Within the cave, Xiao Yan's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a gleam of joy flashing across them. He swiftly formed an unusual hand seal, and from his mouth came a somewhat strange exclamation. As the sound resonated, the body of the earth demon elder trembled suddenly. The soul swirling within his brain was as though struck by an invisible force, shattering into countless fine luminous points that scattered densely throughout every part of his body. At the very instant the soul transformed into these points, the magical core hovering at his chest emitted a faint hum, followed by a surge of violent energy that surged forth like a rushing river, then cascading through his body's meridians with a thunderous flow. With the transformations occurring within the soul and the magical core, the grayish-white hue on the surface of the body grew increasingly dense, and the overall size of the body gradually diminished. A majestic, emotionless aura, powerful enough to rival that of a four- or five-star cultivator, slowly radiated forth from the corpse. The soul's power swept over the puppet's body like ripples, while the dark golden solution was gently applied to every part of its form. A persistent, foul mist continuously rose from the puppet's surface, and the hissing sound produced as the high temperature came into contact with the skin was particularly unsettling. Once the solution had been fully applied, the previously cold, pale hue was replaced by a deep golden tone, shimmering with an extraordinary sense of solidity and strength. Gazing at the puppet now fully coated with the solution, Xiao Yan exhaled gently, then waved his sleeve, causing the emerald flames to surge forth once more and completely envelop the puppet. The intense heat gradually seeped out, radiating steadily. As the heat continued to bake the puppet, the dark golden solution began to slowly infiltrate its skin. With the intensification of this infiltration, the puppet's body color gradually shifted toward a deeper, bluish-gray, resembling that of copper. Observing the puppet now displaying a black hue, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows slightly, saying, "Only copper-colored?" According to the records in the bamboo scroll, the Heavenly Fiend Puppet was categorized into three grades—Heaven, Earth, and Man. The most reliable way to distinguish these grades was by examining the color of the puppet's skin: Heaven represented gold, Earth silver, and Man copper. The current puppet clearly exhibited the lowest of the three grades, which explained Xiao Yan's growing dissatisfaction. Though somewhat disappointed, Xiao Yan did not cease the intense flame that seared through. The scorching heat continuously permeated, gradually infiltrating the dark golden solution into the puppet's skin and dry muscles. This method of crafting the "Heavenly Fiend Puppet" relied on using these metallic materials to enhance the physical strength of the human body. If applied to a living person, such treatment would likely cause immediate rupture and death due to the unimaginable agony. Yet, this puppet, lacking sensation and awareness, endured the extreme pain with complete indifference. Thus, should the process succeed, although the puppet would not comprehend combat techniques, its very body would become the most perfect weapon for killing. As the dark golden solution was gradually fully absorbed by the puppet, sudden streaks of silver shimmered across its skin, which had previously exhibited a faint bluish hue. These newly appearing silver glimmers did not go unnoticed by Xiao Yan, who fixed his gaze intently upon the puppet's body, his heart quietly stirred with excitement. Under the unwavering gaze of Xiao Yan, an increasing number of silvery glimmers began to appear, and the dark green hue on the puppet's body was gradually fading. As these silvery glimmers intensified, the aura radiating from within the puppet steadily rose. This transformation took only about fifteen seconds. Then, the dark teal puppet instantly shimmered with a brilliant silver glow, though a faint trace of green light still lingered—almost imperceptible compared to the sweeping silver radiance. When the silver glow reached its peak, it abruptly ceased, and the rising momentum halted instantly. The silver light then gradually faded, as if all the radiance had seeped into the puppet's body. Despite this fading, Xiao Yan could feel the puppet's aura remained undiminished—clearly, the fading of the silver glow was merely a subtle tactic to prevent the puppet from standing out too prominently. Standing steadily in the emerald flame, the puppet straightened its body and remained motionless in the half-space of the cave, its eyes filled with hollow blackness. Xiao Yan lightly bit his tongue, and a drop of blood, carrying traces of spiritual imprints, drifted slowly and finally settled precisely upon the puppet's forehead, seeping in gently before transforming into a dark red spot about the size of a thumb. As this drop of blood entered the puppet's brain without obstruction and imprinted there an indelible mark, a faint, subtle spark of life began to emerge within the puppet's once-blank, black eyes. The rigid neck, still slightly stiff, slowly turned, and the puppet lowered its gaze to meet Xiao Yan, who was seated upon the massive stone. Then, with its foot pressing gently upon the ground, it knelt on one knee, bowing its head steadily toward Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan closed his eyes, clearly sensing at the moment when his soul and blood had entered the puppet's forehead that his soul had been divided into two parts—one part governing himself, the other part governing the puppet before him. Now, he felt a subtle yet undeniable presence: the puppet would obey any command he gave it without hesitation, even if that command required it to attack Xiao Yan himself. It would act immediately and without reservation. Once the soul imprint had been established, this puppet would become Xiao Yan's most trusted guardian, for it would never betray him. His gaze warmed, fixed steadily on the celestial demon puppet kneeling before him—though perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a terrestrial demon puppet, as this one had not yet reached the highest level described in the scroll. Yet even just a terrestrial spirit puppet, Xiao Yan remained quite satisfied. He could sense that this terrestrial spirit puppet's strength likely did not fall short of a five-star or even a six-star Dao Sect master. As he scanned the puppet with his eyes, Xiao Yan suddenly chuckled, then moved swiftly, stepping out of the cave. The puppet followed closely behind, perhaps still adjusting to the movement—each time it landed, it caused cracks spreading across the ground like spiderwebs. The sheer force of its steps even surprised Xiao Yan. "With a single punch, the space before the Earth Spirit Puppet twisted visibly. Air formed a concave arc centered on the fist, and at its leading edge, a massive air compression cannon—stretching ten zhang in length—emerged. With a thunderous 'boom,' it shot downward like a cannonball, emitting a sharp, piercing cry and powerful gusts of wind. Even if the opponent were any less fortunate, a single punch might be enough to instantly kill him! This Tian Yao Puppet truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient, inherited weapon of death—its devastating power fully justifies the term "fearless." Moreover, the current Puppet of Xiao Yan is still only at the Di Yao Puppet level. One can only wonder just how formidable the legendary Tian Yao Puppet truly is. As such, Xiao Yan's eyes blazed with intense fervor, yet soon after, he shook his head with a sense of resignation. Simply crafting this Di Yao Puppet had already required the body of a Seven-Star Battle Sovereign, a Seven-Rank Demon Core, and the soul of a Battle Sovereign. To create a true Tian Yao Puppet, wouldn't it necessitate the body of a Battle Sovereign, an Eight-Rank Demon Core, and the soul of a Battle Sovereign as well? Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Xiao Yan wisely set aside this impractical idea and with a sweep of his sleeve, stored the Earth Spirit Automaton within his storage scroll. Although the storage scroll typically holds living beings, the Earth Spirit Automaton was merely a lifeless construct devoid of any consciousness.