Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The message arrived at dawn.

A late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple of the Tianyue Sect personally went to the market and handed Li Yuan a transfer order stamped with the private seal of True Man Xuanpu.

Briefly: Li Yuan, the manager of the Fog Forest Market, immediately went to the outpost to assemble and join the exploration team to carry out a mission in the deeper areas of the Ghost Fog Forest.

Li Yuan carefully put away the transfer order and set off with the disciple.

When they arrived at the outpost, a group of people were already standing at the assembly point.

The Yuan Yang Sect had eight disciples, all of whom were at the mid to late Foundation Establishment stage. The Tian Yue Sect had twelve disciples, two of whom were late Foundation Establishment stage array masters standing at the front, each carrying a heavy toolbox.

Chen Yi was also in the team.

He stood at the very back of the Yuan Yang Sect disciples, his face ashen. When he saw Li Yuan approaching, he shook his head slightly without saying a word.

Master Xuanpu did not appear. A late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple of the Tianyue Sect announced the mission details: proceed to the area where the stone gate is located, cooperate with the formation master to break the final layer of restrictions, and then enter the branch hall for preliminary investigation.

The team sets off.

The twenty people were divided into three groups: front, middle, and rear, and advanced towards the Abyss Rift Valley along the predetermined route in the heart of the Ghost Mist Forest. The Tianyue Sect members went to the front and middle, while the Yuanyang Sect members were assigned to the rear to cover the rear.

Li Yuan walked at the back of the group, concealing himself and suppressing his presence with unwavering calm.

Three hours later, the group reached the edge of the abyss chasm.

The fog in the rift valley was even thicker than when they last visited. Grayish-white mist surged upwards from the valley floor, reducing visibility to less than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). The Tianyue Sect disciple leading the group took out a compass to determine the direction and guided the group down a narrow path along the south wall of the rift valley.

The narrow path wound its way down the rock face, and the air grew increasingly stuffy as you descended. After descending about 150 zhang (approximately 650 meters), a cave entrance, widened by human hands, appeared ahead.

Behind the cave entrance was a passage about two zhang wide, with traces of excavation tools still visible on the rock walls on both sides. This was the result of the Tianyue Sect's exploration team's work over the previous few weeks, digging all the way from the side wall of the rift valley to the underground space where the stone gate was located.

At the end of the passage, the view suddenly opened up.

A massive underground hall with a dome over ten zhang high came into view. The floor of the hall was paved with large slabs of dark blue stone, consistent with the building materials found in other ruins of the Xuanyou Sect.

On the wall directly opposite is that giant stone door.

It stands five zhang tall and three zhang wide. The entire structure is made of dark blue stone, with dense array patterns covering every inch of its surface.

Li Yuan had already gotten a general impression of the stone gate when he used his Golden Core stage divine sense to scan it remotely last time, but the feeling was completely different when he stood in front of it in person. The density and complexity of the array patterns were even more shocking when observed up close. The array masters of the Xuan You Sect three hundred years ago had poured an extremely terrifying amount of effort into this gate.

If I didn't already know where this place was, I probably would have deliberately ignored it when I scanned it with my divine sense.

Two Tianyue Sect formation masters walked to the front of the stone gate and put down their toolboxes.

The older one squatted down, placed his palm on a node of an array pattern at the bottom of the stone gate, closed his eyes to sense it for a moment, and then opened them.

"The outer layer of restrictions has been completely lifted, leaving only the final core locking array." He turned to his companion, "Same as usual, you hold the left wing node steady, I'll handle the right wing and the central node."

The young formation master nodded and walked to the left side of the stone gate.

The two simultaneously probed the surface of the stone gate with their divine senses, and the spiritual energy threads precisely cut into the veins of the array patterns like surgical scalpels.

Li Yuan stood more than ten feet away, silently observing the two's methods of breaking the seal with his passive perception of Dark Insight.

Their array formation skills were at least at the level of second-tier perfection to third-tier entry level. Their techniques were skillful, and their cooperation was extremely tacit. The older one was responsible for the main attack, peeling away layers of the array's key veins with his divine sense; the younger one was responsible for stabilizing, absorbing and neutralizing the backlash from the peeled-off portions of spiritual energy to prevent the restriction from collapsing.

About 15 minutes later, the light of the last array pattern on the surface of the stone gate completely dimmed.

"Click."

A muffled mechanical sound came from deep within the stone gate.

The two massive stone doors slowly parted inward. From the gap flowed a wisp of ancient air, sealed for who knows how many years, carrying dust and some indescribable scent.

Behind the door was a wide passageway leading deeper into the area.

The disciples of Tianyue Sect entered first, followed by the disciples of Yuanyang Sect.

Li Yuan probed with his divine sense, but even looking inside, he couldn't discern any clues about the stone door; it was no different from the wall.

After walking about fifty feet through the passageway, it led to a larger space.

The main hall inside the Xuanyou branch hall.

Li Yuan glanced around and knew exactly what was going on. This was the area he had reached last time when he sneaked in through the side passage, except that last time he had entered from the side flank of the cliff edge. The dark crevice clung to the corner of the side wall, hidden among the ancient concealment restrictions and array patterns crisscrossing the palace walls.

The main hall was empty.

The stone shelves on both sides were empty, and the ground was covered with thick dust and scattered pebbles. Items that should have been hanging or embedded in the walls bore clear dents and mounting holes, but the items themselves had vanished.

Everyone saw the same thing.

"It's all gone." The older array master said in a low voice, his disappointment barely concealed.

The group continued to advance deeper into the main hall.

When they reached the innermost part of the main hall, everyone stopped.

A circular stone platform stood in the very center of the main hall. The platform was about three zhang in diameter and two chi high, its surface covered with extremely intricate array patterns. The array patterns were in operation, emitting a faint but continuous spiritual light.

In the center of the stone platform, a jade bead the size of a fist floats.

The jade bead is milky white throughout, with a lustrous sheen inside, and is extremely smooth and warm to the touch. However, upon closer inspection, there are several very fine cracks on the surface of the bead, resembling the cracks in porcelain.

The array on the stone platform is doing two things: first, it is continuously feeding energy back into the jade bead with the remaining array patterns to barely maintain its internal structure from further deterioration; second, it is extracting a very small amount of power from the jade bead to maintain the minimum operation of the entire mist array.

Occasionally, a wisp of grayish-white mist would still escape from the gaps in the array patterns.

This is not a truly self-sufficient cycle, but rather a fragmented system forced into a state of barely surviving after the external power supply was cut off. The jade bead is still supplying the array, and the array is also trying its best to replenish the jade bead, but the replenishment is far from keeping up with the consumption, which is why the cracks on the surface of the bead always exist.

The two array masters walked to the stone platform and carefully observed the structure of the array patterns from different angles.

The older formation master pondered for a moment before speaking.

"We cannot force our way through the formation."

The young array master nodded and added, "The cracks on the surface of the jade bead indicate that there is a loss in the internal spiritual energy circulation. The bead is able to maintain its current state entirely thanks to this array continuously repairing it. If we break the array quickly, the jade bead will lose its external energy support, and the internal spiritual energy circulation will collapse in a very short time. The cracks will expand rapidly, and the entire bead will shatter."

"We must break it slowly," the elder array master concluded. "Start from the outside, peel it away layer by layer, and at the same time use our own spiritual power to replace the array's nourishment of the jade bead. The whole process cannot be rushed; we must proceed one layer at a time."

He turned to look at the Tianyue Sect disciples leading the group.

"Report back to the True Immortal. We need more array materials and at least two more array masters to rotate. Based on the current progress, it will take at least fifteen to twenty days to completely extract the jade bead."

Just then, alarms popped up continuously in Li Yuan's perception network.

On the outskirts of the abyss, the three monitoring array nodes that had been set up earlier were triggered almost simultaneously.

Eastern node: An extremely strong spiritual energy fluctuation is rapidly approaching the rift, far exceeding the limits of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Golden Core level. The aura's characteristics match the spiritual energy attributes of a Yuan Yang Sect disciple.

South node: Another equally powerful aura approaches from the opposite direction. This aura is dark and intense, with surging demonic energy, and the oppressive power of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator pours out in all directions without any concealment.

The Demonic Sect. The Blood Demon Master.

The Golden Core cultivators from both directions arrived almost simultaneously.

Then, a third change occurred.

The frequency of the spiritual energy pulses at the bottom of the valley suddenly changed.

Previously, he had recorded the pulse interval as approximately once every hundred breaths. After the stone door was opened, the operation of the array inside the branch hall changed. The spiritual energy exchange channel between the jade bead and the outside world was no longer completely sealed, and trace amounts of energy began to leak outwards.

The pulse frequency increased dramatically from once every hundred breaths to once every thirty-odd breaths, almost three times the original frequency.

This sudden change was like a thunderbolt to the monsters deep within the Ghost Mist Forest. Roars echoed from afar, and the aura of the second-tier monsters grew even more frenzied.

But the monster's reaction is not the point.

The key point is that the two Golden Core cultivators must have also sensed this pulse mutation.

They are coming.

A violent tremor came from the direction of the entrance to the underground branch hall.

A deafening explosion erupted from the direction of the tunnel, sending a deluge of rubble crashing down from the ceiling. The entire underground space shook violently, and dust billowed down from the dome.

An extremely dense demonic aura poured into the main hall from the passageway like a flood.

Blood Fiend Master has arrived.

The demonic pressure of the late-stage Golden Core cultivator swept across the entire area. Almost all the Foundation Establishment cultivators present changed their expressions drastically at the same time, and several of them felt their legs go weak and involuntarily took two steps back.

"Defense formation triggered!" the elder formation master shouted.

At the entrance to the passageway, the remaining defensive formations on both sides of the stone gate suddenly activated. Several dark red spiritual energy barriers shot out from the walls, barely blocking the entrance to the passageway.

boom!

The shockwave of demonic energy slammed into the spiritual energy barrier, instantly cracking its surface. However, the array's designer was, after all, a master of array formations from the Xuan You Sect, and even after hundreds of years of damage, its remaining defensive capabilities were still considerable. Although the barrier cracked, it didn't shatter, barely managing to keep the torrent of demonic energy outside the main hall.

Immediately afterwards, a second stream of energy surged in from behind the passageway.

Spiritual energy attribute. Golden Core level. Yuan Yang Sect.

The early-stage Golden Core elder of Yuanyang Sect also arrived. His aura was far less arrogant than that of Blood Fiend True Man, but he was also at the Golden Core level, and his spiritual energy fluctuations were calm and profound.

A third force pressed down from above.

The pressure from the late-stage Golden Core cultivator, Master Xuanpu, was like an invisible mountain, directly enveloping the entire underground area from above the rift.

Three golden core-level auras collided, intertwined, and confronted each other at the entrance of the underground branch hall.

Outside the spiritual energy barrier, three figures appeared one after another in the passageway.

Master Xuanpu stood at the very front, his gray-white Taoist robe stained with a few pieces of stone, his expression calm.

The early-stage Golden Core elder of the Yuan Yang Sect stood slightly to his right behind him, his face tense and his lips moving slightly, as if he were communicating with the rear through telepathy.

Blood Fiend Master stood at the other end of the passageway.

He was burly, at least a head taller than the average person. His long, dry, yellow hair cascaded down his shoulders, his features were deep-set, and his eyes were dark red with a faint, blood-red light flickering in the pupils. He exuded a strong, bloody aura, and demonic energy surged around his body like a layer of living black flames.

Two late-stage Golden Core cultivators stared at each other from a distance of twenty feet.

No one made a move immediately.

But the spiritual energy in the passageway had already changed.

Master Xuanpu stood in front, his grey-white Taoist robe fluttering even without wind, his spiritual energy as solid and concentrated as a mountain. It wasn't just a simple outward release of pressure, but a sense of restraint, almost like a law. Centered on the spot where he stood, the underground spiritual energy in the passageway, which had been disordered due to the opening of the branch hall, quickly became orderly, and even the grey-white mist slowly dissipating between the rock walls on both sides seemed to be suppressed by an invisible hand.

Blood Fiend Master stood at the other end, his surging crimson demonic energy spreading slowly like a living thing. Wherever the demonic energy passed, a nauseating, sweet-smelling stench filled the air, and the scattered pebbles and old dust on the ground seemed to turn black. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators who were relatively close were only grazed by the aftershocks, yet they felt a wave of nausea in their chests and a stinging pain in their sea of ​​consciousness, as if their very souls had been tainted by that bloodthirsty aura.

The next instant, their consciousnesses collided silently in the center of the passageway.

There was no roar, yet it was more dangerous than any magical clash.

The air at the point of convergence suddenly froze. Several ancient restrictive array patterns, which were originally broken and almost ineffective, lit up on their own under the impact, only to collapse one after another in the blink of an eye. Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the rock wall, and several fist-sized pieces of stone silently turned into dust.

Master Xuanpu remained motionless, his right index finger lightly touching the ground.

A thin, golden ray of light slashed out diagonally.

That ray of golden light seemed to carry a certain locking force; the moment it appeared, it gave everyone in the passageway a feeling that there was nowhere to hide.

Blood Fiend Master narrowed his eyes, the blood curtain in front of him swirled, and layers of demonic energy rose up, forcefully swallowing that wisp of sharpness.

However, after the blood curtain swallowed the sharp edge, a very fine crack appeared on its surface, which was slow to heal.

Blood Fiend Master took half a step back.

Master Xuanpu did not press further.

Both of them stopped at the same time.

Although it seemed like only two moves were changed, in reality, the control of divine sense, qi, and spiritual energy, as well as the methods of Dao, had all been tested. Neither side gained a real advantage, but both were clear that their opponent was not someone who could be defeated in a short time.

The passageway fell silent.

Three golden core-level auras intertwined and pressed down within the narrow space, making it difficult for all the Foundation Establishment cultivators to breathe.

A moment later, Xuanpu spoke, his voice not loud but clear enough to carry throughout the entire passageway.

"Since we're already here, why don't we sit down and talk?"

Blood Fiend Master stared at Xuanpu for a few moments, the blood-red light in his dark red pupils slowly receding.

"talk."

The Golden Core elder of the Yuan Yang Sect remained silent, but also offered no objection.

The three Golden Core cultivators each concealed their auras. The oppressive feeling suddenly dissipated.

The Tianyue Sect disciple leading the group quickly walked to the Yuanyang Sect disciples and whispered an order.

"All Foundation Establishment cultivators must immediately evacuate this area and return to the market area to await orders."

The team began to retreat.

Li Yuan followed at the back of the group, walking out of the branch hall side by side with Chen Yi.

After walking for half an incense stick's time, Chen Yi cursed under his breath.

"Damn it."

Li Yuan glanced at him.

Chen Yi spoke in a low voice, his eyes filled with anger.

"Take us to the stone gate and let us be the first to go in. Do you believe this is some kind of exploration assistance? What if there are traps, formation backlashes, or guardian beasts behind the stone gate? Who will die? It will be us Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Li Yuan did not respond.

The group quickly retreated towards the market through the thick fog. In the abyss behind them, the lingering echoes of the confrontation between the three Golden Core level auras still faintly emanated.