Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 661 The Return of the Demon and Mastery of Demonic Arts

The beam of light moved northeastward through the thin spiritual energy.

After flying for about two hours, the terrain ahead transitioned from a barren gray rocky plain to a low, black stone forest. The rock pillars in the forest were several meters high, covered with a layer of dark purple moss, which contained trace amounts of demonic energy.

Deep within the stone forest, the passive perception of the Demon Tracking Mirror detected several fluctuations of spiritual energy.

There were about a dozen fluctuations, ranging in cultivation level from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and all of them carried demonic characteristics.

Li Yuan slowed down, and his escape light landed on the outskirts of the stone forest.

After walking about a hundred feet along the gap between the stone pillars, the view suddenly opened up.

A small market is located on an open space in the center of the stone forest.

The market was not large, consisting of about twenty stone shops enclosing a short street, with a dozen or so open-air stalls on both sides. There were no more than thirty cultivators coming and going, and the flow of people was sparse.

All cultivators possess a demonic aura.

Some cultivators have faces indistinguishable from humans, but their spiritual energy circulation follows a completely demonic path. Several other cultivators have distinctly inhuman features: grayish-purple skin, vertical pupils, and elongated, pointed ears.

Demon bloodline.

Li Yuan used the Dark Abyss Demonic Essence Technique to completely transform the aura on his body into demonic energy, and slightly adjusted his appearance with the Illusion Mask before entering the market.

Nobody gave him a second glance.

The market mainly deals in magic stones and barter. Magic stones are a type of mineral that, like spirit stones, stores demonic energy.

Spirit stones could also be used, but they weren't expensive. Li Yuan took out spirit stones from his personal miniature world and exchanged them for a batch of magic stones at an exchange shop at the entrance of the market.

Walking slowly along the short street, I passively scanned the items on the shops and stalls on both sides within a three-foot sensing range.

There was no fluctuation in the number of entries.

The items in the market are generally of low quality, mainly second- and third-tier magical materials. The varieties of pills, ores, and monster materials are completely different from those in the Xuan Realm, and most of them are categories that Li Yuan has never seen before.

But one thing caught Li Yuan's attention.

Talismans.

Several stalls displayed various talismans, their spiritual runes completely different from the spiritual talisman system of the Xuan Realm. Xuan Realm talismans are based on spiritual power, with the runes following the natural flow of spiritual energy. These talismans, however, are based on demonic energy, with the runes arranged in a reverse spiral structure, and the way demonic energy is condensed and released on the talisman's surface is unique.

Li Yuan stopped in front of a stall.

There were three kinds of talismans on the stall, several of each.

The first type of talisman is dark red with dense spiritual patterns, and its demonic energy fluctuations show obvious signs of soul erosion.

The second type of rune is grayish-black, with sparse but precisely arranged spiritual patterns, and the fluctuations of demonic energy indicate penetration and erosion.

The third type of rune is pure black, with almost no visible spiritual patterns, and its demonic energy fluctuations are extremely restrained, indicating a hidden direction.

"Are there any recipes for making these three types of talismans available for sale?" Li Yuan asked.

The stall owner was a late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator with grayish-purple skin and vertical pupils that sized up Li Yuan.

"The recipe?" The stall owner shook his head. "I don't have it here. But Old Zhou at the third shop on the east side has the recipe for the Soul-Devouring Demon Talisman, but it's not cheap."

"What about the other two?"

"The recipe for the Demon Erosion Talisman is with that old man at the end of the street. The recipe for the Shadow Escape Talisman—" The stall owner thought for a moment.

"Go ask that female cultivator at the stall on the north side; she seems to have some."

Li Yuan nodded and searched one by one in the direction indicated by the stall owner.

The third shop on the east side, run by a demonic cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

"How to make the Soul-Devouring Demon Talisman? Yes. Three hundred magic stones."

The price wasn't low, but Li Yuan didn't haggle. He paid with magic stones and received the crafting jade slip.

An old man at the end of the street.

"The method to create the Demon Erosion Void Talisman requires 250 Demon Stones."

Payment received.

The female nun at the stall on the north side.

"Shadow Escape Talisman Crafting Method: 180 Magic Stones"

Payment received.

Purchased all three complete recipes for making demonic energy talismans.

Li Yuan stored the jade slip in his personal microcosm and did not linger in the market.

Leaving the market town, we continued flying northeast.

After flying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the light inside the magical artifact suddenly brightened.

The goal is getting closer.

Li Yuan slowed down, and his escape light landed on the top of a black rocky hill.

About three hundred feet ahead, a group of stone buildings sits in a valley between two rocky hills. The group is not large, with about ten stone rooms surrounding a square courtyard, which is surrounded by a third-tier defensive array.

The formation is of low grade, and its spiritual energy circulation contains a large amount of demonic energy, making it a demonic formation.

The passive perception abilities of the Demon Tracking Mirror and Dark Insight operate simultaneously.

The stronghold contained approximately fifteen cultivators. Their cultivation levels ranged from the late Foundation Establishment stage to the late Golden Core stage, with two at the highest level being the late Golden Core stage. All of them were demonic cultivators, some of whom possessed characteristics of demonic blood.

In a stone chamber in the center of the stronghold, several cultivators were sitting around a stone table. On the table was a jade slip, and several divine senses were probing into it.

The target jade slip.

They are studying this jade slip.

Li Yuan observed for a moment.

The highest cultivation level within the stronghold is late-stage Golden Core, with a total of fifteen people. The defensive formation is third-tier, not of high quality.

With the strength of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, there is no doubt that he can crush the Golden Core cultivators.

No need to hide it.

Li Yuan rose from the top of the rocky hill and transformed into a streak of light, rushing straight towards the stronghold.

As the escape light approached the outer array of the stronghold, Li Yuan raised his hand.

Space cutting technique.

A spatial rift silently sliced ​​through the core node of the defensive formation. The spiritual energy circulation of the third-order demonic formation broke the instant the rift cut through it, and the entire defensive layer of the formation collapsed instantly, like a tent with its frame removed.

The cultivators inside the stronghold were all alert the moment the formation collapsed.

More than ten bursts of spiritual energy erupted simultaneously, and several cultivators rushed out of the stone chamber.

Li Yuan's escape light had already landed in the center of the courtyard.

The spiritual power of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is fully released.

The surge of spiritual energy pressed down on everything around them like a mountain. The Golden Core cultivators' expressions changed drastically under the crushing force of the Nascent Soul level spiritual energy, while the Foundation Establishment cultivators were directly blasted back several steps by the aftershocks of the spiritual energy.

The two late-stage Golden Core cultivators barely managed to react.

A dark purple beam of demonic energy shot from the left, while a gray-black chain of demonic energy coiled around it from the right.

Li Yuan raised his left hand and unleashed the Golden Blade Technique. The blade's surface was wrapped in a dark blue spatial ripple, ignoring the spiritual energy density of the demonic energy pillar and piercing straight through, striking the chest of the late-stage Golden Core demonic cultivator on the left.

With a clenched right hand, a forbidden spatial technique was unleashed.

The gray-black chains solidified within the confinement area, simultaneously locking onto the figure of the late-stage Golden Core demon cultivator on the right.

The second golden blade technique shot out, piercing through his throat.

Two late-stage Golden Core cultivators collapsed within three breaths.

The remaining mid-stage Golden Core cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators turned and fled after witnessing the two strongest individuals being killed instantly.

Li Yuan did not hunt down everyone.

He walked directly into the central stone chamber and took the target jade slip from the stone table.

At the same time, he collected the several storage bags scattered in the stone chamber into his personal miniature world.

He turned and left the stronghold, transforming into a beam of light and flying back in the direction he had come from.

The entire process should not exceed twenty breaths.

During the flight, Li Yuan took out the storage bags he had collected from his personal miniature world and checked them one by one.

The two late-stage Golden Core demon cultivators had the most supplies in their storage bags: demonic stones, demonic spiritual materials, several pills, and two third-tier magic artifacts.

The three-foot perception range detected fluctuations in the entries during the inventory process.

two pieces.

The first item was a dark purple crystal, about the size of a thumb, with a dark luster on its surface. Extremely fine magical energy patterns were naturally distributed within the crystal, classifying it as a high-grade third-tier crystal.

Touch the surface of the crystals with your finger.

[Equipable item detected: Demonic Core]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Demonic Bone Infusion (Green)]

[Effect: Permanently increases the speed of demonic energy spell formation by 20%; permanently increases resistance to demonic energy's erosion of the physical body by 30%]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Absorb a total of 300 Magic Stones]

The crystal income comes from the portable mini-world, and there are still quite a few magic stones left, enough to fulfill the conditions for permanentization.

The second item was a dark gray seal, about half the size of a palm. Most of the patterns on the seal's surface had faded.

Touch the surface of the stamp with your finger.

[Equipable item detected: Netherworld Remnant]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Netherworld Awareness (Blue)]

[Effect: Permanently increases the accuracy of perception of sealing-type restrictions by 50%; permanently increases spiritual energy efficiency by 30% when breaking demonic seals]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Successfully break three different third-tier or higher magic seals]

The accuracy of sensing sealing restrictions is increased by 50%, and the efficiency of breaking magical seals is increased by 30%. The blue text indicates the effect is related to sealing and restrictions. The condition for permanent effect is breaking three different third-tier or higher magical seals; suitable targets need to be found subsequently.

Income from seals is a personal little world.

With two items and three magic talisman crafting methods, the gains from this trip far exceeded expectations.

After organizing the remaining items in his storage bag, Li Yuan continued flying towards the spatial passage.