Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1766 - 929: Continuation_2

In the dire circumstances facing the Yuqing Sect, despite a remaining population of over ten thousand cultivators, those tainted by radiation faced a bleak future.

Without reinforcements and a fresh influx of disciples, an outright assault on the Yuqing Sect became unnecessary; their numbers would inevitably dwindle, leaving naught but an abandoned mountain gate.

Even the formidable presence of Great Power Luo Yuan would be rendered powerless in the face of such a decline.

Understanding between Great Powers is paramount; Great Power Xuan Yi possessed intimate knowledge of the destructive force and subsequent toll taken on Great Power Luo Yuan during the explosion.

Consequently, in any contest of energy expenditure, Great Power Luo Yuan was at a severe disadvantage, his strength depleted while Xuan Yi remained at his zenith.

At that precise moment, an avatar of Great Power Luo Yuan seemed to perceive something, gazing into the distance. Tens of thousands of miles away, an avatar of Great Power Xuan Yi mirrored his gaze, their presences acknowledging each other across the immense void.

Great Power Xuan Yi, however, paid no heed to Great Power Luo Yuan, showing no inclination to engage.

The forces tasked with sealing the Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate comprised only a handful of Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivators from the White Emperor Sect; the remainder were auxiliary forces assembled by the White Emperor Sect.

Rather than massing near the Yuqing Sect's entrance, these White Emperor Sect cultivators were strategically dispersed throughout the West Yan Continent, seizing control of all Yuqing Sect resource points and allied cultivator enclaves.

A systematic purge of Yuqing Sect cultivators commenced, with the objective of eradicating all members from the West Yan Continent, save for those at the mountain gate itself.

This presented a golden opportunity for the White Emperor Sect to leverage its strategic positioning, absorbing the Yuqing Sect's resources and expanding its own dominion and might.

Such advantageous junctures, particularly involving superpowers, were not to be squandered.

Great Power Xuan Yi remained unconcerned by any potential actions Great Power Luo Yuan might take against the cultivators encircling the Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate, recognizing that each move would only further diminish Luo Yuan's already strained power.

Armed with insider intelligence regarding the Yuqing Sect's vulnerabilities, the White Emperor Sect initiated this calculated campaign.

A superpower devoid of Great Cultivators, and possessing merely a few Nascent Soul Middle Stage practitioners in addition to Great Power Luo Yuan, was no longer capable of sustaining its superpower status.

This precarious situation marked the Yuqing Sect as an opportune target. While other factions on the West Yan Continent might have hesitated, the White Emperor Sect, also boasting a Great Power, was fully cognizant of the Yuqing Sect's state and Great Power Luo Yuan's condition, thus acting with decisive speed.

"Xuan Yi, face me!" Great Power Luo Yuan’s avatar vanished and reappeared, hurtling toward Great Power Xuan Yi’s avatar while issuing a direct challenge.

"Luo Yuan, entertain yourself for a time. Our true battle awaits in the future!" Great Power Xuan Yi’s avatar laughed, making a strategic retreat and indicating no desire for immediate combat.

Unable to close the distance with Great Power Xuan Yi’s retreating avatar, Great Power Luo Yuan’s avatar scanned the environs of the Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate, noting the considerable assembly of cultivators maintaining a perimeter.

Their circumspection in maintaining distance from the mountain gate was understandable; the area was heavily saturated with radiation, making proximity unappealing to ordinary cultivators.

A desire to unleash his frustration upon these encircling cultivators briefly surfaced, but upon recognizing their affiliations and cultivation ranks, the impulse was suppressed.

The strongest among this surrounding contingent were only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, and notably, not all hailed from the White Emperor Sect.

He even discerned cultivators from factions previously allied with the Yuqing Sect, suggesting a recent defection – whether voluntary or coerced remained unclear.

In reality, with the might of Great Power Luo Yuan’s avatar, a swift elimination of these cultivators was well within his grasp.

However, such an action would yield no tangible impact on the White Emperor Sect and would merely result in a costly expenditure of his own vital energy.

Every exertion drained energy from his Grotto Heaven, which had already suffered significant depletion from previous conflicts.

The daily sustenance for the Yuqing Sect’s ten thousand-plus cultivators was drawn directly from his Grotto Heaven, rendering further waste an unsustainable proposition.

With a dispirited sigh, Great Power Luo Yuan’s avatar returned to the Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate. Rebuilding the damaged gate was the sole viable recourse, as even confronting the ongoing blockade held little practical significance without it.

The Yuqing Sect was certainly too weak to contend with the White Emperor Sect, let alone its subordinate forces, which were already capable of sealing the Yuqing Sect's mountain gate.

Li Shiming, on the Dongqi Continent, reviewed the intelligence report with a sigh. After all his strenuous efforts, and at the immense cost of a 'Great Dragon's Fury' that would take a century to forge, his endeavors amounted to nothing. Instead, the White Emperor Sect reaped the rewards, successfully annexing a substantial portion of the West Yan Continent's valuable resources.

Naturally, the White Emperor Sect could not hoard all the plunder from the Yuqing Sect's downfall; other formidable powers had long coveted these gains. The White Emperor Sect, due to its proximity, merely secured the lion's share.

Other major powers also claimed their pieces of the pie, particularly Yuqing Sect’s lucrative cross-continental trade routes. These were subsequently carved up and distributed amongst the dominant forces of the Central State Continent.

Despite the personal lack of profit, Li Shiming found a measure of contentment. Intelligence confirmed that the powerful Great Power Luo Yuan of the Yuqing Sect would pose no threat to him for at least the next few centuries.

With the White Emperor Sect blockading the Yuqing Sect's mountain gate, Great Power Luo Yuan’s avatar could still depart. However, under these circumstances, he would hesitate to expend significant energy on a cross-continental pursuit of Li Shiming.

Only if Great Power Luo Yuan became convinced that Li Shiming was responsible for the attack on the Yuqing Sect's mountain gate would he consider taking drastic action against him.

This realization brought Li Shiming immense peace of mind.

Even with his possession of a teleportation ring, a pre-arranged escape route for Yin Shilan, and surveillance drones monitoring the Dongqi Continent, the solace of being free from imminent danger far surpassed the anxiety of constant vigilance by a Great Power.

Of course, he did not entirely dismiss the ongoing situation at the Yuqing Sect. He even enlisted the Ten Thousand Beast Sect to establish a new intelligence network across the West Yan Continent.

Maintaining awareness of the West Yan Continent's developments was crucial; he could not remain passively reliant on intelligence from other factions.

Furthermore, this newly formed intelligence network was tasked with a vital objective: gathering data on the physical conditions of the Yuqing Sect cultivators.

This data was crucial for the 'Great Dragon's Fury' project. Following the detonation of 'Great Dragon's Fury,' a significant amount of data remained uncollected due to the lack of precise information regarding the conditions within the Yuqing Sect's mountain gate.

He sought to understand the impact of the radiation fallout on the cultivators subsequent to the 'Great Dragon's Fury' explosion.

He did not exclusively depend on his own intelligence-gathering capabilities for this endeavor. Instead, he leveraged his diverse connections to solicit assistance from allied superpowers.

While the request was unusual, given his animosity towards the Yuqing Sect, his keen interest in the specific details of the Yuqing Sect cultivators' well-being was not entirely unexpected.

Over the subsequent years, data was meticulously compiled from various sources.

A decade slipped by. Within the Yuqing Sect, the cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm and Foundation Establishment Stage saw over half their numbers perish. Those who survived endured various peculiar physical mutations.

The Golden Core cultivators experienced a somewhat better fate; only a fraction succumbed to the radiation pollution, yet physical mutations still manifested. A significant number of Golden Core cultivators observed a marked decrease in their spiritual energy sensitivity, effectively diminishing their cultivation potential.

Nascent Soul cultivators also encountered considerable difficulties. Despite their robust physiques, their bodies exhibited mild instances of spiritual energy rejection when exposed to the radiation fallout. This hindered these Nascent Soul cultivators from augmenting their power further. Coupled with a deteriorated cultivation environment and a scarcity of resources, simply maintaining their current realm proved a formidable challenge.