Han Li looked at the mobilization order signed by the sect leaders of the Seven Sects, which authorized the conscription of wandering disciples. His heart sank with frustration!
The order had to be genuine, because the spiritual seal of each sect leader could never be forged. Yet he had no desire to simply comply.
From the messenger's words, Han Li had already learned of the Six Devilish Sects' invasion. He knew that a great catastrophe for the cultivators of the Kingdom of Yue was inevitable.
Whether the Seven Sects of Yue could survive this crisis remained to be seen, but the number of cultivators who would fall was certain to reach the thousands. Even Core Formation cultivators would likely suffer Core Shattering and Death.
Upon hearing this shocking news, all Han Li wanted to do was return to his cave dwelling immediately and enter seclusion for several decades before emerging again.
But he knew this was nothing more than a pipe dream. As a disciple of the Seven Sects, extricating himself from such a massive conflict would be far from easy.
While Han Li was lost in thought, the Veiled Moon Sect cultivator who had announced his conscription was smiling brightly at him:
"Has this junior brother reviewed the order? Could you now provide your name and cultivation level? We'll be working together from now on!"
Han Li steadied himself, looked at the man, and then glanced at the thirty-odd cultivators behind him. Among them, only three had reached Foundation Establishment, while the rest were mere Qi Refinement stage disciples. This put him slightly more at ease—at the very least, it didn't look like they were being sent on some high-difficulty mission.
Thinking this through, Han Li cupped his fists and said:
"Han Li of Yellow Maple Valley, early Foundation Establishment!"
Although they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators and their cultivation levels were readily apparent, politeness dictated that Han Li state it honestly. After all, the other party was at late Foundation Establishment—his cultivation was significantly higher, and Han Li had no intention of offending him casually.
But then, Han Li asked with some puzzlement:
"How could you be certain of my identity? You stopped me directly and presented the mobilization order. Was it merely based on this Yellow Maple Valley robe?"
Han Li had originally spotted this group of Blade Transformation Dock and Veiled Moon Sect cultivators and intended to detour around them and flee, but this sharp-eyed fellow had flashed across the distance and appeared at his side in an instant, blocking his path and announcing his conscription.
"Heh heh! I actually caught a glimpse of you during the Blood Trial last time! I didn't expect that after just a few years, Brother Han has successfully reached Foundation Establishment—truly cause for celebration!" The Veiled Moon Sect man, who appeared to be in his thirties, smiled faintly and said something that greatly surprised Han Li.
"You...?"
Only after hearing this did Han Li realize the man did indeed seem familiar—he had seen him during the Blood Trial!
"My name is Xuan Le, one of the external affairs managers of the Veiled Moon Sect. Last time, when I accompanied Martial Aunt Ni Chang to lead the team, I personally witnessed Brother Han's shocking display!" The man chuckled lightly, his words carrying deeper meaning.
Only then did Han Li suddenly recall that this person had been one of the four Foundation Establishment leaders of the Veiled Moon Sect at the time, but he hadn't paid much attention then, so his impression was somewhat hazy. But on second thought, Han Li felt a chill of alarm—back then it had only been a brief encounter. The fact that this man could recognize him from such a distance was truly hard to believe.
"I understand. Brother Han, rushing along like this, surely has urgent matters to attend to. However, the task I've been assigned is severely short-handed, and I must ask for your assistance." Xuan Le's tone was very polite.
But upon hearing this, Han Li's mouth twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly in his mind:
"You're a late Foundation Establishment cultivator who has already produced the mobilization order. Even if I wanted to refuse, would that be possible? One word of objection and I'd have the label of disobedience slapped on me!"
Thinking this, Han Li glanced at the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators standing behind Xuan Le. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and reply:
"Since Senior Brother Xuan has said so, Han naturally obeys! However, I have an important matter that must be reported to my sect's master. I would ask Senior Brother Xuan to send someone to deliver the message!"
Han Li then recounted everything that had happened at Yanling Fortress in full detail, though he was vague about how he had personally escaped.
Even so, the account left Xuan Le and the others visibly shaken. They immediately dispatched two Qi Refinement stage disciples to deliver messages to the respective sects, then continued onward with Han Li, their expressions somewhat grim.
Given their strength, even knowing that the Yan family had colluded with the devilish path, they didn't dare march over to demand answers or attempt a rescue. They could only hand this hot potato off to whoever the Seven Sects sent next. Of course, the truth of Han Li's intelligence still needed to be verified by the reinforcements following behind.
During the journey, Han Li finally learned from Xuan Le's own mouth what their mission was—to reinforce a spirit stone mine with large reserves. The original guards were far too few to withstand a small raiding squad of devilish cultivators.
Learning that the mission wasn't to serve as cannon fodder in a head-on clash against the Six Devilish Sects, Han Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if he had managed to return to Yellow Maple Valley, he would likely have been dispatched immediately anyway, and the resulting assignment might not have been any better than this.
This mission still carried some risk, but as long as he was careful, the chances of returning unscathed were quite good. After all, their spirit stone mine was only one of the dozen or so larger ones. If the enemy wanted to raid the Seven Sects' mining sources, they would surely target the biggest ones first.
With this thought, Han Li's resistance naturally dissipated, and over the following days he grew considerably more familiar with Xuan Le and the other cultivators.
Several days later, their team of cultivators finally arrived at an enormous wasteland within the Kingdom of Yue. The spirit stone mine was located in a canyon over a hundred zhang deep within this wasteland.
The group flew directly into the canyon under Xuan Le's lead, guided through the concealment formations that masked it. Simultaneously, several cultivators from the Seven Sects flew out from within to greet them.
The original guard commander of the spirit mine was an elderly man at early Foundation Establishment, belonging to the Celestial Citadel. The remaining five or six people were only at the Qi Refinement level.
With such a thin defensive force, it was no wonder the upper echelons of the Seven Sects had been so frantic in dispatching reinforcements.
The old man, who introduced himself as Yu Xing, ushered them into a massive cave dwelling within the canyon. There, Han Li and the others listened as he provided a detailed account of the spirit stone mine's situation. Then, Xuan Le swiftly set about organizing the defenses.
He produced over a dozen array flags and array plates, instructing the cultivators to set up a Four-Fiend Formation capable of both offense and defense beneath the existing illusion array. He divided Han Li and the other cultivators into several groups, rotating them on patrol and sentry duty near the spirit mine to guard against enemy raids. Those not on duty could sit in meditation and cultivate their magical power.
Han Li was quite satisfied with Xuan Le's arrangements.
This way, he would have the time to properly address the gaps in his strength!
After his battle with the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master, Han Li had clearly realized that his previous methods—relying on speed and cunning to defeat opponents—were fundamentally insufficient to cope with vast disparities in actual power. Against a formidable opponent like the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master, everything he had once prided himself on appeared pale and feeble. Even the Talisman Treasure he had placed such high hopes in had nearly been seized by his opponent in a single move, failing to deliver the decisive finishing blow it had once provided.
If not for the Green Fire Miasma's poisonous cloud taking effect by sheer chance, he would likely already be buried beneath the yellow earth—and his soul might even have been captured by his opponent, subjected to endless torment. Just imagining such a fate worse than death sent a chill through Han Li's heart, cold air prickling up his spine!
The Great Blood Spirit Art, this supreme devilish path secret technique, had filled Han Li with genuine dread!
He knew full well that if he encountered that Ghost Spirit Sect young master again, he would likely only be able to stand there helpless and wait for death under the other's secret arts. Unless the Azure Origin Sword Art was cultivated to the Core Formation stage, its power would be fundamentally insufficient to match his opponent.
And during this chaotic period, with the Six Devilish Sects invading the Kingdom of Yue and the Seven Sects mounting their fierce counterattack, battles and slaughter between cultivators would likely become a daily occurrence. In such times, the pursuit of longevity seemed to have become secondary—the priority had shifted to rapidly increasing one's strength, ensuring one's survival amid the turmoil.
With this in mind, his original cultivation plan would need to be adjusted.
The Azure Origin Sword Art would be temporarily set aside. Instead, he intended to first cultivate the Grand Derivation Art, which could dramatically boost his strength.
Having witnessed the overwhelming power of mechanical puppets, Han Li believed that even completing just the first layer of the Grand Derivation Art would give him a degree of self-preservation capability. After all, he already had several dozen ready-made mechanical puppets on hand.
Of course, he would also need to study the Grand Derivation Puppet Scripture, hoping to learn how to construct some simple mechanical puppets in a short time. Only then could the Grand Derivation Art become a sustainable combat asset during his Foundation Establishment stage.
After turning this decision over in his mind several times, Han Li concluded that it was the right choice. During the time he was off duty, he began cultivating the Grand Derivation Art. At the same time, using the simple materials he had on hand, he started attempting to craft basic mechanical beasts—puppet creatures that could do nothing more than charge and bite, resembling little more than dolls.