No matter what Cai Shiwei thought, it couldn't change the fact that the cultivators of the three sects had now agreed at least for the time being to abandon their plan to deal with Li Ye.
According to the three formation masters, the wood-element formation now enveloping Pingyang Mountain had reached a quasi-third-rank level. Shrouded by the power of the void, it was nearly impossible to find any flaw just by observing from afar.
Unless… they were given enough time.
But their true mission here was to break the seal on the formation within the Lava Palace and claim its ancient treasures for their sects. How could they afford to waste time lingering here?
Besides, Li Ye was proving extremely cautious.
Even with the true nature of the Lava Palace now widely known thanks to many loose cultivators spreading the word its value had risen significantly in everyone's eyes. And yet, Li Ye remained firmly within the mountain, showing no sign of coming out.
If such overwhelming profits couldn't tempt him, then whatever connection Cai Shiwei or Deng Tiancheng once had with him certainly wouldn't be enough to lure him out either.
Even if they were burning with the desire to kill him, the cultivators of the three sects hadn't come for Li Ye. They were here for the Lava Palace. Naturally, they weren't willing to waste time stuck here.
And so, faced with the current situation, they had no choice but to back down.
"We've yet to see anyone from Purple Profound Sect show up, and Li Ye remains dead set on guarding the mountain… perhaps we've been overthinking it. They likely pose no real threat to us. Trying to capture Li Ye any further is just a waste of time."
"It should be about time now the formation around the Lava Palace should have calmed down. It's time we joined forces and explored it again."
Zou Zifu's suggestion was immediately met with agreement.
"Exactly! We're here on a mission there's no reason to waste time tangling with someone like Li Ye!"
"Over these past days, some of those reckless rogue cultivators have gone down to test it again. Though few returned alive, a couple did manage to bring something back…"
"If even they can get lucky, then with our combined strength, we're bound to uncover the true treasures of the Lava Palace!"
One after another, their voices echoed in unison as they quickly took flight, heading straight toward the direction of the Tengyun Market.
But as they departed, nearly all of them whether intentionally or not glanced back at the mountain, now veiled by towering trees, its secrets hidden from view. Complex emotions flickered in their eyes.
They didn't seem as overtly murderous as Cai Shiwei, but more or less, there was still some lingering frustration and killing intent from having been forced to back down.
To be cultivators of Golden Core sects, and yet be held back by a mere nobody from some rural backwater this was an insult none of them would soon forget.
This unspoken grudge, if left unresolved, would be hard to swallow, especially for someone like Kong Changsheng.
As for Deng Tiancheng, who had known Li Ye for many years, his feelings were even more tangled.
All this time, he had believed that in terms of background or cultivation, he stood head and shoulders above Li Ye. While he had tried to maintain friendly ties, he had never once seen Li Ye as someone who could pose a threat to him.
Yet now, reality had hit him squarely in the face.
It turned out he had been the one underestimating all along.
Still, seeing the faint murderous intent that remained in the eyes of the three-sect cultivators, Deng Tiancheng couldn't help but think: there might be no way out for Li Ye after all…
After all, he couldn't hide inside the mountain forever.
Once the secret realm had been fully explored and the others were free again, even if only a few chose to make a move, Li Ye would likely not escape death.
...
[Your bond with the Tier-4 spiritual plant, Jianmu Subspecies: Offshoot of the Voidrealm Tree, has deepened. Lingering essence solidified: +0.1%...]
[You tended to the Tier-4 spiritual plant Jianmu Subspecies: Offshoot of the Voidrealm Tree using blood-refining techniques, allowing it to complete one annual growth cycle. Experience +1000...]
[...]
[Jianmu Subspecies: Offshoot of the Voidrealm Tree has gained one additional growth ring. You have obtained: Voidrealm Essence ×2...]
Beneath the Voidrealm Tree, Li Ye slowly withdrew his consciousness from the shift in perspective, a faint smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.
Four Foundation Establishment cultivators, including one at the mid-stage… not to mention the presence of blood-melted and bone-withering essences. As fertilizer, they provided a potent supplement that allowed the Voidrealm Tree to complete an entire year's growth in advance and grant a return in kind.
With practiced ease, Li Ye absorbed and refined the Voidrealm Essence, feeling the subtle rise in both his longevity and life force, along with a slight strengthening of his cultivation and improvements in two secret techniques. His aura grew ever so slightly more powerful.
A storage pouch appeared in his hand. After a quick rummage through its contents, his expression shifted slightly.
"A new large-scale expedition has started again? Looks like those three sects have made their move…"
Li Ye could sense from afar that the formations around the underground fire channels had been disturbed. His expression became unreadable.
"This time… let's hope they don't stir up something too dangerous. If too many die at once, I fear even the Golden Core stage elders might be forced to intervene in person…"
After the last exploration, Li Ye recalled his disguised puppet to inspect the situation. He'd also had his subordinates gather information, giving him a clear picture of the three sects' progress within the Lava Palace.
In his eyes, even with the three sects joining forces, relying solely on their current formation masters likely wouldn't get them very far.
After all, the environment surrounding the Lava Palace had grown even more chaotic and perilous compared to when he first explored it. Many of the interconnected formation traps were completely unpredictable some exploded without warning or explanation.
Without third-rank formation mastery, even with several second-rank formation experts, making it through to the palace was borderline delusional.
Even if they somehow managed it, they would likely pay a steep and bloody price.
Furthermore, there were far more minor factions and rogue cultivators than there were members of the three sects. With all their meddling and chaos, even Li Ye wasn't sure how far he could go if he entered again.
Let alone the fact that third-rank fire beasts had started becoming active in the area around the palace…
If anyone got too close to the main structure, they would attract the beast's attention and by then, it might already be too late to run.
"I can only say… good thing that third-rank fire beast doesn't seem willing to leave the Lava Palace's domain. Otherwise, if they lured it out to the surface, the entire Chidi Mountain Range might just be ruined."
Li Ye muttered with a hint of sarcasm, then turned his gaze back to the black jade slip in his hand.
"The Emerald Flame Demon Art… so this Bi Huozi's entire inheritance truly originates from the demon clans that invaded this realm…"
"But from the content… though powerful, with its cultivation of demonic flames and methods to refine demonic artifacts and spirits it all feels… off. There's something about it that doesn't sit right…"
"Could it be the demons deliberately altered the technique before passing it on?"
Holding the dual inheritances of the Heavenly Craft Scripture and Wood God Art, both Divine Transformation-tier techniques, Li Ye had a high vantage point from which to assess the quality of cultivation methods.
Though he couldn't say for certain, it didn't hurt to be wary.
With the rise of demonic cultivators in the Yue and Huan nations, could it be that aside from the resources and techniques brought by the demon invasion, there was also deliberate manipulation by the demons behind the scenes?
"If that's the case… even though that mysterious realm-crossing portal has been shut and the demons now cling to survival through hidden realms… the potential for future unrest is still very real."
Still, this remained speculation and was, for now, too distant to be of concern.
What interested Li Ye far more than this primary cultivation method was another jade slip he had found in Bi Huozi's storage pouch…
"The Blood Ritual Talisman Codex… So that's how this guy could casually pull out so many Tier-2 Sealbreaking Talismans it was thanks to this secret technique!"
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