"Old monster, when you attached yourself to that puppet, didn't you ever think about moving your Primordial Spirit off it? With your intelligence, creating such a technique shouldn't have been difficult, right? After all, you single-handedly created the Great Development Art." Han Li was silent for a moment before speaking calmly.
"You think the 'Soul Lodging Technique' I used was simple? Back then, I was so confident in my superior intellect that no one under heaven could match me, and I spread myself too thin. Not only did I personally create the Great Development Art—a secret technique capable of strengthening spiritual consciousness—but I also single-handedly founded the Thousand Bamboo Sect and developed the puppet arts that had long been lost in Tian Nan. All of that alone consumed more than half my lifespan. And that's not even counting the time I spent simultaneously cultivating other techniques, pushing my cultivation all the way to the late Nascent Soul stage so I could dominate a region without equal."
"Dominate a region? Without equal?" A peculiar expression appeared on Han Li's face.
"What, you think I'm boasting? When my cultivation reached completion, I was always low-key and too proud to show off—only challenging famous cultivators and never publicizing my victories. So the only people who knew my name back then were the absolute top-tier powers. Setting aside other places, the two old men who were hailed as the number one cultivators in Tian Nan's righteous and demonic paths were both defeated by my hand. I beat them so thoroughly they submitted willingly and even offered to cede the Extreme West to me as the foundation for my sect, withdrawing all their forces from the region. Otherwise, did you really think a mere desert would make Tian Nan's cultivators afraid to set foot in the Extreme West? Remember, no matter how barren the Extreme West might be, it still spanned the territory of two kingdoms—enough to accommodate quite a few major sects." When the Divine Lord of Great Development reached this point, his voice brimmed with pride.
"You conquered the Extreme West through force?" Han Li was rendered speechless.
"Not only that, I forced those two old men to personally swear a solemn oath that for ten thousand years, none of their disciples or descendants would enter the Extreme West." The old man's tone turned smug once more.
"With their status, would they really obey like that?" The corner of Han Li's mouth twitched, finding it somewhat hard to believe.
"If they refused, I would have slaughtered every last one of their disciples and descendants. Did you think I was the sort who dilly-dallied? And as for trying to overwhelm me with sheer numbers, the thousand-odd puppets I refined weren't for show. But the fact that the righteous and demonic cultivators still haven't seized the Extreme West to this day does surprise me somewhat. Could it be that they've truly honored their ancestors' oath all this time?" The Divine Lord of Great Development sounded genuinely puzzled.
Han Li fell silent.
This old monster either wasn't boasting, or had truly been monstrous beyond measure. A thousand puppets—even if they were all only at the Foundation Establishment stage—would be terrifying enough.
As for whether the righteous and demonic factions refrained from claiming the Extreme West because of that ancient oath, or simply because the region was too remote and resource-poor to bother with—Han Li couldn't be bothered to think about it.
It had nothing to do with him.
Han Li was still marveling internally when the old man's sigh echoed through his mind.
"By the time I'd accomplished all of this and believed myself to stand at the very pinnacle of the cultivation world, I realized I'd made a fatal mistake. My lifespan was running short, and I was still stuck at the late Nascent Soul stage. No matter how extraordinary my aptitude and intelligence were, with only two hundred years remaining, it was utterly impossible for me to break through from the late Nascent Soul to the Spirit Transformation stage. If I hadn't distracted myself with puppet arts and creating new techniques from the very beginning, entering the Spirit Transformation stage wouldn't have been difficult for me at all. Otherwise, I would have ascended to the Spirit World long ago. I wouldn't have been trapped in this puppet body for over ten thousand years, ending up on the verge of having my soul scattered." The Divine Lord of Great Development's voice suddenly dropped low, sounding somewhat dejected.
Hearing this, Han Li pursed his lips and rolled his eyes inwardly, feeling a faint twinge of jealousy.
Ordinary cultivators found it incredibly difficult just to reach Core Formation and condense a Nascent Soul, yet entering the Spirit Transformation stage seemed almost casual to this old monster. If what he said was true, this person was truly a heaven-defying existence.
Calling him a once-in-ten-thousand-years cultivation genius would be an understatement.
"After realizing that entering the Spirit Transformation stage was hopeless, I refused to simply wait for death. They say that as long as one's soul isn't destroyed, there's the possibility of reincarnation. But for me, even if I had a next life, without the memories and emotions of this one, would that still be me? It would just be a stranger. Moreover, in my next life, I might become a mediocre nobody. The chances of even possessing a Spirit Root and becoming a cultivator again would be minuscule. Filled with this fear, I abandoned everything else for the remaining two hundred years and devoted myself desperately to creating a technique for achieving longevity or preserving one's consciousness through reincarnation. After failing more times than I could count, I finally created the Soul Lodging Technique—a technique unprecedented in all of history—built upon the foundation of the Great Development Art." As he spoke, the Divine Lord let out a cold laugh.
"You mean giving up most of your cultivation just to float your spiritual consciousness on a puppet, becoming a living corpse for nearly ten thousand years?" Han Li interjected with a half-smile.
"What do you know? I ran out of time. I'd only completed half of the Soul Lodging Technique before I was forced to use it in desperation. And so I ended up like this. After attaching myself to the specially crafted puppet, I didn't expect that nearly all my cultivation would dissipate—things didn't go as I had anticipated. Only my spiritual consciousness abilities barely remained functional. But getting my Primordial Spirit to leave the puppet body? That was nothing but a pipe dream. And that chamber had been sealed with extremely powerful formations and guarded by over a hundred puppet soldiers. Without my physical body or magical power, I couldn't even open the seals or summon the puppets. Moreover, for fear of enemies seeking revenge, I had never told anyone about that chamber. Those disciples and subordinates of mine at the Core Formation stage had no way of finding it. And so I was trapped—for over ten thousand years. If I hadn't been in a puppet body and stored quite a few spirit stones in that chamber, I would have turned to ash long ago." By the end, the Divine Lord's voice had turned ice-cold.
Han Li frowned slightly, muttering inwardly. But after his expression softened somewhat, he asked:
"Old monster, why are you so talkative today? Before, whenever I tried to ask you about the old days, you'd always act aloof and lazy, barely deigning to respond. What made you willing to explain everything in such detail this time?"
"Hmph! If I don't tell you, who would I tell? Since you've cultivated the Great Development Art, you can half-count as my disciple. Besides, if you hadn't broken into the Thousand Bamboo Sect's secret chamber and found me on the verge of extinction, my soul would have scattered on the spot. The Soul Lodging Technique isn't a true longevity art, after all. Even though the puppet body doesn't deteriorate over ten thousand years, my Primordial Spirit—without the nourishment of a real physical body for so long—has reached the point of exhaustion. What I didn't expect was that you, brat, were quite sharp. You noticed right away that I was different from the other puppets and struck first—nearly killing me." The old man sounded angry again as he reached this point.
"I struck first? If you hadn't suddenly attacked me with that damn Seven Emotions Art, even if I'd found your puppet form somewhat strange, I wouldn't have done anything. But caught off guard, my Second Nascent Soul ended up in a standoff with yours—a situation where neither side dared to act rashly. Sure, you could use the Seven Emotions Art to drive my Second Nascent Soul into a berserk frenzy beyond control. But I could also use my main Nascent Soul to manipulate the Second Nascent Soul and perform the Assimilation Technique, destroying both your soul and the Second Nascent Soul simultaneously." Han Li retorted bluntly.
"How was I supposed to know that you, this little monster, had cultivated a Second Nascent Soul at such a young age? Remember, at the time, apart from my spiritual consciousness, I had absolutely no magical power left. I was merely acting in self-defense." The Divine Lord of Great Development felt nothing wrong with his actions whatsoever, and spoke self-righteously.
This time, Han Li was rendered completely speechless and declined to continue that line of conversation.
"Fine. Let's put that aside. What I didn't expect was that you actually possessed such a rare treasure as Soul Nurturing Wood. Otherwise, even if I'd subdued you, I would have disappeared from this world within a year or two at most. I suppose fortune and misfortune go hand in hand." The Divine Lord paused for a moment, speaking with a hint of self-mockery.
"Lending you the Soul Nurturing Wood was because you agreed to teach me the final three layers of the Great Development Art. And I'm also quite interested in your puppet-crafting techniques. After all, for nearly ten thousand years in that chamber, apart from sleeping for long stretches, you've been researching puppet arts. Since I've cultivated your Great Development Art, I naturally won't pass up the puppet arts either. This is nothing more than a transaction between us." Han Li came to a stop and spoke calmly.
"Haha, Han brat! I'm finding you more and more agreeable. Back in my day, I had absolutely no patience for those who said one thing and meant another. If your aptitude weren't so terrible that my cultivation techniques simply can't be practiced by you, I'd truly want to take you as my disciple and pass on everything I know." The Divine Lord of Great Development burst into wild laughter inside Han Li's mind.
"Han has his hands full just cultivating his current techniques. Even if you gave me techniques a hundred times better, I wouldn't start over from scratch. However, I am somewhat interested in those secret arts of yours." After a brief moment of surprise, Han Li blinked and said, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"Secret arts! You'll probably be disappointed. My secret arts are all intimately connected to my primary cultivation technique. If you don't cultivate my techniques, you won't be able to practice a single one of my secret arts." The old man said dismissively.
"Then forget it. I'm quite satisfied with obtaining the Great Development Art and those puppet arts. It means my trip to the Extreme West wasn't in vain. But there's something I don't quite understand. Why didn't you pass on the true final three layers of the Great Development Art to your disciples? Instead, you created a version that was close but not quite right and passed that down." Despite his disappointment, Han Li changed the subject and asked with some puzzlement.
"My disciples? After hundreds of years, not a single one of those disciples managed to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. Not one was worthy of inheriting my legacy. Passing the final three layers of the Great Development Art to them would only have brought them disaster. And look—you're not even a disciple of my Thousand Bamboo Sect, yet you still obtained the earlier portions of the Great Development Art. It seems my foresight wasn't bad after all." The Divine Lord clicked his tongue approvingly.
(Two chapters have been updated—don't hide your monthly votes anymore! I'm asking for your votes, everyone! Hehe! The monthly vote rankings are starting to get intense.)
(End of chapter)