The man's fear lasted only a breath.
Then it hardened into resolve.
He exhaled slowly.
"…So be it."
If quantity failed—
Then quality would answer.
He bit down on his thumb and flicked a streak of blood into the formation's core.
The carved lines flared violently.
The remaining yin energy in the ground surged inward—no longer spreading across the village—
But condensing.
Focusing.
At the very center of the corpse pile.
The dried bodies trembled—
Then split apart.
From beneath them—
Something rose.
Not a villager.
Not a hollow shell.
This one was preserved.
Refined.
Its flesh pale, but intact.
Dark veins pulsed faintly with controlled yin energy.
Metallic talisman nails were embedded along its spine and limbs.
Its eyes opened.
Not black—
But deep crimson.
The pressure shifted instantly.
Fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Stable.
Solid.
A true corpse puppet.
The man's voice steadied.
"This one… was meant to be my stepping stone into the next stage."
The puppet stepped forward from the formation circle.
Each step precise.
Balanced.
Not jerking like the villagers.
This was controlled refinement.
The fox's turquoise eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Ah."
Her tone shifted subtly.
"That's more like it."
The lizard's ears twitched.
This one had weight.
Density.
Reinforced meridians.
Its internal structure had been rebuilt to circulate yin like a cultivator circulates qi.
Not a disposable tool.
A crafted weapon.
The man lifted his hand.
"Kill them."
The corpse puppet vanished from where it stood—
Appearing in front of the lizard in a blur of speed.
Its fist came down with condensed force.
The ground exploded on impact—
But the lizard had already shifted half a body-length to the side.
The puppet adjusted instantly.
No hesitation.
It pivoted and struck again.
Faster.
Heavier.
The air cracked under the pressure.
The fox stepped back slightly, observing.
"…Refined joints. Reinforced tendons."
Her gaze sharpened.
"He invested real resources into that."
The puppet's leg swept low—
The lizard leapt.
The kick shattered stone where it had stood.
Midair—
The lizard's body crackled faintly with lightning—
But this time it did not immediately discharge it.
It was studying.
Testing.
The puppet lunged again—
Its palm glowing faintly with corpse energy as it aimed for the lizard's chest.
The lizard twisted midair and landed several meters back.
Golden eyes steady.
Control stable.
Breathing even.
The man smirked faintly.
"This one doesn't burn so easily."
The puppet lowered into a combat stance.
Aura steady at the fourth layer.
No wasted movement.
No fear.
No pain.
The fox folded her arms again.
"…Now this," she murmured softly,
"is finally interesting."
She tilted her head slightly as she observed the corpse puppet's stance.
Then she laughed softly.
But—
"…You're not very smart."
The man's eyes darkened.
She gestured lazily toward the puppet.
"You refined it to the fourth layer… and then sent it against something two layers higher."
Her turquoise gaze flicked briefly toward the lizard.
"All it needs is one clean twitch of power."
Her lips curved faintly.
"And that thing collapses."
The man let out a cold snort.
"You think I don't know that?"
His hand tightened into a seal.
Dark threads of control extended from his fingers into the puppet's spine.
"You shouldn't worry about it."
The corpse puppet's aura thickened slightly as the control tightened.
"I didn't send it to win."
His gaze sharpened at her.
"I sent it to hold it."
His killing intent shifted fully toward her.
"For a moment."
The puppet moved again—
This time not recklessly.
It locked onto the lizard, attacking relentlessly.
Fists.
Elbows.
Knees.
Every strike reinforced by corpse energy.
Not trying to overpower.
Trying to entangle.
Trying to occupy.
The lizard blocked one strike—
Its claws scraping against reinforced flesh with a metallic screech.
Hard.
Dense.
Refined indeed.
Lightning flickered across its scales, but it did not release it yet.
It was calculating.
Meanwhile—
The man stepped off the formation circle.
His aura rose sharply.
Seventh layer of Foundation Establishment.
Stable.
Uninjured.
Yin energy condensed around his palm.
"You," he said coldly to the fox,
"are the real threat."
He lunged forward.
Fast.
Direct.
A palm strike wrapped in spiraling corpse qi aimed straight for her chest.
The fox did not retreat.
But her eyes cooled.
Ah.
So that was the plan.
Divide.
Suppress the stronger beast briefly.
Eliminate the injured cultivator first.
Logical.
Efficient.
If she were truly only fifth layer and weakened—
It might have worked.
Her sleeves fluttered gently as his strike closed in.
And she smiled.
"…You really should have sensed more carefully."
The man's palm strike surged forward—
Yin energy spiraling violently around his arm as he activated his technique.
But before the attack could even descend—
Something flew past him.
A dark blur.
Spinning.
Wet.
It landed at his feet with a dull, heavy thud.
He froze.
Slowly—
His eyes lowered.
The torn head of the corpse puppet stared up at him with lifeless crimson eyes.
Its expression blank.
Its control threads severed cleanly.
Behind him—
The puppet's body remained standing for half a second longer.
Then it collapsed.
Headless.
The fox's calm voice drifted through the air.
"…That took a little longer than expected."
She sounded almost mildly dissatisfied.
"It's only fourth layer."
The man's breathing faltered.
Behind the fallen body—
The lizard stood still.
Lightning faintly fading along its claws.
It was not even looking at the man.
Its golden eyes were focused on the headless corpse.
Blank.
Studying.
It released faint pulses of sound—
Subtle vibrations spreading outward.
Mapping.
Analyzing.
So this is how it moves when controlled.
It had deliberately prolonged the exchange.
Testing.
Watching how the puppet responded to pressure.
How the threads of control tightened when it feinted left.
How the joints reinforced under heavy impact.
Interesting.
But disappointing.
Though refined to the fourth layer—
It could not circulate qi independently.
It could not execute techniques.
Every strike had been pure physical reinforcement.
No variation.
No instinct.
No adaptation.
Just commands transmitted through threads.
Even the ghosts earlier had shown more autonomous aggression.
They had reacted.
Adjusted.
This—
Was simply a weapon.
A shell.
Without a mind.
Without will.
Its ears twitched once more, confirming the absence of residual movement.
Conclusion:
Corpse puppets are inferior in flexibility compared to spirit constructs.
The fox glanced at the lizard briefly.
"You were testing."
Not a question.
A statement.
She shifted her gaze back to the man.
"You shouldn't have wasted time."
The severed head at his feet began dissolving as the control energy destabilized.
The man's mind reeled.
Fourth layer.
Refined body.
Reinforced spine.
Severed instantly.
No visible strain.
And the beast hadn't even treated it seriously.
His technique faltered mid-formation.
For the first time—
His confidence truly cracked.
And the fox's eyes—
Were no longer amused.