The Elven Cultivator

Deep within the Thousand Crag Hills, the landscape was a jagged mess of bizarre rock formations.

Grayish-brown rock spires pierced the sky like the fangs of colossal beasts. The weathered cliff faces were riddled with honeycomb-like holes, and when the wind passed through, it produced a low, haunting wail.

Anton paced back and forth across this desolate land several times. His Divine Sense extended in all directions, plunging dozens of meters underground to carefully perceive the flow of the earth's ley lines and the distribution of elemental energy.

With the experience of forging the Separation Fire Shield under his belt, his research into the Golden Light Lockdown Array went much more smoothly, just as he'd expected.

In just two months, he had successfully forged the Array Disc and the eight-sided Array Flags for the Golden Light Lockdown Array.

With the two most difficult components finished, the rest was much easier.

So he had rushed over to the Thousand Crag Hills to find a suitable foundation for the array near the mining area.

A moment later, Anton stopped and nodded slightly.

"This is the place."

The terrain here was uneven, naturally forming a gourd-shaped, sunken valley. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a single narrow pass for entry and exit.

The valley's interior was filled with strange, unevenly-sized rocks, perfect for concealing the Array Disc and Array Flags.

Even better, the flow of the land's Spiritual Qi formed a weak convergence point here. Although the energy concentration was nowhere near that found under the Eternal Tree, it was more than sufficient to serve as the foundation for the Golden Light Lockdown Array.

After all, the Golden Light Lockdown Array didn't have high requirements for its foundation.

Anton took the Dimensional Bag from his waist, reached inside, and pulled out a palm-sized, silver Array Disc.

The Array Disc was a perfect octagon, its edges densely inscribed with countless runes. A faint, silvery-blue light could be seen flowing slowly through the patterns, as if the object were a living, breathing creature.

He knelt and gently pressed the Array Disc into a natural depression in the center of the valley.

Then he took out the eight-sided Array Flags and planted them around the valley according to the array diagram.

After doing all this, Anton took out more materials and began to draw the array's patterns.

Just then, three figures streaked over from the distance.

It was the Great Elder, the Third Elder, and Thorvin.

Having heard that Anton had finished his preparations to deal with the Rock-Horned Dragon and was setting up near the mining area, the three had rushed over immediately.

But when they arrived and saw the scene, all three of them were stunned.

The Third Elder was the first to speak, asking in astonishment, "Anton, are you... setting up an Array?"

Although Arrays from the Cultivation Realm system and the Arrays of the Dawn Continent were not the same, Anton still nodded.

"That's right."

At his words, all three of them were visibly stirred.

Arrays belonged to the field of Enchantment, which was another extremely profound and complex magical art.

They had no idea when Anton had also dabbled in Enchantment, let alone learned how to set up an Array.

Fortunately, they had developed a slight immunity to Anton's astonishing talents and didn't stay shocked for long, quickly recovering their composure.

The Great Elder and the Third Elder exchanged a look. Both opened their mouths as if to speak, but then hesitated.

Anton saw this and knew exactly why they were acting this way.

This all came down to the difference in the fundamental logic between the two types of Arrays.

On the surface, both involved "drawing diagrams" and "setting up formations," but in essence, one was "borrowing power," while the other was "building a structure."

The Arrays of the Cultivation Realm borrow the power of heaven and earth.

An Array Master uses Array Discs, Array Flags, Spirit Stones, and other components to communicate with heaven and earth, allowing them to wield the Power of Heaven and Earth for their own purposes.

Therefore, as long as an Array Master's power and skill in Arrays were profound enough, an Array could theoretically cover an entire world, with a virtually limitless number of functions and effects.

The Arrays of the Dawn Continent, on the other hand, were essentially a form of man-made rules.

An Array Master uses runes to "write" a set of rules, forcing energy to operate according to them.

The Arrays set up in this way had obvious limitations, both in their maximum scale and their range of functions.

Regarding the latter, they could generally be summarized into just a few types.

The first is energy guidance and conversion.

For example, gathering Magic Power by absorbing the thin, free-floating Magic Power from the environment and converging it to a single point to power large-scale Magic (like forbidden spells or rituals).

Or elemental conversion, transforming the earth elemental energy from ley lines into pure Magic Power via an Array to supply a mage tower.

The most common use is attribute enchantment: inscribing small Arrays onto physical objects to create magical items.

The second is spatial manipulation and traversal.

The most well-known example is the Teleportation Array.

The third is for warfare.

For instance, setting up offensive Arrays on city walls that simulate Magic. When activated during battle, the Arrays can unleash various spells to strike the enemy.

However, the tier of Magic simulated by such offensive Arrays is usually not high—third or fourth tier at the absolute most.

They are acceptable for dealing with targets below the Golden Tier.

But against a Golden Peak sub-dragon species like the Rock-Horned Dragon—a beast known for its formidable physique and high magic resistance—it would be little better than a tickle.

The Great Elder and the Third Elder clearly assumed the Array Anton was setting up was of this last type, and felt he was wasting his effort.

Anton didn't bother explaining and continued to focus on drawing the array patterns.

After working for several hours, he finally finished setting up the Array. He turned to the three men waiting nearby and said, "This Array is called the Golden Light Lockdown Array."

'Golden Light Lockdown Array?'

The three men silently mulled over the strange name, their expressions unreadable.

Clearly, this was another name in Anton's typical style.

"What does this Array do?" the Third Elder asked, confused.

He felt the name didn't sound like an offensive Array.

And Anton's answer confirmed his intuition.

"It's a sealing Array," Anton explained in terms they would find relatively easy to understand. "Once activated, the Array will form a golden light barrier, sealing off a five-hundred-meter radius. Nothing can get in or out."

"Furthermore, the Array will absorb an enemy's attacks against it, converting the energy to feed the Array itself."

"The more fiercely the enemy attacks, the sturdier the Array becomes. Unless they can shatter it in a single blow, the more they struggle, the harder it will be to break free."

The three men present were completely astonished.

They had never heard of such an Array.

'It can trap an enemy and absorb its attacks to strengthen itself?'

It was simply incredible!

"...Anton," the Great Elder said, taking a deep breath. "Did you create this Array yourself?"

"That's right," Anton could only reply.

The Third Elder, who was standing to the side, had an 'I knew it' expression on his face.

After the series of events that had transpired, he wouldn't doubt Anton anymore, no matter what other astonishing feats he performed.

After learning about the Golden Light Lockdown Array's capabilities, the Great Elder and the other two were all invigorated.

They had also been worried about how to stop the Rock-Horned Dragon from escaping. Now, with the Golden Light Lockdown Array, the problem was neatly solved.

Their confidence in hunting the Rock-Horned Dragon increased.

"In that case, we shouldn't delay."

The Great Elder composed himself, his gaze turning toward the depths of the Thousand Crag Hills.

"We'll go lure the Rock-Horned Dragon over now."

After a brief discussion, the group decided that the Great Elder, being the strongest, would be the one to lure the Rock-Horned Dragon over.

After all, besides him, no one else was confident they could escape to this location while being pursued by the Rock-Horned Dragon.

Once the decision was made, the Great Elder didn't delay. Countless thorns sprouted from beneath his feet, enveloping his body. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a thorn eagle, flew out of the valley, and sped toward the depths of the Thousand Crag Hills.

Anton and the other two remained behind, each finding a hidden spot to conceal themselves.

The valley fell silent, with only the wailing of the wind as it passed through the rock crevices.

About ten minutes later, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the distance.

The sound was deep and resonant, like muffled thunder rolling through the clouds. It carried an indescribable brutality and fury that made one's chest tighten.

Anton, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open, his gaze fixed on the depths of the Thousand Crag Hills.

The Third Elder and Thorvin also straightened up at the same time, their expressions grave.

At the edge of the sky, two black dots were moving toward them at an astonishing speed.

The black dots rapidly grew larger, soon resolving into two figures.

In the lead was the thorn eagle that the Great Elder, Leonard, had transformed into.

And following closely behind him was a beast so colossal it was breathtaking.

The Rock-Horned Dragon!

The overlord of the Thousand Crag Hills!

It was over thirty meters long. Its body was covered in a thick layer of grayish-brown, rock-like armor, which was filled with crackled patterns like a dry riverbed.

Its head was triangular, broad, and flat, with a powerful jaw. Two thick fangs protruded from the corners of its mouth, gleaming with the unique grayish-white luster of rock.

The most striking feature was the massive horn that jutted skyward from the center of its forehead.

The horn was spiral-shaped and at least five to six meters long. Its base was as thick as a water bucket, tapering to a sharp point. In the sunlight, it emanated a visible, earthy-yellow glow.

That was proof of highly condensed Earth Attribute Magic Power!

The Rock-Horned Dragon couldn't fly, but its running speed on the ground was not much slower than the flying Great Elder.

Its massive body was displaying an explosive power that completely belied its size. Every time its thick limbs slammed into the ground, spiderweb-like cracks erupted, sending shattered rocks flying in all directions like shrapnel.

Whenever the distance between them grew, the Rock-Horned Dragon would lower its head slightly. The giant horn on its head would glow with an earthy-yellow light, shooting out a beam formed from compressed Earth Attribute Magic Power that tore through the air toward the Great Elder like a bolt of lightning.

The Great Elder would always sense it in time, his body abruptly flashing to the side to narrowly dodge the earthy-yellow beam of light.

The beam, having missed its target, would strike a rock spire in its path. With a tremendous BOOM, rock fragments would explode outward. The shockwave, carrying a torrent of debris, would surge from behind, causing the Great Elder's form to sway slightly and his speed to decrease.

The Rock-Horned Dragon would seize this opening to accelerate and close the distance between them.

In this repetitive chase, the two of them rapidly approached the valley where Anton and the others were hiding.

When the Rock-Horned Dragon, hot on the Great Elder's heels, charged into the area of the Array, Anton immediately raised his hand and pressed down on the air above the Array Disc. A wisp of True Essence seeped from his fingertip into the disc's surface, activating the pre-laid array patterns.

BUZZ!

Within the valley, the eight-sided Array Flags trembled in unison, letting out a clear, sonorous chime.

Dazzling golden light erupted from the Array Flags, soaring into the sky like eight golden pillars that pierced the clouds.

The pillars of light converged high in the sky and then exploded outward, a golden light screen as thin as a cicada's wing descending to envelop the entire valley.

Upon the light screen, countless golden runes flowed without end, like swimming fish.

At the same time, the array patterns on the ground also lit up, the golden light spreading in all directions like quicksilver flowing across the floor.

The Great Elder landed at the edge of the valley and looked back, just in time to see the golden light trapping the Rock-Horned Dragon. A trace of astonishment and awe flashed across his face.

The Third Elder and Thorvin were also watching the scene in shock.

"So this is... the Golden Light Lockdown Array!"

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