According to the “Great Development Art,” after mastering the first layer, one’s primordial spirit can effortlessly split into over a dozen divine thoughts. By the second layer, it can split into hundreds, and by the third layer, like “Senior Brother Lin,” it can split into several hundred.
Han Li found the idea of controlling hundreds of mechanical puppets simultaneously in battle at the third layer somewhat absurd.
However, he estimated that this level of power would only dominate during the Foundation Establishment stage.
Upon reaching Core Formation, unless one could craft hundreds of third-tier puppets matching the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators, even controlling a large number would not withstand a full-force strike from a Core Formation expert. Han Li vividly recalled how Lei the Fatty had effortlessly swept away hundreds of second-tier Thousand Bamboo Sect puppets.
If crafting second-tier puppets already required materials equivalent to high-grade magical instruments, then higher-tier puppets would demand at least top-grade magical instrument materials!
Thus, for a Core Formation cultivator specializing in puppetry to overpower others of the same realm as they did during Foundation Establishment, they would need hundreds of top-grade magical instrument materials—a thought that left Han Li stunned.
Not to mention the wasted materials from failed crafting attempts and the near-impossible task of gathering hundreds of powerful souls.
This was likely the main reason the Thousand Bamboo Sect’s puppet techniques remained largely unknown.
After all, a sect’s strength was measured by the number of Core Formation cultivators. If the Thousand Bamboo Sect couldn’t compete with other sects at the Core Formation level, even exceptionally powerful Foundation Establishment disciples could only dominate locally.
Of course, these were just Han Li’s speculations after practicing the Great Development Art and puppet techniques.
But there was no denying that puppetry significantly enhanced Han Li’s strength during Foundation Establishment. So, for now, he focused on the present without worrying about future complications.
After all, the cultivation world war involving several nations had only just begun!
Not long after Han Li arrived to guard the spirit stone mine, a battle of ambushes and traps unfolded between the six demonic sects and the seven Yue Kingdom sects on a remote barren mountain.
Han Li gradually learned the details: the Spirit Beast Sect, one of the seven sects, was originally a branch of the demonic Yuling Sect, planted thousands of years ago as a sleeper cell in Yue Kingdom.
When the six demonic sects invaded, this hidden card was meant to be played, hoping to replicate the swift takeover of Jiang and Cheqi kingdoms.
However, over millennia, the Spirit Beast Sect’s leadership had grown unwilling to acknowledge their origins or accept sudden oversight from the Spirit Taming Sect.
After coordinating with the other six sects, they deceived the demonic forces into launching a surprise attack on a seven-sect stronghold.
Thousands of demonic cultivators were ambushed en route and dealt a heavy blow by the seven sects, even losing two Core Formation experts on the spot.
This setback for the demonic sects boosted morale for the seven sects, while the demonic forces, enraged, launched a full-scale assault.
The seven sects stood their ground, engaging in over a dozen large battles at the borders between Yue, Jiang, and Cheqi kingdoms, with casualties exceeding ten thousand cultivators—including seven or eight Core Formation experts, making the conflict exceptionally brutal.
The fear on the face of the cultivator who delivered spirit stones while recounting these events left Han Li and others shuddering, grateful not to be in such large-scale battles. The sheer number of Core Formation casualties illustrated the horror of the scene.
However, the six demonic sects, one of the two major powers in the Tiannan region, far surpassed the Yue Kingdom cultivation world in strength.
After seven or eight battles, the seven sects struggled under the demonic onslaught. Had they not pre-set several restrictive formations to hold their ground, they would have already been defeated.
Even so, their resistance couldn’t last long.
Just as Yue Kingdom teetered on the brink, cultivators from the neighboring medium-sized countries of Yuanwu and Zijin, invited by the seven sects, arrived as reinforcements.
Prior to the war, the seven sects had wisely sent persuasive envoys to both countries seeking aid.
Fearing annexation if Yue Kingdom fell, the cultivation sects of both nations readily agreed, gathering most of their cultivators to march overnight in support.
With their joining, the strength between Yue Kingdom and the demonic sects became more balanced. Relying on defensive formations, the seven sects managed to withstand the demonic offensive.
Thus, the demonic sects’ plan to swiftly conquer Yue Kingdom failed, and the conflict stalemated into a war of attrition.
While large-scale battles dwindled, small-scale raids increased behind both sides’ lines, particularly targeting raw material and spirit stone production sites.
Miraculously, Han Li’s spirit stone mine, perhaps due to its distance from the front lines, had yet to be harassed—a rarity, as other mines of similar scale had been attacked three or four times.
This very fact made the seven sects uneasy, prompting them to send an additional twenty cultivators half a month ago for reinforcement, led by a late Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Spirit Beast Sect.
The mine’s defenses strengthened significantly, but Han Li sensed an impending storm, practicing the Great Development Art more diligently than ever, nearing a breakthrough to the first layer.
Among the second wave of Qi Refinement reinforcements, Han Li encountered an acquaintance: the ugly man Zhong Wu, whom he had met during the Blood Trial.
Zhong Wu recognized Han Li but, faced with Han Li’s current Foundation Establishment cultivation, cycled through shock, envy, and admiration before reluctantly greeting him as “Senior.”
Han Li, barely suppressing a laugh, acknowledged him calmly.
Recalling Zhong Wu’s comically shifting expressions, Han Li smiled during meditation, opening his eyes. His current state of mind was unfit for practicing the Great Development Art; he needed to calm down first.
Time flew, and another month passed with Han Li splitting his time between guard duty, practicing the Great Development Art, and crafting puppet beasts. He could now clearly feel the first layer nearing completion.
This both surprised and delighted him.
In truth, whether learning the Five Elements Dao Magic or the Green Origin Sword Art, Han Li’s aptitude had always been lacking. Yet, he progressed smoothly with the Great Development Art, as if it came naturally—a fact he found curiously exciting.
After over a dozen failures, he finally crafted his first second-tier puppet beast two days prior. Though cruder and slightly less powerful than those of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, it thrilled him, and he planned to mass-produce them once he acquired more materials.
However, today, while meditating in his quiet room, an ear-piercing shriek sounded outside, followed by frantic shouts: “Not good! The demonic cultivators are attacking! Everyone, come out and prepare for battle!”
Han Li’s heart sank, and he solemnly stepped out.
Other cultivators from the seven sects emerged from their earth caves, exchanging grim looks before filing out of the kiln caves.
Xuan Le of the Masked Moon Sect and Lü Tianmeng, the late Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Spirit Beast Sect, floated expressionlessly below the Four Fiends Formation, gazing up at the canyon.
A dozen guards behind them looked anxious but calmed slightly upon seeing Han Li and the others.
Following their gaze, Han Li spotted about twenty to thirty figures at the canyon’s rim—the enemy.
He knew well that anyone daring to infiltrate this deeply for a raid would likely be at least Foundation Establishment level, with no Qi Refinement dead weight.
Thus, they were still at an absolute disadvantage. This battle would not be easy.
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