Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1440 - 766: Entering (Part 2)

Li Yuanba gave a brief nod. Since he didn't need to worry about Fourth Grade Late Stage Hell Beings for the time being, the Four-grade Mid-stage Hell Life didn't pose much of a threat to him.

He had been holding back his true capabilities during the defensive battles of the previous few days.

In contrast to typical Sword Cultivators, his specialty lay in suppressing vast numbers of enemies with limited resources.

"The units are organized. Yuan Ba, you are granted free movement and will not be attached to a specific team. Now, lead your squads toward the passage and get ready to breach the Hell Cave Heaven!" Great Cultivator Lou commanded with a final wave of his hand.

Accepting the directive, the seven core Sword Cultivators departed. Li Yuanba followed Great Cultivator Lou as they soared toward the entrance of the Hell Cave Heaven channel.

On Hell Island, the convict cultivators had already been forced to the front of the passage, while the practitioners from the various superpowers gathered behind them.

Hell Creatures were still pouring out of the channel, but their efforts were futile under the intervention of several Great Cultivators, who slaughtered them before they could even fully emerge.

"The moment of your atonement has arrived. You will lead the charge; those who survive this engagement will be granted their freedom from Hell Island!" a Great Cultivator announced to the convicts at the front line.

Despair filled the eyes of many convict cultivators, though a few harbored a small spark of hope. Some were nearly finished with their sentences, while others had been condemned to remain on the island forever.

Regardless of their status, this conflict represented their only path to departure.

Furthermore, refusal was not an option; the Great Cultivators present could annihilate them all in an instant.

"Charge if you want to live!" a convict cultivator roared, spearheading the rush into the passage.

The rest of the convicts shouted in response, joining the frantic assault.

The group was substantial, consisting of nearly four hundred individuals, all possessing Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivation.

As they began their strike, they unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Hell Creatures inside the channel, successfully forcing the monsters to fall back.

Nearly every practitioner utilized long-range techniques, and their sudden explosion of power effectively cleared the entrance of Hell Creatures.

Inevitably, some were unfortunate. Struck by the dark energy spheres launched by the Hell Sheep Head Creatures, they fell to the ground screaming.

The remaining cultivators simply trampled over the corpses of their fallen peers to maintain the momentum of the charge.

Losses mounted as the convict cultivators pushed closer to the far end of the Hell Cave Heaven channel.

As more practitioners collapsed, those behind them immediately filled the gaps.

The observers watching from the rear felt very little pity for the convicts. No one sent to Hell Island was guilty of minor offenses.

While Nascent Soul Early Stage Practitioners would typically be executed for such crimes, those at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage were instead exiled to Hell Island, with their sentences reflecting the gravity of their sins.

Since every Nascent Soul Middle Stage criminal from across the entire cultivation world was sent here, they formed a specialized force of nearly four hundred convicts.

Using them as the vanguard served a dual purpose: it eliminated the need for convicts on Hell Island after this mission and minimized casualties among the regular cultivators.

Piercing the entrance of the Hell Cave Heaven was the most grueling phase of the campaign; once a base was established inside, the war effort could be expanded systematically.

Li Yuanba watched the scene with a calm expression, noticing that Supervisor Sun from Central State Commerce was among those charging forward.

Supervisor Sun had previously betrayed Li Shiming, despite the latter being a Guest Elder who had generated massive wealth for the organization.

Such an act was considered a betrayal of Central State Commerce itself; had he not reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, he would have been put to death.

His exile was actually one of the shorter ones, which only served to highlight how truly heinous the other convicts' crimes were.

Li had gathered this information while conversing with the Great Cultivators during the defense preparations.

He felt no sympathy for them, believing that their deaths were the only way to pay for their transgressions.

He watched as a sharp horn impaled Supervisor Sun. With a desperate shriek and a final burst of spiritual light, the supervisor blew up the Hell Creature that had struck him.

As Supervisor Sun collapsed, another Hell Creature lunged forward and tore at his throat.

The fighting grew even more savage as they neared the exit of the Hell Cave Heaven channel.

Every inch gained cost a heavy price in blood and lives.

Driven to madness and knowing there was no retreat, the convicts began exhausting their spiritual powers without restraint.

Ultimately, after losing more than half their number, they successfully broke through and set foot inside the Hell Cave Heaven.

"All Sword Cultivators, follow me into the Hell Cave Heaven!" Great Cultivator Lou commanded.

The Sword Cultivators refused to let any other superpower claim the glory of the lead.

Li Yuanba accelerated to the front. Finding the path cleared of enemies and paved only with the mingled gore of cultivators and Hell Creatures, he was the first to arrive within the Hell Cave Heaven.

He took in the sight of the Hell Cave Heaven for the first time: a black sun hung in the sky, casting a strange, vivid light over the terrain.

Despite the brightness, the sky felt heavy and dim, as if weighed down by eternal storm clouds.

Winged Hell Creatures filled the air, while an ocean of them swarmed across the ground.

A single look confirmed that their numbers were virtually limitless.

The only relief was the absence of Fourth Grade Late Stage Hell Beings; among the countless Four-grade Mid-stage Hell Life, he detected no such powerful auras.

However, he remained cautious, knowing they might be hiding their presence just as they had before, masquerading as ordinary Four-grade Mid-stage Hell Life to launch a surprise attack.

Li Yuanba’s pause was brief. He saw that the remaining hundred or so convicts were on the verge of a total breakdown.

The momentum they had gained from the breakthrough vanished, replaced by sheer terror at the sight before them.

Faced with a literal sea of Hell Creatures that dwarfed their own numbers, their hope turned into utter despair.

With a flick of his wrist, Li Yuanba summoned five Mid-stage Golden Corpses to the field and threw the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' into the air.

An invisible ripple radiated from the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' as a gravity field, bolstered by the 'Gravity Gold Brick,' expanded to cover a one-kilometer radius around him.

Even without activating the full artifact powers of the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak,' the gravity field provided enough suppression for the time being.

However, he immediately felt the field draining the energy of the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' at an alarming rate.

He began funneling his own spiritual power into the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' to stabilize it, yet he found it difficult to keep up with the consumption.

He had deployed gravity fields in the past, but never one that drained so much energy over such a wide area.

The difference this time was the sheer density of Four-grade Mid-stage Hell Life within the radius; the energy required to suppress so many powerful entities was staggering.