Free Web NovelChapter 62: Chapter 61: Dual Entry Permanentization
It was not yet full dawn, but a few people were already standing on the outskirts of the market.
When Li Yuan arrived, Array Master Zhou was looking down at a palm-sized Array Disc. Uncle Qu was carrying a lantern, its flame flickering in the morning breeze. Next to them stood a few cultivators from the guard team.
He Shou was also among them. When he saw Li Yuan approach, he just gave a slight lift of his chin.
"Everyone’s here. Let’s go."
Before coming, Li Yuan had unequipped the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill and equipped the Warning Talisman instead.
There was no change when he equipped it. Li Yuan guessed it would likely only react when danger was imminent.
It wasn’t that Li Yuan hadn’t considered unequipping the Spirit-Nurturing Jade Sun Stone and leaving it at home.
But this thing could increase the power of his Fire Element Magic by more than ten percent, which would be useful if he ran into real danger.
Besides, if such a large stone were left in his room and discovered by someone, it would be hard to explain, though that possibility was slim.
In comparison, the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill was more focused on cultivation and provided a smaller direct boost to combat.
The group left the market just as the sky began to turn white at the horizon.
It was the same mountain path, but this time they moved faster than before. They had scouted the area ahead twice, so Li Yuan had a good idea of which sections were flat and which were likely to hide Demon Beasts.
Array Master Zhou only slowed his pace when they reached the mouth of the valley.
They encountered no trouble along the way.
The forest ahead had already been cleared out several times, and even the common small beasts were fewer in number. Occasionally, they could see broken branches and blackened bloodstains, most likely left over from the previous clearing operations.
They soon reached the cliff from before.
On the stone surface near the cliff’s edge, the scraped-away old earth was still faintly visible. That was where they had found the array markings last time. After a few days of wind, it was nearly covered by dust again.
Array Master Zhou crouched down, studied it for a moment, then reached out and tapped the stone surface lightly a couple of times.
"It’s not here."
With that, he stood up and headed in a different direction.
Li Yuan, following beside him, glanced at his panel.
[Danger Perception (Gray) Permanence Progress: 0/3]
’It hasn’t budged. I guess just walking down a mountain path isn’t enough to count.’
Li Yuan withdrew his gaze and continued forward.
After checking two more spots, which Array Master Zhou dismissed with a glance and a shake of his head, he suddenly stopped before a slope of loose scree. Holding his Array Disc, he turned halfway around on the spot.
The fine needle on the Array Disc trembled left and right a few times before finally pointing north.
It pointed toward a shaded slope where vegetation was sparse. More stones were exposed there than elsewhere, and their color was darker.
Array Master Zhou narrowed his eyes.
"Is there an old pit to the north?"
He Shou was taken aback by the question.
"An old pit?"
Uncle Qu thought for a moment and took over, "There is. There’s an abandoned mine shaft under Black Stone Slope that’s been sealed for many years. Some of the guards mentioned it once. They said there was nothing inside and it was bad luck, so no one has gone that way since."
Array Master Zhou tapped his finger on the Array Disc.
"That must be it. Hollow spaces connect most easily with the earth’s energy. If someone were using the mountain’s terrain to lay an array, that spot would most likely be a node."
He started walking as soon as he finished speaking.
"Let’s go see."
Black Stone Slope was not far.
The group skirted two stone ridges, and the terrain ahead became noticeably gloomier. The sun was up, but its light seemed to be partially blocked when it reached this area, and the ground was much damper than elsewhere.
After another hundred steps or so, Li Yuan came to a halt.
[Danger Perception (Gray) Permanence Progress: 0/3]
Although the numerical value on the Danger Perception panel hadn’t changed, it was now flashing.
Li Yuan looked up ahead.
The mine shaft wasn’t fully visible yet. All he could see was a half-collapsed wooden frame at the base of the mountain wall, with a few blackened support beams sticking out crookedly. The entrance was mostly buried by rubble, leaving only a dark crevice wide enough for someone to stoop and enter.
A cold wind was seeping out from within.
"There’s something inside."
Array Master Zhou didn’t turn around, only thrusting the Array Disc forward. This time, the needle trembled more violently than before, its tip pointing straight into the cave.
"The Yin Qi is heavy," Array Master Zhou said. "Everyone, be careful."
Uncle Qu raised his lantern higher.
Two Cultivators from the guard team stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right, and pushed aside some loose rocks blocking the entrance. The rocks tumbled down, striking the inner walls and echoing with several dull thuds, the sound lingering for a long time.
It was even colder inside the mine shaft than outside.
Just as they stooped to enter, the lantern’s flame inexplicably flickered. The flame shrank to a tiny ball, casting the shadows of the surrounding wooden pillars into a chaotic dance.
"I’ll set up an Array first."
Array Master Zhou didn’t rush deeper inside. Instead, he stopped at a slightly wider spot in the mine. It wasn’t far from the entrance, where the rock walls bulged outward on either side, creating a relatively flat depression in the middle. The ground underfoot was covered in damp, loose stones.
"The Yin Qi is chaotic here, and the earth energy has been disturbed. I need to suppress this section first." Array Master Zhou gestured with his hand toward the pitch-black tunnel ahead. "Otherwise, if we go further in, the Array Disc’s readings could be thrown off."
Hearing this, the others spread out to guard the perimeter.
Only then did Array Master Zhou begin taking items out of his storage bag.
Six small, black flags, each about half a foot long, their surfaces small and edges worn. A few copper-nail-like Array Cones, a handful of grayish-white stone powder, plus a few Low Grade Spirit Stones and that palm-sized Array Disc.
He first crouched down, tapping the ground a few times with his knuckles, then moved the Array Disc slowly across the surface. After the needle had trembled a few times, he determined the first position at his feet, hammered an Array Cone into a crevice in the rock, and then set a small flag on top of it.
The moment the flag entered the ground, the surrounding cold, gloomy aura seemed to be momentarily blocked. The chaotic, swirling cold wind paused.
Once the flag’s position was set, Array Master Zhou grabbed the grayish-white stone powder and slowly sprinkled it in a circle connecting the various Array Flags.
The powder landed, tracing fine lines. They were messy at first, but he quickly arranged and smoothed them with the tip of his boot and a short ruler, connecting them into several winding patterns. A few small gaps were left between the patterns, perfectly sized for the Spirit Stones.
As the last few Spirit Stones were pressed into place, the gray lines on the ground lit up faintly before quickly dimming again.
The lantern’s flame instantly stabilized.
The oppressive feeling from the ghostly wind that had made them shrink back upon entering the cave also faded considerably.
"This locks down the Yin Qi and helps probe the veins," Array Master Zhou said, standing up and squinting at his Array Disc. "If there really is an array node connected inside, the earth energy will definitely be different from elsewhere. I have to calibrate it bit by bit; it’s not as simple as just planting the flags."
He Shou and two guard Cultivators stood watch on the outer side, while Li Yuan and two others stood further in. The sound of dripping water was constant in the mine, and occasionally, loose stones would tumble from the depths, their impacts on the rock walls echoing emptily.
Li Yuan stood toward the back, his hand never leaving his sleeve.
As time passed, the panel that had only been flashing finally showed a change.
[Danger Perception (Gray) Permanence Progress: 1/3]
’So it has to be a genuinely dangerous place for the progress to move.’
Array Master Zhou set up the array slowly.
In places where the earth energy didn’t flow smoothly, he had to pull out the Array Flags and replant them. In one spot, the Yin Qi was so thick that the freshly sprinkled powder turned black in an instant, forcing him to redraw the line. If the needle on the Array Disc deviated even slightly, he would have to walk a full circle around the area before returning to adjust the flag’s position.
A full six hours passed before Array Master Zhou finally let out a slow breath and retrieved his Array Disc.
"It’s done."
Almost at the exact moment he finished, the panel in front of Li Yuan’s eyes jumped.
[Permanence conditions for Danger Perception (Gray) have been met. Make permanent?]
Li Yuan confirmed it with a thought.
[Permanent Trait Added: Danger Perception (Gray)]
The slot for the Warning Talisman was now empty, but Li Yuan wasn’t in a hurry to equip something else.
The group tightened their formation and continued deeper along the mine tunnel.
Li Yuan walked near the back, periodically checking with his Spirit Detecting Disc, but there was no reaction.
A very faint chill suddenly ran through his body, but it vanished just as quickly.
The group had advanced less than a hundred feet when Uncle Qu slowed his pace. He seemed to notice something, but he made no move.
The lantern at the very front suddenly tilted, and the Yin Qi abruptly intensified.
A grayish-white shadow slid down along the cave wall.
There was no sound of footsteps, no rush of air—just a blur, and it was in front of the lead guard Cultivator’s face. It was a fuzzy, beast-like face, half of which was caved in as if it had been rotted by water. Two points of eerie green light shone from its empty eye sockets.
The guard Cultivator’s pupils shrank. He immediately took a step back and reflexively blasted out a wave of Spiritual Power.
A wraith, and not a weak one.
Struck by the Spiritual Power, the wraith before them merely flickered, its form growing slightly blurry.
Li Yuan’s fingers suddenly tightened, but his feet had already moved.
At the same time, he immediately equipped the Exorcism Talisman.
The instant the equipment slot lit up, the Spiritual Power circulating in Li Yuan’s meridians jolted.
A paper-thin layer of coolness coated the surface of his normally warm, flowing Spiritual Power. It was minuscule, but he could feel it.
Li Yuan didn’t stop moving, sending Spiritual Power surging through his meridians.
Instead of forming a Fireball, Li Yuan flicked his wrist, first casting the Fire Arrow Skill he had only recently mastered.
A streak of crimson light grazed past the guard Cultivator’s ear, so fast it was just a thin, straight line of fire.
HISS.
The fire arrow struck the wraith square in the chest.
The grayish-white shadow shuddered violently from the impact, as if an invisible membrane had been pierced by a needle. Its entire body twisted, and it let out a sharp, shrill screech.
The sound was sharp enough to make one’s eardrums go numb.
The other guard Cultivators also began to attack, a dense barrage of Spiritual Light flying toward the wraith.
Uncle Qu and Array Master Zhou remained standing where they were, unmoving.
Li Yuan didn’t stop. freēwēbnovel.com
The first strike was just to seize the moment; the next was the real killing blow. A fiery light suddenly swelled in his palm, and with a lift of his hand, he hurled a crimson Fireball.
BOOM! A wave of fire surged through the narrow mine tunnel.
The wraith was already reeling from several Magic attacks and couldn’t dodge. The Fireball smashed it head-on. Its grayish-white body instantly sizzled as if splashed with hot oil, white smoke rising from its edges. The eerie green light in its eyes flashed violently, and then it shattered into a chaotic cloud of dispersing Yin Qi.
When the flames dissipated, only a scorched, foul smell remained in the mine tunnel.
The guard Cultivator at the front staggered back two steps, a cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Uncle Qu glanced at Li Yuan with a hint of appreciation.
"You’re quick to act."
Then he looked at the other members of the guard team.
"Your reactions were adequate, but you were too hasty. Fire and Thunder Skills are more effective against wraiths."
"And don’t rely on the Spirit Detecting Disc for everything. It detects Spiritual Power, which has nothing to do with wraiths."
Array Master Zhou also turned back, his gaze sweeping over the residual firelight in Li Yuan’s palm.
"Your fire Magic is well-practiced," he said. "Wraiths like this fear intense flames. One hit is enough to cause them a lot of pain."
Li Yuan didn’t respond. It wasn’t just his Fire Element Magic; the Exorcism Talisman had imbued his Spiritual Power with the ability to harm wraiths, and that effect was now apparent in his Magic.
[Permanence conditions for Exorcism (Gray) have been met. Make permanent?]
[Permanent Trait Added: Exorcism (Gray)]
’This trip wasn’t a waste after all. I’ve made both gray traits permanent.’
Uncle Qu shone his lantern forward, his expression turning grim.
"A Tier One Middle Grade wraith."
"These things are rare outside, but places like mine shafts are perfect for breeding them."
Meanwhile, Array Master Zhou walked over to where the wraith had dissipated and crouched down to examine the ground. The black liquid there was thicker than the surrounding ooze, and a few grayish specks were embedded in the crevices of the rock—it was impossible to tell if they were bone fragments or mineral sand.
"Something is definitely wrong here," he said, standing up. "Those array markings outside were probably just peripheral. The real point connecting to the Earth Vein must be inside this mine."
"If it’s not the main Array Hub, it’s still a critical location."
