Elven cultivators

After confirming that the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array was operating smoothly, Anton did not linger and returned to the treehouse.

The treehouse was also filled with almost tangible pale blue light spots, so numerous that they formed a very faint mist that was visible to the naked eye.

The changes in the environment caused the elemental energy concentration in the treehouse, which already had a spirit-gathering array set up, to surge once again.

Anton sat cross-legged in the quiet room and tried cultivating for a round. Sure enough, the speed at which he condensed his true essence improved significantly.

"At this rate, I should be able to complete the Foundation Establishment stage in seven or eight years at most."

Anton smiled faintly, then looked inward at the Yin Heavy Water floating above his Qi Sea.

After nearly ten years of refinement, the amount of Netherworld Heavy Water has surged to one hundred drops.

This amount has reached the limit he can currently accumulate.

If it increases any further, he will lose control, which will only cause all the dark and heavy water to dissipate.

"Without reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment, one still cannot fully master the near-divine method."

Anton sighed softly, but quickly composed himself and began to think about the next steps.

The Great Evolution Azure Profound Array has been successfully activated and is on the right track.

Even without his constant supervision, it can operate smoothly and continue to grow.

"However, it would be best to refine a batch of spirit stones as a reserve of energy for unforeseen circumstances."

Anton pondered to himself.

The energy of the Great Evolution Azure Mystery Array mainly comes from two channels.

First, the energy generated by the Eternal Tree and the Fountain of Life.

Second, the free energy between heaven and earth.

When no battle is taking place, the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array can maintain its operation simply by absorbing the free energy between heaven and earth.

It can even spare some energy, along with the absorbed wood energy, and store it as reserve energy to activate the Azure Emperor's Demon Subduing Formation.

However, once a battle breaks out, simply absorbing free-floating energy from heaven and earth will not be enough.

Energy must be drawn from the Tree of Eternity and the Fountain of Life.

However, the energy of both is finite.

Once all the energy is drained, the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array becomes like water without a source or a tree without roots, unable to continue operating.

Although the probability of such a thing happening is very low, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Anton always takes a proactive approach to things, even when things are going smoothly.

It's better to be busy and have multiple backup plans than to regret it when things come to an end.

Fortunately, among the resources transported from the city-states earlier, there was a considerable number of gems that could be used to refine spirit stones.

"And then there's the sword pellet."

With a slight thought, Anton sent the sword pellet leaping from his chest, hovering in front of him and rising and falling slowly.

Under the light, the dragon pattern on the surface of the sword pellet is clearly visible, covering more than three-quarters of the area.

The remaining blank space looks particularly out of place.

"The Dragonborn governors are all holed up in Dragon City and refuse to come out, so it's impossible to use them to strengthen the sword pellet."

"As expected, we still have to rely on the Sighing Crystal Cluster."

But the thought of the Sighing Crystal Cluster made Anton frown again.

There are far too many Sighing Crystal Clusters occupying the city-state, and most of the time they are clustered together.

Once you take action, it will easily attract a siege.

Even for him, if he were surrounded by a double-digit number of Sighing Crystal Clusters, the best outcome would be for him to flee in disarray.

"We can only try to lure a few out and kill them one by one."

Anton estimated that with the trump cards he currently had, as long as the number of Sighing Crystal Clusters he faced did not exceed ten, he was fully confident that he could deal with them within a few breaths, and then he could use his sword escape to leave at his leisure.

By absorbing at most four or five Sighing Crystal Clusters, the Sword Pill should be able to break through to the Profound Weapon level.

At that time, his strength will increase significantly.

The thought of the mystical artifact ignited a burning desire within Anton, and his resolve to hunt the Sighing Crystal Cluster grew even stronger.

"I'm almost ready to master the 'one-to-sixteen' technique of the Split Light Separation Method."

Anton glanced at the sword pellet, and immediately heard a buzzing sound. The sword light suddenly split into eight, and then the sword light suddenly swelled up, trying to split into two again.

Although the whole process was very slow, and the sword light showed signs of dissipating, it was ultimately successful.

Next, as long as you continue to practice this process, you will be able to fully master the skill of "one becomes sixteen" in no time.

"Once the sword pellet breaks through to the Xuan-level and masters the 'One into Sixteen' technique, along with the Netherworld Heavy Water and the Five Camps Divine Weapons, we can begin to clear out the Sighing Crystal Cluster."

Among the resources brought back from the city-states were a large number of magic cores, which allowed Anton to freely refine Dao weapons.

Over the course of ten years, he successively forged more than six hundred more Five Battalion Divine Soldiers.

They have assembled three Five Elements formations with the number 625.

Although the Five Battalions of Divine Soldiers were not as effective against the Sighing Crystal Clusters as they were against the Mind Flayers, nearly two thousand of them could at least help him suppress the three Sighing Crystal Clusters.

It has become quite effective.

After some thought, Anton came up with a plan.

He absolutely had to get his hands on the city-state, or rather, the ley line node.

Once you have a ley line node, you can build your own cave dwelling.

In the world of cultivation, the places where cultivators practice are collectively called cave dwellings.

Based on the abundance of spiritual energy and the concentration of spiritual energy, they can be divided into six categories from high to low: Grotto Heaven, Blessed Land, True Palace, Qi Mansion, Mysterious Abode, and Refined Abode.

Every cave dwelling is extremely precious.

Even the lowest-grade hermitage is nothing short of a miraculous elixir for cultivators below the rank of cultivator!

It's the kind that's effective long-term!

For example, the treehouse where Anton previously lived was equipped with many formations, including the Spirit Gathering Formation, the Sound Insulation Formation, the Mind-Cleansing Formation, and the House-Protecting Formation. These formations not only improved cultivation efficiency but also provided sound insulation, protection, and mental tranquility. In fact, it could already be considered a refined residence.

Now, with the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array greatly increasing the concentration of elemental energy, the spiritual energy concentration of the treehouse has also risen accordingly, transforming it into a cave dwelling of the Profound Pavilion level.

As for the entire Silvermoon Forest, it can barely be described as a cave dwelling of the elite level.

In the future, as the area of ​​the Silver Moon Forest expands and the power of the formation increases, it may even gradually evolve into a cave dwelling of the Xuanlu level.

This is also one of the benefits of the mountain-protecting formation.

Sects that have built protective mountain formations can basically construct exquisite dwellings and mystical chambers within their grounds at will.

As for the Qi Palace and True Palace that are even higher up, they cannot be reached simply by relying on formations.

There must be a spiritual vein.

This is also why Anton wanted to obtain the ley line nodes.

Only on the earth's vein nodes can he build a cave dwelling of the Qi Mansion or True Palace level, and then open up various functional buildings such as spirit plant gardens, beast gardens, more professional alchemy rooms and weapon refining rooms.

As for the most superior blessed lands, they are extremely rare.

Besides requiring the highest quality spiritual veins, it must also occupy the right time and place, and be in harmony with the creation of heaven and earth. The conditions for its formation are extremely demanding and cannot be forced by human power.

Legend has it that such blessed lands are often self-contained worlds, containing their own universes and spiritual energy so rich that it is almost tangible. Cultivators who cultivate within them can advance a thousand miles a day.

In addition, such blessed lands can also nurture rare and precious materials, each of which is enough to make Golden Core and even Nascent Soul cultivators fight tooth and nail for them.

Such a treasure land is extremely rare, even in the cultivation world; it is something that can only be encountered by chance.

Anton doesn't even dare to dream of owning a Qi Palace or True Palace; he would be content with that.

After arranging the plans for the next period of time, Anton let out a long sigh of relief.

Without delay, he immediately got up and left the treehouse, summoned sword light to cover his body, and shot off towards the Thousand Rock Hills.

Go hunt for Sighing Crystal Clusters now and upgrade your Sword Pill to the Mystic level.

……

Because he was busy setting up the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array, An Dong had not set foot in the Dark Region for nearly ten years.

When he entered the rift again after a long time, he was surprised to find that it had changed quite a bit.

The narrow, cramped passageway that I remember, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, has now been widened several times over.

The rock walls on both sides were cut very smoothly, and every few meters a light source stone was embedded in them, emitting a soft and bright light, illuminating the entire passage as if it were daytime.

The path beneath our feet was no longer a rugged, uneven gravel road, but a smooth stone slab that felt firm and stable underfoot.

Anton walked along the passageway, nodding to himself.

It seems the clan has invested a lot of effort in the Underdark over the years, even building up its infrastructure.

Stepping out of the passageway, the view suddenly opens up.

Unsurprisingly, the scene before me was completely different from the dark, damp underground world I remembered, adorned only with scattered glowing moss.

Large swaths of fluorescent moss covered the rock face, emitting a faint blue-green glow, like flowing ribbons of light.

The bioluminescent mushrooms peeked out from the rock crevices, their pale purple caps shimmering with a faint white light at the edges, clustered together like stars scattered in the darkness.

The vine-like fluorescent vines climbed and spread along the rock wall, their tiny leaves adorned with glowing dots, outlining a winding path in the darkness.

The three types of plants complement each other, illuminating the originally pitch-black area as bright as day, as if one had entered a dreamlike underground garden.

Anton stood there for a while, his smile growing wider.

Glowing moss, luminous mushrooms, and glowing vines are all common bioluminescent plants in Silvermoon Forest.

Its most prominent feature is its extremely strong vitality.

It can thrive even in harsh environments like dark and shadowy places.

It is obvious that these plants were also planted by the clan, presumably to improve the lighting conditions in the Darklands and make it easier for the elves to move around.

It must be said that this method, though simple, is quite effective.

At least in well-lit conditions, the elves' vision is no longer limited, and their movement efficiency and safety are greatly improved.

Anton withdrew his gaze and continued walking.

Along the way, you can see squads of patrolling elf guards from time to time.

They were dressed in rune-inscribed leather armor, wielding rune-inscribed weapons, with the sensing spirit stones at their waists emitting a faint glow. They moved in unison, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the guards instinctively drew their weapons and looked over warily.

Once they recognized the visitor as Anton, they relaxed and respectfully bowed to him.

"Lord Andon."

The younger elves looked at Anton with undisguised reverence.