Chapter 1816: Chapter 954: The Decision (2)
Grandmaster Hu’s gaze sharpened; he discerned the underlying meaning in Li Shiming’s words: he didn’t want to endanger the sect, and a formidable enemy would be pursuing Li Shiming.
"Moreover, I will leave these three late-stage Golden Corpses for you, Master, to command, or for any Cultivator you appoint," Li Shiming declared, summoning three late-stage Golden Corpses.
Li Shiming had two late-stage Golden Corpses, which had been left in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect under Grandmaster Hu’s control.
And these three late-stage Golden Corpses were the ones he had retained in his possession.
Now, the late-stage Golden Corpses were of almost no use to him, and with this departure, he did not know when he would return. The foundation of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect was too shallow, leaving Dongqi Continent without a powerful Cultivator to suppress it during his absence.
"The sect has two late-stage Golden Corpses, which is sufficient. You should keep these three for yourself," Grandmaster Hu immediately objected, sensing something amiss.
Indeed, the late-stage Golden Corpses were formidable, but Li Shiming’s safety was paramount.
If Li Shiming were to fall, the late-stage Golden Corpses would also be lost.
Furthermore, with three late-stage Golden Corpses accompanying him outside, Li Shiming’s safety would be enhanced.
"No need to refuse, Master; I have my plans," Li Shiming waved off the objection with confidence in his voice. Since gaining the Duke of Thunder and the Red Demon, his perspective had expanded, and late-stage Golden Corpses no longer seemed significant.
Though he kept only one Duke of Thunder by his side, he was confident that, with it, he could contend even with a Half-step Great Power.
"Lan’er, it’s been hard on you, traveling with me," Li Shiming apologized to Yin Shilan after seeing off Grandmaster Hu.
"Home is wherever you are," Yin Shilan replied with a gentle smile.
"We’ll take the grotto with us, bringing our home along," Li Shiming said as he held Yin Shilan.
He referred to the mountain peak that had accompanied Yin Shilan for a hundred years.
He did not care for the other six Floating Mountains, even though those six consumed vast resources and were highly valuable. But in the hearts of him and Yin Shilan, none compared to the mountain peak where the grotto was located.
A day later, Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect discovered that one of the seven mountains floating in the sky was missing—it was the mountain peak where Li Shiming and Yin Shilan’s grotto was.
Subsequently, news spread from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect that Li Shizhen would no longer accept alchemy commissions and had gone out to explore.
This news had little impact on ordinary Cultivators in the Cultivation World.
But for Great Cultivators, it was like a bolt from the blue.
Due to Li Shiming’s demonstrated alchemy skills, Great Cultivators fiercely competed for any emerging resources for Great Cultivators.
It was precisely Li Shiming’s alchemy prowess that led to significant power advancements for most Great Cultivators in the Cultivation World.
Quickly, various factions in the Cultivation World concerned themselves with inquiring about Li Shiming’s details from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, all eager to know when he would return and reopen for alchemy commissions.
Unfortunately, the response was that no accurate timing could be provided; answers would await Li Shiming’s return.
The news of Li Shiming’s departure spread across the Cultivation World at an astonishing speed.
This demonstrated his immense influence; while ordinarily unnoticed, the impact of his departure from accepting alchemy commissions was unimaginably significant.
Many Great Cultivators regretted not requesting alchemy from Li Shiming earlier, while others were relieved that their Great Cultivator Spirit Medicine had already been refined into Spirit Pills.
Regardless, competition over Great Cultivator Spirit Medicine would persist for a long time.
Great Cultivators would stockpile Great Cultivator Spirit Medicine, awaiting Li Shiming’s return.
Even if it took a century, they would wait, as Li Shiming stood alone at the highest echelon among alchemy masters in the Cultivation World.
At this top level, there was only Li Shiming, and the gap in skill was vast between him and other alchemy masters.
Unless Li Shiming’s demise was confirmed, Great Cultivators would not seek other alchemy masters for refinement.
In fact, because Li Shiming monopolized the refinement of Great Cultivator Spirit Medicine in the Cultivation World, other alchemy masters’ skills in refining Great Cultivator Spirit Pills had declined significantly.
Long-term lack of practice with Great Cultivator Spirit Medicine would gradually dull their feel for it, and any slight difference in skill in refining Great Cultivator Spirit Medicine could lead to drastic differences in the quality of the resulting Spirit Pills.
These effects were primarily related to Great Cultivator Spirit Pills, but other forces eyeing Dongqi Continent reconsidered after hearing of Li Shiming’s departure.
Despite Dongqi Continent’s relatively meager resources, many forces coveted the Ten Thousand Beast Sect’s isolated position on the continent.
However, these forces dared not go too far, as the Ten Thousand Beast Sect had built good relations with most superpowers in the Cultivation World through alchemy and formed alliances with Luanyang Palace and Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.
Only with conclusive proof of Li Shiming’s demise would these forces contemplate more than minor maneuvers, not daring to invade Dongqi Continent outright.
The news of Li Shiming leaving the Ten Thousand Beast Sect reached Yuqing Sect as well.
Since Great Power Leng Luo’s return, Yuqing Sect had started recruiting disciples externally.
First, Great Power Leng Luo reestablished contact with previously allied forces who had always assisted Yuqing Sect in finding children with the Thunder affinity across various continents.
Due to the absence of many Cultivators, these allied forces hadn’t contacted Yuqing Sect for a period.
Now, with a Great Power personally reaching out, stalled cooperations resumed.
Furthermore, Great Power Leng Luo reached out to Great Powers of various superpowers to seek assistance in investigating the attack on Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate.
He was also subtly probing a few suspicious superpowers to identify those responsible for the assault on Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate.
He took these steps because he did not believe Li Shiming was the perpetrator of the attack on their mountain gate.
The destruction of Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate must have been the work of a superpower, likely supported by a Great Power.
While Great Power Leng Luo was occupied with these matters, he received the latest intelligence on Li Shiming from Yuqing Sect’s intelligence network, which Great Power Luo Yuan also reviewed.
Yuqing Sect’s intelligence network had suffered from massive disconnection due to resource shortages following the sect’s loss of power.
After Great Power Leng Luo’s return, he took charge of the intelligence network, restoring part of its functionality through massive resource allocation.
However, achieving a peak state would not be possible in the short term.
Destruction was easy; rebuilding was extremely difficult.
Like Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate, even with Great Power Leng Luo’s return, the radiation pollution could not be cleared easily.
Over such a long time, the radiation pollution had penetrated deeply underground at Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate.
If it weren’t for the Inheritance Cave Heaven being bound to that location, Great Power Leng Luo would have considered relocating the mountain gate to a better place.
At Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate, not even the Sect Formation could be established.
Great Power Leng Luo was also seeking solutions, daily using his energy to cleanse the radiation pollution at the mountain gate.
While there was some effect, only he knew the immense consumption was disproportionate to the results achieved.
"What’s going on? The timing of Li Shizhen leaving the Ten Thousand Beast Sect coincides precisely with the day after my return. How could it be such a coincidence?" Great Power Leng Luo frowned, studying the intelligence.
Originally, he planned to conclude his affairs and then head to Dongqi Continent to capture Li Shiming, recover the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl,’ and avenge the deceased Cultivators of the sect.
But he never anticipated that Li Shiming would conveniently leave the Ten Thousand Beast Sect at this time.
The most crucial problem was that due to the intelligence network’s deficiencies, Yuqing Sect couldn’t trace Li Shiming’s movements.
Moreover, given Li Shiming’s unique status, even if Great Power Leng Luo personally requested help from other superpowers in investigations, no superpower would be willing to assist actively.
There might even be attempts to hinder him, as Li Shiming’s alchemy skill was more valuable than Yuqing Sect’s alliance. Now Yuqing Sect only had two Great Powers left, with almost nothing else remaining.
