246: Chapter 246 Puppet Heavenly Tribulation

Deep blue flames surged within the holy furnaces, illuminating the entire valley as if it were the bottom of the deep sea.

The flames appeared cold, but in reality, they contained a terrifying high temperature capable of smelting spirit materials of the Saint Realm. At this moment, they transformed into three thick beams of light, landing precisely on the corpses of the Nether Mystic Snake and the Golden-Winged Peng.

The moment the beams of light touched the two Quasi-Emperor Realm corpses, a layer of fine silver patterns emerged on their surfaces; these were the traces naturally revealed after the dao rhyme remaining within their bodies was activated.

The flesh and blood, preserved for ten thousand years without decay, emitted faint sizzling sounds under the burning of the Profound Fire Essence, yet not a single scent of scorching was released. Instead, an extremely pure fluctuation of spiritual energy spread in all directions like ripples.

Jiang Li stood beside Shen Qingyuan, standing on tiptoe and stretching her neck, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, even her breathing becoming a little lighter.

Although she came from the Chiyan Divine Palace and had seen many scenes of Artifact Refining and treasure creation, this was her first time witnessing the refining of a Quasi-Emperor Realm Puppet with her own eyes.

"Brother Qingyuan, that fire is amazing. I can feel the heatwave even from this far away, yet I clearly feel that the fire is cold..." Jiang Li muttered softly, her tone full of novelty.

Shen Qingyuan kept his hands tucked in his sleeves, his gaze falling calmly on the three holy furnaces. Hearing this, he didn't turn his head, just replied casually: "Profound Fire Essence has cold as its surface and heat as its core; only by reversing the inside and outside can one smelt Quasi-Emperor Realm corpses without damaging the dao rhyme. If you got any closer, that heatwave would singe your hair right off."

Jiang Li subconsciously touched her hair tips, shrank her neck, stepped back half a step, but couldn't help continuing to crane her neck to look.

Xu Jianan stood in a position slightly further back, clutching that blackened wine gourd in his hand.

He squinted at the three holy furnaces, bright light flashing in his turbid old eyes.

Although he was not an Artifact Refiner, he had traveled north and south for so many years that he still had a keen eye. The flames of the three holy furnaces were clearly pushed to the limit, showing the superb skill of Cangming Chiguang.

The three sets of incantations were performed as smoothly as flowing water, with every step being extremely precise.

Time flew by.

Three days outside the cave, one month inside here.

In the center of the valley, the refining had entered the most critical stage.

The deep blue flames of the three holy furnaces began to turn from bright to dim, transforming from the original thick beams of light into countless silver threads as thin as hair, winding around the massive body of the Nether Mystic Snake like a spider web.

Wherever those threads passed, the scales and flesh began to slowly separate, and were then lifted by an invisible force, suspended in mid-air, slowly reorganizing according to some ancient rune arrangement method.

The flesh and scales were stripped, decomposed, quenched, and reorganized. The entire process was completely silent, with only the faint humming occasionally emitted when the spiritual light flowed, as if the entire valley was murmuring in some silent language.

"Wow..." Jiang Li couldn't help but let out a low exclamation, "The Physical Body of a Quasi-Emperor Realm Yao Beast can actually be decomposed like this!"

The few people beside her were also filled with surprise.

The art of Puppetry is truly magical!

And at this moment, Cangming Chiguang and the others added the prepared spirit materials into it, beginning the Fusion of various spirit materials.

Spiritual light flowed in the valley for another two months.

The deep blue flames gradually subsided, replaced by a layer of faint silver halo, covering the top of the altar like a thin veil.

The fires of the three holy furnaces had gone out, the runes in the furnace chambers slowly dimming, leaving only the residual heat wandering in the air.

On the altar, two massive figures stood quietly.

One was completely pitch black, covered in scales, with a slender, python-like body, but it was no longer in the shape of a Yao Beast; instead, it had been refined into a half-human, half-snake form. Its upper body faintly showed a humanoid outline, with broad shoulders, thick arms, and hook-like fingers, as if it were a god or demon walking from ancient times.

The other was completely red-gold, with its wings folded, its figure tall. Although it had restrained its sharpness, it still stood on the altar like a silent Martial God.

The Quasi-Emperor Realm Puppet was successfully refined.

Cangming Chiguang and the other two stood beside the altar, their spiritual power fluctuations visibly weaker than three months ago, their faces pale, sweat still damp on their foreheads.

These past three months, they had poured out almost all their energy, controlling the holy furnaces day and night, not daring to have the slightest slack.

Although they had made up their minds to seize these two Puppets, they had to go all out to refine Quasi-Emperor Realm Puppets, otherwise they would surely fail.

Now that the Puppets were complete, their tense heartstrings relaxed a little, but a hint of irrepressible excitement also surfaced.

Cangming Chiguang took a deep breath, his withered palms clenched under his robes for a moment, then released.

He turned around and bowed slightly to Shen Qingyuan, his voice hoarse but carrying a calm tone after exhaustion: "Venerable Qingyuan, I have not failed your mission."

Shen Qingyuan stood up from the blue stone, hands tucked in his sleeves, and walked slowly to the altar.

He looked up at the two Puppets, his Spirit Eye Divine Pupil quietly activated, his gaze penetrating the layers of runes on the surface of the Puppets, straight into the depths of their cores.

After a moment, the corners of his mouth curled slightly: "Not bad. The dao rhyme is complete, and the core is stable."

Cangming Chiguang bowed his head slightly, no emotion visible on his withered face, only his voice becoming a little deeper: "It is good that the Venerable is satisfied. Now, these Puppets still lack the final step; anything above a Saint Puppet needs to undergo Heavenly Tribulation. Now, in this Lesser Spring-Autumn Secret Realm, the Heavenly Tribulation cannot descend, so we must wait until we leave the Secret Realm."

Speaking of this, he paused slightly, "The Venerable is unfamiliar with the Puppet Heavenly Tribulation; do you need us to handle the Puppets and deal with the Heavenly Tribulation?"

Shen Qingyuan's expression was indifferent, and he did not refuse, "Very well, then I will trouble you."

---

Just as everyone stepped out of the Lesser Spring-Autumn Secret Realm, the sky suddenly changed drastically.

The lead-gray clouds that lingered over Beiming City all day long were now suddenly stirred up as if by an invisible giant hand, surging violently.

Thick, dark clouds gathered frantically from all directions, shrouding the entire city in the blink of an eye, completely swallowing the already dim daylight.

Deep within the clouds, streaks of red-gold lightning wandered and churned, like roaring Dragons of thunder, emitting deafening roars.

The lightning carried a heart-stopping aura of destruction, and the entire world trembled under this Heavenly might.

"Rumble——"

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering loud noise exploded above the Nine Heavens, shaking the city walls of Beiming City violently, causing the snow on the eaves to fall with a rustle.

The Cultivators walking on the street looked up abruptly, their faces deathly pale, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"This... what is this?!"

"What a terrifying Lightning Tribulation! It is more than a hundred times stronger than a Saint's Tribulation!"

"Who is it?! Who is Undergoing Tribulation in Beiming City?!"

Exclamations rose one after another, and panic spread rapidly among the crowd.

Some people subconsciously wanted to run out, but the range covered by the Lightning Tribulation was too vast; the entire Beiming City was under the coverage of the Heavenly might, and there was simply nowhere to escape.

In the courtyard of the Cangming Clan, Cangming Chiguang and the other two looked up at the surging thunderclouds, a hint of unprecedented solemnity appearing on their withered faces.

"The Quasi-Emperor Puppet Tribulation truly lives up to its reputation." The Saint King Old Ancestor on the left spoke with a hoarse voice, but his tone carried a hint of undisguised excitement, "This might is more than ten times stronger than when I underwent my Saint King Tribulation back then! If an ordinary Saint King Realm powerhouse stood under that thunder, they probably wouldn't even be able to withstand the first bolt!"

"The Quasi-Emperor Tribulation is naturally no small matter." The Saint King Old Ancestor on the right also narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed tightly on the churning lightning in the sky, "Ancient records state that the moment a Quasi-Emperor Puppet is formed, it will trigger the Heavenly Dao to send down the 'Nine Refinement Heavenly Thunder'. Each bolt is stronger than the last; only after passing all nine Lightning Tribulations can the Puppet truly awaken and possess Quasi-Emperor combat power."

"Never mind nine bolts; being able to withstand seven is considered a success." Cangming Chiguang finally spoke, his voice low, with a hint of meaningful laughter, "If it cannot withstand them... then it will turn into a pile of scrap metal."

He turned his head to look at Shen Qingyuan, his withered face still wearing that humble and respectful expression, but his tone was even gentler than before: "Venerable Qingyuan, this Heavenly Tribulation is no small matter. The three of us will definitely do our utmost to protect the Puppets for you."

Shen Qingyuan kept his hands tucked in his sleeves, standing lazily in the courtyard, watching the churning lightning in the sky, his expression as usual, as if the Quasi-Emperor Tribulation, which could destroy half the city, was nothing more than an ordinary thunderstorm in his eyes.

He did not look at Cangming Chiguang, just replied casually: "Thank you for your trouble."