Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 298: Chapter 288: The Grand Array of the Yuanheng Mountain Range

The matter of the Li family was finally put to rest.

Chen Yi brought the news himself.

The Primordial Yang Sect’s investigation into the Li family lasted nearly two months, culminating in the discovery of ironclad evidence.

This wasn’t just vague association and speculation, but hard proof. They found records of intelligence exchanges, including communication bone slips with the Dark Abyss Association, receipts for several material transactions with Demon Cultivators, and even a hand-drawn sketch marking the locations of several Primordial Yang Sect frontline strongholds.

The evidence was irrefutable.

The Sect officially ordered the liquidation of all the Li family’s assets in Liangzhou.

The moment the order was issued, the atmosphere in the marketplace changed instantly.

The last vestiges of the Li family’s presence in the Mist Forest Marketplace vanished completely within two days of the liquidation order spreading.

Shops were sealed, material inventories were confiscated, and the few Loose Cultivators registered under the family’s name were investigated one by one. They were only released after being cleared of any direct involvement with the Demon Sect.

As the marketplace manager, Li Yuan took part in distributing some of the resources during the liquidation.

He hadn’t actively sought this role; the process itself required the marketplace’s management office to be involved. When the Sect auctioned and redistributed the Li family’s shops, material stockpiles, and warehouses within the marketplace, the management office was responsible for registration, appraisal, and coordination.

In his official capacity as manager, Li Yuan was able to legitimately acquire a batch of items during the distribution.

They were mostly High Tier pill ingredients and Array Materials.

The main ingredients for several Tier Two pills, which were usually priced but never available in the marketplace, had been cleared out from the Li family’s inventory. He also acquired a batch of high-quality Array Materials, including several types of pattern-stabilizing Spiritual Sand and Drainage Stones that he had previously been unable to find.

The cost of these items, calculated at market value, was deducted from Li Yuan’s Sect contribution points, all through official channels.

Barely two days after the liquidation concluded, the Wang family came looking for him.

The visitor was none other than Wang Ting’an.

"Li Dao You, there’s something I’d like your help with."

Wang Ting’an got straight to the point, bringing up the Array in the Yuanheng Mountain Range.

"Now that the truth about the Li family is out... My family has long suspected the Array in the mountains is connected to them, but we could never be sure. We need an Array Master to go in and conduct a thorough investigation."

"What about the Sect’s Array Masters?" Li Yuan asked.

"We believe you are the more suitable choice."

"And the payment?"

"My family is short on Spirit Stones at the moment. How about three well-established marketplace shops? You wouldn’t even have to change the signs. We’ll handle the staffing, but all the profits would be yours."

Li Yuan thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

The next day, Li Yuan and Wang Ting’an set out together, heading for the Yuanheng Mountain Range.

The Yuanheng Mountain Range was quite far from the Mist Forest Marketplace; it took them the better part of a day to reach the outskirts.

Wang Ting’an had also brought along several Cultivators from his family.

The atmosphere at the mountain range entrance was more oppressive than Li Yuan had expected.

A stretch of the forest was withered and dead, the ground littered with the skeletal remains and old bloodstains of Demon Beasts. A faint, putrid smell hung in the air.

’It’s completely different from how it was the last time I was here.’

"We’ve already cleared out the Demon Beasts in this mountain range several times."

Wang Ting’an led the group inward along a cleared path. The tree trunks on either side were intermittently scarred with claw marks and burns.

"The traces of the Array are up ahead."

Wang Ting’an pointed to an exposed cliff face on the mountainside, the very spot where the Array Master named Zhou had intended to investigate before Wang Qu stopped him.

Li Yuan stepped forward and sent a probe of his Divine Sense down into the ground.

The surface of the cliff appeared normal, but as his Divine Sense penetrated it, what lay within the stone below was revealed.

Array Patterns.

There wasn’t just one layer, but several, stacked together. The outermost was so damaged its original form was almost unrecognizable, yet the inner layers were far more intact than he’d anticipated.

It was a massive Array. By Li Yuan’s estimation, the Array Hub was likely a great distance from this outer edge.

Li Yuan crouched down, pushing his Divine Sense deeper into the stone.

His proficiency in the Tier Two Array Dao proved useful now. As he mentally peeled back the layers of Array Patterns, their hierarchical relationship quickly became clear.

The bottom layer was the foundation for the entire Array. The layout and flow of its Array Patterns had a distinctly aggressive nature; the Spiritual Power circuits were crude and vicious, clearly not for defensive or auxiliary purposes.

"This layer was the original core of the great Array," Li Yuan said.

Wang Ting’an immediately leaned closer.

"Can you tell what it was used for?"

"To absorb Essence Blood."

Li Yuan pointed to a specific circuit within the main pattern.

"This circuit’s function is to draw out the Essence Blood of any creature within its range and channel it along the main pattern to the Array Hub. Its nature isn’t lethal, but extractive. Any living thing that steps into the Array’s area of effect will have its Essence Blood slowly drained away."

Wang Ting’an’s expression darkened.

"This is the work of the Demon Sect."

"Most likely," Li Yuan nodded. "You’d almost never see this kind of technique from an orthodox sect."

He continued his examination, moving on to the second layer.

The style of the second layer’s Array Patterns was markedly different from the first. It followed a more conventional design, with far more orderly Spiritual Power circuits. This layer hadn’t been laid down fresh; it was a modification of the one beneath it. In many spots, he could see where new and old Array Patterns overlapped.

"This layer was modified later," Li Yuan said. "The original function of draining Essence Blood from Cultivators was changed to draining it from Demon Beasts. The work is clean, the technique proficient. Whoever did this was highly skilled in the Array Dao."

Wang Ting’an’s brow furrowed, then smoothed out.

"Was it the Primordial Yang Sect that changed it?"

"Judging from the technique, it does resemble the methods of an orthodox sect."

After examining the first traces of the Array, the group continued deeper into the mountains.

Over the next half-day, Li Yuan inspected the Array at four more locations.

Each site was slightly different, but as he pieced them together, a complete picture of the Array across the Yuanheng Mountain Range began to emerge.

Just as the Wang family’s previous hire, Array Master Zhou, had determined, it was a complex structure: a great Array with various smaller arrays nested within it.

The great Array covered a vast area of the Yuanheng Mountain Range, its Array Hub located deep in the hinterlands. The Array’s core function had never changed: from start to finish, it was designed to drain Essence Blood. The only thing that had been altered was its target—from Cultivators to, later, Demon Beasts.

The smaller arrays nested within the great one, however, had more varied functions.

Some were responsible for cultivating Demon Beasts. These smaller arrays created ideal breeding grounds for specific species, controlling temperature, humidity, Spiritual Qi density, and even food sources. In these environments, Demon Beasts bred faster and in greater numbers.

Others were designed to attract Demon Beasts. These arrays would emit a specific frequency of Spiritual Waves to lure nearby Demon Beasts into the great Array’s domain. Once inside, their Essence Blood would be slowly drained.

Cultivation, attraction, and absorption—the three steps formed a complete, self-sustaining cycle.

After the Primordial Yang Sect modified the great Array, this cycle had been running continuously. The smaller arrays cultivated and lured Demon Beasts into the mountains, the great Array drained their Essence Blood, and the collected Essence Blood was channeled to the Array Hub. What it was being used for, however, was still unclear.

The problem, however, came later. At the fifth site, Li Yuan discovered the work of a third party.

Someone had tampered with the Primordial Yang Sect’s modifications.

"These few smaller arrays have been altered," Li Yuan said, standing on a slope and pointing to the Array Patterns in the stone beneath them.

Wang Ting’an quickly walked over.

"The work is much cruder than the previous modifications," Li Yuan explained, "and the purpose is completely different. These smaller arrays were originally meant to attract Demon Beasts, but they’ve been changed to repel them."

"Repel?"

"That’s right." Li Yuan indicated a tampered circuit in the Array Pattern. "This loop was originally meant to emit an attractive pulse, but it’s been rewired in reverse. With the pulse’s direction flipped, the effect is naturally opposite. Instead of being drawn in, Demon Beasts are now driven away."

Wang Ting’an nodded.

"The Li family."

Li Yuan said nothing, his attention still fixed on the Array.

With several smaller arrays now altered to repel, the original cycle of cultivation, attraction, and absorption was broken. Demon Beasts were being driven outward.

Couple that with the deaths of numerous Tier Two Demon Beasts, whose corpses and residual demonic energy now littered the mountains.

Simultaneously, the expelled beasts flooded the outer regions of the mountains, crowding the native Demon Beast population. Territorial disputes intensified, food grew scarce, and the rampages naturally became more frequent.

Furthermore, the great Array’s draining of Essence Blood had completely destabilized the mountain’s ecosystem. With the mass death of Tier Two and higher beasts, the Low Tier Demon Beasts they once kept in check began to reproduce uncontrollably. Their population exploded, further escalating the intensity of the rampages.

And so, the reasons behind the escalating Demon Beast rampages in the Yuanheng Mountain Range were finally clear.

Wang Ting’an just nodded after listening to Li Yuan’s analysis.

The Wang family had already pieced together most of the situation; they simply needed Li Yuan to provide the final confirmation.

Li Yuan pulled his gaze from the small array, looking toward the heart of the mountains.

The great Array’s hub was in that direction.

The group pressed deeper, passing through two already-cleared Demon Beast territories before finally reaching the location of the Array Hub.

The Array Hub was hidden deep inside a natural cave. The entrance was small, but it opened up into a spacious cavern.

The cavern walls were densely etched with Array Patterns, stretching from floor to ceiling. These patterns were more complete and intricate than any of the others they’d seen. All the circuits from the smaller arrays converged here, feeding into a fist-sized, dark red stone at the very center.

That was the Array Hub.

As Li Yuan drew closer, his eyes fell upon the stone’s surface. It was dark red and dense, with a faint sheen like a membrane of blood flowing slowly across it.

’This effect of draining Essence Blood... it’s very similar to the Blood Evil Stones I’ve seen before.’

Li Yuan stopped about three feet from the dark red stone.

A panel appeared before him.

[Equippable Item Detected]

[Item Affix Tier: Blue]

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

’A Blue-tier affix.’

Li Yuan’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he pulled his gaze away, not lingering on the Array Hub.

After examining the Array Patterns on the cavern wall, Wang Ting’an turned and asked, "Can this great Array still be used?"

"The Array’s core is still operational," Li Yuan said, "but with the smaller arrays tampered with, the cycle is broken. To get it running again, you’d have to restore all the altered arrays and recalibrate their connection to the main one."

Wang Ting’an nodded. "We’ll remove the Array Hub and take it back with us for now."

He then instructed his men to begin dismantling the Array Hub.

As the Array Hub was pried from the main pattern on the wall, the entire great Array’s operation weakened noticeably. The Array Patterns on the cavern walls dimmed, and only a few broken lines on the lowest layer still flickered faintly.

After stowing the Array Hub, Wang Ting’an glanced at Li Yuan.

"This is a tool of the Array Dao; it won’t do me any good. If you can use it, Li Dao You, then please take it. Consider it a bonus for your work."

Li Yuan didn’t refuse, accepting the Array Hub.

The moment the dark red stone was in his hand, the full panel appeared.

[Equippable Item Detected: Essence Blood Array Hub (Complete)]

[Equippable Affix Preview: Essence Blood Refinement (Blue)]

[Effect: Can refine blood, converting up to thirty percent of the user’s blood into Essence Blood. Increases Spiritual Power storage capacity.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Slay five different species of Tier Two Demon Beasts (0/5)]

Li Yuan glanced over the panel, then tucked the Array Hub into his storage bag without equipping it immediately.

’A Blue-tier affix, and a very practical one at that,’ he thought. ’Refining normal blood into Essence Blood isn’t just an improvement to my Qi Blood; it will also increase my Spiritual Power storage.’

’The condition for making it permanent is to slay five different species of Tier Two Demon Beasts.’

Declining the Wang family’s invitation to a banquet, Li Yuan returned directly to the marketplace.

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