Watching the three streaks of light disappear into the distance, Li Mu felt a sense of worry in his heart, but he knew his responsibility was even greater. The safety of the seven extreme Seal Grand Formations concerned the security of the entire Spirit Realm. Moreover, the countless high-grade spiritual plants cultivated in several Secret Realms were crucial to his path to Dao and could not be lost.
After making up his mind, Li Mu immersed his Divine Sense into the tianxuan ring and conjured a set of Teleportation Formation plates from it. As Chaos Power was injected into the plates, mysterious, intricate, and space-time-infused artifact patterns instantly appeared on the surface of the eight plates, intertwining to form ancient patterns. These patterns seemed to contain the ultimate truths of Heaven and Earth, and also seemed to connect to distant space-time.
Li Mu quickly formed hand Seals, and as a continuous surge of Chaos Power poured in, it transformed into a turbulent surge of space-time power. Faint ripples permeated the air, a precursor to the space being torn apart.
“Buzz—”
A low and prolonged tremor sounded, and circles of visible space-time ripples began to appear at the center of the formation diagram. These ripples rapidly spread outwards, and wherever they passed, space seemed to be gently torn apart by an invisible large hand, revealing a portal to another world.
Li Mu did not hesitate; his figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light and plunging into it.
With a “whoosh,” Li Mu’s figure vanished, reappearing before the scenery surrounding the Ancient Teleportation Array at Xuantian Sword Sect’s Sword Asking Peak.
“Greetings, Elder Li!”
The Soul Transformation Disciple on duty, seeing Li Mu’s sudden appearance, quickly reacted and stepped forward to respectfully bow and greet him.
Li Mu nodded slightly, his expression solemn, and without further delay, he headed directly towards the Sect’s Contribution Hall.
Before long, Li Mu flew to the Contribution Hall and strode in. The Disciples and Deacons inside cast respectful glances his way. In the center of the hall, Qiu Yuanhong was seated in a high position, poring over an ancient book, a hint of solemnity in his brows.
Upon seeing Li Mu’s figure, he quickly put down the ancient book and rose to greet him.
“Elder Li, you’ve returned! How was the battle, and why didn’t the Dao Juns return with you?”
Qiu Yuanhong eagerly fired a barrage of questions at Li Mu, revealing his deep concern for the current situation.
Li Mu and Feng Wuhen had been investigating the extreme Sealed Land when they encountered an invasion by Great Ascension Cultivators from the Demon Abyss forces. The Disciples stationed in Ice Nether Spirit Valley were annihilated. Now, with him returning alone, Qiu Yuanhong was filled with worry.
Li Mu smiled slightly and informed him of the detailed battle situation: they had successfully collaborated to eliminate two Great Ascension Demon Cultivators from the Demon Abyss forces, with one escaping. He briefly mentioned that the three Dao Juns had decided to venture deep into the Nine Nether core to destroy the “Nether Breaking Boundary Formation.”
“So that’s how it is. This Nether Breaking Boundary Formation is truly troublesome. The three Dao Juns’ journey will be perilous,” Qiu Yuanhong couldn’t help but sigh, full of worry, upon hearing this.
In the past hundred years, Xuantian Sword Sect had just lost a Dao Jun. Now, after much difficulty, several Sword Masters had successively Broken Through their Realm and attained Mahayana, just as the Sect was flourishing. Yet, they encountered such a situation again. Qiu Yuanhong felt a mix of emotions and was anxious about the impending crisis.
The Sect Master, Xuantian, was lost in the Nine Nether Land, and Qing Hong Dao Jun had also perished in the Nine Nether Land. Now, the three Dao Juns of the Sect were heading to this place again. If anything went wrong, the Sect truly could not bear it.
“Elder Qiu, there’s no need to worry too much,” Li Mu said, seeing Qiu Yuanhong’s apprehension, comforting him. “The three Dao Juns are all pillars of the Sect, with extraordinary strength. The Nine Nether Land is fraught with danger. They will act cautiously on this trip and won’t easily take risks. We only need to provide support and ensure the safety of the Seals; that is the greatest support we can offer them.”
“Elder Li, you are right!” Qiu Yuanhong responded with a wry smile, then sincerely said, “You’ve just returned from the front lines, weary from your journey, and should rest. But at this critical time for the Sect, I still need you to put in more effort and assist me in handling Sect affairs.”
Li Mu smiled slightly, nodded, and said, “Elder Qiu, you are too polite. As a member of the Sect, I will naturally do my utmost. Moreover, with the current tense situation concerning the Seal Grand Formation, I will certainly not stand idly by.”
Li Mu already had a plan in mind: he needed to utilize all available resources to reinforce the Seal Grand Formation and simultaneously strengthen intelligence gathering to deal with any potential changes. This time, being able to learn in advance about the changes in the Seal Grand Formation was due to the Tianji Old Man’s Tianji warning from Tianji Pavilion.
“Elder Qiu, I believe the most urgent task is to strengthen the monitoring and protection of the seven extreme Seals. The incident at Ice Nether Spirit Valley serves as a warning. The Demon Abyss forces are already stirring, and we must be vigilant. I suggest immediately dispatching elite Disciples, equipped with Advanced defensive Magic Treasures, to guard the perimeters of each Seal to ensure absolute safety,” Li Mu proposed to Qiu Yuanhong.
“Additionally,” Li Mu added, “we also need to strengthen our intelligence support for Tianji Pavilion. The Tianji Old Man’s warning is crucial to us. Perhaps we can dispatch a trustworthy Elder to be permanently stationed at Tianji Pavilion, so we can obtain information about the Demon Abyss’s movements at the first possible moment.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yuanhong’s brows relaxed slightly, and a smile appeared on his face, deeply pleased with Li Mu’s thorough consideration.
“Elder Li is absolutely right. Strengthening Seal protection and intelligence gathering are both indispensable. Regarding intelligence support for Tianji Pavilion, I will personally select a shrewd and capable Elder to go, ensuring timely intelligence. As for Seal protection,” Qiu Yuanhong changed the subject, looking at Li Mu and pleading, “Elder Li, whatever resources you need to reinforce the Seal Grand Formation, just say the word. The Sect’s Treasure Mansion will fully support you.”
Li Mu pondered for a moment, then frowned and said, “Currently, the priority is to reconstruct the warning formations on the periphery of the seven Sealed Lands. The warning formation is called ‘Spirit Eye Heavenly Dipper Array.’ This formation was created by a great mighty one in ancient times, combining the power of Heaven and Earth Spirit Eyes with the arrangement of the Heavenly Dipper constellations. It can perceive the Void Realm and provide warnings over a thousand li. To refine this formation, forty-nine rare spiritual Materials are needed, including ‘Star Luo Crystal,’ ‘Moonlight Dew,’ ‘Void Stone,’ ‘Empty Spirit Jade,’ and other sixth and seventh-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures. These are then melted with secret methods and integrated into the formation diagram.”
“The refining technique for this formation is extremely complex. One must choose a place with abundant Spiritual Qi and set up a ‘Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Gathering Spirit Formation’ to gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi as the foundation for refining the formation. Subsequently, the caster must use a Yao Beast’s essence as a guide to communicate with Heaven and Earth, refining the forty-nine spiritual Materials one by one until they fuse with each other, forming an Acquired Mist Spirit.”
“Finally, by integrating the Mist Spirit into the ‘Spirit Eye Heavenly Dipper Array,’ one can detect any disturbances around the Seal, whether it’s the leakage of Origin Qi from the Grand Formation or the infiltration of enemies. It can issue an alarm at the first moment, winning precious response time for the Sect.”
“As time passes, this formation can also gradually absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and evolve on its own, continuously improving its warning range and accuracy.”
...
Li Mu spoke voluminously, elaborating in detail to Qiu Yuanhong on the construction specifics of the “Spirit Eye Heavenly Dipper Array.”
Reconstructing the warning formations of the seven Sealed Lands not only required a large amount of rare spiritual Materials but also exquisite Artifact Refining techniques and sufficient patience. The process was extremely cumbersome, but Li Mu didn’t care at all. Setting up formations for the seven extreme Sealed Lands was not just for the peace of the Spirit Realm or the future of the Sect; it was crucial for his path to Dao—the thousands of acres of spiritual fields in each Secret Realm.
However, in Qiu Yuanhong’s eyes, this was a manifestation of Li Mu’s unwavering loyalty and dedication to the Sect.
Qiu Yuanhong listened with a solemn expression, nodding in satisfaction from time to time, gaining a clear understanding of the construction of the Spirit Eye Heavenly Dipper Array. At the same time, he also realized the necessity and urgency of arranging warning formations in the Sealed Lands.
“So that’s it. This ‘Spirit Eye Heavenly Dipper Array’ is indeed an indispensable part of the defense system.” After pondering, Qiu Yuanhong looked at Li Mu with firm eyes and indicated, “Elder Li, no matter how rare the spiritual Materials needed to refine these spiritual formations are, the Sect’s Treasure Mansion will spare no effort to gather them. As for high-grade Yao Beast essences, I will also immediately order people to prepare them, ensuring that all conditions meet your needs.”
“Elder Qiu, regarding the refining of the warning formations, I already have a detailed plan. Next, I will personally go to each Sealed Land and arrange them one by one.” Li Mu paused here, then frowned and said, “I have most of the spiritual objects here. The most lacking spiritual Materials are nothing more than seventh-grade Empty Spirit Jade, seventh-grade Star Luo Crystal, and a few other spiritual objects.”
“Star Sand is used to strengthen the formation structure and enhance perception sensitivity; while Empty Spirit Jade is key to constructing the formation’s core, it can effectively isolate external interference, ensuring the purity and accuracy of warning signals. As for Star Luo Crystal, it is crucial for the fusion of the Mist Spirit into the formation. This item is extremely rare and seldom seen in the world;…”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yuanhong’s expression became solemn, and he solemnly promised Li Mu, “These spiritual objects are indeed precious and hard to find, but please rest assured, Elder Li, I will immediately issue an order for the entire Sect to search diligently, whether it’s venturing into dangerous places to collect them or acquiring them through friendly exchanges with other Sects, our Sect will spare no effort!”
Li Mu nodded, discussed some matters with him for a while, then bid farewell to Qiu Yuanhong and left the Contribution Hall first.
Just as Qiu Yuanhong was issuing high-contribution missions, working intensively, and mobilizing the entire Sect’s strength to search for those incomparably rare formation Materials, Li Mu had already returned to Seven Gods Mountain.
After explaining things to Qingyang Zi and Qin Wentong, Li Mu plunged into the seclusion chamber, entered the Painting World Treasure Mansion, and began to inventory the gains from this battle.
The spoils of the two Demon Abyss Dao Juns, besides the broken corpse of the eighth-grade Peak Demon Dragon, included two storage rings. Feng Wuhen and Feng Yi had given him the spoils, as well as those from the twelve Body Integration Demon Cultivators he had killed.
Soon, black Demon Spirit Rings appeared around Li Mu. Under his powerful Divine Thought, a cluster of Chaos Fire appeared out of thin air, sweeping over the storage rings and storage bracelets one by one.
The next moment, the Divine Sense Restrictions and artifact patterns on numerous storage items all disintegrated.
With a ‘whoosh,’ millions of spiritual objects and demonic objects suddenly poured out, filling the entire space of the Painting World Treasure Mansion.
Gleaming demonic crystals, clumps of essence blood containing immense Blood Origin Qi… various rare Artifact Refining Materials, dotted like stars in the night sky, and many demonic artifacts, blood artifacts, and ghost artifacts were among them, either sword-shaped or like Seals. Each item exuded an extraordinary aura, clearly the ‘trump cards’ of those Body Integration Demon Cultivators.
Naturally, there were also many demonized demonic artifacts. Upon gaining freedom, they immediately scattered and fled within the Painting World Treasure Mansion, attempting to find a gap to escape.
However, how could this space, controlled by Li Mu, be easily left by them? He merely snorted lightly, waved his large hand, and streaks of illusory yet substantial Chaos Fire ignited out of thin air, transforming into fire snakes that rapidly coiled around the fleeing demonic spirits.
The demonic spirits of the demonic artifacts, surrounded by the fire snakes, let out shrill ‘screams.’ The Devilish Qi on their bodies rapidly dissipated under the burning of the Chaos Fire, eventually being completely obliterated.
Li Mu’s eyes were cold. The vast majority of these treasures obtained from the Demon Abyss Cultivators contained terrifying demonic properties and were not suitable for his use, so there was naturally no need to keep them.
He knew that if these demonic spirits were not eliminated, they would definitely become a major hidden danger for the Sect in the future. Therefore, he showed no mercy, and every demonic spirit was reduced to nothingness under the burning of the Chaos Fire.
As the last shrill ‘scream’ disappeared, peace returned to the Painting World Treasure Mansion. Li Mu looked at the spoils scattered across the ground, but there was not much ripple in his heart. Under the Talent Divine Power - Identify Myriad Spirits, the attributes of various spiritual objects appeared one by one before his eyes.
For a moment, Li Mu’s eyes were dazed.
“Master, so many treasures! Does Yue’er need to help you clean up?”
The Puppet Spirit, Xiaoyue, appeared behind Li Mu, her eyes sparkling, unable to take it all in, and asked joyfully.
“I know what you’re up to. Pick out whatever is suitable for refining Puppets yourself!”
Li Mu’s lips curved slightly upward. He already knew Xiaoyue’s personality like the back of his hand; this little fellow always couldn’t contain her excitement when she saw rare Materials.
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyue’s face bloomed with a brilliant smile, overjoyed. She quickly squatted down and began to carefully select the spoils on the ground. Her eyes seemed to also possess an identifying skill, quickly moving among the many spiritual objects. With a wave of her hand, suitable rare Materials for refining Puppets flew into her hands one by one.
“Master, these demonic Origin Crystals and essence blood clumps can be used to enhance the Puppets’ power and vitality, and these special Ores can be used to forge the Puppets’ bodies, making them more sturdy and durable!” Xiaoyue excitedly introduced to Li Mu while selecting.
Li Mu nodded, secretly praising Xiaoyue’s sharp eye. These Materials were indeed excellent choices for refining Puppets; if used to forge Puppets, they would greatly enhance their strength.
“Good, you go ahead and pick some suitable Materials yourself. Remember not to waste them,” Li Mu instructed.
Xiaoyue nodded repeatedly, her movements quickening instead of slowing down. In a short while, she had selected a large pile of Materials suitable for refining Puppets and stacked them aside.
Watching Xiaoyue’s busy figure, Li Mu’s lips curved into a brilliant smile. The little fellow was indeed a bit ‘greedy for Materials,’ but she was truly a good helper. With her progress in the Puppet Dao, she could now refine lower-grade Puppets herself. If spiritual Materials were sufficient, she could help refine a Puppet army.
“Xiaoyue, you’ve worked hard,” Li Mu said with a soft laugh.
Xiaoyue looked up, her face brimming with a satisfied smile: “It’s not hard, Master. It’s Yue’er’s honor to be able to do things for Master.”
Li Mu smiled slightly, secretly deciding that after this matter was dealt with, he would definitely reward Xiaoyue handsomely.
Just then, Li Mu’s gaze was suddenly drawn to an item. Under the Talent Divine Power - Identify Myriad Spirits, its hidden means of concealment were nowhere to be found. (End of Chapter)
