Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1498 - 795: Battle_2

To provoke a colossal power like the White Emperor Sect would bring repercussions that anyone could foresee.

However, the Li Shiming standing before them had already achieved the rank of Great Cultivator, while that far-reaching flying vessel represented the pinnacle of the White Emperor Sect's flying boats.

Given Li Shiming's ties to the White Emperor Sect, it was utterly inconceivable that he had become a member of it. The sole explanation lay in Li Shiming having slain a White Emperor Sect cultivator and seized this elite fourth-grade flying boat.

Great Cultivator Qian Yi wavered inwardly and shot a look at the nearby Cultivator Lu.

"What should we do?" he inquired through voice transmission.

As his ally, Cultivator Lu grasped exactly what Great Cultivator Qian Yi implied. The vast ocean served as a realm without laws, where raw power alone dictated outcomes.

Eliminating Li Shiming, a lone cultivator lacking any backing, would not only avert potential disasters but also secure the goodwill of the White Emperor Sect.

Furthermore, Li Shiming’s ’White Emperor Light Cloud Boat’ posed an irresistible lure. Even among mighty sects, a supreme fourth-grade flying boat remained scarce, typically reserved for select core disciples favored by top experts, and seldom owned by Great Cultivators themselves.

The worth of this elite fourth-grade flying boat rivaled that of the long-haul merchant convoy they guarded.

"Out here on the sea, we stick to the code!" Cultivator Lu responded through voice transmission.

With that, he unleashed a combat readiness incantation, signaling the merchant convoy to prepare for action.

Having heard Cultivator Lu's response, Great Cultivator Qian Yi's presence surged dramatically.

"Such a shame!" he uttered in a grave tone.

He regretted that a prodigy like Li Shiming would meet his end in this place today.

A youthful prodigy and exceptional Alchemy Master, it was tragic that he had forged bitter grudges with both Central State Commerce and the White Emperor Sect. To safeguard Central State Commerce from Li Shiming's possible vengeance down the line, Qian Yi resolved to uproot this danger now.

This mindset swiftly convinced him that his impending clash held a noble purpose, if only for Central State Commerce's sake.

Li Shiming's fighting prowess held no concern for him.

Though Li Shiming possessed Great Cultivator cultivation, considering his youth, he must have only recently stepped into that realm.

For two seasoned Great Cultivators like themselves to confront one newcomer, overpowering Li Shiming would prove straightforward.

Provided they kept Li Shiming from returning to the ’White Emperor Light Cloud Boat’, they felt assured of ending him right here.

"You’ve chosen poorly!" Li Shiming detected the shifting auras from the two Central State Commerce Great Cultivators and discerned their intentions. He spoke with composure.

His ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ stealthily approached Great Cultivator Qian Yi's rear, undetected.

Upon reaching the Great Cultivator level, Li Shiming had infused the ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ with the ’Chaos Sword Intent’ drawn from the ’Heavenly Human Technique’, boosting its concealment even more.

In his earlier Nascent Soul Middle Stage days, a vigilant Great Cultivator might have spotted the ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ with focused scrutiny.

Things had changed now. As a Great Cultivator himself, Li Shiming channeled amplified might from the spiritual treasure ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ through the ’Chaos Sword Intent’.

A spiritual treasure truly shines when wielded by a formidable cultivator. Whether in the hands of Nascent Soul Middle Stage experts or full Great Cultivators, only portions of its capabilities could be accessed.

The ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ stood as the mightiest spiritual treasure under Li Shiming's control, etched with ten billion sharpness runes and four billion sturdiness runes—a uncommon dual-rule spiritual treasure bearing the ’sharpness rule imprint’ and ’sturdiness rule imprint’.

Great Cultivator Qian Yi noted that Li Shiming neither fled nor retreated to the ’White Emperor Light Cloud Boat’, which filled him with satisfaction.

This reflected the typical flaw in prodigies: presuming they could match peers at their level, yet Li Shiming likely overlooked the vast chasm separating cultivators at the Great Cultivator stage.

As Great Cultivator Qian Yi closed in on Li Shiming, the ’Chaos Sword Intent’ cloaking Li Shiming’s ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ stayed concealed until the strike, preventing any early reveal.

Without detecting the ’Chaos Sword Intent’, he remained oblivious to its dreadfulness, and thus unalarmed.

Yet absence of fear didn't enhance his performance; his assumption faltered. Li Shiming surpassed a mere fresh Great Cultivator.

Li Shiming had been capable of deploying Great Cultivator-level strength back in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

Now as a Great Cultivator, he commanded rules of the Five Elements, Thunder Rules, and Sword Intent Rule, alongside two spiritual treasures—one a premier thunder-attribute relic.

"Li Shizhen, you'd be wise to yield. Given your alchemy talent, survival might still be possible!" Cultivator Lu suggested from nearby.

"I haven’t clashed with an equal since entering the Great Cultivator realm, so bring it on!" Li Shiming declared with a hearty laugh.

"You’re courting your own demise!" Great Cultivator Qian Yi flicked his wrist, sending a jade ruler soaring toward Li Shiming.

Mid-flight, the jade ruler expanded into a five-meter behemoth, crashing down on Li Shiming with overwhelming force.

"Slash!" Li Shiming stood his ground, issuing a soft command.

The ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ materialized upon impacting Great Cultivator Qian Yi. The fearsome ’Chaos Sword Intent’ rippling along its see-through edge saturated the surroundings.

Cultivator Lu, poised to join the assault, paused briefly as the ’Chaos Sword Intent’s’ aura stirred him.

Great Cultivator Qian Yi felt the rear assault, but evasion came too late.

He hastily considered activating the life-saving jade talisman in his soul crystal ring, recognizing the peril and opting for the optimal response.

This life-saving jade talisman, forged by a mighty cultivator, enabled a potent escape technique fueled by high-level power when triggered amid true mortal danger.

Due to its rarity, however, he refrained from using it prematurely to preserve the invaluable item.

On this occasion, Great Cultivator Qian Yi misjudged. Believing his superior Great Cultivator cultivation over Li Shiming granted ample time to trigger the talisman even under threat.

In truth, as the ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ penetrated his form, his layered protections offered zero resistance.

A barrier spell, a robe granting automatic defense, and a protective ornament—all showcased the opulence of a wealthy Great Cultivator.

Regrettably, this array of safeguards shattered instantly against the Great Cultivator-caliber ’Chaos Sword Intent’ and the openly unleashed spiritual treasure ’Traceless Illusion Sword’.

With the final barrier crumbling, the ’Traceless Illusion Sword’ invaded his body, rendering the life-saving jade talisman activation impossible.

The ’Chaos Sword Intent’, while not matching the Sword Intent of the Sword Intent Stele, outstripped every Sword Cultivator in the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion in terms of sword intent prowess.

The ’Chaos Sword Intent’s’ most horrifying trait was its invasion of the body, where it assaulted both the physical form and the Nascent Soul concurrently. Beneath the ’Chaos Sword Intent’s’ onslaught, the body, Nascent Soul, and soul endured a barrage of sword intent conditions.

Amid these layered sword intent states, forget retaliation—even deploying divine sense lagged, preventing Great Cultivator Qian Yi from triggering the life-saving jade talisman.

"So this is the gulf between elite geniuses?" This final notion crossed Great Cultivator Qian Yi's mind as awareness slipped away.

The massive jade ruler targeting Li Shiming plummeted from above following its master's demise, shrinking back to normal and dropping into Li Shiming's grasp.

Li Shiming examined the jade ruler, noting it wasn't Great Cultivator Qian Yi’s core-bound treasure. Nonetheless, as a supreme fourth-grade item, it piqued his curiosity, so he stored it away.