Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1687 - 890: Drawing the Enemy

Had the Half-step Great Power built this Grotto Heaven with his own hands, stabilizing the energy balance inside wouldn’t have proven so arduous for him.

An Inheritance Cave Heaven offers a rapid path to Great Power ascension, yet like any shortcut, it brings inevitable drawbacks.

The Inheritance Cave Heaven holds immense power. When a Cultivator binds it as master, they must channel its colossal might using their inferior cultivation to reach Great Power. The strain persists intensely even post-binding.

Fury surged inside the Half-step Great Power, burning to rip Li Shiming apart, but the Half-step Great Ability Realm’s delicate phase confined him to the Cave Heaven, barring any exit.

To smoothly advance past the Half-step Great Ability stage, he had recalled every one of his prior energy clones.

Erecting a Grotto Heaven demands soul support, whereas energy clones sever ties from the soul.

Therefore, the Half-step Great Power couldn’t depart the Cave Heaven, and with Li Shiming keeping distance, all his techniques stayed unusable.

Even now, if Li Shiming neared the Grotto Heaven, the Half-step Great Power would struggle to mount another assault.

Li Shiming sustained his attack rhythm to compel the Half-step Great Power’s reactions. He’d noticed that despite the foe’s matchless striking power, heavy constraints shackled him.

Judging by the scene, the Half-step Great Power ignored further taunts and held back, indicating he’d likely tapped his utmost limits.

Instead of charging ahead carelessly, he kept striking to drain every last bit of the Half-step Great Power’s reserves.

In the meantime, from afar, he monitored five Flying Boats lurking as they spied on his showdown with the Yuzhu Islands through a Concealing Array.

Masterfully crafted though the Concealing Array was, his utmost vigilance—ever wary of Half-step Great Power strikes—prompted him to send a drone satellite aloft.

His life-bound treasure, IBMz15, pored over surrounding activities via the drone satellite’s feed. As the five Flying Boats inched closer under the Concealing Array, the satellite caught them.

The Concealing Array masked its aura undetected by the drone satellite, yet its startup had been spotted by the satellite earlier.

Upon the drone satellite’s warning, Li Shiming deployed ’Divine Sight’ to track down the Concealing Array, exposing it fully.

Li Shiming reasoned the Cultivators on those five Flying Boats surely weren’t Yuzhu Islands folk.

In the Yuzhu Islands’ desperate straits, local Cultivators would never abide such chaos.

Thus, these were likely scavengers aiming to claim fruits of others’ toil, though their prowess stayed a mystery to him.

That said, Cultivators gutsy enough to covet the Yuzhu Islands—and unmoved by Li Shiming’s fearsome prowess—boasted strength not to trifle with.

"When should we make our move, Brother Jiao?" Cultivator Dai Biao inquired.

Cultivator Dai Biao had escaped the Yuzhu Islands and tapped his Flying Boat’s communication array to link with nearby Great Cultivators on duty.

Leading them stood Peak Great Cultivator Jiao Xian.

This squad of Great Cultivators hailed entirely from Purple Cloud Sect, summoned by Master Ji Chuan’s hunt for Li Shiming’s intel.

When Cultivator Dai Biao relayed news of an Inheritance Cave Heaven at the Yuzhu Islands, Peak Great Cultivator Jiao Xian perked up.

Positioned conveniently near the Yuzhu Islands, Peak Great Cultivator Jiao Xian opted to survey the chaos firsthand before plotting ahead.

Still, they’d never imagined stumbling upon such a jaw-dropping spectacle at the Yuzhu Islands—Li Shiming unleashing havoc on it via a treasure bow.

Plus, that Half-step Great Power had halted strikes after repeated flops.

Peak Great Cultivator Jiao Xian from Purple Cloud Sect, immersed in Great Power ascension studies, leveraged his insights to fathom the Half-step Great Power’s bind at the Yuzhu Islands.

Through close scrutiny, he surmised this Half-step Great Power faced backlash, rendered unable to act and scarcely defending himself.

A confident grin spread across his face upon hearing Cultivator Dai Biao’s inquiry.

This chance was his alone. Securing the Inheritance Cave Heaven would let him seize it at once, outpacing rival factions and even his own sect.

Should another Peak Great Cultivator arrive—from any other power or his sect—success would prove far more difficult for him.

"Get ready to strike!" Peak Great Cultivator Jiao Xian commanded gravely.

"Brother Jiao, stay vigilant. This Sword Cultivator, Li Shizhen, possesses fearsome battle prowess. More than ten Great Cultivators from Yuzhu Island perished by his hand!" Cultivator Dai Biao warned, a trace of worry in his voice.

"What sort of Great Cultivator could emerge from a puny Yuzhu Island? Against genuine elite Great Cultivators, discover the proper technique, and you can swiftly overcome them!" Peak Great Cultivator Jiao Xian dismissed haughtily with a wave.

Great Cultivators from such minor groups could be toppled—even a dozen regular ones—using the right tactics.

Cultivator Dai Biao’s advice prompted him to view Li Shiming with slightly greater caution, yet he dismissed Li Shiming as no real threat.

Five sect companions stood by his side, their power nearing Peak Great Cultivator realm, prepared initially to confront the Li Shiming exiting the Divine Palace.

"Purple Cloud Sect handles its business—irrelevant people, back off!" Peak Great Cultivator Jiao Xian swept his hand, withdrawing the five Flying Boats to expose seven Great Cultivator silhouettes, bellowing fiercely.