Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1508 - 800: Treatment (Part 2)

"Master, getting your strength back is the top priority—it won't trouble me one bit!" Li Shiming answered with a grin.

"Excellent!" Grandmaster Hu tucked the jade bottle away.

"Master, what's the latest with the Ten Thousand Beast Sect? How did things spiral to this mess?" Li Shiming at last voiced the issue weighing heaviest on his mind.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect's present state teetered on the brink of total depletion, with the rival three sects pushing right up to their mountain gates.

From the looks of the cultivators from those three sects, they'd sealed off every route for the Ten Thousand Beast Sect to escape the mountain gates.

Were it not for the grotto heaven's protective barrier over the space, the intruders would have breached within a thousand miles of the gates by now.

"Since Luanyang Palace suddenly pulled back the Great Cultivator posted at the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect ramped up their ties with the other three sects. When our intel finally arrived, those three had already allied with the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect to boot us off the Dongqi Continent!" Grandmaster Hu explained with a heavy tone.

Through Grandmaster Hu's thorough account, Li Shiming grasped the events unfolding over the decades he'd been gone.

Some of it stemmed from Li Shiming's own actions, drawing retaliation from the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect against the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.

He also discovered the reason behind Luanyang Palace's recall of the Great Cultivators: they were shifted to Hell Cave Heaven for a vital mission, and that's when the pullout occurred.

Once Luanyang Palace withdrew, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect forfeited its shield from a mighty power, while the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect, learning from old defeats, ditched broad assaults upon re-entering Dongqi Continent and zeroed in exclusively on the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect controlled more than a quarter of Dongqi Continent's resources, a massive prize—particularly the Great Cultivator assets, which lured the continent's top powers intensely.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect's Great Cultivators stood as the strongest, and though the four sects seemed to dwell in harmony on the surface, beneath lurked a buildup of deep grudges.

Stirred by the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect, and swayed by dire warnings plus vast rewards, they forged a pact to jointly wipe out the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.

In the days that followed, a Great Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect fell to an ambush far from home, and resource sites fell one by one into enemy hands.

Grandmaster Hu fended off three Great Cultivators in a fierce clash once the all-out war ignited, yet he sustained grave wounds in the fray.

As the lopsided fight dragged on, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect—backed into a corner by three sects and two colossal forces—had no choice but to fall back to the mountain gates, huddling behind the cave heaven's spatial walls for a desperate stand.

This approach wouldn't hold forever; squeezed inside the gates, gathering fresh resources became impossible, forcing them to burn through stockpiles without end.

Added to that, with no influx of novice cultivators, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect faced a halt in fresh blood, breaking the chain of cultivator generations.

Conflicts like this often stretch beyond a century, and if a hundred years slipped by, the trapped cultivators of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect would crumble from resource drought, even absent enemy assaults.

"Master, which three Great Cultivators wounded you?" Li Shiming inquired with a serious expression.

"You're rushing things too much; you've only just come back to the sect—start by claiming the Great Cultivator legacy here. I can't guide you anymore, but the Ten Thousand Beast Sect boasts a legacy spanning millennia!" Grandmaster Hu sidestepped the question, giving Li Shiming's shoulder a gentle tap as he spoke.

Li Shiming gave a nod; though Grandmaster Hu held back, he had his own methods to uncover the truth.

He chose not to interrupt Grandmaster Hu's recovery further, since Grandmaster Hu required focused cultivation to regain his combat prowess.

Master Ding and Li Shiming departed Grandmaster Hu's cave dwelling side by side; Li Shiming headed to his personal abode, where he settled Great Cultivator Luo Pei inside.

He skipped rest, having caught plenty during the journey.

Li Shiming proceeded to the Book Collection Pavilion, heading straight for the section reserved for Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The Book Collection Pavilion stood empty of cultivators, as the crisis demanded most Nascent Soul experts handle defense assignments across the board.

As he stepped inside, a sweep from a Great Cultivator's Divine Sense brushed over him.

"Are you Junior Brother Hu's disciple, Li Shizhen?" A voice, frail with extreme age, echoed forth.

"Yes, I am Li Shizhen!" Li Shiming bowed deeply and confirmed.

"Junior Brother Hu already reached out to me—head up to the top floor!" The aged voice instructed.

Li Shiming climbed the steps and arrived at the uppermost level.

Thanks to his updated Identity Jade Disc, he now held Great Cultivator status in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, granting top-tier access, so no barriers in the Book Collection Pavilion blocked his path.

On the top floor, he spotted a Great Cultivator with flowing white hair and beard, seated in lotus position on a prayer mat; catching sight of him, the wrinkled ancient face broke into a warm smile, and he indicated the facing prayer mat, inviting him to take a seat.

Li Shiming settled onto the prayer mat across from him and watched as the senior Great Cultivator produced a tray of Spirit Fruits, setting it midway between them.

"Li Shizhen, I've clung to life this long because of your aid. Call me Zhang Dansheng, just an old cultivator nearing his final days!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng uttered deliberately, his gaze distant with fond memories.

Recognizing the name, Li Shiming realized the identity of this venerable Great Cultivator.

He was the eldest Great Cultivator in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect; years ago, he'd accepted two 'Life Spirit Fruits' from Luanyang Palace and passed them along to Master Hu.

Back then, Grandmaster Hu had spoken of delivering those two 'Life Spirit Fruits' to Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng—the very figure now before him.

"I wouldn't claim credit for helping; it was all Master's doing!" Li Shiming demurred, shaking his head.

"You shouldn't have come back at this hour; us elders schemed to go down fighting, unleashing the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's fury on our foes. With your gifts, you could soar even higher!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng let out a soft sigh as he continued.

It rang clear: Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng planned to meet his end battling the enemies; for one so advanced in years, this might be the only path left.

"Still, your return brings hope; last time you departed without claiming much of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's legacy. I'll bestow the sect's heritage upon you now—so even if the Ten Thousand Beast Sect falls, you might one day bring it back to life!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng pressed on.

Having weathered countless trials, he saw the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's plight plainly and knew their current might couldn't overcome the crisis.

Li Shiming's arrival wouldn't tip the scales of war much either.

In truth, Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng's outlook was bound by Dongqi Continent's limits, blind to the devastating might a peak prodigy like Li Shiming could unleash—able to crush Great Cultivators at Nascent Soul Middle Stage—once ascending to Great Cultivator rank.

Furthermore, he knew nothing of the awesome force in Li Shiming's grasp: the cultivation technique 'Heavenly Human Technique'.

A method that demanded the Five Elements Divine Technique to awaken, viable only from Nascent Soul Middle Stage onward, underscoring its rare and elite nature.

"Don't worry; I'm certain I can sort out the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's crisis this round!" Li Shiming vowed firmly, aiming to ease Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng's concerns.

He sensed the elder's vitality ebbing to a critical low, an decay beyond reversal—not something the Innate Wood Divine Technique could mend.

In Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng's state, he might squeeze out twenty more years at best; throwing himself into combat could shave that down even further.

"Take the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's heritage first. Unless you absorb every bit of it, I won't allow you to depart!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng declared with unyielding resolve, doubting Li Shiming's bold claim.

Li Shiming held his tongue against Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng, eager instead to explore the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's storied legacy.

With a flick of his hand, Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng summoned a hundred Jade Scrolls glowing in golden and purple hues, floating into view.

"This marks the initial batch; commit them all to memory!" He directed, pointing toward the hundred Jade Scrolls.