When it came to Little Fairy Doctor's training with the Woeful Poison Body, Xiao Yan already had everything planned out.
"Once she breaks through to the Dou Practitioner level, I'll examine her physique again, and then I'll be able to formulate a specific cultivation method for her."
Yao Lao chuckled slightly. "Hearing you speak with such confidence, I suppose you've come up with yet another extraordinary training method."
When it came to this aspect of teaching and cultivation, even Yao Lao had to admit that he greatly admired Xiao Yan.
Ya Fei's talent was as weak as could be, practically a lost cause.
Yet, Xiao Yan found another path, and within half a year, he had trained her into someone with real strength.
Just based on that, Xiao Yan's ability to instruct others surpassed even him—an Eight-Tier Alchemist.
Shifting back to the main topic, Yao Lao returned to discussing the Hall of Souls.
"Kid, I told you before—Dou Qi Continent is vast and filled with countless strong individuals. For a distant nation like Jia Ma Empire, the Hall of Souls shouldn't even appear here."
"The Hall of Souls is both powerful and mysterious, and their methods are incredibly peculiar. In fact… even if you truly wanted me to explain just now, I wouldn't have been able to say much. I only know that their goal is to capture those 'living souls'—souls that are abnormally strong even after the body has died."
"Over the past few months, you've read plenty of records. You should already know that when one's soul power reaches a certain level, even if their body is destroyed, their soul can still survive."
Xiao Yan nodded. "That's why I guided Ya Fei down the path of soul cultivation."
"Soul cultivation techniques are extremely rare. That girl Ya Fei is truly fortunate."
Yao Lao sighed in admiration, but then his tone suddenly turned dark, filled with anger and resentment.
"The Hall of Souls specializes in souls. They are like soul scavengers across the continent—any powerful soul that has lost its body will be sensed by them, and they will send people to hunt it down in secret."
"I don't know why they specifically target soul entities, but they possess special techniques to suppress and control them."
"Back when my physical body was destroyed, it wasn't long before they came after me. Though I managed to break free in the end, I was still severely wounded."
Lowering his voice, Yao Lao added grimly, "That's why I had to absorb so much of your Dou Qi back then. I was constantly wary of them. The reason I'm so eager to fully resurrect myself is not just for revenge, but also to uncover the truth behind all of this."
Xiao Yan smirked and held up the jade bottle. "Since Teacher doesn't know much about the Hall of Souls, why not interrogate this Soul Envoy?"
As he spoke, his fingers flickered with a strand of Heavenly Flame, and with a slight motion, he pulled out the ethereal soul trapped inside the bottle.
The Soul Envoy glared at Xiao Yan and Yao Lao, his voice filled with fury.
"So you, old ghost, have already been hunted by the Hall of Souls before! I advise you to release me immediately—otherwise, the Hall of Souls will never let you go!"
Xiao Yan, unfazed by the threat, simply smiled. "I have a few questions for you. You'd best answer honestly."
Hearing this, the Soul Envoy was momentarily stunned.
"You… actually want to ask about the Hall of Souls?"
Most people feared them and avoided them at all costs. But this kid… was daring enough to inquire about them outright?!
"Kid, you must have nerves of steel to be this reckless! Don't think that just because you have an old bag of bones beside you, you can act so arrogantly! The Hall of Souls will wipe you out—"
Before the Soul Envoy could finish speaking, a streak of eerie white flame shot into Xiao Yan's black-and-white fire, quickly latching onto the Soul Envoy's body.
The alternating heat and frost made the Soul Envoy emit crackling sounds, and soon, agonized screams filled the air.
After about ten breaths' time, the fire gradually receded.
"A pale white flame… combining extreme cold and extreme heat… You… you are the Medicine Venerable, Yao Chen!" The Soul Envoy looked in horror at the puppet bird beside Xiao Yan.
He had thought this mission would be a sure success, but now he had encountered a true monster.
Yao Lao let out a cold snort. "At least you have some knowledge. Since you know who I am, answer my questions immediately! Otherwise, before I kill you, I'll make sure you suffer unimaginable pain!"
Hearing this, the Soul Envoy sneered. "I'm not afraid of scaring you two—one old, one young. The Hall of Souls has a strict hierarchy. Even the Protectors are divided into three ranks: Heaven, Earth, and Human. I am merely a Soul Envoy, positioned below the Protectors."
"Above the Protectors, there are the highly esteemed Elders. Their strength is nearly unrivaled across the entire Dou Qi Continent."
Yao Lao pondered for a moment. "Judging by this low-level Soul Envoy's strength, the Hall of Souls' Protectors should be at the Dou Ancestor level, while the Elders are Dou Venerables. That means the Hall Master must be even beyond that."
Xiao Yan nodded slightly and added, "Above the Elders, there are even the Heaven Venerables."
Thinking about the terrifying power of the Hall of Souls, Yao Lao felt a heavy weight on his heart. He then asked again, "Do you know what the Hall of Souls is doing with all these captured souls?"
Without hesitation, the Soul Envoy replied, "I don't know. Our only task is to locate and capture souls, then hand them over to the Protectors, who deliver them to the Hall of Souls. As for what they do with them, no one knows."
"Hmph, a small fry like you wouldn't know much anyway. Where is your immediate superior?" Yao Lao asked, his voice low and threatening.
"He is currently in Jia Ma Empire, but I don't know the exact location. He has been busy with an important matter these past few years."
Yao Lao narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "I suppose you wouldn't know what this 'important matter' is either?"
The Soul Envoy glanced at the flames around him, feeling the unbearable heat pressing against his soul. His spirit trembled slightly before he obediently admitted, "I don't know."
Yao Lao flapped his wings, sending a gust of wind that swept the Soul Envoy back into the jade bottle. "What a useless piece of trash."
Xiao Yan smirked faintly and tapped his storage ring, taking out a pile of materials.
Yao Lao glanced at the table and raised an eyebrow. "You're even using the fifth-tier Magic Core that Ya Fei painstakingly collected? What are you planning?"
"Creating a Dou King-level puppet." Xiao Yan replied casually, as a black-and-white flame suddenly ignited in his palm, beginning to refine a rare mineral.
As for what the Hall of Souls' Protectors were doing in Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Yan knew all too well—and he wasn't concerned.
Yun Shan had failed his breakthrough to Dou Ancestor and was now on the brink of death.
Protector Wu wanted to heal Yun Shan's injuries, but that would take considerable time.
Helping him attempt another breakthrough to Dou Ancestor would take even longer.
Failing a Dou Ancestor breakthrough could cause one's strength to plummet.
One of the key effects of the Breaking Ancestor Pill was to stabilize one's strength at its previous level before the breakthrough.
Let alone Yun Shan, who had nearly died from his failed attempt—his condition was bound to be even worse.
All things considered, it could take several years for them to recover.
And in just a few years, even Little Fairy Doctor could grow from a Dou Practitioner into a formidable Dou Ancestor.
If Protector Wu and Yun Shan insisted on working together, they were simply digging their own graves.
Xiao Yan sneered inwardly as he intensified the heat of his flames, his deep eyes filled with sharp focus.
The materials and construction techniques were the two key factors in determining a puppet's quality.
With the Soul Envoy's spiritual essence as an aid, the puppet he was crafting would not only be more powerful, but this forging experience would also help him break through the bottleneck of puppet refinement—bringing him closer to creating even stronger puppets in the future.
(End of Chapter)
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