The headquarters of the Poison Sect is located in the center of the Chu Yun Empire, in a city called Tian Du City.
This city is entirely controlled by the Poison Sect, to the point where it can be said that the city itself is the dominion of the Poison Sect.
Here, even members of the Chu Yun Empire's royal family have no authority to command.
Tian Du City is revered as a sacred place by countless poison masters in the Chu Yun Empire, as the headquarters of some of the empire's most powerful forces throughout history have been established here, receiving homage from poison masters far and wide.
However, Xiao Yan and Little Doctor Xian did not reside in the city but chose a mountain peak outside Tian Du City.
After a long and arduous journey, Xiao Yan passed through the light barrier enveloping the mountain and landed on its summit.
The mountaintop was vast, with pavilions and terraces arranged in an elegant and orderly manner. Looking around, one could see lush greenery, blooming flowers, and misty clouds, creating a scene akin to a fairyland.
Sitting at a stone table, Xiao Yan poured himself several cups of tea and drank them before finally catching his breath.
Although dealing with Wu Ya and the other Dou Huang experts seemed effortless, it was far from simple.
The terrifying power of the high-level Flame God also came with terrifying consumption. In just that short period, it had nearly drained all of his reserves.
If the standoff had continued, the value of those body materials would have likely been greatly diminished.
Xiao Yan looked up at Little Doctor Xian, who had been pacing in circles. "Aren't your feet sore?"
A year had passed, and Little Doctor Xian had grown even more radiant.
She wore a purple, exotic outfit from the Chu Yun Empire, adorned with a delicate silver crown. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall.
Her slender willow-like waist and flat abdomen were accentuated by a strange, colorful pattern that drew attention. Beneath her purple skirt were a pair of long, fair legs, and she wore jade shoes.
"Are you going to massage my feet?" Little Doctor Xian slowly stopped pacing.
Xiao Yan chuckled. "Should I call you 'Miss' then?"
"I don't mind you calling me that. But... with your young master's physique, I wouldn't have the fortune to enjoy it." Little Doctor Xian sat down opposite Xiao Yan, her delicate brows furrowed.
"What's bothering you?" Xiao Yan poured himself another cup of tea.
Little Doctor Xian said solemnly, "I can't figure it out."
"Figure out what?" Xiao Yan took a sip of tea, his tone calm.
"I can't understand why you're trying to recruit so many powerful experts at once and even refining pills to boost their strength."
Xiao Yan smiled. "You could just ask me."
"I won't ask." Little Doctor Xian's attitude was firm. "The people from the Wu Tian Sect are already influential figures, far from the usual small fry. If they're all brought into the Poison Sect, it will make the already complex internal dynamics of the sect even harder to manage."
Xiao Yan said, "You've changed a lot over the past year, becoming more and more like a true sect leader."
"Going from a Dou Practitioner to a Dou Huang in just a year is no small change for anyone." Little Doctor Xian refilled Xiao Yan's teacup. "Now, the only real opponent left in the Chu Yun Empire is the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect, an old and established force in the empire."
Xiao Yan smiled faintly. "I'm playing a game of chess, one that will allow the Poison Sect to easily integrate the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect."
"Are you using the high-level Flame God to play chess?" Little Doctor Xian asked.
"That's called flipping the table, not playing chess." Xiao Yan stood up and walked toward his cultivation chamber.
The spacious room was meticulously clean, with various materials neatly arranged. On one stone table lay a row of neatly placed storage stones.
These storage stones were rare materials used to craft storage rings, each containing a special small space. A single raw storage stone could be worth tens of thousands of gold coins.
The table full of storage stones alone was worth nearly ten million gold coins, and this was just the tip of the iceberg in the entire cultivation chamber.
Having mastered the art of puppet-making, Xiao Yan often tinkered with other things besides cultivation.
On the Dou Qi Continent, there were low-level and high-level storage rings for storing inanimate objects, but there was nothing for storing living beings.
Xiao Yan had had his eye on the Amethyst Winged Lion King in the Magical Beast Mountain Range for a long time.
Moreover, the Amethyst Source and Amethyst Crystals were also rare treasures.
Once the matters in the Chu Yun Empire were settled, Xiao Yan planned to return to the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
If he could combine the spaces of storage stones to create a space capable of storing magical beasts, it would be much more convenient for transportation.
Providing oxygen for living creatures like magical beasts wouldn't be difficult with his alchemical skills.
However, combining the spaces of storage stones was no simple task, especially when dealing with hundreds of them. It would take some time.
Setting this matter aside for now, Xiao Yan flicked his storage ring and took out the bodies of Tang Tian and his son from the Poison Spider Sect.
Both father and son were Dou Huang experts, making them extremely rare materials even in the Chu Yun Empire, which was no stranger to powerful individuals.
"I thought too deeply at the time. The advanced puppet-making technique requires the corpse of a Dou Zong expert, which isn't easy to find. And seventh-tier magic cores are also exceedingly rare. Now, I have to take a step back."
Xiao Yan shook his head slightly. With his comprehension, he quickly devised a simplified version of the advanced puppet-making technique, somewhere between the advanced and intermediate levels.
This simplified version only required the body of a Dou Huang expert and could use multiple fourth or fifth-tier magic cores combined to roughly match the power of a higher-tier core.
The idea of combining storage stones also stemmed from this.
After reviewing the simplified advanced puppet-making technique in his mind, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the ground and waved his hand toward the two corpses.
Two crimson beams of light shot out from the foreheads of the corpses, followed by faint green lights that formed two ethereal human shapes.
The two soul bodies, seeing Xiao Yan, immediately knelt in mid-air.
"Protector Yan, it was our fault for not recognizing your greatness. We are now soul bodies. Please spare us."
Tang Tian and his son never imagined that the nearly thousand members of the Poison Spider Sect, along with their two Dou Huang experts, would be no match for this Dou Wang.
"Soul bodies also have their uses." Xiao Yan reached out and grabbed the two souls, then took out two jade bottles from his storage ring and sealed them inside.
After setting the bottles aside, Xiao Yan flicked his fingers, and two clusters of black-and-white flames landed on the bodies of Tang Tian and his son.
The flames rapidly expanded, enveloping the bodies.
The intense heat caused the bodies to turn red.
As the roasting continued, faint strands of black gas began to seep out of the bodies, only to be burned away by the black-and-white flames.
This black gas was a type of corpse energy. If not completely removed, it would make it difficult for the magic core, body, and soul to fully integrate during the puppet-making process.
(End of Chapter)
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