Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 1551: Chapter 822: Inner Demons

Yang Xing perceived the rapid loss of spiritual energy within the Grotto Heaven; as the spiritual energy depleted to a certain extent, the concentration inside reached an extremely dangerous critical point.

Although he had never encountered such a decline in spiritual energy, he understood what would happen if the energy within the Grotto Heaven dropped significantly.

He quickly took out a vein-locking plate, within which was stored a spirit vein at the Peak Great Cultivator level.

This was the spirit vein of his original residence, kept as a backup, now becoming the hope of saving the Grotto Heaven.

But this only addressed the immediate crisis and did not solve the fundamental problem; the rate of spiritual energy decline within the Grotto Heaven was alleviated but had not stopped.

Now, with the support of an additional Peak Great Cultivator Spirit Vein, it was merely a temporary reprieve.

As time passed, Li Shiming discovered the extraction rate of spiritual energy suddenly increased; unsurprisingly so, given his status as a Half-step Great Power, possessing plenty of good things, spiritual energy decline naturally required intervention.

He believed that no matter what means the Half-step Great Power used, it could not surpass the speed of spiritual energy extraction from this carefully-arranged formation.

In the Grotto Heaven, Yang Xing helplessly perceived the depletion of spiritual energy, having done everything he could.

Finally, as the energy concentration dropped below the critical point, the thunderclouds above the Grotto Heaven began to fade, showing signs of disappearing.

"No!" Yang Xing emitted a panicked scream.

He couldn’t be blamed for losing composure; the most important thing in the Grotto Heaven was the Thunder Rules within the thunderclouds, without which the thunder would vanish.

Since his Grotto Heaven did not yet have the ability to solidify rules, once thunder disappeared, the Thunder Rules would vanish too, ending his efforts over thousands of years.

And he would collapse along with the Grotto Heaven, facing imminent death.

He desperately channeled his Spiritual Power Pattern to maintain the thunderclouds.

But no matter how much spiritual power was outputted, it would be absorbed by the thunderclouds and converted into spiritual energy, only to be extracted by the formation outside.

"What exactly do you want to do?" he shouted loudly.

However, his voice could not actively transmit outside the Grotto Heaven, and Li Shiming did not send Divine Sense into the Grotto Heaven, so no matter how loud he spoke, Li Shiming would not be aware.

Even if he wanted to beg for mercy, to ask Li Shiming to spare him, he could not contact him.

Li Shiming paid no attention to the situation inside the Grotto Heaven, he only needed to focus on the spiritual energy extracted by the formation to know the general situation inside the Grotto Heaven.

At this moment, the concentration of extracted energy was already very low; he knew his plan had succeeded, finding a means to deal with the Half-step Great Power.

What would happen without the spiritual energy support he did not know, but he understood that both the Half-step Great Power and the Grotto Heaven required energy for consumption.

Although the Grotto Heaven could absorb energy from the void to maintain its basic consumption, keeping some surplus.

But externally, with formations extracting energy, without intake, spiritual energy would only decrease until unable to sustain the basic consumption of the Grotto Heaven, leading to big trouble.

Li Shiming had no other choice, forced into this inferior plan.

He narrowly escaped being slain by the Half-step Great Power, naturally not wishing to spare him.

Most critically, he couldn’t let the Half-step Great Power live; if he advanced to Great Power, it would mean the end of good days for Li Shiming.

The Half-step Great Power bore a death feud with him, upon advanced to Great Power, his first action would be hunting him down.

He had no confidence escaping a Great Power’s pursuit, having witnessed Sword Elder’s actions, plus the initial attack from the Half-step Great Power left him understanding the disparity between himself and a Great Power.

Li Shiming continuously cast several spells, enhancing the suction of spiritual energy extraction from the formation.

Gradually, the extracted energy fell to levels less than even the external environment, continuing to decline.

This was merely an ordinary area without spirit veins; cultivators would not reside here because of the scarce spiritual energy.

So the condition of the spiritual energy in the Grotto Heaven was evident, insufficient to sustain its consumption, currently undergoing severe shortage.

Inside the Grotto Heaven, Yang Xing continued to maintain the existence of the thunderclouds with his spiritual power, aware it was drinking poison to quench thirst; once his energy was excessively consumed, he couldn’t survive.

But at this time, bound together with the Grotto Heaven; they were one. As a Half-step Great Power, during this special period, he needed to remain with the Grotto Heaven; when it existed, he did, when it perished, he also would.

Thus, even knowing it was futile, he still used his spiritual power to support the fundamental base of Thunder Rules in the Grotto Heaven.

Currently in the Grotto Heaven, apart from the Thunder Rules maintained by his power, other rules due to excessively thin energy, were no longer sustainable.

The dissipating of each rule brought wrenching pain to his heart; each one was the crystallization of his efforts over many years.

These crystallizations of hard work, dissipating in a short time; even past this trouble, his hope of advancing to Great Power would become exceedingly slim.

"I will become a Mahayana Realm cultivator; I’m the sect’s most talented cultivator in three thousand years!" he shouted frantically.

Fear, dread, worry, resentment, anger, fused into hysterical madness.