Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1756 - 924: Stepping Out (Part 2)
Previously on Cultivation is just so scientific!...
Before him, the illusion clone materialized the 'Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer,' a treasure not bound to life. Once this suspicion took root, Half-step Great Power Lian Lei re-examined the clone's prior actions, uncovering new, unsettling questions. Its strength, not aligning with rumors, was the most glaring anomaly. Though the illusion clone displayed formidable power, it was conspicuously insufficient to effortlessly defeat Master Wang He and Great Cultivator Yan Gao. These two were peak cultivators of the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect, respectively, holding top-tier positions even among their peers. It seemed impossible for the illusion clone to have vanquished both simultaneously. Previously, Half-step Great Power Lian Lei had not doubted the clone's identity, thus not scrutinizing these details. However, with this new doubt, the more he mulled it over, the more the situation felt profoundly wrong.
"I am indeed Li Shizhen, but I am an energy avatar of Li Shizhen!" the illusion clone declared with a smile.
"How can you be an energy avatar when you possess a physical body?" Half-step Great Power Lian Lei exclaimed in shock, disbelief evident in his voice.
"This is merely a minor technique, observe!" The illusion clone smiled and separated its Nascent Soul from its body. Witnessing the Nascent Soul, regardless of his incredulity, Half-step Great Power Lian Lei had to concede that something was undeniably peculiar.
From the Nascent Soul, he detected traces of the secret techniques employed by devil cultivators to manipulate their Nascent Souls. Furthermore, the aura emanating from this Nascent Soul bore no resemblance to the illusion clone. The clone presented itself as a thunder cultivator, yet this Nascent Soul belonged to a Great Cultivator of the Water Element. The fact that even the Nascent Soul was not genuine lent significant weight to the claim of an energy avatar.
At this juncture, Half-step Great Power Lian Lei's emotions were a turbulent mix. He had expended the remainder of his lifespan believing he had captured Li Shiming, only to discover he had merely apprehended an energy avatar. Even if he obliterated this avatar, it would inflict only minor harm upon Li Shiming, barely qualifying as a substantial injury.
"Gah!" Half-step Great Power Lian Lei spewed a mouthful of blood. His final plan, to conclude his life with one decisive battle, had been utterly undermined by the exposed identity of the illusion clone, delivering a devastating blow. His mind reeled, causing his energy and spirit to falter instantly, and his life force plummeted.
Just then, the illusion clone unleashed 'At Arm's Length, End of the World' upon the released Nascent Soul. His consciousness guided the Nascent Soul to cooperate with the technique, causing it to vanish from its position and reappear directly beside Half-step Great Power Lian Lei. Subsequently, the Nascent Soul initiated a self-destructive explosion, a secret sacrificial technique Li Shiming had acquired.
In the cultivation world, numerous sects possess analogous secret techniques intended to drag enemies down with them in their final moments. At this critical juncture, Li Shiming opted for the most potent self-sacrifice technique available. The Nascent Soul detonated beside Half-step Great Power Lian Lei with a deafening 'boom.' The resulting explosion's power was equivalent to a peak great cultivator's Nascent Soul self-destructing, surpassing the most potent attack a peak great cultivator could achieve and faintly approaching the strength of a Half-step Great Power.
Half-step Great Power Lian Lei, already mentally compromised, spirituallly disoriented, and physically weakened, had not anticipated such a drastic measure. Moreover, with the illusion clone's fate seemingly hanging precariously, he had not allocated attention towards it. From his perspective, even if he remained stationary and allowed the illusion clone to strike, its attacks would not breach his defenses—such was the vast chasm between a peak great cultivator and a Half-step Great Power. However, he never foresaw the illusion clone's sheer decisiveness, its discovery of the single viable strategy for turning the tide.
This success was attributable to Li Shiming's life-bound magic treasure, the IBMz15. This artifact, with its unparalleled computational prowess, excelled at analyzing every facet of the situation, devising a strategy to inflict harm upon Half-step Great Power Lian Lei. The Nascent Soul detonated at point-blank range, catching Half-step Great Power Lian Lei's body at its most vulnerable, without any defenses prepared, absorbing the full impact of the self-destruction through his physical form.
Fierce energy tore into Half-step Great Power Lian Lei's body. His skin ripped under the immense pressure, flesh evaporating amidst the surge of energy. Nearly half of Half-step Great Power Lian Lei's body vanished, violently flung away in one direction.
The phantom clone unexpectedly shifted its position, employing the technique ’At Arm’s Length, End of the World’ to appear elsewhere. Where it had stood moments before, space abruptly imploded, consuming everything. This devastating final attack was unleashed by Half-step Great Power Lian Lei, a desperate measure after his Nascent Soul’s self-destruction, powerful enough, it seemed, to obliterate the phantom clone. However, the phantom clone had foreseen the possibility of such a desperate final strike from Half-step Great Power Lian Lei, skillfully maneuvering to evade the deadly collapse. Stationary, the phantom clone began to cast ’At Arm’s Length, End of the World’ once more. This maneuver required a significant duration; had Half-step Great Power Lian Lei still been alive, he could have easily annihilated the phantom clone multiple times over within this window. Within the Grotto Heaven, its vibrant colors seemed to drain away instantaneously, leaving only a stark, gray-white vista. Even the sorrowful lament of the Grotto Heaven itself could be perceived. The phantom clone exhaled slowly. This profound change could only signify one thing: the proprietor of the Grotto Heaven had met their demise. Even now, astonishment gripped it; it could scarcely believe it had survived an encounter with a Half-step Great Power. While Li Shiming himself had previously faced a Half-step Great Power and lived, this confrontation with an experienced expert like Lian Lei was entirely different. "Such a waste!" The phantom clone observed the Grotto Heaven, now clearly on the path to its ultimate collapse. Though not immediately apparent, the Grotto Heaven would inevitably disintegrate over the passage of time, an irreversible decline. It moved towards the location where Half-step Great Power Lian Lei had fallen, soon discovering the formidable cultivator’s lifeless body. From Lian Lei’s remains, it retrieved a soul crystal ring and a supreme-grade level-four artifact, the ’Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’—Half-step Great Power Lian Lei’s bound magical treasure. With the spoils secured, the phantom clone took possession of Lian Lei’s corpse. A thorough search of the Grotto Heaven’s interior finally yielded a crystal stone imbued with a thunderous aura, which was identified as the Grotto Heaven’s very own Heavenly Mechanism Treasure. It was fortunate indeed to have found it promptly, as the Heavenly Mechanism Treasure would have dispersed and become irrecoverably lost within the collapsing Grotto Heaven. Despite its impending demise, this Grotto Heaven still offered an exceptionally valuable experience. Propelled into the oppressive thunderclouds, the phantom clone experienced the thunder rules intimately, a sensation that dwarved any previous understanding gained from distant observation. IBMz15 meticulously recorded the incoming data, significantly enhancing its existing knowledge base. After thirty minutes, the thunderclouds dissipated, and all within the Grotto Heaven began to dissolve, its fate intertwined with that of its deceased master. The phantom clone surveyed the now utterly silent Grotto Heaven, a void devoid of any life. Even the various spirit plants that Half-step Great Power Lian Lei had cultivated within had turned a pallid gray-white, destined to become one with the Grotto Heaven’s dissolution. In the centuries that would follow, this Grotto Heaven would slowly disintegrate, completely erasing any trace of Half-step Great Power Lian Lei’s existence. The phantom clone sighed in resignation. Outside, four late-stage Golden Corpses stood guard; one of them stirred. This activated late-stage Golden Corpse, directed by one of Li Shiming’s minds, gathered the black and white chess pieces and dismantled all spatial sealing formations. With all restrictions lifted, the phantom clone materialized from the void. At this critical juncture, the phantom clone’s formerly corporeal form began a gradual degeneration, transmuting into an energy-based manifestation. Deprived of the Nascent Soul’s sustaining power, this vessel would, in time, revert to its original state as a mere energy clone. Naturally, Li Shiming possessed the means to re-imbue the phantom clone with a physical form, but this formidable process demanded the sacrifice of a peak great cultivator.