Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1390 - 741: Sheathing the Sword (Part 2)
Previously on Cultivation is just so scientific!...
A spiritual imprint of ownership resides within every flying sword. As ten of these imprints were lost in rapid succession, the already dwindling spiritual energy of the puppet statues plummeted to its absolute threshold.
Li Yuanba cast a regretful look at the two puppet statues. He had managed to seize twenty flying swords infused with great cultivator sword intent from them, a harvest far more efficient than the tedious labor of refining pills for rewards at the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.
It was a well-known fact that despite the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion's status as a superpower, the allocation of great cultivator spiritual medicine remains strictly limited, and his opportunities to earn commissions from refining great cultivator spirit pills were few and far between.
In contrast, he had just obtained twenty flying swords carrying great cultivator sword intent from a mere pair of puppet statues in an incredibly short span of time.
His attention shifted to the puppet statues lining the path ahead, silently wishing that the upcoming guardians would also be sword cultivators.
With this thought in mind, he continued his advance. The next duo of puppet statues hummed to life the moment he stepped into their engagement range.
Rather than feeling trepidation at their rising aura, Li Yuanba was filled with joy.
Detecting the unmistakable presence of a sword cultivator, he watched as two flying swords, saturated with great cultivator sword intent, shot toward him from the puppets.
The skirmish concluded in under two hundred breaths, leaving him with another twenty flying swords of great cultivator sword intent.
However, he found this pace too sluggish. He surveyed the long stretch of road ahead and the numerous puppet statues stationed on either side.
Increasing his speed, he made a bold charge forward.
As he neared the puppet statues, they activated one after another, launching their flying swords in a coordinated assault.
While managing his own weapons, he manifested the 'Sanmei Divine Wind' to create a protective shroud around himself. Any flying sword that entered the 'Sanmei Divine Wind' zone had its spiritual imprint of ownership swiftly stripped away before being pulled into the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak'.
He triggered a new pair of puppet statues even as the previous ones pursued him, adding more flying swords to the storm of steel directed his way.
Li Yuanba established a link with the natal treasure IBMz15 belonging to his main body, Li Shiming, to determine the perfect speed for gathering swords without crossing the line into lethal danger.
He aimed to provoke the maximum number of puppet statues possible while ensuring he could withstand their combined pressure.
It took IBMz15 only a single breath to calculate the required velocity.
Adhering to this calculated pace, he proceeded down the road.
By the time he had continuously awakened six pairs of puppet statues, the first pair finally went dormant after their tenth flying swords were exhausted.
Consequently, he faced the attacks of six pairs of puppet statues at any given time, steadily funneling flying swords with great cultivator sword intent into the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak'.
This path would have been a grueling ordeal for other Nascent Soul Cultivators, or even a great cultivator, but for him, it was surprisingly manageable.
The synergy between his 'Invisible Primordial Magnetism' and 'Sanmei Divine Wind' divine skills transformed a perilous gauntlet into a bountiful harvest for Li Yuanba.
Ultimately, the density of great cultivator sword cultivator puppet statues was lower than he had anticipated. After traveling for several hours, he arrived at the end of the path.
In total, he had faced two hundred great cultivator sword cultivator puppet statues and amassed two thousand flying swords containing great cultivator sword intent.
Were it not for the time required by the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' to process such a massive volume of swords, his combat strength would have already experienced a monumental surge.
The sheer power of two thousand flying swords, each imbued with great cultivator sword intent, being unleashed simultaneously was almost beyond comprehension.
As it stood, no amount of Nascent Soul Middle Stage practitioners could pose a threat to him. He had personally verified that a single flying sword with great cultivator sword intent could slay a superpower's Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator.
Even a core disciple of a superpower at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage would likely fall after no more than five consecutive strikes from such swords.
He glanced back at the road, noting that there were no more great cultivators left to exploit.
He gave no thought to the fact that two hundred great cultivator puppets resided here—a figure that surpassed the total count of all great cultivators in the entire Central State Continent.
It was questionable if the number of great cultivators he knew across all other continents even reached two hundred combined.
Only a figure as ancient as the great power Langcai, who utilized unique methods to foster great cultivators, could have gathered such a staggering number of great cultivator sword cultivator puppet statues within a cave heaven.
Had the cave heaven's power not diminished so severely, the combination of these two hundred puppets and the cave heaven master would have been formidable enough to repel almost any invader.
These defenses were never meant for Nascent Soul Middle Stage practitioners, nor even standard Nascent Soul Stage cultivators; they were designed to thwart invasions by other great powers of the same rank.
Tragically, after the fall of Langcai and the subsequent decay of the cave heaven, these defenses meant for great powers were dismantled with ease by Li Yuanba, a mere Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator.
Li Yuanba reached the terminus of the Golden Brick Avenue, where the stairs of a gold platform ascended into the heights.
Crucially, these steps were suspended in the empty void without any visible support.
He activated his 'Divine Eye Skill' to peer up the staircase, but his vision was soon blocked by a thick mist that his technique could not pierce.
He shook his head; having come this far and sensing the flow of spiritual energy from above, he was certain the core of the cave heaven lay at the top.
Finding that flight was still suppressed and his 'Divine Foot Skill' remained unusable, he was forced to proceed on foot.
The moment he stepped onto the first stair, he felt his body grow heavy.
“A gravity field!” he whispered, his expression turning strange.
A gravity field had been placed upon the stairs, yet this initial level of pressure would be manageable even for a Qi Refining First Level cultivator, let alone someone of his Nascent Soul Middle Stage standing.
Pondering this, he moved to the second step.
The gravitational pull doubled instantly. While it still didn't hinder him, his expression shifted slightly.
By the third step, the further increase in weight confirmed his fears.
Looking at the remaining stairs, he realized that if the gravity continued to multiply at this rate, his ability to reach the top was uncertain.
He turned to survey the way he came, only to find that the road and previous steps had vanished into the void. His brow furrowed in concern.
The void felt incredibly dangerous to his senses; falling into it seemed just as lethal as being crushed by the intensifying gravity.
With the path behind him gone, he looked back toward the summit, praying the staircase wasn't too long.
As he climbed step by step, the stairs beneath him continued to disappear one by one.
The weight bearing down on him grew increasingly oppressive until he stumbled, nearly falling. He knew he was approaching his physical limit.
“It seems I'll need to use some tricks to get through this,” Li Yuanba muttered.
He gestured toward the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' hovering above him. He had noticed that the gravity only targeted his body, while the spiritual treasure remained unaffected.
Had the gravity acted upon the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak', the added weight would have crushed him several steps ago.
He activated the gravitational field of the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak'. One should not dismiss its seemingly modest power; even Nascent Soul Middle Stage peers would find themselves slowed, if not fully halted, by it.
The field's apparent weakness was not a flaw in the treasure itself, but rather a result of his cultivation level being too low to tap into the full potential of a spiritual treasure.
Spiritual treasures were designed for great powers for a reason; his current ability to wield its true might was restricted.
Regardless of its current practical output, the gravitational field produced by the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' was of the highest possible quality.