Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1394: 743: Exploration (Part 2)

They understood perfectly that within the confines of this Grotto Heaven, the most reliable sanctuary in the face of trouble was the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

Furthermore, the five Mid-stage Golden Corpses provided by Li Yuanba were formidable; any one of them could be ranked as the premier power beneath the level of a Great Cultivator.

The lead was taken by Central State Commerce, the Infinite Sect, and the Beidou Sect. Their core Cultivation experts surged forward, pushing their speed to the absolute limit.

Lust for wealth clouded their judgment, particularly as they stumbled upon exposed fourth-grade resources during their frantic sprint.

This Grotto Heaven had remained isolated for millennia, and its internal environment was naturally rich. Simply excavating this immediate area could yield a staggering bounty of fourth-grade materials.

However, their avarice knew no bounds. They reasoned that if fourth-grade resources were lying on the surface here, then the inner sanctums—the former residence of the Langcai Great Power—must be overflowing with even higher quality treasures.

Even their wildest guesses fell short. In reality, every single object within the Langcai Great Power’s dwelling was of the finest fourth-grade peak quality.

Che Lian spearheaded the Infinite Sect’s Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioners, overtaking the team from Central State Commerce. A rhythmic blue light pulsed from their legs, the unmistakable glow of High-level Acceleration Talismans in use.

To secure their lead, the Infinite Sect had deployed group-effect High-level Acceleration Talismans.

“Yin Chang, I’ll see you at the front!” Che Lian shouted with a laugh as he pulled ahead.

Not long after passing Central State Commerce, he slammed directly into a hidden space barrier.

Before him stretched a vast, golden sea of flowers. Despite being a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner and a core member of a superpower, he wasn't usually one to be easily moved by the mere color of gold.

Yet, the sight of the golden floral expanse momentarily stunned him.

With the Grotto Heaven’s concealment stripped away, every blossom in that golden sea radiated an aura of extraordinary quality.

He paused, torn between harvesting the golden stalks right there or pushing deeper into the heart of the realm.

“We charge through first and decide later!” He reached a conclusion, signaling his companions with a wave to fly toward the far side of the floral ocean.

As they ventured over the field, the sea of flowers began to sway.

Countless petals ascended into the air, colliding with one another. With every mid-air impact, the petals gained terrifying velocity.

In an instant, the petals transformed into a swarm of razor-sharp blades, shredding through the air toward Che Lian and his fellow Infinite Sect Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioners.

“Defense! Raise your defenses immediately!” Although they were traveling at high speeds, the practitioners were protected by barriers; however, it was soon evident that their standard wards were insufficient against the onslaught of the petal storm.

The lethal cutting power of the petals remained potent. Even without the guidance of the Grotto Heaven's Artifact Spirit, the petals attacked with a savage, instinctive precision born from the chaotic environment.

“Ah!” A scream pierced the air as the first Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner’s protective barrier shattered.

Only five breaths of time had passed from the start of the attack to the first casualty.

The petal sea had not even reached its peak lethality yet; the speed and force of each petal continued to escalate with every collision. That a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner fell within a mere five breaths proved the terrifying power of this floral trap.

In truth, regardless of how sturdy a cultivator’s defense might be, enduring thousands of simultaneous strikes was impossible.

Each petal impact chipped away at their protection, and under the relentless slicing, their defenses plummeted to critical levels in seconds.

The body of the first practitioner was hacked into fragments. Before the remains could even hit the ground, a second Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner met the same gruesome end.

A chorus of agonizing screams erupted, each one signifying the sudden demise of another Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner.

Realizing they were in mortal danger, Che Lian and several other core members of the Infinite Sect desperately crushed their life-saving Jade Talismans. They vanished from above the flowers and reappeared at the edge of the space barrier where they had started, safely out of the sea's reach.

The surviving core practitioners looked at each other, their eyes wide with lingering terror.

They forced bitter smiles, knowing the cost of this excursion was immense, even if those lost were only the ordinary Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioners of the sect.

Nevertheless, even "ordinary" Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioners represented the backbone of any Sect.

In the Cultivation World, Great Cultivators are rarely deployed; the daily operations and interests of a sect are managed by Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioners. Their numbers dictate a sect's overall influence and operational capacity.

While losing so many might not destroy the Infinite Sect, it would certainly hinder their ability to compete for future resources.

Just then, the Beidou Sect and Central State Commerce crossed the space barrier. Chang Qing and Yin Chang looked at the remaining Infinite Sect members with confusion.

The sea of flowers, having consumed the rest of the Infinite Sect practitioners, had returned to its deceptive calm.

No trace of the fallen remained; the petals had shredded them so finely that their remains were instantly absorbed by the soil beneath the flowers.

“Where are the rest of your men?” Yin Chang asked, his eyes shifting between Che Lian and the silent field of gold.

He suspected a disaster had occurred; otherwise, the previously boisterous Che Lian wouldn’t be standing there so quietly.

“I sent them further ahead; we stayed behind to harvest these stalks!” Che Lian lied without blinking.

“Since when did you become so selfless?” Chang Qing of the Beidou Sect sneered.

Chang Qing and Yin Chang stopped pressing him, knowing Che Lian would never offer the truth freely.

They turned their attention to the golden sea, hesitating for a moment before each commander selected a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner from their respective groups.

The two chosen men had no choice but to obey. They layered every defensive spell they knew onto their bodies and cautiously entered the floral field.

Within a few breaths of their entry, the petals began to dance. Moments later, the two practitioners were reduced to crimson mist and fragments, vanishing into the golden depths.

“Hiss!” A collective gasp of horror rose from the gathered Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioners.

The beautiful vista was nothing more than a meat grinder.

They finally realized what had happened to the rest of the Infinite Sect. Glances of pure contempt were thrown at Che Lian, as his deception had just cost two more lives.

As those two practitioners fell, more groups from other superpowers arrived, witnessing the lethal nature of the flower sea firsthand.

Gradually, a large crowd of Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioners assembled at the edge, all wary of the deadly petals.

“We are turning back!” Wu Qi declared after assessing the danger. He made no attempt to force a crossing.

Even though the Mid-stage Golden Corpses were powerful, he refused to risk Li Yuanba’s assets; he could tell that even those corpses would likely be destroyed by the flower sea.

At Wu Qi’s command, the Sword Cultivators turned to depart.

The previous area still held many secrets, and they had already gathered significant fourth-grade resources just by passing through.

There were even rare fourth-grade gold ores to be found. Rather than wasting lives on an impassable barrier, it was wiser to return to the safer zones where the rewards were guaranteed.

The Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion led the retreat, followed quickly by Luanyang Palace, Da Leiyin Temple, the Guiyuan Sect, and the Feiyu Sect. They all chose to seek wealth in the previous space, where the gains were tangible.

Unlike this floral trap, where survival was unlikely and rewards were speculative at best.

Furthermore, they knew Li Yuanba had already crossed. If there were treasures on the other side, Li Yuanba had almost certainly claimed them already.

Even if they managed to cross, none of them possessed the confidence to take anything away from Li Yuanba.

They had seen his power with their own eyes; the mere fact that he could traverse such a terrifying obstacle was enough to kill any lingering greed in their hearts.