Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1520 - 806: Offense and Defense (Part 2)

Having discovered Li Shiming's mastery over Thunder Skills, the Taichu Sect was ready well in advance, deploying the Thunder Summoning Array specifically to reduce the potency of those Thunder Skills.

Under the command of numerous Array Masters, the Thunder Summoning Array came alive, and right before the lightning from the ’Thunder Cloud Skill’ could crash down, a shimmering light pulsed through the massive protective formation.

Li Shiming instantly identified the Thunder Summoning Array; a subtle smile crossed his lips, his emotions undisturbed by its emergence.

The White Emperor Sect's defenses crumbled after just one barrage of ten ’Thunder Cloud Skills’, holding out for only a single breath before shattering. He was eager to test how much longer the Taichu Sect's array could endure.

Regarding the Thunder Summoning Array, it would certainly sap the strength of Thunder Skills cast by an ordinary Thunder Cultivator, diverting away a portion of the lightning's force.

Yet the ’Thunder Cloud Skill’ unleashed by Li Shiming drew power from the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl’ and refined Thunder Spirit Power via the ’Heavenly Human Technique’, rising far beyond the capabilities of even the strongest Thunder Cultivators.

Though his strike fell short of Mahayana Realm might, in principle, it outstripped the peak power of any Thunder Cultivator.

Should his cultivation advance more, the boost from the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl’ would make his Thunder Skills shine even brighter past the pinnacle of Thunder Cultivators.

At present, the might of his Thunder Skill hovered just above that peak Thunder Cultivator threshold, a difference too fine for non-Thunder Cultivators to perceive.

"Boom", the initial lightning bolt slammed down fiercely, triggering the Thunder Summoning Array to channel away the lightning's energy.

However, as the lightning surged into the Thunder Summoning Array, its core structure buckled under the overwhelming force of the Thunder Energy.

Amid relentless snapping noises, cracks spiderwebbed through the Thunder Summoning Array's base, causing the redirected lightning power inside to break free from its guidance and burst outward wildly.

A handful of Array Masters were still directing the Thunder Summoning Array when, in the instant that followed, bolts of lightning swallowed their forms whole.

Without the Thunder Summoning Array in play, these Array Masters might have faced lightning strikes only after the Taichu Sect's main array failed, but by pulling the lightning power into its own confines, the array turned them into the sect's earliest casualties.

"The Thunder Summoning Array is ineffective!" Master Qiao declared gravely.

Even without his warning, the remaining six Great Cultivators had already witnessed the Thunder Summoning Array's catastrophic failure.

Sensing the relentless assaults battering the grand array, they rallied every bit of spiritual power from the cultivators to bolster its barriers.

Li Shiming gazed at the Taichu Sect's grand array in astonishment; it proved remarkably resilient, enduring wave after wave of lightning without yielding.

Built over millennia, this array had been fortified endlessly, infused with vast arrays of resources.

Above all, the Nascent Soul cultivators of Taichu Sect merged their strengths with the seven Great Cultivators' protections, weaving everything into the array and making it a nightmare for Li Shiming to shatter.

As the barrage from the ’Thunder Cloud Skill’ neared its close, he drew upon his inner spiritual power to launch a fresh onslaught.

On this occasion, he engaged twenty brains, aided by the five Nascent Souls housed within him—all refined through the ’Heavenly Human Technique’—so despite his brief tenure in the Great Cultivator Realm, his spiritual power stores remained substantial.

He swallowed a Great Cultivator Spirit Pill to speed up spiritual power replenishment, then harnessed twenty brains to gather spiritual power and forge twenty ’Thunder Cloud Skill’ Magic Runes.

Channeling through the ’Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’ as the conduit, denser clouds materialized amid the fading ones.

"Crazy, how can he be so strong!" The White Emperor Sect Great Cultivator stared skyward at the looming clouds, murmuring in a daze.

The prior ten ’Thunder Cloud Skills’ from Li Shiming had convinced him that was the man's utmost; unleashing ten at once was unheard of for any standard Thunder Cultivator, unknown to him or the Yuqing Sect.

Master Wang He from Yuqing Sect could manage multiple ’Thunder Cloud Skills’ at once via a hidden method, yet it demanded lengthy setup and immense effort, nothing like Li Shiming's seamless execution.

"Don’t lose focus, we can withstand this!" Master Qiao pushed down his dismay and bellowed.

Spiritual power from the Nascent Soul Dharma Form flooded wildly into the grand array, while he directed the array's own spiritual power to race faster through its pathways.

The other Great Cultivators ramped up their spiritual power contributions as well, desperate to weather the storm.

Defending against the earlier ten ’Thunder Cloud Skills’ had pushed them to their breaking point.

Now, facing twenty ’Thunder Cloud Skills’, they had no choice but to battle on fiercely, praying to outlast it.

Lightning hammered down without mercy, rattling the grand array's shield violently.

"Pfft!" Taichu Sect's frailest Great Cultivator coughed up a gush of blood, drained by exhaustion and the rebounding force.

He pulled away from the Nascent Soul Dharma Form, unable to maintain it any longer.

Even after withdrawing from the Nascent Soul Dharma Form, he kept pouring out spiritual power, fully realizing that dropping out now would burden the other Great Cultivators heavily.

He produced a Spirit Pill, paused for a moment, then gulped it down.

Once the Spirit Pill took effect, his energy surged back, his Nascent Soul brimming with fresh vigor as it steadily fed spiritual power.

Master Qiao saw this and wanted to talk him out of it, but after a brief internal struggle, he stayed silent.

He understood the Great Cultivator had resorted to a last-ditch Spirit Pill; it offered quick recovery, but its effects were temporary, leaving the user bedridden and frail for ages afterward, possibly harming their cultivation base and shortening their life.

Soon after, another of the weaker Great Cultivators hit his limit and followed suit, downing a desperate-use Spirit Pill.

As the latest lightning salvo wound down, four of Taichu Sect's six Great Cultivators had burned through desperate-use Spirit Pills, just managing to repel Li Shiming's second wave.

"What’s the formation loss?" Master Qiao felt the grand array's sluggish response and demanded urgently.

"The news is bad; the array has been damaged by over thirty percent!" One of the overseeing cultivators answered.

This report crushed Master Qiao's spirits, the most dreadful update imaginable.

He could only pray that Li Shiming's assaults wouldn't escalate; best case, after these two intense bursts, Li Shiming would pull back to recover.

But glancing at Li Shiming's youthful, composed expression, he recognized it as pure delusion.

"Your persistence is truly unnecessary!" Li Shiming shook his head, noting how several Great Cultivators popped Spirit Pills to squeeze out extra strength, and commented.

In the midst of the onslaught, he deliberately steered clear of the array's critical points; chances to unleash his Thunder Skills fully were scarce, and he craved to let loose without restraint.

By this point, he was convinced of one truth: Taichu Sect wouldn't survive his upcoming round.

Still, he had no plans to halt, and he wouldn't hold back at the previous intensity either.

He gradually activated forty brains, igniting forty ’Thunder Cloud Skills’ all at once—a move that demanded utmost care from him.

With the divine senses of forty brains, he orchestrated the spiritual power across five Nascent Souls, while those same senses shaped the ’Thunder Cloud Skill’ Magic Runes.

This ritual required absolute precision, for the tiniest slip could backlash and nearly kill him.

Luckily, supported by his natal magical treasure IBMz15, errors were unlikely, as IBMz15 scanned for potential flaws and warned him in advance.

Li Shiming flicked his hand, sending the ’Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’ to gleam repeatedly.

Without dedicating a brain to manage the ’Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’, unleashing forty Great Cultivator-tier Thunder Skills together might overwhelm its limits and reveal concealed traits.

Exposing a spirit treasure in this situation would surely draw the gaze of mighty figures upon him.