Chapter 263: Strength

Han Li looked at the conscription order in his hand, signed by the various sect masters, and felt utterly frustrated.

The conscription order was undoubtedly authentic; the spiritual emblem of a sect master could not be faked. Yet, he truly did not want to comply with the order.

From the other person's words, Han Li had already learned about the invasion of the Six Devilish Sects and knew that a major catastrophe was inevitable for the cultivation world of Yue State.

Whether the Seven Sects of Yue State could survive this crisis was uncertain, but thousands of cultivators were sure to fall. Even Core Formation cultivators would likely suffer shattered cores and perish.

Upon hearing this startling news, Han Li's greatest desire was to immediately return to his cave dwelling and enter seclusion for several decades.

However, he knew this was mere wishful thinking. As a disciple of the Seven Sects, it wouldn't be easy to escape such a widespread conflict.

As Han Li pondered, the Masked Moon Sect male cultivator opposite him, who had just announced his conscription, now spoke with a beaming smile:

"Junior Brother, have you seen it clearly? Could you please state your name and cultivation level now? We'll be cooperating a lot in the future!"

Han Li composed himself, looked at the cultivator, and then glanced at the more than thirty cultivators behind him. Among them, only three were Foundation Establishment cultivators; the rest were merely Qi Condensation disciples. This put Han Li slightly at ease, as it didn't seem like they were embarking on a high-difficulty mission.

With this thought, Han Li cupped his fist and said:

"Han Li of Yellow Maple Valley, early Foundation Establishment!"

Although both were Foundation Establishment cultivators and their cultivation levels were obvious, Han Li politely stated his level. After all, the other party was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, significantly stronger than him, and he had no wish to easily offend them.

But then, Han Li asked with some doubt:

"Brother, how did you confirm my identity was legitimate? You just stopped me and immediately presented the conscription order. It couldn't have been just based on this Yellow Maple Valley attire, could it?"

Han Li had originally intended to bypass this group of cultivators from Blade Transformation Sect and Masked Moon Sect and make his escape. However, this incredibly sharp-eyed cultivator flashed a few times and instantly intercepted him, announcing his conscription.

"Haha! I caught a glimpse of Junior Brother during the last Blood-Red Trial! I never expected that after a few years, Junior Brother Han would have successfully established his foundation. This is truly delightful and congratulations are in order!" The Masked Moon Sect man, around thirty years old, smiled slightly and said something that greatly surprised Han Li.

"You are...?"

Only then, after the man's words, did Han Li find him somewhat familiar, as if he had indeed seen him during the Blood-Red Trial.

"My name is Xuan Le, one of the Masked Moon Sect's external stewards. Last time, when I accompanied Senior Aunt Ni Shang to lead the team, I personally witnessed Junior Brother Han's astonishing feat!" The man chuckled lightly, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

Only then did Han Li suddenly realize that this man was one of the four Foundation Establishment leaders of the Masked Moon Sect at the time. He hadn't paid much attention back then, which was why his impression was vague. However, Han Li then thought about it again and was somewhat startled. It had only been a brief encounter back then. It was truly unbelievable that this person could recognize him at a glance from such a distance.

"I understand that Junior Brother Han is in a hurry and must have other urgent matters. However, the task I need to perform is severely understaffed. I can only ask Junior Brother to assist a little," Xuan Le said politely.

Han Li's mouth twitched upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but think with a wry smile:

"You, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, have even produced the conscription order. Even if I wanted to refuse, could I? If I said no, a charge of insubordination would surely be placed on me!"

Thinking this, and glancing at the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators standing behind Xuan Le, he could only grit his teeth and reply:

"Since Senior Brother Xuan has said so, I, Han, will naturally obey! However, I still have an important matter to report to my sect master, and I hope Senior Brother Xuan can send someone to deliver the message!"

Han Li then recounted everything that had happened at Yanling Fort, fully and in detail, though he only vaguely touched upon how he had escaped.

Even so, Xuan Le and the others turned pale with shock. They immediately dispatched two Qi Condensation disciples to deliver messages to their respective sects, then, with somewhat grim expressions, continued their journey with Han Li.

Given their strength, even knowing the Yan family was colluding with the devilish path, they dared not launch an expedition to interrogate or rescue anyone. They could only pass this hot potato to others dispatched by the Seven Sects. Naturally, the veracity of Han Li's information would still need to be verified by those who followed.

During the journey, Han Li finally learned from Xuan Le that their mission was to reinforce a large spirit stone reserve, as the original guards were insufficient to withstand sneak attacks from small teams of devilish cultivators.

Knowing the mission wasn't to serve as cannon fodder and directly confront the Six Devilish Sects, Han Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, even if he could return to Yellow Maple Valley, he would probably be immediately dispatched again, and the task he'd receive might not be any better.

Although this mission still carried some danger, as long as he was careful, the possibility of returning unharmed was quite high. After all, this spirit stone mine was only one of the larger dozen or so, and if the enemy wanted to raid the Seven Sects' mine sources, they would likely target the largest ones first.

As Han Li thought this, his internal resistance naturally vanished, and over the next few days, he became quite familiar with Xuan Le and the other cultivators.

Several days later, their group of cultivators finally arrived at a vast wasteland within Yue State. The spirit stone mine was located within a large canyon, over a hundred zhang deep, inside the wasteland.

Under Xuan Le's lead, the group flew directly into the canyon, which was concealed by a formation array. At the same time, several cultivators from the Seven Sects flew out from the location to greet them.

The original head of the spirit mine's guards was an elderly man in the early Foundation Establishment stage, belonging to Skyfall Fort. The other five or six individuals were merely at the Qi Condensation level.

Given such a weak guarding force, it was no wonder the higher-ups of the Seven Sects were so anxious to dispatch reinforcements.

The elderly man, who introduced himself as Yu Xing, led them into a huge cavern within the canyon. There, Han Li and the others listened as he explained the detailed situation of the spirit stone mine. Afterward, Xuan Le efficiently set up the defenses.

He took out a dozen or so formation flags and discs, instructing the cultivators to set up a Four Fiends Array—capable of both offense and defense—beneath the existing illusion formation. He then divided Han Li and the other cultivators into several groups to take turns guarding and patrolling near the spirit mine, preventing sneak attacks. Cultivators not on duty could meditate and cultivate their magic power.

Han Li was quite satisfied with Xuan Le's arrangements.

This way, he would have time to properly address the deficiencies in his strength!

After the intense battle with the Ghost Spirit Sect's Young Master, Han Li clearly felt that his previous method of relying on swift movement and strategy to defeat enemies was utterly insufficient to cope with a huge disparity in strength. When facing a formidable character like the Ghost Spirit Sect's Young Master, everything he had previously relied on seemed pale and powerless; even his highly anticipated Talisman Treasure was almost taken away by the opponent in one move, failing to reproduce its usual decisive wondrous effect.

If not for the unexpected effectiveness of the "Azure Flame Miasma" venom cloud, he would likely have been buried beneath the earth long ago, and his soul might even have been captured and subjected to endless torment. The thought of such a terrifying fate, worse than death, sent a shiver down Han Li's spine, and cold air seemed to rise within him.

Han Li had developed a profound fear of top-tier devilish secret arts like Blood Spirit.

He knew very well that if he were to encounter the Ghost Spirit Sect's Young Master again, he would likely only be able to surrender and await death under the opponent's secret art. Furthermore, unless the Azure Essence Sword Art was cultivated to the Core Formation stage, its divine abilities would be utterly insufficient to contend with such an opponent.

During this chaotic period, with the Six Devilish Sects invading Yue State and the Seven Great Sects rising to resist, conflicts and battles among cultivators would likely become commonplace. In such a time, the pursuit of immortality seemed to have become secondary; instead, rapidly increasing one's strength to preserve one's life amidst the turmoil had become the primary goal.

As a result, his originally planned cultivation steps would have to be altered.

The Azure Essence Sword Art had to be temporarily set aside, and he intended to first cultivate the "Great Evolution Art," which could significantly enhance his strength.

After witnessing the formidable power of mechanical puppets, Han Li believed that even mastering only the first layer of the Great Evolution Art would be enough to grant him a certain degree of self-preservation, especially since he already possessed dozens of ready-made mechanical puppets.

Of course, he also needed to study the Puppet Sutra, hoping to be able to create some simple mechanical puppets in a short time. Only then could the Great Evolution Art become a sustained combat strength for him during the Foundation Establishment stage.

After repeatedly pondering it, Han Li felt that his decision was sound. He began cultivating the "Great Evolution Art" during his off-duty hours. Concurrently, he used some simple materials he had on hand to start attempting to create basic mechanical beasts—puppets that would merely lunge and bite, resembling dolls.