Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 285: Chapter 275: Array Mechanism Hub Plate

Outside the outpost, the darkness of night hung heavy.

Several Foundation Establishment Cultivators had been pulled from the market, various stations, and the periphery of the ruins, spreading out quickly along the tributary vein where the incident had occurred.

When Li Yuan arrived, Chen Yi was assigning tasks.

Seeing Li Yuan arrive, Chen Yi looked up and said.

"Li Yuan, I’ll have to trouble you with the northern outer perimeter."

"Understood."

Li Yuan acknowledged the order and left immediately.

By the time Li Yuan rushed to the designated position, the Spiritual Power fluctuations deep within the tributary vein ahead had grown increasingly chaotic.

Before long, an extremely vicious aura suddenly erupted from the trapped area.

Li Yuan stood behind a stone slope on the outer perimeter, looking inward. Although he was some distance away and his Divine Sense couldn’t reach the very core, he could still discern the level of power when the fluctuations washed over him.

Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

And not someone who had just reached Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

When the man’s Spiritual Power surged out, it didn’t dissipate aimlessly; instead, it pressed outward in a solid wave.

Several Spiritual Power nodes, already locked down by the trapping Array, vibrated in unison after being slammed by this force. A muffled sound came from deep within the stone walls, and rubble rustled down through the cracks.

"That person inside has gone mad."

Another Primordial Yang Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator not far away cursed under his breath.

Li Yuan didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the depths of the tributary vein.

The Late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator up ahead was clearly the tough nut to crack in this trap. The Primordial Yang Sect’s trapping Array had already closed, but instead of cowering inside and waiting for death, he was brazenly charging outward against both the Array and the encirclement.

A moment later, another loud BANG came from within.

A dark, heavy phantom of a Dharma Wheel shot up from the depths of the tributary vein and slammed violently against the edge of the trapping Array. The outer edge of the Dharma Wheel was wreathed in churning Demonic Qi. When it struck the Restriction, it didn’t create the explosive sound of clashing Spiritual Power. Instead, it was like a heavy hammer striking thick iron, first making the entire stone stratum tremble before erupting in turbulent ripples.

The corner of Li Yuan’s eye twitched.

’This person is indeed strong, but he seems a little weaker than me. With the buffs from my various traits, the power of my Magic far exceeds his. I just have fewer techniques at my disposal.’

The man wasn’t just ramming blindly, either. He was specifically targeting several nodes of the trapping Array that were already glowing brightly under pressure. Those spots had already taken a lot of impact, and with a full-powered strike from a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, a clear tear was ripped open at the edge of the Array.

In that instant, the situation inside descended into chaos.

The Primordial Yang Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who had been forming a layered encirclement, began to press toward the tear. The other two trapped Demon Cultivators also seized the opportunity. One charged diagonally to the left, trying to use the chaos to rip the opening wider. The other was even more ruthless, slapping a palm-sized black Demon Artifact directly onto his chest and frantically pouring his Spiritual Power into it.

The next moment, dense blood-red patterns emerged on the surface of the Demon Artifact.

"Fall back!"

Someone inside roared.

But it was too late.

The Demon Cultivator lunged forward, and the entire Demon Artifact exploded in front of him.

What burst out wasn’t pure Spiritual Power, but a turbulent black-and-red cloud reeking of blood, which surged out through the tear and the cracks in the rock walls. Several nearby Primordial Yang Sect Cultivators were forcefully driven back, and the containment line that was just about to close was thrown into disarray once more.

As for the Demon Cultivator who detonated the Demon Artifact, he used the blast to plunge headfirst into the dust and rubble, his whereabouts momentarily unclear.

The outer containment line immediately tightened.

Li Yuan didn’t move, still holding his position on the northern outer perimeter.

It was then that Li Yuan’s nose caught the faintest whiff of a cold, sinister scent.

His Tracker trait activated at almost the same instant.

Amidst the chaotic Spiritual Power, Demonic Qi, and the dust from the explosion ahead, numerous residual auras that had been indistinguishable were suddenly pulled apart into distinct layers.

He could now distinguish which belonged to the Primordial Yang Sect Cultivators who had just rushed past, which were the old traces left by the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator when he charged the Array, and which was the lingering bloody miasma from the detonated Demon Artifact.

And among these jumbled auras was a new one, stealthily making its way out from the edge of an inconspicuous crack on the north side.

Li Yuan’s eyes darkened, and his figure had already shot forward.

As soon as Li Yuan rushed over, he saw a grayish-black shadow flash past. The person was like a smear of shadow against the rock wall, hugging the crack as they darted outward.

An Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

And one who excelled at stealth.

The person obviously noticed they were being pursued. Without a hint of hesitation, they used the cover of several protruding rocks to make another turn, trying to duck directly into the outer forest from the other end of the crack.

At the end of the crack was a field of scattered rocks on the edge of the outer forest.

After bursting out of the crack, the Demon Cultivator finally glanced back. Li Yuan had caught up by this point and got a clear look at him. He was a gaunt-faced man in grayish-black robes. Half of one sleeve had been torn to shreds by the turbulence inside the trapping Array, revealing a fresh, bloody gash on his arm.

Their eyes met, and a vicious glint flashed in the Demon Cultivator’s eyes.

He knew he couldn’t shake his pursuer.

The next moment, instead of continuing to flee blindly, he flicked his hand, sending three jet-black needles straight for Li Yuan’s face. The short needles were nearly invisible in the darkness, only revealing a thin, cold glint of light as they neared.

Li Yuan sidestepped, dipping his shoulder, and the three needles flew past, almost grazing his cheek before embedding themselves in the rock behind him. A plume of blackish-green smoke immediately rose from the stone’s surface, which was instantly corroded, leaving three small holes.

Poisonous.

As Li Yuan dodged, a golden light flared at his palm, and a Golden Blade Skill shot out.

The Demon Cultivator raised his hand to conjure a layer of hazy gray protective light, but the Golden Blade Skill pierced through it, slicing a long gash in his side from which blood immediately began to seep.

A look of shock appeared on the Demon Cultivator’s face.

The moment he was injured, the Demon Cultivator turned to flee again, his movements clearly more frantic than before.

Without hesitation, Li Yuan raised his hand and cast a Fire Arrow Skill, aiming it at the ground in front of the man.

The instant the fire arrow hit the ground, it exploded with a BOOM, sending grass roots, dirt, and a few flat stones flying. The Demon Cultivator had just initiated an Escape Technique and hadn’t fully burrowed into the ground before the blast forced him out, sending him rolling wretchedly to the side.

Li Yuan’s Fire Python Skill descended immediately after.

This time, he had no room to dodge completely. The Fire Python’s head slammed into his back, and then the fiery apparition twisted forward, throwing half of his body into the air. The Demon Cultivator screamed as the robes and flesh on his back were seared and split open. His body rolled several feet before coming to a stop, his aura now incredibly faint.

Li Yuan was already upon him, and a Golden Blade Skill slit his throat.

Blood spurted out.

The Demon Cultivator’s eyes flew wide open. His fingers scrabbled uselessly at the ground for a moment before falling limp.

Silence returned to the outer forest.

Li Yuan didn’t immediately go to search the corpse. Instead, he first released his Divine Sense to sweep the surroundings. Only after confirming there were no other hidden presences nearby did he walk over and collect the man’s storage bag and the black blade that had fallen to the ground.

The man’s Cultivation was only at Early-stage Foundation Establishment, but he carried a surprising number of items. Besides the usual Demon Dao materials and a few small items for Concealment, the storage bag also contained two old disks for surveying tributary veins, a crudely drawn topographical sketch, and several black bone slips for short-range communication.

With just a glance, Li Yuan knew this man wasn’t just some small fry who had charged in with the main group, but someone who had specifically scouted the perimeter and prepared an escape route.

He put everything away and turned back toward the outpost.

By the time Li Yuan returned to the outpost with the body and storage bag, dawn was breaking.

The great battle at the tributary vein was also concluding.

The most troublesome Demon Cultivator, the one at Late-stage Foundation Establishment, was finally captured. He had indeed thrown the situation into chaos when he charged the Array, but the Primordial Yang Sect had deployed its forces quickly and its encirclement was ruthless. In the end, they managed to subdue him alive.

The other one, who had detonated the Demon Artifact, used the blast to break through the containment line, successfully tearing open an escape route.

Outside the outpost, several Cultivators were carrying the wounded and sorting through items recovered from the battlefield. The air was thick with a heavy mixture of medicinal scents, the smell of blood, and the stench of burning.

Chen Yi met with everyone in the main hall.

Almost everyone who had participated in the encirclement and held the outer line was present. The more seriously injured were seated, while the others stood on either side. After handing over the body and storage bag he had brought back, Li Yuan joined the crowd.

Chen Yi’s expression was grim as he first recounted the results.

"Deep in the tributary vein, three were caught in our net."

"One was captured."

"One detonated a Demon Artifact and used the chaos to escape."

"The third fled to the perimeter and was intercepted and killed."

Someone in the hall glanced toward Li Yuan but said nothing.

Chen Yi continued without deliberately drawing out the tension.

"The identity of the captured individual has been confirmed. He is one of the core leaders of the Dark Abyss Association, a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

At these words, the hall grew even quieter.

Chen Yi added, "We’ve managed to pry a few things out of him since he was brought back. The Demon Sect’s investigation of the Spirit Vein is more systematic than we previously estimated."

He paused here, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"According to him, there is suspected involvement from a Golden Core Level Demon Cultivator operating in the shadows."

As soon as he said this, the expressions of several people in the hall changed.

No matter how chaotic things got on the front lines, as long as the enemy’s core strength remained at the Foundation Establishment Level, there was always room to maneuver. But if a Golden Core Level Demon Cultivator was truly watching from behind the scenes, many things would have to be re-evaluated.

Chen Yi didn’t give them much time to digest the news, quickly returning the topic to the post-battle inventory.

The haul this time was substantial.

Old disks for surveying tributary veins, short-range communication bone slips, Demon Artifact fragments, Array Materials, Demon Dao materials, and some other items clearly prepared for deeper exploration of the Spirit Vein were all laid out one by one on a long table at the front.

Li Yuan’s gaze swept over several of the items before finally settling on a dark cyan disk.

The disk wasn’t large. Its edge was inlaid with seven small grooves, while its center was covered in layer upon layer of extremely fine engravings. At first glance, it didn’t look like a Magical Artifact for combat, but rather a device specifically used for coordinating multiple Array Patterns and linking different nodes.

More importantly, the moment it came within Li Yuan’s three-foot perception range, his panel popped up.

Because the item had already been handed over to the Sect and was not considered his property, only a basic notification appeared.

[Equippable Item Detected]

[Item Trait Level: Green]

[Note: Item does not belong to user. Cannot equip. Cannot view details.]

’A Green trait.’

’And it’s clearly intended for the Array Dao.’

Li Yuan’s gaze lingered for only a moment before he looked away.

The deacon in charge of the inventory at the front soon singled out the item and whispered a few words to Chen Yi.

After listening, Chen Yi turned and glanced at the few Array cultivators in the hall, his eyes finally landing on Li Yuan.

"This item is for the Array Dao."

"You take it for now."

A deacon immediately brought the dark cyan disk over.

As soon as the item was in his hands, its ownership changed, and the full panel immediately popped up.

[Equippable Item Detected: Array Mechanism Nexus (Intact)]

[Equip Trait Preview: Array Mechanism Linkage (Green)]

[Effect: Greatly enhances the ability to set up multi-layered Arrays and linked Arrays.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Participate in breaking five different Tier Two or higher Arrays or Restrictions (0/5)]

[Current equipment slots are full (5/5). Replace a currently equipped item?]

Li Yuan glanced over the panel, put the Array Mechanism Nexus away for now, and did not swap it out on the spot.

’This thing is very practical, especially since I’ll definitely have to continue dismantling multi-layered Restrictions and linked Arrays deeper in the ruins. It’s just that my equipment slots are full right now. I’ll have to go back and figure out how and when to make the swap.’

After the briefing concluded, the crowd slowly dispersed.

When Li Yuan returned to his stone house, the sky was already mostly bright.

He placed the Array Mechanism Nexus on the table, then took out the items he had brought back from the Early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator’s storage bag and laid them out one by one.

Outside the window, the sounds of people grew, and the market began another bustling day. Inside the stone house, however, a chill still lingered from the nighttime pursuit. On the table, the dark cyan disk lay quietly in the morning light, its intricate engravings layered one upon another.

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