Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8353: Isolated _1

Setting aside the Jade slip, Zhao Hai shifted his gaze toward Yan Bei. A bitter smile touched his lips as he remarked, "It appears our commander isn't particularly fond of me. His response to my letter was brief, to say the least. Still, one can hardly blame him. The Sect Master gave me a command token that grants me authority exceeding his own."

Yan Bei let out a cold snort. "This location is under siege while others remain untouched. That fact alone points to a major issue. The enemy clearly intends to use this spot as their primary breakthrough point. We tried to be helpful by warning them, yet they dismissed us. They truly have no idea what they are doing."

Zhao Hai shook his head, his voice turning somber. "Forget it; we should simply focus on our own affairs. Big Brother Yan, I have a significant stock of spiritual herbs here that you should use for your cultivation. I plan to enter seclusion for several days to analyze the Fang clan’s cultivation technique. Honestly, their methods have provided me with some new enlightenment."

Nodding in agreement, Yan Bei looked at Zhao Hai and said, "I genuinely did not expect your mantra emblematic gesture to have reached such a sophisticated level. Observing how you utilized it, I suspect you have fully fused the spiritual array sect’s cultivation technique into your mantra emblematic gesture, haven't you? It is truly remarkable."

Zhao Hai shook his head dismissively. "It is nothing special. My incantation gesture remains incomplete. In truth, it has already diverged significantly from the Grandmaster’s original version. When I first began learning it, my goal was to practice the blood sea god-killing technique without falling into a berserk state. I later discovered the gesture could manifest in a myriad of forms. To achieve that, however, I must incorporate the strengths of various styles. Currently, my incantation gesture is still a long way from reaching that potential."

Yan Bei laughed bitterly while shaking his head. "If your technique is considered inferior, then the rest of us are truly without hope. Let’s drop the subject. You should begin your seclusion. I will also go cultivate for a while; otherwise, the strength gap between us will only continue to widen." Following those words, Yan Bei exited the room and headed back to his own quarters.

Yan Bei’s room was situated next to another massive tree. He had grown quite fond of this accommodation. Beyond being comfortable, the room held a subtle fragrance that helped settle the mind. Such an environment was rare, making it Yan Bei's preferred place for cultivation.

Once Yan Bei had departed, Zhao Hai smiled and stepped into his quiet room. He began a focused study of the Fang clan’s cultivation technique and their specific application of arrays. Zhao Hai was genuinely intrigued by their methods, as he had never encountered such unique array configurations before.

This period of closed-door cultivation lasted only three days. Since the Fang clan’s cultivation technique was rooted in the spiritual array sect’s methods, Zhao Hai did not require much time to grasp its core principles. He only needed to understand the underlying flow. Regarding the application of their formations, a single spark of inspiration allowed Zhao Hai to calculate infinite variations. His understanding soon surpassed that of the Fang clan themselves, as he didn't need to master every minor detail of their specific technique.

Upon finishing his seclusion, Zhao Hai left Yan Bei undisturbed and turned his attention to researching a puppet-making machine. His goal was to design a fully automated production line for puppets. By combining arrays with standard mechanical processes, he could avoid drawing unwanted suspicion. Furthermore, this design could be shared with other sects without revealing the most sensitive core components.

While some were already familiar with the spiritual array sect’s techniques, the knowledge was limited to Zhao Hai, Yan Bei, and Li Ruohai. Others had only mastered outer sect methods and lacked the knowledge of how to use a ghost to enter an array. Li Ruohai was unlikely to share this secret with the corpse demon sect, especially since he intended to use it against the demonic corpse old man. Consequently, Zhao Hai felt secure that the secrets of the yin spirit array remained safe.

Zhao Hai had already submitted this method to his own sect. He was confident the sect would tightly control the knowledge of using yin souls for formations once they realized its power. If the Dark ghost sect ever obtained such a technique, their formation capabilities would skyrocket, creating a massive disadvantage for the suicide sect.

After a few days of work, he successfully designed a new puppet production line. Zhao Hai recorded the manufacturing process and his personal concerns into a Jade slip, sending it to Lei Gang, who then forwarded it to Ha Jing. Zhao Hai felt he had fulfilled his duty as a disciple of the blood slaughter sect. Whatever Ha Jing and the leaders decided to do was out of his hands; he had done all he could. If the high-ranking officials failed to see the importance, there was nothing more he could do.

With the puppet project finished, Zhao Hai shifted his focus back to the Western Defense line. The situation there remained a major concern for him. Although the previous attack by the Fang clan involved few people and seemed like a mere test, Zhao Hai sensed it was just the beginning. It signaled that the 13 clan Alliance was launching a formal offensive against the Western Defense line.

He had previously sent a warning to the commander of the Western Defense line, but the man had ignored it entirely. They even questioned the validity of Zhao Hai's intelligence. This blatant dismissal frustrated Zhao Hai, particularly because he was aware of the commander's background.

The individual appointed by the Sect Master to lead the Western Defense line was a master in the refinement realm. Usually, cultivators of this rank served as Elders. While he did hold the title of Elder within the sect's main hall, he was merely an Elder in name and did not involve himself in administrative duties.

His appointment as commander was largely due to his status as the Sect Master’s in-name disciple, Dao Qianzhan. He had remained a detached Elder because his primary focus was breaking through to the island Lord realm.

The gap between the refining realm and the condensing reality realm might seem like a single step, but it was a barrier that stopped countless cultivators. The two realms were fundamentally different. While Zhao Hai did not fear a refining realm cultivator at his current strength, he knew he would suffer a total defeat against someone in the condensing reality realm. This was why the condensing reality realm was often associated with godhood; those within it existed on an entirely different level of power.

As for the current commander, his role was intended to serve two purposes: to provide him with mental tempering through battle and to allow him to accumulate sect contribution points. He hoped to trade these points for resources that would improve his chances of reaching the Dharma condensation realm.

This ambition fueled the commander's arrogance. He was deeply resentful that a mere profound Qi realm disciple possessed a token from the Sect Master—a token that could be used to overrule him. Because of this ego, he completely dismissed Zhao Hai’s warnings, choosing to believe they were false.

Zhao Hai found the situation infuriating. He couldn't simply use the Sect Master’s token to force the commander into action, as that would breed resentment and likely anger the Sect Master and Elders, who might think he was criticizing their choice of leadership. Thus, he was forced to wait. Even more frustrating was the fact that he was receiving no updates from other islands, leaving him isolated at the Western line of defense.

This isolation was unexpected. Aside from the commander, Zhao Hai hadn't slighted anyone. He couldn't understand why the others were shunning him. He needed to find the underlying reason for this treatment.

Setting up spell bugs was a simple task for Zhao Hai. Although he had already placed some on other islands, he had been hesitant to use them. The upper realm was full of powerful individuals, and he feared the spell bugs might be detected despite being as small as dust. However, the current circumstances left him with no other choice.

Before long, Zhao Hai’s spell bugs were scattered across every island in the Western Defense line. He commanded them to be extremely cautious, attaching only to weaker cultivators and remaining completely dormant to avoid detection. This allowed him to monitor the situation while minimizing the risk of discovery.

After observing for several days, the truth finally came to light. The isolation was the result of the new commander secretly voicing his displeasure with Zhao Hai. Since there was no island Lord present, the commander held total authority. The others were unwilling to risk offending the man in charge for the sake of a stranger like Zhao Hai. Consequently, everyone at the Western Defense line simply ignored him.

This revelation left Zhao Hai at a loss for words. He found it hard to believe that someone so petty and narrow-minded had managed to reach the refinement realm and secure a command position. To him, it was utterly baffling.