Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 224: Chapter 158 Battlefield_2

“This battle is of great importance, you all need to give it your all. The Seven Sects will reward the cultivators who perform outstandingly!” Master Du Hai continued solemnly.

As for the significance of the battle, one only needed to sense the presence of so many Golden Core auras around to judge.

None of the Qi Refining cultivators here was a fool; they all understood the importance of this battle.

“Do not hold back in the fight. The enemy you face is unimaginably strong; you are the strongest Qi Refining cultivators of your respective sects. Unleash your greatest battle power and kill all the enemies!” It was somewhat discordant to hear such words coming from a kindly-looking old monk, but all of the Qi Refining cultivators looked serious.

Even the Golden Core cultivators said as much, so there was no doubt about the enemy’s strength.

“Children, come back alive!” Master Du Hai said gently, his expression softening.

With a wave of his hand, the formation’s light lifted up fourteen Qi Refining cultivators and flew them towards the sea in front of them.

“Mr. Jie!” Master Du Hai turned his head and gestured to Elder Jie of the Holy Ice Sect.

Complicated magic runes appeared in front of Elder Jie, and it took five full breaths for him to complete the preparation of the spell.

With the strength of a Golden Core Elder, a spell that took five breaths to prepare could be incredibly powerful.

Li Shiming felt a chill, and then he saw that the sea surface beneath the light of the formation was solidifying.

Li Shiming could hardly believe his eyes; the sea surface below, at least a radius of three thousand meters, was being frozen.

On the four giant flying boats opposite, fourteen Qi Refining cultivators were being sent towards this side.

At the same time, on top of the frozen sea surface, Earth Spiritual Power was wildly gathering.

Elder Jie froze the sea surface, while the Golden Core cultivators from Beishu actually condensed a thick layer of soil on top of the ice.

Compared to Elder Jie, who used seawater to form ice, the difficulty for the Beishu Golden Core cultivators was somewhat greater.

Elder Jie’s face darkened, feeling that he had been outplayed.

Of course, both sides were engaging in psychological warfare. Whether it was Elder Jie’s spell or the spell from the Beishu side, such spells were very difficult to use in real combat.

Who would give you a quiet space and time to slowly prepare your spells?

The preparation of a spell cannot be disturbed; even a single attack could interrupt the pre-casting preparations, causing the caster to suffer backlash.

Hence, unless it’s an instant-cast spell, most cultivators in combat use talismans to fight, rather than casting spells directly.

Li Shiming felt the light of the formation under his feet weakening, and the energy carrying the Beishu Qi Refining cultivators on the other side was also diminishing.

He understood that once the energy from both sides disappeared, and the Qi Refining cultivators from both sides landed on the temporary surface below, the battle would begin.

He hurried, his eyes and Spiritual Thought moving together to survey the newly formed temporary land below.

The Golden Core cultivators from both sides intentionally created a more chaotic Spirit Power Pattern, making it nearly impossible for the Qi Refining cultivators to set up formations in this area.

It was only nearly impossible. For most of the Qi Refining cultivators here, including the genius cultivators, formations were not their main focus, not even a secondary one.

At most, they carried an Array Plate, using Spirit Stones to activate it, but the power of such formations aside, in the environment below, it was questionable whether the Array Plate could be activated at all.

Indeed, the Array Plate was designed to account for many situations, with automatic adjustments to deploy the array.

But this was based on the premise that the environment for deploying the array would not be too complex.

And the temporary land below was extremely complex; it was an environment deliberately created by Golden Core cultivators to prevent the use of powerful formations by the opposition.

However, there was one special cultivator among them, and that was Li Shiming, a secretly hidden high-level Array Master.

In any power, no high-level Array Master would normally be involved in front-line fighting because they are an important support profession, serving a more important purpose than combat itself.

When Li Shiming deployed his Spiritual Thought, the Golden Core cultivators from both sides detected it.

As for how many Qi Refining Cultivators possess Spiritual Thought, it is currently difficult to say because no Qi Refining Cultivator has actively used Spiritual Thought like he did.

The light from the formation beneath his feet faded, and he and the thirteen Qi Refining Cultivators fell together.

The fourteen Qi Refining Cultivators opposite them also fell at the same time, none of them flying. In such top-tier Qi Refinement Realm battles, it is best to stand on solid ground to gain the most advantage.

Qi Refining Cultivators have limited capabilities, both spiritually and in terms of Spiritual Power. If they were to fight in the air, although it would be more flexible, they would need to allocate part of their spirit and Spiritual Power to control the flying artifact.

As a result, the Qi Refining Cultivators cannot fight with their full strength. Controlling one combat Magic Artifact is different than controlling two, and adding another defensive Magic Artifact offers a different concept altogether.

As he fell, Li Shiming slapped his storage bag at his waist, and thirty-six Array Flags appeared in his hand.

Then he continuously tossed the Array Flags in his hand downwards, with each flag landing on the ground below.

His actions caused all the Qi Refining Cultivators from both sides to be stunned; they had not expected Li Shiming to move so quickly.

Especially those among them who had studied the ways of formations were even more astonished at Li Shiming’s actions.

“Mr. Liu, how proficient is he at arranging formations, can he really set up a formation on the battlefield?” Elder Sheng asked of Shuiyun Sect’s Elder Liu.

Elder Liu of the Shuiyun Sect had reached a level equivalent to a High-level Array Master in his study of formations, making him a rare existence among the Golden Core Elders who was adept in the ways of formations.

“Elder Sheng, the Sky Sea Sect truly squanders natural gifts by letting such a genius in formations enter the battlefield. Even if his level in formations is not High-level, it would not be far off. His proficiency in setting up formations is indeed remarkable!” Elder Liu said, shaking his head in wonder.

Elder Sheng’s expression tightened; she had not expected Li Shiming’s skill in formation arts to be so high.

If she had known about Li Shiming’s level in formations, she would never have allowed him to join this battle. But now it was too late, and all she could do was hope that Li Shiming would survive the combat.

Just then, a figure flew in from a distance, its terrifying presence felt by both factions of Golden Core cultivators.

“It’s Mr. Yin who has come!” someone exclaimed with joy.

Elder Yin, having been away for some time, finally returned in time to add a significant force for the Seven Sects.

The figure of Elder Yin flashed and arrived on Seven Star Island, and his gaze quickly identified Li Shiming among the others.

“Why would Li Shiming participate in this contest?” he asked in a deep voice, full of anger.

In his words, there was a clear sense of anger, no matter whether he approved of Li Shiming or not. In public, he had acknowledged his relationship with Li Shiming.

That is to say, he stood behind Li Shiming. Yet during the time he was away, Li Shiming had been arranged to participate in such a contest.

“Mr. Yin, Li Shiming’s combat strength is not weak. He killed Du Bingyan and his five sect members. Since Du Bingyan is dead, there is no issue with Li Shiming taking his place!” Elder Jie from the Holy Ice Sect said indifferently.

It was Elder Baili who had exerted effort, using some old connections to exert a bit of pressure on several sects towards the Sky Sea Sect.

Because Elder Yin was not within the sect and the time for the contest was pressing, in order not to affect the overall situation, both Elder Sheng and Elder Gu made concessions and allowed Li Shiming to fight.

To make it safer for Li Shiming, the sect provided him with quite a few conveniences.

Five pieces of Second Grade Five Elements Array Materials, and the Foundation Establishment Stage’s Secret Technique ‘Hundred Revolutions Spirit Thought Method,’ were all provided by the sect.

“If anything happens to Li Shiming, I will make that old Baili keep him company in death!” said Elder Yin, not blaming his fellow Elders but stating his displeasure in no uncertain terms.

His statement was heavy, equivalent to a public declaration, and given his status, he would undoubtedly keep his word.

At this moment, Elder Jie was silent. He had not expected Elder Yin to place such importance on Li Shiming, but he was also helpless, as Elder Baili’s actions were his own and not discussed with the sect, entirely a personal act.

During a time when unity was needed to stand against external forces, Elder Baili’s actions had caused some fractures within the Seven Sects.