In the empty cave, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged upon a massive stone, his face solemn as he pondered. After a moment, he raised his hand, and two objects shot out from his storage scroll, landing heavily on the ground and stirring a few dust particles. Before him lay two bodies encased in ice—two figures Xiao Yan was familiar with: Yun Shan and the Earth Demon, the old ghost. His gaze slowly swept over the faces of the two, frozen in the expressions of their final moments, pausing finally on Yun Shan, clad in white robes. After a long while, Xiao Yan sighed. Though the years had passed, his resentment toward Yun Shan had gradually faded with the dissolution of Yunlan Sect, and Yun Shan's tragic fate had, at least, somewhat offset the wrongs he had done to the Xiao family. Two bodies. Yun Shan's strength before his death was roughly at the two to three-star Daoist Master level, while the Earth Demon elder, known as the Old Ghost, possessed the strength of seven stars. In terms of suitability for crafting a "Heavenly Fiend Puppet," the latter likely offered a higher success rate. Moreover, as for Yun Shan's appearance, Xiao Yan did not wish for him to remain constantly by his side—despite the fact that at the time, Yun Shan would merely be a puppet bearing only his likeness. In her gaze, there was seven parts melancholy, one part helplessness, one part reluctance, and a touch of faint resentment. She still cared—why had he been so heartless, shattering everything she had cherished? It was precisely this subtle resentment that had driven her to leave the place where she had lived for so many years. Perhaps, in her eyes, it had always been a place of sorrow, and once she had departed, she would find it difficult to return. Her fists clenched tightly within her robe. Undeniably, in Xiao Yan’s heart, there had always been a quiet affection for the woman who had been the first to share physical intimacy with him during his early journeys abroad. The events that unfolded in that mountain cave had left an indelible mark, one he would never forget. Their meeting had been profoundly touching, yet the final outcome seemed destined to unfold in tragedy. The efforts made by Yunlan Sect and Yunshan toward the Xiao family were impossible for Xiao Yan to forgive. Thus, as the abbot of Yunlan Sect, she was inevitably placed in opposition to Xiao Yan—even if she herself ended up wounded and defeated, it was a fate that had been foreordained from the very beginning. Yun Yun had vanished from the Gamma Empire, with no further word from her. The continent of Qi was vast, and to find one person among such a sea of people was no easier than fishing for a needle in a haystack. Yet Xiao Yan always felt a subtle, unexplained sense of connection—perhaps, in the Central Region, he would meet her again. Though this sense had no clear reason, Xiao Yan still chose to believe in it. Thus, he returned Yun Shan's body. He did not want the two of them to face any unforeseen complications when they met again, due to the sudden appearance of this puppet. With a firm grasp, a jade-green flame surged forth. Xiao Yan curled his fingers and sent the flame shooting out, fully enveloping the body of the Earth Demon elder. Under the intense heat, the ice layer encasing the body began to melt rapidly. As the ice dissolved, the elder's robes turned to fine powder. Xiao Yan remained expressionless; the scorching heat caused the corpse to turn a deep crimson. As the continuous heating progressed, thin, faint streaks of dark vapor emerged from within the body, only to be consumed by the jade-green flame. This dark vapor was a kind of corpse essence, subtly carrying the faint traces of the deceased's consciousness. Unless these essences were completely expelled, the souls would struggle to fully merge with the physical form. For the creation of a "Heavenly Demon Puppet," complete fusion of body, magic core, and soul is essential. Thus, these corpse essences must be entirely driven away. The temperature of the flame was precisely controlled by Xiao Yan, enabling it to extract the residual shen qi from the corpses without scorched them. Simply the process of refining the physical bodies consumed Xiao Yan three full hours, during which he completely expelled the shen qi trapped within the corpses. Upon the final trace of shen qi departing the body, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief and then flicked his fingers, sending two powerful gusts of force that pierced the chest and forehead of the corpse, creating holes about the size of a clenched fist. No blood flowed from the wounds, as the blood that had remained within the body had been entirely evaporated during the refining of the shen qi—this was also one of the key steps in crafting the "Heavenly Demon Puppet." At this moment, the corpse of the Earth Demon elder had shrunk several times over, its skin now a cold, pale gray, tightly adhering to the dry muscles beneath. The hands had grown notably slender, resembling sharp blades. According to the bamboo scroll, Xiao Yan slightly refined the corpse and then extended his hand—immediately, the crimson magical core floated out and settled into the small opening in the corpse's chest. After completing these steps, Xiao Yan, with a cold expression, withdrew a jade vial from his sleeve. Within the vial, a profound spiritual resonance shimmered subtly. With a stern gaze upon the soul of the Iron Protector struggling desperately, the flames in his hands surged violently, ultimately enveloping it completely. The piercing cries of agony and venomous curses echoed throughout the cave. Undeterred by the curses, Xiao Yan continued to intensify the flame's heat. As the high temperature gradually refined the sealed soul, the divine consciousness that had been dormant within the Iron Protector's spirit vanished in a single, subtle sound. With the soul entering—lifeless and conscious—old Earth Demon's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, his irises now entirely black. Watching this scene, Xiao Yan did not feel surprised. With a series of quick finger movements, a cascade of metallic objects shimmering with an unusual luster burst forth from his storage amulet, drifting before him. After glancing at the array of strange metals floating before him, Xiao Yan nodded slightly, then grasped his palms. A surge of emerald flame erupted from his palms like pillars, drawing a powerful suction that pulled the metals toward him and into his grasp. Under the intense heat of the Lüli Lotus Heart Flame, the strange metals began to show signs of melting, though they still had a considerable distance to go before complete fusion. At this moment, Xiao Yan had two tasks at once: he controlled the flame to maintain a steady temperature, slowly tempering the bodies, while simultaneously applying a high heat to refine these unusual metals. The contrast between the high and low flame temperatures required exceptional flame manipulation skills. Fortunately, having recently mastered the "Five-Ring Separated Fire Method," Xiao Yan remained calm and composed, never feeling hurried. The refining process on both sides required considerable time, especially the tempering of the corpses, which could only achieve perfect harmony with the souls and magical cores contained within once a specific threshold was reached... Knowing this was no task that could be accomplished in a short span, Xiao Xin, seated upon the massive stone, gradually closed his eyes and quietly waited for that moment of perfect alignment to arrive... This waiting lasted seven days. Throughout those seven days, the unusual metals and the dark golden molten mass, completely fused into a single substance, flowed gently within the flames, emitting an enigmatic radiance. The refinement of the metal had been fully accomplished, yet the perfect harmony required between the body, the soul, and the magical core had still not materialized. Yet for this, Xiao Yan had shown no trace of impatience. He understood that the more hurried one became, the more likely one would miss that fleeting moment of perfect alignment—precisely the moment when the body, along with the magical core and the soul, would instantly lose its function. This was nearly the most difficult aspect of refining the "Heavenly Demon Puppet." With this composed and steady mindset, Xiao Yan simply passed another three days.