Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1463 - 778: Counterkill

Because the White Emperor Sect’s mission ended in failure, teams from both the White Emperor Sect and the Yuqing Sect pulled back from the fight, and a number of Hell creatures slipped into the zone they’d already swept clean before.

Over the next few days, every major power focused on wiping out Hell creatures nonstop, while gradually pushing forward to secure the space in front.

Not a single cultivator rushed to end the crisis fast. After grasping the risks involved, the cultivators displayed a patience that was downright terrifying.

For several days now, Li Yuanba sensed eyes on him, yet inside the Hell Cave Heaven, his senses were heavily disrupted, leaving him unable to pinpoint the source.

This situation compelled him to erect a defensive array with a Fourth Grade Array Flag whenever he took a break, even though he held little faith in how well it could hold up.

He guessed the watcher could be Master Qiao of the Yuqing Sect, or maybe some other cultivator aiding Master Qiao in his scheme.

“This can’t go on!” Li Yuanba understood you couldn’t stay alert against a sneak for endless days, and he trusted his own fighting ability fully.

Should Master Qiao decide to target him for real, the array from the Fourth Grade Array Flag would offer scant protection and couldn’t endure a full-powered blow from a Thunder Cultivator Great Cultivator.

Should Master Qiao, driven mad by rage and stripped of sense, strike suddenly, the second base couldn’t block it, since it wouldn’t keep Master Qiao out.

Li Yuanba departed the base toward the tower.

His moves didn’t catch much notice from fellow cultivators, given how many had visited the tower lately to examine it.

The tower’s unbreakable nature and the intricate runes covering it pulled in plenty of cultivators.

Right as he stepped out from the base, that watched feeling hit him sharp and clear.

Upon reaching the tower, he found no other cultivators there.

He tossed a tiny item to the ground, where it vanished the instant it touched down.

Strolling up to the tower without a care, he got right up close to its wall, probing its hidden mysteries.

Master Qiao had bided his time for a chance; on this go, he brought along a team including another Thunder Cultivator Great Cultivator, but it almost spelled complete disaster.

Heading back empty-handed like that, he worried he’d face a century in confinement and turn into a joke among fellow Great Cultivators.

He found no outlet for his fury on the Hell Cave Heaven beasts, since slaying those brainless things held zero satisfaction.

All his grudge zeroed in on Li Yuanba. He ignored the bad blood between Yuqing Sect and Li Yuanba that might explain why Li Yuanba skipped helping the Yuqing Sect group. In truth, who Li Yuanba aided was his call alone.

“It’s all because of you!” Master Qiao grumbled under his breath.

He appeared utterly ragged, draped in a cloak that hid his spiritual power and presence, letting him lurk unseen near the second base.

Through ties in the Yuqing Sect, he hired a cultivator from a rival superpower at huge cost to keep tabs on Li Yuanba.

At last, word came that Li Yuanba had ventured out from the second base by himself—the finest update he’d gotten in ages.

Moments later, he spotted Li Yuanba, exactly as described in the updates, deeply absorbed in the tower and scrutinizing its runes.

Master Qiao crept forward softly, and the cloak’s power to mask spiritual power and aura held strong at this careful speed.

As he neared the tower, a deadly gleam flashed in his gaze.

He took his time; tales of Li Yuanba’s battle prowess, matching regular Great Cultivators, had reached his ears.

Li Yuanba’s status as the top Nascent Soul Middle Stage expert further proved his formidable fighting skills.

Thus, the smartest move against Li Yuanba was one decisive killing blow, which demanded getting in close range.

Thanks to his Thunder Cultivator might, once within striking distance, he could end Li Yuanba in a flash.

Being a Great Cultivator from the mighty Yuqing Sect, Master Qiao knew the flaws in prodigies like Li Yuanba.

Genius talents such as Li Yuanba appeared maybe once every thousand years. They could overpower foes beyond their level offensively, but on defense—particularly without magic tools—their bodies lagged behind Great Cultivators.

If the ambush landed true, one hit would snuff out a prodigy like Li Yuanba for good.

Master Qiao inched forward warily, drawing nearer to the tower and Li Yuanba alike.

At a thousand meters from Li Yuanba, he barely held back from striking, but Li Yuanba shifted, circling to the tower’s far side and blocking a straight shot.

He drew near the tower once more, slipping inside a thousand meters of Li Yuanba.

Here, he halted. Despite the cloak blocking spiritual power and aura, a wrongness prickled at him.

Floating in the atmosphere were minuscule specks. They looked harmless, yet probing with his Divine Sense, he sensed interference from those specks.

“Sanmei Divine Wind!” Shock hit him as he identified it.

Li Yuanba had unleashed ‘Sanmei Divine Wind’, letting it spread so faintly it stayed nearly invisible.

Thanks to ‘Sanmei Divine Wind’s’ special trait, stepping into its area turned every bit of ‘Sanmei Divine Sand’ into an extension of Li Yuanba’s senses.