Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1747 - 920: Easing Tensions

The reason Senior Shi Sha, a newly empowered cultivator, bypassed attempts to negotiate with the Guiyuan Sect and instead sought Great Cultivator Hua Ying was due to an unavoidable circumstance.

The Guiyuan Sect was demanding the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture." However, this particular scripture, a monumental fusion of the "Frost Condensation Divine Book" and the "Cold Heaven Scripture," was not within the possession of the Bitao Sect.

Great Cultivator Hua Ying, who previously stood as the sole Peak Great Cultivator of the Bitao Sect, opted to study the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture" himself after its acquisition.

This was his prerogative. Furthermore, with the ascension of Great Cultivator Yi Xiao to the Bitao Sect and their subsequent rise in influence, Great Cultivator Hua Ying, for undisclosed reasons, wished to prevent Great Cultivator Yi Xiao from viewing the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture."

In the natural order of things, for a Peak Great Cultivator like Great Cultivator Hua Ying, keeping the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture" on his person should have been entirely secure. Within the vast Cultivation World, apart from the most supreme existences, Peak Great Cultivators represent the apex of power.

Yet, who could have foreseen that Li Shiming would manage to defeat Great Cultivator Hua Ying with nothing more than an illusory clone?

No members of the Bitao Sect bore witness to the combat itself. Those below the Great Cultivator Realm were utterly incapable of perceiving the battlefield, being completely overwhelmed by the sheer fighting aura emanating from the Peak Great Cultivators.

The six Great Cultivators who were capable of observing the battle met their end, vanquished by the late-stage Golden Corpse.

As the soul lamp belonging to Great Cultivator Hua Ying remained illuminated within the Bitao Sect, Shi Sha inferred that Great Cultivator Hua Ying's Nascent Soul had managed to escape.

Shi Sha also understood that as long as Great Cultivator Hua Ying's Nascent Soul persisted, the soul crystal ring it contained would remain inaccessible to other cultivators. Consequently, the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture" housed within would, by default, remain in Great Cultivator Hua Ying's possession.

Li Shiming had not anticipated that his experimental maneuver, aiming to strip Great Cultivator Hua Ying's Nascent Soul of its consciousness, would yield such an unforeseen consequence.

Even the Bitao Sect remained unaware that he had secured the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture." Instead, their focus was solely on the whereabouts of Great Cultivator Hua Ying's Nascent Soul.

Had the Bitao Sect discovered that the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture" was in Li Shiming's custody, he would undoubtedly have found himself in severe jeopardy.

The Bitao Sect would assuredly have alerted the Guiyuan Sect, prompting a joint conspiracy against Li Shiming to seize the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture." Despite Li Shiming's formidable strength, the combined machinations of two dominant powers would inevitably spell considerable trouble.

The Bitao Sect's unexpected reaction threw the Guiyuan Sect into disarray, placing Great Cultivator Jiang Hao of the Guiyuan Sect in a rather precarious situation.

He had no desire to trespass upon the Bitao Sect's oceanic domain. Annexing it would necessitate deploying a substantial contingent of cultivators for its defense.

This region lay exceedingly far from the Guiyuan Sect's established territories. Truly subjugating Bitao Island would entail perpetual conflict with the myriad sea spirit beasts, a prospect that proved most troublesome.

Having advanced this far, a simple withdrawal was not feasible. The resources expended were significant, and a retreat would be exceptionally difficult to justify, even within the sect's own hierarchy.

The Bitao Sect, under Shi Sha's leadership, was also facing immense difficulties. Blockades on resources, shrinking territories, and a deficit of Great Cultivator-level combatants within the sect fueled internal dissent. If the Guiyuan Sect persisted, the sect's cultivators would become increasingly uncontrollable.

A tense stalemate persisted between both factions for several months.

Ultimately, high-level negotiations brought an end to the standoff between these two major powers. The Guiyuan Sect withdrew back to the Central State Continent, and the Bitao Sect successfully reclaimed its lost territories.

The Guiyuan Sect dispatched several Great Cultivators to aid the Bitao Sect in their relentless search for any sign of Great Cultivator Hua Ying's Nascent Soul, deploying their intelligence networks with full force.

Their prevailing theory was that Great Cultivator Hua Ying had gone into hiding, diligently reconstructing himself through a hidden backup body, rendering him exceedingly elusive.

The overwhelming majority of cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage would meticulously prepare a backup body, with its location remaining an closely guarded secret known only to the cultivator themselves.

While some Nascent Soul Cultivators, trusting their respective sects, elected to keep their backup bodies within sect premises, most opted to conceal them in locations known solely to themselves.

Amidst a multitude of theories and speculations, Great Cultivator Hua Ying and the "Qingning Forbidden Scripture" gradually faded into the realm of legend. Nevertheless, both the Bitao Sect and the Guiyuan Sect continued to treat them with utmost seriousness, their respective intelligence divisions tirelessly pursuing any lead.

Outside the imposing gates of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, Grandmaster Hu once again extended a greeting to his approaching visitor.

It was Shi Sha of the Bitao Sect on this occasion. As a cultivator only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, such a grand reception would not usually be his due.

However, by representing the Bitao Sect, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect was compelled to extend a welcome befitting a superpower.

Even through the Bitao Sect's current decline, its formidable cultivators guaranteed that a resurgence was merely a matter of time.

"Shi Sha offers his respects to Senior Hu!" Shi Sha showed ample deference when he encountered Grandmaster Hu.

He did not regard Grandmaster Hu with disdain, despite his standing within a superpower. Grandmaster Hu was Li Shiming’s master, a position that granted him parity with any other Great Cultivator, meaning he would not be looked down upon for hailing from a significant sect like the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.

"Fellow Shi, I would prefer if you addressed me as Fellow Hu. Let us regard each other as equals," Grandmaster Hu responded with a smile, declining Shi Sha's formal address.

Shi Sha had journeyed as a delegate for the Bitao Sect. While he could display humility, Grandmaster Hu could not genuinely accept it, lest it be interpreted as him belittling the Bitao Sect.

"Then, with your esteemed wishes followed, Fellow Hu, might I inquire if Mr. Li is available?" Shi Sha adjusted his address and inquired.