Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1638 - 865: Killing Blow (2)

Nevertheless, Li Yuanba chose not to obstruct Great Cultivator Yu’s movements, opting instead to maintain a façade of cooperation.

He understood clearly that Great Cultivator Yu possessed sufficient time to trigger his protective Jade Talisman before their formation crumbled.

A long string of inconclusive skirmishes had steeled his resolve to finally secure the kill of a Peak Great Cultivator.

Prior to embarking on this mission, his master, Jian Wuwei, had explicitly instructed him that unlike previous duties, any encounter where the most formidable Great Cultivators gathered demanded the total eradication of all opposing threats.

Be they Peak or merely top-tier, these Great Cultivators stood as the vital pillars of power for any faction.

The demise of such a powerhouse would create a significant power vacuum, and in an era defined by cutthroat competition for Great Cultivator resources, such a loss would inevitably cause that faction to fall behind its rivals.

Having long sensed the thinly veiled hostility from both Great Cultivator Lin and Great Cultivator Yu, Li Yuanba finally held the opportunity to exact his price.

He conceded that Great Cultivator Yu remained out of reach for the moment, shifting his predatory focus entirely toward Great Cultivator Lin.

Just as Great Cultivator Jian Tianyi shattered the Ice Crystal Fortress Array with a single strike, Great Cultivator Lin realized the gravity of his situation and pulled his life-saving Jade Talisman from his storage ring.

Yet, a trap perfected by Li Yuanba had already been sprung.

The late-stage Golden Corpse surged forward, materializing instantly before Great Cultivator Lin to bind him in a lethal embrace.

It poured all its might into the constriction, and having been eroded by the ebb and flow of the battle, Great Cultivator Lin’s defenses were already flickering with exhaustion. This forced contact served only to compress those failing barriers further.

With the Golden Corpse pinning him, it became impossible for Great Cultivator Lin to initiate his escape maneuver, as the puppet’s aura stifled his own essence.

Li Yuanba intentionally let the Xingyi Sword move just a fraction slower than the Golden Corpse.

As Great Cultivator Lin’s defensive aura neared total collapse, he found himself utterly immobilized.

The Xingyi Sword, fueled by terrifying force, pierced directly into the center of Great Cultivator Lin’s forehead.

Under normal battlefield conditions, striking this precise point of a master would be an impossible feat unless the skill gap was immense.

With negligible resistance, the blade buried itself deep into the skull.

Feeling the blade pierce through a barrier, Li Yuanba knew the brain had been compromised.

With a flicker of his willpower, the 'Chaos Sword Intent' erupted from the metal, turning everything it touched into ruins.

The force tore through brain matter; even without the unique destructive properties of the sword intent, a flying sword striking this depth would suffice to end a life.

A jagged ruin formed on Great Cultivator Lin’s brow, the light in his eyes extinguished forever, his features frozen in a mask of bitter resentment.

Abruptly, a miniature Nascent Soul erupted from his ruined frame.

Scarcely having escaped the flesh, the tiny entity displayed pure terror, desperate to flee into the horizon.

Li Yuanba unleashed his 'Heaven and Earth at the Fingertips', effectively sealing the Nascent Soul’s path.

The spirit swerved, nearly colliding with Li Yuanba himself, before frantically changing direction.

Golden brilliance flared around Li Yuanba; instantly, a thousand-meter radius turned into a swirling vortex of grinding sand.

He had activated the 'Sanmei Divine Wind'—before the Nascent Soul could even find its momentum, it was imprisoned within the suffocating storm.

The presence of the 'Sanmei Divine Wind' rendered any further flight impossible for the captive spirit.

Because the wind possessed a predatory focus on souls and spirits, the Nascent Soul—being the very vessel of consciousness—was under constant assault by endless grains of 'Sanmei Divine Sand' even while remaining stationary.

Seeing the Nascent Soul near disintegration, Li Yuanba reached out and cast a Soul-locking Talisman across it, shackling the spirit in place.

He then produced a Soul-locking Jade Box, applying several specialized incantations to seal the spirit securely.

Only then did he tuck the container away; such a specimen would make exquisite sustenance for his Heavenly Ghost, or perhaps serve as an invaluable subject for future research.

As Li Yuanba claimed his prize, a suffocating silence descended upon the battlefield.

Master Cui, the Phoenix Palace Master, and Master Ren Mu all instinctively halted their combat, witnessing the absolute annihilation of Great Cultivator Lin.

Master Cui’s gaze toward Li Yuanba was now tainted by genuine dread. He had been battered before, always believing he understood Li Yuanba’s limitations and hoping for a single opening to turn the tide.

But seeing the body obliterated and the Nascent Soul captured, Li Yuanba’s ruthless efficiency left even Master Cui trembling.

Li Yuanba had mastered the 'Sanmei Divine Wind,' a technique that essentially signed the death warrant for any Nascent Soul that dared appear before him.

Li Yuanba retrieved the physical mantle of Great Cultivator Lin; hoisting the corpse with his divine sense, he began to contemplate if he could refine this Peak Great Cultivator into a new late-stage Golden Corpse.

To strip the pride of a Peak Great Cultivator and bind him as a corpse puppet—a notion surely unique to the annals of the entire Cultivation World.

"I withdraw!" Master Cui bellowed before Li Yuanba could even turn his attention toward him.

He retreated instantly, acting as though he feared that Great Cultivator Jian Tianyi and Li Yuanba might change their minds and target him next.

"Amitabha, I also take my leave," Great Venerable Ming Hai promptly added.

He had spent the battle observing from the sidelines, largely due to the reputation damage he had already suffered at Li Yuanba’s hands.

Nurturing a quiet dissatisfaction, he had chosen to remain a spectator throughout the conflict.

The Phoenix Palace Master and Master Ren Mu also ceased their hostilities, moving to stand beside Great Cultivator Jian Tianyi.

"I withdraw as well!" added Great Cultivator Le of the Feiyu Sect, who had also been watching from the periphery.

"Mr. Jian, Mr. Li, I have no interest in the Great Cultivator resources; my only desire is to enter the Spirit Realm Cave Heaven and witness what lies within," the Phoenix Palace Master stated.

"I share that wish; I will not contest you for resources; they are yours by right," Master Ren Mu echoed.

"Yuan Ba, I have truly beheld your power today!" Great Cultivator Jian Tianyi remarked, genuinely impressed by the display.

Although the Sword Intent projected by the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' apparatus lacked the pure brilliance of a true Sword Cultivator, it still carried a terrifying portion of that profound aura.

When over two thousand Fourth Grade Energy Flying Swords were unleashed, even Great Cultivator Jian Tianyi felt his hair stand on end.

Highly sensitive to such things, he felt the sheer weight of two thousand blades imbued with 'Chaos Sword Intent'—no matter how diluted the intent was, it remained a force of nature.

Who could possibly survive a barrage of two thousand Fourth Grade Flying Swords, all carrying a trace of 'Chaos Sword Intent'?

Not to mention the novel style of Li Yuanba, fighting with his Lifebound Flying Sword Xingyi at range while relying on a late-stage Golden Corpse for brutal, close-quarters dominance.

Great Cultivator Jian Tianyi had seen the lad fight; with that longsword, even other Great Cultivators were left helpless.

Recalling his own struggle against two Peak Great Cultivators, he realized that had Li Yuanba not dismantled the top-tier resistance first, he would have been locked in a death struggle.

"It was mere fortune. Great Cultivator Lin was left exposed by Yu, giving me the opening to strike!" Li Yuanba replied with humble brevity.

"Yuan Ba, let us gather what remains," Great Cultivator Jian Tianyi commanded solemnly, glancing at the retreating figures of Great Venerable Ming Hai and Great Cultivator Le.

With only him, Li Yuanba, the Phoenix Palace Master, and Master Ren Mu remaining—the latter two being known allies of the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion—the tension slowly dissipated.

Reflecting on the rapport between Li Shiming’s avatar and Master Ren Mu, he knew the man held an character that even the loftiest cultivators felt honored to count as a friend.