The State of the War

According to the Great Derivative Art, mastering the first layer would allow one to split their mind into over a dozen thoughts without issue. The second layer would permit a hundred splits, and the third layer, as exemplified by “Senior Brother Lin,” would enable control of several hundred thoughts at once.

When Han Li imagined simultaneously controlling several hundred puppet mechanisms in combat, he himself had to admit the idea was somewhat outrageous.

However, in his estimation, this “outrageousness” would only allow him to run roughshod over the Foundation Establishment stage.

Once one reached Core Formation, even if they could refine several hundred Grade Three puppets, each on par with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would still be unable to withstand a full-power strike from a Core Formation cultivator. The memory of that Fat Lei sweeping through several hundred of the Thousand Bamboo School’s Grade Two puppets was still fresh in his mind!

If refining a Grade Two puppet required materials on the level of a high-grade magic tool, then refining a higher-grade puppet would certainly demand materials at least on the level of a top-grade magic tool!

With this in mind, for a Core Formation cultivator practicing the Puppet Art to maintain the same overwhelming advantage they had at the Foundation Establishment stage, they would need several hundred top-grade magic tool materials. The very thought made Han Li’s heart pound for a long time!

Not to mention the materials lost to failed refinements, or the fact that several hundred powerful souls were nowhere to be found.

This was likely the main reason the Thousand Bamboo School’s Puppet Art was so obscure.

After all, a sect’s overall strength was still measured by the number of its Core Formation cultivators. If the Thousand Bamboo School could not compete with other sects in Core Formation-level conflicts, then no matter how powerful their Foundation Establishment disciples were, they would still be confined to a corner, ruling over only a small territory.

Of course, all of this was merely Han Li’s own analysis after cultivating the Great Derivative Art and the Puppet Art!

But the fact that the Puppet Art could dramatically increase the combat power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself was undeniable! So for now, Han Li could not afford to worry about the distant future.

After all, the great war of the cultivation world, which had stirred up several nations, had only just begun!

Not long after Han Li had arrived at this spirit mine to serve as a guard, a major battle of ambush and counter-ambush had taken place between the Six Demonic Sects and the Seven Great Sects of Yue, on a desolate mountain in a remote area.

Han Li had since learned the specifics. It turned out that the Spirit Beast Mountain Sect, one of the Seven Great Sects, was originally a branch of the Imperial Spirit Sect of the demonic path—a sleeper agent planted in Yue Country by the demonic path several thousand years ago.

When the Six Sects invaded the Seven Sects, this planted agent was naturally supposed to be activated, allowing the demonic path to replicate their swift victories over Jiang and Juche Nations.

However, over the course of millennia, the upper echelons of the Spirit Beast Mountain Sect had long ceased to consider themselves part of the Imperial Spirit Sect. The last thing they wanted was a new “emperor” suddenly appearing above them.

After communicating with the other six sects, they used some unknown method to trick the demonic path into believing a feint was genuine, luring them into attacking a Seven Sects outpost.

The invading force of several thousand cultivators was ambushed en route by a pre-positioned Seven Sects force with overwhelming numerical superiority, dealing the demonic path a heavy blow, including the on-the-spot deaths of two Core Formation cultivators.

This shocking defeat naturally caused great celebration among the Seven Sects and boosted their morale. The Six Demonic Sects, enraged and humiliated, then launched a full-scale offensive.

The Seven Sects refused to back down, deploying their forces to meet the attack.

Along the two borders between Yue Country and both Jiang and Juche Nations, the two sides fought over a dozen major battles, with casualties reaching over ten thousand cultivators. Even seven or eight Core Formation cultivators had fallen, a testament to the campaign’s sheer brutality.

The look of lingering terror on the face of the messenger who had come to deliver spirit stones, as he recounted these events, had sent chills through Han Li and the other cultivators present. They were secretly grateful not to be caught in a conflict of that scale. The fact that even Core Formation cultivators had fallen in such numbers gave one a terrifying picture of the scene.

However, the Six Demonic Sects lived up to their reputation as one of the two great powers of the Tian Nan region. Their strength was simply not comparable to that of Yue Country’s cultivation world.

After seven or eight battles, the Seven Sects, under the ferocity of the enemy’s assault, were clearly struggling to hold. Had they not pre-deployed several great restrictive formations to rely on, they would have long since been defeated.

Even so, the Seven Sects could not hold out for much longer.

But just as Yue Country was on the verge of collapse, cultivators from two medium-sized nations neighboring Yue—Yuanwu Country and Zijin Country—finally arrived in response to the Seven Sects’ invitation.

It turned out that before the war even began, the Seven Sects had wisely dispatched eloquent envoys to both nations to request aid.

Upon receiving the news, the various sects of those two countries naturally feared that if the demonic path conquered Yue, they would be next. The envoys needed little persuasion. They agreed to the request, banded together, gathered the majority of their sect’s cultivators, and rushed to provide support under the cover of night.

With the addition of these two countries’ cultivators, the gap in strength between Yue Country and the Six Demonic Sects was no longer so vast. Relying on the power of their defensive formations, the Seven Sects managed to just barely hold back the demonic path’s offensive.

Thus, the Six Demonic Sects’ plan to take Yue Country in one fell swoop was thwarted. The conflict between the two sides reached a stalemate, devolving into a war of attrition.

Large-scale pitched battles became less frequent, but small-scale raids on both sides’ rears increased in tandem. Areas producing raw materials and spirit stones became primary targets for both the Seven Sects and the demonic path.

This spirit stone mine where Han Li was stationed, perhaps due to being too far from the border, had yet to suffer a single attack—a remarkable stroke of luck. Other mines of a similar scale had already been raided three or four times.

But the more this was the case, the more uneasy the Seven Sects grew about this mine. Half a month ago, they had sent another twenty-odd cultivators to reinforce the garrison. The leader was a later-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Spirit Beast Mountain Sect.

With this, the mine’s defenses were greatly strengthened. Yet Han Li sensed a feeling of “the calm before the storm” and redoubled his efforts in cultivating the Great Derivative Art. A breakthrough to the first layer was now within reach.

Among this second wave of reinforcements at the Qi Condensation stage, Han Li unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance: that ugly man, Zhong Wu, whom he had met once during the Blood Trial.

Zhong Wu also recognized Han Li.

But upon seeing Han Li’s current Foundation Establishment cultivation, his expression flickered through several shades of shock, envy, jealousy, and other emotions in rapid succession—a display that left Han Li inwardly amazed.

Finally, Zhong Wu gave a wry smile, stepped forward to offer a salute, and somewhat reluctantly addressed him as “Senior.”

Suppressing a smile, Han Li acknowledged him with a faint, detached response.

The memory of Zhong Wu’s kaleidoscopic expression brought an involuntary smile to Han Li’s face as he sat in meditation. He opened his eyes. In his current state of mind, he was truly unfit for continuing cultivation of the Great Derivative Art. He would wait until his mood had settled.

Time flowed swiftly. Han Li spent a portion of his time on sentry duty and the majority of it cultivating the Great Derivative Art and constructing puppet beasts. Another month passed in this manner. He could now clearly sense that the first layer of the Great Derivative Art was nearing perfection.

This filled Han Li with both surprise and delight!

In all honesty, whether it was the Five Elemental Dao Techniques or the Azure Origin Sword Art, his performance had always been mediocre at best! But cultivating this Great Derivative Art was proceeding with remarkable ease, without any sense of difficulty. It felt as natural as water flowing into a channel. This thrilled him, but it also sparked a quiet curiosity.

And his first Grade Two puppet beast, after over a dozen failed attempts, had finally been completed two days ago. Although it was cruder than those of the Thousand Bamboo School, and its power seemed slightly inferior, it still brought a broad grin to Han Li’s face. He planned to have other cultivators bring him more materials so he could begin mass production.

However, today, as Han Li was sitting in meditation within his quiet room, a shrill, piercing screech suddenly came from outside. Immediately after, someone shouted frantically:

“Bad news! The demonic path is attacking! Everyone, come out and prepare for battle!”

Han Li’s heart tightened. With a solemn expression, he rose and left the quiet room.

By now, the cultivators of the Seven Sects who had been resting in the various earthen caves had all emerged with similarly grave expressions. After exchanging glances, they filed out of the cave dwellings.

Xuan Le of the Moon-Masking Sect and Lu Tianmeng, a later-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Spirit Beast Mountain Sect, were floating expressionlessly beneath the Four Fiends Formation, gazing up toward the top of the Spirit Gorge.

Behind them, the dozen or so cultivators on duty all looked uneasy. But when they saw Han Li and the others emerge, their expressions steadied somewhat.

Following Xuan Le’s gaze, Han Li spotted the enemy at the top of the Spirit Gorge. There were not many of them—only about twenty or thirty.

However, Han Li was well aware that anyone daring to venture this deep behind enemy lines for a raid would almost certainly be at the Foundation Establishment stage. They wouldn’t drag along Qi Condensation dead weight.

Therefore, in terms of combat strength, they were at a decisive disadvantage. This battle would not be an easy one.