Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1801 - 947: Fist Kill

The soul of the Half-step Great Power, Zhao Zhao, was severely impacted by the Thunder Sound emanating from the 'Thunder Sound Bell'. While this might not have been a critical issue on its own, the true complication lay in the fact that he was not fighting Li Yuanba, but rather the Duke of Thunder.

Li Yuanba's unleashed Thunder Sound served purely as a supporting ability. Its primary objective was to impede Zhao Zhao's reaction speed, even by the slightest degree, which would constitute a significant victory.

And precisely that outcome occurred. Once Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao's reactions were faltered, his agility diminished. Initially, the Duke of Thunder had been relentlessly pursuing him, but confined within the Duke's own Grotto Heaven, Zhao Zhao had managed to evade capture.

However, the circumstances had now changed. With his slowed reflexes, the Duke of Thunder unleashed lightning strikes while simultaneously employing Space Movement to give chase. Gradually, Zhao Zhao's ability to react could no longer keep pace with the Duke of Thunder's swift pursuit.

With a resounding 'boom', the body of Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao was violently propelled backward, crashing hard against the inner wall of the Grotto Heaven.

This marked the first occasion during the battle where he sustained such a grievous blow.

Moments before, the Duke of Thunder had closed the distance. This time, to execute an even more rapid assault, he forewent the customary ten-finger strike during his Space Movement. Instead, the instant he materialized, he drove his fist directly into the person of Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao.

Even possessing the robust physique of a Half-step Great Power, Zhao Zhao could not endure a point-blank punch from the Duke of Thunder; he was flung away by a single, devastating strike.

It was that very punch that momentarily jolted Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao's mind, bringing a degree of clarity. His body rebounded uncontrollably from the Grotto Heaven's wall. Just as the Duke of Thunder utilized Space Movement to reappear at his side, poised to strike again, Zhao Zhao's figure vanished from his previous location.

He assessed the condition of his physical form. That punch had inflicted an injury. While not critically severe, in a confrontation against an opponent of the Duke of Thunder's caliber, any injury at all carried immense implications.

Furthermore, the fleeting lucidity Zhao Zhao experienced from the Duke of Thunder's impactful strike was once again submerged beneath the disorienting effects of the Thunder Sound.

He was acutely aware that if this continued, if he absorbed a few more strikes from the Duke of Thunder, he would inevitably fall within his own Grotto Heaven.

Capitalizing on that ephemeral moment of clarity, he conceived a strategy to alter the course of events: he *had* to eliminate Li Yuanba.

Yet, under the present circumstances, venturing to find an opening to target Li Yuanba necessitated enduring the full brunt of the Duke of Thunder's relentless attacks. The Duke's assault was simply far too overwhelming.

Gritting his teeth, he unhesitatingly waved his hand in the direction of Li Yuanba.

It was precisely this motion that caused his evasive maneuvers to falter for a mere instant, and he was once again struck squarely in the body by the Duke of Thunder.

This time, Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao expectorated fresh blood from his mouth; this subsequent blow had undeniably exacerbated his existing injuries.

Despite the worsening condition, he still deemed the exchange worthwhile, for by Li Yuanba's vicinity, torrents of flames had already erupted and surged to envelop him.

Li Yuanba observed that the flames surrounding him had suddenly intensified and lunged toward him. However, evasion proved impossible, as the inferno launched its assault from every conceivable direction.

Within the searing flames, he could distinctly perceive the potent blessing of a Half-step Great Power's Flame Rules. Coupled with the inherent quality of these flames being already top-tier, their destructive capacity was sufficient to incinerate even a Peak Great Cultivator.

Fortuitously, he possessed the 'Storm Eye'. The Vortex Shield, ingeniously formed by the 'Storm Eye', securely encapsulated him.

The flames wielded by a Half-step Great Power, and what was more, an attack casually unleashed rather than a deliberate, focused strike from Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao, were effectively repelled by the Vortex Shield of the 'Storm Eye'.

The wind-attribute Rules inherent within the 'Storm Eye' were elevated to the level of a Great Power. Had Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao truly committed his full might against Li Yuanba, it was highly probable that the Vortex Shield of the 'Storm Eye' would have been unable to withstand the onslaught.

But under the relentless barrage from the Duke of Thunder, the window of opportunity for Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao to unleash a potent, sustained attack was exceedingly brief.

He had initially harbored the firm conviction that the attack he had managed to launch would be more than adequate to obliterate a Peak Great Cultivator such as Li Yuanba.

His confidence in this outcome was absolute. Although he possessed some awareness of the 'Storm Eye', apart from a select few Great Cultivators within the Feiyu Sect, other Cultivators remained largely ignorant of its true, formidable power.

Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao had fundamentally underestimated the defensive prowess manifested by the 'Storm Eye', resulting in his offensive volley being completely contained by its Vortex Shield.

For at least a temporary duration, the Cave Heaven Flames would prove utterly incapable of harming Li Yuanba.

Li Yuanba experienced a jolt of profound shock. Even shielded by the Vortex Shield, he could clearly apprehend the terrifying intensity of those flames.

Li Yuanba possessed a Spiritual Fire internally, and his true form had even mastered the 'Nanming Leaving Fire.' However, Li Shiming's 'Nanming Leaving Fire' appeared to be at a considerably lower level. When juxtaposed with a Half-step Great Power like Zhao Zhao, who had spent a lifetime mastering fire, the flames wielded by Li Yuanba and Li Shiming resembled mere child's play.

Presently, the sole recourse for Li Yuanba was to relentlessly augment the power channeled into the 'Storm Eye.'

Meanwhile, the Duke of Thunder intensified his barrage against the Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao, making every effort to deny him any further opportunity to target Li Yuanba.

The Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao found himself with no remaining avenues for attack. Under the relentless pursuit of the Duke of Thunder and burdened by his existing injuries, he was profoundly aware that succumbing to another blow from the Duke of Thunder would inflict severe damage upon his body, leading to his inevitable defeat.

He desperately parried the impact of the Thunder Sound, simultaneously employing Space Movement with all his might, constantly shifting his position within the confined Grotto Heaven.

The Duke of Thunder's prowess in Space Movement was equally formidable. In virtually the same instant Zhao Zhao materialized, the Duke of Thunder would appear by his side in the blink of an eye. Subsequently, the Duke of Thunder's strikes would land upon the mere afterimage Zhao Zhao left behind as he vanished.

The Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao critically evaluated the circumstances, concluding that his prior decision to assault Li Yuanba had been a grave miscalculation.

Regarding Li Yuanba's offensive capabilities, even the 'Thunder Sound Bell's' assault had only a superficial effect on him; it was utterly incapable of inflicting actual harm.