Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

"Sword, Sword Boy..."

In her fear, Princess Chiyuan barely managed to regain her composure, revealing a smile, "Hei Bao was just joking with you, did you not take it too seriously with your response?"

"Humans, my prestigious Demon Country!"

General Moyu growled angrily, wanting to say something.

However, meeting a pair of cold eyes, he choked back his words, feeling a chill in his heart.

"How about I make a joke with you then?"

Jiang Ding smiled, a wisp of light blue sword light lingering near his fingers.

"Junior Uncle, please calm your anger!"

Li Qingyun's complexion changed, showing a terrified expression, stepping in front of Princess Chiyuan, "The Demon Country is a cherished friend of our sect, and the princess is an honored guest; there must be no mishaps!"

Jiang Ding did not respond to him but continued to look at this so-called princess of the Demon Country.

"Sword Boy, it was our fault."

Princess Chiyuan's expression was calm, "The Demon Country should not have tested an ally so casually, especially someone of your esteemed status below only the two venerable elders, it was Chiyuan who acted rashly."

"For Hei Bao to offend you, the crime deserves death."

She then turned towards General Moyu.

"To kill a general of our demon race, how could..."

Moyu clenched his teeth in fury, his face twisting ferociously.

A clear trace of killing intent spread, piercing his divine soul, and he no longer uttered a word.

"How could..."

General Moyu's divine soul trembled, his heart filled with reluctance.

His reason did not believe that the other party would kill him at this moment, yet the omen of death in his soul was so unmistakable, a profound contradiction.

"Hei Bao's insubordination deserves death."

Eventually, he uttered these words with a grim expression.

"Indeed."

"It's good that both of you still understand propriety and reason."

Jiang Ding nodded, withdrew his sword qi, and gestured with his hand, "Leave now. I do not enjoy crowds here, and the princess holds a noble status. Unless there is important matter, there's no need to come again in the future."

"Yes, yes, of course!"

Several Demon generals dared not even breathe heavily as they pulled their dignified masters back in a hurry, quickly leaving with streaks of escape light.

The other cultivators from Qiyu Sect similarly harbored fear and hurried to follow.

Soon, only two people remained on the scene, and the maids curtsied and retreated, not daring to come close.

It was much quieter now.

"Junior Uncle, this is a disaster."

Li Qingyun burned a talisman in his hand, recounting the incident to his own master with a wry smile, "Our sectarian ties with Tushan Monster Country are necessary. If King Kong Que and King Chihu hold grievances because of this, there will be an earth-shattering catastrophe, and the entire sect will bear resentment towards you."

"I have already been very lenient in not killing them both."

Jiang Ding said indifferently, "These past three years, how have the mortals in Yue Country fared?"

"Not so well."

Li Qingyun sighed, "On the way to our sect, King Kong Que and King Chihu swallowed up hundreds of thousands from two cities, openly stating that the flesh of wild-raised humans is more tender and their divine souls more nourishing."

"Generals of the demon race and various monsters have also rampaged, devouring commoners, establishing dominion on mountains, with the sect's cultivators unwilling and afraid to intervene, while your Fanren Supervision Bureau has ceased operations, leaving just a few Xiantian Martial Artists unable to face the numerous monsters."

"The only thing the sect has done is to construct a few fortified cities near the sect to accommodate the families of disciples."

Having spent his youth among the common mortals of Yue Country, he wasn't without sentiment for the place and was not ignorant of human suffering.

"To have conceded so much, and yet it has come to this."

Jiang Ding remarked blandly, unsurprised.

All the resentment on those demon generals could not have come from self-delusion.

"These monsters do not understand what etiquette is. When you give them concessions, they will only take advantage of you more. You should suggest to your seniors that occasionally they should show some firmness; that is the way to deal with beasts."

"The sect has not yet reached a point of desperation."

"Disciple understands."

Li Qingyun had no reply and, bowing deeply, took his leave.

...

On another mountain peak.

The spiritual liquor was rich, and the beast meat was deliciously crispy, but the gathered monsters had no heart to enjoy, their faces brimming with a kill intent they couldn't release.

The many foundation-building cultivators of the Qiyu Sect kept making apologetic smiles, but it did nothing to ease the tension.

"Princess, the test results are in."

General Moyu's face was gloomy as he transmitted his voice, "The Qiyu Swordsman possesses Half-Step Golden Core Combat Power. Being the first under the Golden Pill duo in the Qiyu Sect, such a dangerous person must be dealt with beforehand, no matter the grand strategy of the Demon Country!"

"Otherwise, once he ascends to the Golden Pill..."

"Half-Step Golden Core!"

Princess Chiyuan exclaimed, not hearing his following words, her eyes full of brilliant colors and turbulent like endless waves, greedily she said, "Indeed, a genius of the Sword Dao. If he could be my husband, then becoming a demon king would be within reach."

"Humans cannot become your husband!"

General Moyu huffed coldly, saying no more.

...

"Qiyu Sect is not safe at the moment."

After Li Qingyun left, Jiang Ding fell into deep contemplation.

Streams of light blue sword qi flew out, cutting the messy dinner table with its bowls, dishes, and delicacies into crumb powder, which scattered with the wind and disappeared.

The mountains regained their serene and elegant atmosphere.

"The Golden Cores of the Qiyu Sect and I are bound by mutual interests and balances. I won't actively destroy this tacit agreement, but they might veer away from me due to the emergence of new points of interest."

"I must have enough backup plans."

Jiang Ding almost instantly thought of Immortal Li Hai.

His teleportation formation had a huge advantage in escaping. As long as he wasn't targeted, even Nascent Soul Monks might fail to catch him.

"Teleportation formations, at least those that can transport over a thousand miles, set up several."

"That's still not enough,"

Jiang Ding's mind raced, "Puppets, high-intelligence puppets capable of deceiving Golden Pill Monks, could be considered to handle trivial matters for me, greatly increasing safety.

Any spiritual materials needed could be directly transported using the teleportation formations. The high cost is not a concern; the profits from cross-dimension trade are more than enough to cover it, with plenty to spare."

After much deliberation, his figure vanished.

...

Jiang Ding's Divine Sense connected to the network, searching with "bionic puppet" as the keyword.

"Luban-462 Intelligent Domestic Robot."

"Male or female, adept at household chores, with customizable personalities, including gentle, aloof, tsundere, crafty, and more. Equipped with legendary martial techniques like Katou's Thirteen Stances, Vortex Twenty-Seven Forms. Available for purchase from the age of eighteen, satisfying all your various..."

"Useless for the weak."

After a glance, Jiang Ding added the condition of peak Foundation Building strength.

Strength is non-negotiable.

That's all the Cultivation World recognizes; without strength, nothing can be achieved, and even a profound background may not be of any help.

"Luban-800, dual-purpose combat/domestic bionic puppet with peak Foundation Building strength, can absorb Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi spontaneously for household chores and while stationary, but combat requires consuming top-grade spirit stones..."

"Its concealment abilities are inadequate. Forget Golden Pill Monks, foundation building Divine Senses sweeps would instantly reveal it as a puppet, and its intelligence is also insufficient."

Jiang Ding continued searching.

He found nothing of value.

He needed something that could mix fake with real, handle matters independently, communicate in real-time, and self-destruct in crucial moments... Ideally, he could refine it, akin to a clone of himself.

"Finding one with all those traits is impossible."

Jiang Ding sighed and kept searching online for a barely usable improvised version. Flaws were unavoidable, but it was still better than risking himself.

The Central Array Spirit Computer silently observed everything happening within the Xianmen Sect.

"Ding!"

"The Nanomachine Puppet Army, still under development and not yet mass-produced at the Xianmen Science Institute, nanofluidic robot puppet model 'Alpha 25,' entering the experimental equipment testing sequence."

"Thanks to the privileges you've obtained by handing over the Ancient exotic bug iron eater, you can have priority in equipment testing."

"Would you like to choose to undergo testing equipment?"

Jiang Ding, who was searching for puppets online, paused.

He remembered the bugs he had handed over after the Nine Heavens Relics incident and was overjoyed.

"Yes!"

"Please allow me to go through the experimental equipment stage!"