Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1428: 760: Formation Setup (Part 2)

Thirty years is nothing more than a fleeting moment for a Nascent Soul Cultivator, often passing in the blink of an eye during a single session of secluded meditation.

In contrast, Supervisor Sun appeared as though centuries had withered him, looking like a man standing at the very edge of his natural life span.

Li Yuanba shifted his gaze away; the man was no longer worth his concern. Even if Supervisor Sun were granted his freedom this instant, he would be virtually worthless. Li Yuanba could sense a heavy, malignant radiation clinging to his form.

The violent energy radiating from the Hell Cave Heaven had inflicted permanent, irreparable harm upon Supervisor Sun’s physical body. It might actually be a mercy for him to perish sooner rather than later; if he continued to linger, there was no telling what horrific transformations his body might undergo.

Moving through the rear sector, Li Yuanba noted that the defensive rotations were in full effect. A section roughly one-quarter of the area was devoid of cultivators, likely because they had already been moved to the front lines.

As he pressed forward, the theater of war finally came into view. From a high vantage point, the corridor did not seem particularly wide, yet at ground level, it spanned ten meters—wide enough for ten massive Hell creatures to charge forward in a single line.

Master Wu Ge and Hongguang Venerable were stationed there, positioned at the rear of the main Defensive Array. Before them sat a series of smaller, individual Defensive Arrays. Each cultivator utilized these small arrays as cover, constantly channeling their spiritual power to launch offensive strikes.

Though every cultivator present was a prisoner, none of them dared to be negligent.

This diligence was born not only from the presence of the two Great Cultivators behind them but also from the relentless nature of the Hell creatures. Their sole hope for staying alive was to maintain the assault until it was time for their squad to rotate out.

When the rotation signal was given, they could finally retreat to rest while a fresh team took their positions.

Master Wu Ge and Hongguang Venerable were not merely supervising; their hands moved in a blur as they launched their own continuous attacks.

Every strike they contributed lessened the pressure the Hell creatures placed on the Defensive Array, helping the energy barriers endure for just a little longer.

“What brings you here?” Master Wu Ge asked, showing a hint of surprise at the arrival of Li Yuanba and Great Venerable Hongfa.

“The array setup is finished. It has been quite a while since I last saw combat, so I came to sharpen my skills!” Li Yuanba answered with a faint smile.

“Then exercise caution. Do not permit those Hell monsters to get within reach; the injuries they inflict are notoriously difficult to treat!” Master Wu Ge remarked. Though he was puzzled by how quickly the array had been established, he was not about to turn down Li Yuanba’s assistance.

If not for the need to manage stamina and ensure every cultivator fought at peak capacity, the Great Cultivators would have preferred to hurl every prisoner into the fray simultaneously.

The current strategy of rotating troops was designed to prevent the prisoners from harboring thoughts of rebellion while maintaining a sustainable pace of battle.

Even so, this tactical approach was suffering from a shortage of manpower.

The primary issue was that these prisoners were not particularly strong to begin with, and even the formidable ones had been drained of their strength by long years of confinement on Hell Island.

“Li Yuanba, rumors say your prowess is unrivaled among those in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. I am eager to witness it myself!” Hongguang Venerable cut in.

Had they not been on a battlefield, the arrival of Great Venerable Hongfa would have eased the pressure enough for Hongguang to start another argument. However, he understood the gravity of the situation; they had to stand united against the enemy. Personal grudges would have to wait until the fighting ceased.

Li Yuanba simply smiled. With a casual flick of his wrist, five Mid-stage Golden Corpses manifested before him.

“Since when did the Sword Cultivators of the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion take up the art of Corpse Refining?” Hongguang Venerable remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm and lacking any of the dignity expected of a venerable monk.

Li Yuanba had begun to notice that very few of the Venerables he met possessed the calm temperament of a traditional monk. Perhaps it was because he now stood as their peer that he saw their true personalities.

In reality, despite the constant barbs, Hongguang Venerable’s attitude proved he viewed Li Yuanba as an equal. He would never bother acting this way toward a mere junior; he simply wouldn't waste the breath.

“Go!” Li Yuanba ordered with a gesture.

The five Mid-stage Golden Corpses blurred into motion, appearing beyond the defensive lines to begin their slaughter of the Hell creatures.

Shock flickered in Hongguang Venerable’s eyes, stunned by the sheer velocity of the Golden Corpses.

“That is the application of speed rules... since when were Golden Corpses capable of wielding speed rules?” he muttered under his breath.

He found himself wanting such a Mid-stage Golden Corpse for himself. Even though corpse refining was often viewed as a dark art, it held a distinct and practical place within the Cultivation World.

Even Buddhist sects practiced their own versions of corpse refining, though they used more dignified names. For example, the Buddhist Golden Body Protector involved taking the remains of monks who had mastered body-refining techniques and turning them into puppets through sacrificial refining. Their internal death energy was simply hidden behind Buddhist auras, making it just another form of the same craft.

The intervention of the five Mid-stage Golden Corpses provided immediate relief to the prisoners at the front. Previously, these men had to exert every ounce of their strength just to wound the Hell creatures.

Such exertion was exhausting, but failing to strike with full power allowed the monsters to batter the Defensive Arrays. Those arrays were their only lifeline; if one shattered, the prisoner behind it would be torn apart by the ravenous horde.

They had been fighting under extreme stress since the beginning, watching as their fellow prisoners were devoured one by one. While they felt no real friendship toward one another, seeing their peers die reminded them of their own likely fate, keeping them in a state of constant, trembling tension.

The five Mid-stage Golden Corpses acted as a new vanguard. The Hell creatures would now have to bypass these five before they could resume their assault on the individual Defensive Arrays and the prisoners huddled behind them.

Li Yuanba watched the performance of his Golden Corpses closely. This was his first time facing these specific monsters, and he wanted to analyze their patterns of movement and attack.

The Hell creatures possessed diverse roles. Those with the heads of bulls were remarkably strong and boasted the toughest hides.

He watched as a cultivator struck a Hell Bull Head Spirit with a Fire Magic spell. Though the creature was set ablaze, it didn't slow down, charging through the flames as if they were nothing. Once the fire died out, it was clear the full-power spell of a Nascent Soul Middle Stage practitioner had done little more than scorch its skin.

The Hell Sheep Head Creatures functioned as mid-range attackers. They would charge forward while staying behind the Bull Head Spirits, lobbing spheres of black energy once they were close enough.

The Hell Horse Head Spirits were the swiftest of the bunch. They frequently surged from the back of the pack, weaving through the other monsters at high speeds to strike first. Their attacks were incredibly fast, creating a literal storm of blows in an instant.

Meanwhile, the Hell Deer Head Spirits acted as supports, occasionally bathing their allies in a black light that sent them into a frenzy and accelerated the healing of their wounds.

These monsters lacked any central leadership, fighting in a chaotic mess that failed to utilize their natural synergies. Li Yuanba realized that if they were fighting inside the Hell Cave Heaven under the command of its Artifact Spirit, their combat effectiveness would likely be many times greater. It was obvious that the creators of these creatures had intended for them to work together like a well-oiled machine.