Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1634 - 863: Cui Cheng (Part 2)

This observation only served to make Great Cultivator Lin and Great Cultivator Yu feel even more uncomfortable. Despite their profound cultivation acting as a foundational buffer, they struggled to suppress the saliva gathering in their mouths.

Cultivator Jian Tianyi acted with clear intention. Observing the expressions worn by the two Peak Great Cultivators, a playful smile emerged on his face.

The pot of Spirit Tea was rapidly exhausted. Cultivator Jian Tianyi accepted the jade container passed to him by Li Yuanba and immediately deposited it into his soul crystal ring without a moment's hesitation.

Li Yuanba watched him with a resigned expression, feeling deeply amused yet choosing to remain silent.

To him, this specific grade of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea was entirely inconsequential. Ever since he determined the impressive velocity of the Thunder Beast, his spiritual connection with his primary body, Li Shiming, had become significantly more robust. Should the need arise, he could procure a fresh supply of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea within a mere two or three days.

Seeing a Peak Sword Cultivator like Jian Tianyi act with such whimsical, childlike behavior was a rare sight, making the expenditure of some tea well worth the amusement.

The other Great Cultivators remained oblivious to these inner thoughts. Having savored the Spirit Tea, they ceased their chatter, each delving into a meditative state to revisit the subtle impressions left by the tea ceremony.

"Cui Cheng has emerged!" Great Cultivator Mu Mu suddenly gave a warning.

A reminder was hardly necessary; Li Yuanba had already detected the sudden explosive surge of a Fire-style Peak Great Cultivator’s aura. A fierce manifestation of Fire Spiritual Power erupted as a crimson radiance shot directly toward the firmament.

"Nanming Leaving Fire!" Li Yuanba murmured softly.

He had not anticipated that Master Cui of the Infinite Sect would be a practitioner of the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' fire-style Divine Skill.

In the past, he had assumed the Cultivation World harbored an endless supply of Divine Skill legacies. Yet, upon truly crossing into this realm, he realized his error.

Divine Skills, particularly those of significant power, are incredibly difficult to master, and their true inheritances are exceedingly rare.

Furthermore, 'Nanming Leaving Fire' stands out as a formidable offensive Divine Skill. One should not be deceived by the sheer volume of skills Li Shiming has mastered; in truth, powerful attack-based Divine Skills are remarkably scarce.

Master Cui had managed to elevate his 'Nanming Leaving Fire' to the Peak Great Cultivator level. Li Yuanba could roughly gauge the devastating potential such a technique would possess.

The 'Nanming Leaving Fire' effectively acts as a manifestation of fire-related rules; by employing it as a Divine Skill, the practitioner significantly reduces the difficulty of manipulating those rules.

Li Shiming’s body, now at the Great Cultivator Realm, had also mastered the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' Divine Skill. When this is synchronized with fire rules, the result is not a mere additive effect; it far transcends the mundane fire-style Secret Techniques occasionally bolstered by partial 'fire rules'.

"Yuan Ba recognized it—indeed, it is 'Nanming Leaving Fire'. Cui Cheng possesses a temperament as volatile and aggressive as the very Divine Skill he practices. He is truly unliked by all!" Cultivator Jian Tianyi remarked, appearing surprised that Li Yuanba identified the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' so easily.

Li Yuanba observed the other Peak Great Cultivators, including Great Venerable Ming Hai, as they cast looks of utter disdain toward Master Cui.

For a peer of his stature to be viewed so poorly, Master Cui was clearly an exceptional individual in the worst sense.

"So many familiar faces have聚集ed. Oh, even a little brat is here!" Master Cui materialized just outside the reach of the Great Cultivators. Despite the presence of so many powerful individuals, he displayed no trace of fear.

Upon hearing Master Cui refer to him as a 'brat', Li Yuanba’s gaze instantly turned icy-sharp.

He gripped the arm of his Late-stage Golden Corpse and, in an instant, both he and the entity vanished from their coordinates.

Master Cui had never envisioned that the youth he mocked would be so incredibly impetuous, launching a surprise assault before the formal hostilities had even commenced.

By the time he realized something was amiss, Li Yuanba had already vaulted into position behind him, accompanied by the Late-stage Golden Corpse.

The moment the Late-stage Golden Corpse reappeared, it surged into close range, raining down a relentless barrage of blows with its head, fists, feet, elbows, knees, claws, and teeth.

Li Yuanba remained in close proximity; rather than retreating, he immediately initiated his pre-calculated Xingyi Sword strike.

The Xingyi Sword attack synced perfectly with the Golden Corpse’s onslaught, functioning as a lethal complement to the brute force of the undead guardian.

Master Cui’s fire shield managed to deflect the Golden Corpse’s initial flurry, yet the shield’s defensive integrity flickered violently under the immense pressure.

The Xingyi Sword then struck the exact same point on the fiery barrier, shearing through the weakened defense to penetrate the construct.

Master Cui displayed remarkable control over flames; despite the puncture in his shield, the remainder of the construct held firm.

Reacting quickly to the breach, he retreated while funneling energy into the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' to intercept the Xingyi Sword.

It was his only viable tactic under such extreme time constraints; he was now severely on the defensive.

Pinned down by the Golden Corpse’s relentless close-quarters combat, the pressure was suffocating, and with the Xingyi Sword constantly harassing him, he found it impossible to mount his own offensive.

The collision between the Xingyi Sword and the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' was intense. The erupting 'Chaos Sword Intent' displayed a sharpness that defied description, forcibly cleaving through the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' without sustaining a scratch.

Master Cui’s countermeasure had been sound in theory, but the sheer quality of the Xingyi Sword had caught him off guard.

Usually, incinerating a top-tier Fourth Grade Magical Treasure with 'Nanming Leaving Fire' is a routine matter, but because the Xingyi Sword possessed the true quality of a Spirit Treasure, the flames proved ineffective—short of upgrading his technique to the next tier, he could not overcome such an artifact.

Master Cui only felt his robes tear as a shallow wound blossomed on his skin.

Fortunately, the Xingyi Sword had been obstructed multiple times, losing the bulk of its momentum, which meant that upon impact, it caused only minor damage.

Just as the Xingyi Sword retreated and Master Cui sought an opening to strike at the Golden Corpse, Li Yuanba charged in, wielding the Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation.

"You’re the brat! Your entire household is!" Li Yuanba snarled, unleashing his blade upon Master Cui.

As the Xingyi Sword returned to his side, he instantly surged it with fresh energy and Sword Intent, firing it back at Master Cui immediately.

Master Cui was utterly stunned. He had encountered many Great Cultivators in his time, but never anything resembling Li Yuanba.

Since when did Sword Cultivators command a Corpse Refining? Since when did they partake in such savage, close-quarters bladework?

Furthermore, Li Yuanba’s mastery of close combat appeared even more refined than the Late-stage Golden Corpse.

The Golden Corpse relied on innate power and the terrifying Yin Cold Energy it emitted; while its speed was unmatched, it lacked tactical precision. Li Yuanba, however, was different.

The Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation in his grip targeted the structural weak points of the fire shield with surgical precision during every strike.

He activated his 'Divine Eye Skill', granting him an unobstructed view of the defensive lapses in Master Cui’s barrier. Enhanced by the 'Chaos Sword Intent', his blade proved devastating, filling the gap left by the temporarily displaced Spirit Treasure.

Li Yuanba continued his tirade as he fought, watching as Master Cui’s fiery shield disintegrated into countless fractures.

Master Cui’s clothing was shredded by the blade, leaving behind several lacerations from which blood began to trickle.

"Nanming Leaving Fire, detonate!" Finally pushed to his limit, Master Cui roared, channeling the full potency of his Divine Power Rune.

He triggered a massive release of fire-style energy that he had long accumulated, forming a ring of terrifying flames that expanded rapidly outward.

Li Yuanba, sensing the drastic shift in the aura of the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' and understanding its properties, immediately recognized the danger.

His silhouette blurred as he employed 'Dimension Distance', vanishing from his current location.

The fire ring surged toward the Golden Corpse, which instantly manifested its armored form. The flames of the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' crashed against it, only to be deflected as the corpse remained unphased, continuing its relentless pursuit of Master Cui.

The catastrophic detonation of the 'Nanming Leaving Fire' Divine Skill was completely checked by the Golden Corpse, which did not even falter in its aggression.