Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 402 247 Venerable_2

However, aside from a minuscule communication array that was nearly negligible, there was nothing else related to Spiritual Objects in his hands.

Yet Venerable Huike was absolutely certain that a cultivator had just been spying on them through this object. This was a judgment he could not possibly get wrong after many years of cultivating Buddhism.

Unfortunately, when he acted just now, he failed to control his strength properly, and the surveillance probe was severely damaged.

Furthermore, no matter how he analyzed it, he could not figure out the working principle of the object in his hands, which prevented him from determining which power it came from.

”You two wait here; Iʼll take a look around!” Venerable Huike pondered for a moment, then instructed the two Arhats. His figure disappeared on the spot and appeared a mile away after just one step, then vanished step by step.

The speed of Venerable Huike was unimaginable. He was using the Divine Foot Skill, specifically, a higher level of it called ʼDistance Within Stepsʼ.

Qianye Temple took the report from Zhi Ming Arhat very seriously regarding the matter of Li Yuanba.

To capture Li Yuanba, who had mastered ʼStep by Step Lotusʼ of the Divine Foot Skill, Qianye Temple even requested the assistance of Venerable Huike who had mastered ʼDistance Within Stepsʼ.

ʼDistance Within Stepsʼ, although not reaching the Buddhistʼs described extent of ʼa step across the worldʼ, could indeed cover a mile in one step – a speed several times faster than that of Li Yuanba, making it no problem to catch him.

Although the traces of Li Yuanbaʼs movements could not be found, for Venerable Huike to roam a thousand miles nearby in a short amount of time was definitely feasible.

In his opinion, since Li Yuanba had left such strange surveillance methods behind, he must be hiding nearby.

Sure enough, it didnʼt take long for Venerable Huike to find a formation.

The formation blocked Divine Thought and concealed its presence, all of which seemed like tactics Li Yuanba would use.

”Amitabha Buddha!” Venerable Huike chanted as he pressed his palm down towards the formation.

Li Shiming saw a figure appear at the formation and realized that the monk was the same one he suspected to be the Venerable. He hurriedly swept his Divine Thought over his surroundings, collecting all traces of Li Yuanbaʼs residual qi into the machine room space.

He knew through Li Yuanbaʼs clone how terrifying the means of a Nascent Soul Cultivator could be.

He even gathered all the items that could not be exposed into the machine room space, leaving only a Space Ring on his finger.

He hadnʼt expected Venerable Huike to be so inconsiderate. After observing the formation, he proceeded to forcefully break it.

Li Shiming watched with a grim look as the one hundred and twenty-eight array flags he had made from second-grade formation materials were reduced to dust. Fortunately, Venerable Huike had no intention of harming anyone and retracted his power after destroying the formation.

Venerable Huike was caught off guard when he saw Li Shiming. His Divine Thought swept over Li Shiming and spotted a mark on him – it was the mark of a True Disciple of the Shushan Sect.

He did not expect the person staying here to not be Li Yuanba from the Demon Sect Senluo Sect, but instead a True Disciple from the Righteous Path Shushan Sect.

”May I ask why the master has broken my formation and destroyed my array flags?” Li Shiming stood up and questioned without any trace of fear.

Venerable Huike did not pay attention to Li Shimingʼs accusation. Even though Li Shiming was a True Disciple, he was not a concern for him.

”What are you doing here?” Venerable Huike stared at Li Shiming and counter-asked.

”The master is being unreasonable. I was resting here, and you destroyed my formation, yet you are questioning me instead?” Li Shiming did not answer but spoke with a heavy tone.

Venerable Huike slightly showed annoyance, and an unparalleled pressure descended from the sky towards Li Shiming, attempting to force him to kneel.

Li Shiming felt as if a massive mountain or an indescribably heavy weight had landed on him.

Yet he did not kneel; instead, his body was forced into the ground by the terrifying pressure, submerging him up to his waist.

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes brimming with unwillingness.

”I am a True Disciple of the Shushan Sect in Alchemy. Who are you, to bully my sect when it has no one?” Li Shiming loudly declared his identity, demanding an answer once again.

He took out his Identity Jade Disc to prove his identity, which also displayed the energy fluctuations he had reported to his sect.

Venerable Huike did not actually intend to harm Li Shiming; he merely wanted to press him for the reason of his presence, which was too much of a coincidence.

Upon seeing the Identity Jade Disc and hearing Li Shiming declare his identity, Venerable Huike felt a tinge of trouble in his heart.

With the status of Venerable Huike, even if he had killed a True Disciple of the Shushan Sect, the problem wouldnʼt have been too great—most likely, some compensation and an explanation would suffice.

But a True Disciple in Alchemy was different; they were a treasure to any sect. This was the same even in Qianye Temple; a True Inheritor of Alchemy is a future Alchemy Master, and killing one would mean making a great enemy.

It could even affect the relationship between Qianye Temple and Shushan Sect, and under the current circumstances, if the two major Righteous Path sects held grudges, it might create serious risks when uniting against the Demon Path in the future.

Venerable Huike held a very high position in Qianye Temple; he needed to consider the welfare of the temple, not just his own likes and dislikes.

”Venerable Huike, Elder Fan Ting of the Shushan Sect will personally come to Qianye Temple to demand an explanation. Why would you bully a disciple of my sectʼs True Inheritor of Alchemy? Are you provoking a war with the Shushan Sect?” Just as Venerable Huike was contemplating how to resolve the issue, a voice came from Li Shimingʼs Identity Jade Disc.

Elder Fan Ting, one of the ancestors of the Shushan Sect and also Elder Suʼs master, was someone Li Shiming had never met.

Unexpectedly, this ancestor used his privilege to directly issue a warning to Venerable Huike through the Identity Jade Disc.

”Amitabha, the encounter with young Cultivator Li Shiming was but a misunderstanding. I will compensate for the loss caused to the young cultivator!” Venerable Huike said, reluctantly pressing his palms together in prayer after hearing Elder Fan Tingʼs voice.

”It had better be so, or else our two sects might as well have a bout!” Elder Fan Tingʼs stance was exceedingly firm, so firm that it made Li Shiming quite unaccustomed.

Li Shiming forgot that the Shushan Sect was one of the three great Righteous Path sects, and its place among the Beishuʼs great sects relied not on anything else but its own strength.

As it happened, the reason Elder Fan Ting ended his seclusion was related to Li Shiming.

When Li Shiming previously sent a distress signal to his sect, it coincided with the end of Elder Fan Tingʼs cultivation session. If not for that signal, Elder Fan Ting would have continued onto the next round of meditation, which could have meant an unknown period of seclusion.

But Li Shimingʼs distress signal let Elder Fan Ting know that his disciple, Elder Su, had taken a new student who was being bullied outside.

Elder Fan Ting took interest in Li Shiming after reviewing his information.

If anything were to happen to Li Shiming, Elder Fan Ting was prepared to intervene personally.

Afterward, Elder Fan Ting halted his seclusion, met with Elder Su, and arranged some affairs.

Yet, during this time, Li Shiming once again sent a distress signal. This time, it was a Venerable from Qianye Temple troubling Li Shiming, and immediately upon seeing the message, Elder Fan Ting responded.

Elder Su, Elder Ma, and the other Golden Core Elders who were keeping an eye on Li Shiming all shook their heads and sighed at his luck.

Especially Elder Su, who inwardly lamented that such profound fortune could be both good and bad. Other cultivators yearned to encounter a Golden Core cultivator outside, yet Li Shiming, in a brief span of time, not only faced attacks from Golden Core cultivators but now even a Venerable of the Nascent Soul Realm had appeared.

Elder Su and Elder Ma were not worried about Li Shimingʼs safety; with Elder Fan Ting intervening, unless Venerable Huike had gone mad, he certainly wouldnʼt bother Li Shiming again.

”When Li Shiming returns this time, he must be made to focus on cultivating in the sect and not go out again!” Elder Su made a decision in his mind.

Li Shimingʼs fortune was too overwhelming; at best, he might stumble upon an enormous opportunity, but at worst, it could endanger his life.

Given Li Shimingʼs current level of Alchemy, and since he was practicing Magic Cultivation, it would suffice to stay in the sect and rely on cultivation resources to improve his strength.