"Many thanks to Senior Li for saving our lives!"
As he looked at the group of people bowing deeply before him, Li Ye's expression turned slightly odd.
The youngest among them was already in their forties or fifties, and the oldest looked to be in their seventies or eighties. Yet here they were, calling him Senior and bowing with utmost respect Li Ye couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by their shamelessness.
Back when Wang Shuangyan and Mo Lun had just taken over this mountain, they were still unfamiliar with many aspects of managing it.
One only had to look at Lan Ming's age to realize that Wang Shuangyan, as the so-called Lady of the Mountain, hadn't held that title for very long. Despite her status, her limited time in power meant she hadn't fully grasped control of things.
In that situation, these old-timers naturally still held value.
Even if they refused to cooperate, extracting some useful information from them would have helped her more quickly seize control over the industries and hidden resources of Changcui Mountain.
She had originally planned to execute all of them after dealing with the Lan siblings.
But fate had other plans she and Mo Lun were the ones who met their end first!
That was why, after Li Ye used the formation to eliminate the remaining traitors, Lan Xinyi went to the prison and released these elders.
"You may rise," Li Ye said calmly, after a moment of thought.
"Now that we're all here, let's make things clear."
"I've made a contract with your young lady. I helped the Lan family kill the traitors and reclaim your foundation. From now on, I will hold a share of Changcui Mountain."
"I'll be taking the first-grade spiritual vein, four mu of spiritual farmland, and the earthfire cave on the mountain. The inferior spiritual vein and two mu of farmland at the foot of the mountain will be left for your remaining clan members to use."
"Other than that, I will not interfere in Lan's family matters."
"If I successfully form my Foundation in the future, I may even return this land and vein to you. Do you have anything to say?"
At these words, the expressions of the elders changed dramatically.
But they quickly realized that the Lan family was no longer what it once was.
Their numbers had dwindled aside from Lan Xinyi and Lan Ming, only a few old men like them remained.
According to their young lady, this Senior Li had taken down that treacherous couple and numerous rebels all by himself…
With such strength, and the fact that he was willing to leave them the lesser spiritual vein and some farmland not to mention promising not to meddle in family affairs was already a show of great fairness!
Their expressions shifted a few times, but in the end, they accepted reality and bowed once more.
"Senior Li has preserved our Lan family's bloodline and legacy. We are willing to follow your arrangements."
Li Ye gave a light nod. "Good. That's settled, then."
Li Ye awoke early and sat up in bed.
Beside him, the young woman mumbled softly in her sleep and turned over. As the blanket slipped down, it revealed a glimpse of pale, flawless skin and graceful curves.
Li Ye took a moment to quietly admire the sight, then quickly composed himself. Without lingering, he got dressed and left the room.
He strolled through the mountain paths, carefully surveying key points across the terrain, his expression thoughtful.
As he approached an area where the spiritual energy grew denser, the landscape suddenly opened up before him, revealing four perfectly terraced fields.
Gazing at them silently, Li Ye leaped to the edge of the fields and scooped up a handful of dark, reddish-black soil. His eyes lit up with delight as he examined it.
"These Crimson Earth Mountains constantly spew out geothermal fire, leaving behind ashes rich in minerals that seep into the land. The resulting soil is even more fertile than that of other areas almost comparable to specially prepared spirit soil. This is truly a treasure of a place!"
Conveniently, thanks to the looting done earlier by Wang Shuangyan and Mo Lun, these spirit fields had already been harvested and hadn't been replanted yet, saving him a lot of effort.
Still, he wasn't in a rush to start planting.
Mulling over the detailed surveys and observations he'd made over the past two days, he muttered to himself:
"I'll take the first-grade spiritual vein here in the mountain as the core, then plant the Voidrealm Tree seed at the heart of the formation… From there, I'll lay down the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array."
"That way, the spiritual energy will be drawn in more effectively. And since the Voidrealm Tree serves as the array's core, it will absorb the richest concentration of energy it doesn't even require spirit fields, which makes things more flexible."
"Then I can layer additional Spirit-Gathering and Spirit-Locking formations. With some luck, I may be able to cultivate just under one mu of land up to a quasi-second-grade level perfect for growing the three main herbs needed to refine Foundation Establishment Pills."
"If I invest a few years carefully splitting and cultivating the herbs, I should be able to build up a good reserve of spiritual essence. There's no need to rush the process."
"Though, using this layout will weaken the Stone-Shifting Earth-Guarding Array's power... Still, no matter. If that formation breaks, the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array can always expand to cover the gaps. No risk of enemies exploiting it."
If he were willing to invest time studying it, fully mastering the existing formation with the core control token wouldn't be too difficult.
However, since Li Ye was a wood-element spiritual root cultivator and considering the unique nature of the Voidrealm Tree he needed to both hide and make use of the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array was a far better fit for him.
Now that everything was in place, a spark of excitement lit up in his eyes.
Without further delay, he set to work.
Over the past six months, Li Ye had thoroughly mastered the Green Vine Verdant Wood Array and had already crafted all the required components. All that remained was to put them to use.
He wandered the mountainside, stopping here and there at times burying formation devices, at others standing in silence as he made calculations.
Members of the Lan family who came to pay their respects saw his actions and went from confused to amazed, growing more wary and respectful with every step he took.
By midday, all the formation's mechanisms were in place. Li Ye raised his hand, sent a series of incantations into the control token, and called out:
"Green Vine Verdant Wood Array activate!"
Whoosh
In an instant, spiritual energy surged through the mountain. Phantom images of vine-entwined trees emerged from the mountainside, rising and weaving together to cloak most of the mountain, obscuring it from view.
Much of the spiritual energy that had previously been leaking outward was now captured within the formation. At the same time, the balance of ambient energy began to shift the wood element growing steadily stronger.
"Senior Li… is a formation master?!"
The Lan family members were stunned. Lan Xinyi clutched the control token of the Stone-Shifting Earth-Guarding Array, her expression conflicted.
No wonder he'd placed such trust in her from the start. It turned out he'd been planning to set up his array all along.
But with this development, even the Lan family would now face considerable restrictions within their mountain…
"Very good," Li Ye muttered.
Standing at the formation's heart, he sensed the environmental changes, making fine adjustments wherever he felt a hint of imbalance. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Now comes the most important part…"
Drawing in a deep breath of the thick spiritual energy dense enough to rival the upper end of first-grade veins Li Ye grew solemn. He drew his blackwood sword and made a cut across his forearm.
Beneath his flesh, a green seed marked with faint silver veins extended a delicate root, slowly absorbing his blood as nourishment.
"I've nurtured you with my lifeblood for so long… it's time you truly took root and sprouted."
With eager anticipation in his eyes, Li Ye unlocked a secret technique, extracted the seed, and gently planted it in the soil.
Whoosh
With a flick of the formation, the area was immediately infused with linked enchantments. Spiritual energy condensed into droplets of light green rain that gently fell upon the buried seed.
In mere moments, the earth bulged, and a sapling emerged. Its silver-veined leaves shimmered faintly as it grew, rising steadily upward.
A familiar notification panel once again appeared before Li Ye.
[You have nurtured a Tier-4 spiritual plant – Jianmu Subspecies: Voidrealm Tree Offshoot – using blood refinement. It has successfully taken root and sprouted. EXP +500...]
[…]
[Tier-4 Spiritual Plant – Voidrealm Tree Offshoot – has grown vigorously. You've gained "Voidrealm Spiritual Essence" 1...]
[…]
[You have witnessed the rooting and sprouting of a Tier-4 spiritual plant – Voidrealm Tree Offshoot – and deepened your understanding. Permanent Spiritual Accumulation +1%...]