Wu Protector: I Will Definitely Return!

The Sect Master Hall was in complete shambles.

The once-pristine floor was now covered in crisscrossing sword gashes, with fragments of stone scattered throughout.

Beneath the vaulted ceiling, dust motes danced in the light filtering through the window lattices, and faint wisps of sword intent could still be seen weaving through the air, emitting a subtle, humming vibration.

Wu Protector hung in the air, looking utterly wretched; his form swayed unsteadily, as if every movement drained the last of his strength.

He gasped for air, "This detestable brat, how is he so powerful? To think he could force me into such a state!"

His originally solid soul body had become thin and translucent, like a veil of gauze that might be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Where his arm had been severed, cyan sword intent writhed like a frenzied, wicked dragon, greedily devouring his soul power.

With every sliver of soul power lost, it felt as though thousands of steel needles were piercing his soul, an agony beyond endurance.

For the first time, a genuine, chilling fear of death welled up in Wu Protector's heart.

No, I must get out of here immediately!

His face was etched with terror as he muttered to himself.

In an instant, his soul body transformed into a blinding streak of light, shooting toward the horizon with astonishing, jaw-dropping speed.

As he fled, he roared hoarsely, "You little brat, just you wait! Once I recover, I will make you pay!"

Having used a secret technique to briefly reach the level of a five-star Dou Zong, he erupted with his full power, his figure vanishing in a flash like a meteor streaking across the night sky.

Only a blurred, indistinct shadow of his soul remained, slowly dissipating into the air as if it had never existed at all.

Yun Yun stood to the side, witnessing this scene with a heart full of worry. She said to Xiao Fan, "Xiao Fan, we cannot let him escape..."

This was a Dou Zong enemy; if he were allowed to get away, the Misty Cloud Sect would surely face the retaliation of a Dou Zong powerhouse!

Xiao Fan, however, remained calm and composed. He slowly raised a hand and waved it gently.

He said in a flat tone, "Don't be anxious. Let him run for a while; he won't be able to get away."

Xiao Fan stood tall and straight, his long black robe fluttering in the breeze, his ink-colored hair neatly tied behind his head.

His entire demeanor exuded a sense of steady confidence and unruffled composure.

Afterward, he tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping toward the empty space behind him, where Yun Shan's figure was no longer to be seen.

Clearly, Yun Shan had already quietly followed after Wu Protector.

The corners of Xiao Fan's mouth curled upward into a faint, barely perceptible arc as he whispered to himself, "This is for the best; it saves me the trouble of dealing with him myself."

After all, he was Yun Yun's master... If he were to finish him off personally, it might leave a thorn in her heart...

Relying on the Soul Hall's secret technique to forcibly boost his speed, Wu Protector finally stopped in a desolate wasteland dozens of kilometers away from the Misty Cloud Sect.

He hunched over, hands braced against his knees, gasping for air.

He muttered to himself, "This wretched secret technique—the side effects are truly severe."

His soul body was now even thinner and more illusory, nearly merging with the surrounding mist, flickering in and out of existence.

The backlash of the secret technique had begun...

"Hmph! Brat, we shall see!"

Wu Protector's face was filled with rage, his eyes flashing with a venomous light.

He snarled viciously, "Once I return, I will report the situation here in great detail. I'll claim to have found clues regarding the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade and have a more powerful protector come to deal with him. I refuse to believe he can withstand a Dou Zun!"

Just as he was lost in his thoughts, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked toward the horizon with vigilance.

He saw a figure slowly flying in his direction. Although the speed was not fast, the target was clear—it was heading straight for him.

Wu Protector looked closely; wasn't that the subordinate he had just recruited?

"Protector!"

Yun Shan was all smiles, a fawning expression on his face, his eyes revealing an eager, desperate longing.

He flew quickly to Wu Protector's side and said urgently, "You must help me! Please, help me break through to become a Dou Zong!"

Yun Shan wore a gray robe, his hair slightly disheveled, a flattering smile plastered on his face.

It seemed that for the sake of a chance at the Dou Zong realm, he had gambled everything.

However, before he could finish his sentence, Wu Protector's figure flashed to his side like a bolt of black lightning.

He extended a gaunt, skeletal hand and grabbed Yun Shan's head with a bone-chilling, monstrous cackle.

"Jie jie jie jie! Just in time—I am injured, so I shall use your soul to replenish my own!"

Yun Shan's eyes widened in terror, his body struggling violently as he shrieked, "Protector, have mercy! I have been loyal to you!"

He tried to mobilize the Dou Qi within his body to resist, but he was merely a Dou Huang; in the face of a powerful Dou Zong, he was like an insignificant ant, unable to shake him in the slightest.

His mouth opened as if to beg for mercy again, but his soul had already been forcibly ripped from his body.

Having devoured Yun Shan's soul, Wu Protector's expression did not improve; instead, it became even more grave and somber.

He frowned, muttering to himself, "Although my soul body has solidified somewhat, it is still far from enough."

He could clearly feel that the Dou Qi within his body remained in utter chaos, and the stinging pain brought by that sword aura grew increasingly intense, as if it would not rest until it had completely torn his soul body to shreds.

"This won't do; I must quickly find a place to go into seclusion and heal my injuries."

The face of the Wu Protector was filled with gravity, his eyes revealing a trace of unease.

He had an inexplicable intuition that if he did not settle down to heal soon, he might very well dissipate into nothingness.

The Wu Protector clutched his shoulder and took a deep breath.

However, just as he was about to turn and leave, a hand gently patted him on the shoulder.

He felt a powerful force instantly invade his body, and as his vision went black, he lost consciousness.

Xiao Fan appeared silently behind him, looking down at the soul of the Wu Protector with a look of disdain on his face.

"Truly useless; I don't even care to consume it with my Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art."

In his eyes, this soul was like a pile of waste emitting a rotten stench, possessing no value whatsoever.

"Forget it..."

I will take it back and have Yao Lao refine it into a puppet.

Yao Lao was broad-minded and knowledgeable, having lived for over a thousand years and experienced many adventures; he had dabbled in various strange alchemy techniques, cultivation methods, Dou skills, and other secrets of the continent.

Although puppet refinement was not his area of greatest expertise, given his experience, it was highly probable that he understood some methods of puppet refinement. In a complex environment like the Central Plains, where puppets served as both combat tools and symbols of power, such knowledge would inevitably circulate to a certain extent.

Through his past travels and exchanges with other experts, Yao Lao had certainly encountered and remembered knowledge regarding puppet refinement.

As long as one mastered the technique of puppet refinement and possessed suitable materials and means of soul control, one could refine powerful individuals into puppets.

The protectors of the Soul Hall were inherently strong, possessing powerful Dou Qi and soul strength.

If one could capture them, use special materials to modify their bodies, and suppress or erase their original consciousness through soul power, they could be refined into puppets.

However, the soul power of a Soul Hall protector was relatively strong, and their will to resist was intense; refining them into puppets was no small feat and required powerful soul control, but once successfully refined, the resulting puppet would possess formidable strength.

And these conditions were exactly what he, Xiao Fan, could meet.

Xiao Fan stored the soul body and the corpse of Yun Shan into his Storage Ring, then headed toward the Misty Cloud Sect.