Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 726 Central Meridian Calming

Dark Vein Abyss Zone, Three-way Crossroads.

Li Yuan stood at the fork of the main road and three branch roads, his passive senses extending 1,800 zhang towards the thickest branch road in the northeast direction.

The northeastern branch road of Lingzhou is about half a zhang wide, with the largest flow of demonic energy and the most complete ancient demonic runes on its walls. The demonic energy flows turbulently northeastward along the road, heading straight for the ruins of the Demon Abyss.

Li Yuan entered the northeast branch road of Lingzhou and advanced rapidly along the passage.

The side path was much narrower than the main one, yet the demonic energy flowed faster, its scouring sound echoing deep within the passage. The deeper one went, the denser the demonic energy became. The ancient demonic runes on the walls were layered upon each other, their spiraling, compressed structures robust and clearly defined.

Three hundred zhang, four hundred zhang.

At a depth of about 500 zhang, the side road suddenly opened up.

Ahead lay a natural underground space, approximately sixty zhang in diameter, with an extremely high dome. The rock walls were eroded, with rounded edges, and the ground was uneven, clearly not man-made.

There is more than just demonic energy here.

On the west side of the underground space, several natural earth veins emerge from the depths of the rock strata, with pale blue spiritual energy slowly seeping out from the ends of the earth veins, meeting the dark purple demonic energy surging from the dark veins on the east side at the center.

The two forces clashed in mid-air.

Within the area, spiritual and demonic energy permeate each other, neither completely merging nor entirely repelling each other, maintaining a strange balance.

Li Yuan stopped at the entrance and took out the jade slip that Zhou Heng had previously handed over.

How to create a sealing formation.

The solution provided by Mingyuan Sect was specifically designed for the underground network of dark veins. The array is centered on spatial sealing, supplemented by demonic energy suppression runes, and is set up at the entrance of the dark veins to block the flow of demonic energy.

Li Yuan compared and deduced the formation using the Heavenly Pivot of the Array Dao. The underlying principles of this formation are similar to the Six-Point Resonance Sealing Array, only on a smaller scale and with a stronger focus. Once the fourth-order array Dao is perfected, setting it up is not difficult.

Entrance to the northeast branch road of Lingzhou.

Li Yuan took out spatial attribute spirit stones and stabilizing array materials from his storage bag and began setting up the array at the entrance of the side path.

Spiritual energy surged from his palm, outlining a closed loop of the array in the void. The carrierless closed loop technique after the fourth-order array path was perfected was just right, with the side walls serving as natural anchor points, eliminating the need to add spirit stone nodes.

A closed loop was formed, sealing the spiritual patterns that spread along the wall. Spatial attribute spirit stones were embedded in the core, serving as the array's eye.

The moment the formation closed, spiritual energy circulated on its own. A pale silver spiritual energy membrane covered the entrance to the branch path, blocking the demonic energy in the dark vein from the other side.

The demonic energy collided with the spiritual energy membrane, was bounced back, and gradually subsided after surging along the side wall for a few breaths.

The first blockade array is complete.

Within a three-foot perception range, blue text fluctuations emanated from the array's core.

Li Yuan walked to the front of the formation and placed his palm on the spirit stone.

[Equipable item detected: Pivot Blocking Stone]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Central Meridian Calm - Blue]

[Effect: Permanently increases the efficiency of spiritual and demonic energy circulation by 30%, and increases the total amount of spiritual and demonic energy by 30%.]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Successfully set up three formations in an environment where spirits and demons intertwine (0/3)]

It improves both operational efficiency and total output, and has an effect on both spiritual energy and demonic energy.

The condition for permanentization is successfully setting up three arrays in an environment where spirits and demons intertwine. The first array must have been completed before obtaining the attribute and will not be counted towards the progress.

Li Yuan removed the array eye spirit stone, and then took another spirit stone of the same spatial attribute from his storage bag and sent it into the array eye.

Equipping the array's core spirit stone caused a simultaneous jolt in both the internal spiritual energy circulation and demonic energy pathways. The circulation of primordial energy accelerated, and the flow of spiritual and demonic energy became much smoother.

Before the effect of the entry was fully stable, Li Yuan turned and walked towards the entrance of the Liangzhou Dark Swamp branch road.

The second blockade array.

Using the same method, a closed loop of spiritual energy was formed in the void, the sealing spiritual patterns spread along the wall, and the array eye spirit stone was embedded in the core.

The spiritual and demonic energies in the area where spirits and demons intersect are still clashing, disrupting the stability of the closed loop. However, the blue calming effect of the pivot meridian has taken effect, and the 30% operational bonus has suppressed this erosion.

The formation is closed.

The entrance to the branch road of Liangzhou Dark Swamp was blocked by spiritual patterns, cutting off the flow of demonic energy.

Permanentization of central sedation progress: 1/3.

With the two sealing formations completed, the flow of demonic energy along the two branch paths—the northeast of Lingzhou and the dark swamp of Liangzhou—was simultaneously severed. The concentration of demonic energy in the leyline hub began to slowly decrease, and the natural spiritual energy of the leylines gradually gained the upper hand.

The third blockade array was to be deployed at the entrance of the outer sea trench branch. Li Yuan checked the location of the sea branch; the entrance was below the southeast wall of the Earth Vein Hub.

Not urgent.

The central control array has not yet been deployed. The three sealing arrays need to be coordinated in a unified manner to achieve their maximum effect. The central control loop will be built together after the third array is completed.

Li Yuan collected the excess array materials, left the Earth Vein Hub, and returned along the Dark Vein Passage.

During his journey, Li Yuan activated the ancient demonic body-refining secret technique.

The Dark Abyss Demonic Essence Technique, when perfected, draws out demonic energy. The green aura of the abyss filters out impurities, and pure demonic energy surges into the bone marrow cavity of the entire body.

The condensation of the spine and ribcage has been progressing for several days, and the bone marrow density is nearly 30% higher than at the beginning. At this time, the focus of the demonic energy compression has shifted from the core of the torso to the extremities.

Foot bones, finger bones.

These bones are tiny, with extremely narrow medullary cavities, leaving almost no room for demonic energy to maneuver once it enters. Each compression must be precise; even a slight increase in force will rupture the cavity walls. The 50% tempering efficiency of the Dark Marrow Bone Tempering blue attribute is particularly crucial here.

Upon returning to the ruins of the ancient demonic sealing chamber in the Abyss Zone, Li Yuan sat cross-legged and continued his advance.

The phalanges are completed last.

The condensation and compression of the entire body's bone marrow has now completed its cycle. From the spine to the toe bones, the bone marrow density of each bone is more than 30% higher than in the proficient stage. Spiritual energy is conducted more quickly within the bones, and bone strength has also increased significantly.

He is proficient in the ancient demonic body-refining secret techniques.

The changes after mastering this skill are very direct. The condensation of demonic energy into the bone marrow no longer requires a step-by-step approach; it can be done synchronously throughout the entire body. After the demonic energy flows into the bones from the meridians, it automatically distributes itself to each bone along the interwoven layer of light and demonic energy.

The efficiency of cultivation has more than doubled.

Li Yuan finished his practice and began to internally examine his entire skeletal system.

The interwoven layers of light and magic on the walls of the bone marrow cavity shimmered with a faint dark gold-purple light. Light-attribute spiritual power and demonic energy each followed their own path within the grid, with repair and condensation operating simultaneously without interfering with each other.

The condition for making the "Dark Marrow Tempering Bone" blue attribute permanent is to master a demonic body-refining technique. I've now mastered the ancient demonic body-refining secret technique, but I'm still one step away.

The token held at the waist vibrated.

Li Yuan infused his spiritual power, and the message was projected into his mind.

The Tianyue Sect issued two announcements.

The first point is that the early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators from the Upper Realm have confirmed their support to the Lower Realm and are expected to arrive within seven days.

Secondly, abnormal demonic energy activity was detected in the direction of Liangzhou Dark Swamp. The three demonic energy monitoring arrays deployed by Tianyue Sect in Liangzhou simultaneously sounded an alarm. The frequency of the demonic energy fluctuations highly matched the activation signal of the ancient demonic facilities, suggesting that demons were using the ancient demonic facilities remaining in the underground dark veins.

Li Yuan stored the two messages in his mind.

The Nascent Soul stage reinforcements will arrive within seven days, which isn't much time. The anomalies in the Liangzhou Dark Swamp direction are even more critical. Li Yuan just sealed off the entrance to the Liangzhou branch road at the Earth Vein Hub, but the sealing array only blocks this end of the hub. If any demons make a move in the Liangzhou Dark Swamp, they'll most likely bypass the sealing array at the end of the branch road.

However, the Liangzhou area is not under Li Yuan's jurisdiction for the time being. Tianyue Sect will send people to investigate.

Li Yuan put away the token, got up and left the abyss area, returning to the surface of the Youyuan Valley along the passage.

The Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the valley entrance had been replaced. Zhou Heng was absent, and Xuan Pu hadn't come either.

Li Yuan compiled the blockade plan for the earth vein hub and the results of the dark vein structure survey into a jade slip, which he handed to the on-duty cultivator to be forwarded to the Tianyue Sect. He then returned to the depths of the dark vein to continue his cultivation.

The permanent timer for the Abyss Demonic Essence is still running, and the synchronized condensation of the entire body after mastering the Ancient Demonic Path Body Refining Secret Technique also requires time to refine.

In the Dark Vein Abyss, demonic energy surges.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged in the ruins of the sealing chamber, closing his eyes and circulating his internal energy.