Chapter 345 : Yin-Baleful Puppet Refinement
Chapter 345: Yin-Baleful Puppet Refinement
Fog Sea of Tongtian.
On an island filled with dense Yin energy, under flashes of thunder, the Sword Attendant stepped out from the thunderclouds.
A black sword circled around her body, forming a sword shield. When she raised her hand, another sword flew out of the dust below and fell into her grasp.
“Master, the two Third-rank Sinister Spirit Beast Kings on the island have already been dealt with.”
At this moment, Lin Changan sat sideways on the back of the Azure-Horned Ox. Watching the battle, he could not help but clap in satisfaction.
“Not bad. Although refining the magical artifact earlier consumed quite a bit of vitality, it now seems that it was all worth it.”
With a Life-bound Magical Artifact, the Sword Attendant’s cultivation had not increased, but her combat power had improved greatly.
Moreover, lightning was naturally the bane of all sinister entities. The Sword Attendant alone had slain two early-stage Third-rank Sinister Spirit Beast Kings without much effort.
It was clear just how powerful such extreme attribute suppression could be.
“Roar!”
At this moment, accompanied by a tiger’s roar, the Sinister Spirit Two-headed Tiger walked up before Lin Changan, constantly displaying a flattering demeanor.
As a Sinister Spirit Beast King that had only recently awakened intelligence, its current intellect was not much different from that of a mortal pet dog.
Just after awakening its intelligence and developing a sense of belonging to its master, it had been exiled to this Fog Sea of Tongtian. Lonely, it wandered alone.
“Alright, you’ve performed well these past few years.”
Lin Changan nodded with satisfaction. Then he unfolded the Fog Sea of Tongtian sea map he had drawn himself.
It clearly marked the surrounding discoveries the Two-headed Tiger had made over the years. Not only were the islands where sinister spirits gathered recorded, but even the conditions of the surrounding sea regions were clearly documented.
What kind of sea beasts were in each location, how many Sinister Spirit Beast Kings existed in this sea region, and so on.
This undoubtedly saved him countless hours of scouting.
He only needed to eliminate targets at fixed locations and obtain Sinister Spirit Demon Cores.
“Master!”
The Sword Attendant gathered the Sinister Spirit Ashes, Demon Cores, and the spirit items discovered on the island, then respectfully came forward to report.
Lin Changan became even more satisfied when he saw this.
“Not bad. Aside from this Blackwater Liquid, islands where sinister spirits gather also produce some companion spirit items of sinister spirits. There may even be spirit mineral veins on the islands.”
After storing everything away, Lin Changan brought the Sword Attendant toward the next location.
At the same time, on the sea map, he marked a clear red circle.
It represented that the Third-rank Sinister Spirit Beast King on that island had been eliminated.
“You performed well. This is your reward.”
Lin Changan was in a good mood and gave the Sword Attendant a light smile and a hinting glance.
The Sword Attendant immediately fed a Low-grade Third-rank Sinister Spirit Demon Core—obtained from the earlier battle—to the Two-headed Tiger.
This made the Two-headed Tiger affectionately rub against the Sword Attendant, even indicating that she could ride on its back.
Although it was instinctively somewhat afraid of lightning, the Sword Attendant had personally watched over it before. In terms of closeness, she ranked second only to Lin Changan, its master.
“Moo!”
When the Azure-Horned Ox saw that the Two-headed Tiger had received a Demon Core reward, it immediately gave a low, flattering moo out of envy.
Lin Changan laughed and slapped the ox’s head.
“You’re not a sinister spirit. For you, a Sinister Spirit Demon Core would be like a cow chewing on peonies—its effect would be greatly reduced. When we return, I’ll exchange it for better attribute materials for you.”
“Moo!”
After receiving the response, the Azure-Horned Ox let out a satisfied moo and leisurely carried its master toward the distance.
How could Lin Changan fail to see the ox’s little scheme?
Although it usually acted a bit simple-minded, its intelligence was far superior to that of the Sinister Spirit Beast King.
…
One month later.
“Finally, the Sinister Spirit Beast Kings in this sea region have mostly been cleared.”
Returning once more to the Two-headed Tiger’s spirit island—the place with the most concentrated spiritual energy—Lin Changan drew the final mark of this journey on the sea map he had created.
“The harvest this time was not bad.”
Looking at the pile of Sinister Spirit Demon Cores, Lin Changan could not hide the smile on his face.
Normally, hunting so many Sinister Spirit Beast Kings would waste most of the time simply searching for them.
But now he could go straight to the exact locations.
Early and even mid-stage Third-rank ones were handed to the Sword Attendant for training. Only late-stage ones required him and the Wind-Chirp Bird to take action.
At the same time, this journey had also witnessed the Sword Attendant’s talent in the Sword Path.
“The Divine Ability Sword Shadow at Will—something even the Blood Fiend True Lord once valued highly—has now become something she can wield as easily as moving her arm.”
In the World of Cultivation, Sword Path Divine Abilities had always valued talent above all else.
Fortunately, the Sword Attendant possessed the talent of the Three Great Sword Cultivation Physiques.
“Broad learning is inferior to specialization. Focusing solely on the Sword Path will not waste your talent. You may cultivate the secret techniques of the dragon clan, but do not lose focus.”
The Sword Attendant landed on the island and firmly nodded when she heard her master’s reminder.
“Master, rest assured.”
Lin Changan trusted the Sword Attendant’s obedience.
“Although your bloodline is not bad, it ultimately cannot compare to a true demon beast body. Instead, this Heavenly Spirit Sword Body is your greatest advantage.”
Lin Changan walked across the island and looked toward the valley where the Two-headed Tiger usually stayed—the place with the densest Yin-baleful energy. When he sensed a certain aura, a smile appeared.
“As expected, the Sinister Soul Sect’s Yin-Baleful Corpse Refinement Technique and the Mystic Yin Divine Sect’s Yin-Baleful Puppet Refinement originate from the same source.”
Deep in the valley stood a black coffin buried upright in the ground.
Inside were several corpses of Core Formation Cultivators he had obtained earlier.
Back when hunting the Thunder Flood Dragon, Lin Changan had impersonated Huang Tianxiao—the so-called Number One Below Nascent Soul—and displayed overwhelming power, killing three Core Formation Cultivators in a single battle and becoming famous.
However, he had not truly killed them. Instead, he had used a soul technique to knock them unconscious.
Since they had harbored greed at the time, they should have been prepared for failure.
Later, he processed the three into Yin-Baleful Puppets.
The Yin-Baleful Corpse Refinement Technique obtained from the Sinister Soul Sect and the Yin-Baleful Puppet Refinement from the Mystic Yin Divine Sect that he had acquired from Yun Yao had many similarities after careful study, allowing him to attempt combining them.
“It seems the Yin-Baleful Puppet Refinement technique Yun Yao possessed was incomplete. Many sections clearly contain deliberate flaws.”
Without comparison it would not have been obvious, but once compared, many problems emerged. Lin Changan frowned.
That Nascent Soul old devil of the Mystic Yin Divine Sect was truly cautious. Even the cultivation manuals passed to Core Formation Cultivators contained hidden limitations.
“Fortunately, I also have the Sinister Soul Sect’s technique. They complement each other and fill many gaps, even allowing these Yin-Baleful Puppets to become stronger than those previously refined by Huang Tianxiao.”
Lin Changan lightly patted the three Blood Coffins and nodded to himself.
Yin-Baleful Puppet Refinement was extremely cruel and consumed vast resources.
If he had not possessed many materials that could not be used openly, he would never have been willing to refine three Yin-Baleful corpse puppets at once.
Especially dragon blood—it was a top-tier material for corpse refinement.
“Now these three are being nurtured in a Yin-vein location. One of them already has the combat power of an early-stage Third-rank. The other two have barely reached the False Core Realm.
But the Yin-Baleful Puppets still need more time before completion.”
Lin Changan shook his head slightly.
Once completed, these Yin-Baleful Puppets would become an extremely powerful trump card.
Their advantage was that they feared no death and possessed steel-like bones comparable to body cultivators of the same rank. Nothing could be more useful than this.
Their weakness was also clear—aside from being restrained by lightning and fire techniques, the resources required for refinement were enormous.
Previously, when he purified the Yin-Baleful energy from He Yan’s body, the Corpse Core had been preserved and used to cultivate these three corpse puppets.
“There is still some time before that place opens. It will be enough to nurture them by then, so there’s no need to rush.”
Lin Changan lightly patted the three black coffins again. With a hand seal, he retrieved the corpse-nurturing formation and the island’s formation.
“Alright. Pack these up. Go to the location I marked for you, set up the formation again to nurture the corpses, and survey the surrounding sea region.”
Good times were always short. Seeing that they would part again, the Two-headed Tiger let out a low growl filled with reluctance.
To it, it was simply a spirit beast unwilling to leave its master.
After all, once its baleful energy had been purified, it had become a pure Sinister Spirit Beast King.
“Alright, I’ll give you some good things. Cultivate well and don’t delay your progress.”
Under Lin Changan’s reassurance, the Two-headed Tiger reluctantly opened its mouth and swallowed the formations, the black coffins, and the treasures its master had given it.
There was no longer any use for the Two-headed Tiger here. The surrounding sea region had already been cleared.
If it stayed longer, it might attract the attention of human cultivators.
Moreover, expanding the search range from here would waste too much time.
Thus every time a sea region was cleared, the Two-headed Tiger would move to a new island and repeat the process.
Before leaving, the Sword Attendant glanced at her master, then silently took out a Low-grade Third-rank Sinister Spirit Demon Core from her Storage Pouch.
It had been a reward from her master earlier.
“Be good. We’ll return in the future.”
Perhaps due to her past experiences, the Sword Attendant—although always cold-faced and reluctant to interact with other cultivators—genuinely cared for the Azure-Horned Ox, the Wind-Chirp Bird, and the Two-headed Tiger.
Facing her, the Two-headed Tiger also displayed reluctance and gently rubbed its icy head against her palm.
With a tiger’s roar, it transformed into a streak of sinister escape light and flew into the distance.
“Master.”
After finishing everything, Lin Changan merely smiled and shook his head.
In the World of Cultivation, temporary separation meant nothing.
Everything he did now was to grow stronger. Once powerful enough, he would have far more time to reunite.
“Let’s go. This time we’re heading to Azure Wave Island. I heard quite a few cultivators will be there.”
With a calm smile, Lin Changan sat cross-legged on the back of the Azure-Horned Ox, while the Sword Attendant respectfully stood behind him.
The Azure-Horned Ox let out a deep moo and galloped through the wind toward Azure Wave Island.
…
Azure Wave Island.
This black market had announced several rare spirit items, attracting many cultivators.
Lin Changan rode the Azure-Horned Ox but stopped outside the island, waiting for someone through a Voice-transmission Talisman.
“Fellow Daoist Lin, apologies for making you wait.”
Half a day later, a gentle voice echoed. The Sword Attendant beside him frowned slightly upon hearing it.
The newcomer wore a black robe, with even her face covered, revealing only a pair of clear and bright eyes.
“Fairy of Rainbow Skirt, I didn’t expect you to take the risk of coming here as well. Could it be you’re also targeting some treasure?”
Seeing her, Lin Changan smiled and cupped his fists in greeting.
The information about valuable items being traded on Azure Wave Island had come from Fairy of Rainbow Skirt.
She had invited him along partly to travel together and partly to obtain some information from him.
“It seems Fellow Daoist has already made up your mind.”
Fairy of Rainbow Skirt laughed softly and did not hide her purpose.
“The First Secret Realm of the Beast Sea Abyss—surely no one wishes to miss it. And if one wishes to form the Nascent Soul without taking any risks, how could such a good thing exist?”
The treasures Lin Changan sought were for the Four-Phase Dragon Scale Armor, but ultimately they were also preparations for the situation within the Secret Realm.
Likewise, the spirit items he needed were currently in high demand throughout the Beast Sea Abyss.
Since Fairy of Rainbow Skirt intended to take the risk, she also needed to prepare in advance.
“In that case, please.”
Lin Changan smiled and gestured politely.
After all, she was a late-stage Core Formation Cultivator.
Fairy of Rainbow Skirt nodded lightly and glanced at the Sword Attendant.
This made Lin Changan somewhat suspicious, while the Sword Attendant secretly transmitted her voice.
“Master, when the Mistress came previously, she instructed that if Master encounters a cultivation bottleneck in the future, you may seek out this Fairy of Rainbow Skirt.
If there is an opportunity to dual cultivate with her, it may allow you to break through the bottleneck and enter the late-stage Core Formation Realm.”
Good heavens.
Lin Changan felt speechless after hearing this.
Only then did he remember what the letter Yun Yao had left for the Sword Attendant had contained.
But thinking carefully, it truly was Yun Yao’s style.
More importantly, the Mystic Yin Divine Sect’s reach was truly extensive—even information within the Xuanyin Pavilion on Five Dragon Island was known to them.
Although nothing had happened between him and Fairy of Rainbow Skirt, rumors outside were already circulating.
It made sense though. During the civil war in Yue Kingdom, the Mystic Yin Divine Sect had already infiltrated the Three Major Sects of Yue Kingdom.
“So all these years you…”
“This servant has followed the Mistress’s orders. Every time I went to Xuanyin Pavilion to purchase materials or post missions, I would also visit the main peak to greet the Palace Master of Rainbow Skirt.”
Lin Changan nodded after hearing this.
Yun Yao had always acted with proper measure and meticulous caution.
In the outer sea, the reputation of the Mystic Yin Divine Sect’s Saintess was already quite prominent.
“Fellow Daoist Lin, Azure Wave Island has made quite a big move this time. Rumor has it that they discovered the nest of a fire-attribute demon beast and obtained many spirit items.”
As they walked together toward Azure Wave Island, Fairy of Rainbow Skirt mentioned this.
Lin Changan nodded.
“I only learned of this from you. As for the exact details, I do not know.”
“Yes. These spirit items are extremely sought-after right now. Recently many cultivators in the outer sea have begun killing each other over fragments of the Secret Realm map. A storm is brewing.”
Fairy of Rainbow Skirt sighed softly, a trace of worry between her brows.
Xuanyin Pavilion had already become the strongest faction within the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.
Moreover, the miasma within Yue Kingdom had begun to dissipate, and the Seven Kingdoms Alliance was considering withdrawing.
Even without her, with Liu Ruyu and Xu Lingfeng present, the sect’s foundation would remain stable.
With a retreat secured for the sect, she finally had the confidence to gamble for the Nascent Soul opportunity.
Thanks to all fellow Daoists for your support.