Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 709 Netherworld Demonic Essence

Wulinfang Market, residence.

The stone gate closed, the barrier fell, and the outside world was completely shut out.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the stone platform, not in a hurry to cultivate, but first took out something from his storage bag.

Mysterious Netherworld Demon-Restricting Ring.

The dark red metal ring was about an inch wide, its surface engraved with fine demonic patterns, with a purplish-black luster flowing deep within the patterns. This was something I obtained in my early years, with the purple inscription "Netherworld Demonic Essence." The condition for making it permanent was to kill a demonic cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, or to cultivate a fourth-tier demonic cultivation technique to perfection.

The first condition wasn't met. The beings killed in the Yao Guang Secret Realm were demons, not demonic cultivators.

However, the Dark Abyss Demonic Essence Technique has been perfected.

Li Yuan held the Magic Restriction Ring in his hand, and his palm suddenly felt hot.

The Mysterious Demon-Sealing Ring trembled violently, its surface demonic patterns lighting up, the dark red light turning purplish-black. The next moment, the metal ring shattered in his palm, transforming into a stream of purple light that rushed into his body.

The light flowed directly into the sea of ​​consciousness along the meridians, and then surged from the sea of ​​consciousness into the demonic energy pathways throughout the body.

The images in his mind exploded.

A massive underground cavern, its walls covered in dark red spiritual patterns, their lines ancient and spiraling inwards. A demonic cultivator hovered in the center of the cavern, his hands pressed against the confluence of the spiritual patterns. Demonic energy seeped from his fingertips into the grooves of the patterns, interlocking layer by layer with the ancient demonic spiritual patterns on the walls.

Those spiritual runes weren't meant to seal off demonic energy, but rather to use demonic energy to subdue demonic energy.

Each layer of spiral compression uses purer demonic energy to suppress more violent demonic energy. The deeper the seal, the higher the quality of the demonic energy; the innermost layer of spiritual patterns contains almost pure demonic essence.

The image fades away.

A wealth of insights into ancient demonic runes flooded into his sea of ​​consciousness. How each layer of the spiral compression connected, how the curvature of the runes matched the frequency of the demonic energy, and how spiritual power was transferred after the seal was damaged—all these things settled down.

The purple light flowed into the depths of the meridians.

[Permanentization complete]

【Netherworld Demonic Essence - Purple】

[Effect: Permanently increases understanding of the underlying structure of demonic energy spells by 50%; Permanently increases the efficiency of breaking demonic energy-based restrictions by 50%;]

The negative backlash from demonic spells has been further reduced by 30%; the ability to perceive demonic runes has been greatly enhanced.

Li Yuan opened his eyes and looked inside his body.

When the Dark Abyss Demonic Essence Technique completes one full cycle, the demonic energy flows through the pathways, and the erosion of the meridian walls almost disappears.

The blue attribute of "Deep Demonic Source" already reduced the negative effects by 50%, and "Netherworld Demonic Essence" added another 30%, so the backlash from cultivating demonic energy is now negligible.

More importantly, it involves the perception of demonic runes.

I only understood most of the spiritual runes of the three-layered seal in the Deep Abyss Valley before. Now, recalling it again, the curvature and direction of each spiral compression rune are much clearer. There is also room for adjustment in the nested retrospective spiritual runes of the six-point resonance sealing array; I can optimize them on my next trip to the Deep Abyss Valley.

The ancient demonic path used demons to control demons, but the demons of the Netherworld are using the old seals to erode it in the opposite direction. The three layers of seals in the Nether Abyss Valley are loosening, not only because they have been neglected for years, but also because the internal demonic energy structure has been secretly replaced.

Li Yuan stored this message in his mind. Most of the Tianyue Sect members had probably noticed something amiss, but the methods of using demons to control demons and reverse erosion were probably still unseen by anyone.

Withdrawing his inner vision, Li Yuan did not delay and set up the alchemy furnace.

Yao Guang Ning Yuan Dan (a type of pill).

The formula unfolded in his mind's eye. It contained Yao Guang Grass, a light-attribute spiritual liquid, and three essential herbs for condensing vital energy. He had become much more proficient in the spatial forbidden technique of maintaining a constant temperature field within the furnace, which he had previously explored.

The first batch.

The Yao Guang Grass was placed in the furnace, and the fire was reduced to 65% to slowly extract its medicinal power. The Space Imprisonment Technique was used to confine the furnace's interior, minimizing temperature fluctuations. After the Light-attribute Spirit Liquid was injected, its evaporation rate was steadily suppressed by the constant temperature field, and the three channels of the Micro-Control Spirit Technique operated simultaneously, guiding the medicinal power to fuse.

The auxiliary drugs were added in three batches, and the core of the drug gradually stabilized.

Two high-grade pills were produced.

The second batch had a more stable temperature field and the heat was more precise. The Myriad Manifestations Retrospection detected a slight deviation: the fusion of the Light-attribute Spirit Liquid and the second batch of auxiliary ingredients was half a breath faster. Li Yuan adjusted the timing of the addition for the next batch.

Three high-grade pills were produced.

The third batch went much more smoothly. Two pills were produced.

The surface of the cinnabar gleams with a soft, silvery-gold luster, and its medicinal fragrance is light and lingering, while its internal medicinal power is concentrated and pure.

Excellent.

Three batches of seven coins; the first two batches were of superior quality, and the third batch was of exceptional quality.

The condition for making the Yao Guang Dan Yun permanent is to refine ten batches of Yao Guang Ning Yuan Dan. Including the first batch, the progress has been pushed to four.

Li Yuan carefully put away the pills, then took out a Yao Guang Ning Yuan Pill and put it in his mouth.

The permanent "Nurturing Infant and Nourishing Spirit" effect was activated, doubling the medicinal efficacy. The medicinal power spread along the meridians and was fully absorbed into the body's circulation through the "Infant Returning to Origin" method. The purple halo on the dark gold armor of the nascent soul deepened slightly, and the spiritual energy condensation took another step forward.

Half a day later, the effects of the medicine were completely neutralized.

Li Yuan finished his practice and took out the Longyuan Pavilion communication token.

A new message has been sent to the token.

Wang Zhen's voice entered my mind: "Fellow Daoist Li, after the collapse of the Yao Guang Secret Realm, a large number of spatial debris appeared in the outer sea area. The spatial structure of the edge debris area is unstable, and our people cannot enter. We lost two Golden Core cultivators. Longyuan Pavilion would like to ask you to assist in the investigation, to find out the scope and internal situation of the debris area. The reward will be generous."

The spatial fragments released by the collapse of the Yao Guang Secret Realm are scattered across the surrounding sea. Rifts, drifting fragments, and wall collapses could occur at any moment, making it truly dangerous for ordinary cultivators to enter.

But it's not difficult for Li Yuan.

Li Yuan replied to the message, put away the token, and transformed into a beam of light to leave the Misty Forest Market.

Sea area.

The light stopped about a hundred miles southeast of Yaoguang Island.

Ahead, on the sea surface, large patches of silvery-white light floated between the air and the water, resembling an endless mist of light from afar. Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear that these were fragments of space, some several meters in diameter, others smaller than a fist, swirling erratically above the sea.

The fragments occasionally split open and then closed again, creating chaotic spatial fluctuations.

The spatial exploration technique spread out passively over a distance of eight hundred feet.

The debris field was larger than expected, stretching for tens of miles from east to west and more than ten miles from north to south. The density of the fragments increased from the edges to the core, and at the very core, they were almost all packed together, with the stress on the walls being extremely chaotic.

Li Yuan concealed his escape light and disappeared into the fragments.

The spiritual energy membrane on the surface of the body operated on its own. A fragment about ten feet in diameter grazed past the left shoulder. Its edges were sharp enough to cut through the protective spiritual energy of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. However, upon touching the membrane, it dissolved silently, like water hitting a reef.

Li Yuan moved among the fragments as if walking on flowing water.

His spatial biological characteristics allow him to sense the drifting direction and speed of each fragment. Without deliberate avoidance, his body instinctively shifts to the side, tilts his head, accelerates, and decelerates, ensuring that each fragment just barely misses him.

The outer fragments were sparse, and the residual spiritual energy was faint; there was nothing of value there. Li Yuan proceeded straight towards the core.

The deeper you go, the denser the fragments become, and the more intense the spatial fluctuations become.

Within his eight-hundred-foot perception, he sensed a spiritual energy fluctuation emanating from a fragment approximately five feet in size. Li Yuan approached to examine it, using a spatial cutting technique to cut along the crack, widening the entrance, and reached in to retrieve a piece of dark silver ore.

Fourth-order spatial attribute mineral crystal. Good quality, with a restrained spiritual light on the surface and a high concentration of spatial spiritual energy.

Li Yuan put it into his storage bag and continued scanning deeper.

Within half an hour, he found three more pieces of the same mineral crystal near the core, of varying quality. Several other spiritual herbs were embedded in the crevices of the fragments; although their roots and stems were broken, the spiritual energy on their leaves remained.

Unique species found only in Yaoguang Secret Realm.

If you move it into your personal virtual world, you might be able to raise it again.

Li Yuan retrieved the spiritual herb along with its root fragments and stored it in his small world. With six spiritual veins and a spatial spirit-gathering array providing three times the spiritual energy concentration, sustaining several spiritual herbs was no problem.

The mineral crystals and spiritual herbs were just unexpected gains. What truly made Li Yuan stop was an empty space at the deepest part of the wreckage area.

The fragments there suddenly thinned out, leaving an area of ​​about a hundred feet in diameter. It wasn't that there were fewer fragments, but rather that they had been fixed in place by something.

According to the spatial perception technique, that area was unusually stable, completely different from the surrounding chaos. At the center of stability, spiritual energy flowed slowly, with a frequency highly consistent with the spiritual runes and circuits within the Yao Guang Secret Realm.

Li Yuan passed through the last layer of fragments and stopped at the edge.

A ruined fourth-order spatial stabilization array.

The formation was about a hundred feet in diameter, with its core framework composed of twelve spirit rune nodes. Seven of these nodes were shattered, leaving only five still functioning. Most of the spirit rune circuits were broken, and the remaining spiritual energy circulated slowly along the remaining circuits, barely maintaining the stability of this area.

The array's style is consistent with the spiritual patterns inside the Yao Guang Secret Realm, suggesting it's a stable array on the walls of the secret realm. It was blasted out when the secret realm collapsed, broken into this state, yet it hasn't completely stopped rotating.

With the keen eyesight of a fourth-order master of array formations, the underlying structure of the remnant array was revealed in his mind. The closed loop of spiritual energy between the five surviving nodes remained, but the output was less than 30% of its original value. Among the seven shattered nodes, two core spirit stones were still intact, but due to the breakage of the spiritual runes, the loops were blocked.

The array pivot operates on its own, comparing the structure of the remaining array with the spatial stability theory inherited from the Yao Guang Mansion's array system.

The fit is extremely high. The node curvature, the arc of the spirit pattern, and the stress compensation of the wall are all standard features of the inheritance.

Li Yuan memorized the complete structure of the remaining formation and then focused his gaze on the core of the formation.

The array's core stone is embedded in the very center node, half broken and half intact, its surface covered with cracks, yet it still glows faintly.

Within a three-foot perception range, blue text rippled.

Li Yuan approached and placed his palm on the array eye spirit stone.

The full panel appears.

[Equipable item detected: Solidified Stone]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Remnant Formation - Blue]

[Effect: Spatial spell costs permanently reduced by 30%; Spiritual energy efficiency permanently increased by 50%.]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Successfully repair three Tier 4 or higher damaged formations (0/3)]

The cost of spatial stabilization spells is reduced by 30%, and the efficiency of repairing damaged formations is increased by 50%. Both are useful, especially the latter, which is perfect for dealing with the ancient formations in the Deep Abyss Valley and Shattered Star Valley.

The condition for permanentization is to repair three remnants of fourth-tier or higher formations. The core framework of the fourth-tier ancient demon-slaying formation in the Sea Eye Cave is still intact, there are nodes in the three layers of seals in the Deep Abyss Valley that need repair, and the remnants of the abandoned observation platform in Shattered Star Valley are also valuable.

Li Yuan activated his spatial cutting technique, slicing along the edge of the array's core spirit stone with extremely steady movements, without damaging the internal structure. The moment the spirit stone detached from the node, the final spiritual energy circulation of the remnant array broke, and the spiritual light of the five surviving nodes dimmed simultaneously.

The stable area within a hundred-foot radius began to loosen, and surrounding debris slowly drifted in.

Li Yuan put the array eye spirit stone into his storage bag, took out a spirit stone from the upper realm from the storage bag, and turned around to leave the ruins area.

The fragments closed in behind them, and the remnants of the battle formation were quickly swallowed up.

A beam of light rose from the sea.