Chapter 369: Two Hidden Trump Cards, Preparing for the Crafting
"Heavenly Demon Puppet!"
As Mo Yu's silver eyes focused on the three blood-red characters, he carefully unrolled the bamboo scroll. Instantly, the densely packed, blood-colored words filled with a bloodthirsty aura came into view.
"Heavenly Demon Puppet is not a cultivation technique or an ordinary Dou Technique, but a puppet art passed down from ancient times. To craft a Heavenly Demon Puppet, three components are required: a body, a soul, and a magical core. The body serves as the vessel, the soul as the guide, and the core as the heart. These are then combined with other rare materials to complete the puppet, which is divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human. The grade depends on the materials used and the fire used in crafting. These puppets possess immense power, feel no emotions, pain, or injuries, and are truly killing machines."
As his eyes scanned over the blood-red writing, a smile gradually crept onto Mo Yu's face.
The reason he had handed off external affairs to Zihuo and come alone to the treasure vault of the Demon Flame Valley was to acquire this very Heavenly Demon Puppet technique.
If he could successfully craft it, he would have a loyal guardian by his side who would obey his every command.
Speaking of puppet techniques, Mo Yu was no stranger. He had already acquired a similar technique known as the Necro Puppet in his previous life on another continent.
The Necro Puppet technique focused mainly on controlling the puppet's spirit. Crafting a Necro Puppet required using the body of the undead, combined with rare treasures, and finally controlled by the master's own blood essence.
Mo Yu had previously crafted the Fire Demon Puppet using this method, cleverly merging the mental control of the Necro Puppet technique with ancient mechanical constructs to create his personal bodyguard.
However, the Heavenly Demon Puppet technique was different. It required a human body, a soul, and a magical core, combining these components with a unique crafting process.
While the two techniques had their differences, their core essence as puppets remained the same. Whether it was the Necro Puppet or the Heavenly Demon Puppet, both possessed terrifying power.
In the battle with the Earth Demon Elder, the tremendous destructive power of the Black Gold Thunder Orb had obliterated the elder's physical body, leaving only his soul behind.
The Necro Puppet required an intact body—an essential condition for crafting the puppet, as even the smallest trace of soul energy within the body could be controlled.
But the Earth Demon Elder, now reduced to just a soul, did not meet these conditions. However, just as Mo Yu was about to destroy him, the idea of the Heavenly Demon Puppet from the original story came to mind.
The Heavenly Demon Puppet only needed the body, soul, and magical core, and these components didn't even need to be related.
Mo Yu had already acquired the body of an Ice-type Dou Zong (Dou Emperor) peak expert. Now, with the Earth Demon Elder's Ice-type soul, he only needed a seventh-rank Ice-type magical core to complete the trifecta.
In other words, except for some special materials, Mo Yu had almost everything needed: the body and the soul.
As for the seventh-rank Ice-type magical core, although rare, it wasn't beyond Mo Yu's reach, especially now that he was the undisputed ruler of the Black-Corner Region.
Moreover, the Heavenly Demon Puppet was a battle puppet capable of evolving through lightning, and Mo Yu himself was the master of lightning.
With this thought, Mo Yu smiled slightly and stored the bamboo scroll containing the Heavenly Demon Puppet crafting method.
As for the remaining three wooden boxes, they contained a mid-tier Earth-level Thunder Dou Technique called Roaring Thunder Mirror, a technique capable of mimicking a false Heavenly Flame known as Illusory Flame Art, and a seventh-rank magical core.
Unfortunately, this seventh-rank magical core was Fire-type, not Ice-type, meaning it couldn't be used to craft the Heavenly Demon Puppet. Otherwise, Mo Yu would have begun crafting immediately.
Shaking his head, Mo Yu stored the contents of the four wooden boxes into his beast ring. Just then, footsteps echoed behind him, followed by a familiar voice.
"Lord, all the members of the Demon Flame Valley have been dealt with. Aside from a few stubborn ones who refused to surrender, who we eliminated, the rest have surrendered. Lord Zihuo is currently guarding them outside."
A dozen figures filed into the cave, led by Xiao Li, who smiled as he spoke.
"Good work. The Demon Flame Valley has some capable members aside from the high-ranking elders and the Earth Demon Elder. Recruit those who are willing; we'll need more manpower as our Yuanfu expands in the Black-Corner Region after defeating the Demon Flame Valley."
Mo Yu turned to Xiao Li, smiling.
"Indeed, Lord," Xiao Li replied with a cold smile. "The news of the Demon Flame Valley's destruction will spread across the Black-Corner Region in less than a day. By then, no one will dare oppose us."
Seeing Xiao Li's enthusiasm, Mo Yu couldn't help but acknowledge that his second brother was indeed suited for the power dynamics of the Black-Corner Region.
"By the way, Brother Xiao Li, send men to retrieve everything in this vault. The Demon Flame Valley has been accumulating wealth for a hundred years, and it's a considerable windfall for Yuanfu."
"Understood." Xiao Li nodded. The moment he had entered the treasure vault, he had been just as excited as Mo Yu.
Although Yuanfu had grown into a major force, it had only been established for a few years and was still lacking in cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques for its members. Looting the Demon Flame Valley's treasure would finally resolve this issue.
"Brother Xiao Li, you've made significant contributions to Yuanfu over the years, but I haven't had the chance to reward you properly. Just now, I found something useful in the vault, and I believe you'll like it."
As if recalling something, Mo Yu smiled and retrieved an ordinary-looking wooden box from his beast ring, handing it to Xiao Li.
Xiao Li, curious, took the box. He trusted Mo Yu's judgment, and anything that caught his attention was bound to be extraordinary.
Opening the box, Xiao Li found two silver scrolls inside. The material used to craft the scrolls was unusual, almost resembling a strange crystal, with tiny arcs of silver lightning dancing across the surface.
Seeing the impressive scrolls, Xiao Li's curiosity deepened as he gently unrolled one.
"Roaring Thunder Mirror, mid-tier Earth-level, Thunder attribute Dou Technique!" Xiao Li read aloud, his surprise evident. High-level Thunder techniques were rare, especially ones as advanced as this. Finding one here was beyond his expectations.
"Brother Xiao Li, this is a real treasure. You're close to breaking through to the Dou Huang (Dou Emperor) level, and with this Earth-level technique, reaching Dou Zong (Dou Ancestor) will be within your grasp," Mo Yu said with a smile.
Hearing this, Xiao Li couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "A mid-tier Earth-level Thunder Dou Technique! This trip was worth it after all. Mo Yu, thank you!"
Having spent so long in the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Li knew how much chaos an Earth-level Thunder technique could cause if auctioned. The fact that Mo Yu had gifted it to him made Xiao Li feel deeply grateful.
"We're family, no need to be so polite. Besides, as Yuanfu continues to grow, Brother Xiao Li's strength needs to rise as well."
Mo Yu smiled, handing Xiao Li another silver scroll from the box.
"This is Thunder of Awakening, a mid-tier Earth-level Dou Technique that complements Roaring Thunder Mirror. It's perfect for you, Brother Xiao Li."
Mo Yu tossed the second scroll to Xiao Li, who caught it carefully and couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
As Mo Yu had said, with Yuanfu now dominating the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Li needed to become stronger.
When he first became the head of the Black Wolf Hall, it was thanks to Mo Yu's support and his own strength at the Dou Wang (Dou King) level after taking the Devouring Life Pill.
However, as more powerful warriors joined Yuanfu, some of them even rivaling Dou Wang in strength, Xiao Li found himself in an awkward position.
If it weren't for Zihuo's intimidating presence keeping potential usurpers in line, his position as hall master might have already been at risk.
Now, with these high-level techniques, Xiao Li could finally focus on breaking through to Dou Huang and solidify his position as hall master.
Seeing Xiao Li's thoughts, Mo Yu smiled and patted him on the shoulder in encouragement before stepping out of the vault.
Though Mo Yu didn't support internal power struggles within Yuanfu, he also didn't completely suppress them. After all, any organization needed to remain dynamic, like a flowing river. Once power became stagnant, collapse wasn't far off.
Even though Xiao Li was family, if his strength plateaued, Mo Yu wouldn't let him hold onto the hall master position indefinitely.
After all, keeping Yuanfu's progress at the forefront was Mo Yu's responsibility, and personal feelings couldn't get in the way.
Following Mo Yu's orders, Xiao Li summoned other Yuanfu members to empty the vault, carefully packing everything into their storage rings.
Once the treasure vault was cleared out, the group shared a few sly grins and left with their loot.
After ransacking the Demon Flame Valley, Mo Yu left a few members of Yuanfu behind to keep watch, while the rest of the group headed straight back to Mo City.
With the destruction of the Demon Flame Valley, Mo Yu had nearly completed all his tasks in the Black-Corner Region. All that remained was to visit Black Emperor City to retrieve the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's bones and collect a seventh-rank Ice-type magical core.
Once he successfully cultivated the Heavenly Phoenix Nine Steps Wings and crafted the Heavenly Demon Puppet, Mo Yu would be ready to head to Central Plains, the land of the strongest warriors.
With his current trump cards, he could pose a serious threat to even peak Dou Zong experts. However, Central Plains was a place filled with unimaginable dangers.
Though the most powerful fighters there were rumored to be only at the Dou Zun (Dou Venerate) level, Central Plains was teeming with Dou Zong experts.
In the vast Central Plains, where Dou Zong were as common as dogs, Mo Yu knew he couldn't afford to be careless.
Thus, the Heavenly Phoenix Nine Steps Wings and the Heavenly Demon Puppet would be his two key trump cards.
The Heavenly Phoenix Nine Steps Wings' extraordinary speed, combined with his ability to travel through space using the Void Lightning Flash, would allow Mo Yu to escape even Dou Zun experts with ease.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon Puppet—crafted from a peak Dou Zong body, a seven-star Dou Zong soul, and a seventh-rank magical core—would have power nearly equal to a peak Dou Zong.
With a peak Dou Zong puppet by his side, Mo Yu would even be able to hold off a Dou Zun for a while, giving him ample time to escape if needed.
For now, Mo Yu's focus would be on preparing these two trump cards.
Upon returning to Mo City, Mo Yu headed straight for the Thousand Medicine Hall.
Seventh-rank Ice-type magical cores were rare, and alchemists were the ones most likely to collect such treasures. Just as Mo Yu was about to order the hall to start searching for the core, he received a delightful surprise.
"Master Gu, you say you have a seventh-rank Ice-type magical core?" Mo Yu asked in surprise, looking at Gu He with a bright smile.
Gu He, his face calm, nodded and respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Mo. During my travels across the northwest continent, I stumbled upon a seventh-rank Ice-type magical core within a glacier. Since such a high-level core was beyond my ability to use, I've kept it all this time. If you need it, I'm happy to gift it to you."
Hearing this, Mo Yu's face lit up with joy. "Thank you very much, Master Gu! This seventh-rank Ice core is exactly what I need, so I'll gladly accept your offer. Rest assured, I won't take advantage of your generosity. A reward will be sent to you and Hall Master Meng Yang soon—I'm sure you'll be pleased with it."
"Oh?"
Gu He's eyes gleamed with curiosity. As a sixth-tier alchemist, there were few things that could excite him besides Heavenly Flames. Yet Mo Yu's confident words piqued his interest.
Mo Yu simply smiled, knowing full well what his reward would be.
After all, he had promised Meng Yang something truly valuable—a method for training one's soul power.
Though this technique wasn't on par with Mo Yu's own Soul Art, it was still immensely valuable.
Originally, Mo Yu hadn't planned on rewarding Gu He with such a technique so soon. After all, he had just joined Yuanfu and hadn't made any major contributions yet.
Rewarding someone prematurely without merit could be a fatal mistake for a leader.
However, with Gu He so generously offering up the seventh-rank Ice core, Mo Yu decided to give him the same reward as Meng Yang.
With this soul power cultivation method, Gu He would likely advance to a seventh-tier alchemist faster than in the original story.
And with a seventh-tier alchemist on board, Yuanfu's prestige would soar to new heights!
After successfully obtaining the seventh-rank Ice-type magical core from Gu He, Mo Yu retreated once again to his training chamber.
Sitting cross-legged, Mo Yu narrowed his eyes before flicking his finger, causing a body encased in ice to fall heavily to the ground.
Staring at the long-frozen corpse, Mo Yu smiled.
"The materials are all gathered. Time to craft the Heavenly Demon Puppet."
(End of Chapter)
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