“Brother Lu, what you say makes sense. This door does indeed give off an uncomfortable feeling. How about this, let’s set up several layers of restrictions outside the door first. That way, if anything goes wrong, we’ll have a safe way out,” Marquis Nanlong said after thinking for a moment, his expression softening.
“Very well, that would be best. We will do as you say, fellow Daoist.” The cultivator surnamed Lu nodded without hesitation and readily agreed.
So the Marquis of Nanlong and the cultivator surnamed Lu took out several sets of array-setting tools from their bodies and began to set up a magic array at the bottom of the pool.
At this moment, Han Laomo, who was following far behind, spoke up.
"They seem to be preparing to open that stone door. Doesn't the sect leader intend to stop them?"
This time, however, Lu Xuan did not speak, but stared at the stone door with a serious expression.
"No, that's too easy."
"What's the meaning?"
"This sealed place is too simple. That stone door uses some kind of blood curse technique from ancient times. It's a top-level sealing technique performed with one's own blood essence. Therefore, the demon sealed inside must be extraordinary."
Han Laomo was an extremely intelligent man, and he instantly understood Lu Xuan's meaning.
"I see. I knew something was off. Such a crucial sealed place would surely be surrounded by countless restrictive formations. But now, there's nothing there. Only a Blood Curse Gate. This kind of restriction, though incredibly sturdy, is purely a sealing restriction. It lacks defensive and counter-attack capabilities. This doesn't fit the configuration of such a powerful seal."
"That's right, as expected. The information these two people received was a scam. What's inside has probably already escaped. At least most of it has already escaped. The reason it hasn't come out is because it's still missing certain conditions."
Lu Xuan's words instantly reminded Han Laomo of some unpleasant experiences.
"Possession!" he slowly uttered these two words.
At this moment, the scene below changed again. The two of them used some kind of magic, and the blood-red restriction on the entire stone gate suddenly reacted violently.
Countless crimson tentacles emerged from it, frantically lashing out at the surroundings. However, they were completely scattered by the attacks of Nanlonghou and the cultivator surnamed Lu. The two were not unprepared. On the contrary, they had set up extremely meticulous defensive formations around the area to prevent anything from escaping after the Blood Curse Gate opened.
However, Lu Xuan knew that with their combined skill in formations, these two had virtually no chance of affecting the sealed ancient demon. In the original story, that thing's soul alone possessed the cultivation of a top-tier late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. If it were to merge with the True Demon Body, it would undoubtedly reach the Deity Transformation stage, and at least the mid-stage of Deity Transformation.
"It's finally open! I want to see what treasures are hidden behind this Blood Curse Gate." After some struggle, Marquis Nanlong and the cultivator surnamed Lu finally opened the Blood Curse Gate.
To their surprise, the passage was very short, only about twenty feet underground before leading to an underground hall.
The hall was not large, only about seven or eight zhang wide.
Apart from an altar, the entire hall was empty and devoid of anything else.
When the cultivator surnamed Lu entered this place, Marquis Nanlong was standing in the middle of the hall, staring blankly at the items on the offering table, as if he were in a daze.
The cultivator surnamed Lu walked over with some surprise and looked in the same direction. He was immediately shocked.
"The Heavenly Origin Fruit! I'm not seeing things, am I? This is the Heavenly Origin Fruit that can extend one's life by a hundred years just by eating one. And that purple Ganoderma lucidum, could it be the legendary Heaven-Mending Ganoderma? Judging by its appearance, it must be tens of thousands of years old. Even eating it raw could advance one's cultivation by decades? And this golden bamboo... could it be the Golden Thunder Bamboo, one of the three divine trees! And this..."
When the cultivator surnamed Lu saw the six or seven kinds of flowers and plants on the altar, he was first stunned. Then, his face showed a look of horror and he became incoherent. He could hardly believe what he was seeing and couldn't help but take two steps forward, intending to get closer to take a look.
“Fellow Daoist Lu, if I were you, I wouldn’t be so reckless. Do you really think these spiritual herbs are just laid out here for us to take? Please look around carefully before you speak.” Just as the cultivator surnamed Lu was extremely excited, Marquis Nanlong suddenly spoke coldly.
"Brother Nanlong, what do you mean by that?" Upon hearing this, the old man felt as if he had been doused with cold water, and his mind immediately cleared. He hurriedly looked around in surprise and suspicion.
"Huh! This seems to be the legendary Lesser Sumeru Vajra Formation. A Buddhist formation, how could it appear here?" The cultivator surnamed Lu finally discerned something from the runes that were faintly visible on the surrounding walls, and was greatly surprised.
Although the Marquis of Nanlong spoke calmly, his eyes were fixed on the several kinds of spiritual herbs on the offering table, filled with greed, as if he wished he could grab all of them.
These elixirs were exactly what he and the old man needed most, and now that they were so close, they were naturally eager to possess them.
Upon entering the place and seeing these spiritual herbs, he almost instinctively wanted to devour them all. However, he hadn't expected that there was an extremely strange magic array or restriction present there, resulting in a significant setback. He had no choice but to patiently wait for the cultivator surnamed Lu.
Upon hearing the cultivator surnamed Lu utter the name "Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation," Marquis Nanlong's spirits lifted, and he was overjoyed.
He had been somewhat worried when he first touched the restriction and realized that the array here was very different from many arrays he had studied before. Now that the old man recognized the array, this was naturally wonderful.
"Brother Lu, do you recognize the restrictions here?" Marquis Nanlong asked expectantly, suppressing his excitement.
“Years ago, I obtained some Buddhist cultivation manuals, though I didn’t cultivate them due to the nature of the techniques. However, I do remember some of the Buddhist formations and restrictions recorded in them. This Lesser Sumeru Vajra Formation is one of the most wondrous formations among them. Brother Nanlong, if the restrictions here are indeed this formation, the trouble will be considerable.” The cultivator surnamed Lu turned his gaze back to the offering table, his brows furrowing as he spoke.
"What do you mean? Is it possible that this formation cannot be broken?" Marquis Nanlong's expression changed slightly, looking somewhat disbelieving.
"It's not that it can't be broken. In fact, the method to break the Lesser Sumeru Vajra Formation is both the simplest and the most difficult in the world. Because the only way to break this formation is through brute force. Use magical attacks that surpass the power of restrictions to forcibly break it."
"Since that's the case, what are we waiting for?" Marquis Nanlong couldn't wait any longer.
At that moment, a faint voice suddenly came from behind them.
------------
Chapter 568 Taking the Initiative at Every Step
"I advise you not to tamper with that formation." Lu Xuan and Han Li finally appeared and stopped the two from doing so.
"Who goes there?" The two were shocked and couldn't believe that someone had sneaked up behind them without their knowledge. Neither the array they had set up nor the warning spirit beasts had reacted in the slightest.
When they saw Lu Xuan and Han Li, both of them felt a chill run down their spines. Lu Xuan made no attempt to conceal his late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, which made the two mid-stage cultivators almost unable to breathe.
"Senior, what is the meaning of following us? This Fallen Demon Valley is unclaimed land. Does Senior really intend to compete with us juniors for this opportunity?" Seeing the situation was turning against him, Marquis Nanlong immediately tried to seize the moral high ground. However, Lu Xuan didn't care. Instead, he casually sent a message, summoning Hongxiu and Xin Ruyin, who were guarding outside, in.
Because their cultivation levels were insufficient, Lu Xuan never allowed them to get too close.
Seeing that Lu Xuan ignored him, the Marquis of Nanlong's expression changed. Known as the Marquis of Nanlong, he was naturally a renowned figure among Nascent Soul cultivators. Even Wei Wuyai would usually greet him. However, facing Lu Xuan, he ultimately dared not say anything. This unknown great cultivator before him posed a deadly threat to him.
Soon after, Hongxiu and Xinruyin arrived at the scene.
"Check the surroundings; this formation and the entire seal are all wrong." Over the years, Lu Xuan had to admit that both Hongxiu and Xin Ruyin had begun to surpass him in their mastery of formations. Formations truly depend on talent. Lu Xuan, being a distracted puppet, naturally couldn't compare to the two of them in terms of dealing with spirit beasts.
This is why they were brought in. In this kind of situation, a master of formations is absolutely crucial.