"This Blood Transformation Demon Art from Cai Shiwei is surprisingly complete… It can be cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage, and it contains a wide array of secret techniques and magic tools…"
Li Ye held a crimson jade slip in his hand, a faint red glint flickering in his eyes, giving his expression a touch of ferocity.
However, with a sudden flash of spiritual light black like tempered steel in one eye and a blend of bluish-purple in the other, the blood-red glow was instantly suppressed, leaving only clarity and calm on his face.
He seemed completely used to this by now and shook his head with a composed expression.
"Just a brief reading and contemplation, yet the demonic nature of this technique already begins to erode the mind… These demonic cultivation methods truly are domineering and insidiously twisted."
Over the past several days, to avoid having his mind corrupted, he had only studied the technique in short sessions each day, purging the accumulated demonic taint immediately afterward.
Only now had he finally finished reviewing the portions from Qi Refining up to Foundation Establishment.
Though it had taken considerable effort, the rewards were not small.
"While most of the magic tools and techniques require actual cultivation of this art to refine and wield, there are still a few practical secret arts I can integrate into my methods. Some of the blood extraction techniques, when paired with the blood sacrifice methods from the Blood Sigil Scripture, could potentially increase the efficiency of my rituals…"
He nodded in satisfaction. "And this Bloodburn Escape technique is just what I needed to fill the gap in my life-saving escape methods."
This particular technique was a simplified version of the Blood Transformation Escape that Cai Shiwei had once used.
Bloodburn Escape merely converted one's essence and vitality into extreme speed, whereas the full Blood Transformation Escape not only provided that speed but also allowed the user's body to momentarily liquefy into blood, enabling them to slip through restraints and barriers with ease.
While the cost of using it was much steeper, its strange and unpredictable nature made it incredibly difficult to counter. Unfortunately, it could only be used by those who cultivated the Blood Transformation Demon Art.
If Li Ye hadn't poisoned Cai Shiwei and set up an array trap back then, the man might very well have escaped!
"But for me, Bloodburn Escape is more than enough. With the spiritual essence of the Void Realm replenishing my life force, and my blood vitality being especially strong, I can endure the cost… It's not as burdensome as it seems."
As he mulled this over in silence, a slight change flickered across his expression. He loosened the protective formation.
A moment later, Fan Yuanzhou came flying in at top speed.
.......
"Brother Li, I will never forget the shelter you've provided me. If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask this old Fan will do everything in his power to help!"
Fan Yuanzhou clasped his hands respectfully toward Li Ye, speaking with solemn sincerity.
Compared to when he had first fled here, haggard and on the run, his appearance had improved significantly. Though his spiritual power still fluctuated slightly and his injuries weren't fully healed, they no longer affected his combat capabilities.
He was strong enough to protect himself and travel without fear of ambush.
Moreover, now that everything had calmed down, those cultivators who had tried to take advantage of the chaos were likely long gone. There was no need to worry about them anymore.
He had come today to bid farewell to Li Ye and return to his sect.
Although he had already exited seclusion once during recovery to send word of what had happened back to his sect, the complete annihilation of their team still required a full report delivered in person.
Only by returning to his sect would he have the time and a truly safe environment to fully recover through closed-door cultivation.
"You're too kind, Brother Fan. Although most cultivators have left, there are still some with ill intent lurking in the shadows. Please be extra careful on your way back,"
Li Ye warned seriously.
After all, he had gone to the trouble of sheltering this man, giving him time to recover. If Fan Yuanzhou were to die in the surrounding Chidi Mountains now, it would all have been for nothing.
Though Li Ye remained highly wary of the four major Golden Core sects, until open conflict broke out, he still needed to maintain some semblance of cordial relations.
"Rest assured, I'll be careful. The mountains are high and the rivers long may we meet again someday."
Fan Yuanzhou nodded firmly, feeling even more grateful in his heart.
Still, with nearly everyone else dead, there were some things he had decided to take to the grave.
Without further words, he boarded a flying boat and departed swiftly.
....
"So ends this farce… at least for now."
Li Ye watched Fan Yuanzhou disappear into the distance and let out a long, quiet sigh.
Now that the final sect disciple had left, and the remaining cultivators had fled in fear of the third-rank fire beasts, the lava palace was finally able to return to peace if only temporarily.
Though it was only a matter of time before some cultivators, lured by greed, returned with the hope of picking off a few stray fire beasts and harvesting some leftover treasures, the grand spectacle of large-scale gatherings was unlikely to happen again.
What came next was simply a matter of whether the Golden Core ancestors would come and how many.
"If the other two sects still have any survivors, they should've already returned by now."
"Once they report what happened in the lava palace, it's quite likely the Golden Core ancestors will take interest…"
As he turned and slowly made his way back, a thoughtful expression crept onto his face.
"It was too chaotic at the time no telling whether any of the three formation masters survived. But if any of them did make it back, and if they end up accompanying a Golden Core ancestor, with their firsthand experience getting close to the palace's core, they might make it inside next time…"
"And those third-rank fire beasts… I don't know how many there are exactly, but there are more than two."
"There might even be a fourth-rank beast hidden deeper inside!"
Li Ye recalled the footage recorded by his parasitic insect at the time of the lava palace's sudden eruption, and a vague unease stirred in his heart.
For a place to remain dormant for ten thousand years and then suddenly erupt, shaking the restrictive formations and even affecting the surface, and yet doing so with such precision triggering only the restrictions and not disturbing the palace itself that couldn't be a coincidence.
He found it hard to believe that some hidden force wasn't behind it all.
"Come then… come as much as you like!"
A faint, enigmatic smile tugged at the corner of Li Ye's lips.
"The last wave of cultivators got lucky and only stirred up a few Golden Core fire beasts. But if someone breaks into the ruined Foundry Pavilion and unleashes that semi-sentient magic treasure, casualties will probably double…"
"Thankfully, most of them only had low-level sect tokens and very few high-authority ones, so they could only access the outer regions. But once Golden Cores come personally, that's a different story… With all those formations no longer a barrier, who knows what they'll unleash…"
"Might as well let them explore all those places I didn't dare probe over the past few years. Saves me from getting killed, even if I send in puppets!"
His mood was rather upbeat as if he planned to let the Golden Cores act as his personal guinea pigs. He had no concern at all about any potential pressure their presence might bring.
After all, the Qingluo Silver Grass was maturing rapidly under two secret techniques he'd applied to force its growth. Its emitted aura had already begun to trigger transformations in many of the other spirit herbs across the mountain.
It wouldn't be long before the spiritual regulation of Pingyang Mountain reached a new level, greatly boosting the formation's sustainability!
As for the casualties among sect cultivators? That had nothing to do with him.
Cai Shiwei's death had left no trace behind no one could link it to him.
Even if a Golden Core ancestor were ruthless, if they were truly coming for the lava palace, and had no grudge against him, there was no reason for them to waste their time trying to pick a fight with a formation-protected stronghold.
It wouldn't bring them any benefit, and if they spent half a day without breaching it, wouldn't that be downright humiliating?
With a third-rank grand formation guarding him, Li Ye might not be completely untouchable, but he certainly wasn't at anyone's mercy either.
"Let the world stir and storm all it wants… I just want to cultivate peace."
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