Han Li had already purchased a map of this sea area in advance. After flying for half a month along a route rarely traveled by cultivators, he finally landed on a nameless small island.
The island was not large, covering only about forty square miles, but it had an inconspicuous, low-grade spiritual vein running about seven or eight miles long.
If it were inland, it would have long been occupied by some obscure minor clan. However, in this vast ocean teeming with demonic beasts, no clan without sufficient strength would dare to relocate here. Meanwhile, small and mid-sized clans with high-level cultivators would not be interested in such an unremarkable spiritual vein. Moreover, the island was not situated along any major sea routes and was extremely remote, so it had remained abandoned until now.
Han Li was quite satisfied with this location. He immediately released his flying swords inside a small mountain on the island, carving out a large open space. Then, he summoned the Sky Machine Mansion, and in an instant, an exquisite miniature cave abode appeared before him.
For caution’s sake, Han Li not only activated the cave’s built-in restrictions but also set up a concealment array outside the mountain, summoning a thick white mist that enveloped the area, including the peak, within a radius of over ten miles. This made it nearly impossible for others to detect the cave’s location.
After completing these preparations, Han Li moved the spirit insects and herbs he carried with him into the insect chambers and herb gardens within the cave. The Earth Armor Dragon was also placed under a restriction and casually tossed into a beast room. Then, carrying a large amount of materials, he entered a secluded chamber.
“These materials are only enough for one attempt at crafting. If a critical component fails, there won’t be time to find a replacement. The chances of success are uncertain, especially since I’m crafting this for you, Senior. Any misunderstanding could lead to failure,” Han Li said calmly as he entered the chamber, pulling the bamboo tube from his back and placing it upright before him.
“I’m well aware of that. Before crafting, I’ll explain the method in detail and repeatedly test your understanding until you’ve truly mastered it. Only then will I let you proceed. Before I begin, take a look at this jade slip. It contains an overview of my puppet-crafting techniques. Study it thoroughly first.”
The voice of the Great Divinity Saint emerged from the bamboo tube, sounding confident as if he had long considered this matter. With a soft “pop,” the lid of the tube opened, and a white jade slip shot out, which Han Li caught.
“Since you’ve already planned this out, I’ll rest assured,” Han Li nodded, saying no more. He immediately sat cross-legged and immersed his spiritual sense into the jade slip.
Time passed slowly, and Han Li’s expression shifted continuously—surprise, excitement, and finally shock.
After what felt like an eternity, he exhaled deeply and withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip. However, he did not speak immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and silently contemplated for a full quarter of an hour before reopening them, his expression calm once more.
“Impressive. If this puppet is successfully crafted, its power will indeed be unparalleled. With sufficient spirit stones, it could hold its own against a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. However, there’s one point I don’t quite understand. I hope you can clarify it for me,” Han Li said after a brief pause.
“Since I intend to pass this puppet technique to you completely, I won’t hold anything back. Ask whatever you wish,” the Great Divinity Saint replied without hesitation.
“In that case, I’ll be blunt. According to the puppet techniques I’ve learned, higher-tier puppets require higher-level beast souls to fuse with. For this puppet of yours, I can’t imagine what kind of beast soul would fully unleash its power. Even the soul of the eighth-grade Crimson Fire Flood Dragon I recently captured might not suffice. Yet, you’ve never mentioned the issue of beast souls before. This puzzles me—do you have some other arrangement?” Han Li frowned and asked gravely.
“Ah, so that’s your concern. I had already devised a solution for the beast soul issue when I finalized the crafting method. Even if you hadn’t asked, I would have explained it to you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to craft with peace of mind,” the Great Divinity Saint chuckled.
“You jest. But to fully unleash the puppet’s power, at least a ninth-grade beast soul would be required. I’m truly curious how you plan to resolve this,” Han Li replied with a dry laugh, though inwardly, his caution remained. Despite his years of semi-mentor, semi-friend relations with the Great Divinity Saint, he never let his guard down entirely.
“No beast soul is needed. When the time comes, I’ll fuse my own soul with the puppet,” the Great Divinity Saint said calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter.
“Your soul?” Han Li’s expression changed dramatically, filled with shock.
“What? Do you think my soul is weaker than that of a ninth-grade beast?” the Great Divinity Saint asked indifferently.
“Of course not. You were originally a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and after cultivating the Great Divinity Art, your spiritual soul’s strength rivals even that of a Deity Transformation cultivator. But… don’t you intend to reincarnate? Once your soul is fused into the puppet, you’ll lose your sense of self,” Han Li said hesitantly.
“Of course I plan to enter the cycle of reincarnation. After rebirth, I might even tread the path of immortality again!” The Great Divinity Saint laughed without hesitation.
“What do you mean? If I heard correctly, you intend to fuse your soul with the puppet yet still retain the chance for reincarnation. Do you possess some secret technique to achieve this?” Han Li was momentarily stunned but quickly deduced the answer.
“Han boy, you’re quite sharp. That’s exactly right. Back when I was trapped in a puppet due to the Soul Attachment Technique, I naturally didn’t sit idle. Over thousands of years, I researched methods to transfer a soul from a puppet without relying on magic power. Though I failed in that endeavor, I discovered a secret technique to split the soul. This Soul Division Art is fundamentally different from ordinary spiritual sense division—it’s a true method of splitting a cultivator’s soul. When the time comes, I’ll divide my soul in two. One part, carrying most of the soul’s power, will fuse with the puppet. The other, carrying emotions and memories, will dissipate and return to the cycle of reincarnation,” the Great Divinity Saint explained frankly.
“But is such a method truly feasible? Splitting a soul can’t be so simple,” Han Li said, astonished by this revelation.
“Rest assured. The part I’m splitting off is only the soul’s power. It won’t hinder my reincarnation. This soul power would have dissipated naturally upon my death anyway,” the Great Divinity Saint said indifferently.
“I see. That puts my mind at ease,” Han Li nodded after some thought, finding no major issues with the plan.
“Good. Since there are no further questions, I’ll begin explaining the crafting methods and key points for each component. Let’s start with the puppet’s body—it consists of over a dozen core parts, requiring materials such as…” Without further ado, the Great Divinity Saint launched into his explanation.
Han Li focused intently, absorbing every word.
Days passed, and Han Li rarely left the chamber. Most of the time, he used his spiritual sense to control a few giant ape puppets to tend to the spirit herbs and insects in the cave.
For the twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, aside from using Rainbow Skirt Grass to nurture them, he had an idea and fed each of them a Snow Soul Pill to observe the effects. Since these pills greatly benefited his Purple Extreme Cold Flame, they should also aid these supremely yin and cold centipedes.
To his surprise, while he needed three to four months to refine a single Snow Soul Pill, these centipedes fully refined one in just a month. Moreover, the frost they exhaled became significantly more potent. Delighted, Han Li kept only the necessary pills for himself and handed the rest to the giant ape puppets to feed the insects.
As for the Gold Devouring Beetles, though they showed some changes after consuming the Rainbow Skirt Grass, their evolution into mature forms seemed a distant prospect. Han Li could only patiently nurture them step by step.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. One day, after refining a puppet component in the chamber, Han Li retrieved several materials at the Great Divinity Saint’s instruction, his expression peculiar.
“You’re saying these can all be incorporated into the puppet?” Han Li asked with a slight frown.
“Indeed. I’ve only recently realized their uses, but they’ll undoubtedly enhance the puppet’s power,” the Great Divinity Saint replied calmly.
“The last Demon Essence Diamond is understandable—perhaps you’ve devised a way to forge it into a weapon for the puppet. But what about these other items? I still don’t recognize them or see their purpose,” Han Li pointed at two materials on the ground, puzzled.
The items in question were the slender silver chain that had once bound the Corpse Demon and the fragments of the gray, unremarkable stone stele discovered in the demonic abyss.
“As for the Demon Essence Diamond, as you said, I’ve been contemplating its use since you obtained it. Though it’s the sole material for crafting a Demon Dragon Blade, it can also forge other formidable demonic treasures. I’ve decided to refine it into a weapon to serve as the puppet’s trump card. As for this chain, ever since you mentioned it could withstand strikes from Geng Gold flying swords, I’ve been intrigued. Though I don’t know its composition, blending it with some Hard Silver could forge a protective shield for the puppet. As for these stele fragments… I only recently recalled their true nature,” the Great Divinity Saint paused, his tone turning grave.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage