36: Chapter 36 Setting up a Spirit Gathering Array

High above, the cave ceiling hung.

Moonlight spilled down through the cracks, illuminating the stone walls.

The air was permeated with a damp, earthy scent, mixed with a faint mineral smell and an indescribable, fishy sweetness.

Deep within the Limestone Cave.

Bursts of flowing water sounds drifted over.

Wu Li followed the sound of the water and looked over.

It was a pool of water, not large, about three zhang square, with a bluestone platform in the middle. The water quality was clear, yet it was bottomless.

The water surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the moonlight. That mass of Spiritual Qi overflowed from the surrounding pool walls into the water, then flowed back into the depths from the pool water.

Wu Li landed on a piece of bluestone by the side of the pool.

"What dense Spiritual Qi."

"Hoo ~"

Taking a deep breath, breaking this recirculation structure, the Spiritual Qi surged into his body along his nasal cavity. The Demon Power in his Dantian jumped violently, like a flame doused with oil.

"Refreshing!"

Wu Li's bean-sized black pupils swept across the surroundings, and a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

The Limestone Cave was hidden, the pool had dense Spiritual Qi, there were no Yao Beasts occupying it, and no wild beasts to disturb him; it was truly an excellent place to Cultivate.

"A good place."

"Truly... a good place!"

Wu Li squatted on the bluestone, his bean-sized black pupils sweeping across the entire Limestone Cave; the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

"This is the place."

He turned his head and let out a low crow caw towards the outside of the Limestone Cave.

A moment later, Heiyu flapped his wings and flew in, landing beside Wu Li and respectfully lowering his head.

"Old Ancestor."

Wu Li pointed outside the Limestone Cave with his wing: "Where are those things of mine? Bring them all in."

Heiyu nodded hurriedly: "Yes, Old Ancestor."

He turned and flew out of the Limestone Cave, and a moment later, returned flying with Heida, Heier, and Heisan, a few crows in the Qi Ling Realm.

Heiyu led the way, with Heida, Heier, and Heisan following behind, each crow grasping something in its claws.

The bundle wrapped in Human Race robes, a few Spirit Stone fragments brought over from Desolate Ridge, and some miscellaneous odds and ends.

Heiyu placed the bundle on the bluestone beside Wu Li and stepped back two paces.

"Old Ancestor, all the items have been brought in."

The bundle was heavy, and having flown all the way in from outside the Stone Forest, and having to pass through those narrow, crisscrossing gaps between the stone pillars, it had truly taken quite a bit of effort.

Wu Li pawed at the bundle to confirm that everything was there.

Soul crystals, Formation Plate, Spirit Fruits, Spirit Stones, six celadon porcelain bottles; not a single thing was missing.

He nodded, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"That's enough, go out."

"Have the Crow Flock settle in the Stone Forest outside or over by the Mass Grave. Without my orders, no one is allowed to enter."

Heiyu received the order and flew out of the Limestone Cave with Heida and the others.

Wu Li squatted on the bluestone, looking down at the items in the bundle, his gaze falling on the black Formation Plate in the corner of the bundle.

This Formation Plate was obtained from the Ape Cave, and he had not yet had time to study it carefully.

In his past life, he had studied Formation in the Age of Dharma Decline. Although he couldn't be considered proficient, he understood the basics.

"Perfect, let's set it up first."

Wu Li extended his claw and nudged the Formation Plate out of the bundle.

The Formation Plate was the size of a palm, pitch black all over, with its surface carved full of fine runes. In the center of the Formation Plate was embedded a pale cyan bead, semi-transparent, with clouds and mist seemingly swirling inside.

From the moment he got it from the Ape Cave until now, he hadn't had a chance to use this thing, but now it could finally be put to use.

Wu Li picked up the Formation Plate in his beak and flew to the bluestone protruding from the water in the center of the pool, placing the Formation Plate in the center of the bluestone.

He adjusted the position with his claw to ensure the Formation Plate was stable, then stepped back two paces, and the Blood Pupil on his forehead slowly opened.

Under the Blood Pupil.

The Spiritual Qi overflowing from the pool was clearly visible. That Spiritual Qi steamed up from the pool water and, due to the special structure, returned to the water; this had been the case for years.

"This will do."

Wu Li took a deep breath, pressed his right claw onto the Formation Plate, and Demon Power surged into the Formation Plate.

The runes on the surface of the Formation Plate lit up one after another, emitting a faint cyan light, and the Formation Plate began to vibrate slightly.

The pale cyan bead in the center also lit up, its light growing increasingly intense.

"Hum!"

The Formation Plate shook violently, and a cyan light barrier spread out from the edge of the Formation Plate, enveloping the entire pool.

The light barrier was hemispherical and semi-transparent, like an overturned pot.

The Spiritual Qi inside the light barrier began to change; the originally slowly drifting Spiritual Qi seemed to be pulled by something, starting to converge towards the center of the Formation Plate.

Wu Li's Blood Pupil clearly saw that the Spiritual Qi was steaming up from the pool, circling and rotating inside the light barrier, gathering thicker and denser.

The Spiritual Qi concentration was rising rapidly, from thin to dense, and starting to transform from a gaseous state to a liquid state.

Above the pool.

The Spiritual Qi began to condense into tiny water droplets—one drop, two drops, three drops...

More and more, denser and denser.

Those water droplets floated inside the light barrier, crystal clear, shimmering with a faint fluorescence, like tiny pearls.

Then.

They began to converge towards the center of the Formation Plate, landing on the central bead and being absorbed by it.

The color of the bead began to change from pale cyan, becoming deeper and richer. The Spirit Liquid gathered inside the bead, and at the same time, because this pool could be illuminated by moonlight, there would even be Moon Essence condensing within it.

"A heaven-sent treasure land."

A trace of satisfaction flashed in Wu Li's eyes.

This pool had already gathered Spiritual Qi for who knows how many years; previously, without the Formation to bind it, most of it had flowed away with the water current.

Now with the Spirit Gathering Array, this Spiritual Qi was no longer wasted, but collected by the Formation Plate, condensed into Spirit Liquid, and stored in the bead.

Whenever he needed it, he could take it at any time.

"However, such a good place, such a good Opportunity, why is it only... Small Auspicious?"

Wu Li murmured softly, put away his Blood Pupil, and squatted on the bluestone. While very satisfied with the current situation, a trace of doubt flashed through his mind.

Wealth, Companions, Dharma, Land.

These are absolutely indispensable things in Cultivation, and now, with this, Wu Li had solved one of them.

This, surprisingly, was also only Small Auspicious...

It was somewhat inconceivable.

Putting these thoughts aside.

Wu Li began to plan for what came next.

Given the current situation, as long as he didn't act recklessly, relying on this current environment and the items in his hands, at the slowest it would only take a few months for him to enter the ranks of Tier 2 Demonic Beasts.

By then.

Even here, he would have a means of self-preservation.

Thinking of this.

Wu Li no longer hesitated, extended his right claw, and grabbed that scarlet blood crystal out of the bundle.

The blood crystal was the size of a fist, blood-red all over, with light spots still swimming inside, as if it were a living thing.

He placed the blood crystal on the bluestone, then used his beak to peck open the mouth of a celadon porcelain bottle, pouring the Spirit Liquid inside into a shallow pit on the bluestone.

The Spirit Liquid was pale green, crystal clear, and emitted a clear, medicinal fragrance.

All six porcelain bottles were emptied.

The Spirit Liquid gathered into a small puddle in the shallow pit, shimmering with faint fluorescence.

Wu Li squatted on the bluestone, took a deep breath, and silently recited the incantation of the Blood Eye Pagoda Sutra in his heart. Blood-colored scriptures emerged from beneath his feathers, circling his whole body and enveloping the entire pool in blood-colored light.

Also enveloped was the blood crystal; cold power surged into his body, rushing straight to his Sea of Consciousness, nourishing Wu Li's Yao soul.

He intended to rely on the powerful refining ability of the Blood Eye Pagoda Sutra to absorb from both sides, Cultivating his Physical Body, cultivation level, and Yao soul simultaneously!

The idea was crazy.

But it had great potential!