Fire beasts continued to appear from time to time in the various underground fire tunnels throughout the Chidi Mountains.
However, the most active and unusual fire tunnels were concentrated around the area near Dengyun Market.
As a result, the market's business and function had begun to shift now also serving as a hub for exploration and adventuring.
Outside one of the accessible fire tunnels, several cultivators lingered, either out of curiosity or to gather firsthand information, even after Deng Tiancheng and his party had entered. They remained under the protection of the formation, unwilling to leave.
None of them expected that something would happen so soon before even a full day had passed.
From a distance, they noticed a ripple of disturbance suddenly appear within the sealed formation, catching many by surprise.
"Huh? They're already coming out?"
Within the crowd, many Qi Refining cultivators widened their eyes, staring intently at the formation.
They had all been given orders by Foundation Establishment cultivators. The mystery of what lay beneath had long sparked overwhelming curiosity among them, though none dared to act rashly.
If they could be the first to report accurate information, they'd surely earn significant favor from the Foundation Establishment cultivators behind the scenes.
At that moment, the formation abruptly opened a narrow passage.
Three figures, their auras faint and injured, shot out like arrows.
Immediately after, the formation was sealed shut again. A loud boom echoed, followed by fierce beastly roars. The sealing formation's runes blazed to life, activating their full power to forcibly block the shockwaves and attacks from within.
However, many of the formation's nodes quickly dimmed and even shattered as their embedded fire beast crystal cores were drained of power.
A steward from Pingyang Mountain, who had been waiting nearby, acted swiftly replacing and replenishing the cores to ensure the formation's strength remained at peak levels.
As for the three cultivators who had escaped the formation, they didn't pause for even a second they immediately vanished using escape techniques, giving no one a chance to observe them closely or ask questions.
Still, their battered state already spoke volumes.
......
"Four went in, and only three came out each one seriously injured and not even stopping for a moment…"
"What kind of danger lies beneath, that even Deng Tiancheng, a disciple of the Jiuding Valley, ended up in such a state after personally exploring it?"
Duan Ruisheng's voice was puzzled, his eyes flickering with curiosity and apprehension.
As the Foundation Establishment ancestor of a modest family clan, he had become firmly committed to building good relations with Li Ye ever since witnessing his impressive skill in alchemy years ago.
Now that Li Ye had gathered complete Five Element Pill formulas for boosting Foundation Establishment cultivators' power, Duan Ruisheng frequently traded with him for elixirs, resulting in steady progress in his cultivation.
His clan had recently raised two members to the peak of Qi Refining, and he was preparing to procure Foundation Establishment resources for them.
After Luo Feibai's breakthrough, he'd been eyeing Li Ye's support, planning to compete for a Foundation Establishment Pill at this year's Chidi Auction.
If that didn't work out, he even considered visiting Li Ye personally, hoping to curry favor for a private purchase.
Failing that, he would have to settle for using Spirit-Focusing Pills, even if the success rate was low it would be better than nothing.
This was partly why he had arrived early and worked hard clearing Tier-2 fire beasts in the Chidi Mountains not just to improve Li Ye's impression of him, but also to strengthen ties with the newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator, Luo Feibai.
He had planned to exchange the fire beast cores he'd earned for a Foundation Establishment Pill, but Li Ye had remained firm only willing to trade for Firecloud Pills or half the value in other Tier-2 spiritual medicines.
Though Duan Ruisheng himself wasn't at a loss he'd managed to trade for plenty of useful pills it was clear that the Foundation Establishment Pills for his clan juniors were out of reach.
Since there was little hope left on that front, he was preparing to leave, now that Li Ye had restored and stabilized most of the fire tunnels by setting up formations that kept the fire beast outbreaks in check.
But just then, Li Ye announced that access tokens could now be purchased for a chance to explore the underground causing Duan Ruisheng to hesitate.
Any seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator could tell there was something off about the fire beasts. There was likely some sort of ancient relic buried below. However, with Li Ye's formidable formations sealing off every path, no one dared to venture in recklessly.
After all, if something truly dangerous happened and the entrance was sealed by a formation there'd be no escape.
Duan Ruisheng certainly had his thoughts about it, but he understood this was Li Ye's territory, and given Li Ye's superior formation skills, it wasn't likely that anyone else could swoop in and reap the rewards.
Even so, Li Ye's recent announcement had stirred hope in not just him, but many others as well.
That said, Duan Ruisheng was a cautious man. As the patriarch of a family, he didn't rush off recklessly with friends or allies. Instead, he decided to wait and see what the first explorers discovered before making his move.
But the news he'd waited for turned out to be far heavier than expected.
Even Deng Tiancheng's elite squad had been routed losing a man in the process. For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself, wouldn't this truly be a matter of life and death?
"…Forget it. Better to keep watching for now," he sighed, realizing this wasn't the kind of excitement he should involve himself in. He summoned his clan disciples and instructed them to keep gathering information.
…
Since the moment Deng Tiancheng and his team had fled in such a sorry state from the underground fire tunnel, the atmosphere around the Chidi Mountains which had already felt like a powder keg with all the Foundation Establishment cultivators gathering shifted dramatically.
Many Foundation Establishment cultivators who had already acquired Li Ye's access tokens now hesitated, unsure of their next move.
Deng Tiancheng himself was soon swarmed with visitors, with unfamiliar cultivators coming daily to try and meet him.
However, he and his companions had gone into closed-door recovery, and for days, no one had managed to get a word with any of them.
It wasn't until half a month later that a fellow cultivator who shared some personal connection with him finally gained an audience and learned what had truly happened underground.
A massive number of Tier-2 fire beasts, and formations.
Disorderly, hard to detect, and of wildly varying power, the formations had been deadly traps.
One member of their team, an elder Daoist, had been seriously wounded by one such high-powered formation. Before anyone could react, he was swarmed and killed by fire beasts.
The entire encounter had unfolded in the blink of an eye, leaving the rest of the team badly injured and forcing a hasty retreat as soon as they escaped the formation.
But once that news got out, it didn't dissuade others it inflamed their ambition.
If there had only been fire beasts, perhaps they would have stayed cautious. But the presence of ancient formation traps was as good as confirmation there was a relic buried underground, likely from a Golden Core or even Nascent Soul sect!
If they could breach the defenses of fire beasts and ancient formations, the treasures inside could be theirs!
So overnight, multiple Foundation Establishment teams entered the underground through various fire tunnels.
Meanwhile, Li Ye, famed for both alchemy and formation mastery, began receiving frequent visits from curious cultivators.
"Brother Li! At this point, we can be nearly certain that there's at least a Golden Core or even Nascent Soul-level sect relic hidden beneath the ground. If we can find it, there may even be spiritual items needed for Core Formation!"
"With your level of formation expertise, if you're willing to go down with us, we can break through those chaotic wards and reach the underground!"
"Are you going to pass up such an opportunity?"
Standing in front of him, Deng Tiancheng still hadn't fully recovered but was excited.
Li Ye, on the other hand, felt nothing at all.
Sure, maybe you're right…
But for the sake of staying alive, I'll have to pass on this one!
Seeing Deng Tiancheng's expression freeze, Li Ye gave a faint smile.
"Brother Deng, please go back. The underground relic might be tempting, but it's far too dangerous. Honestly… I'm just not interested."
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