A fierce, terrifying gust of wind roared through the chamber, and the northern Dragon King's massive, black-iron fist, like a death's scythe, crashed directly into Xiao Yan's head with no mercy. The sudden turn of events was enough to send anyone into shock, yet the slender figure standing before the fire cauldron maintained his serene smile. Gazing at the northern Dragon King emerging from the shattered cauldron, he extended his finger and pointed distantly. "The Northern Dragon King, displaying his soul concealment technique before me—how very high you've set yourself!..." Facing the Northern Dragon King's stunned roar, Xiao Yan smiled faintly. His soul power surpassed that of the Northern Dragon King by a vast margin; how could he have made such a fundamental error, letting even a fragment of his soul escape? Yet, this very scene was precisely what he had hoped to witness. Ordinary puppet-making techniques, though resulting in sturdy, pain-free constructs, still lacked the autonomous combat experience that true warriors possess. Such puppets, Xiao Yan naturally deemed unsuitable for a noble material like the Northern Dragon King. With his current strength, if he were to craft a puppet, he would strive to perfect it beyond measure. A perfect puppet must not only be as solid and resilient as iron and steel, shielding pain, but also possess seasoned combat experience and refined killing techniques. However, puppets are typically controlled by their masters. If left unattended, even the most powerful ones will appear stiff and conventional. Such puppets fall far short of perfection. To overcome this flaw, the puppet must be granted a certain degree of wisdom—or combat experience. The Northern Dragon King has fought countless battles, accumulating unparalleled combat experience. As long as his residual soul is fully integrated and fully fused with the puppet, the resulting entity will truly become a lethal machine of war! That same day, Xiao Yan dispersed the soul of the Northern Dragon King, yet left behind a hidden fragment within the body. This residual soul inherited the Northern Dragon King's inherent cruelty and sharpness, remaining dormant until Xiao Yan had strengthened the body to an exceptional degree—only then did it surge and launch an attack, aiming to strike down Xiao Yan. Unfortunately, the latter had no knowledge that this had been a carefully laid trap all along. Only when the residual soul fully merged with the original body could the puppet achieve perfection. "I've found you," Xiao Yan said, gazing at the Northern Dragon King whose body was now enveloped in a soft pink flame. He could feel the strange fire now tightly encircling and surrounding the residual soul. "Don't..." Under the infiltration of these ethereal currents, the body of the Northern Dragon King, once bearing vacant eyes, gradually began to emit a cold luster reminiscent of metal, contrasting with its black-iron hue. From a distance, it appeared majestic and profoundly imposing, radiating an unmistakable aura of authority. Moreover, the body that had previously seemed stiff and rigid began to soften and relax—this relaxation was not a loosening of resolve, but rather a subtle containment of its immense, explosive power, hidden beyond the reach of the observer. Thus, when it surged forth to strike, its attacks became more efficient and precise. Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the robust black figure's face stirred momentarily, and then a cold, emotionless, husky voice slowly emerged from his mouth: "Yes, Master." "This puppet differs from the previous Tian Yao puppets—those had no wisdom and fought solely at the behest of their handlers. Yet now, this 'Northern King' merely requires a thought from Xiao Yan to take initiative and act, and during combat, he exhibits no hesitation or stiffness befitting a puppet. His movements are nearly indistinguishable from the revived Northern Dragon King. 'The current Northern King should be comparable to a Five-Star Battle Saint,' Xiao Yan mused, constantly observing him. A puppet capable of matching a Five-Star Battle Saint would undoubtedly stir significant waves if this were to become known. Yet Xiao Yan still felt somewhat unsatisfied. The Northern Dragon King's own strength had already subtly approached the level of a Six-Star Battle Saint, and with his exceptionally robust constitution, the puppet's potential should far exceed this benchmark." "The puppet could not channel Qi; its attacks relied entirely on physical strength. Even under the refinement of Jinglian Demon Fire, the current state of Northern King's body would yield only modest results... Previously, terrestrial demon puppets enhanced their strength by absorbing lightning energy. This time, Xiao Yan naturally adopted the same method, incorporating special materials to refine the Northern King's body. Thus, the Northern King now possesses the ability to absorb lightning energy—significantly more potent than the earlier celestial demon puppets. The only matter now to consider is where to obtain sufficient lightning energy. If the lightning energy is drawn solely from the cultivation of pills—Dan Lightning—then even if Xiao Yan were to exhaust himself, it would still be unlikely to elevate the Northern Dragon King to the level of a Six-Star Battle Sage." "Perhaps it's time we went there..." Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, smiled gently, and without lingering, turned directly toward the outer area of the quiet chamber. Behind him, King Bei followed like his shadow. Once outside the chamber, Xiao Yan immediately spotted the colorful scales of Cai Lin. Noticing this, Cai Lin turned around as well, her eyes widening slightly upon seeing King Bei behind Xiao Yan—her gaze reflecting a moment of surprise. After ten days of refining with the pure lotus dragon fire, King Bei's body had undergone a remarkable transformation, now solid and dark as iron. It was hard to imagine someone seeing him for the first time and recognizing him as the famed, formidable King Bei of the ancient dragon lineage. "Successful?" Xiao Yan nodded, making no further stay. After briefly explaining to Cai Lin, he swiftly took King Bei's hand and surged upward, then swiftly headed toward the empty space beyond the Dragon Island. ... Boom! In the profound void, a deep, resonant thunder suddenly erupted from afar. Shifting his gaze, he saw at the far edge of the darkness a brilliant silver glow, with massive lightning surging forth like a great dragon, roaring wildly. Xiang Yan floated in midair, his eyes fixed upon the immense thunder pool before him—the very place where he had once refined the Tian Yao Gui. It was here that he had first met Meng Tianchi, the head of the Inner Courtyard, a member of the Thunder Clan. At that time, Meng Tianchi had been desperately pursued by strange, eerie black lightning, which Xiang Yan had only known to be terrifying, never daring to meet it head-on. Now, however, his focus was squarely on those very black lightning bolts that had once chased Meng Tianchi around in panic. He needed to harness the power of the thunder pool to elevate the Northern King to his true, perfect state. "Come..." Gazing into the dark eyes at the turbulent, surging void of the thunderous pool, Xiao Yan smiled faintly and stepped forward first, followed closely by the dark silhouette of the Northern King. When Xiao Yan first entered the Void Thunder Pool, he had to be cautious and vigilant, fearing that he might trigger a simultaneous barrage of ten thousand thunderbolts. But now, facing this awe-inspiring and unusual realm, he moved with remarkable composure, his figure steady and unhurried as he passed through the pool. The massive thunderbolts, which had been wildly flashing, suddenly ceased mid-flight when they were still dozens of zhang away from his body, then began to scramble and retreat in disarray—instinctively sensing a presence far more formidable than themselves. "It's no wonder that even the Director Meng Tianchi had to turn and flee..." When Xiao Yan arrived at the deeper reaches, gazing at the suddenly dimming surroundings and lifting his eyes to watch the dense groups of black lightning, which moved like a great dragon of darkness ahead, even with his current strength, his expression grew noticeably serious. After a moment of this gravity, Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, a sense of relief spreading across his face. If he could absorb the power of these thunderblasts, the Northern King would surely reach his peak—then he would be able to stand against even six-star Stellar Saints! Such a boost was truly invaluable to Xiao Yan.