Chapter 110: Devouring Heavenly Corpse (Imitation)!
As the refining continued, the liquid within the Emerald Serpent Honored Elder's corpse had already been burned away completely, so no blood flowed out within the cave.
Yun Yi moved his palm, and the fused black spherical soul body in his hand transformed into a black qi dragon, shooting like lightning into the hole on the Emerald Serpent Honored Elder's forehead.
After the fusion of tens of thousands of souls, the energy contained in this patchwork monster's soul had nearly reached the peak of the Mortal Realm. Though somewhat impure, this did not affect the refinement of the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
At this moment, Yun Yi raised his hand and took out a blood-red demonic core. The core was only fist-sized, yet the energy within was as vast as the sea—this was a treasure of the Tian She Mansion, an eighth-tier demonic core.
Eyeing the large hole in the Emerald Serpent Honored Elder's chest, Yun Yi flicked his finger and sent it inside.
He then continued refining the corpse while simultaneously producing various metallic minerals gleaming with different lusters. Once again dividing his mind, he sent out strands of black flame to cling to the minerals and began smelting them.
Under the terrifying heat of the Saint Demon Flame, the various metals melted into a pool of dark-gold solution, gleaming with an inexplicable luster beneath the flames.
With a wave of his hand, the metallic solution, under Yun Yi's control, slowly coated the surface of the puppet's body.
As the pitch-black flame continued to burn, the dark-gold metallic solution gradually penetrated every inch of flesh, giving the body's surface a dark-golden hue.
With the integration of the metallic solution, Yun Yi began manipulating the flame, continuing to refine the puppet, seeking the perfect moment for the fusion of body, demonic core, and soul.
At a certain moment, Yun Yi sensed a strange fluctuation from within the puppet. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes—the optimal fusion point for the puppet's body, soul, and demonic core had arrived.
At this stage, the refinement of the Heavenly Demon Puppet could already be declared a success. Only the final step of master recognition remained, after which he would obtain a fearless killing machine with at least the strength of a nine-star Dou Zong.
But Yun Yi was not satisfied. Opening his mouth, he spat out a stream of Saint Demon Flame. His left hand formed seals, continuously tracing in the void. In the next instant, the Saint Demon Flame burst apart, and under the control of his soul power, it merged into the corpse before him.
As the Saint Demon Flame fused in, the corpse, which had glowed with a golden luster, immediately began turning black, making it seem like a dark demon god.
The black flames swam within the puppet's body. As time passed, it seemed a strange power was left behind. A faint suction emerged from the puppet's skin, constantly devouring the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
Seeing this, Yun Yi's gaze flickered. He pointed a finger, and a seed of the Saint Demon Flame swiftly fell into the demonic core within the puppet's chest.
The moment the flame seed entered, Yun Yi's hands formed a mysterious seal while he uttered a somewhat strange syllable from his mouth.
Weng!
As Yun Yi controlled the Saint Demon Flame to stably integrate inside, small pitch-black flames emerged on the puppet's body, slowly writhing as if coming to life.
Finally, they formed a thin black flame net, shrouded beneath the puppet's skin.
The moment the flame net formed, the Emerald Serpent Honored Elder's corpse trembled. The soul residing in its brain was forcibly shattered by that vocal syllable, transforming into countless soul light points that surged densely toward every part of the body.
Simultaneously, the demonic core in the chest also trembled. The violent energy contained within burst forth like a flood through opened gates, surging uncontrollably along the meridians within the corpse.
As the body, soul, and demonic core fused in this way, a majestic aura, completely devoid of emotion, erupted violently from the Emerald Serpent Honored Elder's corpse.
In the blink of an eye, that imposing aura reached the Dou Zong level, yet it did not stop. Before long, it attained the level of a nine-star Dou Zong, and moments later, it broke through again, reaching the Dou Zun level.
After breaking through to Dou Zun, this skyrocketing aura slowly receded. In Yun Yi's perception, this Heavenly Demon Puppet looked pitch-black and unremarkable, but the restrained power within its body was exceedingly terrifying.
Yun Yi extended a finger and, in the void, used his soul power to draw a complex rune. The rune took form, slowly drifting to the puppet's forehead before gently seeping in.
As the rune entered and imprinted an indelible mark there, within the puppet's pitch-black, hollow eyes, a tiny trace of something resembling life slowly emerged.
The puppet moved its stiff body, gazed at Yun Yi beside it, and slowly bowed its head to him in submission.
Yun Yi examined the figure before him, which seemed cast from black iron. He raised his palm and suddenly struck, heavily slamming it against the puppet's chest.
With that single palm strike, the incredibly hard chest of the Heavenly Demon Puppet actually caved in by nearly half an inch. As the outermost layer of protection cracked, the golden interior of its body was exposed!
"Bang—"
Instantly, a scalp-numbing muffled sound rang out. A terrifying shockwave spread like a tide from the point of contact. Along its path, cracks like spiderwebs erupted wildly across the ground.
Offering no resistance, the puppet's body violently shuddered, sent flying backwards by the wild shockwave, slamming into the ground dozens of meters away.
After landing, the Heavenly Demon Puppet swiftly rose and flew back toward Yun Yi. Without pain, without injury, impervious to blade and spear, it was a perfect killing machine.
As long as its core was not destroyed, it would never cease executing its master's commands.
Yun Yi watched as the caved-in chest of the Heavenly Demon Puppet, under his gaze, saw tiny flames flicker around it. The surrounding heaven-and-earth energy surged madly toward it, and the wound he had just inflicted with his palm rapidly healed.
By his estimation, it would fully heal in just half an hour!
He nodded in satisfaction. The Devouring Heavenly Corpse possessed the devouring power of the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, capable of devouring the damage inflicted upon it. Combined with its terrifying physical strength, the two layers stacked together formed the disgustingly resilient Devouring Heavenly Corpse.
Now, Yun Yi's crude imitation version possessed similar traits. Just now, he had attacked it, and the Saint Demon Flame within the puppet had not activated. Had the Saint Demon Flame been added—
A Heavenly Demon Puppet originally at the strength of a one-star Dou Zun would already be enough to trouble a three-star Dou Zun. Now, with the addition of devouring power, Yun Yi was certain that even against a six-star Dou Zun, this puppet, relying on its shameless attributes, could hold the opponent off.
"Not bad. You shall be called Devouring Heavenly Corpse!" Yun Yi uttered two words flatly, then turned his gaze to the distance, where several astonishing auras clashed. "It's time to meet them. Time to begin the next phase of the plan."
Tapping his toes gently on space, Yun Yi stepped through the void, walking step by step back to the war chariot. Although he had long been able to use spatial power to achieve this, after truly advancing to Dou Zong, there was still a difference.
The most obvious change was that manipulating spatial power had become far more effortless!
"Roar—"
As Yun Yi entered the war chariot, the Devouring Heavenly Corpse stood expressionlessly at the front, like a loyal guard, radiating an icy aura. Anyone who appeared with hostility toward Yun Yi would face its storm-like attacks.
Even the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, who had witnessed the Devouring Heavenly Corpse being created, felt a violent shudder upon sensing the icy aura behind it.
Forcibly suppressing the unease in its heart, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King let out a great roar and pulled the war chariot swiftly toward the horizon.
As Yun Yi departed, black mist spread through the Sky Serpent Holy City below. When the black mist vanished, so too did the thousand-plus flame slaves.
"Boom—"
"Shi Tian, withdraw now, or the Lion Sect will be the next Tian She Mansion!"
In the sky, powerful fluctuations swept outward. A cold, sinister voice emerged from the billowing black mist. Honored Elder Qing Hai stared indifferently at the brawny middle-aged man ahead.
The big man slashed apart a soul projection with one blade stroke, hoisting a golden great blade. He frowned, looking at the opposing sides in the distance. "Qing Hai, so it truly was you, Soul Hall, who destroyed Tian She Mansion. The Northwest Continent is not your Soul Hall's backyard. Have you not gone too far?!"
Shi Tian appeared genuinely aggrieved for Tian She Mansion, but that was not the case. It was the swift ferocity of Soul Hall's actions this time that had frightened them.
Tian She Mansion's strength was comparable to the Lion Sect. His own strength was similar to Emerald Serpent's—both were three-star Dou Zun. And yet, Tian She Mansion, with such power, had been wiped out so rapidly by Soul Hall.
From Dou Zun above down to Dou Zhi Qi below, not a single soul had survived!
This ruthlessness sent chills down even his spine!
Thus, upon receiving the news, he had allied with several fairly powerful sects to come together and pressure Soul Hall, to curb their arrogance. Otherwise, who knew when it might be their turn next.
Watching Shi Tian, whose aura had surged greatly, Qing Hai secretly frowned. Soul Hall worked very efficiently; the Sovereign Origin Pills had come down swiftly.
Almost immediately after Yun Yi had spoken, a nine-star Dou Zun had arrived at the door. Three Sovereign Origin Pills were given to the three of them, each raising their star level by one.
At the same time, the three understood in their hearts that Yun Yi, this Young Hall Master, likely had someone protecting him from the shadows. That nine-star Dou Zun had definitely not come from the Central Plains but had been stationed by Yun Yi's side all along.
With a nine-star Dou Zun protecting him, this made the three even more respectful toward Yun Yi. Previously, they respected his status; now, he could decide their life and death at any moment—they began to revere his authority.
He was now also a three-star Dou Zun, on par with Shi Tian opposite him. However, his opponent's foundation was deeper. In a serious fight, he would still likely lose.
"Tian She Mansion was destroyed by my Soul Hall. What of it?" Just as Qing Hai was secretly troubled, an overbearing and cold voice came from afar.
Hearing that familiar voice, Qing Hai, as well as Qin Tian and Qiu Long, who were in standoffs with the others, trembled all over and immediately looked excitedly toward the source.
They saw the familiar war chariot from afar. Without any further hesitation, they shouted respectfully.
"We welcome the Young Hall Master!"
"Young Hall Master?!"
The actions of Qing Hai's trio stunned Shi Tian and the other sect masters. They watched the slowly approaching war chariot in surprise. The newcomer was actually Soul Hall's Young Hall Master.
No wonder Qing Hai and the other two were so utterly unrestrained. Everything seemed to make sense now!
"Tian She Mansion was destroyed by my Soul Hall. What of it!" Yun Yi slowly stepped out of the war chariot, his gaze burning intensely as he looked at Shi Tian and the other top figures of the Northwest Continent. His tone was overbearing, as if any unsatisfactory answer from Shi Tian and the others would bring about his storm-like attacks.
Yun Yi's lofty, almost interrogating tone made Shi Tian and the others furrow their brows, displeasure rising in their hearts.
You may be Soul Hall's Young Hall Master, of noble status, but we are also helmsmen of our own powers. Since when have we been spoken to in such a tone of accusation?
"Tian She Mansion was a pillar of our Northwest Continent and had not offended Soul Hall. Soul Hall destroyed it on a whim, even implicating countless innocents in the city. Is Soul Hall not being a little too overbearing?!"
An old man dressed in purple robes beside Shi Tian spoke with dissatisfaction.
He was the master of the Purple Sun Sect, Xue Si!
The Purple Sun Sect was also a top-tier power on the Northwest Continent. As its master, he had the strength of a nine-star Dou Zong, and after years of closed-door cultivation, he could potentially take that final step and break through to Dou Zun at any time. Then, the Purple Sun Sect would become a superpower on the Northwest Continent.
Had it not been for the disciples of the Purple Sun Sect who had died in the Sky Serpent Holy City this time, he would not have emerged from seclusion.
Xue Si's words made the Soul Hall members frown slightly!
Seeing this, Shi Tian swept his gaze over the pitch-black figure standing silently behind Yun Yi like an iron tower and quietly retreated behind the others.
"My Soul Hall's affairs need no explanation to outsiders!" Yun Yi glanced indifferently at Xue Si. His words made everyone's breath catch.
"You—"
"Old fool, you are too noisy. Kill him." As Yun Yi's voice fell, the Devouring Heavenly Corpse behind him flashed a red light in its eyes. It suddenly shot out violently, and in a flash, appeared right beside Xue Si. Its fierce fist, like a heavy hammer, came smashing down ruthlessly upon the latter.
"Not good!"
The Devouring Heavenly Corpse was far too fast, exceeding everyone's expectations. Xue Si had no time to react properly and could only hurriedly raise his arms to block.
With a bang, the terrifying force instantly shattered Xue Si's arm. His entire body flew sideways. The Devouring Heavenly Corpse showed no mercy, stomping fiercely on the void and chasing after the flying Xue Si.
"Stop—"
Only then did the others, who had barely reacted, roar urgently at the Devouring Heavenly Corpse.
However, the Devouring Heavenly Corpse ignored their words completely, doggedly pursuing Xue Si. Amidst the latter's terrified and despairing gaze, a few punches and kicks broke every bone in his body. Then, before the crowd's horrified eyes, he was brutally torn in half.
A nine-star Dou Zong, killed without the slightest ability to resist in just a few breaths by the Devouring Heavenly Corpse.
Blood rained down, drenching the Devouring Heavenly Corpse. Its pitch-black body, now bathed in blood, made it look like a life-reaping demon god, causing the hearts of all present to tremble with fear.
"The Purple Sun Sect offended my Soul Hall and deserved this calamity. Does anyone have any objections?"