"This is the complete inventory of Pingyang Mountain's resources, assets, and personnel… I ask the Alliance Leader to please review it!"
Luo Feibai spoke respectfully as he held out a jade slip with both hands.
Even now, the grand formation enveloping Pingyang Mountain had yet to be dismissed.
At first, the cultivators within had been gripped by panic, some nearly fleeing in terror. But as time passed, with Li Ye taking no further violent action apart from dealing with a few obvious troublemakers, it became clear he didn't intend to pursue further bloodshed. The tension slowly subsided, and people gradually calmed down.
Especially with someone like Luo Feibai an elder of Pingyang Mountain being appointed Vice Alliance Leader by Li Ye, his presence went a long way in stabilizing the hearts of the remaining cultivators.
Under Li Ye's growing reputation, not even the secretly scornful cultivators dared mock Luo Feibai for "surrendering too quickly" or "having no spine."
After all, so many lives had already been lost not without reason. With the formation still sealed, no one dared anger Li Ye any further.
Even though Li Ye had spent more than a full day atop the mountain, Pingyang Mountain remained eerily calm. Its structures and resources were all well preserved!
The place looked just as orderly as it had under Xu Pingyang's rule.
Taking the jade slip, Li Ye scanned it with his divine sense. Comparing it with the information left behind by Xie Yushu, he quickly confirmed there was a little discrepancy.
Maintaining intact assets was crucial.
More importantly, the second-tier spiritual vein here was rich with qi, and three acres of second-tier spiritual farmland had already been developed.
In addition, two first-tier spiritual veins had also emerged, yielding eight acres of first-tier farmland far superior to what Changcui Mountain had offered.
Still, first-tier farmland didn't mean much to Li Ye anymore. Unless there was a specific spiritual demand, he had no plans to fight with the lower-ranked cultivators for such meager gains.
However, with the proper formations, cultivating another acre or two of second-tier farmland was a worthwhile endeavor.
With careful planning, and as long as he could obtain the right pill formulas and spiritual crop seeds, his cultivation path would soon be smooth once again.
He nodded, a smile appearing on his face.
"I knew you'd handle this well, Luo Feibai. You've done a fine job."
Then, with a wave of his hand, he conjured a jade bottle and sent it toward Luo Feibai with a burst of spiritual force.
"I sense your aura is fluctuating you're at the peak of the eighth layer. Consider this a reward. This pill should help you break through."
Luo Feibai's face lit up with joy, and he quickly dropped to his knees.
"This humble one thanks the Alliance Leader for the generous gift!"
Inside the hall, the other cultivators watched Luo Feibai. Even if they knew this was likely a show meant for them, they couldn't help but feel a hint of envy.
After Li Ye's earlier slaughter, the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators on Pingyang Mountain and nearby peaks had taken heavy losses.
As far as Pingyang Mountain was concerned, Luo Feibai was now the only remaining late-stage cultivator, aside from an old hermit with no ambition and no interest in worldly affairs, who had survived by staying out of everything.
Counting the massive battle more than a year ago when Xu Pingyang led Pingyang Mountain in a war against the Chang and Luo clans and many others…
Now, late-stage cultivators in the Chidi Mountain Range have become a rare breed!
This was both a weakening of the mountain range's overall power and an opportunity for mid-stage cultivators to rise.
Opportunities and rewards that were once out of reach were now up for grabs.
"Mm… As long as you all do your duties well, I will not treat you unfairly."
Taking note of everyone's reactions, Li Ye continued:
"Starting now, the mountain's protective formation will be reopened. Cultivators may come and go freely… However, you are to remain on high alert. If anyone takes advantage of this to incite chaos or commit robbery, they are to be executed on the spot! Anyone who stands in the way same fate!"
His tone was calm, but the killing intent behind it sent a chill through everyone present.
Without hesitation, they dropped to their knees and shouted in unison:
"We hear and obey, Alliance Leader!"
......
With the matter of Pingyang Mountain temporarily settled, Li Ye appeared to return to the mountaintop but in truth, he vanished in a flash of spiritual light and made his way back to Cangcui Mountain.
Though Li Ye didn't consider himself a virtuous man, Lan Xinyi had never wronged him. Naturally, he felt obliged to handle things properly.
Moreover, the Voidrealm Tree was still rooted here. He needed to carefully consider how to transplant it to Pingyang Mountain...
Otherwise, constrained by the local spiritual veins that couldn't advance beyond the second tier, the tree's support for his cultivation would grow increasingly limited.
No matter what, this had to be done!
He stepped once more onto the soil of Cangcui Mountain.
Feeling the surge of wood-element spiritual energy gathered by the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array, he could sense an increasingly vibrant life force as he neared the summit. A faint, almost imperceptible vitality filled the air, gradually easing the tension in his expression.
To him, unfamiliar Pingyang Mountain without its second-tier spiritual vein could never compare to this place.
"Next up, I'll need to replace the grand formation on Pingyang Mountain with the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array, and transplant the Voidrealm Tree as well…"
Li Ye made his way to the summit, stopping in front of the Voidrealm Tree.
As soon as he approached, the unique connection between them allowed him to sense the changes in the tree instantly.
"So... absorbing flesh and blood did work."
He could feel the accumulation of power within the tree. Looking up, he noticed the crown had grown even more lush and was now nearly twenty meters tall. With a thought, he instinctively placed his hand upon its trunk.
It felt as if something was being drawn from his body and yet something was being returned at the same time.
Their auras mingled briefly, and the Voidrealm Tree began to sway gently, its long-held power stirring to life.
It started channeling energy through the formation's core, tapping into the array to absorb spiritual qi.
It became the eye of a storm, devouring all the spiritual energy of Cangcui Mountain like a raging vortex!
At the same time, Li Ye could sense the remnants of flesh and blood buried beneath the tree those fallen cultivators being rapidly consumed. All their strength was drained, leaving behind nothing but dry, powdered husks.
The tree's branches stretched outward. Emerald green and faint silver hues flickered alternately, and its aura surged higher and higher…
Until, in one final burst, its height soared once more, its trunk thickened, its roots spread wider and the Voidrealm Tree's power broke through to the second tier. The force of its domain expanded, bolstering the entire Green Vine Verdant Wood Array!
At that moment, Li Ye felt as though the array had gained a semblance of spatial autonomy capable of forming its isolated realm.
"We're still a bit short… Even with the boost, the array hasn't fundamentally changed. Without that, it can't fully harness the Voidrealm Tree's domain power…"
He murmured to himself, a hint of regret in his voice but it quickly gave way to excitement.
"Still, this alone allows me to bypass the hardest part of constructing a third-tier array the ability to form a self-contained space! As long as I can comprehend the technique to manipulate spatial forces, I can directly upgrade the formation to tier three!"
To achieve that, his array mastery might not even need to reach full third-tier proficiency. The high second-tier insight could already open the door to such understanding.
Considering how much his formation experience had surged recently, this breakthrough would undoubtedly save him an enormous amount of time and effort!
And once he truly reached tier three, further fine-tuning would elevate the formation to the very peak of its class, capable of far surpassing conventional power levels!
"Excellent, excellent!"
Li Ye's eyes gleamed with excitement. "When that time comes, let alone Foundation Establishment… even Core Formation cultivators won't dare trespass on my territory! No one will interfere with my cultivation again!"
Just then, as the Voidrealm Tree completed its ascension and Li Ye was still immersed in thoughts of formation breakthroughs his expression shifted slightly, a look of delighted surprise flashing across his face.
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