Ultimately, True Monarch Qianhuan settled for the next best option. "Fellow Daoist Beiheng, could Jiuli Valley dispatch some Third-Tier Body Cultivators to the battlefield?"
"That won't be a problem," True Monarch Beiheng agreed with a nod.
Compared to dharma cultivators, body cultivators were far more eager for slaughter and close-quarters combat.
If his own survival wasn't tied to the fate of Jiuli Valley, True Monarch Beiheng really would have gone to exchange blows with the True Monarchs of the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty.
"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan... could you supply a certain amount of Tier 4 spiritual pills? We will trade for them at the standard rate..."
True Monarch Qianhuan looked toward you.
"Alright."
You knew perfectly well that this was Wujian Hall's bottom line.
Wujian Hall didn't dare push the region's Nascent Soul True Monarchs too hard, but you also couldn't just do absolutely nothing.
If the Wujian Region was truly conquered by the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's expeditionary army...
Staying in the Wujian Region would mean being absorbed into the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's rule.
In the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty, the emperor was supreme. Even a True Monarch had to bow when granted an audience.
Furthermore, being enveloped by the immortal dynasty's providence was both a boon and a hidden danger; it made one highly susceptible to suppression by the official bureaucracy.
Within the Wujian Region governed by Wujian Hall, True Monarchs enjoyed ample freedom; they could leave whenever they pleased.
But under the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's rule, suffocated by its sprawling bureaucratic system, a True Monarch who integrated into it would lose the autonomy to stay or go.
True Monarch Qianhuan departed.
True Monarch Beiheng's expression grew anxious. "Fellow Daoist Qingyuan, do you think Wujian Hall can really hold off the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty?"
As a body cultivator, True Monarch Beiheng had no desire to submit to the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty.
If Wujian Hall failed to hold the line, he would undoubtedly lead the many body cultivators of Jiuli Valley to relocate.
Yet, finding a new, suitable Tier 4 spiritual vein was easier said than done.
"Don't forget, Wujian Hall has True Monarch Qingtian," you said with a smile.
True Monarch Qingtian was a Divination grandmaster, capable of planning ten steps ahead and glimpsing the hazy future.
In a matter as monumental as the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty, if Wujian Hall dared to refuse them, they must have had True Monarch Qingtian's approval.
And for True Monarch Qingtian to take such a stance, the grandmaster was bound to have some degree of certainty.
If there were zero chance of victory, Wujian Hall would already be planning to migrate.
"True... True Monarch Qingtian..." A trace of apprehension flickered across True Monarch Beiheng's face.
Many years ago, he had met True Monarch Qingtian.
Although the Divination grandmaster hadn't exuded any oppressive aura, he felt as though they had seen through every last one of his secrets.
This left True Monarch Beiheng deeply uncomfortable. Compared to True Monarch Qingtian, he was far more willing to deal with the Mid Nascent Soul Stage Wujian Hall Master.
At the very least, True Monarch Beiheng was confident he could preserve his life against the Wujian Hall Master. But against True Monarch Qingtian? He always felt a lingering chill in his heart.
Year 273. You were 290 years old.
You didn't hesitate to activate the body cultivation Divine Ability Eruption. Relying on your sharply surged soul strength—which now rivaled that of a Mid Stage True Monarch—you carved intricate array lines onto a humanoid puppet.
These array lines would perfectly fuse the humanoid puppet's power, preventing any rejection.
A moment later, you withdrew your hand and exhaled softly.
"Rise."
With a shift of your intent, the humanoid puppet's eyes flared with cyan light. An invisible spiritual pressure radiated outward, indistinguishable from a True Monarch who had just entered the Nascent Soul realm.
"A Tier 4 puppet... it's done..."
A smile graced your face. After centuries of comprehension, your puppetry skills had finally crossed into the Tier 4 level.
You were officially a Tier 4 puppet master.
A Tier 4 puppet could directly elevate your combat prowess.
Whoosh—
Your Second Nascent Soul stepped out from the crown of your head and took possession of this Tier 4 puppet.
In an instant, the puppet seemed to spring to life.
Under the control of your Second Nascent Soul, this Tier 4 puppet could be treated as a fully fledged Nascent Soul True Monarch.
"Let's test the Spirit Attachment Art..." You recalled your Second Nascent Soul and took control of the Tier 4 puppet using the Spirit Attachment Art.
"It's slightly weaker this way, but still vastly superior to controlling a Tier 4 corpse puppet with the Spirit Attachment Art."
You nodded to yourself. The Spirit Attachment Art was inherently a perfect match for conventional puppets. Using it to manipulate a Tier 4 corpse puppet naturally created a layer of dissonance.
"With the strength of my divine sense, I can control up to three Tier 4 Early Stage puppets at most."
"With three Tier 4 Early Stage puppets joining forces, plus the Tier 4 corpse puppet piloted by my Second Nascent Soul, my baseline combat strength is enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a Mid Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch..."
Your mood was excellent.
A Mid Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch could crush an Early Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch. However, if three or four Early Stage True Monarchs joined forces with perfectly synchronized minds, a Mid Stage True Monarch would be hard-pressed to defeat them.
Normally, three or four different Nascent Soul True Monarchs would each have their own ideas. When facing a Mid Stage True Monarch, they would inevitably be defeated one by one.
But the three or four Tier 4 puppets under your control moved as a single entity. They could even willingly suffer severe damage in desperate attacks—something that would give an ordinary Mid Stage True Monarch a massive headache.
Becoming a Tier 4 puppet master left you in high spirits. After leaving your cave abode, you listened to Li Yan play the 4th-rank Secluded Orchid Score, allowing your state of mind to near perfect completion.
Then, you began reviewing the intelligence reports gathered over the past dozen years.
"Hmm? True Monarch Qingtian of Wujian Hall personally traveled to the Baidi Domain and Daluo Domain, inviting these two super domains to form an alliance to jointly resist the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's expeditionary army... The ruling powers of the Baidi Domain and Daluo Domain have agreed to ally with the Wujian Region, advancing and retreating as one..."
Reading the latest intelligence, you looked considerably astonished.
The Baidi Domain and Daluo Domain were super domains on equal footing with the Wujian Region, each overseen by at least one Mid Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch.
For forces of such caliber to be swayed by True Monarch Qingtian into actively joining an anti-Dazhou alliance spoke volumes about the Divination grandmaster's sheer capability.
"With this, the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's expeditionary army might not have such a smooth time conquering the Wujian Region..."
You mused inwardly. Three super domains joining hands meant at least three Mid Nascent Soul Stage True Monarchs, plus several Early Nascent Soul Stage True Monarchs.
Moreover, the radiating influence of the three super domains would cause the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the surrounding ordinary domains to tacitly join the camp resisting the Dazhou expeditionary army...
If the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty unleashed their full strength and dispatched a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator, such resistance would naturally be swept aside as trivial.
However, the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty had its own enemies. In the expanse of the Eastern Domain, there were two other hegemonic powers; the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty couldn't afford to spread its forces too thin.
Even if they were to send a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator, it would be to a critical battlefield. The Wujian Region and its neighboring domains? They were merely one of the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's many targets for conquest.
"The Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's expeditionary army won't arrive for several decades..."
As you pondered, you clearly saw the terrifying deterrent of the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's foreign conquests.
Their cultivator army was still a vast distance away, yet the circles of True Monarchs across the Wujian Region and the surrounding domains had already descended into chaos.
And this was the result of Wujian Hall suppressing public sentiment with all their might, preventing the news of the war from spreading to anyone beneath the level of a True Monarch.
The truly arduous moment for the Wujian Region would only come when the Dazhou expeditionary army finally arrived.
Not only would they have to face a terrifying enemy in the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty, but they would also have to manage their own internal strife.
"Aside from their Mid Nascent Soul Stage Hall Master, Wujian Hall also possesses a Rank 4 Mid Stage beast king..." Intelligence regarding Wujian Hall flashed through your mind.
That Rank 4 Mid Stage beast king boasted a vast lifespan, but it was now nearing its twilight years.
But no matter how old it was, it couldn't be underestimated. At a critical juncture, it could still erupt with terrifying power...
"A Rank 4 Mid Stage... beast king? It must have at least a Heaven-grade bloodline. If I could obtain a single drop of its essence blood, my divine ability transformation..."
Your heart pounded with excitement.
Any beast king capable of cultivating to Rank 4 Mid Stage would undoubtedly possess formidable innate divine abilities. If you could refine its essence blood, it would be a massive upgrade to your trump cards.
In times of peace, before that beast king died of old age, you would have almost zero chance of obtaining its essence blood.
The cultivation world held far too many methods to cast lethal curses using mediums like aura, magical power, and essence blood.
Wujian Hall would never hand over the essence blood of their own Tier 4 beast king to you; doing so would be tantamount to willingly handing over a fatal weakness.
However, during wartime, everything became subject to change. As long as your value was high enough, anything could be negotiated.
Corpse Raising Mountain.
True Monarch Yinxiao stared at a demon race corpse puppet inside the corpse nourishment pool, a look of fervent excitement surfacing on his face.
Having guarded the Demon Cave for thirty years, True Monarch Yinxiao had harvested several Tier 3 demons with immense potential.
Decades later, after investing a colossal amount of resources, he had finally nurtured a new Tier 4 corpse puppet.
To cultivate a second Tier 4 corpse puppet, True Monarch Yinxiao had laid preparations two to three hundred years in advance. He had gathered all the necessary resources; all he had lacked was a suitable corpse.
"Xing'er..."
True Monarch Yinxiao briefly commanded his new Tier 4 corpse puppet, his thoughts drifting to the Tier 4 corpse puppet that had fallen into your hands.
That Tier 4 corpse puppet was True Monarch Yinxiao's first Tier 4 corpse puppet, and moreover, it was forged from his once-beloved dao companion. The two of them shared a telepathic connection, allowing them to exert far greater combat strength when fighting together.
It was not something this newly refined Tier 4 corpse puppet could compare to.
"Xing'er, I will definitely get you back!"
True Monarch Yinxiao steadied his mind. The very thought of his Tier 4 corpse puppet resting in your hands for decades, subjected to god-knows-how-many examinations and control bindings, made his heart bleed.
"Once this Tier 4 corpse puppet is completely stabilized, I will make another trip to Wujian Hall..."
True Monarch Yinxiao had made his decision.
Even with a newly cultivated Tier 4 corpse puppet, he didn't believe he could match you and True Monarch Beiheng.
Therefore, he planned to seek Wujian Hall's assistance.
This time, his request to Wujian Hall wouldn't be like the last, where he merely asked them to act as mediators.
Instead, he intended to use Wujian Hall to pressure you into surrendering that Tier 4 corpse puppet.
At any other time, Wujian Hall naturally wouldn't offend Jiuli Valley, offend two True Monarchs, and offend a Tier 4 alchemy grandmaster just for True Monarch Yinxiao's sake.
But the situation was different now. With the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's expeditionary army bearing down on their borders, Wujian Hall had no choice.
Year 283. You were 300 years old.
You finally cultivated to the Peak Early Nascent Soul Stage. Magical power surged wildly within your body, and the main Nascent Soul sitting in your dantian was chubby and radiant, faintly emitting a soul-shaking spiritual pressure.
"Peak Early Nascent Soul Stage..." Your spirit surged with elation.
You had broken through to the Nascent Soul realm at 101 years old. You had now been cultivating in the Early Nascent Soul Stage for a full two hundred years.
Reaching the peak of the early stage in two hundred years was considered exceptionally fast among Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
As for the next step—advancing from the early peak to the middle stage—that hurdle obstructed over ninety percent of all Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
"Let's break through directly."
You didn't hesitate.
You had the Lotus Heart Seed to weaken the bottleneck restraints of the Nascent Soul realm, as well as a 4th-rank music grandmaster like Li Yan to perfect your state of mind.
Add to that your status as a Tier 4 alchemy grandmaster, which allowed you to prepare numerous pills to assist with the breakthrough.
There was no need for you to worry about failing the breakthrough and stagnating in hesitation like other True Monarchs at the early peak.
In your eyes, stepping into the Mid Nascent Soul Stage was a high-probability event.
One month later, after fully adjusting your condition, you directly began your charge toward the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.
Wujian Hall.
True Monarch Qianhuan and True Monarch Yinxiao walked out.
"True Monarch Yinxiao, are you telling the truth? Are you truly willing to personally go to the battlefield and deploy your corpse puppet army to block the first wave of the Dazhou expeditionary army's offensive?"
True Monarch Qianhuan looked at True Monarch Yinxiao, asking for confirmation once more.
Ever since news of the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's expeditionary army spread among the True Monarch circles in the Wujian Region, the vast majority of True Monarchs were unwilling to face the dynasty's initial wave of assault.
Wujian Hall couldn't exactly force them, so they could only offer heavy rewards to persuade two outside True Monarchs. Combined with their own, they barely managed to scrape together enough True Monarchs for the battlefield.
Now that True Monarch Yinxiao was volunteering, True Monarch Qianhuan naturally felt a surge of pleasant surprise.
"I am."
True Monarch Yinxiao nodded, his gaze dark and cold. "I have only one condition."
"And that is to reclaim my Tier 4 corpse puppet."
He stared straight at True Monarch Qianhuan.
"Reclaiming that Tier 4 corpse puppet..."
True Monarch Qianhuan fell into deep thought. That Tier 4 corpse puppet was currently in your hands.
Having acted as a mediator last time, she knew you had no intention of handing the corpse puppet over.
True Monarch Qianhuan glanced at True Monarch Yinxiao, weighing the price of agreeing to his terms.
Using Wujian Hall's deterrent power to force you to surrender the Tier 4 corpse puppet ran the risk of completely offending you.
However, it would net them a True Monarch-level enforcer like True Monarch Yinxiao.
He had already cultivated another Tier 4 corpse puppet. If he regained the one in your possession as well...
It would be equivalent to commanding the combat strength of three True Monarchs all by himself.
Such an existence on the battlefield against the Dazhou expeditionary army would help Wujian Hall shoulder a significant amount of pressure.
And completely offending you... was merely a possibility. If they offered goodwill to smooth things over afterward, there might still be a chance to mend the rift.
In almost an instant, True Monarch Qianhuan had weighed the pros and cons. A smile blossomed on her face. "Alright, then True Monarch Yinxiao, come with me to Jiuli Mountain."
"Excellent..."
True Monarch Yinxiao's heart thrilled with excitement, already visualizing the Tier 4 corpse puppet returning to his grasp.
A few days later.
True Monarch Qianhuan and True Monarch Yinxiao arrived outside Jiuli Mountain.
Just as True Monarch Qianhuan was about to announce their visit—
At that very moment, a massive spiritual energy vortex formed above Jiuli Valley.
It relentlessly gathered the vast spiritual energy from the surroundings.
Spiritual energy billowed like an ocean, and a spiritual pressure far surpassing the Early Nascent Soul Stage erupted outward.
"Is this... an Early Stage dharma cultivator True Monarch breaking through to the Mid Stage?"
True Monarch Qianhuan's pupils violently contracted.
"Mid Nascent Soul Stage..."
Beside her, True Monarch Yinxiao's expression shifted drastically in sheer disbelief. There was only one dharma cultivator True Monarch in Jiuli Valley—you.
In other words, the True Monarch stepping into the Mid Nascent Soul Stage was you.
A wave of despair flooded True Monarch Yinxiao's heart. He had paid a grievous price and leveraged the perfect timing and circumstances just to convince Wujian Hall to pressure you.
Now that you had stepped into the Mid Nascent Soul Stage, his schemes had completely fallen through. There was absolutely no way Wujian Hall would offend a Mid Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch for a corpse dao Nascent Soul like him.
A Mid Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch was already capable of roaming unchallenged across the Eastern Wilderness. Taking one more step forward would mean standing at the very pinnacle of the Human Realm.
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