Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1558: 825: Erasure_2

Master Liu Ziyun caught a quick look from Li Shiming, sending a shiver straight through his core.

It was clear that Master Liu Ziyun had leaked the details of how Master Wang He and Master Yan Gao got taken alive by Li Shiming, prompting those two mighty sects to push Central State Commerce into action.

“It makes no difference if you take it well or not. I’m only delivering the word. Truth is, we’d prefer those two top experts from the White Emperor Sect and Yuqing Sect not to make it out breathing. Over the last thousand years, the White Emperor Sect and Yuqing Sect have stirred up too much trouble; it’s high time they get knocked down a notch!” Spotting a hint of displeasure in Li Shiming, Liu Ziyun hurried to explain more.

Li Shiming wasn’t truly upset; he’d figured out Central State Commerce’s ways after several dealings.

Central State Commerce stands as an outfit that peddles any info for a buck, a true hallmark of business folk. You deal with such a group through trades alone, never alliances.

Li Shiming viewed Central State Commerce purely as a business contact, handling them with sharp vigilance and precision.

“Forget scheming over those two; sparing them came from a sudden insight during my seclusion!” Li Shiming dismissed with a casual flick of his hand.

The two mighty sects had dispatched their queries to reclaim the pair of top experts, probably since they’d endured for over fifty days.

Those sects figured Li Shiming must have some scheme in mind, so they leaned on Central State Commerce to probe.

This request wasn’t about getting them back for nothing; it involved offering a fair trade, waiting for Li Shiming’s reply.

Yet Li Shiming had zero plans to free those top experts. He’d witnessed the terror of a half-step great power firsthand and refused to unleash two budding threats down the line.

On top of that, the soul crystal rings carried by those top experts held treasures worth more than whatever the two sects might bid; he wasn’t about to swap a huge gain for scraps.

“I’ll take my leave then, no need to keep you!” Master Liu Ziyun chose to depart on his own.

Lingering near Li Shiming left him on edge, a tension born only from confronting overwhelming might.

Usually, with Li Shiming holding back his presence, he appeared no different from your average great cultivator, but recalling Li Shiming’s fearsome deeds made it impossible for Master Liu Ziyun to see him as ordinary.

Particularly, reports from the White Emperor Sect and Yuqing Sect showed those sects had no desire to clash with Li Shiming anymore. Even after he captured their top experts, they merely asked Central State Commerce to broker a deal.

This flew in the face of how those sects typically operated, since both the White Emperor Sect and Yuqing Sect ruled with iron fists.

Take the White Emperor Sect’s feud with the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion—they dug in their heels fiercely, taking heavy hits yet revealing their unyielding approach.

The Yuqing Sect, masters of thunder cultivation wielding explosive thunder techniques, embodied the wild fury of such arts. Plus, Thunder Cultivators, much like Sword Cultivators, boasted battle prowess that outstripped regular sect elites, always aiming to crush foes completely.

Yet now, these two dominant forces faced Li Shiming with utter helplessness, a sight that stunned Master Liu Ziyun deeply.

Naturally, had Master Liu Ziyun learned of Li Shiming’s real exploits, he’d grasp exactly why the White Emperor Sect and Yuqing Sect backed off like this.

A great cultivator who felled a half-step great power—such a legend had no precedent in the annals of cultivation. Li Shiming’s fighting power stood supreme now, unbeatable without a true great power stepping in.

This rising star had evolved into a powerhouse brimming with endless promise, one no one dared challenge.

This round, even, the two sects opted to smooth things over with Li Shiming via Central State Commerce.

If the Yuqing Sect’s great powers yearned to reclaim the ‘Shenxiao Thunder Pearl’, that wouldn’t happen yet; it’d only come up when Li Shiming ventured to the West Yan Continent. Picking a fight now spelled disaster.

After seeing Master Liu Ziyun off, Li Shiming headed back into Taichu Cave Heaven.

He summoned the late-stage Golden Corpse to fetch the two top experts, who’d recovered a bit of vitality thanks to the ‘Innate Wood’ divine technique.

“How’s Uncle Yang Xing faring?” Master Wang He, mustering enough energy to talk, demanded right away.

“Uncle Yang Xing? You mean the half-step great power?” Li Shiming paused briefly before answering.

From the look in Master Wang He’s eyes, he verified it. Master Wang He lay totally bound, unable even to nod.

“He’s gone. Thanks for sharing his name; I’ll honor the first half-step great power to fall by my hand!” Li Shiming went on.

“No way, that can’t be—you’re making it up!” Master Wang He fixed Li Shiming with bulging eyes.

Barred from showing feelings through his body, his gaze turned crimson, betraying his inner turmoil.

“Everything’s possible. His grotto heaven was tiny, by the way. Ah, I still haven’t gone through his leftovers!” Li Shiming remarked with a grin.

A sweep of his hand brought forth the ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’.

At the sight of the ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’, Master Wang He needed no other evidence to accept Li Shiming’s claim.

While all ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammers’ shared a likeness, Yuqing Sect members could sense their distinct presences.

This particular ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’ bore the long-infused aura of half-step great power Yang Xing.

It served as Yang Xing’s core magic treasure, and claiming such a bound item without the owner’s willing release signaled the owner’s end.

Though Master Wang He had been seized alive and thus lived on, his own ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’ stayed fused in his Nascent Soul, tied to his soul crystal ring in spiritual form.

“Mr. Wang, I’d like you to reveal the Yuqing Sect’s might—how many half-step great powers and full great powers do they hold?” Li Shiming, noting Master Wang He’s heavy blow from the news, laced his question with a subtle charm.

Master Wang He’s thoughts reeled from half-step great power Yang Xing’s death, and Li Shiming’s coaxing voice drew on the ‘Telepathy’ technique.

Just as Li Shiming spotted the fog in Master Wang He’s stare, expecting a breakthrough, clarity snapped back into those eyes like a jolt.

“Ah, so that’s your angle—forget it, I won’t spill a thing!” Master Wang He burst into laughter.

His chuckles faded to whispers, then silence, as his vital energy slipped away.

“Well, that’s a surprise; Yuqing Sect guards its mysteries with oaths after all!” Through ‘Telepathy’, Li Shiming detected the oath’s odd energy surge right when Master Wang He’s gaze sharpened.

Master Wang He had tapped that oath’s special force to take his own life.

Li Shiming admired the Yuqing Sect’s clever safeguards. For key cultivators snared by foes, when resistance failed and bonds held firm—even blocking self-harm—any hint at sect secrets triggered the oath’s power.

Via that oath energy, despite lacking access to body or Nascent Soul forces, one could still end it all.

As a final measure, though few would choose death willingly, this oath’s force was so odd that even the mere intent to betray secrets brought total destruction.

Li Shiming turned to the remaining top expert. Yan Gao Great Cultivator, having overheard Li Shiming’s exchange with Master Wang He, caught his drift instantly. Without pause, Yan Gao Great Cultivator invoked the oath energy and ended his life.