After the storm subsided, Xiao Yan and his companion stood suspended in mid-air. Looking down, they immediately saw Ren Shaodong, who lay lifeless like a corpse. This guy, too, hadn't been able to escape the energy storm.
In a flash, Xiao Yan appeared in front of Ren Shaodong, only to find that the latter was already lifeless. As for the puppet, it had been destroyed in the previous energy storm because it was too close. Thus, the six members of the Heavenly Puppet Sect were all finished.
After accepting Ren Shaodong's Storage Ring, Xiao Yan and his companion resumed their journey.
Shortly after the two left, a blurry figure emerged from a jade pendant hanging on Ren Shaodong's corpse, revealing a face full of resentment—it was Ren Shaodong himself.
Meanwhile, somewhere within the territory of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect, three figures were also chasing after Xiao Yan and his companion at an astonishing speed.
After a long time, as night fell, the desolate sand and gravel, carried by the cold wind, swept across the sky and earth, and neither city walls nor mountains could escape the baptism of the sandstorm.
In the desolate wilderness, with no stars or moon visible overhead and no streams or forests to be seen below, it was difficult to discern one's surroundings. Coupled with the vexing, unpredictable weather, Xiao Yan and Xiao Xuan simply stopped. Of course, the main reason for this was the fierce battle they had fought during the day, which had left them both quite exhausted. Resting for the night would make their journey easier.
Finding a rocky outcrop, the two lit a campfire in a sheltered spot and rested for a while. The flames burning in the darkness were like a bright star in the boundless night sky of the Gobi Desert, illuminating a large area of land around them. The dim firelight even reflected on the ever-swirling yellow sand in the air, like a thin layer of gray mist.
Beside the campfire, the flickering firelight reflected off Xiao Yan and his companion. At this moment, Xiao Yan held a Storage Ring in his hand, his brows furrowed, and a sense of unease rose within him.
Ren Shaodong is dead, so the Soul Imprint on the Storage Ring should have disappeared as well. However, just now, when Xiao Yan was about to inject his Spiritual Strength into it, he was surprised to find that his Spiritual Strength was still isolated. The Soul Imprint on the Storage Ring was still strong. If he hadn't used his powerful Spiritual Strength to forcefully break through, Xiao Yan would not have been able to open the Storage Ring.
Although the Storage Ring was activated, it also revealed to Xiao Yan that Ren Shaodong was not dead; at least, his soul was still alive. But how could this be? With Ren Shaodong's Spiritual Strength, it was impossible for him to hide it from him, unless...
"Damn it! That thing on him is masking his soul's aura!"
Only now did Xiao Yan remember, but there was no time to worry about that anymore. Even if Ren Shaodong had returned to the Heavenly Puppet Sect's territory, or even back to the Heavenly Puppet Sect, it was impossible for him to catch up with them. As long as they passed tomorrow, they believed that the two of them would reach the border of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect the day after, and then they could enter the Fire Maple Forest. At that time, even if the people of the Heavenly Puppet Sect caught up, so what?
Pulling his thoughts back to the Storage Ring in his hand, Xiao Yan immediately channeled his Spiritual Strength into it.
As the young sect master of the Heavenly Puppet Sect, I believe there must be many treasures in Ren Shaodong's Storage Ring. If we can find some, then today's battle will not have been in vain.
After searching for a while, Xiao Yan frowned. In Ren Shaodong's Storage Ring, apart from some pills and Spirit Stone, there were very few Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills. Even the Spirit Stone were just some ordinary Low-Grade Spirit Stone. There didn't seem to be anything worth Xiao Yan's attention.
However, just as Xiao Yan was about to withdraw his Spiritual Strength, a golden scroll in the Storage Ring caught his attention, especially the three large blood-printed characters on it, which made Xiao Yan's heart stir.
" Vajra Puppet!"
"Is this the secret technique of the Heavenly Puppet Sect for crafting puppets?"
With a thought, Xiao Yan immediately took out the scroll. The moment the scroll touched his hand, a cool metallic feel and heavy pressure followed. Xiao Yan exerted a little force in his palm to catch it steadily.
" Vajra Puppet, High Spirit Class."
As the scroll slowly unfurled, the information within gradually came into Xiao Yan 'Xiao Yan view, especially the refining techniques, which greatly surprised him.
The puppets, crafted using the secret techniques of the Vajra Puppet, have three cultivation stages: Origin Return Realm, Origin King, and Origin Emperor. The strongest single puppet can reach the terrifying peak of the Peak Origin Emperor. Furthermore, the puppet's color changes as its strength increases.
Puppets at the Origin Return Realm are usually black, those at the Origin King Great Realm are silver, and those at the Origin Emperor Great Realm turn completely golden. At that point, both their combat power and defensive capabilities reach an extremely terrifying level. The puppet that Ren Shaodong used before was Half-Step Origin King. Although its entire body was almost silver, it was still somewhat lacking. It was precisely because of this that the Northern King was able to fight it. Otherwise, even with the Northern King's terrifying recovery ability, he would not have had such an easy time in front of an Origin King Realm puppet.
After some investigation, it became clear that the Vajra Puppet was indeed just as Xiao Yan had predicted. Once completed, its combat and defensive capabilities were extremely formidable. At the same level, the Vajra Puppet's combat power was by no means inferior to that of a powerful expert with high-level Dou Technique, and its defensive capabilities were even more terrifying. However, it was precisely because of these factors that the Vajra Puppet's advantages also became its disadvantages.
The Vajra Puppet's excessively powerful combat strength and defense make it unable to withstand any strong external attacks. This means that once the Vajra Puppet is damaged, it is absolutely irreparable. However, Xiao Yan's Heavenly Demon Puppet perfectly makes up for this.
"If we could combine the two puppet-making methods... wouldn't the Northern King's strength reach another level!"
Upon thinking of this, Xiao Yan felt a surge of desire. The current combat power of the Northern King was only comparable to the Late Origin Return Realm expert. Although the lightning power within his body had not been fully absorbed, it would still take a long time to refine. However, if he could merge with the Vajra Puppet and the two become one, Xiao Yan believed that the Northern King's combat power could definitely reach the Origin King in a short time. However, this process required a catalyst.
Unless Xiao Yan can truly integrate the benefits of the Vajra Puppet and Heavenly Demon Puppet techniques, and achieve compatibility between the two, he will be able to further refine and enhance the Northern King. However, comprehending two completely different secret techniques and combining them into one is not an easy task.
But just as Xiao Yan frowned, Xiao Xuan suddenly reached out and took the Vajra Puppet from the side.