Breaking the Masked Man

……

A streak of emerald light streaked across the sky, and in a few flashes, it plunged deep into a deserted, desolate mountain.

As the figure came to a stop, Yao Yan's figure was revealed. His white robe fluttered in the wind, his long hair fell freely down his back, and his handsome and elegant face had an indescribable charm. His dark eyes calmly looked into the distance, as if he was lost in thought.

I do not know how long it has been.

Yao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "Who are you?"

"As expected of that lord's disciple, you possess such keen soul power. I am Demon Rain, the Ninth Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Palace. I greet you, young master."

With a friendly voice, the space in front of Yao Yan suddenly blurred. The next moment, a figure with a faint blue halo entered Yao Yan's sight. The person did not exude any pressure or aura, but just by standing there, the surrounding space seemed to blur.

Clearly, if the person in front of them hadn't shown themselves, outsiders would have had no idea that someone was standing there.

"Nine Heavenly Venerables? I've never heard you mention that before, but since you're a Heavenly Venerable, you must be a Dou Zun-level expert. There's an unspoken rule in the Black Corner Region that anyone with Dou Zun-level strength is forbidden from setting foot here." Yao Yan feigned surprise and asked with some curiosity.

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. There is no rule in the world that can restrict the people of the Soul Hall... Besides, this rule only restricts experts above the Dou Zun level from taking action. As for the rest, there is nothing wrong with it."

Mo Yu had a rather young face, a somewhat wicked look in his eyes, and a faint smile on his lips as he explained softly.

Where is my teacher?

Yao Yan nodded slightly and inquired about Hun Xuzi. He wasn't worried that the other party had any ill intentions. Given the status of the Nine Heavenly Venerables of the Soul Palace, the other party would not appear in such a remote place as the Black Corner Region unless ordered by Hun Xuzi.

"My lord has something to do and ordered me to pass on a message. My lord's intention is that you, young master, should do whatever you wish. He will cover for you in case anything happens. My lord will be waiting for you in Zhongzhou." Mo Yu's tone became respectful when he mentioned Hun Xuzi.

Faced with a Dou Sheng-level expert, the so-called Dou Zun is no different from an ant.

To put it bluntly...

For a Dou Sheng, Dou Zun and Dou Zhe are the same; a single glance is enough to crush countless people.

It seems he has agreed... Yao Yan was not surprised by this result. Given Hun Xuzi's personality, as long as he is certain that Yao Yan is still alive, he will not interfere too much with other matters. The other party prefers a laissez-faire approach to education, as long as he is on the right track.

If Yao Yan hadn't practiced the Burning Technique before, Hun Xuzi might still have appeared. But now that he knows Yao Yan has practiced the Burning Technique, a special technique that requires devouring strange fire, and has even succeeded in it, his thoughts will naturally change. Perhaps this old man also wants to see how far Yao Yan can cultivate the Burning Technique.

"I understand." Yao Yan nodded slightly, said calmly, and then turned to leave.

He didn't want to go to Zhongzhou for the time being. At least until his strength reached the Dou Zong level, he had no such idea. In addition, he still had the Sea Heart Flame and the Bone Spirit Cold Flame to devour. It wouldn't be too late to go after he had completely devoured these two strange flames.

"Young master, this is my communication jade token. You can contact me through this jade if you have any needs." Mo Yu stopped Yao Yan from leaving and took out a jade token from his storage ring and handed it to him.

"...Is there a method for creating flying combat techniques? I happen to have the remains of a Celestial Phoenix Clan member."

Yao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke.

In the original novel, Xiao Yan obtained the production method from the sect leader of the Tianyan Sect. However, with such a powerful force as the Soul Palace in front of him, there was no need to go through a long detour. He was too lazy to make the trip and went to the Tianyan Sect to obtain it.

The corpses of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan… Upon hearing this, Mo Yu’s heart trembled slightly. After pondering for a moment, he said, “The method of creation certainly exists, but I wonder what level the corpses in your possession are?”

“It should be close to the eighth rank.” Yao Yan raised his hand and took out the corpse of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan.

"Indeed, it's not far from the eighth rank. A flying combat technique crafted from this corpse would be quite suitable for you, young master." Mo Yu glanced at the corpse a few times, confirming its level, and then said to Yao Yan:

"Please wait a moment, young master. I will go to the branch hall to fetch the manufacturing method."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot.

Yao Yan retrieved the corpse and patiently sat down cross-legged on the spot, quietly waiting for Mo Yu's return. At the same time, he looked at the scenery in the distance, and his mood was quite calm. He couldn't remember the last time he had quietly appreciated the scenery like this.

As Yao Lao said, he had been too hasty along the way, desperately needing strength, and constantly taking risks and risking his life for it, at least in their eyes.

Isn't this exactly the case with the Dou Qi Continent and the Great Thousand Worlds?

Without strength, you are nothing.

Mo Yu didn't keep Yao Yan waiting long. With the strength of a Dou Zun expert, a thousand miles was just a blink of an eye. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mo Yu brought out two black scrolls. He said very politely, "Young Master, this scroll contains the method for creating flying combat techniques. The level can be determined by the materials. Using the body of an eighth-order magical beast as material, it should be possible to create a high-level Earth-rank flying combat technique... However, the corpses of such magical beasts usually contain great resentment. Young Master can use this combat technique to directly eliminate it. Also, this storage ring contains other materials needed for refining."

"Thank you~" Yao Yan didn't stand on ceremony, thanked her, and accepted it.

"Does the young master have any other instructions?"

Mo Yu lowered his head slightly, maintaining the proper respect and politeness. After all, the two were of vastly different statuses. Even though the person in front of him had not reached the Dou Zun level, since he was that person's disciple, he would at least become a Dou Sheng in the future. Naturally, he could not afford to offend such a person.

"I'll contact you if needed. Oh, and remind those who know about this not to reveal my affairs," Yao Yan instructed.

"Should we silence them?" A glint of malice flashed in Mo Yu's eyes as he spoke in a low voice.

"Just pretend you don't know anything. There's no need to silence them. I don't like killing my own people." Yao Yan shook his head with a smile. He didn't want to kill Iron Protector and Vulture Protector. In fact, he wanted to see if these two could continue to provoke Xiao Yan, just like in the original story.

"Understood," Mo Yu nodded in response.

"Farewell."

Yao Yan uttered a soft sentence before transforming into a streak of light and heading towards Demon Flame Valley. It was time to establish his power; he would begin by unifying the Black Corner Region.

As for whether it would provoke resistance from other forces, he believed his teacher could handle it for him.

There was no need for Hun Xuzi to even make a move.

The people in the Soul Palace will take the initiative to settle these trivial matters. As long as all those who oppose them are killed, naturally no one will object anymore.

Mo Yu watched Yao Yan leave, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "As expected of a disciple valued by the master, his talent and temperament are extraordinary. I really don't know how far he can go. I hope I haven't made a mistake in taking this step..."

Befriending Hun Xuzi is obviously unrealistic, but with his current strength, he is more than capable of protecting Yao Yan.

No matter what.

He can also summon the Eight Heavenly Venerables!

If that doesn't work, we can call the others too.

With Hun Xuzi's name, he could mobilize the entire Soul Palace to pave the way for Yao Yan.

……

……

Demon Flame Valley... no, it should be called the Heavenly Court now.

With the death of the Demon Flame Valley's patriarch, the Dou Huang and Dou Wang members either surrendered or were killed. The Demon Flame Valley has now changed hands, and even the plaque now bears the words "Heavenly Court." However, when Yao Yan saw this name, his lips twitched inexplicably, and he wondered if he had been a bit too hasty.

These two words don't quite match the valley in front of us; perhaps it would be more appropriate to change "Heavenly Court" to "Underworld."

Especially when Yao Yan saw Yuan Yi and his gang of lackeys, he had to admit that the current makeshift team was somewhat of an insult to the Heavenly Court. However, it seemed too late to change the name now. Looking at Yuan Yi's admiring gaze, he slowly said, "Well done."

"Serving the lord is my duty," Yuan Yi said with a rather obsequious tone.

Yao Yan ignored the lackey and looked at the two elders, Jin and Yin, and said indifferently, "This is the Breakthrough Pill I promised you. Now that the Heavenly Court has just been established, you should break through to the Dou Zong realm as soon as possible. When I go to Zhongzhou in the future, I will need you to keep an eye on this place."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the two elders, Gold and Silver, replied with clasped hands. (End of Chapter)

Chapter 193 Heavenly Demon Puppet

193.

After distributing the pills, Yao Yan ignored the two elders, Jin and Yin. Their talents were only average, and even if he provided them with some cultivation resources, they could only cultivate to the Dou Zun level at most. From a long-term perspective, Dou Zun was obviously nothing special, but for now, it was still acceptable to have the two of them keep an eye on things.

He can't stay in the Black Corner Region forever. It will take at least a year, and at most two or three years. He will inevitably leave the Black Corner Region and head to the Central State. At that time, the two elders, Jin and Yin, will need to keep an eye on the Black Corner Region.

"Big brother, what does 'Heavenly Court' mean?" Zi Yan asked curiously, blinking her big, watery eyes as she followed Cai Lin.

"The meaning of 'house in the sky'."

Yao Yan smiled and explained that the Heavenly Court was only in its initial stage and was merely a name, mainly for preparation for the future. At the same time, he also planned to establish an Underworld to incorporate the Soul Palace and the Soul Clan.

However, by then, the name Yaoyan will no longer be usable; Hunyan might be more appropriate.

The bad things were all done by Hunyan; what does it have to do with Yaoyan?

"Oh~" Zi Yan responded, looking around curiously, before quickly revealing a look of disdain: "It doesn't look like it at all."

"Use it for now, we can change it later." Yao Yan nodded, agreeing with Zi Yan's words. At the same time, she looked at Cai Lin and asked softly, "Is it all taken inventory? There must be quite a few good things accumulated by Demon Flame Valley over the past few hundred years."

Cai Lin glanced at Yao Yan with her cold, beautiful eyes, then tossed a storage ring over to him. Her red lips parted slightly: "These are the only valuable ones. The rest are in the treasure vault and I haven't touched them."

Yao Yan swept his soul power and saw a large number of rare medicinal herbs and combat techniques, including many Earth-rank ones. In addition, there were also many magic cores of the fifth rank or above. Obviously, the most valuable things in the Demon Flame Valley were in this storage ring. At the same time, he also saw the things that interested him the most.

"True Flame Manipulation Technique, Heavenly Demon Puppet!"

With a slight glint in the storage ring, two scrolls appeared in Yao Yan's palm, one dark red and the other jet black. The latter was made of a special material, resembling bamboo, giving it a rather antique feel.

As the scroll of the Heavenly Demon Puppet was opened, blood-red characters were revealed on it, looking extremely eerie and sinister.

"The Heavenly Demon Puppet is neither a cultivation technique nor an ordinary fighting skill, but a puppetry technique passed down from ancient times. To forge a Heavenly Demon Puppet, three things are needed: a body, a soul, and a demonic core. The body is the tool, the soul is the catalyst, and the demonic core is the heart. Combined with various other materials, a demonic puppet is finally created. Demonic puppets are divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human. The difference in grade depends on the materials used in the forging and the fire used. They possess boundless power and are devoid of joy, sorrow, pain, or injury; they are truly a weapon of slaughter."

The content is not long, and the refining method is also very simple. However, the materials required are enough to make people speechless, because the more powerful the Heavenly Demon Puppet is, the more advanced the materials required. It is equivalent to refining a powerful person into a puppet, and also requires a high-level magic core.

Of course, there are also many benefits, such as breaking through the upper limit of cultivation bottlenecks. By simply absorbing the power of lightning, one can rapidly increase their strength and reach the Dou Zun level.

However, even the strongest puppet is still just a puppet, and there is still a huge gap between it and a true Dou Zun.

Just like Yao Yan, no matter how strong one's body is, without powerful battle qi to support it, it is difficult to contend with a true Dou Zong powerhouse. Outsiders cannot replicate his example of defeating the Earth Demon Old Ghost, after all, not everyone can unleash a terrifying battle technique like the Four-Colored Fire Lotus.

This is no less than unleashing a Heaven-Rank Battle Technique at the Dou Huang level; even the most outstanding members of the imperial clans cannot achieve this.

Yao Yan was only able to unleash this attack by relying on the power of the four different flames. If he were to use a Heaven-rank fighting technique, he would not be able to do it.

"Are you very interested in this ancient puppetry technique?" Venerable Tianhuo seemed to recognize the crafting method of the Heavenly Demon Puppet and spoke through telepathy, his tone carrying a hint of emotion. He clearly hadn't expected to see something from the past in this era. In his time, many old monsters liked to record things in this written form.

"I will have no shortage of enemies in the future. Rather than grinding them to dust, it might be more appropriate to refine their bodies into puppets... You seem to have forgotten that I happen to have the materials on hand, and the old demon has also prepared a seventh-order magic core. All that is lacking is a soul body."

Yao Yan said softly, while putting the two scrolls into his storage ring, intending to study them more carefully later.

"Kid, if you refine it on a large scale, it will cause dissatisfaction among some people..."