Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1800 - 946: Fierce Battle (Part 2)

The spatial prowess of the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao, if it was not within his personal Grotto Heaven, would have been surely detected by the Duke of Thunder long ago.

While the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao desired to retaliate against the Duke of Thunder, one major impediment was the Duke of Thunder's exceedingly swift spatial movement, which granted him minimal opportunities to unleash potent offensive techniques. Even if he managed to connect with weaker strikes, their impact would likely be negligible.

Compounding this issue was the Duke of Thunder's relentless pursuit. It seemed that almost immediately after Zhao Zhao materialized, the Duke of Thunder would appear adjacent to him, initiating immediate close-quarters combat.

The half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao was keen to avoid any form of injury. Currently residing in the nascent stages of his half-step grandmaster cultivation, he was susceptible to Qi deviation, and any bodily harm significantly amplified that risk.

Moreover, the sheer offensive force demonstrated by the Duke of Thunder led him to believe that any direct hit would result in grievous wounds.

Li Yuanba observed the intense duel between the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao and the Duke of Thunder with considerable astonishment. Although he had harbored the notion of allowing the Duke of Thunder to seize an opportunity to contend with a half-step grandmaster, this had remained a mere abstract concept.

He had no intention of jeopardizing his own safety and had initially aimed to merely secure a chance for the Duke of Thunder to act independently while ensuring his own protective measures were in place.

However, he had never anticipated that despite his efforts to conceal his true identity, he would be compelled to confront the half-step grandmaster directly, leaving him no alternative but to permit the Duke of Thunder to engage in the fight.

The Duke of Thunder had not faltered in his performance; throughout the ongoing battle with the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao, the Duke of Thunder had, quite remarkably, maintained the offensive initiative.

Even Li Yuanba found himself taken aback, musing that the original Li Shiming had indeed achieved something truly extraordinary.

Considering the vessel utilized for refining the Duke of Thunder, which was the deceased body of a half-step grandmaster, coupled with the integration of numerous top-tier fourth-grade corpse refining materials and the conversion of an astonishing two and a half billion Refining Corpse Runes, the manifestation of such miraculous capabilities was hardly beyond the realm of possibility.

At this juncture, the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao paid no mind to Li Yuanba, regarding him as a secondary figure while identifying the Duke of Thunder as his genuine adversary.

He exhibited no recognition whatsoever of the Duke of Thunder being a Corpse Refining entity; in truth, the Duke of Thunder displayed absolutely no outward indicators consistent with a Corpse Refining being from any discernible aspect.

The proposition that the Duke of Thunder might be some form of spirit beast seemed far more plausible than him being a Corpse Refining; the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao found it more convincing that the Duke of Thunder was a half-step grandmaster who had, through some aberrant cultivation path, transformed into a being that was neither fully human nor specter.

The notion that the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao might consider the Duke of Thunder as Li Yuanba's Spiritual Pet was even less credible, given the immense disparity in their demonstrated power levels.

Consequently, the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao did not entertain the thought of eliminating Li Yuanba first, focusing solely on strategizing how best to neutralize the Duke of Thunder.

Li Yuanba watched the unfolding events for a considerable duration; he remained uncertain about the potential duration the Duke of Thunder could sustain such a strenuous engagement. Under normal circumstances, for a standard Corpse Refining being, prolonged combat lasting for ten days and nights would present no issue.

However, the Duke of Thunder represented a unique anomaly, an unforeseen consequence stemming from Li Shiming's experimental endeavors.

While he was deeply immersed in contemplation, the Duke of Thunder's combat methodology underwent a significant transformation.

Despite possessing minimal practical combat experience, the Duke of Thunder demonstrated innate combat instincts. Following a period of engagement and realizing the limited efficacy of his close-range claw assaults, he strategically shifted his approach.

The half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao initiated another spatial movement, but this time, the Duke of Thunder did not attempt to pursue him through spatial transference.

Just as the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao felt a surge of elation, sensing an impending opportunity to counterattack, he beheld the Duke of Thunder opening his maw directly towards him.

Subsequently, a potent bolt of electricity erupted from the Duke of Thunder's mouth, hurtling directly at the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao.

The suddenness of the lightning strike was utterly unexpected; previously, the Duke of Thunder had showcased spatial manipulation abilities and formidable close-range attacks, leading the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao to never anticipate the existence of further offensive capabilities within the Duke of Thunder's arsenal.

The electrical discharge impacted the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao, inducing an immediate sensation of profound numbness throughout his entire body.

This particular arena was his Grotto Heaven, and the lightning had traversed a certain distance within its confines, its trajectory significantly influenced by the environment, thereby diminishing the overall destructive impact it could inflict.

Nevertheless, the auxiliary effect imparted by the lightning's assault proved exceedingly vexing, as it imposed a debilitating paralyzing sensation.

Fortunately, notwithstanding the encroaching paralysis, he retained the capacity to execute spatial movements within the confines of his personal Grotto Heaven.

It appeared the Duke of Thunder had discovered an effective countermeasure against the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao, unleashing a barrage of relentless thunderbolts from his mouth, not directed at any specific point but rather discharged indiscriminately into the surrounding void.

The Grotto Heaven itself was not expansive, spanning a mere two hundred meters in radius; consequently, every available space was saturated with crackling lightning, presenting a stark opposition to the flames.

Duke of Thunder’s onslaught wasn't limited to releasing lightning; he persistently employed spatial movement techniques, striving to close the distance with the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao for a decisive close-quarters engagement.

This aggressive maneuver left the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao increasingly unnerved, to the point where he began to question if he was still within the confines of his own Grotto Heaven.

Permitting such a formidable adversary entry into his personal Grotto Heaven was, in retrospect, his most significant miscalculation.

Outside the Grotto Heaven, Zhao Zhao possessed numerous methods to constrain the Duke of Thunder's actions. However, within the cramped confines of the Grotto Heaven, the limited space severely hampered his abilities.

The moment he failed to effectively restrict the Duke of Thunder's spatial manipulation abilities, he found himself relegated to a defensive posture, constantly vulnerable to incoming assaults.

Li Yuanba then produced the 'Thunder Sound Bell,' intending to lend aid to the Duke of Thunder.

Currently, the artifacts he could deploy, namely the 'Beidou Formation Map' and the 'Heart Inquiry Rope,' proved ineffective within this particular domain.

The 'Beidou Formation Map' necessitates the establishment of intricate formations. Even if the Beidou Array could be successfully arranged, Zhao Zhao, as the master of this Cave Heaven, would be privy to every inch of its space, thereby diminishing the array's overall efficacy to a bare minimum.

As for the 'Heart Inquiry Rope,' its function as an interrogation artifact rendered it entirely superfluous in this context.

Regarding the 'Infinite Fire Peak,' unless Li Yuanba had lost his senses, he would never consider wielding a treasure belonging to the Infinite Sect against a half-step grandmaster of the very same Infinite Sect.

If brought forth, it was highly probable that the artifact would inevitably fall into the hands of the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao, becoming a weapon against him.

The 'Eye of the Storm' was reserved solely for protective purposes, serving as his sole means of self-preservation.

Consequently, the 'Thunder Sound Bell' remained his sole offensive option, the only instrument capable of impacting the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao.

Li Yuanba's personal pride, the 'Chaos Sword Intent,' was presently insufficient to contend with a figure of the half-step grandmaster's caliber.

The instant the 'Thunder Sound Bell' was revealed, the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao became aware of its presence.

However, Li Yuanba had already initiated the 'Thunder Sound Bell's' activation sequence. With a sweeping radius of ten thousand meters, its influence permeated the entirety of the Grotto Heaven, extending to its two-hundred-meter perimeter, where every nook and cranny vibrated with the thunderous sound produced by the 'Thunder Sound Bell.'

Furthermore, as the thunderous sound propagated, it struck the Grotto Heaven's boundaries and reverberated back, significantly amplifying its auditory impact.

Initially, the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao could withstand the 'Thunder Sound Bell's' soul-assailing properties, relying on the formidable strength of his half-step grandmaster soul.

But as the 'Thunder Sound Bell' continued its relentless rebounding, its potency magnified within the confined Grotto Heaven, Zhao Zhao began to feel his own soul waver under the strain.

Undoubtedly, it was impossible to annihilate the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao's soul by relying solely on the thunderous sound emanating from the 'Thunder Sound Bell.'

While the 'Thunder Sound Bell' was indeed an artifact of immense power, Li Yuanba's proficiency in its deployment was lamentably inadequate, particularly when measured against the might of a half-step grandmaster like Zhao Zhao.

Unable to fully unleash the 'Thunder Sound Bell's' true potential, the impact it had on Zhao Zhao's soul was only made possible by the Grotto Heaven's restricted dimensions, which facilitated the continuous resonance of the thunderous sound.

The 'Thunder Sound Bell' persisted in its sonic emissions, echoing endlessly within the Grotto Heaven, accumulating sonic energy, and steadily escalating in both velocity and force.

At this critical juncture, the half-step grandmaster Zhao Zhao deeply regretted not having dealt with Li Yuanba more decisively earlier on.

He had utterly failed to anticipate that Li Yuanba possessed concealed treasures potent enough to pose a threat to him. By the time this realization dawned, it was already too late, as Li Yuanba had activated the 'Thunder Sound Bell,' directly affecting his soul.

Meanwhile, his adversary was not solely Li Yuanba, but more critically, the Duke of Thunder.

Within the same sonic environment created by the thunderous sound, the Duke of Thunder remained entirely unaffected. This immunity was attributed to the contractual bond between him and Li Yuanba, which ensured the 'Thunder Sound Bell's' reverberations did not impact the Duke of Thunder.