With the help of the second-tier spirit vein, Li Ye reconfigured the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array from scratch, making further adjustments and optimizations along the way.
Now that he held control over Pingyang Mountain and the surrounding Mountain Alliance, the resources at his disposal were more abundant than ever before.
The formation tools he refined also saw a noticeable upgrade in quality.
He even had to carefully consider the integration with the Blazing Flame Array, ensuring that the two wouldn't interfere with each other when operating simultaneously a task that required thorough deliberation.
As a result, the progress of the array setup was considerably slowed.
It took him over a full month to finally lay down the foundational framework of the formation and largely complete the dual-array integration.
But whether it would truly succeed still depended on whether the Voidrealm Tree's domain-enhancing properties could also be extended to the Blazing Flame Array through this connection.
"Let's activate the grand formation first…"
After a final inspection of the entire mountain's array layout, Li Ye summoned the formation tools and swiftly formed a series of hand seals, activating the nodes one after another.
Spiritual energy surged and converged at the mountaintop.
As the power of the Blazing Flame Array slightly receded, a transformation began to take place within its coverage.
Phantom images of verdant trees appeared, clustering together to blanket the entire peak. Vines hung down, and a light green mist drifted through the air…
The Green Vine Verdant Wood Array had once again been established!
The spectacle immediately drew the attention of many cultivators on the mountain, who all turned their gazes toward the summit sure enough, the scene looked quite familiar.
The palace had disappeared, replaced by a forest shrouded in mist. Beyond that, nothing else could be seen.
"It is that array…"
Luo Feibai muttered softly, though a faint sense of puzzlement flickered in his heart.
"Though powerful, why doesn't it feel as unique and awe-inspiring as it did back on Changcui Mountain?"
He couldn't help but speculate, though he dared not reveal even a trace of his thoughts, keeping a look of astonished reverence on his face.
Now that a second-tier grand array had been erected layered within the Blazing Flame Array this overlapping setup left many cultivators on Pingyang Mountain both shocked and apprehensive.
The security was unquestionable, but they couldn't help but recall how Li Ye had once used the formation to slaughter numerous cultivators with terrifying ease.
Needless to say, if anyone harbored malicious intent, even breaking through the outer Blazing Flame Array would only leave them facing the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array next…
Some felt that even multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't be able to withstand such a setup!
Their new alliance leader wasn't just profoundly powerful he was also extremely cautious!
As the crowd gradually adjusted their mindset, they suddenly realized… wasn't this a good thing for them?
Working under Li Ye, whatever else might be said, was surely safer than following Xu Pingyang.
Even Li Ye hadn't expected that activating the array would inadvertently earn the loyalty of so many cultivators.
"Without the Voidrealm Tree as the core, this array may have been upgraded to the second tier, but it's still mediocre at best… It may even be weaker than the Blazing Flame Array."
Li Ye observed the formation's performance around him and came to this conclusion.
But that was only to be expected. After all, the improvements he'd made to the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array were based on a fragmented second-tier array blueprint that utilized living entities as the array's core to enhance its power.
Its central concept required a sufficiently powerful object to suppress the array's core node and elevate the array's overall might.
Without that core, it naturally couldn't unleash its full potential.
"It's time to transplant the Voidrealm Tree…"
With this thought, Li Ye activated the formation's concealment barrier to block prying eyes, then quietly withdrew his aura and vanished without a trace.
.....
Mountaintop of Changcui Mountain
"Come on now, tuck in those roots a bit. I'm moving you to a new home… Once you're over there, with a second-tier spirit vein, you'll be able to grow freely again for a long while."
Li Ye patted the trunk of the Voidrealm Tree, speaking to it as if chatting with an old friend.
The next moment, its branches and leaves swayed gently with a rustling sound. Then, the ground beneath Li Ye's feet began to loosen and churn, the disturbance growing gradually stronger.
Li Ye slowly stepped back. Before his very eyes, the tree's visible roots began to withdraw inward, curling up together like a bundle.
The tree's vast, deeply entrenched root system gradually detached itself as much as possible from the surrounding soil.
As a fourth-tier spiritual root of heaven and earth, in essence, the Voidrealm Tree naturally possessed a certain level of intelligence.
And through the Spirit Plant Symbiosis Technique and the panel's function, it had long since established a stable link with Li Ye, allowing for basic communication.
But this level of cooperation being able to fully retract its roots was a first. It was a result of the tree's deeper life force foundation after reaching the second tier.
With this, Li Ye's next steps became simple.
He cast a few spells, moved the formation tools, and adjusted the array slightly removing the core function of the formation and redistributing it to other nodes.
As a result, while removing the Voidrealm Tree would certainly cause the array's power to drop to the first tier, its structure would remain intact. When needed, it could still gather spiritual energy and temporarily boost its strength back to the second tier something he left behind as a contingency for Lan Xinyi.
With this, things between them could be considered settled.
His blackwood sword shot out, and with his Foundation Establishment cultivation supporting it, its black glow flared violently. It carved a large circle in the ground around the Voidrealm Tree, then retracted.
Li Ye stepped forward and grasped the tree trunk. Blood and qi surged through his body, a crystalline sheen appearing on his skin. With a mighty exertion of strength, he pulled the entire tree along with the ring of soil around its roots straight out of the ground.
As the earth crumbled and fell, Li Ye slung the massive tree over his shoulder and cast several spirit plant spells to protect the root system and soil.
With the Voidrealm Tree removed, the gaping hole naturally refilled with soil, and the entire array shifted accordingly. After several tremors, its rank fell but then stabilized.
Li Ye raised his hand and sent out several concealment talismans to hide the tree's appearance and aura. Then, with a leap, his body glowing with spiritual light, he shot off toward the distance.
Shortly after he left, a gaunt figure Lan Xinyi stepped onto the mountaintop for the first time in years. She gazed at the freshly refilled patch of earth, then turned to look off into the distance. In the end, she simply let out a faint sigh.
...
Boom… Boom… Boom…
Li Ye gently placed the towering tree into the prepared core position of the new formation.
With a wave of his hand, spiritual energy immediately surged forth, turning into a drizzle of pale green droplets that rained down on the Voidrealm Tree.
Now in a richly spiritual environment and nourished by the array, the tree having only recently left the ground quickly sank its roots into the earth. Its once slightly curled branches and leaves stretched out rapidly, looking full of vitality.
At the same time, the dormant domain power it had hidden away began to reawaken and naturally merged with the formation's structure.
At first glance, the entire array didn't seem to change much. But any cultivator paying close attention would suddenly sense it under the dense forest canopy, the mountain peak had become completely cut off from them.
It felt as though it now existed in a separate dimension. The peak, already difficult to peer into before, had become utterly unreachable shrouded in even deeper mystery.
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