Yet it was this very incident that confirmed to Elder Li the close relationship between Li Yuanba and Li Shiming, leading to this trap.
The design of the trap appeared extremely rough, but as long as Li Shiming and Li Yuanba were close enough, Li Shiming would surely appear.
Li Yuanba sat in the cell, using âTelepathyâ to perceive the situation outside.
"Will Master Li come to rescue that one?" a guard cultivator asked another.
"Who knows, I only know that during those days, weâd better change shifts, as Master Liâs combat prowess is extremely strong, there might be big trouble by then!" the other cultivator replied.
"Why does the sect want to abolish that oneâs cultivation? That person is the strongest sword cultivator in the sect?" Although it had nothing to do with himself, a hint of dissatisfaction was revealed in the cultivatorâs words.
Li Yuanba was their generationâs number one, admired by them greatly, yet such a cultivator was being prepared by the sect to have his cultivation abolished on a trumped-up charge.
"All because that oneâs master left, if Elder Sword were here..." The conversation stopped there, as the other cultivator dared not continue, fearing they would be overheard by others.
Li Yuanba retreated from the âTelepathyâ state, heart heavy, not expecting the sect to treat him so.
He couldnât just sit and wait for death, Elder Li surely didnât realize that Li Shiming had no intelligence source on the Beishu Continent, as he was in a temporary undersea hidden abode, completely unaware of Elder Liâs plan.
And with Li Yuanba imprisoned, Li Shimingâs only source of intelligence was lost as well.
If it werenât for Li Yuanbaâs âTelepathyâ skill, unaffected by the Golden Coreâs restriction, he truly would have remained ignorant until the end of this matter.
"Canât wait any longer!" a fierce look flashed in his eyes.
Elder Liâs restraints were exceedingly powerful, preventing him from channeling spiritual power, and even rendering his body refinement abilities difficult to exert freely.
But Elder Li could never have anticipated that Li Yuanba possessed a unique ability allowing him to bypass these restraints.
Through days of sensing, Li Yuanba discovered that daily, there were fixed periods when the sense of surveillance disappeared.
This wasnât surprising, even a Nascent Soul Ancestor couldnât maintain a focused surveillance all day long like Li Shiming could.
Li Shiming had his natal treasure, the IBMz15, comprising 191 usable brains.
The Nascent Soul Ancestor had matters to attend to usually, and being unable to tend to things momentarily was normal.
Moreover, the cell within Black Mountain was incredibly sturdy, and with Li Yuanba unable to utilize spiritual power or engage body refinement, he was practically equal to a mortal, making escape from Black Mountain seemingly impossible.
And with Li Shiming coming for rescue, he wouldnât dare approach as long as the two Nascent Soul Ancestors were in the sect.
This period was arguably the time when Elder Liâs surveillance was most relaxed, which gave Li Yuanba the opportunity.
This night, Li Yuanba sensed the disappearance of surveillance, usually lasting from one to one and a half two-hours.
Without any hesitation, with a thought, his body transformed from human to corpse-refining state.
Sensing the resurgence of powerful energy within, a mocking expression appeared on his face.
He extended his claws, gently tapping at tens of positions on the wall, causing the energy on the wall to quickly dissipate, turning it into ordinary second-tier material.
The claws slashed against the wall, cutting it open, allowing him to exit the cell.
With his strange corpse refining divine thought extending outwards, before the Black Mountain Formation had a chance to discover him, he invaded the nearest formation node.
In just two breaths, a passage large enough for one person to escape opened within the Black Mountain Formation.
He used âStep by Step Lotusâ and flitted out of Black Mountain.
If not for the existence of space-preventing formations within Black Mountain, he wouldâve already used âDistant Horizonâ to leave, avoiding such trouble altogether.
Outside, it was night, and he suppressed his aura to the lowest, easily using divine thought to break through encountered formations, swiftly arriving at the sectâs last barrier.
Arriving there proved even easier compared to previous formations; he hadnât studied the rest, but he was familiar with the most outer sections of the sectâs grand formation, having passed through often.
Originally, this research held no malice, merely intended to impart more knowledge to Li Shiming himself.
However, it now became his means of escape; silently, a channel appeared in the grand formation, and he slipped through, leaving the sect.
Upon leaving the sect, he unleashed âStep by Step Lotusâ, with his figure soon disappearing without a trace.
Once outside the sect, it was akin to a dragon returning to the sea, making it hard for even Nascent Soul Ancestors to capture him.
As long as he maintained a safe distance from the Nascent Soul Ancestors, using the speed advantage of âStep by Step Lotusâ, he didnât fear their pursuit.
Elder Li finished reading a document and habitually directed his divine thought towards the cell in Black Mountain.
"Eh, whereâs the person?" he incredulously looked again, discovering Li Yuanba indeed missing.
"Old Lu, did you take Li Yuanba away?" he immediately contacted Ancestor Lu, as within the sect, only Ancestor Lu had the authority to take Li Yuanba from Black Mountain.
"Wasnât Yuanba suppressed by you and held in Black Mountain?" Ancestor Lu, hearing his message, couldnât help but reply in surprise.
The two Nascent Soul Ancestors emerged from their respective abodes, meeting above Black Mountain, Elder Li seeing Ancestor Lu, knowing from centuries of acquaintance that if Ancestor Lu had truly done it, he would admit it.
"Greetings, Ancestors!" The two late-stage Golden Core cultivators guarding Black Mountain noticed the Ancestorsâ arrival, quickly stepping forward to salute.
"Who took Li Yuanba?" Elder Li asked sternly.
He was furious that within the Senluo Sect, a cultivator dared to bypass him and Ancestor Lu to take away Li Yuanba.
Even now, he never considered that Li Yuanba had left on his own.
A cultivator without any spiritual power, with sealed strength, how could he escape from a place with such tight defenses as Black Mountain?
"Li Yuanba wasnât taken by anyone; heâs still inside!" A guarding cultivator replied in confusion.
"Fools, you dare to call this guarding Black Mountain!" Elder Li cursed angrily and ignored the two late-stage Golden Core cultivators, heading towards the cell himself.
When the two Nascent Soul Ancestors reached the cell, seeing the damaged wall, doubt flickered in their eyes.
"Even with his Silver Corpse unsealed, that Silver Corpse couldnât have broken through this wall!" Since Elder Li did not truly intend to nullify Li Yuanbaâs cultivation, and for Ancestor Luâs face, he merely sealed Li Shimingâs cultivation without touching his spiritual objects.
He was aware of Li Shimingâs Silver Corpse, yet never regarded its strength highly.
With Li Yuanbaâs cultivation sealed, unable to summon the Silver Corpse without any spiritual power.
But the circumstances onsite indicated that it was indeed a Silver Corpse clawing through the wall.
As for how Li Yuanba left through the Black Mountain formation, that remained unclear.
However, one thing was certain, Li Yuanba had escaped the sect.
"Did you talk about anything today?" Ancestor Luâs expression shifted, turning to the two late-stage Golden Core cultivators to ask.
Facing Ancestor Luâs question, the two late-stage Golden Core cultivators dared not conceal anything, admitting they discussed Li Yuanba being stripped of his cultivation.
"Sigh!" Ancestor Lu exhaled deeply, feeling intensely frustrated.
Now he understood why Li Yuanba, previously staying obediently in Black Mountain, suddenly escaped today.
Li Yuanba thought the sect intended to abolish his cultivation and, unwilling to see that happen, endured unknown hardship to escape from Black Mountain.