Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 545 Old Traces of the Nautical Chart

After Ling Shu's perception became permanent, Li Yuan landed on the surface of the rock strata above the main vein of the spiritual vein and squatted down.

The perception of the array's celestial pivot unfolded.

The remnants revealed more detail than during the last scan. Although the array grooves had been eroded by seawater to the point of being only shallow marks, the spiritual energy imprints remaining inside the rock strata still retained extremely faint structural features. The Array Pivot traced each groove one by one, piecing together the groove's path in his mind.

When restoring to the third set of nodes, Li Yuan paused for a moment.

The arrangement of these nodes looks somewhat familiar.

Canglan Sect.

Previously, during operations in the sea, we explored the ruins of the Canglan Sect. The array system remaining in the ruins was highly consistent with the array pattern structure here. The method of guiding spiritual energy, the arrangement logic of the spiritual energy filtering layer, and the spacing ratio between nodes are almost all from the same set of design specifications.

The formation of the Canglan Sect appeared above this underwater spiritual vein, far from its ruins.

Li Yuan continued to trace the patterns along the array.

The remaining spiritual energy channels pointed to a location about ten feet east of the spiritual vein. The rock strata at that location were exceptionally dense, with no clues visible on the surface, but the innate perception of the Pulse Pivot Insight detected an extremely tiny cavity within the dense rock strata.

He channeled spiritual energy into his fingertips and carefully cleared away the rock layer covering the cavity with a soil-moving technique.

About half an hour later, a passage extending downwards was revealed.

The tunnel walls were rough, not polished by spiritual energy, but carved directly from the rock strata, with obvious claw marks on the edges. These weren't left by tools, but by a massive creature that had forcefully dug them open with its sharp claws.

The depth and width of the claw marks suggest that the creature that left them was at least five zhang (approximately 10 meters) in size.

The passage extended downwards for about fifteen zhang before turning a corner, and Li Yuan followed it in.

After turning the corner, the space suddenly expanded.

A cave that is a mixture of natural and man-made elements.

The cave is irregularly shaped, with the highest point of the dome being about six zhang (approximately 33 meters) and the widest point nearly twenty zhang (approximately 33 meters). There are no words or carvings on the walls, but there are numerous abrasion marks and claw marks covering the rock surface, layer upon layer, of varying ages.

It doesn't seem to be the remains of human cultivators.

Li Yuan walked to the boulder and squatted down.

The indentation has a long, winding outline with fine lines resembling the friction of scales.

Jiaolong (蛟龙).

The shape of these indentations closely matches the physical characteristics of a dragon-like monster. The coiled posture, the direction of the scales rubbing together, and the point of leverage for the claws all point to a dragon-like creature that is over five zhang in size.

There is more than one cave.

Li Yuan continued deeper into the cave behind the boulder through a passage and discovered three more interconnected smaller caves. Their structure was similar to the first one, with nests, pools of water, and reclining rocks. However, the size decreased progressively, with the deepest cave only able to accommodate a young dragon that was two or three zhang long.

The entire underground ruins are a nest of dragons.

Li Yuan searched the deepest part of the cave. He found no magical artifacts, jade slips, or relics of human cultivators on the walls, floor, or even inside the nest-like depressions. There wasn't a single written symbol in the entire site.

But in a corner of the deepest cave, half-buried in the mud and sand under the pile of rubble, a faint spiritual energy fluctuation came from within a three-foot radius.

White grade.

Li Yuan pushed aside the rubble and took out a scale from the mud and sand.

The scales were about the size of a palm, dark blue in color, with fine lines on the surface and sharp edges like knives. Over countless years, most of the spiritual energy had dissipated, leaving only a very faint pulse of spiritual power in the core area of ​​the scales.

Dragon scales.

The panel pops up the moment your finger touches the surface of the scales.

[Equipable item detected: Dragon Scale]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Dragon Scale Legacy (White)]

[Effect: Slightly improves the accuracy of detecting the aura of dragon-type monsters]

White entries are made permanent.

【The Legacy of the Dragon Scales (White) has become a permanent entry】

The scales shattered and vanished in my palm. A scene flashed into my mind.

Deep within the underwater mountain range, numerous dragons dwell in a giant cave complex composed of rock layers and corals.

The number of dragons far exceeded expectations, numbering at least several dozen. The largest was nearly ten zhang in size, its dark blue scales reflecting a cold luster in the seawater. The smallest was only one or two zhang in size, slithering and swimming around the larger dragons.

A group of human cultivators appeared in the scene.

The cultivators stood on the outskirts of the dragon's lair. The leader took out several spiritual materials and ores from his storage bag and placed them on a flat rock on the seabed. A massive dragon swam forward, its vertical pupils showing no hostility, and lightly touched the spiritual materials with its head.

The video feed cuts out.

The reason for the disappearance of the dragon is unknown.

Li Yuan opened his eyes and stood in the cave for a moment.

The remains of the Flood Dragon, a spirit-gathering formation in the style of the Canglan Sect, and information previously known that the Canglan Sect had a good relationship with the Flood Dragon.

Three clues converge, pointing in one direction: the spirit-gathering and guiding array above this underwater spiritual vein is most likely a spiritual energy supply facility built by the Canglan Sect for the dragon horde. The Canglan Sect guides the spiritual energy from the spiritual vein to the dragon horde's lair to sustain the dragon horde's cultivation and reproduction, as part of a coexistence agreement between the two parties.

After the destruction of the Canglan Sect, the formation was left unmaintained and gradually became ineffective. The dragon horde lost a stable supply of spiritual energy, and coupled with the unexplained agitation mentioned in the hidden message, they eventually disappeared from this nest.

As for where they went after disappearing, there are currently no further clues.

Li Yuan returned to the seabed along the original route and resealed the entrance to the passage using the Earth Transport Technique.

After leaving the spiritual vein area, the light streaked southeast.

The self-proclaimed location is the outer perimeter of the previously discovered underwater mountain range, known as the Monster Alliance.

During the last raid on the monster stronghold, Li Yuan had already confirmed the approximate location and size of the Monster Alliance. This time, he could take the opportunity to conduct a more detailed reconnaissance of the surrounding area.

As it approached the area where the Demon Beast Alliance was active, the escape light slowed down, its altitude reduced to within ten feet of the seabed. The Shadowless Technique was activated, its aura compressed to an extremely low level, and its spiritual energy fluctuations contained within three feet of its body.

Outposts on the outer edge of the mountain range quickly came into view.

A sea-eroded rock pillar rises about twenty feet from the seabed, its surface covered with layers of seaweed and shells.

There are caves inside the rock pillar.

More than ten second-tier demonic beasts, their auras mixed and of various species. Atop the rock pillar crouched a large third-tier low-grade demonic fish, its spiritual energy fluctuations steady; it was the one in charge of this outpost.

Li Yuan stopped about five miles west of the rock pillar in a group of underwater coral reefs, disappearing without a trace and completely extinguishing his presence.

Second-tier demonic beasts are divided into two shifts, rotating approximately every four hours. During the rotation, one group swims in from the interior of the mountain range to replace the other, while the replaced group swims back into the depths of the mountain. Third-tier demonic fish remain stationary atop the rock pillars, like a fixed, vigilant core.

There was a gap of about half a cup of tea between the shifts, during which the old and new batches of monsters would move around near the rock pillar at the same time, with a maximum of more than twenty second-tier monsters gathered together.

Li Yuan memorized all this information.