Li Su placed the jade on his forehead and quickly read its contents. The jade was a spiritual jade capable of recording information, which would remain intact as long as it wasnt broken, no matter how many years passed. ( ED Note: The term spiritual jade typically refers to a precious and mystical gem or stone with spiritual or magical properties)
After reading for a while, Li Su smiled. The jade contained the content of the first five layers of the Great Diffraction Sword Formation, which was a significant factor in his rise.
He realized that the content of the fifth layer was even more profound, making the arrangement of the Great Diffraction Sword Formation more complex. The fourth layer could handle the mid-stage Nascent Soul, but the fifth layer might deal with the late-stage or even peak stage.
However, he also noticed that the formation master hadnt fully grasped the content of the fourth layer. Moreover, the materials used for the formation were not ideal, resulting in reduced power of the Great Diffraction Sword Formation. The fourth layer likely corresponds to the Nascent Soul stage, and the fifth layer might be for stages above Nascent Soul.
He was confident that he could understand the fourth layer thoroughly with his current experience in formations and study the fifth layer and beyond. But the killing formation had a major problem the lack of suitable formation tools. Even if Li Su understood the fifth layer completely, without the right equipment, the Great Diffraction Sword Formation might not even threaten a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.
The required formation tools for the arrangement were extremely rare. The formation master spent many years collecting the materials needed for just the fourth layer of the Great Diffraction Sword Formation with the help of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Li Su might need quite some time to collect them.
Not urgent, he said calmly.
Li Su wasnt in a hurry. He wasnt rushing to study the fifth floor. A ready-made array could be used to set up the Great Diffraction Sword Formation on the fourth floor.
Although the quality of this ready-made array was compromised, it was still very good for Li Su.
Once he took this ready-made array, Li Su would have a powerful tool. If used well, this method could handle opponents at the Nascent Soul stage. Other matters could be dealt with later. There was no need to rush.
Li Su began studying the fourth floor, starting from the first floor, allowing him to fully comprehend the Great Diffraction Sword Formation.
With 1,000 years of formation experience, Li Sus research speed increased significantly. After about six months, Li Su had a solid understanding of the fourth floor.
As for the fifth floor, Li Su didnt rush to delve into it. He estimated that he might need more formation experience before attempting it. Moreover, touching it would be pointless without the necessary array and could cause interference. After thoroughly understanding the fourth floor, Li Su approached the array.
Senior, I swear to you, I will bring your bones back to Fallen Cloud Sect and Senior Rukawas bones back to Purple Extreme Sect. I will kill this demon cultivator to avenge you, Li Su solemnly vowed.
This was the requirement of the formation master. Li Su vowed to accomplish two tasks to gain control of the array. One was to bring the bones of the senior back to Fallen Cloud Sect, and another Nascent Soul cultivators bones back to Purple Extreme Sect. The second one was to kill a demonic cultivator to avenge them.
Li Su didnt find these two tasks unreasonable, and if they were, he would seek alternative solutions.
As for the first task, Li Su didnt know the locations of the two immortal gates, but fortunately, the dying cultivator hadnt set a time limit or provided any specific information. Regarding the second task, killing demonic cultivators was already part of Li Sus plan. Compared to his significant gains this time, these two tasks were worth the effort.
The other Nascent Soul cultivators name was Liu Chuan, and there were some items in his storage bag, though the spiritual stones were already used up. The elixir had become ineffective, and the medicine bottle was empty, indicating that they had consumed all of it. There were no herbs or any other resources left. The struggle of the two before their death suggested that they tried to consume everything edible. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator exhibited the same strong desire to survive as an ordinary person.
Inside the place were some books with valuable knowledge and secrets, as well as a few rare materials. Additionally, there were several magic weapons, two of which were exceptionally good spiritual weapons. However, a broken sword was also on the ground, which seemed to have been the wielders weapon before it was damaged. The opponent, a powerful magic cultivator, was formidable.
In addition to these items, there was an identity token with the grandiose words Purple Pole Gate on the back and the name Liu Chuan on the front.
After Li Su finished swearing, the formation plate emitted a faint light, and he gained control of the formation after a while. However, he noticed that the formation itself was already damaged, with some formation flags destroyed during the intense battle with the demonic cultivator. The formation could still function despite the damage, thanks to the accumulated earth energy over the years.
Li Su then noticed an old man dressed in tattered black clothes sitting cross-legged nearby. A shadow constantly revolved around him. The man appeared quite aged.
A Nascent Soul stage demon cultivator, whose attire couldnt be ordinary clothing, appeared battered like a beggars clothes, indicating that he had suffered serious injuries. This individual should be the demon cultivator. But it was unclear how much strength he had left.
The killing formation wasnt actively attacking him. The reason for this was that the formation master intended it that way. He wanted to trap the opponent here. If he kept attacking, the spiritual stones would not last long, and he wouldnt have time to oversee the killing formation.
They wouldnt be attacked if the opponent remained within that area. In this way, the killing formation also had time to absorb the earths energy and maintain its operation.
Li Su moved on the array, and in the next second, several ancient-looking long swords appeared, all directed at the demon cultivator.
Clang, clang, clang~
A shadow spinning around the demon cultivator quickly moved to block the incoming ancient long swords. The nature of this shadow was unclear, but it clashed with the swords, producing the sound of metal meeting metal.
Huh? The demon cultivator furrowed his brow.
As long as he remained still for hundreds of years, the killing formation wouldnt initiate an attack. However, it unexpectedly activated this time. Of course, he had no idea that Li Su had deciphered and gained control of the killing formation.
At this moment, more ancient long swords appeared. The shadow was having trouble blocking this new wave of attacks.
Damn it, my Mysterious Golden Soul has been reduced to only one! Otherwise, I wouldnt be in such a passive situation! The demon cultivator cursed and had no choice but to fend off the incoming long swords.
His strength seemed to have returned to the Nascent Soul stage, probably just reaching the threshold of that stage. Three hundred years had passed, and this guy had restored his power to the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage. He could barely unleash the strength of that stage, but he still carried visible injuries.
Three hundred years ago, although he had managed to protect himself with treasures, those items had suffered significant damage. One of the treasures was the shadow revolving around him, which he referred to as the Mysterious Golden Soul.
If I repair this killing formation and gather more spiritual stones, I should be able to deal with him, Li Su thought.
The killing formation was incomplete, and its effectiveness had been compromised. Killing this opponent posed some risk. While Li Su was reasonably confident in resolving the situation, there was a chance that things might go awry and the demon cultivator could seize the opportunity.
There werent many spiritual stones left in this place, but using the absorbed earths energy to sustain the entire killing formation and keep this guy trapped wouldnt be an issue.
In short, defense was adequate, but offense was lacking.