura far more terrifying and suffocating than during previous tests, like a demon god slumbering for millennia, slowly awakens deep within this Inner World...
"Click... click click..."
The stiff joints began to move, making a sound like Jin Shi rubbing against metal. The suspended body slowly, with a kind of nascent stiffness, raised its hands and looked down.
His movements were initially very slow and stiff, but as time went on, they became more and more fluid and natural.
The colorful energy patterns around its body gradually receded, eventually flowing only faintly beneath its skin, emanating a chilling sense of oppression.
A terrifying aura, a mixture of the physical strength of Late Stage Three-Star Dou Saint, the violent energy of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Magic Core, and the soul combat consciousness of Early Stage Four-Star Dou Saint, erupted across this world like an awakened Desolate Ancient Fierce Beast!
He raised his head, his deep gaze finally settling on the direction where Lin Ming's consciousness was. There was no emotion, no doubt, only absolute coldness, absolute obedience, and a deep-seated thirst for blood and destruction hidden in his soul.
As Lin Ming felt the powerful fluctuations emanating from this new creation, an indescribable sense of accomplishment welled up within him.
He could clearly perceive the other party's entire state through the Restriction that had penetrated to the core of their soul, and he had absolute control over whether they existed or not with a single thought.
"From this day forward, your name will be -- Soul Puppet!"
Lin Ming's voice, like a divine pronouncement, echoed throughout this world and was deeply imprinted on the very soul of this weapon of war.
Soul Puppet! With the souls of two Dou Sheng of the Hun Clan as its core, this name is both a tribute to its origin and a foreshadowing of its becoming a nightmare for all enemies of the Hun Clan, like a ghost!
Upon receiving the name, the Soul Puppet's deep eyes flickered slightly, as if confirming the code name.
Immediately, he slowly knelt on one knee, facing the direction of Lin Ming's consciousness with an impeccable posture of submission, his deep, emotionless voice ringing out like the friction of metal:
"Soul Puppet, as Your Majesty commands."
The voice was cold, yet carried an unquestionable loyalty and will to carry it out.
"Very good." Lin Ming nodded in satisfaction. "Now, let me see just how much skill you've inherited."
With a thought, he directly lifted some of the power restrictions on the Soul Puppet. At the same time, in an open area of this world, he simulated several virtual opponents of different energy levels—ranging from High-Tier Half Sage to Two-Star Dou Saint Shengs.
Almost the instant Lin Ming gave the order, the kneeling figure of the Soul Puppet vanished from its spot like a ghost!
The next moment, he appeared in the simulated battlefield. Facing the roaring virtual Half Sage opponent, he didn't even use any Dou Qi, but simply threw a punch!
"Bang!"
The air was compressed by the extreme force, creating a sonic boom! The virtual Half Sage opponent didn't even have time to scream before being shattered into basic energy particles by the terrifying power contained in this punch, dissipating into nothingness!
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!
The movements were devoid of any fancy moves, pushing power and speed to their limits. This was the close-combat ability displayed by the Great Heavenly Venerate after his physical body had been tempered to perfection, combined with their fighting instincts!
Immediately afterwards, a virtual One-Star Dou Saint powerhouse condensed a massive energy palm print, which pressed down like an overwhelming force.
The Soul Puppet raised its head, its deep eyes devoid of any emotion. Instead of taking the blow head-on, it flickered, the surrounding space slightly distorting, and appeared behind the One-Star Dou Saint virtual body as if by Instantaneous Movement! This was precisely the spatial movement technique that Dou Sheng excelled at!
At the same time, his thin hand reached out, and thick black energy swirled around his five fingertips, instantly transforming into five slender and sharp black soul blades!
"Sizzle!"
Five black lights flashed, and the energy shield of the One-Star Dou Saint virtual body was torn apart like paper. Its body was also instantly cut into several pieces and collapsed with a bang!
"Hun Clan Secret Technique, Ghost Soul Blade..." Lin Ming nodded secretly. The soul attack method that Hun Yan had mastered had indeed been perfectly inherited.
Finally, Lin Ming simulated an energy body with a strength roughly equivalent to the late stage of Two-Star Dou Saint.
Faced with an opponent of this caliber, Soul Puppet finally stopped holding back. He swiftly formed hand seals in front of him, and an aura of death far colder and more powerful than before emanated from his body! The surrounding light seemed to be swallowed up and dimmed.
"The Nether Hand!"
With a cold, low shout, the void behind him suddenly cracked open, and a gigantic ghostly hand, formed from endless Black Mist and vengeful spirits, stretched out!
The ghostly hand was wrapped in eerie runes, radiating a terrifying aura that tore apart souls and eroded life force, and with a suffocating power, it fiercely grabbed at the energy body of the Two-Star Dou Saint!
This was the very powerful Dou Technique that the Hall of Souls Vice Hall Master used to fight against Ancient Dragon Elder! Now, when unleashed by the Soul Puppet, its power directly surpassed that of the original.
Boom!!!
The enormous Nether Ghost Hand collided violently with the energy body of Two-Star Dou Saint! A terrifying energy storm erupted instantly, completely engulfing, tearing apart, and annihilating the energy body!
Test complete.
The Soul Puppet ceased its attack and stood quietly in place, its aura steady, as if the fierce battle had not depleted its strength much. The energy provided by the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Magic Core was truly massive.
Lin Ming witnessed the entire process and was overjoyed.