Chapter 158: The Art of the Immortal Puppet

He suppressed the inexplicable chill in his heart and gritted his teeth as he brought out his second Magic Treasure.

A small pouch flew out, its opening wide, and hundreds of figures poured out from within, densely packed and blotting out the sky, surrounding Chu Yuan completely.

The cultivation levels of those figures were uneven; most were in the Infant Transformation Stage, with nineteen in the Ascendant Stage and two in the Yin Void stage.

"The art of Puppets?"

Chu Yuan's gaze swept over those figures.

"These Puppets of yours are not bad."

Those Puppets each occupied a star position, standing in a complex Formation, their spiritual power connected to one another, encircling Chu Yuan in the center.

The Black-robed Elder roared: "Immortal Puppet Formation, kill!"

Numerous Immortal Puppets struck simultaneously, their spiritual power converging into an immensely strong strangling force that rolled toward Chu Yuan from all directions.

With the Immortal Suppression Tower suppressing from above and the Immortal Puppet Formation strangling from below, attacking from both sides, the Black-robed Elder was confident that even if the man before him was strong, he would surely be severely injured!

The attacks drew near.

Chu Yuan still did not move.

The Black-robed Elder watched helplessly as those attacks landed on Chu Yuan, only to disappear silently, like a clay ox entering the sea.

All the techniques, all the spiritual power, all the attacks, extinguished automatically three inches in front of him, as if swallowed by an invisible barrier.

The Immortal Suppression Tower above hung in mid-air, and no matter how the Black-robed Elder urged it, it could not descend even a fraction.

"What?!"

The Black-robed Elder's pupils contracted violently as he exclaimed in shock.

Chu Yuan slowly raised his foot and stomped down heavily.

Boom!

A vast force erupted from him as the center, spreading in all directions like ripples.

That force was formless and intangible, yet it was devastating; the Immortal Suppression Tower above trembled violently and was knocked backward by that force.

The hundreds of Immortal Puppets surrounding him shuddered simultaneously and flew backward in unison; some had their bodies shattered, while others had their spiritual light dimmed, like a pile of withered leaves scattered by the wind.

The Black-robed Elder groaned, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth; his figure retreated several steps, his face as pale as paper.

He clutched his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief; that single strike had broken his Immortal Suppression Tower and scattered his Immortal Puppet Formation!

With almost no hesitation, he turned and sped away into the Void Realm behind him.

Such strength was definitely not something he could contend with; if he stayed any longer, he would die here today.

But just as he turned, he slammed into an invisible wall.

The Void Realm solidified as if it were tangible, forcibly squeezing him out from the world.

He wanted to merge with the world, but he was held fast by that force, unable to move.

The next moment, an irresistible force pulled him before Chu Yuan.

The Black-robed Elder trembled all over: "Senior… Senior, this Junior did not know of your Heaven-Defying Divine Ability; please, Senior, considering how difficult it is to cultivate, spare this one's life."

Chu Yuan did not reply, merely raising a hand and pressing it against the center of his brow.

Soul Search.

The Black-robed Elder screamed, his face instantly twisting.

Soul Search was a Heaven-Defying secret technique; the Primordial Spirit of the one being searched would suffer immense pain, as if someone were stirring his Sea of Consciousness with a red-hot iron rod.

He wanted to struggle, but he could not resist at all; his spiritual power was sealed, his Primordial Spirit locked down, and he could only watch helplessly as his memories were rummaged through and read.

Those secrets hidden deep in his heart, those past events he was unwilling to show others, were all unearthed one by one.

This person was a Loose Cultivator from the Zhaohe Star System, with Yang Solid Middle Stage cultivation, and no backing from any major power.

The Zhaohe Star System was completely different from the Luo Tian Star Domain and the Alliance; it had no behemoths like the Thunder Immortal Hall, nor did it have the strict Rank system of the cultivation nations.

This place was more like a pile of loose sand, with Cultivators from all sides fighting for themselves; the disparity between strong and weak was vast, and it was chaotic and disorderly.

Chu Yuan's gaze fell upon Yin Jiuyou, who was slumped in the Void Realm.

Although this person's strength was mediocre, he possessed one quite commendable immortal technique: the Art of the Immortal Puppet.

This technique was different from the Immortal Guard technique, which required a Cultivator to voluntarily sacrifice themselves; as long as the captured person had sufficient strength, they could be forcibly refined.

If the Materials were sufficient, an Immortal Puppet could retain all of its strength from when it was alive; although slightly weaker than an Immortal Guard and possessing no Divine Ability, it was not far off.

"This Art of the Immortal Puppet of yours is not bad."

Chu Yuan said indifferently.

"It just so happens that I am just beginning to learn this technique and am currently lacking a piece of Material."

Although Yin Jiuyou had been subjected to Soul Search and his Primordial Spirit severely damaged, he still understood the killing intent in Chu Yuan's words.

He trembled violently, his voice shrill: "Senior, spare me! This Junior is willing to be your servant, please do not refine me into an Immortal Puppet!"

He himself was an expert in this path and knew well that those refined into Immortal Puppets lost all consciousness, becoming like objects with no self.

At this moment, fear was like a venomous snake gnawing at his heart, yet he did not even have the strength to struggle.

Chu Yuan turned a deaf ear, raised his hand, and waved it; dozens of precious Materials flew out from his Storage Pouch—Mysterious Iron Essence, Thunder-Patterned Wood, Netherworld Stone, Millennium Cold Jade… Spiritual light swirled, suspended in the Void Realm, surrounding Yin Jiuyou completely.

He formed a seal with one hand, lightning light bursting from his fingertips, transforming into fine electric arcs that refined those precious Materials one by one.

In the lightning light, the precious Materials melted into pure liquid droplets, slowly seeping into Yin Jiuyou's body, merging with his flesh and bones.

At the same time, Chu Yuan's other hand traced a Restriction in the Void Realm.

He flicked his finger, and the Restriction transformed into a stream of light, submerging into the center of Yin Jiuyou's brow and fusing with his Primordial Spirit.

"Using Primal Power as a guide, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi as the source, and endless thunder for tempering."

Chu Yuan's voice was as indifferent as water.

"Immortal Puppet, refine!"

"Arghhh—!"

Yin Jiuyou let out a shrill scream, his face twisted, his body trembling violently.

He only felt his Primordial Spirit being stripped from his body by an invisible force, his consciousness instantly blurring.

Those droplets of precious Materials refined by the lightning light seeped into his bone marrow and flesh, reshaping his essence.

Spiritual power surged within his body, but it was no longer under his control; instead, it followed the guidance of Chu Yuan's hand seals, traveling along an unfamiliar trajectory.

He had never felt anything wrong when refining others in the past, but now that it was his turn, he realized it was a tearing sensation that went deep into the bone marrow, his Primordial Spirit being stripped away bit by bit, then stitched back together bit by bit.

Chu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, his ten fingers flying like butterflies as one hand seal after another continuously descended.

Thunder leaped in his palms, transforming into fine electric arcs that wrapped around Yin Jiuyou layer by layer.

The lightning light tempered his Physical Body, washing away Impurities, reshaping his muscles and bones, and forging his essence into a form more suitable for combat.

His aura fluctuated in the lightning light, like an iron billet being repeatedly hammered in a furnace.

A moment later, the lightning light slowly receded.

Yin Jiuyou's shrill screams ceased.

His body floated in the Void Realm, his eyes tightly closed, his breathing barely perceptible.

His originally old and withered face became young and stern under the tempering of the lightning light; his white hair turned black, wrinkles vanished, his figure stood straight like a pine, and lightning light faintly swirled beneath his skin.

When his eyes opened again, his gaze was completely hollow, like the surface of a lake in deep winter, without any ripples.

He just floated there quietly, like an object waiting for instructions.

Chu Yuan's gaze swept over Yin Jiuyou's current appearance: black clothes and black hair, body like refined iron, aura cold and biting, expressionless.

His cultivation had climbed to the Peak of the Yang Solid Middle Stage.

After the Art of the Immortal Puppet was refined, the strength was not fixed; as long as it was continuously tempered with thunder and various precious Materials later on, it could continue to improve.

But hindered by his original foundation only being Yang Solid, the room for improvement was limited; it was feared that reaching the Kuinie Stage would be the limit.

Even so, being able to reach the Kuinie Stage was the greatest of fortunes.