"Old monster, when you were dwelling within the puppet, didn't you ever consider transferring your spirit further away from the body? You created this method with your own intelligence—shouldn't it have been relatively easy?" Han Li remained silent for a moment, then spoke softly. "Do you think my 'Spirit Transference Technique' is simple? Back then, I believed myself exceptionally intelligent, with no one able to match me, so I was constantly distracted. I not only developed the Daxian Decision, a secret technique that strengthens one's spiritual awareness, but also founded the Qianzhu Sect and rediscovered the art of puppetry, which had long since been lost in the southern heavens. Simply these achievements consumed half of my lifespan. Moreover, I had to simultaneously refine my cultivation techniques to reach the late Yuan婴 stage, so as to dominate my region and remain undefeated." "To dominate one's region and remain undefeated?" Han Li looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Do you think I'm exaggerating? When I first achieved mastery, I was always humble and proud, choosing only to challenge well-known cultivators and never sharing my accomplishments with others." Therefore, at that time, only the very top-tier cultivators knew my name. As for the two elderly masters renowned as the foremost cultivators of the Celestial South's Zheng and Mo traditions, they were merely my defeated opponents. After I defeated them, they bowed humbly, even willingly ceding the westernmost region to me as the foundation of my sect, and withdrawing their entire forces from this area. Otherwise, wouldn't you think that a mere desert could prevent the cultivators of the Celestial South from reaching the western lands? After all, the western region, though relatively underdeveloped, still encompasses the territory of two states—enough to accommodate numerous great sects. The Grand Divine Sovereign spoke with a clear sense of pride as he said this. "The western lands—were they established by your efforts?" Han Li asked, now speechless. "Not only that, I compelled these two elders to personally swear an oath: for a period of ten thousand years, none of their disciples or descendants shall be allowed to enter the western lands." The elder grew even more self-assured. "Given their status, such compliance is quite remarkable. Han Li's mouth twitched slightly, and he found himself hard pressed to believe what he was hearing. "No. I will wipe out their disciples and apprentices clean. Do you think I'm some timid, fussing person? As for relying on numbers and strength to surround and attack me—I have crafted over a thousand puppets, none of whom are ordinary. Yet, to this day, neither the Zheng nor the Mo sects have seized the far western lands. This does surprise me. Perhaps the Zheng and Mo cultivators truly still uphold their ancestors' words and commitments." The Dàyǎn Divine Sovereign felt somewhat puzzled. Han Li remained silent. This old man wasn't just exaggerating—he had truly been eccentric back then. The over a thousand puppets he mentioned, even if all were at the Foundation Stage, would have been enough to send anyone reeling. Whether the Zheng and Mo sects refrained from advancing into the far west due to their original vows, or simply because the region was geographically remote and resource-poor, making it impractical to pay much attention—Han Li didn't feel the need to ponder it further. It had nothing to do with him now. Han Li was deeply startled, yet in his mind, he heard the elder's sigh. "When I finally achieved all this and believed myself at the pinnacle of the immortal realm, I realized I had made a fatal mistake. My life span is limited, yet I still remain in the late Yuan Ying stage. Even with my extraordinary talent and intellect, the remaining two hundred years simply aren't enough to enable me to transcend from the late Yuan Ying stage into the Hua Shen stage. If only I had focused entirely on the Puppet Technique from the beginning, and hadn't tried to invent my own cultivation method, I am certain entering the Hua Shen stage would have been quite achievable. Otherwise, I would have already ascended to the spiritual realm long ago. Instead, I've been trapped in this puppet body for over ten thousand years, now facing the imminent risk of my spirit dispersing." The tone of Da Yan's Divine Sovereign deepened, sounding somewhat discouraged. Hearing this, Han Li pressed his lips together, his eyes rolling with impatience, even a touch of envy welling up within him. Ordinary monks find it extremely difficult even to achieve the stage of Qi Condensation or to form a Yuan婴, yet for the old master, entering the stage of Huashen seems rather straightforward. If this is indeed true, then this person truly is a prodigy of extraordinary caliber. Even calling him a rare talent appearing once in a millennium would be an understatement. Only after countless failures did the Grand Lord of Daxian finally establish the Spirit-Transference Technique—this unprecedented secret art. "Even giving up most of my cultivation, merely to keep my consciousness floating upon a puppet, living like a corpse for ten thousand years," remarked the Grand Lord of Daxian, his voice tinged with a cold smile. "You don't understand," interjected Han Li, with a half-smiling, half-ironic tone. "I was running out of time. I had only completed half of the Spirit-Transference Technique when I was forced to use it. As a result, I now find myself in this state. When I finally attached myself to the specially crafted puppet, I was surprised to discover that my entire cultivation had not been fully consumed as expected. Only my spiritual abilities remained somewhat functional. Yet, even the most basic dream of allowing my true spirit to depart was utterly impossible. Moreover, the inner chamber where I now reside is protected by an exceptionally powerful array and guarded by over a hundred puppet attendants. Without my physical body or any remaining spiritual power, I no longer possess even the means to unlock the seals or summon the puppets." Moreover, fearing that my enemies would come seeking revenge, I have never revealed the location of that inner chamber to anyone else. Even the disciples and subordinates who have reached the Ji Dan stage of cultivation are utterly unable to find it. As a result, I have been trapped here for over ten thousand years. Had I not been a puppet body and had not stored a considerable amount of spiritual stones within the chamber, I would have already vanished completely. As I spoke, the gaze of the Great Eye Sovereign grew steadily colder. Han Li furrowed his brows, somewhat puzzled, but after a moment of easing his expression, asked, "Old fellow, why are you so talkative today? In the past, whenever I wanted to ask you about events from those days, you always gave me the cold shoulder, always lounging indolently. But today, you're willing to be so detailed and thorough." "Hmph! I don't have to talk to you—I can talk to anyone else. Since you've cultivated the Da Yan Technique, you can now be considered one of my disciples. Moreover, if it weren't for you entering the inner chamber of the Qianzhu Sect and finding me nearly on my last breath, I would have surely disint Even if my puppet body remains unspoiled for ten thousand years, my spiritual essence, deprived of genuine nourishment from a true physical form for a prolonged period, has now reached its final stage—like a lamp burning out at last. I never expected you, young lad, to be so perceptive. You immediately noticed the difference between me and the other puppets, and launched your attack on me first, nearly taking my life. Elder said, as if still indignant. "You launched your attack first? Had it not been for your sudden assault using that absurd Seven Emotions Technique, I would have remained unmoved, even if I sensed something unusual about your puppet form. Unprepared, I found myself in a predicament where both my second true embryo and you were caught between a rock and a hard place. Indeed, you can use the Seven Emotions Technique to inflame my second embryo, causing it to erupt uncontrollably. Yet, I can also command my primary embryo to employ the assimilation technique, resulting in the simultaneous dissolution of both your spiritual essence and my second embryo." Han Li countered with no hesitation. "How could I have known that this young creature, so seemingly insignificant, had already achieved a second true embryo so early in his cultivation To be honest, at that time, I had not even a single spell of power aside from my consciousness—my actions were merely for self-preservation. "The Great Derivation Sovereign found no fault in this, and spoke with unwavering confidence. This time, Han Li fell silent, unwilling to respond. "Well, let's set this aside for now. What I didn't expect was that you possessed such a precious treasure—the Soul-Nourishing Tree. Otherwise, if I had captured you, I would have vanished from this world within a year or so. It's truly a case of mutual benefit and adversity. "The Great Derivation Sovereign paused, speaking with a touch of self-mockery. "I lent you the Soul-Nourishing Tree because you promised to teach me the final three layers of the Great Derivation Technique. Moreover, I've always been deeply interested in your method of creating puppets. After all, over the past ten thousand years, you've spent most of your time either in long-term dormancy or immersed in the study of puppetry. Since I've been practicing your Great Derivation Technique, I won't overlook puppetry either. This is simply a mutual agreement between us." Han Li simply stopped walking, speaking "Haha, Han—boy! I've come to truly appreciate you more and more. Back in my day, I never cared much for those who spoke one thing but thought another. Had it not been for your rather poor aptitude, I simply couldn't have mastered my own cultivation techniques. In fact, I'd genuinely like to take you as my disciple and pass on all my accumulated knowledge to you." The Dàyǎn Immortal laughed heartily in Han Li's mind. I'm already satisfied with having obtained the Great Derivation Technique and those puppet arts—this makes my journey to the far west worthwhile. Still, I find it somewhat puzzling: why didn't you pass on the genuine later three layers of the Great Derivation Technique to your disciples, instead opting for a somewhat vague, artificial version? Although somewhat disappointed, Han Li shifted his tone and asked with genuine curiosity. "As for your disciples—those who once belonged to the academy centuries ago, not a single one has advanced to the Yuan Ying stage. None of them can succeed me. Therefore, I've retained the later three layers of the Great Derivation Technique for them, only to bring misfortune upon them. Indeed, you weren't even a disciple of my Thousand Bamboo Sect, yet you've already received the earlier layers of the technique. It seems I truly had foresight." The Great Derivation Sovereign murmured, impressed.