Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1656 - 874: Divine Beast_2

Once the Great Cultivators unleashed their opening salvo of strikes, Li Shiming delivered his second blow, generally shattering the prohibitions' onslaught via his second ’Thunder Fall Skill’.

Handling it once or twice presented no problem, but persisting nonstop for days in a setting barren of Spiritual Energy replenishment had depleted Li Shiming’s Spiritual Energy stores to a critical low.

This explained why the Great Cultivators boldly sent him ahead to scout; they figured his venture wouldn’t extend far before Spiritual Energy shortages forced him to stop.

Contrary to their expectations, they misjudged. Advancing deeper, Li Shiming called forth Little Feng and the Illusion Spirit Dragon—both Late Stage Fourth Grade—to assist in his assaults.

Environmental constraints prevented Little Feng from taking flight, so it trailed on foot right behind Li Shiming.

A profound bond linked Li Shiming to them, enabling seamless coordination in their joint attacks.

Furthermore, solo operation brought a key advantage: no restrictions on the ’Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’s quality. Pairing the spiritual-grade ’Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’ with the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl’ stored in the drone space boosted its might considerably.

Beyond overseeing the Divine Perception Stele’s summit, the drone satellite granted him an overhead perspective, revealing the terrain ahead amid mountains and woods.

The Golden Winged Dapeng, absent for days, suddenly soared into view overhead. Li Shiming countered with his tricks; tossing down a string of Buddha Beads triggered an immediate Concealing Array.

Meanwhile, back at the Divine Perception Stele, Great Cultivator Shen Ze employed a treasured mirror to cloak the Great Cultivators from sight.

Through drone satellite surveillance, Li Shiming spotted the figures of six Peak Great Cultivators near Shen Ze fading away, without impacting the Divine Perception Stele itself. The very earth beneath those Peak Great Cultivators stayed fully exposed.

The mirror’s hiding prowess proved astonishing, concealing solely the six Great Cultivators as all else persisted unaltered.

While the Concealing Array mimicked such effects, its mechanism differed, relying on ambient landscapes to mask the intended spot.

Should the Concealing Array target the Divine Perception Stele for concealment, the Stele would vanish entirely.

The Golden Winged Dapeng overlooked the drone satellite, probably since Divine Beasts scan primarily via Spiritual Energy; objects lacking Spiritual Energy signatures draw no extra notice.

Drone satellite logs showed the Golden Winged Dapeng veering off in one direction before vanishing afar.

Li Shiming sensed that the path it took might lead straight to the ’Divine Beast Garden’ the Great Cultivators had referenced before.

Leveraging the aerial vista, he sketched a map inside the IBMz15, charting a path to the Golden Winged Dapeng’s disappearance point.

Armed with this navigational chart, getting lost ceased to be a concern for him.

Altering his course, he pressed on toward the destination.

Joined by Little Feng and the Illusion Spirit Dragon, his forward momentum surged anew.

Nine hours later, IBMz15 relayed drone satellite feeds revealing three Righteous Path Great Cultivators departing the Divine Perception Stele en masse, abandoning three Devil Cultivators to persist in their insights.

At first, the three Righteous Path Great Cultivators hadn’t intended solo action; they merely downsized from a seven-member group to a trio squad.

Analyzing their trajectories from drone satellite data, Li Shiming concluded these Righteous Path Great Cultivators pursued a different goal from his own.

Truth be told, even sharing a destination wouldn’t faze him, given his head start and superior velocity.

He studied their advancement style; whenever prohibitions arose, they struck amid retreats and evasions, hampering their pace severely.

Each prohibition cost them precious time. Li Shiming, however, confronted them head-on, streamlining his journey.

Absent the ground’s Great Cultivator resources, his speed could have accelerated further.

Nine more hours passed, and the three Devil Cultivators vacated the Divine Perception Stele too, assembling into a unit.

Eyeing their heading, Li Shiming’s brow creased, fearing they truly aimed his way.

Collision loomed possible, and though swift, his ignorance of the Divine Palace’s depths represented his prime vulnerability, apt to drag out his scouting beyond plans.

Pressure mounted, yet it failed to deter Li Shiming from harvesting Great Cultivator resources. Discovering ultra-rare finds prompted him to veer slightly off-path.

Despite stockpiles of High-level Spirit Pills for Great Cultivators, numerous cultivators depended on his provisions.

Beyond his own intake—rivaling five Great Cultivators—Li Yuanba, as his clone, had ascended to Great Cultivator status, with Yin Shilan slated for such needs ahead.

Yin Shilan had integrated into Luanyang Palace, rising as a pivotal cultivator there.

Backed by Luanyang Palace’s legacy and Li Shiming’s resource bounty, barring abysmal talent, Yin Shilan’s ascent to Great Cultivator stood assured.

Ahead, Li Yuanba’s master Jian Wuwei plus sundry cherished cultivators would demand his aid to varying degrees.

Thus, Li Shiming seized every Great Cultivator resource in sight; the time cost paled against the gains.

In the outer world, scant Great Cultivator Spirit Medicines sparked fierce Great Cultivator clashes.

Here, mere strides yielded Great Cultivator treasures, rendering the realm an inexhaustible hoard for Great Cultivators.

Two days of progress brought him close to the goal.

By his reckoning, the three Devil Cultivators chased identical prey, yet their sluggishness meant two extra days minimum to arrive.

Shockingly, no tangled woods lay before him, but a walled garden instead.

The garden’s expanse defied measurement; a fresh drone satellite launch ended swiftly, pulverized by prohibition forces post-liftoff.

Evidently, the prior drone satellite success at the Divine Perception Stele stemmed from sparser prohibitions nearby.

Now distant from the Divine Perception Stele, drone satellite altitude suffered limits, barring oversight of this zone.

"How does one enter this garden?" he murmured while nearing the wall.

At a mere four meters tall, the wall posed no leap challenge for him.

Still, he knew Cultivation World gardens harbored no simplicity, particularly Divine Palace ones boasting setups of sublime potency, eclipsing his wildest thoughts.

Daring a vault over the wall risked prohibition blasts or spatial rends; he craved neither fate.

Upon contacting the wall to probe its substance, his finger’s teleportation ring glimmered faintly.

Right after, a portal materialized on the wall ahead, topped by a sign reading ’Divine Beast Garden’.

Beholding ’Divine Beast Garden’ weighed heavily upon him; he averted his eyes in haste, stunned that mere words almost crushed him.

His formerly haughty Spirit shrank before ’Divine Beast Garden’.

After a moment’s pause, he reflected that the three Devil Cultivators eyed ’Divine Beast Garden’ exploration too, yet his battle prowess outmatched theirs.

Besides, forsaking a treasure-laden peak bare-handed? Unthinkable!

Such thoughts propelled him to advance and shove the door.

Ere his palm met the door—his teleportation ring yet distanced—the portal swung open unaided.

Li Shiming eyed his finger’s teleportation ring. Aware of its import, he wore it constantly, moreso post-noting the six Peak Great Cultivators’ jade tokens; its Divine Palace utility gained heightened value.

Truly, the teleportation ring acted as credentials, its precise standing in the Divine Palace still a mystery.