Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1417 - 755: Departure

Within the confines of the Little Lei Yin Temple, Great Venerable Hongfa moved among the fallen monks, meticulously arranging their remains while reciting the Soul Calming Spell.

Grief etched deep lines into his face, mourning not only the departed but his own fate as well.

The tranquility he once knew had evaporated forever; from this moment on, he was merely Li Yuanba’s servant, his very existence subject to the whims of his new master.

While he had cried out for mercy before death could claim him, it wasn't solely out of cowardice.

Naturally, the fear of perishing was his primary motivation, yet he had also witnessed Li Yuanba wielding two distinct Spiritual Objects alongside that terrifying 'Chaos Sword Intent'. He felt certain that Li Yuanba was destined for a future of unparalleled greatness.

Acting without explicit orders, he gathered every spatial item while clearing the corpses, viewing this task as his newfound obligation.

As Li Yuanba’s subordinate, it was now his duty to prioritize his master's benefits above all else.

Leveraging his status as the Great Venerable of Little Lei Yin Temple, he possessed intimate knowledge of its treasures and began systematically stripping the temple of its assets once the bodies were handled.

He even went as far as dismantling the Space Acceptance Array; had the temple's defensive formation not been so structurally complex to unbind, he likely would have taken that as well.

The only corpse he left untouched was that of Ming Fa—the body of Bai Yong, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner.

Bai Yong had met his end through the cataclysmic detonation of the Spiritual Object 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak', followed by the crushing force of a sustained gravity field that extinguished his soul entirely.

After setting Bai Yong’s remains aside, Li Yuanba withdrew the 'Infinite Great Isolation Decree'.

He observed Great Venerable Hongfa’s industriousness in silence; truth be told, physical observation was unnecessary, as the soul-binding contract allowed him to feel Hongfa’s every emotion and share his very perceptions.

Furthermore, he could delegate the monitoring of Hongfa to IBMz15; should any hint of treachery arise, IBMz15 would use the soul-binding contract to forcibly shatter the monk's soul.

The nature of this soul-binding contract was absolute and tyrannical, with the contract rune already dominating the majority of Hongfa’s soul; a backlash would result in total spiritual destruction.

Even if only a minor portion of a soul is ruined, a cultivator’s mind would be severely crippled, leaving them in a state of dementia.

Despite the immense power a Great Venerable wields, controlling them becomes a simple matter when their very soul is held hostage.

Li Yuanba felt quite pleased with Hongfa’s initiative; the monk had anticipated his needs and exceeded expectations without being told.

"Since everything has been cleared out, it is time to leave!" Li Yuanba signaled with a wave of his hand.

"As you command, master!" Great Venerable Hongfa answered.

Utilizing the Divine Foot Skill, the pair vanished from the grounds of Little Lei Yin Temple in an instant.

By the following day, a reinforcement party consisting of one Great Venerable and six Mid-stage Venerables arrived at the gates of Little Lei Yin Temple.

This force had been dispatched by Da Leiyin Temple following the request sent by the information manager, Ming Fa.

The decision to send such a formidable group—a Great Venerable supported by six Mid-stage peers—was a direct response to the threat posed by Li Yuanba.

Li Yuanba’s reputation for slaying Great Cultivators preceded him; sending a lone Great Venerable was deemed insufficient, whereas a group of seven could effectively neutralize him.

The scale of Da Leiyin Temple’s response made it clear that the Cultivation World now viewed Li Yuanba’s combat prowess as being on par with a Great Cultivator.

The lead Great Venerable surveyed the temple grounds, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

To his heightened senses, Little Lei Yin Temple felt unnervingly hollow, stripped of all signs of life.

With a sharp gesture, he signaled his subordinates; the six Mid-stage Venerables promptly drew their magical treasures and formed a defensive perimeter around him, locking into a battle formation.

This was the specific tactic Da Leiyin Temple had devised for Li Yuanba: the six Mid-stage Venerables would provide an absolute defense.

This allowed the Great Venerable to focus entirely on his offensive strikes without concern for his own safety.

They reasoned that while a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Sword Cultivator like Li Yuanba possessed lethal offensive power capable of killing those above his rank, his defensive capabilities would naturally be his weak point due to his lower Cultivation level.

With this coordinated formation, they believed they could thoroughly overwhelm him.

However, as they cautiously moved through the temple, they found the halls completely deserted.

"Could they have evacuated?" one of the Mid-stage Venerables asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

The temple's state suggested a deliberate relocation rather than a battle.

It seemed impossible for anyone other than the temple's own residents to have removed every portable Spiritual Object so cleanly, leaving the architecture and facilities entirely unharmed.

Even more puzzling was the fact that the protective formations of Little Lei Yin Temple remained perfectly intact.

The Great Venerable cast a cold, disparaging look at the speaker, questioning his intelligence.

"Amitabha, Little Lei Yin Temple has been wiped out," he declared solemnly, pressing his palms together in prayer.

His perception caught the lingering traces of soul energy that had yet to fade, a clear sign of a massacre that had occurred recently.

"Was this Li Yuanba’s work? How could he be so bold?" the Mid-stage Venerable hissed through gritted teeth.

"If we find that Ming Fa is still within Little Lei Yin Temple, our sect will surely continue to suffer heavy losses!" the Great Venerable sighed, sounding helpless.