Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Two late-stage Golden Core Cultivators faced each other from seventy yards apart.

Neither made an immediate move.

But the Spiritual Qi in the passageway had already begun to shift.

Xuan Pu Master stood at one end, his gray-white daoist robe fluttering in the still air. The Spiritual Mechanism around him was as dense and heavy as a mountain. This wasn’t a mere outward release of pressure, but a constricting force that bordered on law itself. Centered on him, the underground Spiritual Qi in the passageway—previously thrown into chaos by the opening of the Sub-Palace—swiftly grew orderly. Even the gray-white mist seeping from the rock walls seemed to be pressed down by an invisible hand.

Blood Slaughter Zhenren stood at the opposite end, the churning, blood-colored Demonic Qi around him slowly spreading out like a living thing. Wherever the Demonic Qi went, a sickeningly sweet, coppery odor filled the air, and the scattered rubble and ancient dust on the floor took on a blackish tint. A few Foundation Establishment Cultivators standing too close were merely grazed by the aftershocks, yet they immediately felt a wave of nausea. A stabbing pain pierced their seas of consciousness, as if their very Divine Souls had been stained by the foul Blood Evil.

The next moment, their Divine Senses collided silently in the center of the passageway.

There was no sound, yet it was more dangerous than any clash of Magic.

The air where they met seemed to freeze. Several Ancient Forbidden Array Patterns, long-since damaged and nearly inert, unexpectedly flared to life from the impact, only to shatter and die out in the blink of an eye. Fine cracks spiderwebbed across the rock walls, and several fist-sized stones silently crumbled into dust.

Xuan Pu Master stood perfectly still as he pointed with his right index finger.

A gossamer-thin streak of golden light slashed out.

The moment that golden ray appeared, it seemed to lock onto its target, creating the inescapable illusion in everyone present that there was nowhere to run.

Blood Slaughter Zhenren’s eyes narrowed. A curtain of blood roiled up before him, layers of Demonic Qi stacking together to forcibly swallow the sharp, golden light.

Yet, after the curtain of blood swallowed the light, a minuscule tear split across its surface, refusing to close.

Blood Slaughter Zhenren took half a step back.

Xuan Pu Master did not press his advantage.

At the same time, both men pulled back.

It had seemed like a simple two-move exchange, but in truth, they had tested everything: their Divine Sense, auras, control over the Spiritual Mechanism, and their respective paths of Daoist magic. Neither had gained a true advantage, but both now understood that their opponent was not someone who could be defeated quickly.

The passageway fell silent.

The three Golden Core Level auras clashed, their oppressive weight filling the narrow space. All the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were left breathless by the formless pressure.

A moment later, Xuan Pu spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly through the entire passageway.

"Since we’re all here, why don’t we sit down and talk?"

Blood Slaughter Zhenren stared at Xuan Pu for a few moments, the bloody light in his crimson pupils slowly receding.

"Talk."

The Golden Core Elder from the Primordial Yang Sect remained silent, but he didn’t object.

Each of the three Golden Core Cultivators withdrew their auras. The oppressive pressure vanished in an instant.

The leader of the Celestial Peak Sect disciples quickly walked among the disciples from the Primordial Yang Sect and passed on a command in a low voice.

"All Foundation Establishment Cultivators are to evacuate this area immediately. Return toward the market and await further orders."

The group began to withdraw.

Li Yuan followed at the rear of the group, walking out of the Sub-Palace alongside Chen Yi.

After they had walked for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Chen Yi swore under his breath.

"Those sons of bitches."

Li Yuan glanced at him.

Chen Yi lowered his voice, his eyes burning with rage.

"They marched us to that stone gate and made us go in first. You really believe this is ’assisting with the survey’? What if there are traps behind that gate? Or a backlash from an Array? Or a guardian Demon Beast? Who’s gonna die then? It’ll be us—the Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

Li Yuan said nothing.

The group retreated quickly through the dense fog, heading back toward the market. Behind them, from the depths of the Abyssal Rift Valley, they could still faintly feel the lingering pressure from the standoff between the three Golden Core Level auras.