Chapter 1018: Tianyang Hopes for Longevity

When Li Fan first formed his Nascent Soul using the nascent Five Elements Heavenly Cave, he had a subtle, strange feeling. However, at that time, to seize the fleeting moment the Heavenly Cave descended upon the world and successfully form his Nascent Soul, Li Fan didn't have time to ponder deeply. He therefore overlooked that subtle difference.

It wasn't until recently, after upgrading the Dao-Transforming Stone, that Li Fan revisited every detail he had experienced. Only then did he make a new discovery.

“If my predictions are correct, new Five Elements Heavenly Caves should still be born from the Roots of Heaven and Earth in Tianling Prefecture. We’ll know for sure when the time comes to test it,” Li Fan mused. “However, the original great Five Elements Heavenly Cave of this world was absorbed by me for advancement. The world has suffered some loss, so it will take some time to nurture new Heavenly Caves.”

“If my hypothesis proves true after verification, then the number of anchor points available to me should increase by a few more.” Li Fan’s eyes flickered with a cold light. “Though nascent Heavenly Caves are hard to find, there are still plenty throughout the vast Profound Yellow World.”

“To go to an even greater extreme, one could obliterate a Heavenly Cave and directly reshape it… That wouldn’t be a bad method either.”

Once upon a time, Li Fan had to secretly seek out illicit resources just to acquire cultivators' Golden Cores to increase his anchor points. It was this accidental pursuit that led him to discover Ruomu. Now, he can wantonly destroy Heavenly Caves in the Profound Yellow World at will. It wasn’t that Li Fan’s ego had inflated; rather, there were truly few entities left in the Profound Yellow World that could pose a threat to him.

While Li Fan was diligently preparing to help the Sky Profound Mirror escape its predicament, Artisan Qiaogong had already made a breakthrough. He eagerly rushed to Li Fan, seeking to borrow refined Source Energy.

“Thanks to Fellow Daoist Fang, even though his artifact refining skills are a bit lacking and he hasn't received any formal training, he's naturally unconstrained by conventional thinking and always comes up with wild, imaginative ideas!” Artisan Qiaogong exclaimed. “I've already drafted a preliminary plan to help Tianyang re-refine his puppet body, honored envoy, please take a look!”

As he spoke, Artisan Qiaogong pointed into the void. Immediately, a majestic-looking puppet figure, seemingly clad in black metallic armor, appeared before Li Fan.

“This appearance was designed by referencing some of the Ancestor’s original features and Tianyang’s own wishes. Fellow Daoist Fang and I are quite satisfied with it,” he explained. “However, the appearance can be freely changed, so that’s not the main point.”

Artisan Qiaogong pointed again in the air, and the puppet’s image instantly enlarged once more. Its internal structure was thus revealed. Channels, like human blood vessels, crisscrossed throughout the puppet’s entire body. Golden refined Source Energy flowed ceaselessly within them, like a mighty river.

“The most direct difference between an immortal puppet and a mortal puppet is that an immortal puppet can absorb external power and continuously evolve and grow stronger, just like a true living being,” Artisan Qiaogong continued. “Fellow Daoist Tianyang, by transforming his body into a puppet and integrating with it, he is both a cultivator and a puppet. In the realm of the unseen, he has coincidentally met the most challenging condition for becoming an immortal puppet. Therefore, all that’s left is to systematically add some things to Tianyang himself!”

Li Fan, however, frowned as he listened. “Is it just a simple stacking of materials? Can that really enhance Tianyang's power? He’s already at the Dao Integration cultivation level; what stage will he reach after the puppet refining is complete?”

Artisan Qiaogong confidently replied, “Absolutely no problem! Tianyang’s current state is like a cultivator who has already met the conditions for advancement but lacks the necessary resources, which is why his transformation has been delayed. He possesses both a puppet body and a cultivator’s spiritual intelligence. Since he already has a path to ascending as an immortal puppet, why bother pursuing the new methods of the Profound Yellow World?”

As soon as Artisan Qiaogong said this, Li Fan immediately understood. Cultivators in the Profound Yellow World who wished to cultivate and achieve breakthroughs all had to abide by the rules set by the Heavenly Venerable of Dao Transmission. However, by a fortunate coincidence, Tianyang became an entity that was half-puppet, half-cultivator. Besides the path of advancement for cultivators, he could also pursue the path of ascension for artifacts.

Excitement gleamed in Artisan Qiaogong’s eyes. “After the crafting is complete, his exact strength is still uncertain. But what’s certain is that he will definitely be no weaker than the Longevity Cultivators of the Profound Yellow World!”

Li Fan’s eyes instantly gleamed. “In that case, you may proceed with confidence.” As he spoke, Li Fan dispatched a tribulation body, filled with golden refined Source Energy, to accompany him.

Artisan Qiaogong’s gaze was instantly captivated. “If your idea is feasible, wouldn’t that mean we could mass-produce Longevity-stage combat power?”

“I know a thing or two about Tianyang’s Body-Dao Transformation. As long as one cultivates this secret art and transforms into a half-puppet, half-cultivator existence, and then uses refined Source Energy to aid their ascension…” Li Fan’s eyes darted, thinking of something, and he couldn’t help but ask.

Artisan Qiaogong’s attention remained focused on the golden tribulation body. It took him a good while to realize what was being asked. He shook his head, directly refuting Li Fan’s conjecture. “I thought so too before. However… after asking Tianyang about the details of his Body-Dao Transformation technique, I realized this is by no means easy. Transforming one’s body into an object, especially into a puppet, makes it extremely easy to lose oneself. One loses their human nature and truly becomes a puppet. Only those with immense perseverance and spiritual fortitude can achieve it. Fellow Daoist Tianyang’s resilience of will is truly rare in this era,” Artisan Qiaogong praised.

Li Fan thought of the eternal lingering thought from Tianyang’s remains and silently nodded.

“That’s just one point. The greater constraint is this refined Source Energy,” Artisan Qiaogong said, pointing at the golden tribulation body. “I know what the honored envoy has provided is incredibly precious, but it only meets the most basic refining requirements. The gap between immortals and mortals is simply too vast. Without the baptism of immortal spiritual energy, relying solely on refined Source Energy…” Artisan Qiaogong paused, deliberating. “I estimate that even ten times this amount wouldn’t be enough. The consumption is so immense just to refine one puppet. How could we possibly build them in bulk?”

Li Fan heard this but did not agree. For him, these two constraints were not problems at all. As long as the base number was large enough, he could always find individuals with extraordinarily strong wills. And as long as there were enough believers and sufficient time, he could always accumulate enough refined Source Energy. As long as he could cultivate Longevity-stage enforcers, all of this would be worthwhile. The only concern was whether such large-scale use of refined Source Energy would attract the attention of the Faceless True Immortal. Although theoretically, True Immortals were no longer interested in refined Source Energy, the Flower of Dao was, after all, very close to the power of the Root of Dao that True Immortals pursued. If it reached a certain energy level, attracting the attention of a True Immortal would not be unexpected.