Chapter 371: Sparring with Aokiji, Half-Step Dou Zun
Ice Soul Silver Lightning—its color is a shimmering silver, and it ranks sixth on the Heavenly Thunder List. It is a mystical thunder born from the depths of an ancient, icy valley, carrying a terrifyingly cold aura. This icy thunder possesses the explosive power of regular thunder combined with the ability to freeze vast expanses.
In his previous life, Mo Yu had snatched this Ice Soul Silver Lightning from a powerful ice user. During that fierce battle, he was severely frostbitten by the opponent's ability to freeze thousands of miles. Had it not been for the fiery balance of the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Flame within him, the outcome of that battle could have easily gone the other way.
Currently, the Ice Soul Silver Lightning is still in its infancy, a weak source of thunder. But as Mo Yu's strength and influence grow, he is now in a position to nourish and cultivate new thunder powers. Moreover, the Earth Demon Puppet was crafted using the body of a peak Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor) ice-type expert, the soul of the ice-controlling Earth Demon Elder, and a seventh-rank ice-type magic core.
Unlike the hastily-made Heavenly Demon Puppet that Xiao Yan created in the original story, Mo Yu's version benefits from having all its components aligned with ice. This gives his puppet not only a powerful body but also incredible ice-control abilities. So, when Mo Yu realized that the puppet, due to its golden beast eyes, had developed a certain level of intelligence, he immediately had the idea to fuse it with the Ice Soul Silver Lightning ranked sixth on the list of mystical thunders.
The Ice Soul Divine Thunder is incredibly powerful, combining extreme cold with terrifying thunder power. This would not only significantly enhance the battle capabilities of the Earth Demon Puppet, but the thunder itself could also help the puppet evolve.
In other words, with the addition of Ice Soul Silver Lightning and its emerging intelligence, the puppet could potentially train and grow stronger independently!
Thus, aside from Zi Huo (Purple Flame), Mo Yu would gain yet another formidable general—Aokiji.
"Thank you, Master!" The Earth Demon Puppet, now named Aokiji, knelt on one knee, respectfully accepting the Ice Soul Silver Lightning.
Mo Yu, pleased with Aokiji's emerging intelligence, nodded in satisfaction. With a wave of his sleeve, he stored the puppet back into his storage ring. Although Aokiji was no longer a mindless puppet, the storage ring was capable of holding living beings, so this did not pose any issues.
Having successfully crafted the Earth Demon Puppet, Mo Yu did not immediately leave the chamber. Instead, he took out several blank bamboo scrolls from his storage ring and began transcribing things from memory.
As time quietly passed, several hours went by. Mo Yu looked at the completed bamboo scrolls in his hand and nodded with satisfaction.
These scrolls contained a soul-cultivation method and several fifth-rank and even one sixth-rank artifact blueprints. The soul-cultivation technique was the reward Mo Yu had promised to Gu He and Meng Yang. For alchemists and artificers, soul strength is the foundation of everything. He knew this technique would be incredibly tempting for them.
The fifth-rank blueprints were a special reward for Meng Yang, as his role in rapidly developing the Hundred Weapons Hall could not be overstated. As for the sixth-rank blueprint, it represented Mo Yu's expectations for Meng Yang's future.
After observing Meng Yang for so long, Mo Yu was surprised to discover that Meng Yang was a genius artificer, no less talented than Gu He was in alchemy. Had the Dou Qi Continent's artifact-crafting techniques not been so underdeveloped, and had Meng Yang had a proper mentor, his achievements would have rivaled Gu He's in alchemy.
Because of this, Mo Yu was determined to nurture Meng Yang. The sixth-rank blueprint was meant to help him break through and become a sixth-rank artificer.
With this finished, Mo Yu clapped his hands and left the chamber.
He made his way to the main hall of the Mo Clan's headquarters, where he summoned a subordinate and handed over the scrolls he had just transcribed.
"Deliver these to Hall Master Meng Yang and Hall Master Gu He."
"Yes, Master!" The subordinate respectfully accepted the scrolls and left.
"Boss, Master, you're finally out!" Moments later, two familiar figures walked in. It was Zi Huo and Xiao Li.
"You're here. How did things go with Demon Flame Valley?" Mo Yu asked with a light smile as he set down his teacup.
"Don't worry, cousin Mo Yu, it's all settled. Most of the people from Demon Flame Valley agreed to submit to the Mo Clan, and the few stubborn ones were dealt with by Hall Master Zi Huo. With Demon Flame Valley defeated, the Mo Clan is now the undisputed ruler of the Black-Corner Region. The forces that previously opposed us have all surrendered and are now paying tribute obediently. Haha, we're even more powerful than we were back in the Jia Ma Empire! Little Brother Xiao would be so envious," Xiao Li said with a chuckle.
"Haha, don't underestimate Xiao Yan, cousin. The Yan Alliance's foundations are strong as well, and they will surely develop into a superpower on the Northwest Continent in the future," Mo Yu replied, shaking his head with a smile.
Xiao Li scratched his head and laughed. "I know what Little Brother Xiao is capable of; I was just joking around. But seriously, the Mo Clan and the Yan Alliance… it's amazing how much the Xiao family has risen, and it's all thanks to you and Xiao Yan."
Mo Yu stood up and patted Xiao Li on the shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry, cousin Xiao Li. With Xiao Yan and me around, the Xiao family will only grow stronger."
"Yeah." Xiao Li nodded firmly, his once cold gaze softening.
"By the way, now that the Mo Clan has fully taken over the Black-Corner Region and extended its influence far and wide, there's something I need your help with, cousin Xiao Li," Mo Yu said with a smile.
"What is it? Just say the word, and I'll handle it," Xiao Li replied immediately.
"It's nothing too complicated," Mo Yu said, waving his hand. "I need some ice-cold items for my cultivation. However, the Mo Clan doesn't have much of this type of material in storage. I'd like you to help me gather as many cold-related items as possible throughout the Black-Corner Region."
Hearing this, Xiao Li was slightly taken aback but nodded without asking any further questions. "Leave it to me, Master. I'll handle it."
With that, Xiao Li quickly excused himself and left the hall to rally his men and start the task Mo Yu had given him.
Watching him go, Mo Yu smiled and shook his head.
Of the three Xiao brothers, Xiao Yan was the true dragon, Xiao Ding was as cunning as a fox, and Xiao Li was ruthless like a wolf. If you needed something done efficiently, Xiao Li was unmatched, even by the standards of the entire Northwest Continent.
For any successful faction, having top-tier combat power like Mo Yu and Zi Huo was essential, but people like Xiao Li, who excelled at handling matters on the ground, were equally indispensable.
Xiao Li didn't disappoint. Over the next month, Mo Yu received a steady stream of ice-related treasures. These included ice-attribute magic cores, ice crystals filled with cold energy, and various rare treasures like ice lotuses and frost flowers.
The weakest of these was a fifth-rank ice-type magic core, worth millions of gold coins. The rest were priceless treasures.
But with the Mo Clan now dominating the Black-Corner Region and extending its influence over dozens of kingdoms in the Northwest Continent, Mo Yu had the resources to support such extravagance.
Mo Yu fed all these ice treasures to the Ice Soul Silver Lightning, allowing it to grow stronger.
On a nameless mountain behind Mo City…
A massive silver bolt of lightning suddenly exploded from Aokiji's body, lighting up the previously dim forest as if it were midday.
This silver thunderbolt was filled with terrifying energy. Mo Yu estimated that even at its peak, the Earth Demon Elder would have struggled to withstand it.
Not only was this thunderbolt filled with wild, destructive power, but it also carried a deep, freezing cold. Under its bright light, an intense wave of icy energy spread like a tide, instantly freezing the entire forest.
Even the birds perched in the trees didn't have time to escape, becoming frozen statues in an instant.
"Oh? It's already reached the growth phase. The Black-Corner Region's resources are indeed abundant," Mo Yu muttered as he observed the freezing energy that covered thousands of meters around him.
During the month following his task to Xiao Li, Mo Yu had acquired numerous ice-related treasures. These resources had allowed the Ice Soul Silver Lightning to evolve from a fledgling source of lightning into a terrifying force that even a Dou Zong expert would fear.
Aokiji, controlling the Ice Soul Silver Lightning, was finally showing its terrifying potential.
Satisfied, Mo Yu nodded. He then summoned a golden lightning dragon, its body filled with multiple types of mystical thunder. The dragon grew larger as it ascended into the sky, eventually reaching a length of several dozen meters.
Looking at Xiao Jin (the golden lightning dragon), Mo Yu smiled and turned to Aokiji. "Begin!"
"Yes, Master!"
Aokiji bent his knees and shot off like a rocket, flying toward the golden lightning dragon in the sky.
Within moments, Aokiji was directly beneath the massive golden dragon. His fist clenched tightly, and blue-white energy flowed from the magic core inside him, wrapping around his arm and making it look like an icy pillar.
"Boom!"
Without hesitation, Aokiji swung his fist with incredible force. The punch caused a sharp sonic boom as it traveled through the air, releasing waves of powerful energy in all directions.
"Thud!"
The powerful punch landed directly on the golden dragon, causing the ground to tremble and the skies to echo with the sound of the impact.
Though Xiao Jin's enormous body wobbled slightly from the blow, it quickly stabilized. The dragon's massive eyes glinted with curiosity as it regarded Aokiji like a toy.
Due to the bond it shared with Mo Yu, Xiao Jin understood that Aokiji was here to train by using its lightning. However, being a simple creature, Xiao Jin didn't quite understand why anyone would want to use lightning for training. To Xiao Jin, Aokiji was just an interesting plaything.
Meanwhile, Aokiji's body was sent crashing back down to the ground, creating a massive crater upon impact.
After a moment, Aokiji slowly climbed out of the crater. Though he appeared battered, the silver light surrounding his body shone even brighter.
Mo Yu watched Aokiji closely, his eyes narrowing in thought.
The silver light covering Aokiji's body seemed purer now, with no impurities visible.
"Just as I thought, Xiao Jin's lightning has helped purge the impurities from Aokiji's body," Mo Yu mused.
In the world of puppets, the purer the color, the stronger their power. When Aokiji was first created, his body had visible flaws. However, after enduring the lightning, those impurities were gradually being expelled.
Mo Yu smiled. "Xiao Jin will help you become stronger."
As he watched the thunderous explosions fill the sky and the silver light from Aokiji's body grow brighter, Mo Yu knew that soon, Aokiji would reach his full potential.
Half a day later, with Aokiji's silver glow fully stabilized, Mo Yu called Xiao Jin back. Aokiji also returned to Mo Yu's side.
Mo Yu glanced at the now gleaming silver figure. "Good. You've solidified your strength at the peak of Dou Zong, perhaps even reaching half-step Dou Zun."
"Yes, Master," Aokiji replied, clenching his large fist. The pressure from his aura was so intense that the surrounding space seemed to warp.
Releasing his grip, Aokiji's golden eyes focused on Mo Yu. "Master, I can feel that the Ice Soul Silver Lightning is a perfect match for me. If it evolves further, I'll be able to break through to Dou Zun!"
"Oh?" Mo Yu was startled, his eyes lighting up with surprise. Having a Dou Zun-level subordinate was a rare and powerful asset.
After a moment, however, Mo Yu shook his head. He had already drained the Black-Corner Region's resources to grow the Ice Soul Silver Lightning to its current level. To help it evolve further, he would need to venture to Zhongzhou (Central Continent), where the necessary resources were more abundant.
Chuckling, Mo Yu realized that even though he was now the undisputed ruler of the Black-Corner Region, it was still a small realm compared to the vastness of the Dou Qi Continent.
After sending Aokiji back into his storage ring, Mo Yu returned to the Mo Clan's headquarters.
As he pondered how to nurture the Ice Soul Silver Lightning to its next stage, he received an unexpected report from Liu Qing.
"Master, near my hometown of Tianhuang City, there's been a sighting of 'Heavenly Cold Qi'..."
(End of Chapter)
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