Chapter 233: You Are Not a Top-Tier Great Cultivator

As the origin and peak of puppet craftsmanship in the Human Realm, Tiangong Island frequently welcomed visiting puppet grandmasters.

However, ninety percent of these visiting grandmasters were Fourth-Tier Lower-Grade Puppet Grandmasters. As for Fourth-Tier Middle-Grade Puppet Grandmasters? They were exceedingly rare.

And while the puppet you possessed was only Rank 4 Lower Grade, the craftsmanship and the patterns inscribed on its surface to channel its power were not something a Fourth-Tier Lower-Grade Puppet Grandmaster could achieve—at least in the eyes of the long-bearded old man.

"Has fellow Daoist's puppet craftsmanship crossed into the Rank 4 Middle Grade?" the long-bearded old man asked directly, his tone filled with curiosity.

"Just luck," you said with a faint smile. Since you were here to exchange pointers on the Dao, you naturally needed to reveal your true puppet craftsmanship. There was no need to hide it.

"No wonder," the long-bearded old man said, his expression turning slightly solemn as he continued to observe the puppet you possessed.

Most Fourth-Tier Middle-Grade Puppet Grandmasters were gathered on Tiangong Island. There weren't many at this level in the outside world. Just what was the true identity of this mysterious Fourth-Tier Middle-Grade Puppet Grandmaster possessing this puppet?

"I came this time to discuss puppet craftsmanship with my fellow Daoists on Tiangong Island," you explained your purpose.

"Welcome, welcome," the long-bearded old man immediately stood up and declared.

Half a day later.

All the free puppet grandmasters on Tiangong Island had gathered in the great hall.

"Everyone, this is a Rank 4 Middle Grade puppet I crafted. Please share your insights." You brought out the Rank 4 Middle Grade puppet you had made. Since this was an exchange of pointers, the work naturally had to speak for itself. A puppet grandmaster's skills and methods were all reflected in their creations.

"Marvelous, marvelous, marvelous!"

"This Tier 4 Puppet you forged utilizes a rather profound mastery of array formations. Could it be that fellow Daoist is also a Tier 4 array grandmaster?"

"It's a pity, but this puppet has a few flaws in its spiritual energy circulation..."

"Fusing the Dao of arrays with the Dao of puppets is truly a brilliant approach."

One by one, the puppet grandmasters stared at your Rank 4 Middle Grade puppet with shining eyes, occasionally offering suggestions or muttering to themselves. You stood to the side, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

"Given your areas of expertise, I believe focusing on emulation will be crucial if you want to forge a Fourth-Tier Upper-Grade Puppet," the long-bearded old man said.

"Emulation?" You understood what the old man meant.

In the Dao of puppets, emulation was a specific school of thought. It meant crafting puppets to mimic and approximate human cultivators as closely as possible. As the strongest race in the Human Realm, the physical structure of humans possessed unique advantages in bearing spiritual energy and magical power. Since human cultivators could give rise to Great Cultivators of the Late Nascent Soul Stage and even Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs, designing puppets to mimic the human body as closely as possible was undoubtedly the right path.

"I see." Dawning comprehension washed over your face; this had indeed provided you with a new direction.

Several days later, your exchange with the numerous puppet grandmasters of Tiangong Island drew to a close.

"We have benefited immensely from this exchange, and we'll need time to properly digest it all." The puppet grandmasters wore satisfied expressions. This discussion hadn't just been fruitful for you; they had gained much from it as well.

"Alright." You also planned to head back and test the new inspirations and ideas you had just formed.

Finally, you made an agreement with the grandmasters of Tiangong Island to return for an exchange every ten years. The doors of Tiangong Island would always be open to you.

Back at the Heavenly Talisman Sect, you immediately set about crafting new puppets. After your trip to Tiangong Island, your inspiration in the Dao of puppets was overflowing.

In the one hundred and sixteenth year, you were one hundred and thirty-three years old.

Inside your immortal cave, you immersed yourself entirely in crafting a Fourth-Tier Upper-Grade Puppet.

"Almost done." You looked at the humanoid puppet before you, a flood of insights and gains surfacing in your mind.

"It's time." You reined in your thoughts and pulled your attention away from the puppet.

Calculating the time, the Lingxu Blessed Land was about to open.

The Lingxu Blessed Land was one of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands in the Central Continent, created in ancient times by a body cultivation Heavenly Monarch. It was rich in body cultivation resources, and it was also one of your goals for this simulation.

Your Body Refining cultivation was still stuck at the Rank 4 Mid Stage. If you wanted to cross into the Fourth-Order Late Stage or even the late-stage Peak, relying solely on yourself? That would be incredibly difficult.

The master of the Lingxu Blessed Land was the Sacred Body Sect, one of the 'Two Bodies'. The 'Two Bodies' referred to two major body-cultivating factions: the Extreme Dao Pavilion and the Sacred Body Sect.

"This opening of the Lingxu Blessed Land will attract three top-tier Great Cultivators and several Great Cultivators of the Late Stage. A top-tier Body Refining Great Cultivator from the Sacred Body Sect is personally guarding the entrance, and they have secretly invited a top-tier Body Refining Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion to assist..." Drawing from the experience of your fifth simulation, you had a very clear grasp of the situation surrounding the Lingxu Blessed Land's opening.

Of course, this understanding was limited to the fifth simulation. As for this simulation? Because you had taken action decades ago and caused a ripple effect, there was a certain chance that it had introduced unprecedented variables to the opening of the Lingxu Blessed Land.

The entrance to the Lingxu Blessed Land was located in a valley. The space near the valley felt oppressive, clearly suppressed by a grand array.

Great Cultivator Mangu stood nearly three meters tall. Even with his vitality retracted, an invisible, terrifying aura permeated the surroundings, enough to suffocate an ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch.

As a top-tier Body Refining Great Cultivator, Great Cultivator Mangu's strength was absolutely terrifying. He was an ancient, pure body cultivator who possessed the Indestructible Golden Body. His numerous body cultivation divine abilities were all highly geared toward offense.

"This opening of the blessed land will attract another batch of rats..." Great Cultivator Mangu swept a disdainful glance into the distance. He possessed a body cultivation divine ability specialized in perception, allowing him to sense the approaching auras of Great Cultivators from afar.

He was already used to it. Every time the Lingxu Blessed Land opened, it drew Great Cultivators hiding their identities, and top-tier Great Cultivators were never lacking among them.

The resources within the Lingxu Blessed Land could significantly enhance one's Body Refining strength. And Body Refining... whether they were dharma cultivators, body cultivators, or Great Cultivators of other paths, they all needed it. The physical body was the foundation. In the Three Trials of Deity Transformation, particularly during the Five Elements Lightning Tribulation, a powerful physique increased the chances of surviving. It was precisely because of this that the opening of the Lingxu Blessed Land attracted the covetous eyes of multiple top-tier Great Cultivators who would step in to vie for its treasures.

'For this opening, I've invited a top-tier Body Refining Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion to hide in the shadows. Coupled with the grand array's obstruction, even if four or five top-tier Great Cultivators attack together, we can hold them off for a while—long enough to harvest the numerous resources inside the blessed land,' Great Cultivator Mangu thought to himself. Since he knew perfectly well that this event would draw out top-tier Great Cultivators, he had naturally made preparations to guard against them.

As a member of the faction controlling the Lingxu Blessed Land, Great Cultivator Mangu held the geographic advantage. Even if the grand array was breached, he could still enter the blessed land first, guaranteeing the largest haul for himself.

Thousands of miles away, three figures stood silently in the sky, gazing at the distant Lingxu Blessed Land. This particular direction and location corresponded to a relatively weak area in the grand array arranged around the blessed land, which was why these three figures had gathered here.

Though the three figures had deeply concealed their auras, their presence clashed invisibly, revealing the power of top-tier Great Cultivators.

"Everyone." The figure standing on the left was none other than the Purple-Eyed True Monarch. He had already crossed into the Late Nascent Soul Stage and possessed the strength of a top-tier Great Cultivator.

"With the strength of us three, breaking through the grand array won't be difficult. It's merely a question of how much we harvest. Going forward, should we join forces and drive off any other top-tier Great Cultivators who approach?" the Purple-Eyed True Monarch asked.

The resources within the Lingxu Blessed Land were limited. Even if they breached the grand array, they definitely wouldn't be able to stop the Sacred Body Sect's top-tier Great Cultivator from entering first. A vast majority of the resources inside would undoubtedly fall into the hands of the Sacred Body Sect, leaving the rest to be divided among these top-tier Great Cultivators. Every additional top-tier Great Cultivator meant a smaller share of the resources. Thus, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch took the initiative to propose an alliance to repel any latecomers.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist is quite confident. Are you that certain we can breach the grand array?" The one standing on the right was True Monarch Huanye. Also a top-tier Great Cultivator, she specialized in soul illusion arts and ranked fifth among the list of the Ten Great Bandit Cultivators.

The top-tier Great Cultivator in the middle didn't speak, his gaze quietly fixed on the Purple-Eyed True Monarch. Even if they were to fight among themselves, it would only happen after the blessed land's entrance opened and they went inside. The blessed land hadn't even opened yet. They didn't even know if they could breach the grand array in a short time, so why start infighting now? No one who could cultivate to the level of a top-tier Great Cultivator was a fool.

"Hahaha, I specially prepared three Quasi-Tier 5 Restriction-Breaking Talismans. Tearing through the grand array won't be an issue." Since the Purple-Eyed True Monarch dared to make such a claim, he was naturally fully prepared. The trip to the Tianzhu Grotto-Heaven a century ago had taught him the importance of restriction-breaking talismans. Upon returning to the Great Snow Mountain this time, he went out of his way to pay a massive price for these three Quasi-Tier 5 Restriction-Breaking Talismans.

These three Quasi-Tier 5 Restriction-Breaking Talismans originated from the Demon Abyss Realm and couldn't be traced in the Human Realm.

The Purple-Eyed True Monarch hadn't been in the Late Nascent Soul Stage for long. Even if he possessed the combat prowess of a top-tier Great Cultivator through special means, it was impossible for him to be a match for the Sacred Body Sect's top-tier Body Refining Great Cultivator. That was exactly why he sought out allies.

"Restriction-breaking talismans of Quasi-Tier 5 quality? And three of them at that?" True Monarch Huanye gave a slight nod. With those three talismans, tearing apart the grand array outside the blessed land shouldn't pose any problem.

"In that case, we will do as fellow Daoist suggests," spoke the top-tier Great Cultivator in the middle. His title was True Monarch Wugan, ranked fourth on the list of the Ten Great Bandit Cultivators. He specialized in domain suppression methods, using boundless magical power to crush everything in his path.

The Purple-Eyed True Monarch's proposal worked in their favor, so they naturally wouldn't refuse.

Time passed, and more than ten days slipped by in the blink of an eye.

The opening of the Lingxu Blessed Land drew closer by the second.

Right at this moment, another figure appeared. Dressed in black robes, he was deep and mysterious, wearing a Black Gold Mask while exuding tyrannical fluctuations of magical power.

"Hm?" True Monarch Huanye, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch, and True Monarch Wugan all looked over, their expressions changing slightly.

"It's True Monarch Golden Face?"

"This person only struck once a century ago. To think he would also come for the opening of the Lingxu Blessed Land."

True Monarch Wugan was secretly shocked. In that battle at the Tianzhu Grotto-Heaven a century ago, the strength this True Monarch Golden Face displayed was that of a top-tier dharma cultivation Great Cultivator.

You swept a glance over the three figures, entirely unsurprised.

As an array grandmaster, you naturally noticed that this specific location was the weakest area in the formations surrounding the Lingxu Blessed Land. It was completely normal for people to gather here.

Because you had been deeply engrossed in studying puppet craftsmanship, and because you knew the exact time the Lingxu Blessed Land would open, you hadn't rushed over ahead of time. Instead, you arrived right at the final moments before the blessed land opened.

"True Monarch Golden Face..." The Purple-Eyed True Monarch's eyes narrowed slightly. When the Tianzhu Grotto-Heaven opened, he had walked away with nothing precisely because of you. Naturally, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch harbored zero goodwill toward you.

"Everyone, let's proceed as we just discussed. This True Monarch Golden Face excels in speed. With him around, we won't get much of a harvest," the Purple-Eyed True Monarch immediately transmitted to the other two top-tier Great Cultivators.

Setting aside their grudges from the Tianzhu Grotto-Heaven, your advantage in speed made the Purple-Eyed True Monarch feel threatened. He planned to drive you off before the Lingxu Blessed Land even opened.

True Monarch Huanye and True Monarch Wugan exchanged a glance. As top-tier Great Cultivators, they considered things entirely from the angle of their own interests. They concluded that joining forces to deal with you was the most beneficial course of action for them.

As fellow top-tier Great Cultivators fighting three against one, forcing you to retreat—even if they couldn't heavily injure you—wouldn't be a problem at all.

As for whether they would offend you? What a joke. Which of the Great Cultivators on the Ten Great Bandit Cultivators list didn't have enemies everywhere? Besides, these weren't their true identities anyway, so what was there to fear?

"You all?" You immediately sensed the killing intent leaking from the three top-tier Great Cultivators.

"Thinking of joining forces against me?" You glanced at the Purple-Eyed True Monarch, faintly suspecting that he was the one pulling the strings.

"Fellow Daoist Golden Face, if you retreat immediately, we will not attack," True Monarch Wugan said with a smile.

As long as you left this area and faced the grand array in a stronger sector, your speed of entering the blessed land definitely wouldn't match theirs. That way, you naturally wouldn't pose any threat.

"Retreat now?" You looked at the three top-tier Great Cultivators and said calmly, "Are you even worthy?"

The moment those words left your mouth, True Monarch Wugan instantly realized that you were unwilling to leave.

With a mere thought, True Monarch Wugan unleashed his boundless magical power, forming a hundred-li domain that enveloped you.

Inside the domain, the inside was severed from the outside. The majestic magical power generated a terrifying pressure, enough to leave an ordinary Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivator unable to move a single inch.

True Monarch Huanye simply cast a glance at you, and a formless soul attack descended, shrouding your body. Even a top-tier Great Cultivator would have to expend a massive amount of mental effort to resist it, making it difficult for them to unleash their full strength.

"Die." Complex purple patterns surfaced between the Purple-Eyed True Monarch's brows. Behind him, a massive purple eye faintly materialized. A horrifying aura spread out, crashing down upon you in an instant.

"You planned this out beforehand?" The simultaneous attacks from the three top-tier Great Cultivators confirmed your suspicion that they had colluded in advance.

'Is it because I arrived late? So I missed out on the alliance?' you thought to yourself.

"Suppress!" True Monarch Wugan raised his hand, and the hundred-li domain churned. His thick magical power bore down on you like the collapse of heaven and earth.

'This True Monarch Golden Face actually isn't running?' True Monarch Wugan was puzzled. In the split second he unleashed his magical domain, you had the chance to escape.

Escaping early was also the most correct choice. Once trapped within the domain and facing a siege from three top-tier Great Cultivators, it wouldn't be as simple as just being driven away; you might end up severely wounded.

'There's a chance to severely wound him?' The Purple-Eyed True Monarch also instantly read the situation, feeling a surge of joy in his heart.

If they could heavily injure you, or better yet, force you to leave behind your physical body, that would naturally be for the best.

"Is that all?" you suddenly spoke. You remained standing exactly where you were, but in a blur, waves of magical power surged from you.

A fluctuation of magical power that completely eclipsed True Monarch Wugan's emerged, endlessly clashing with the surrounding magical domain. The latter rapidly collapsed in defeat. In an instant, a brand new magical domain formed, centered entirely on you.

Under this new magical domain, True Monarch Wugan's domain shattered on contact, completely unable to contend with it.

This scene left the three top-tier Great Cultivators somewhat dazed.

'My magical domain is actually collapsing this easily? Just how vast is this magical power? Is this still the magical power of the Nascent Soul Stage?' True Monarch Wugan couldn't believe it. Even if you had forcefully broken free of his domain and retreated unscathed, it wouldn't have left him this shocked and terrified.

To prop up a completely new magical domain from within his own, utterly crushing his magical power—how was that even possible?

Whoosh—Right at that moment, True Monarch Huanye's soul attack also landed, but it failed to affect you in the slightest.

"Run! He's not a top-tier Great Cultivator!" The moment True Monarch Wugan saw the magical domain centered on you endlessly expanding and crushing his own, his first instinct was to run.

If he didn't run now, once your magical domain fully took shape and replaced his, he wouldn't be able to escape even if he wanted to.

"Trying to run?" You took a step forward, raising your right hand and casually pressing down.

Rumble—

True Monarch Wugan's magical domain was instantly torn to shreds, detonating with a thunderous roar.

At the same time, you appeared a short distance away from True Monarch Wugan and casually delivered a slap.

True Monarch Wugan's expression changed drastically. He violently coughed up a mouthful of heart's blood, his aura plummeting. A bizarre energy flashed across the surface of his body as he barely managed to block your strike, fleeing into the distance at a terrifying speed.

"Go!" The Purple-Eyed True Monarch's scalp felt numb with terror, and his figure vanished in the blink of an eye.

You had long had your sights set on the Purple-Eyed True Monarch. Taking another step forward, your vast and mighty magical aura surged out as you directly clawed toward him.

Buzz—The Purple-Eyed True Monarch's figure blurred and abruptly vanished, replaced by a piece of withered wood.

You grabbed the withered wood. "A Substitution Technique?"

You looked toward True Monarch Huanye, who had already fled thousands of miles away, as terrifying soul energy surged from you.

"No—" True Monarch Huanye was struck as if by lightning. Her aura withered rapidly, and like a stray dog, she desperately forced herself to keep fleeing.

It was painfully obvious that True Monarch Huanye had been heavily injured by your soul strike.

At the entrance to the Lingxu Blessed Land, Great Cultivator Mangu also instantly felt the magical power fluctuations of top-tier Great Cultivators.

'They actually started fighting? Good, let them fight. It'd be best if a few of them were heavily injured, leaving them with no strength to enter the blessed land.' Great Cultivator Mangu was in an excellent mood. He watched from afar. 'That's True Monarch Wugan's magical domain. Which top-tier Great Cultivator just ran out of luck?'

Before he could even finish the thought, he saw the hundred-li magical domain directly detonate. True Monarch Wugan fled in sheer panic, only to be heavily injured by a casual slap from you.

Then, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch was forced to use a Substitution Technique, barely escaping your grasp with his life.

Even though True Monarch Huanye had already fled thousands of miles away, she was still heavily injured by your soul strike, letting out a sharp shriek in a truly miserable state.

"This is..." Great Cultivator Mangu was stunned, almost believing he had fallen into some sort of soul illusion.