Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 244: Chapter 236: Lingxi Valley

After Li Yuan returned to the marketplace, he used his Protector Token to inform Chen Yi about the matter of the token.

Chen Yi arrived that same afternoon.

Li Yuan handed over the Token, the traveling merchant’s storage pouch, and the remaining items after disposing of the body.

Chen Yi took the Token and examined it for a moment. He extended his Divine Sense into the patterns within, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Spiritual Power can’t activate it? Only Demonic Qi works?"

"That’s right. After injecting it with Demonic Qi, it transmits a set of coordinates and a codename."

Li Yuan relayed the contents of the message.

Chen Yi was silent for a few breaths before putting the Token away.

"I’ve never seen anything like this before."

He rested his hands on his knees.

"I will send the Token back to the Sect for specialists to investigate. I’ll also have people scout the location of that spatial entrance, but they won’t enter rashly."

He glanced at Li Yuan.

"Be careful on your end. This isn’t the first or second time people with Demonic Qi have appeared in the marketplace. There might be an organization operating behind the scenes."

Li Yuan nodded.

Chen Yi left with the Token and the other items.

Over the next few days, Li Yuan turned his attention to the Evil Ore.

The Evil Ore vein that the Primordial Yang Sect had assigned to him was located south of the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest, about six hundred zhang from the marketplace. Li Yuan flew over to inspect the site.

The vein wasn’t large. Only a small section was exposed on the surface, with dark purple Evil Ore embedded in the rock wall, its surface gleaming with a heavy luster of Evil Qi. The mine tunnel entrance wasn’t deep; it came to an end after just over ten zhang.

The concentration of Evil Qi inside the tunnel was extremely high, two or three times denser than in the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest. A thick, dark red mist of Evil Qi permeated the rock walls, the ground, and even the air itself.

Here, the process of condensing Evil Essence reached its peak efficiency; the Evil Qi practically scrambled to surge into his body.

There were claw marks and bite marks on the rock walls deep inside the tunnel. Just as Chen Yi had said, the Demon Armor Giant Beetle had likely escaped from here.

The Evil Ore itself wasn’t very valuable, but it could be used as a substitute for the Array Foundation Stones of a Gathering Evil Array, saving on material costs. Moreover, the concentration of Evil Qi around the vein was extremely high. If he set up a Gathering Evil Array here to concentrate the Evil Qi into the Array Foundation Stones, the ambient Evil Qi concentration would drop, allowing other Cultivators to enter and mine.

Li Yuan spent a day setting up a Gathering Evil Array in the mining area.

It was a two-layered, nested structure, covering the tunnel entrance and the surrounding fifty-zhang area. He used Evil Ore directly as the Array Foundation Stones, saving on procurement costs. Once the Gathering Evil Array was activated, the Evil Qi concentration near the tunnel entrance dropped to a level that an ordinary Loose Cultivator could withstand.

After finishing the array, Li Yuan returned to the marketplace.

After a few more days of cultivation, Li Ze’an arrived.

He wasn’t alone; there were two of them in total.

The first was Li Ze’an himself, dressed in the same gray-blue robes as before, with a proper and handsome face.

The second person was someone Li Yuan recognized: the Array Master from the Primordial Yang Sect, whom he had met when the man came to the marketplace to set up the Gathering Evil Array. He was an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with the appearance of a man in his forties and a calm, steady demeanor.

"Li Dao You." Li Ze’an cupped his hands in greeting. "Everything is ready for Lingxi Valley. We leave today."

This was the collaboration they had agreed upon at the trade fair earlier. Li Ze’an planned to clear out the Demon Beasts from an area in Lingxi Valley, and Li Yuan would help in exchange for the Red Flame Condensing Essence Pill.

"This is Brother Zhou from the Primordial Yang Sect. His attainments in the Array Dao are very high," Li Ze’an said, introducing the Array Master. "After we clear out the Demon Beasts, Brother Zhou will be responsible for setting up an Array in that area."

The Array Master nodded at Li Yuan. "Li Dao You, I’ve heard much about you."

The group departed from the marketplace, flying west.

Lingxi Valley was to the west of Ghost Mist Forest, about a half-day’s journey from the marketplace.

Activating the Wind Escape Skill, the three of them flew above the dense fog as the withered trees and jagged rocks below sped past beneath their feet.

About two shichen later, the terrain began to change.

The withered trees and grayish-white fog gradually thinned out, replaced by lush forests and clear streams. The Evil Qi in the air had almost completely vanished, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi was, on the contrary, much higher than in Ghost Mist Forest.

Lingxi Valley.

In stark contrast to the desolate gloom of Ghost Mist Forest, the environment of Lingxi Valley was like another world. The verdant valley was flanked by steep cliffs, which were covered in all sorts of Spirit Grass and vines. At the bottom of the valley ran a wide, crystal-clear stream, in which the shadows of Spirit Fish could occasionally be seen.

The Spiritual Qi concentration was twenty to thirty percent higher than in the marketplace.

A person was standing at the valley entrance.

She was a Female Cultivator who looked to be in her thirties, with an Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. She wore a light blue long dress and had a short sword hanging from her waist. Her features were delicate, but her expression was cold.

Li Ze’an descended and nodded to the Female Cultivator. "Zhao Dao You, everyone’s here."

The Female Cultivator glanced at Li Yuan and the Array Master without saying much, then turned and walked deeper into the valley.

The four Foundation Establishment Cultivators followed the stream at the bottom of the valley, heading deeper inside.

Demon Beast activity was frequent in the depths of Lingxi Valley. The deeper they went, the denser the Spirit Grass grew along the stream banks, and the more signs of Demon Beasts they found. There were hoof prints, claw marks, and droppings on the ground, as well as tufts of fur rubbed off on tree trunks.

After walking for about half a shichen, Li Ze’an stopped.

"This is the area."

He pointed to an open valley ahead. The valley was flanked by low hills, with a flat meadow in the middle. In the center of the meadow was a natural pool of emerald-green water.

"The Li family plans to build a place for raising Spirit Beasts here. The terrain is suitable, the Spiritual Qi is abundant, and there’s plenty of water. But this area is occupied by Demon Beasts that need to be cleared out first."

His Divine Sense extended forward.

"I’ve scouted this area before. There’s at least one Tier Two Low Grade Water Element Demon Beast, along with a number of Tier One Demon Beasts. The Tier Two is our main target."

As soon as his voice fell, a dull splash came from the direction of the pool.

A huge vortex swirled in the center of the pool, and an enormous figure surfaced from below.

It was about two zhang long, its entire body covered in blue-gray scales. Its four limbs were short and thick, with webbing between its toes. Its head was flat, and a pair of vertical pupils emerged from above the water, staring coldly at the four people on the shore.

It slapped its tail hard against the water’s surface, sending up a massive spray.

A Blue-Scaled Water Lizard. A Tier Two Low Grade Water Element Demon Beast.

Li Ze’an took a step back and glanced at Li Yuan and Zhao Dao You.

"Li Dao You, Zhao Dao You, I’ll leave it to you."

Li Yuan raised his right hand.

Fire Python Skill.

A crimson Fire Serpent shot out from his palm, trailing a scorching heat wave as it rushed toward the center of the pool.

The Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s vertical pupils contracted sharply. It sank back into the water, and the Fire Serpent grazed the surface, instantly evaporating a large cloud of white steam.

Violent waves churned in the pool. The Blue-Scaled Water Lizard suddenly leaped out from under the water, opened its great maw, and shot a water-blue Spiritual Power Ball from its mouth straight toward Li Yuan.

At the same moment, Zhao Dao You’s short sword left its sheath.

A sharp slash of Sword Qi cut toward the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s flank from the side, forcing it to twist its body in mid-air to dodge. The Water Spiritual Power Ball from its mouth went off course, smashing against the rocks on the shore and sending fragments flying.

Li Yuan seized the opening as the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard twisted in mid-air and unleashed a second Fire Python Skill.

The Fire Serpent struck the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s abdomen head-on.

The scales on its belly were thinner than on its back. The Fire Serpent’s searing heat left a scorched black mark on their surface, and the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard let out a hiss as it fell back into the pool.

Zhao Dao You didn’t stop. Three consecutive slashes of Sword Qi hacked into the water’s surface, carving three deep grooves in the pool.

The Blue-Scaled Water Lizard dodged two of them in the water, but the third slash of Sword Qi struck the base of its tail. Scales shattered, and blood dyed the surrounding pool water red.

Li Yuan smashed three successive Fireball Techniques into the water. The explosive shockwaves threw the pool water several zhang into the air. The intense flames vaporized a large amount of white steam on the surface, forcing the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard to leap out of the water.

This time, it didn’t choose to fight, but turned to flee toward the depths of the valley.

Zhao Dao You’s figure appeared in front of it, blocking its path. She thrust her short sword three times in quick succession, and the Sword Qi sealed off the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s escape route.

Li Yuan raised his right hand and activated his Origin Condensation Skill, compressing his Spiritual Power to an extreme degree.

Fire Python Skill.

This Fire Serpent was twice as thick as the previous ones. Boosted by the Origin Condensation Skill, its Spiritual Power density reached an extremely high level as it slammed head-on into the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s head.

BOOM.

The Fire Serpent exploded against the scales on its head, and scorching flames poured in through the cracks between them. The Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s body arched violently, its limbs convulsing as a pained roar was forced from its throat.

At the same moment, Zhao Dao You’s short sword stabbed into the wound on the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s abdomen, and the Sword Qi exploded from within.

The Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s body slammed heavily onto the ground, its limbs splayed out, its aura dissipating.

The Tier Two Low Grade Water Element Demon Beast was slain.

Li Ze’an and the Array Master walked up from behind.

"Thank you for your hard work, you two." Li Ze’an glanced at the corpse of the Blue-Scaled Water Lizard and nodded. "We’ll divide the spoils after we’ve cleared everything else out."

Zhao Dao You sheathed her sword without a word.

The four of them continued to sweep the surrounding valley for the remaining Tier One Demon Beasts. For four Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the Tier One Demon Beasts were trivial, and they were all cleared out in just over half a shichen.

As dusk fell, the four of them found a sheltered spot on the edge of the valley to rest.

The spoils were piled to one side. The Blue-Scaled Water Lizard’s corpse had not yet been dismantled.

"There’s no rush to divide them," Li Ze’an said. "We still have to push deeper tomorrow. We’ll handle it all at once after we’ve cleared everything out."

Li Yuan nodded, then sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate.

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