The power of self-detonation is one aspect, but the corrosive mist produced after the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ self-destructs is the truly terrifying part.
The gray corrosive mist obscured the front of the array, and when it touched the arrayâs protective shield, though the weakest spot was guarded by Li Shimingâs sword light, limiting the intrusion of the corrosive mist, the rest of the arrayâs shield was completely covered by it.
Li Shiming had a connection with the array, and through IBMz15, he could acquire more information about it.
He felt the energy of the array was rapidly declining, knowing it was the result of the corrosive mistâs erosion of the shield.
Just think about it, the corrosive mist could corrode even the artifacts of Great Cultivators. While the protective shield could resist small amounts of it, when the mist increased, the shield could not withstand it either.
"Transform the formation!" Grandmaster Wu Ding shouted sternly.
From the nearly cracking of his voice, it was evident his mood was definitely not good at the moment.
Thirty-six islands began to move once again, but this time it was different from before; some islands rose while others descended. Before the shield could be completely eroded, they formed a three-layered wall of islands.
This way, all thirty-six islands faced the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group directly.
Li Shiming did not understand why the Yuzhu Islands would do this, as it seemed to leave no depth. If attacked by the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group, all the islands would be attacked simultaneously.
While he was puzzled, the cultivators on the thirty-six islands pushed one wooden barrel after another toward the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group.
At that moment, the protective shield of the array could no longer hold, dissolving into light points and disappearing. The small area Li Shiming had been guarding with sword light vanished along with the disappearing array shield.
The corrosive mist did not vanish; somehow the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ manipulated it to surge in this direction.
Hundreds of wooden barrels moved closer to the corrosive mist; the barrels seemed to have been drawn with simple floating runes, allowing them to form a wall-like structure, crashing into the wall-like corrosive mist.
The wooden barrels could not withstand the mistâs corrosion, the barrels were corroded, and the liquid inside splashed out.
"What a grand gesture!" Li Shiming couldnât help but be surprised when he saw the liquid.
If he wasnât mistaken, those liquids were all poison, and a fourth-grade poison at that.
He wasnât sure how things were in the âCloud Island Seaâ, but in the previous Cultivation World, the value of fourth-grade poison was considerable, never heard of being stored in barrels; they were always kept in jade bottles to preserve their quality.
This time, with hundreds of barrelsâ worth of fourth-grade poison, Li Shiming felt for Yuzhu Islands.
When the corrosive mist met the fourth-grade poison, a peculiar fusion occurred, and the corrosive mist subsequently liquefied and fell into the sea.
A portion of the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ within the mist was also back-corroded by the poison, causing substantial deaths among the beasts close to the poison.
"All Great Cultivators, please inject spiritual power into the formation nodes; I will take over the attack next!" Grandmaster Wu Ding continued.
Given the display of power earlier, even those reluctant Great Cultivators couldnât voice dissent at this moment.
Following the Grandmasterâs instructions, Li Shiming injected his spiritual power into the formation node.
He was joyful, as the transformation of the Yuzhu Island Array allowed IBMz15 to uncover more secrets about it.
When thirty-six Great Cultivators infused spiritual power into the nodes, energy lines began connecting between the thirty-six islands.
These connected energies were further refined into a smaller network.
The thirty-six islands rushed toward the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group, directly facing an energy net.
Li Shiming was somewhat amazed; this was not merely a formation, but involved unknown techniques.
Looking toward the main island, the center of everything, he recognized from the subtle aura that it was the aura of a Half-step Great Power.
It seemed the Half-step Great Power took action again, but this time, instead of directly acting, it manipulated the formation energy of thirty-six Great Cultivators and islands to create this unique network, launching a counterattack against the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ.
The âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group did not retreat because of the fourth-grade poison; at the cost of many of their own, the poison didnât hold long.
The âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group charged the energy net, and whether it was a third or fourth grade, any beast touching it was sliced into pieces.
The dead âXuan You Wujin Beastâ turned into corrosive mist, but the mist couldnât destroy the energy net.
This was not without cost, as Li Shiming noticed his spiritual power depleting rapidly, comparable to casting wide-ranging spells.
If this consumption continued, he wouldnât be able to last for long.
The clash between the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group and the energy net persisted for thirty minutes.
Li Shiming felt that half of his Nascent Soulâs spiritual power was already consumed, a situation that, for most Great Cultivators, was already close to a critical level.
Finally, perhaps realizing it was futile, or due to an unacceptable number of deaths, the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ group retreated.
The âXuan You Wujin Beastsâ collectively fell into the sea, withdrawing from there.
Soon, there were no âXuan You Wujin Beastsâ in front of Yuzhu Islands anymore, only patches of floating corrosive mist marked the place of the battle.
Mere moments after the âXuan You Wujin Beastâ retreated, the energy net disappeared, ending the consumption of Li Shimingâs spiritual power.
Cheers erupted from the mouths of the cultivators, but Li Shiming felt indifferent, as he didnât know the consequences of a beast tide attack.
However, other cultivators, including Great Cultivators, understood the difficulty of withstanding a beast tideâs assault.
The Yuzhu Islands occupying this vast sea resource wasnât by accident; it was their presence that could fend off beast tides from the deep sea direction.
Of course, Yuzhu Islands were just the first line of defense; if ever invaded, second and third lines of islands would block the beast tide.
According to Li Shimingâs information, outer islands like these were inhabited solely by cultivators.
As for mortals, they could only reside near the Cloud Island Seaâs central area, where those without self-preservation ability could survive.
The thirty-six islands of Yuzhu began returning to their original positions, and more spiritual power from the Great Cultivators was required.
Li Shiming judged that Yuzhu Islands consumed a massive amount of energy this time, and asking for Great Cultivatorsâ spiritual power aimed to reduce stored energy consumption.
Fortunately, it didnât take long for the thirty-six islands to return to their original places, no longer needing the Great Cultivatorsâ spiritual power.
He noticed from Grandmaster Wu Dingâs expression there wasnât much joy, unlike the excitement and thrill of other Yuzhu Islands cultivators.
Li Shiming paid no mind to it; he returned to Duiyi Island.
"Mr. Li, I have good wine, letâs gather when you have time!"
"Mr. Li, thanks to you!"
The Great Cultivators living on Duiyi Island all greeted Li Shiming, eager to befriend him.
This was not surprising; who wouldnât want to make friends with a powerful Sword Cultivator like Li Shiming? Having such a friend meant a strong support in times of need.
Li Shiming was adept at such interactions, nodding to each one, though he brushed off all invitations.