Cultivation is just so scientific!-Chapter 588 - 340 Trap_2

This was because he had only manufactured so much TNT explosives, taking out all his stockpile for this one operation.

Each kilogram of TNT could generate 4.2 million joules of energy; the terrifying power generated by the immediate explosion of more than two hundred tones of TNT was the largest explosive force that Li Shiming had ever detonated.

Even for this explosion, he had set up sensors inside and outside his cave dwelling in order to collect data from the explosion.

With this data combined with the reaction of Patriarch Weng Zhao, the threat effectiveness of TNT explosives against cultivators could be analyzed.

Just as Patriarch Weng Zhao was preparing to break the formation, the explosion occurred. It was initiated from all directions at the same time, with many detonators triggered at the same moment under the precision control of an internal controller, remotely operated by his life-bound magical artifact IBMz15.

The first thing Patriarch Weng Zhao did was to stimulate his Spiritual Power for defense; not sensing any spiritual power fluctuations, he didn’t increase his alertness much to the explosion, but was cautiously guarding against any potential attacks that might follow the explosion.

He believed that the explosion was just to catch his attention, and that the real threat would not come from an explosion with no spiritual power fluctuations.

But when the explosion fully erupted, he realized he had underestimated the capabilities of ordinary objects.

The instantaneous high temperature generated by the explosion engulfed him, the powerful shockwave squeezing against his body from all directions, though the toxic gases produced by the TNT had no effect on him.

Flames surged on his body as he activated the fire body of his major cultivation technique, which would allow him to be mostly immune to the high-temperature damage.

Intense shockwaves battered his spiritual power shield, and the frightful power shook his existing injuries, causing him to involuntarily spit out a mouthful of blood.

The blood evaporated into mist in midair due to the high temperature and quickly disappeared.

Li Shiming watched the power of the explosion via drone satellite.

The explosion created a huge gap midway up the mountain where the cave dwelling was located, and because of gravity and the sheer size of the gap, the upper part of the mountain collapsed downward.

Dust, debris, and soil flew about, blocking the view of the drone satellite.

After some time, with the aid of strong winds, the dust was blown away, and the debris and soil also settled on the ground.

"Could it really have killed the Nascent Soul Ancestor?" Li Shiming stared at the footage from the drone satellite, incredulously muttering to himself.

With the surveillance of the drone satellites, he could be certain that no one had escaped from the cave dwelling.

Under such an explosion, he found it hard to imagine anyone surviving, let alone the additional pressure from half of the mountain collapsing on top, trapping everything within the cave dwelling.

However, he didn’t immediately go to check; he was waiting for the temperature at the explosion site to normalize before sending a drone in for a close-up inspection using infrared thermal imaging and a variety of other scans to first confirm whether Patriarch Weng Zhao was still alive.

He was aware of his limitations; no matter what state Patriarch Weng Zhao was in, as long as he was alive, it wouldn’t require his intervention, a mere thought could make him incapable of handling it.

While he waited, a figure flew out from the ruins; a hole appeared on the debris-laden collapsed half of the mountain.

Li Shiming confirmed via the drone satellite that this was indeed Patriarch Weng Zhao.

Patriarch Weng Zhao was indeed still alive, not only had he survived the explosion, but he had also created a passage out under the crushing weight of half a mountain.

Yet, at this moment, Patriarch Weng Zhao was somewhat disheveled, even more so than when he had been surrounded and attacked by six Nascent Soul Ancestors.

His vestment robe was scorched in many areas, showing that even the clothing of a Nascent Soul Ancestor couldn’t withstand the explosion.

The vestment robe itself is a magic artifact, though few cultivators make their robes into spiritual artifacts as its primary function is not defense.

The fabric of the robe, unless made from fourth-grade textile materials, could not be crafted into a Nascent Soul Ancestor’s artifact-grade vestment robe, and such material is too precious; if available, it would likely be used to craft other more useful magic artifacts first.

In terms of defense, shield-type magic artifacts offer stronger protection and their materials are easier to find, making them the preferred choice among cultivators.

The vestment robe on Patriarch Weng Zhao was made of third-grade materials, but it had not been refined into a magic artifact, only qualifying as a spiritual artifact, which did not allow it to remain unaffected by the explosion.

The drone satellite was unable to closely inspect his condition; otherwise, it would have revealed that his eyebrows and hair were scorched to varying degrees.

Traces of blood still lingered at the corners of his mouth, and his body was even thinner than before.

Inside his body, his Nascent Soul was extremely languid, the sudden explosion having intensified his injuries significantly.

The most troublesome issue was that the sanctuary where he could undergo closed-door cultivation was destroyed; this place was the only one on the Beishu Continent suitable for Nascent Soul cultivators to enter secluded cultivation. The remaining strongholds of Skywalk Trading Company on the Beishu Continent no longer had elemental veins suitable for the Nascent Soul stage.

Moreover, Patriarch Weng Zhao no longer trusted those strongholds.

This stronghold had been the most secretive one that Skywalk Trading Company maintained on the Beishu Continent, where only the most essential and crucial members of the company gathered.

Yet, despite that, this stronghold had still been discovered.

Patriarch Weng Zhao looked down at the ruins below. He was somewhat puzzled; this clearly wasn’t the handiwork of a major sect.

If a major sect had indeed discovered his hiding place, they wouldn’t have used such methods but would have, as before, sent several Nascent Soul Ancestors.

Having learned from the last time he had escaped, it would be much more difficult for him to easily flee from the hands of several Nascent Soul Ancestors.

Now, severely injured and having escaped from the blasted cavern, he encountered no resistance.

This suggested that the enemy only had the explosion at their disposal and lacked the strength to confront him, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

"No matter who you are, I have noted today’s events and will repay them in kind!" he declared, stimulating his Spiritual Power Pattern and speaking in a grave tone.

His voice carried far, believing that the person who orchestrated the explosion was surely nearby, watching the scene.

He did not search for them; he was currently suppressing his injuries, knowing he could not linger here.

This place was still within the sensing range of the formations of major sects; having just revealed the realm of the Nascent Soul stage, it wouldn’t be long before Nascent Soul Ancestors from a major sect would arrive.

Li Shiming paid no heed to the words of Patriarch Weng Zhao.

Merely a Golden Core Early Stage cultivator, he was adept at covertly setting traps, but to face a Nascent Soul Ancestor directly was tantamount to seeking death.

Being able to hear threats from Patriarch Weng Zhao was an honor for any Golden Core cultivator,

because, if a Golden Core cultivator were an enemy to a Nascent Soul Ancestor, they would never hear such threats; a Nascent Soul Ancestor could easily crush a Golden Core cultivator with a flick of their hand.

Patriarch Weng Zhao’s openly displayed helplessness was, to Li Shiming, an occasion for scornful amusement.

This time, Patriarch Weng Zhao did not rely on his own ability to fly but took out a Flying Boat, which he boarded before it soared into the distance.

This action stirred suspicion in Li Shiming; he had been monitoring Patriarch Weng Zhao for quite some time and had never seen him use a Flying Boat.

The Flying Boat, being only a third-grade magic artifact, might be extremely valuable to a Golden Core cultivator, available only to the wealthy Golden Core Elders of major sects.

"Could he be severely injured?" Li Shiming thought, a suspicion arising in his mind, as he immediately began utilizing his lifeblood magic artifact, the IBMz15, to analyze the likelihood of Patriarch Weng Zhao suffering severe injuries based on his postures and movements.

Meanwhile, drone satellites constantly monitored the movement of the Flying Boat; if Patriarch Weng Zhao was indeed severely injured, perhaps he could still give him a further surprise.

As for reporting Patriarch Weng Zhao’s whereabouts to the sect, allowing a Nascent Soul Ancestor from the sect to intervene, it had never crossed his mind.

Reporting the whereabouts of a Nascent Soul Ancestor once could be seen as a coincidence. If he reported the whereabouts of a Nascent Soul Ancestor repeatedly, the Nascent Soul Ancestors across the Beishu Continent might start to form impressions about his abilities.