Itâs uncertain if Master Ren Mu and Master Yan Gao have ever engaged in a battle, but their combat capabilities should be quite comparable.
As peak Great Cultivators of superpowers, even if there are some differences in strength, the gap between them wouldnât be significant.
Li Shiming previously thought that after hearing of his victory over Master Ren Mu, Master Yan Gao would not come to Dongqi Continent to trouble him.
Although he had a deep grudge with the White Emperor Sect, if his strength were formidable enough, the White Emperor Sect would tacitly accept the situation.
Itâs essential to know that the reason Li Shiming killed three Great Cultivators of the White Emperor Sect was because the sect initiated an attack against the Ten Thousand Beast Sect. Li Shimingâs actions were justified, aligning with the rules of the Cultivation World.
He hadnât expected that Master Yan Gao of the White Emperor Sect still came. He needed to be cautious about any potential schemes from Master Yan Gao.
Since his strength had already been exposed, Master Yan Gao daring to come showed he believed he had the power to annihilate him.
Fortunately, over time, the drone satellite system covering Dongqi Continent was re-established, with even the near seas under satellite surveillance.
His natal treasure, the IBMz15, was tasked with monitoring the surveillance data from this drone satellite system constantly.
With his experience, even the most cautious cultivator would not conceal their aura when traveling over the ocean.
On the ocean, one must reveal their aura to intimidate potential spirit beast attacks and deter other cultivators with ill intentions.
Additionally, itâs unnecessary to conceal oneself on the ocean; if one truly wants to hide their actions, they should do so upon reaching the continent.
On the third day, Li Shiming received a warning from his natal treasure, the IBMz15. The surveillance footage showed two powerful, indistinct auras swiftly moving over the ocean.
"Two peak Great Cultivators, they are indeed well-prepared!" Li Shiming thought to himself, murmuring.
Peak Great Cultivators are not commonplace. Even among superpowers, active peak Great Cultivators are rare. Some superpowers might have more than one peak Great Cultivator, but those are often in secluded cultivation.
Li Shiming wasnât sure if the two arriving peak Great Cultivators were both from the White Emperor Sect, but one thing was certain: Master Yan Gao would be among them.
At this point in time, aside from the White Emperor Sect, no other power would dispatch a peak Great Cultivator to Dongqi Continent.
Li Shiming sent a message to Grandmaster Hu, informing him of his brief departure.
Despite his elevated status within the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, he still showed sufficient respect to Grandmaster Hu, ensuring to notify him of any matters in advance.
Grandmaster Hu was unaware of his intentions and, upon receiving the message, paid no mind, believing no one could harm him given his displayed combat prowess.
Within Dongqi Continent, Li Shimingâs strength was unrivaled, surpassing that of major sects or even the local branches of superpowers.
Upon leaving, Li Shiming took away Great Cultivator Luo Pei. Though Luo Peiâs combat strength couldnât intervene in that level of battle, the Heavenly Ghost was an extremely crucial force supplement. At critical moments, its presence was vital, so he naturally kept it by his side.
"What a pity!" he thought to himself, regretting that if he could have crafted five âThunderous Mysterious Bows,â it would have had a significant impact in this battle.
Currently, he only possessed one âThunderous Mysterious Bow,â whose power, in his present view, was mediocre, falling short of his expectations, so he didnât consider deploying it for use by the late-stage Golden Corpse.
Two small flying boats flew from a coastline onto the land of Dongqi Continent, with two Great Cultivators disembarking and then storing away the flying boats.
They did not move immediately but instead tossed out an array plate, which upon landing, formed a Concealing Array.
The two Great Cultivators entered the Concealing Array, took out communication tokens, and began contacting their intelligence personnel stationed in Dongqi Continent to gather the latest intelligence.
One of the arriving Great Cultivators was indeed Master Yan Gao, and the other was Li Shimingâs old acquaintance, Master Wang He.
Li Shiming probably didnât expect that the White Emperor Sect had collaborated with the Yuqing Sect, and the dispatched two peak Great Cultivators.
The two peak Great Cultivators had collaborated multiple times before, boasting a seamless synergy.
"Brother Wang, who wouldâve thought that we might one day join forces against a single Great Cultivator!" Master Yan Gao chuckled while shaking his head.
His initial plan was to come to Dongqi Continent alone, but due to some matters, the journey was delayed.
During this time, he learned that Li Shiming had fairly won a battle against Master Ren Mu on Dongqi Continent.
Upon receiving this intelligence, the White Emperor Sect immediately chose to collaborate with the Yuqing Sect, which had even bigger conflicts with Li Shiming than they did.
The Yuqing Sect was aware that Li Shiming possessed the âShenxiao Thunder Pearl,â an invaluable treasure. If it werenât for Li Shiming secluding himself afterward, the Yuqing Sect might have dispatched Master Wang He to capture Li Shiming.
When the White Emperor Sect reached out to the Yuqing Sect, the Yuqing Sect already harbored intentions against Li Shiming, leading to the decision to mobilize two peak Great Cultivators.
As for deploying other Great Cultivators, after consideration by the two superpowers, the plan was rejected.
According to the information returned, Li Shimingâs cultivation of the âYuqing Thunder Scriptureâ made it possible for him to easily slay ordinary Great Cultivators post-advancement. Sending weaker Great Cultivators would likely lead to their demise.
The critical point was that the White Emperor Sect could no longer afford the loss of another Great Cultivator, as even the Yuqing Sect had suffered significant losses of Great Cultivators over the years.
In reality, the Yuqing Sect understood the reason behind Li Shimingâs formidable combat strength lay with the enhancement from the âShenxiao Thunder Pearl,â which could almost elevate a Thunder Cultivatorâs power by an entire major tier.
Although the Great Cultivator realm is rather unique, heavily influenced by rules, an early-stage Thunder Cultivator with the âShenxiao Thunder Pearlâ could certainly rival a peak Great Cultivatorâs power.
"Brother Yan, do not underestimate Li Shizhen; his combat power is nearly on par with ours!" Master Wang He solemnly cautioned.
This time, he was assigned the grand task of retrieving the âShenxiao Thunder Pearlâ and was determined not to fail again.
"I see, Li Shizhen cultivates the âYuqing Thunder Scriptureâ; it seems youâre aware of the reasons behind his sudden surge in power!" Master Yan Gaoâs eyes flickered as he spoke thoughtfully.
During this time, Master Yan Gao had also learned that the Yuqing Sect likely lost an extremely important treasure, though they kept its identity well-concealed.
Li Shimingâs rapid rise forced Master Yan Gao to suspect that this treasure was the source of Li Shimingâs sudden boost in strength.
"Li Shizhen is a genius Thunder Cultivator, with an exceptionally monstrous talent, unmatched in Yuqing Sect for millennia!" Master Wang He shook his head.
He was reluctant to mention the âShenxiao Thunder Pearl,â but he was sure it didnât enhance a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitionerâs chance of advancing to a Great Cultivator.
Moreover, during cultivation, the âShenxiao Thunder Pearlâsâ augmentative effect was somewhat limited, primarily being a support treasure for attacks, with mediocre effects in other areas.
In other words, Li Shimingâs swift advancement to the Great Cultivator Realm had no connection to possessing the âShenxiao Thunder Pearl.â
The only connection was that Li Shimingâs Great Cultivator realm combat strength was amplified by the âShenxiao Thunder Pearl,â enabling him to slay multiple Great Cultivators.
Of course, this was solely Master Wang Heâs assessment; he hadnât considered that Thunder Cultivation was merely one of Li Shimingâs many techniques. Li Shimingâs Sword Cultivator prowess was equally strong, and the strength enhancement from the âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ wasnât something he could fathom.