Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8349: Mechanism (1)

Zhao Hai remained seated within the cavern, facing Yan Bei. Behind him stood Zhu Yong and Gou ‘Zi, both maintaining a silent, respectful stance with their heads bowed. A pair of jade cups, brimming with spiritual wine, sat before the two seated men. Their posture was relaxed as they rested directly on the ground.

Yan Bei grasped his jade cup and drained the spiritual wine in a single motion. "It truly caught me off guard to learn that those puppets were your creation," he remarked. "The Sect recently distributed a thousand of them, claiming they were for my use in battle. At the time, I found the craftsmanship miraculous, but I never suspected you were the one behind them."

Zhao Hai offered a faint smile. "We developed them a while ago. It is the primary reason the Sect Master consented to deploying low-level disciples to the Western Defense Line alongside other sects. Do you believe the Sect Master would have agreed otherwise? You must recall that during the previous internal conflict, the losses among our low-level disciples were staggering."

Nodding, Yan Bei replied, "Indeed. The casualties among the lower ranks were devastating last time. My Master was deeply troubled by the potential for further loss of life. However, since learning of the puppets, his anxiety has vanished. He has already departed from the Island of Blood Bone, leaving its administration to a Refinement Realm expert sent by the Sect. He mentioned he was heading off to seek out your Master to discuss the Dao."

Zhao Hai’s smile widened. "Not long ago, I dispatched a significant quantity of spiritual wine to the Sect Master, the Elders, and my Master. I doubt they will remain tight-lipped during this Dao discussion. It appears Uncle Master Gu has finally moved past his previous setback. That is excellent news."

A grin surfaced on Yan Bei’s face as he lowered his voice. "It is indeed. Now that Master has recovered, he might even manage to advance his Cultivation further. I was quite concerned for him, but those worries are gone. Are we truly intended to operate independently?"

Zhao Hai nodded. "Essentially, yes. We will be acting on our own this time. While the Sect will technically assign a Supreme Commander to this area, their influence will be minimal. They might be relevant initially, as the Thirteen Family Alliance and other sects will likely attempt a massive offensive. A large-scale confrontation is inevitable at the start, but subsequent clashes will surely devolve into smaller skirmishes. Just wait; the Thirteen Family Alliance and the major sects will find a way to seize a few islands along the defense line to use as staging grounds. Once that happens, massive battles will become rare, and this conflict will likely turn into a long, drawn-out war."

Startled, Yan Bei whispered, "Surely not. Are you suggesting that once those major sects realize we are deploying puppets on such a scale, they won't retreat? Would they truly choose to keep fighting? If they do, the death toll among their low-level disciples will be ruinous. That doesn't seem to fit their usual tactics."

Zhao Hai shook his head, his expression grave. "It is precisely because they have seen the scale of our puppet use that they will persist. They will want to seize the secrets of our manufacturing process, so they won't stop. It is difficult to predict exactly how the situation will unfold."

Yan Bei nodded slowly, glancing toward the cave entrance. "To be honest, I share some of those concerns. The magnitude of this war is immense. Even without the involvement of Island Lord-level experts, a conflict of this size is a rare sight. Furthermore, our Blood Massacre Sect is standing alone against a multitude of enemies. It is a daunting prospect."

Zhao Hai looked directly at him and spoke firmly. "Big Brother Yan, do not overthink it. With the advantage our puppets provide, victory is certain. Also, remember that we are not entirely without allies. While the Giant Demon Sect may assist us, they will likely demand the secrets of the puppet construction in exchange. The Sect might eventually concede to those demands. Mark my words; eventually, the method for creating basic puppets will likely be common knowledge throughout the Blood Sea Realm."

"How could that happen?" Yan Bei asked in a hushed tone. "The Giant Demon Sect has always been our ally. Why would they demand our secrets? They must understand how vital this technology is to us. Do they not fear that such a move would damage the bond between our two sects?"

Zhao Hai chuckled at Yan Bei’s reaction. "Big Brother Yan, you are being far too idealistic. These puppets are cheap and fast to produce—they are the perfect cannon fodder for any Sect. With them, the martial might of the Blood Massacre Sect would multiply many times over. Even if we didn't dominate the Blood Sea Realm, no other Sect could stand against us. Who wouldn't want that power? In the world of Cultivation, there are no permanent friends. For the right price, allies become rivals, and enemies become partners. It is the way of things. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Giant Demon Sect turned on us over this."

Yan Bei stared at Zhao Hai before letting out a bitter laugh. "What is our move then? Are we truly going to surrender a world-changing technology like puppetry for nothing? It seems like such a waste. Won't the Blood Massacre Sect lose its edge?"

Zhao Hai’s voice turned serious. "It’s worse than that. If we simply hand over the current manufacturing method, we won't just lose our advantage; we will be putting ourselves at a massive disadvantage later. Do you know the secret at the heart of our puppets? It involves refining a Dark Spirit into the mechanism to grant it a degree of intelligence. Those are the truly valuable puppets. The standard battle puppets are secondary. However, if this method becomes public, the sects that will truly master it won't be ours. It will be groups like the Yin Ghost Sect or the Corpse Demon Sect. When it comes to manipulating Yin souls, our expertise doesn't compare to theirs."

Yan Bei’s face paled. "Then what can we do? If the Yin Ghost Sect masters this, the Blood Massacre Sect will be in grave danger. Those fanatics would hunt us to extinction. We are their greatest enemies in the Blood Sea Realm."

Zhao Hai replied calmly, "I am well aware. That is why I am developing a way to create standard battle puppets that don't require Dark Souls. We can share that version with the world. We will keep the true method of refining Dark Souls for ourselves. That should prevent any catastrophes. I just need a bit more time. I am currently reverse-engineering the knowledge we have from the Shenji Sect, and I expect to make a breakthrough soon."

Yan Bei frowned. "I never paid much attention to the Shenji Sect before. I only heard that they were famous for puppets that caused chaos for the righteous sects in the Cloud Sea Realm, which led to their destruction. But if their puppets were as effective as ours, how did they fall? Is their technology actually worth anything?"

"It is incredibly valuable," Zhao Hai insisted. "People remember the Shenji Sect for their puppets, but they had another specialty that was arguably even more profound, though less famous. That is the Art of Mechanisms."

Zhao Hai paused for effect before continuing. "After learning of the Shenji Sect’s reputation, I delved into many ancient texts. They were a sect that sought to reach the Dao through the mastery of mechanical puppetry. Their cultivators focused almost entirely on the Divine Soul, leaving their physical combat abilities weak. They relied entirely on their machines to fight. Because their puppets were so notorious, people ignored their mechanical engineering, which was actually quite revolutionary."

Yan Bei looked confused. "Mechanical engineering? I've never heard of that being used like this. Can it really be that powerful?" It was understandable that Yan Bei was ignorant of the subject, as the Shenji Sect’s engineering secrets were never widely discussed, even during their peak.

Zhao Hai, however, was fascinated by it. He had once assumed that pure mechanics had no place in the world of Cultivation. After all, how could a simple machine compete with the spells of a cultivator? Even standard puppetry relied on arrays to provide energy and control. Without arrays, a machine seemed as primitive as a dart compared to a pistol.

Yet, through his research into the Shenji Sect’s archives, Zhao Hai found that they held the Art of Mechanisms in the same high regard as their puppet techniques. Most people only knew the name, and the records were frustratingly vague. This sparked Zhao Hai’s curiosity. If the Shenji Sect believed their engineering was equal to their puppetry, it had to possess a unique power. He was determined to discover exactly what kind of strength pure mechanical mastery could unleash in the hands of a cultivator.