Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 256: Chapter 248: Ruins

Among the team was a Primordial Yang Sect disciple skilled in the Array Dao. He was at Early-stage Foundation Establishment, and his attainments in the art were considerable.

He squatted before the stone gate for a good while, his Divine Sense repeatedly probing the remnants of the Array structure at the entrance to the passage.

"This Array was set by Demon Cultivators to detect intruders. If triggered, it sends a signal to notify the one who laid it."

He looked up at Chen Yi.

"I can bypass these nodes without triggering the detection system."

Chen Yi nodded. "Go ahead."

The Array Master took out a few Spirit Stones and a length of Conductive Spirit Sand from his storage bag, making several precise adjustments to the Spirit Patterns on either side of the stone gate. Spiritual Power seeped along the Conductive Spirit Sand and into the Spirit Pattern structure, neutralizing the remaining detection nodes one by one.

The entire process generated no spiritual power fluctuations.

"It’s done." The Array Master stood up. "We can go in now."

The nine Foundation Establishment Cultivators entered the passage one by one.

The passage descended for about fifty zhang before leveling out. The Spirit Patterns on the walls grew denser, their style shifting from the dark purple of the Demon Cultivators to a more ancient, grayish-white.

Two systems of Spirit Patterns were layered on the same walls, the new and the old clearly distinct.

The dark purple ones had been laid later by the Demon Cultivators, while the grayish-white ones were original to the ruins.

At the end of the passage was a massive stone gate, roughly three zhang high and two zhang wide. It had already been forced open, its surface bearing the scars of a violent entry. Where the Spirit Patterns were severed, there were scorched, blackened marks.

Passing through the stone gate, the group stopped in their tracks.

Before them lay a vast underground space.

The vaulted ceiling soared more than ten zhang high. Most of the illuminating Spirit Stones embedded in it had gone dark; only a scattered few still emitted a faint luster, barely outlining the contours of the space.

The chamber was immense; the distant walls were but vague shadows in the dim light. The floor was paved with neat stone slabs, and the gaps between them were carved with precise Spirit Pattern arrays. The intricacy of these patterns far surpassed that of those in the passage.

The architecture was grand and orderly. Stone pillars, archways, and corridors—every detail spoke of a magnificent design. Though most of the remaining Arrays and Restrictions had failed, the complexity and density of the Spirit Patterns indicated that this place once had an extremely high level of defense.

It was clearly beyond the capabilities of the Demon Sect.

"This wasn’t built by the Demon Sect." Chen Yi stood at the entrance to the chamber, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Spirit Pattern structures. "The style of the Spirit Patterns, the layout of the Arrays, the architectural standards—this is all the work of a righteous Sect. A major one, at that."

He walked to the nearest stone pillar and wiped the dust from its surface with his finger.

At the base of the pillar was a carved sect emblem: a circular Spirit Pattern with a sword and a mountain peak combined at its center.

Chen Yi stared at the emblem, silent for several breaths.

"The Profound Nether Sect."

His tone turned grave.

"A Nascent Soul Level Sect that was annihilated. The reason for its destruction is unknown. When the Sect’s former site was discovered, it was already in ruins. All its core disciples and elders had vanished without a trace."

This matched the information the elders had reported during their initial investigation perfectly.

The legacy of a Nascent Soul Level Sect had been collected into a treasury by the Demon Sect. These ruins before them were part of that treasury.

The team pressed deeper.

The space was divided into multiple areas: a main hall, side halls, storehouses, cultivation chambers, and a Scripture Pavilion. The layout was identical to that of a normal Sect’s, only it had all been moved underground.

However, most of the rooms had already been emptied.

The shelves in the storehouses were bare, leaving only a few broken wooden chests. The cultivation chambers still had their meditation cushions and Arrays, but anything of value had been taken. The jade slip racks in the Scripture Pavilion were a mess, with only a few shattered fragments scattered about.

The leftover supplies were almost all from Demon Cultivators: dark purple banners, fragments of Magical Artifacts etched with Demon Patterns, and used Demon Cultivator pill vials.

After moving the Profound Nether Sect’s legacy into this underground treasury, the Demon Sect had then stored their own supplies here. Later, when the Demon Sect was destroyed, the treasury was sealed. Once the Dark Abyss Association found the entrance, they cleared out the vast majority of its contents.

It had been picked clean.

After the team regrouped in the main hall, Chen Yi made a decision.

"These ruins are too large; it’s too slow for the nine of us to follow a single path. We’ll split into three groups and search separately."

He pointed toward corridors leading in three different directions.

"Three people per group, each taking a different path. We’ll reconvene in the main hall in one incense stick’s time. If you encounter danger, send a signal and retreat immediately."

Li Yuan was assigned to the second group, along with Li Ze’an and another disciple from the Primordial Yang Sect.

The three of them headed down the eastern corridor.

The corridor was lined with emptied rooms. Occasionally, they could spot residual Spirit Patterns on the walls. The remnants of patterns near the doorways seemed geared toward a synthesis of the physical body, Divine Soul, and Spiritual Power—different from the typical sect-protection Array Patterns seen in the main hall. Most of the rooms had already been ransacked.

As they reached the middle of the corridor, a stir came from up ahead.

Li Yuan raised a hand, signaling them to stop, and sent his Divine Sense probing forward.

Thirty zhang away, two figures were crouched in a room, rummaging through something.

Demonic Qi.

Both of them carried a thick Demonic Qi, its concentration far exceeding that of the three individuals from the marketplace. This wasn’t just a lingering trace; it was the deep saturation that came from long-term cultivation of demonic techniques.

’Demon Cultivators. Early-stage Foundation Establishment.’

Li Yuan whispered, "Two Demon Cultivators. Early-stage Foundation Establishment."

The expressions of Li Ze’an and the Primordial Yang Sect disciple turned grim.

’Three against two. We have the advantage.’

Without another word, Li Yuan raised his right hand, gathering power for the Fire Python Skill.

A crimson Fire Serpent shot from his palm, hurtling down the corridor toward the room thirty zhang away.

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