The corpse of the Iron-Horned Demon Bull, indistinguishable from when it was alive, slowly stood up from the ground.
Success!
[Great Success of the Hundred Refinements Technique: 120/200]
"Whew, the Hundred Refinements Technique has progressed again... This Corpse Puppet has reached Sixty-three Refinements! In other words, the Hundred Refinements Technique has broken through to the Seventh Layer!"
Each cycle of nine refinements forms one layer in the Hundred Refinements Technique.
Ordinary cultivators usually only progress to Eighty-one Refinements, which is the Ninth Layer.
The core of a Second Tier General Puppet is merely at Sixty-three Refinements.
This means Chen Ye’s proficiency in the Hundred Refinements Technique is comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator capable of crafting a General Puppet Core!
With the addition of the Seventh Layer’s power in the Hundred Refinements Technique, supplemented with a variety of precious materials...
The combat power of the Iron-Horned Demon Bull now far exceeds that of when it was alive!
Although it cannot replace Qingzhi’s position, it can become a powerful force under Chen Ye.
"Ha, I should thank the Wei Family for delivering such a grand gift... In the future, I can have Qingzhi guard the Inner Valley, the Iron-Horned Demon Bull guard the Outer Valley, and with Qiuyun’s assistance, protected by the Mountain Protection Array, Lisong Valley should be impregnable!"
Chen Ye was satisfied, but suddenly a thought crossed his mind.
Could this thing... be ridden?
In past lives reading those fantasy novels, the protagonists either rode dragons or flew on phoenixes. At the very least, they had a majestic mount.
My Iron-Horned Demon Bull, although just a bull, is at least a Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer Demon Beast, with a mighty physique and impressive aura. Riding it would certainly look very majestic.
The thought of riding this bull,
Holding Qing Jun in his arms, with Zhiwei hugging him from behind, and the three forming a formidable front in the valley.
Chen Ye felt his heart burning with excitement.
Without hesitation, he flipped and landed steadily on the broad back of the Iron Horn Corpse Puppet.
"Rise!"
He commanded the Corpse Puppet with a thought.
Upon receiving the command, the Iron Horn Corpse Puppet unexpectedly buckled on its four legs, and with a "thud," knelt straight down, almost causing Chen Ye to fall off its back.
"..."
Chen Ye was dumbfounded.
Was it not said that Corpse Puppets, due to having remnants of their former soul, possessed greater intelligence than Soldier Puppets of the same tier?
The Ten Thousand Puppet Sect disciple’s Puppet clearly had some intelligence...
Looking at the useless Corpse Puppet beneath him, Chen Ye tried issuing several more commands, but no matter how he ordered, the Iron Horn Corpse Puppet only acted like the most docile domestic bull, kneeling on the ground, even nudging his leg affectionately with its reassembled large bull head.
"Hiss... Damn, this is just a bull! It wasn’t very intelligent when alive, let alone now!"
Chen Ye was exasperated.
No wonder,
The Iron-Horned Demon Bull had a strong physique and a belligerent nature, theoretically perfect for making a Corpse Puppet.
But in practice, few in the Cultivation Realm used Iron-Horned Demon Bulls due to their low intelligence, making the resulting Corpse Puppets almost devoid of any wisdom.
A Corpse Puppet without intelligence is practically useless.
"Master!"
A ghostly call sounded from behind Chen Ye.
Already exhausted from a day’s work, a chill ran through Chen Ye’s body, and his scalp instantly tingled!
He whipped around to find, standing in the dim cave entrance, an unexpected small figure.
The silhouette had disheveled silver hair that appeared ghostly white under the cave’s faint phosphorescent glow.
A small face, equally devoid of color and blood, beneath which were a pair of sharp phoenix eyes more prominent due to the dark circles hanging below them.
But what truly sent shivers down Chen Ye’s spine was the expression on her face.
It was a forcibly stretched grin, skin pulling but not smiling, a distorted laugh:
"Master, you’re incredible! You tamed another big bull so quickly!"
Qing Jun?
No, it couldn’t be!
He set up a Blinding Technique and was in the back mountain cave; a clumsy little girl like Qing Jun couldn’t possibly have found this place!
Ghost girl!
The term flashed in Chen Ye’s mind!
Was it common for ghost girls to appear in the Cultivation Realm?
Chen Ye’s gaze turned cold: "Bold monster, how dare you pretend to be a god or a ghost!"
Just as he finished speaking, his imposing Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer aura surged like a flood towards the ghostly girl in the cave entrance!
He had expected her to reveal her true form under such pressure.
But who would have thought...
"Wah——!"
The "ghost girl," shocked by the aura, collapsed to the ground, appearing scared out of her wits.
Soon, like a child deeply wronged, she burst into tears.
"Boohoo... Master is a big bad guy! Qing Jun... Qing Jun looked for you all day and night with so much effort. Not only did you not praise me, but you also... scared me with your aura... boohoo... Master is the worst of the worst! Qing Jun doesn’t like you anymore!"
Qing Jun?
Seems like it’s really his disciple.
But how did she get here?
The more Chen Ye thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
This back mountain cave was remote and had his simple Blinding Technique set up.Moreover, her appearance was too coincidental, with no sound or indication, almost ghost-like.
With this thought in mind, the warmth in Chen Ye’s eyes receded, turning cold and sharp once more.
"You..."
As he was about to speak and test the situation with words,
"Wah——!"
The crying Qing Jun on the ground saw that not only did her master not come to comfort her, but he was also looking at her with cold eyes like a stranger, making her feel even more wronged, and her cries grew louder.
She got up with both hands and feet, wanting to run, but not daring to, could only sob and step back slowly.
The cave was littered with rubble, and Qing Jun carelessly—
"Ouch!"
She cried out in pain as her delicate foot was cut open, a red droplet of blood with a faint golden glow seeped out.
Behind her was the massive, lifeless Iron Horn Corpse Puppet.
The drop of blood fell precisely onto the Corpse Puppet’s hard, scarred back.
"Sizzle——!"
A sound like boiling oil hitting water erupted suddenly!