Three Gates, Tier 4, Beast King's Counter

Three years later.

Lan Chang'an is 419 years old and has been back in Great Qing for seven years.

Due to geographical separation, most of the cultivators in the Dao Defense Alliance were unaware of the news that a Nascent Soul elder of the Thousand Mechanisms Cult Sect had perished.

Neither the Dao Defense Alliance nor the Beast King Valley showed much interest in or paid much attention to the Far East Badlands where the two religions were located.

The two sects are opposed to each other, with numerous forces, and Cultivation War are common. In every era, Nascent Soul True Lord have fallen. Even if people in other regions know the news, they don't care much, or they just speculate about which Cultivation Method water-based cultivator it is.

On this day, at the Evergreen Peak Daoist Field.

Secret Chamber, Lan Chang'an finished his daily practice of the Evergreen Art.

"Compared to the rapid progress of the Thousand Mechanisms Soul Derivation Art, the Evergreen Art has no follow-up Cultivation Method, making its cultivation efficiency far too low."

Lan Chang'an slowly finished his practice, sighing inwardly.

Back in Great Abyss and Cloud Glow Sect, the help of Fairy Zixia, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, could somewhat compensate for the shortcomings.

The cultivation efficiency was low, taking up a lot of Lan Chang'an's time each day. With skills like puppet making and talisman drawing, there wasn't much free time to tackle the more challenging aspects.

This was still because Lan Chang'an's Body Cultivator was stuck at the near-fourth level, unable to break through the bottleneck, and he hadn't spent time on this aspect.

Lan Chang'an has a long lifespan, so it's one thing if his cultivation efficiency is low, but the key issue is that he won't be able to advance to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

Fortunately, reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul Early Stage is still quite a long way off, and there is ample time to plan for subsequent Cultivation Method.

Over the past three years, my cultivation of the Thousand Mechanisms Soul Derivation Art has progressed rapidly.

The Puppet traditions and puppet control techniques of the past mainly came from the Thousand Mechanisms Cult, belonging to the same lineage.

Therefore, the initial transition was smooth and seamless, allowing him to cultivate to the Golden Core Realm level of the fourth layer of the <Thousand Mechanisms Soul Derivation Art>.

Even so, Lan Chang'an's progress was beyond reason, far surpassing that of Puppet Master Wei, a puppet-making genius.

Puppet Master Wei was faster than Elder Teng.

In terms of puppet-making talent alone, Lan Chang'an might not be as good as Puppet Master Wei, but his soul talent is much stronger.

In actual cultivation, Lan Chang'an also has two major advantages:

Firstly, one can gain experience and insights directly from Elder Teng's memories, avoiding many detours.

Secondly, in the case of Previous Life descending, the divine soul is stronger, which can enhance the cultivation effect of the <Thousand Mechanisms Soul Derivation Art> and extend the cultivation time.

The secret arts of the soul cause significant mental and physical depletion after each practice, and the recovery speed is much slower than that of Law Power.

Lan Chang'an, by descending through his Previous Life, can break this constraint, significantly improving both the effectiveness and the time required.

Even in a Second Life, there is a beneficial effect, perhaps related to the cyclical nature of the cycle.

Having cultivated the Thousand Mechanisms Soul Derivation Art to the fourth level, Lan Chang'an's Divine Sense had increased by nearly half a percent.

It may not seem like much, but relative to the spiritual foundation of Nascent Soul Cultivator, this improvement is already quite considerable.

From the fourth level onwards, most of the initial foundational transformations are completed, and the cultivation speed is not as exaggerated, but it is still enough to make the elders of the Thousand Mechanisms Cult Sect envious.

The most difficult level is the seventh level and above, which corresponds to the Nascent Soul stage. Elder Teng was stuck there for nearly a hundred years.

Lan Chang'an speculated that breaking through his bottleneck would be easier for him.

Besides his outstanding spiritual talent, after his Fourth Life, Lan Chang'an's spiritual power was comparable to the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. He possessed immense strength, making it easier for him to break through bottlenecks.

Moreover, when he reaches the peak of the sixth level, there will still be room for a slight increase in the strength of his Divine Sense.

End of daily training.

Lan Chang'an took out a Message Transmission Jade Pendant that shimmered with spiritual patterns and received a message from Zhang Tianfeng.

Without hesitation, he arrived at the Tianfeng Mountain Dao Field.

Inside the main hall, the two sat facing each other and talked, but their topic was not the Dao Defense Alliance.

"The Seven Nations Alliance's Demonic Path War has broken out again, which is not surprising to me. However, the fact that the ' Underworld Spring Sect,' the leader of the Six Demonic Sects, is providing some support shows their strong determination to overcome this tough nut to crack."

Lan Chang'an pondered for a moment, gazing in the direction of the Seven Nations Alliance.

Several years ago, he returned from the territory of the Seven Nations Alliance.

The spatial Array Node of the Listen-to-the-Sea Pavilion is also located within the territory of the Seven Nations Alliance.

"If the Seven Nations Alliance is completely conquered, even if Beast King Valley doesn't intervene, the Dao Defense Alliance will likely be thrown into a state of panic and lose its fighting spirit."

There was a look of worry in Zhang Tianfeng's eyes.

The Underworld Spring Sect was able to support the Blood Spirit Sect and the Illusion Demon Palace, and theoretically, it could also assist the Beast King Valley. The difference is that the Beast King Valley's strategy has been largely achieved, and it has taken control of the situation.

Once the Seven Nations Alliance is defeated, the Dao Defense Alliance will have little room to survive. At that time, the Blood Spirit Sect and the Illusion Demon Palace will be able to free up their resources and put enormous pressure on the Dao Defense Alliance from the sidelines.

"According to current information, the Six Demonic Sects have reached an agreement on the distribution of profits in the rear areas they occupy in the Eastern Region, and the reorganization is almost complete."

Zhang Tianfeng's expression was solemn, and he paused for a moment:

"Fortunately, the territory managed by the Underworld Spring Sect is large, so they can't spare all their resources. Currently, their support for the Seven Nations Alliance comes from two Nascent Soul True Lord, a dozen Core Formation True Person, and some high-level artisans."

"Hopefully, the Seven Nations Alliance can hold on, or at least not collapse."

Lan Chang'an gazed into the distance and murmured.

In fact, the Seven Nations Alliance was already struggling a hundred years ago.

Fortunately.

"True Lord Qingmu" suddenly rose to prominence, arriving at the Seven Nations Alliance, annihilating the Nascent Soul of the Demonic Path path, and changing the regional situation.

Otherwise, the Seven Nations Alliance would likely have lost vast territories and wouldn't have had the time to recover and regroup they've had in recent years.

"By the way, True Lord Lu, the materials for the Quasi-Tier 4 Puppet crafting that we agreed on a few years ago have been secretly prepared."

Zhang Tianfeng took out a Storage Bag.

"Good."

Lan Chang'an checked the materials and confirmed that everything was correct.

Previously, Zhang Tianfeng had helped refine and modify Law Treasure, Lan Chang'an had materials on credit, so he gave him this opportunity to make up for it.

Zhang Tianfeng instructed that the creation of this Puppet must be kept secret.

The future situation in the Great Qing Eastern Region is uncertain. A Quasi-Tier 4 Puppet can enhance a sect's foundation and strategic reserves. In critical moments, it may be able to cope with crises and reduce many losses.

Moon Empress.

Lan Chang'an created Quasi-Tier 4 Puppet that met Zhang Tianfeng's requirements.

This time, Lan Chang'an handled the creation alone, with Puppet Master Wei not providing any guidance throughout the process.

Perhaps due to his cultivation of the Thousand Mechanisms Soul Derivation Art, Lan Chang'an felt quite at ease, and the quality of the Quasi-Tier 4 Puppet he created was higher than expected.

"Daoist Lu's puppet-making skills have basically reached the fourth rank."

Puppet Master Wei offered an objective assessment.

Even this fourth-tier Puppet Master couldn't find any obvious flaws in the final product.

To hone his Puppet skills, Lan Chang'an used the valuable materials he had acquired in previous years to enhance the Strange Spirit Peacock Puppet and fill the gaps in the Puppet Army Formation.

The original Puppet Army Formation has been almost completely restored.

If we hadn't killed two Nascent Soul Old Monsters, Evil Shen and Elder Teng, the progress wouldn't have been this fast.

Puppet are actually consumables.

If a Puppet loses a battle, it will often be severely damaged, its quality will be downgraded, or it may even be destroyed on the spot.

For example, Elder Teng had previously self-destructed eight Puppet. In the battle to Demon Sealing, Lan Chang'an ultimately won by a narrow margin, and half of the Puppet Army Formation was destroyed.

Even in fierce battles where the forces are evenly matched, the Puppet will suffer damage and require materials to repair them.

Unless a very high win rate can be guaranteed and the loot and resources gained exceed the losses, the Puppet can not be continuously upgraded.

But just one crushing defeat or one major calamity could undo all the progress made.

Therefore, even the Thousand Mechanisms Cult could not possibly accumulate an infinite number of fourth-order Puppet.

In the short term, Lan Chang'an does not have enough fourth-tier materials to create a brand new fourth-tier Puppet.

Upgrading the Strange Spirit Peacock to Tier 4, along with the upgrades and modifications to [Nail-Head Arrow] and [Black Sky Wings], consumed too many precious materials for Lan Chang'an.

Furthermore, having too many Puppet would exceed Lan Chang'an's control limits.

In magical battles, Puppet and Law Treasure will consume a cultivator's Divine Sense; having more does not necessarily mean greater strength.

As Puppet Spirit, Puppet Master Wei controls a true fourth-order Puppet, and under special circumstances, he can help Lan Chang'an reduce some of the burden on his Divine Sense.

However, the Puppet Army Formation and the Strange Spirit Peacock inevitably bear a certain burden on their Divine Sense.

The current Puppet configuration is nearing its limit; adding more would hinder its effectiveness.

Lan Chang'an's future strategy is to improve the quality of the Puppet, rather than pursuing quantity.

Besides Puppet Refinement Art, Lan Chang'an's other fourth-tier skill is also about to reach the fourth tier.

Over the decades since advancing to the Nascent Soul, Lan Chang'an has accumulated a considerable amount of materials for Tier 4 Spirit Talisman talismans.

Some came from Demon Beast Devil Creature, and some from fourth-tier spirit wood. Both were obtained through hunting and trading, with the former accounting for a larger proportion.

This is a practice opportunity that other Talisman Master can only dream of.

With his Fourth Life incarnation possessing him, Lan Chang'an possessed a powerful Divine Sense. In recent years, the Tier 4 Spirit Talisman he created had reached the standard of a fourth-tier Talisman Master in terms of quality and success rate.

Once Lan Chang'an advances two more levels in the <Thousand Mechanisms Soul Derivation Art>, his control over his Divine Sense will become even more refined, and his talisman-making skills will be able to fully establish themselves at the fourth tier.

Unfortunately, Lan Chang'an did not receive any inheritance of Treasure Talisman of the fourth rank or higher.

However, talismans and Treasure Talisman share some similarities in their origins.

A talisman made from fourth-order spirit wood can also be nurtured with spirituality using the traditional methods of the <Evergreen Art>, but the improvement in its quality and power is very slow.

It can be nurtured into a high-quality product of the same level, but it is very difficult to upgrade its level.

Unless the spirit wood talisman embryo itself is a mid-grade fourth-order talisman, it would be easier to refine it into a low -Tier 4 Low-Grade.

Lan Chang'an speculated that as spirit talismans and Treasure Talisman reached the fourth level and above, their techniques became increasingly interconnected and overlapping, gradually forming a system.

Due to the scarcity of Tier 4 Spirit Talisman, each one is equivalent to a treasure that can be passed down through generations, similar to the characteristics of Treasure Talisman.

Lan Chang'an also gained very little from the Nascent Soul Old Monsters he had killed.

Six months later.

Lan Chang'an used mid-grade fourth-order Heavenly Fir Wood to make talisman embryos and refined several Tier 4 Low-Grade talismans, which he would nurture slowly in the future.

At this moment, he possesses three fourth-tier skills.

Even among Nascent Soul True Lord, this is an incredible feat; it's something even Nascent Soul Great Cultivator would find extremely difficult to accomplish.

Because the Evergreen Art was inefficient to cultivate, Lan Chang'an didn't have much time to consolidate and refine it.

His puppet-making and talisman-drawing skills are both barely at the fourth level.

In particular, the art of Talisman gave Lan Chang'an the feeling that he had barely broken through, had vaguely reached his limit, and could not advance any further.

"The time is ripe; Fairy Xia should be almost ready."

Recently, Lan Chang'an planned to visit Feng Kingdom.

He possessed a complete fortuitous opportunity for Nascent Soul Nascent Soul Formation, but keeping it wouldn't be of much use to him.

In his hundreds of years of cultivating immortality, most of the old friends and younger generations with whom he had deep ties have passed away, or have lost the potential to advance further due to limitations in their natural talents and lifespans.

Aside from Xia Wenyue, Lan Chang'an had no more suitable choice.

From a public perspective, it would be beneficial for the overall situation if the Dao Defense Alliance could have one more Nascent Soul Cultivator.

On the eve of Lan Chang'an's departure, a shocking piece of bad news came from the Feng Kingdom.

This is terrible news.

This is bad news for Lan Chang'an.

"Chu Tianfeng's Personal Disciple, Situ Lan, was assassinated on his way to an auction."

"According to rumors, Situ Lan has resolved his inner conflicts and has been secretly preparing for Nascent Soul Formation in recent years, but his whereabouts were betrayed by an insider."

After Situ Lan Lan's death, the Demonic Path "Wujian Gate" claimed responsibility for the incident.

"Beast King Valley claims this is retaliation against True Lord Changqing for violating the peace trade agreement, killing True Lord Black Feather's physical body, and refusing to hand over [Black Sky Wings]!"

Upon receiving the intelligence, Lan Chang'an frowned and remained silent for a long time.

Several years ago, during negotiations, Beast King Valley threatened to take "countermeasures".

At that time, Lan Chang'an subconsciously didn't take it too seriously, thinking it might just be empty talk.

As a fourth-tier Divination Grandmaster, his whereabouts are unpredictable, and he has no dao companion partner or children, so he is not afraid of retaliation from Beast King Valley.

Lan Chang'an had consulted Zhao Tan'er, a junior member of the sect with whom he had a close relationship, and found no signs of impending doom.

Unexpectedly, the Beast King Valley's years-long plan for retaliation ultimately fell on the disciple of Alliance Leader Chu.

It may seem like it has nothing to do with Lan Chang'an personally, but in reality, it has a significant impact.

"As expected of the Demonic Path faction, they retaliated as soon as they were told to. Beast King Valley's move can be described as killing three birds with one stone."

Lan Chang'an sighed inwardly, realizing the negative impact of this matter.

Firstly, Situ Lan's death extinguished a potential Nascent Soul Formation cultivator for the Dao Defense Alliance, and once again dashed the hopes of the Boundless Hall to have three Nascent Soul.

Secondly, the assassination of the Alliance Leader Chu's personal disciple was a blow to the prestige of the Dao Defense Alliance and the pro-war faction.

When Lan Chang'an killed the True Lord Black Feather's physical body, didn't Alliance Leader Chu reward him and strongly support and protect him?

Beast King Valley directly slapped Alliance Leader Chu in the face, retaliating by killing his personal disciple and causing him grief.

Thirdly, to sow discord between Lan Chang'an and the Dao Defense Alliance.

Using this incident as a countermeasure, they aimed to incite dissatisfaction among the pro -Dao Defense Alliance towards Lan Chang'an.

If Lan Chang'an had made appropriate concessions and handed over [Black Sky Wings] at that time, the relationship between the two camps could have been eased.

Situ Lan was assassinated and implicated by Lan Chang'an. Many cultivators in the Boundless Hall inevitably developed prejudices against him.

Who can be sure that this incident won't make Alliance Leader Chu reconsider or feel regret?

After all, Situ Lan was once a disciple highly regarded by the Alliance Leader Chu, and the master and disciple had a deep relationship.

Once a rift develops between Chu Tianfeng and Lan Chang'an, Beast King Valley's counterattack will be a complete disaster!

If Chu Tianfeng is the number one cultivator in the Dao Defense Alliance, then Lan Chang'an, who possesses a fourth-tier Spirit Pet, is the second strongest fighter in the Dao Defense Alliance.

"Situ, the real cause and effect of this matter has little to do with me."

"It's all your fault for being careless when you went out; the sect was infiltrated and its secrets were leaked. Without the ability to protect yourself against Nascent Soul Old Monsters, what was the point of you even going out?"

Lan Chang'an shook his head and, after some calculations, came to some conclusions.

The key to preparing for the Nascent Soul Formation lies in leaking the news.

Lan Chang'an's actions gave Beast King Valley a perfectly legitimate reason to retaliate.

In fact, Situ Lan was older than Xia Wenyue and was no longer in the optimal stage for Nascent Soul Formation. Of course, he was not old and his hopes were slim, but he was not at his peak.

If Lan Chang'an hadn't received the news from Xiao Ni Yue, he wouldn't have known that Situ Lan might have resolved her inner conflict and was still steadfastly preparing for Nascent Soul Formation.

Chu Tianfeng seemed willing to give his disciple a chance.

Not long after, Zhang Tianfeng visited Changqing Peak to discuss countermeasures with Lan Chang'an.

Zhang Tianfeng said solemnly, "An unfortunate event has occurred at the Boundless Hall, and it has a certain connection with our sect. It would be best if True Lord Lu went to the Feng Kingdom to represent Golden Cloud Valley in mourning the deceased and to properly handle the relationship with the Boundless Hall and Alliance Leader Chu."

"Yes, I happen to be going to the Feng Kingdom."

Lan Chang'an nodded in agreement and set off for Golden Cloud Valley that very day.

(End of this chapter)