Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 1626: Chapter 859: Victory_2

With the protection of the Golden Bell, Great Venerable Ming Hai had more time to deal with Xingyi Sword.

He controlled the Magic Vajra Pestle and pursued Xingyi Sword. As he approached, the Magic Vajra Pestle radiated a dazzling golden light, emitting a sluggish golden beam.

He thought it through well; Li Yuanba was too cunning, with the Divine Foot Skill, it was challenging to attack the true body of Li Yuanba.

But Li Yuanba was a Sword Cultivator. As long as you attacked his Lifebound Flying Sword and caused damage or even confiscated it, it was equivalent to grasping Li Yuanba’s lifeline.

Just as the sluggish golden light was about to approach Xingyi Sword, Xingyi Sword escaped its range faster than the sluggish golden light.

"How can Li Yuanba’s combat awareness be so strong?" Even Great Venerable Ming Hai was astonished by Li Yuanba’s displayed combat awareness.

He did not know that although Li Yuanba suppressed the quality of Xingyi Sword, showing only Fourth Grade Top Quality, the Artifact Spirit within Spirit Treasure Xingyi Sword had no such limitation.

The Artifact Spirit of Xingyi Sword, to some extent, was cooperating with Li Yuanba’s flying sword attacks.

When Li Yuanba launched an attack, as long as he indicated his intention, many fine manipulations didn’t require his attention and were handled by the Artifact Spirit.

Especially with attacks threatening to Xingyi Sword, the Artifact Spirit would automatically dodge.

With Xingyi Sword’s speed and the presence of the Artifact Spirit, no matter how Great Venerable Ming Hai targeted Xingyi Sword, he couldn’t truly affect it.

After the sluggish golden light disappeared, Xingyi Sword began to attack Great Venerable Ming Hai again.

The sluggish golden light of the Magic Vajra Pestle wasn’t something you could casually display.

After repeatedly casting the sluggish golden light, even the Magic Vajra Pestle needed some time to recover.

Great Venerable Ming Hai was about to force out the ’Chaos Sword Intent’ from his wound, while simultaneously strengthening his control over the Golden Bell Treasure to safeguard against Xingyi Sword striking the main body of the Golden Bell Treasure.

Under such circumstances, a crack appeared in the shield of the Golden Bell Treasure.

Li Yuanba’s figure broke through the gap using ’A Step Away from Heaven’, closing in on Great Venerable Ming Hai once again.

As soon as he appeared, his Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation executed a close-combat Secret Technique of the ’Nameless Sword Canon’.

Great Venerable Ming Hai’s Magic Vajra Pestle was still recovering, the Golden Bell Treasure was being pursued and slashed by Xingyi Sword, and he himself was struggling to expel the ’Chaos Sword Intent’; his only option was to fight back with his fists.

A Body Refining Great Cultivator’s fists are no less than a treasure weapon.

Li Yuanba’s body moved lightly and nimbly, with a strange rhythm in his movements, this was the close-combat body technique from the ’Nameless Sword Canon’.

Speaking of close-combat ability, the close combat Sword Cultivation Technique ’Nameless Sword Canon’ is definitely the strongest.

If it weren’t for the mainstream of the Cultivation World shifting to long-range combat, almost causing the near-discontinuation of close-combat Sword Cultivator heritage, close-combat Sword Cultivators’ ability could be on par with today’s Flying Sword Cultivators.

The Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation avoided Great Venerable Ming Hai’s attack and swiftly struck his waist.

Taking a sword strike, Great Venerable Ming Hai realized he couldn’t engage in close combat with Li Yuanba.

He once again used the Thunder Sound Divine Ability, a sound wave spreading outwards.

Li Yuanba had to use ’A Step Away from Heaven’ to retreat from Great Venerable Ming Hai’s side, preventing him from capitalizing further.

Great Venerable Ming Hai’s Thunder Sound Divine Ability was too vexing; combined with the sluggish golden light of the Magic Vajra Pestle, falling victim to either meant certain death.

Moreover, both the Thunder Sound Divine Ability and the sluggish golden light were area attacks. Without the Divine Foot Skill, a normal Great Cultivator couldn’t easily escape their range of attack.

Having suffered a setback, Great Venerable Ming Hai looked at Li Yuanba with some resignation.

He similarly felt disgusted by Li Yuanba’s way of fighting and realized he couldn’t engage Li Yuanba in close combat.

Just from a single encounter, he noticed the strangeness Li Yuanba displayed in close quarters.

He recognized it as the abilities of a close-combat Sword Cultivator; Da Leiyin Temple had descriptions of such cultivators, a group of sword maniacs obsessed with close combat.

As shown by Li Yuanba, once engaged in close combat, without immense power to force them away, fighting them close up was a suicidal act.

Great Venerable Ming Hai paid the price of a wound for this realization.

His powerful body refinement capability still showcased formidable defensive power; Li Yuanba’s strike created a wound half an inch deep on Great Venerable Ming Hai’s waist.

When the Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation’s attack broke through Great Venerable Ming Hai’s skin, it was stopped halfway into the muscle.

Great Venerable Ming Hai felt uncomfortable, as now more of Li Yuanba’s ’Chaos Sword Intent’ entered his wound, requiring him to mobilize more spiritual power to combat the ’Chaos Sword Intent’ at the wound site.

"Amitabha, let the resources here be given to Mr. Li!" Great Venerable Ming Hai declared, relinquishing the competition.

This clearly signaled his withdrawal, and Li Yuanba displayed a regretful expression; such a good opponent, no more fight.

Keep in mind that to ensure a better battle, he didn’t use ’Ten Thousand Sword Peak’ or summon his late-stage Golden Corpse, just to have a good fight with Great Venerable Ming Hai.

"Thank you, Great Venerable Ming Hai, for conceding!" Li Yuanba said with a smile.

He released a ’Innate Wood’ divine light towards Great Venerable Ming Hai.

Great Venerable Ming Hai gave a faint smile, seemingly trusting Li Yuanba, allowing the ’Innate Wood’ divine light to fall upon him.

In fact, upon seeing the ’Innate Wood’ divine light, he recognized what divine skill it was.

Although he was confident he could expel the ’Chaos Sword Intent’ from his body, the ’Chaos Sword Intent’ in his second wound wasn’t easy to clear, taking at least several days.

Great Venerable Ming Hai felt the ’Chaos Sword Intent’ at his wound vanish and the wound rapidly healed, astounded by the potent effect of the ’Innate Wood’ divine ability.

He no longer thought about fighting Li Yuanba; the combination of the Divine Foot Skill, close-combat Sword Cultivator, Flying Sword Cultivator, and the ’Innate Wood’ divine skill made Li Yuanba a Sword Cultivator who could attack or retreat, at close or long range.

Even if struck by Great Venerable Ming Hai, Li Yuanba could swiftly heal using the ’Innate Wood’ divine ability.

Facing an enemy like Li Yuanba, even being much stronger, one risked being worn down and defeated by him.

"Mr. Li, I hope we can become friends!" Great Venerable Ming Hai bowed to express gratitude to Li Yuanba, then departed smoothly.

Li Yuanba shook his head with a smile; he had no desire to befriend such a deceitful monk, uncertain of how he might die.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and focused his mind on the resource point.

The distant spectators, comprised of Great Cultivators, were stunned by the battle they had just witnessed.

They saw an unfathomable battle, where Li Yuanba, a Sword Cultivator, actually drove Great Venerable Ming Hai away in a head-on confrontation.

Although judging by the battle, Great Venerable Ming Hai wasn’t entirely defeated and still had strength to fight.

However, Great Venerable Ming Hai’s choice to retreat indicated defeat in this battle, undeniable by anyone.

Previously, Li Yuanba’s strength ranked below the Peak Great Cultivator, even among many Great Cultivators nearing that level.

But after today, Li Yuanba’s strength ranking would have to be recalculated, equating his combat power with the Peak Great Cultivator.

The Great Cultivators watching in awe regarded Li Yuanba with reverence. Even if they hadn’t withdrawn from competition before, they now lacked the courage to challenge him.

Another Great Cultivator arrived, a middle-stage one at that.

He flew nearby and saw Li Yuanba sitting cross-legged at the resource point.

With over twenty Great Cultivators watching from afar, he didn’t rashly approach the resource point, but chose to join the other Great Cultivators there.

He clearly understood that with over twenty Great Cultivators unwilling to challenge Li Yuanba, there was something unknown to him, and he knew how to act wisely at his age.