Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1698 - 895: The Situation (Part 2)

Among the leading super forces stand the Yuqing Sect and the White Emperor Sect, backed by certain hidden powers that only the Great Cultivators of those two sects know about.

Bolstered by such aid, Lianhua Temple and Sun Concealing Sect launched their moves. Even after surrendering vast territories, the spy networks they had built earlier lingered on.

Because the Ten Thousand Beast Sect aggressively seized more land than a major sect could handle, it struggled to maintain full grip over the conquered regions.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect's overwhelming control not just compressed the living space for Lianhua Temple and Sun Concealing Sect but also drove numerous small and medium sects to the edge of survival.

Once Lianhua Temple and Sun Concealing Sect voiced backing for those small and medium sects, the latter swiftly aligned with the fightback against the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.

After months dragged by, several Great Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect gathered, the air thick with tension.

"Brother Hu, things have gone terribly off track lately. My controlled region faced repeated assaults, inflicting heavy damages on our sect forces!" Grandmaster Chai complained, his face etched with worry.

Grandmaster Hu sensed the shaky aura around Grandmaster Chai, realizing the man had faced nonstop headaches recently.

"Have the intelligence team dig into who's pulling the strings here. Looks like we cut them too much slack before!" Master Ding snapped in fury.

Master Ding recalled how Li Shiming's abrupt exit from Dongqi Continent came right before the chaos erupted, leaving him feeling utterly powerless.

Li Shiming had shaped the power balance in Dongqi Continent back then. They chose to spare Lianhua Temple and Sun Concealing Sect initially to avoid massive casualties among top cultivators in the region.

The plan was for Li Shiming to hold Dongqi Continent steady for over a millennium at least. In just a few centuries, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect could train up multiple Great Cultivators to lock down the seized lands tight.

Yet shockingly, Li Shiming departed Dongqi Continent far too soon, letting those not-quite-crushed factions stir back to life.

"Pull back key resources to the main sect first, fortify the Taichu branch securely; with the headquarters and Taichu branch holding firm, everything else can hold off!" Grandmaster Hu declared coolly.

In the entire Ten Thousand Beast Sect, only he knew of Li Shiming's hidden backup: a pair of late-stage Golden Corpses stashed away in Li Shiming’s cave abode.

Those two late-stage Golden Corpses were terrifying killers capable of taking on Peak Great Cultivators solo. Armed with that might, Grandmaster Hu dismissed the sneaky ploys of rival groups as mere annoyances.

Nothing short of a super force from the Cultivation World stepping in directly would make him flinch at their schemes.

"We won't strike back?" Master Ding challenged loudly, refusing to swallow this.

Having risen as Dongqi Continent's top sect, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect swelled Master Ding's ego, filling him with scorn for old foes and a firm belief that crushing enemies head-on was the way.

"Let them make noise. Without their fuss, how else do we root them out completely!" Grandmaster Hu replied with steady calm.

All the Great Cultivators fixed their gazes on Grandmaster Hu, mulling over the depth of his statement.

Over on Central State Continent rose Yuqing Mountain, home to the Yuqing Sect’s outpost there.

Though labeled a branch, it functioned more as a mere outpost, without any real branch operations.

Super forces ruling Central State Continent would never permit the Yuqing Sect’s branch to enlist disciples or spread cultivation techniques in their domain.

Primarily, the Yuqing outpost offered shelter for Yuqing Sect’s Thunder Cultivators traveling to Central State Continent, plus intel gathering and assorted assistance.

After the Yuqing Sect suffered heavy losses earlier, this Central State Continent outpost gained vital importance.

The Yuqing Sect sent multiple Great Cultivators to covertly connect with Central State Continent's super forces via the outpost.

Even with the Yuqing Sect’s power at a steep low, allying with its super force status massively boosted those groups' clout.

In the Cultivation World, no eternal hatreds linger; pure interests drive everything.

The Yuqing Sect’s weakened state, unlikely to rebound for a full century, perfectly suited several super forces to pull them close without risking a swift comeback.

Li Yuanba positioned himself a hundred miles from the Yuqing outpost on Central State Continent, scouting its status.

He had tapped the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion's intelligence arm to track the Yuqing Sect, funneling every scrap of relevant info straight to him.

At the outset, his scheme was to plunder the Yuqing Sect’s long-distance Flying Boat while sailing the seas, fully aware that it represented a crucial lifeline for any power and a prime revenue generator.

Right when Yuqing Sect craved resources the most, hitting their long-distance Flying Boat would intensify their resource woes dramatically.

Yet, after spotting key intelligence, he scrapped his first idea and switched tactics.

The intel revealed three Great Cultivators of Yuqing Sect landing in Central State Continent after crossing from West Yan Continent.

Cross-checking with past reports, those three Great Cultivators were probably hauling missions to deal with particular super forces.

The intel team further noted the lavish resources Yuqing Sect pledged in those super force dealings.

Li Yuanba dismissed the lavish resources, zeroing in on the four Yuqing Sect Great Cultivators there—one guarding the Yuqing branch.

In his view, no matter Yuqing Sect's mighty stature, dropping four Great Cultivators would sabotage all their future moves.

So he showed up, gunning straight for the four Thunder Cultivator Great Cultivators.

If anyone dared voice it, scarce few cultivators would buy it: a brand-new Sword Cultivator Great Cultivator taking on battle-hardened Thunder Cultivator Great Cultivators.

The four Thunder Cultivator Great Cultivators lurked inside a formation; while the Yuqing branch’s setup fell short of a top super force array, it still wielded formidable major sect formation strength.

Li Yuanba summoned his core magic treasure, IBMz15, deploying ’Divine Eye’ to peer at the remote formation and relay the visuals directly to IBMz15.

IBMz15 processed it all, flooding his mind with precise formation breakdowns.

He pored over the formation intel, locking ’Divine Eye’ onto one key node that flashed a split-second weakness amid energy reflux.

This wasn’t some formation defect—just routine operation. The energy barrier hinged on node power, demanding periodic energy reflux points.

Energy reflux birthed a tiny gap without energy coverage, minuscule and lightning-quick.

Scarce Array Masters could nail its location, and even spotting it, cultivators struggled to exploit that razor-thin window.

Li Yuanba stood apart, armed with IBMz15’s pinpoint computation for the flaw’s exact moment, plus ’At a single stroke’ to flash right into the formation.

Slipping through that reflux weak spot dodged the formation’s space-locking grip entirely.

Li Yuanba blinked out from a hundred miles off, materializing smack inside the formation.

Inside, he wasted no time, unleashing ’In the blink of an eye’ toward the formation core.

His sudden arrival triggered the formation’s identity scan.

Seconds counted; detection of a dubious intruder would blast alarms, torpedoing his sneak attack.

Though he might crush the four Thunder Cultivator Great Cultivators, nabbing every one would prove a Herculean feat.