Although the Butterfly Puppet lacks combat power, it is an excellent tool for reconnaissance, suitable for some special occasions. With the addition of Li Mu's Divine Sense, its observation range increased significantly.

"Hmm! When there's a chance, I'll try using a Top-grade Spirit Stone or even a Supreme-grade Spirit Stone." Li Mu put away the Butterfly Puppet.

With the success of this puppet modification, Li Mu immediately opened his mind, no longer limited to refining puppets according to the formulas provided by the Thousand Mechanism Puppet Dao. Instead, he began to design and refine puppets according to his own ideas.

For instance, modifying the Sentry Spider Puppet, increasing its size, adding jumping, enhancing its eight wooden legs to pounce and embrace, ... and other Puppet Array Patterns, and opening a hidden slot in its abdomen to place Spirit Talismans, setting up trigger arrays to place a Thunder Burst Talisman or a Fire Bomb Talisman.

With such a modification, the Sentry Spider Puppet immediately gained the destructive power to self-detonate by jumping.

When a dense swarm of Sentry Spider Puppets rushes toward the enemy, leaping to grab face, limbs, or torso, and then triggering the Thunder Burst Talisman or Fire Bomb Talisman inside the abdomen... the self-detonation would be magnificently picturesque.

Imagining this application scenario, Li Mu was instantly intrigued, eager to devote himself wholeheartedly to the puppet transformation.

...

Next, Li Mu immersed himself in a reclusive pastoral life, planting Wind Spirit Grass on 82 acres of Spirit Field, occasionally watering with Spirit Rain, refining puppets in his spare time, assisting Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in refining a few Spiritual Artifacts, purchasing Demon Beast Meat, cultivating the Spirit Devouring Health Technique, and taking some time every eight or nine days to fly to Little Liang Mountain to inspect the tea fields.

Li Mu's life at South Hidden Manor was both fulfilling and leisurely.

In the blink of an eye, twenty-seven days passed by.

Li Mu ventured into the stone house's secret chamber, observing the hatching state of the Tier Four Seven-Colored Illusion Demon Butterfly Eggs in the Soul Nurturing Jar.

The Life Souls in the Soul Nurturing Jar had long been depleted, and one by one, the Illusion Demon Insect Eggs broke their shells, appearing like small white caterpillars. Their bodies flickered in and out of visibility as they crawled, quite magical, yet they emitted a dangerous aura, with faint soul-absorbing waves emanating from them, carrying a hallucinogenic aura.

Almost all Illusion Demon Butterflies had hatched, and it was nearly time!

Over 1,200 Illusion Demon Butterfly larvae; how many Life Souls would it take to raise them to maturity! Li Mu didn't have the capacity to nurture so many, perhaps raising just one was feasible.

Immediately, Li Mu poured the over 1,200 Illusion Demon Butterfly larvae from the Soul Nurturing Jar into the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace, then sealed it with the Gourd Furnace Cover, and injected Spiritual Power to activate the Thousand Insects Spirit-Seizing Array of the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace.

With a large infusion of Spiritual Power, the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace was activated, the Thousand Insects Spirit-Seizing Array was initiated, releasing a mass of Blood God Gu Essence, and the over 1,200 Illusion Demon Butterflies boiled as if injected with a stimulant, engaging in a ferocious battle.

The Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace buzzed as the Thousand Insects Spirit-Seizing Array initiated, and the furnace body shook violently, its Artifact Base destabilizing, with a swiftly dissipating Artifact Pattern, the entire furnace seemed on the brink of explosion as its Spiritual Energy diminished rapidly.

Li Mu was startled, his hand injecting Spiritual Power to maintain the Thousand Insects Spirit-Seizing Array, his Divine Sense investing into the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace, while simultaneously injecting refining Condensation Pattern Spiritual Power to prevent the Artifact Pattern from dissipating...

Time ticked by, Li Mu felt every second like a year, consuming vast amounts of Spiritual Power.

Li Mu's face turned pale as snow, secretly bemoaning that if the Thousand Insects Spirit-Seizing Array didn't end soon, he wouldn't be able to hold on.

The Artifact Base of the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace had begun to collapse; this would be its last moment of glory in this Puppet Spirit refining.

Hold on!

Squeak—from within the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace came a crisp insect sound, as if celebrating victory, filled with pride.

Upon hearing this slight noise, the sound of the thousand insects' battle inside the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace had already ceased, lifting Li Mu's spirits instantly, finally, it was over.

Li Mu swept his Divine Sense, confirming the situation, and immediately ceased the Spiritual Power support to the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace.

With a crisp "Pop", like a taut spring, the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace's walls shattered outward in all directions, turning into countless fragments and powder. At the furnace's center appeared a blood-red Illusion Demon Butterfly larva, its size five or six times larger than its previous white larval state.

Squeak—the sudden explosion of the Hundred Refinement Gu Furnace startled the blood-red larva, not understanding why.

When the blood-red larva noticed Li Mu, its pair of black eyes immediately filled with blood, becoming scarlet, exuding a vicious and bloody aura, followed by a powerful spiritual illusion power surge.

Li Mu felt briefly dazed but swiftly regained clarity, breaking out in cold sweat.

If not for elevating the Quenching God Technique to level 10 and obtaining the Divine Soul Self-Stabilization, that Divine Soul Defense Divine Technique, he would have fallen prey to the attack just now.

This little guy, though just hatched, has no small amount of power!

Looking at the little guy, Li Mu was both delighted and apprehensive, thinking that if given time to develop, it would be unstoppable with its innate abilities; but now? It has no chance!

Squeak—the blood-red demon insect called out in confusion, its usually infallible hunting method unexpectedly failed, what went wrong?

"Little fellow, feeling unconvinced? Taste my!" Li Mu chuckled, his hands forming the Spirit Taming Contract Seal Art, a Divine Soul Spirit Light injected into the body of the blood-red Illusion Demon Butterfly larva.

In the next moment, in Li Mu's Sea of Consciousness, a blood-red insect shadow marked with the Spirit Taming Contract Seal appeared,

Through this Spirit Taming Contract Seal, Li Mu could sense the insect shadow's emotions—bewilderment, hunger, disappointment, confusion, ...and other little emotions.

"Little fellow, are you hungry? Call me Dad, and I'll give you something good to eat!" Li Mu extended a fingertip, gently nudging the blood-red larva's head with a smile.

Squeak Squeak—the little fellow, as if understanding, called out twice, and with the Spirit Taming Contract Seal formed, it harbored no hostility towards Li Mu; only intimacy and compliance remained.

"Haha! Of course, it's something good, but I'm not sure if you can stomach it; I fear you might not digest it!" Li Mu laughed heartily, glancing at the little fellow's attribute information and setting his mind at ease.

Li Mu retrieved a Jade Bottle from the Nine Treasures Spirit Pearl, the bottle containing the Essence Soul of a Tier Three Demon Beast—Cyan-eyed Tiger, acquired from that Foundation Establishment Trade Fair by trading a Red Gold Lower Grade Spirit Sword.

Li Mu initially planned to attempt using the Divine Refining Spirit Fusion Technique to refine this Demon Tiger Essence Soul into a Spiritual Artifact, to create a Low-Tier Spiritual Treasure with an Artifact Spirit. However, due to not having suitable refining materials and no means to tame the Demon Beast Soul, to prevent damaging his Divine Soul, he had refrained from proceeding recklessly.

Now, well! Isn't the little guy hungry? This Demon Tiger Essence Soul is just right to be its meal.

After retrieving the Jade Bottle, Li Mu brought it close to the little fellow and then, with a "Pop", opened the Soul Absorption Bottle's cap.

As soon as the Soul Absorption Bottle was opened, a Cang Hu Spirit roared, attempting to escape. Upon seeing the blood-red demon insect, its roar abruptly stopped, like a mouse sighting a cat, it scrambled back into the Soul Absorption Bottle with a swift "Whoosh".

Seeing the Cang Hu Spirit, the little fellow's two black eyes flashed bloodily, and its body shot out like a spring.

With a "Pop", the little fellow was too chubby, its plump body getting stuck at the bottle's mouth, its rear end twisting humorously.

"Hahaha! Little glutton, got stuck, huh!" Seeing this scene, Li Mu laughed heartily.

Nonetheless, the little fellow's innate attributes allowed it to devour the Cang Hu Spirit's Soul Power without needing to enter the Soul Absorption Bottle. Now, stuck as it was, it blocked the bottle's mouth, leaving the Cang Hu Spirit with no escape.

"Hmm! It's time to give you a name, what should it be? Xue Shan? Latiao?" Li Mu, not confident in naming, looked at the blood-red Illusion Demon Butterfly struggling at the bottle's mouth with a headache.

Squeak Squeak! The blood-red demon insect blocked the bottle's mouth, greedily absorbing the Soul Power of the Cang Hu Spirit, its blood-red backside wriggling even more joyfully.

As it absorbed substantial Soul Power, its blood-red hue began to lighten rapidly, leading Li Mu to decide on naming it 'Xiaobai'.

The Blood God Gu's Essence Blood was swiftly absorbed by Xiaobai, who successfully advanced to a Tier Five Insect Spirit, soon to revert to its original snowy white color.

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