Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1366 - 729: Lure (Part 2)

For roughly half a period, he had maintained the state of 'Instant Advancement.' Although the energy circulating within his body hadn't reached his predetermined lower limit, it had been significantly drained.

Every passing second of hesitation allowed a small portion of his internal energy to replenish itself.

"What exactly is your tie to Li Yuanba? Why are you risking yourself to rescue him?" Great Cultivator Duan Zhang had already concluded that a link existed between Li Shizhen and Li Yuanba, yet the nature of it baffled him. Based on all gathered intelligence, there was no reason for these two to be associated.

Li Shiming remained silent; he felt no obligation to provide an explanation. Though this stretch of ocean lay beyond the reach of the communication grand formation, he couldn't be certain if Great Cultivator Duan Zhang possessed some alternative long-range transmission method.

If he spoke, there was a risk that Great Cultivator Duan Zhang might transmit his words elsewhere.

The aura surrounding him erupted without restraint as the 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer' materialized above his head.

"A magical artifact!" Great Cultivator Duan Zhang cried out, his shock renewed.

As a Great Cultivator from the elite Yuqing Sect, it had been a long time since anything had truly rattled him.

Today, however, the prowess displayed by Li Shiming had repeatedly stunned him, and a flicker of avarice ignited in his gaze.

A 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer' at the magical artifact grade was a treasure that even within a behemoth like the Yuqing Sect was typically reserved for an almighty cultivator.

Even if this artifact—which was perfectly suited for the 'Yuqing Thunder Scripture'—became Li Shiming’s life treasure and lost half its potency upon being claimed by a new master, it would still vastly outshine his current life treasure.

Furthermore, even with that loss of power, a long period of refinement could eventually erase the previous owner's mark within the life treasure.

While such a process would take centuries—making it impractical for standard life treasures—it was a small price to pay for a magical artifact.

Once the 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer' was revealed, Li Shiming had no intention of letting Great Cultivator Duan Zhang leave this place alive.

He wasn't overly concerned about the news of the magical artifact spreading; once he finished off Great Cultivator Duan Zhang, he planned to retreat into secluded cultivation within the Heavenly Person Cave Heaven.

Not even an almighty could track down the Heavenly Person Cave Heaven, let alone find him.

Observing the gap between them, Great Cultivator Duan Zhang gave a cold internal smirk, noting that Li Shiming was now firmly within the radius of his Great Cultivator Realm suppression.

Suddenly, he unleashed the full weight of his Great Cultivator aura, an overwhelming pressure that sought to pin Li Shiming down.

Li Shiming’s form vanished instantly. Great Cultivator Duan Zhang’s immediate assumption was that the youth had used the Divine Foot Skill to escape the boundaries of his realm suppression.

To his astonishment, however, Li Shiming reappeared a mere two meters away from him.

In the world of high-level Cultivation combat, a distance of two meters was practically point-blank range.

The 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer' discharged a 'Thunder Fall Skill.' Enhanced by the 'Shenxiao Thunder Pearl,' its destructive force was amplified to the level of a mid-to-late stage Great Cultivator.

Because the distance was so negligible, there was no room to maneuver or dodge.

Great Cultivator Duan Zhang’s Thunder Shield rose to intercept the strike.

However, the defensive barrier was severely weakened by the impact, the electrical luster of the Thunder Shield flickering on the brink of shattering.

Great Cultivator Duan Zhang found it hard to believe that Li Shiming had managed to close the distance again.

Even more shocking was the fact that Li Shiming seemed completely immune to the crushing weight of a Great Cultivator Realm’s oppression.

Taken off guard, his reactions slowed for a split second. After his Thunder Shield absorbed the blow, he prepared a counterstrike, his own 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer' crackling with lightning as he moved to cast a 'Thunder Fall Skill' in return.

Li Shiming’s figure blinked out of existence once more, causing Great Cultivator Duan Zhang’s spell to lose its lock.

This was nearly impossible; usually, as long as a target remained within a cultivator’s divine sense, a spell lock wouldn't fail. At most, an opponent might evade the projectile through sheer speed.

But Li Shiming had executed 'Distant Horizons' with such blinding speed that Great Cultivator Duan Zhang couldn't even trigger the near-instantaneous 'Thunder Fall Skill' before his target vanished through space.

Li Shiming hadn't fled; he had simply relocated two meters behind Great Cultivator Duan Zhang.

As he manifested, a Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation appeared in his grip.

The quality of this Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation had reached the absolute peak of its grade, bolstered by his physical form which had been tempered by the 'Heavenly Human Technique' to the level of a Body Refining Great Cultivator.

He infused the Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation with 'Void Breaking Sword Intent.'

The energy fueling this 'Void Breaking Sword Intent' was converted from the Chaos Energy of the 'Heavenly Human Technique,' naturally carrying the essence of space rules.

With the augmentation of space rules, the armor-piercing capability of the 'Void Breaking Sword Intent' was vastly improved, rivaling that of a true Sword Cultivator.

Even the most basic Sword Cultivator, utilizing a space-rule enhanced 'Void Breaking Sword Intent,' would be a lethal threat to any Great Cultivator.

"Zila!" The Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation ground harshly against the Thunder Shield.

The 'Void Breaking Sword Intent,' combined with the immense physical strength Li Shiming possessed as a Body Refining Great Cultivator, bore down on the foundation. It tore straight through the Thunder Shield, which had already been crippled by the previous 'Thunder Fall Skill.'

Feeling the impending lethality, Great Cultivator Duan Zhang scrambled to activate a defensive treasure.

It wasn't that he was careless, but rather that Thunder Cultivators of the Yuqing Sect rarely relied on defensive gear. Many possessed only a single life treasure and nothing else.

Thunder Cultivators were purely offensive specialists, possessing a level of pride that matched that of Sword Cultivators.

They looked down on auxiliary treasures, trusting that their 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer' was all they needed.

Li Shiming gave Great Cultivator Duan Zhang no window to reinforce himself. Controlled by one of his independent brains, the magical artifact 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer' unleashed another 'Thunder Fall Skill' boosted by the 'Shenxiao Thunder Pearl.'

This was his unique edge; with 191 brains, he could theoretically command 191 treasures simultaneously, provided his energy and spirit held out.

By managing multiple treasures this way, he ensured each one operated at peak efficiency.

This differed from other cultivators who used multitasking Secret Techniques to control multiple items, which often resulted in diluted power because they couldn't focus entirely on each one.

While using numbers to overwhelm an opponent had its perks, most cultivators only did so if they could handle the Secret Technique of multitasking.

The lightning from the 'Thunder Fall Skill' slammed into Great Cultivator Duan Zhang.

Despite his high resistance to lightning, the impact made his frame convulse, causing a temporary loss of motor control.

In that window, the Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation bit into his flesh, and the devastating 'Void Breaking Sword Intent' began to eat away at his internal systems.

Great Cultivator Duan Zhang was decisively ruthless. Realizing the attack was fatal and his position was lost, his Nascent Soul instantly exited his body, choosing to sacrifice his physical shell.

This was a brutal decision for a Great Cultivator.

It meant effectively forfeiting any future chance of reaching the almighty stage, even if his prospects had been slim to begin with.

Previously, there was at least a shadow of a hope; now, with his body destroyed and his Nascent Soul forced out, even if he survived, his path to becoming an almighty was severed.

In the annals of the Cultivation World, no cultivator who had taken over a new body through Nascent Soul possession had ever ascended to the almighty rank.

This likely stemmed from the lack of perfect harmony between soul and body. No matter how much a seized body is altered, it is not the original, and the connection can never achieve perfection.

When attempting to ascend to almighty, even the tiniest flaw is magnified to an insurmountable degree.

As Great Cultivator Duan Zhang abandoned his physical form, he had no room for such regrets; his only focus was staying alive.