The cultivation of insect-controlling techniques was not difficult for Han Li, given his current realm and cultivation level. Mastering these secret arts came naturally to him, as easy as turning his hand. However, these techniques broadened his horizons considerably, with several methods of using insects for offense and defense recorded within, leaving him in awe. Particularly, the “Insect Armor Technique” perfectly realized the vague ideas he had previously entertained.
In the past, while he could command his three-colored Gold Devouring Beetles to form simple objects like blades or swords, crafting something as complex as armor had always been beyond his reach, with several persistent challenges he couldn’t overcome. Now, with the “Insect Armor Technique” recorded in the jade slip, after just over a month of practice, he could proficiently condense the armor.
Yet, amid his joy, Han Li harbored a secret delight. He believed that the master who created the “Insect Armor Technique” could not have easily possessed such formidable spiritual insects as the Gold Devouring Beetles to form the armor. Naturally, its defensive power paled in comparison to genuine protective treasures. Moreover, insect cultivators were rare, which explained why this technique remained obscure.
But in his hands, it was a different story. The shells of the three-colored Gold Devouring Beetles were inherently tough and resilient, coupled with their unique ability to transform and condense, making the armor’s defensive capabilities surpass ordinary protective gear—perfectly suited for him. Furthermore, once he mastered the new insect-control techniques for the golden Gold Devouring Beetles, he could conjure even superior armor. Han Li was utterly confident in this.
The mere thought of the fully evolved mature Gold Devouring Beetles made it even harder for Han Li to suppress his excitement.
After a while, Han Li finally calmed down. Stroking the insect armor, he pondered for a moment before exhaling a breath of spiritual energy, causing the armor to disperse and revert to the swarm of spiritual insects, which he promptly stored back into his spirit beast pouch.
Sitting cross-legged again, he leisurely retrieved a cyan jade slip from his storage pouch—the legacy of Xin Ruyin. Holding it in both hands with half-closed eyes, his divine sense quickly immersed itself within. Ignoring the ancient formations at the front, he directly sought out the final “Mystic Yin Infant Transformation” incantation.
This technique, created by some ancient demonic cultivator from antiquity, was not only abstruse and profound but also laden with hidden meanings in every line. Han Li had to comprehend it word by word, making the process excruciatingly slow.
After a full six months, Han Li had only grasped a little over half of the technique. Even so, it left him awestruck, filled with admiration for the ancient cultivator who devised it.
Indeed, this technique somewhat resembled the Daoist “Three Pure Ones” secret art, but Han Li had never encountered the foremost Daoist mystic art, so he couldn’t discern the differences. However, it was entirely distinct from ordinary demonic “external avatar” techniques—it was a true heaven-defying ability to create a second avatar. Once mastered, it would grant him two completely independent Spirit Infants. Though one would be primary and the other secondary, if either perished, the other could continue to exist unscathed.
However, if the primary infant was lost, the secondary infant would suffer significant vitality loss before gradually transforming into the primary. Conversely, damage to the secondary infant would barely affect the primary.
What excited Han Li even more was that once the second Spirit Infant was cultivated, he could fuse it with a suitable cultivator’s body to create an avatar. Once formed, this avatar would become a true second existence, independent of his main body. Even if his original body perished, as long as the avatar survived, Han Li would live on.
After all, both would share identical memories and emotions—merely a copy stored in the second Spirit Infant. This was a world apart from the “Quhun” clone he had cultivated before.
Back then, the so-called “Evil Core” clone was controlled by a sliver of divine sense split from Han Li’s soul, devoid of memories, emotions, or autonomy—essentially an advanced puppet. Moreover, the Quhun clone couldn’t stray too far from Han Li, lest it lose mobility due to severed divine sense connection.
In contrast, the avatar cultivated through the “Mystic Yin Infant Transformation” could operate flawlessly even thousands of miles away from the main body. Without explicit orders, it could act and cultivate autonomously, indistinguishable from an ordinary cultivator.
Reading this, Han Li drew a sharp breath. But as he delved deeper, the jade slip finally mentioned the limitations and flaws of this technique.
Upon understanding them, it was like a bucket of cold water dousing his excitement, instantly plunging his spirits to rock bottom. The difficulties left him speechless for a long while.
Take, for instance, the most crucial step—condensing the second Spirit Infant.
Ordinary cultivators spent countless years just to shatter their Golden Core and form their primary Spirit Infant by sheer luck. Naturally, there was no second Golden Core to shatter for a second Spirit Infant, nor the luxury of time. The only viable method was to seize another cultivator’s Spirit Infant, erase its consciousness, and assimilate it with one’s own divine sense. While the jade slip provided techniques for seizing and erasing an infant’s consciousness, the risks and low success rate spoke for themselves.
Even if one miraculously succeeded in seizing another’s Spirit Infant, the assimilation process was even more perilous. After all, the infant was forcibly taken—even if temporarily seized, assimilating it to match oneself risked having one’s divine sense assimilated or devoured by the infant’s instincts. If the second Spirit Infant was successfully formed, the benefits of possessing two infants were innumerable.
To take it further and cultivate a second avatar, one only needed a suitable body for the infant to possess—preferably one with high cultivation, ideally a Spirit Infant cultivator’s body, to maximize the avatar’s utility.
However, capturing a Spirit Infant cultivator alive, let alone killing one, was an incredibly daunting task. Han Li knew full well that he currently stood no chance of achieving this.
Even after mastering the “Mystic Yin Infant Transformation” and successfully creating an avatar, one couldn’t rest easy. The avatar’s potential rebellion was a constant threat.
This second avatar was essentially another version of oneself. Over time, differences in memories and emotions would inevitably arise, leading to powerful inner demons tempting the avatar. The avatar might strive to break free from the main body’s control, and if its abilities surpassed the main body’s, it might even reverse the master-servant relationship, seizing control.
Thus, while the avatar could execute orders from thousands of miles away, it was best not to let it stray from the main body for too long. Periodic use of the “Unity Art” from the “Mystic Yin Infant Transformation” was necessary to dispel inner demons and realign the two souls, reinforcing control over the avatar.
Beyond rebellion, the avatar had other minor flaws, though these paled in comparison to the terrifying prospect of betrayal.
In truth, once one possessed a second Spirit Infant, the “Mystic Yin Infant Transformation” could be considered initially complete. There was no need to cultivate a second avatar to gain significant advantages in combat—multiple powerful abilities could be employed, and survival odds far exceeded those of single-infant cultivators, all without the risk of avatar rebellion.
Now, Han Li’s expression darkened as he carefully weighed the pros and cons of cultivating this technique.
Despite its challenges, it was a genuine, formidable ability he was loath to abandon. Mastering it would grant him an extra life—an irresistible temptation.
As for obtaining another cultivator’s Spirit Infant, after some thought, Han Li retrieved a jade box plastered with talismans from his storage pouch. Inside lay the restrained Wood Spirit Infant.
Frowning, he gently stroked the box, silent for a long while.
After hearing Liu Mei’s explanation of the Wood Spirit Infant’s origins, Han Li knew it differed from ordinary Spirit Infants. Yet, since the Spirit Control Sect could use some “Five Elements Spirit Infant” technique to fuse it with a Core Formation cultivator, it suggested most aspects were similar. Refining it into a second Spirit Infant was likely feasible. Besides, the Wood Spirit Infant was useless to him otherwise—trying posed no loss.
As for the dangers of seizing and erasing the infant’s consciousness, Han Li was confident in his divine sense and treasures. The real concern was the invisible risk of the infant assimilating his consciousness instead.
If that happened, he would have to sever the divine sense occupying the infant, suffering significant soul damage. The potential long-term effects on his mind were unpredictable.
At this thought, hesitation clouded Han Li’s face.
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