"But I still haven't gotten my hands on the Profound Fire Essence!"
Li Ye let out a faint sigh.
Two years ago, he had found clues about this Golden Core spiritual item in a disciple's token.
Yet, two full years had passed his cultivation had smoothly advanced to the mid-foundation Establishment stage, and he could now reach the surface through the formation barriers without hindrance yet the Profound Fire Essence still eluded him!
It wasn't that he had wasted those two years. On the contrary, he had taken full advantage of the chaos stirred up by the formations and scoured the floating islets one by one, reaping a bountiful harvest.
Not only had he acquired a complete set of spiritual tools for himself, but even his life-bound puppet was now fully upgraded with top-tier components inherited from the Heavenly Craft Hall.
He had even picked up two magical treasures that could only be refined and wielded by Golden Core cultivators though whether they were damaged remained uncertain.
But with only Foundation-level mana, he had no way to activate them and could only store them away for now.
He had also acquired puppet blueprints, formation diagrams, artifact crafting schematics, and all kinds of inheritances, many of which were second or even third tier tremendously enriching his foundation.
If not for the fact that one of the formation diagrams was incompatible with the Voidrealm Tree, he wouldn't even need to deduce anything on his own.
After some research, Li Ye found that the materials used by the Heavenly Craft Hall might be unique they likely forged composite spiritual materials for their design.
Even with his current skill level reaching at least high second-tier, he still couldn't reproduce those top-notch second-tier puppet components.
Although it looked like he had just been training quietly in the mountains, Li Ye's strength and foundation were so solid that even against any late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would remain confident and unflustered.
If there was one regret, it was that he still hadn't obtained another true disciple imprint or simply stumbled upon a true disciple token. Even though there was still one stone mirror left unused in the Mechanism Pavilion, he could only watch it helplessly.
Among all his gains, he had also painstakingly uncovered a ruin that seemed to be part of the hidden pavilion.
It was right next to the main body of the Lava Palace, and its shape and position matched perfectly with a massive gap in the palace above.
But the formation barriers surrounding that ruined structure were astonishingly powerful, mostly third and fourth-tier, and the spatial force in the area was especially strong.
It felt like a self-contained system of immense might.
Such a level of defense only strengthened Li Ye's belief that even if it wasn't the hidden pavilion it must hold something of great value. Yet even with his formation mastery at the third tier, he still couldn't get close to it.
He had even sent a team of puppets to probe the area. But as soon as they approached and tried to locate a weak point in the barrier, several of the vanguard puppets were instantly destroyed by an unknown formation strike.
If not for his life-bound puppet being used to bringing up the rear and thus staying out of range it would've been wiped out as well, and years of refinement would have gone up in smoke.
The power of the formation was so shocking that it reminded Li Ye of the unknown spirit treasure in the ruined Foundry Pavilion that had yet to make another move.
Aside from the fact that the treasure could react on its own, this formation's might wasn't that far off.
Of course… it could also be that his cultivation level was too low, making it hard to accurately judge the strength of something so far beyond him.
But whether his judgment was right or wrong, one thing was certain it wasn't a place he could enter.
Soon after, the momentum of the formation's upheaval became unstoppable. More and more cultivators began to notice the appearance of fire beasts, and the Lava Palace was on the verge of being revealed to the world.
"With the current state of the Chidi Mountains, it's already impressive that a bunch of Qi Condensation cultivators can organize themselves to hunt fire beasts and profit off their crystal cores…"
"If someone dares to enter the underground area through some unknown passage even a Foundation cultivator without a proper route will probably end up swarmed by fire beasts and die without a trace!"
Despite years of exploration, Li Ye had only cleared a small section, but even within that small area, the number of fire beasts he had slain was massive.
Yet even so, he could constantly see fire beasts frolicking in other areas… as if they were endless!
Those that had surfaced aboveground were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Li Ye could confidently say that anyone who underestimated the danger and acted rashly would most likely meet a grim end.
"Although this means that no one will be able to access the Lava Palace in the short term, I still have a chance to go down and search for spiritual items… But it's just too dangerous."
"Might as well let things take their course and play the part of a Foundation Establishment cultivator who happens to be in a territory that suddenly changed."
Li Ye was quite at peace.
With what was essentially an endless lifespan as his foundation, why should he take unnecessary risks?
Besides, as he had sensed before, the Voidrealm's spiritual essence seemed to purify the mana produced by the Wood God Art.
Even at the mid-foundation stage, his mana quality already rivaled that of late-stage cultivators. Who knew what it would become after decades of cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment?
Perhaps his mana would solidify on its own, reaching a state close to Golden Core. With that, even without spiritual items, his chances of forming a core would be quite decent!
And if not, he could always patiently wait for the next opportunity.
He did not need to fight for fleeting chances at the cost of his life like other cultivators did.
"But there are still some loose ends I need to clean up. I can't leave behind those large formations and secret paths…"
With that thought flashing through his mind, Li Ye concealed his aura and quietly left Mount Pingyang.
........
Gurgle gurgle~ Gurgle gurgle~
Molten lava churned and flowed, erupting from time to time and sending plumes of earthfire into the air.
An enormous formation barrier of unknown scale flickered between activation and dormancy, constantly drawing upon the surrounding fire energy to maintain its formidable power.
More and more fire beasts and flame puppets were now unshackled, rampaging freely within, scattering in all directions toward every passage that might connect to the surface.
The entire area affected by the Lava Palace had expanded drastically danger lurked everywhere. Without the many stabilizing nodes Li Ye had previously set up, even the passage he used regularly would have become unusable.
Swish swish swish
Puppets dropped down rapidly, led by one holding a core disciple token, forming a battle formation that minimized the repelling force from the surrounding formations.
At the rear, Li Ye's life-bound puppet moved with agile precision. A glint of spiritual light flashed in its eyes before it ejected a small formation device from its body.
Vast spiritual energy surged into it, and formation patterns on its surface lit up one after another. In an instant, it seemed to bypass the spatial barrier and establish a link with the previously placed stabilizing nodes.
With one final pulse, strange ripples spread outward from it.
As it passed through the lava and formation barriers, no reaction was triggered.
But the moment it came into contact with each meticulously placed node, the nodes flickered a few times before ceasing to operate and collapsing.
Swish swish swish
In the black-and-red world, countless faint silver light points extinguished in quick succession. The equilibrium they had maintained was broken, and the suppressed formation forces burst into chaotic surges.
The powerful energies roared through the lava, wiping out all traces of Li Ye's prior arrangements. Many fire beasts were caught in the blast and immediately eradicated by the raging formations.
Just then, a faint roar echoed from deep within the sea of fire. The life-bound puppet, which had already completed its mission and was ready to retreat, immediately reacted and sped away without hesitation.
From the depths of the lava, a fire beast with nine heads, its entire body engulfed in crimson-violet flames, suddenly emerged. It scanned the surroundings with a hint of confusion, but finding nothing unusual, it turned and departed.
Swish swish swish
Retrieving all his puppets, Li Ye seemed like a man fleeing from ghosts. With a swift stomp, he activated a formation he had long since prepared on the ground.
The soil and rocks surged upward, sealing and burying the passage and formations below.
A flicker of shock and uncertainty crossed Li Ye's face.
"A Golden Core fire beast… Until now, I've only ever glimpsed signs of their presence deep within the Lava Palace. And now they're starting to move outward on their own?!"
"It's exactly as I suspected this place is no longer suitable for any further exploration!"
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