Li Yuanba glanced at the latest group of Golden Core cultivators from the Spiritual Crane Sect and the Endless Sect, noting that it would still take several hours for them to arrive.
Night slowly fell, but fortunately, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) satellite system had undergone several upgrades. With the switching between various modes, they wouldn’t lose track of those Golden Core cultivator groups.
He took a deep breath, and with a slight stirring of his mind, his body began to transform, his aura undergoing an extreme shift as well.
His body grew taller, reaching a full four meters, and his aura changed from Supreme Yang to Supreme Yin.
It seemed that due to the naturally strong constitution of a Corpse Refining body, his strength in the Body Refinement regards while in a Corpse Refining state even surpassed that of his human form.
In his human form, he was just one step away from Great Elder-level Body Refinement. In his Corpse Refining state, he was only a tiny bit short, feeling as if he could touch that level at any moment.
Yet that tiny bit had still thwarted him for several months.
He sighed helplessly, the sound of his sighing in the Corpse Refining state making the darkness around him even colder.
The reason he switched to a Corpse Refining state was to disguise his identity.
He didn’t know how precious the Spiritual Objects intended for the Spiritual Crane Sect and the Endless Sect were. If those Spiritual Objects were indeed precious to a certain extent, even if he managed to obtain them, but the news leaked that he had acquired the treasures, then he would be in some serious trouble.
Without significant interests involved, because of Elder Jian and Ancestor Lu’s relationship, the cultivators from the Senluo Sect would be friendly to him.
But in situations involving significant interests, the cultivators of Senluo Sect would not be so easy to talk with, after all, the Senluo Sect is a Demon Sect with a large number of Devil Cultivators.
Li Yuanba had indeed demonstrated extremely strong powers, but the deep reserves of a large sect like the Senluo Sect would not be lacking in top-tier Golden Core Stage combat power.
Running the Secret Technique of the "Evil Corpse Spirit Record," the silver glow on his body receded into him, and he now appeared as just the most ordinary low-level Corpse Refining entity, without the ostentation of before.
He put away the Sumeru Mustard Seed Array Plate, and in the darkness, his four-meter-tall body perfectly blended into the gloom.
His Corpse Refining state was very special, almost like those rarely seen Corpse Refiners capable of practicing a Cultivation Method, each with the potential of a Corpse King.
Yet even the most spiritually aware Corpse King was no match for Li Yuanba, who possessed real human wisdom, and like "Divine Eye Skill," "Telepathy," and "Divine Foot Skill," he could use all of them in his Corpse Refining state, so his combat strength didn’t diminish.
Although he could not use the Xingyi Sword or the Third Grade Sword Base in his Corpse Refining state, his hands transformed into claws. The sharp claws could completely compare with magical treasures, and with his strength nearly at Great Elder-level Body Refinement, his claws could easily penetrate the defenses of a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator.
"When will the third and fourth squads arrive?" Elder Jing Geng asked in a stern voice.
Nearly twenty Golden Core cultivators were gathered around him. The collective power of so many Golden Core cultivators was formidable, but there wasn’t the slightest smile on his face.
Not long ago, intelligence from a covert line of the sect reported the total annihilation of the second squad; not one survived.
Most importantly, the planned sabotage of the Senluo Sect’s Jieshan Mountain Pass had not been successful.
This made their retreat from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains extremely troublesome. Their surprise attack had been successful because it was unexpected.
The Senluo Sect, being a large sect, had definitely not anticipated that medium-sized sects like the Spiritual Crane Sect and the Endless Sect would marshal their full strength to attack the Jieshan Mountain Pass, hence the success of this raid.
Elder Jing Geng had considered the Senluo Sect’s potential retribution afterward, but in his view, everything was worth it.
No one knew that the Spiritual Crane Sect and the Endless Sect, these two medium-sized sects, were actually one entity. The apparent friction and opposition between the two sects had led the three Great Righteous Path sects to relax their supervision.
The reality was the same for all six great sects; none would allow the power within their domain to rise too much.
Oppression and limiting resources were common tactics used by the six great sects.
Throughout history, many sects on the Beishu Continent had attempted to overthrow the pressure of the six great sects, but ultimately, those sects all became dust of history.
After many years of accumulation, the number of Golden Core cultivators within the Spiritual Crane Sect and the Endless Sect had surpassed the limit allowed by the large sects. If they were not existing as two opposing sects, perhaps one of the large sects would have already taken action to suppress them.
After this incident, neither the Spiritual Crane Sect nor the Endless Sect would exist anymore, and the sect bases they had operated for countless years would be destroyed.
But this was a rare opportunity. For his own interests as well as those of the disciples in both sects, Elder Jing Geng was willing to take the risk.
"Great Elder, the third and fourth squads will arrive in thirty minutes!" a Golden Core cultivator who had contacted the incoming squads said.
"The second squad has failed, and the cultivators from Senluo Sect who are tracking us will be here soon. The measures we set up along the way won’t deceive them for much longer. Tell the third and fourth squads to speed up!" Elder Jing Geng ordered with a frown.
The second squad was the one mainly attacking the Senluo Sect’s Jieshan Mountain Pass—composed of elites from both sects, their strength ranking second among the six squads.
Despite having laid misleading measures en route to the Nanyuan Mountain Range, with the Senluo Sect’s fiendish methods being numerous and strange, once the deception was uncovered, using the same tricks to mislead them again would be impossible.