Duan Zhen made a decision and immediately carried it out; he was not one to hesitate.
To his surprise, Li Shiming did not turn around and flee right away, but instead controlled five flying swords to fend off the black flying sword.
He was overjoyed; it seemed that Li Shiming had no experience in battling Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivators.
This phenomenon has appeared in many genius cultivators, who always believe that if they can suppress a cultivator of the same stage, they can confront one of a higher stage.
However, the difference in combat power at each minor stage of the Nascent Soul Stage is immense.
A Nascent Soul Early Stage practitioner meeting a Nascent Soul Middle Stage practitioner has to treat them as a senior, and this is not without reason.
At the Golden Core Stage, if oneâs talent is sufficient, they might advance a minor stage within decades, but in the Nascent Soul Stage, advancing a minor stage usually takes several centuries.
Duan Zhen didnât even activate his Nascent Soul Dharma Form but used his activated Light Spirit Secret Method to swiftly approach Li Shiming.
Li Shiming also noticed Duan Zhen. Though he felt tense, he did not retreat.
If he truly wanted to leave, using the few moments of activation by the âWater Dragon Protectionâ, he could have already used the âDistant Horizonâ to quickly escape.
When Duan Zhen got close enough, Li Shimingâs expression changed as he finally understood the gap between the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and the Nascent Soul Early Stage.
Duan Zhen emitted a kind of oppressive force, which was a suppression of higher layers of cultivation over lower ones.
If Li Shiming didnât possess 191 brains, with each having spirit reaching a very high level of the Nascent Soul Early Stage, just the oppressive force from Duan Zhen could have deprived him of most of his mobility.
In battles of Nascent Soul level, losing most of oneâs mobility, or even just moving a bit slower, could be a matter of life and death.
Duan Zhen was complacent; he had closed in on Li Shiming, who was entirely within his range of pressure.
At this moment, Li Shiming couldnât escape from his grasp; Li Shimingâs life and death depended on his thoughts.
Just then, the âWater Dragon Protectionâ effect on Li Shiming vanished.
The five flying swords were struggling to resist the black flying sword, but the black flying sword was much stronger than the five, so even fighting five against one was barely sustainable.
Duan Zhen smiled; this time, he had gained a great deal.
Considering that Li Shiming was a renowned Alchemy Master, it would be better to capture him and take him back, as he had means to make Li Shiming comply.
While he was thinking this, he rapidly closed in on Li Shiming, gathering Spiritual Power in his hands, ready to cast a secret technique to seal Li Shimingâs cultivation.
He didnât think Li Shiming could resist; even if Li Shiming resisted, the gap of one minor stage in the Nascent Soul Stage meant Li Shiming could not break through his defenses.
Confident in this, Duan Zhen boldly wanted to get close to sealing Li Shimingâs cultivation without any hesitation.
Just as he closed within ten meters of Li Shiming, he saw the strange smile on Li Shimingâs face.
He was startled; Li Shiming wasnât a fool, and smiling in such a situation meant he surely had some trick up his sleeve.
Just as he was about to retreat, he saw a silver light in his eyes.
Of course Li Shiming was pleased; if Duan Zhen hadnât approached on his own initiative, he would have considered using âDistant Horizonâ to get close to Duan Zhen himself.
But there were certain risks in using âDistant Horizonâ to approach Duan Zhen, considering at Duan Zhenâs level of a Nascent Soul Middle Stage practitioner, he surely had ways to deal with Divine Foot Skill-like space movement skills.
Duan Zhen approaching on his own spared Li Shiming the trouble.
At a distance of ten meters, Li Shiming released the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ, which was his real confidence in staying put to confront Duan Zhen.
The âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ is something even Great Cultivators have to handle cautiously, and if Duan Zhen had known Li Shiming possessed the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ, he wouldnât have gotten too close to Li Shiming.
The speed of the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ wasnât slow; for it, ten meters was merely a distance where its wings barely moved.
Duan Zhen saw the silver light but hadnât discerned the specifics of the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ before it was already upon him.
Earlier, neither Master Ding nor Grandmaster Hu dared let the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ get close, and it wasnât without reason.
Once the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ approached Duan Zhenâs body, an aura of terrifying ferocity erupted from it, revealing its fangs truly.
A shield artifact on Duan Zhenâs body, automatically defensive, activated automatically to stand in front of the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ.
The âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ opened its mouth and bit into the shield artifact.
This shield artifact was a Fourth-grade Upper Stage Magical Treasure, refined by Duan Zhen for many years, serving as his primary defense treasure.
The cultivatorâs magical treasures, albeit numerous, generally focus on specific attack and defense treasures. A cultivatorâs energy is limited, and refining treasures requires immense time, making it impossible to attend to all treasures equally.
The defensive power of the Fourth-grade High-stage Shield Treasure could withstand several full-force attacks from a Peak Mid-stage Nascent Soul Practitioner, serving as Duan Zhenâs last line of defense.
But something bizarre happened: with a single bite from the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ, the shield artifactâs radiance dimmed, and a hole appeared where it was bitten.
This was precisely the innate ability âspirit consuming abilityâ of the âSilver Winged Spirit Gu Insectâ. Any Spiritual Objects of the same grade could lose much of their spiritual essence with a bite from it.