Two days later.
"Ha!"
Bai Ming roared, he straightened his waist and abdomen and sent out a meteor like punch onto the massive stone boulder, creating a loud thunderous sound. The boulder instantly exploded into piles of dusts and scattered onto the ground. Moreover, the air pressure continued on even after shattering the stone boulder. The air pressure produced several loud sounds and caused the air to move forward like waves. This air pressure made the tens of trees and boulders in the hundred meters radius surrounding him shatter into minute Fragments.
"This punch should be enough to put down a 3rd tier wolf king permanently, this move can perfectly integrate both my body and spiritual cultivation along with the battle qi killing regular peak core formation experts isn't that difficult anymore." Bai Ming said with some satisfaction.
"I have already attained master attainment in sword path two days ago, then I spent around 6 hours reaching mastery in the fifth layer of primeval sword art, I have also completely mastered 'meteor waves', a mid grade fist technique. Now i can probably attack other villages and come out victorious, but for the current me, the importance of the treasure is higher. killing them and using their bodies for cultivation will take much of my time and finding materials won't be difficult for me now, But that treasure is different, it might have already been taken by others, but i have to see it for myself. The preparations are done, now it's time to look for the treasure." Bai Ming stopped training and left in search of the treasure.
...
In a spacious underground cave.
Li jun was sitting down with his legs crossed, his entire body was drenched in beads of sweat. Both of his plams were facing the bone heart flame, there were spiritual threads extending from every finger in hands which were slowly refining the purple flame.
Li jun was a lone cultivator with mediocre talent, after decades of bitter struggles and fortuitous encounters he was able to reach the peak of spirit realm. But he wasn't always a lone cultivator, he was someone who had walked the path of a demon for quite a period of time in his life, without any attachment or morals. But at the lowest point of his life he met a certain someone who showed him the beauty of love, and slowly he became trapped in this emotion called love and converted from a demonic path cultivator to a lone cultivator. But even if he wanted to forget the past and start a new beginning it wasn't so simple, the actions of his past definitely had many consequences.
The only person he ever loved was ploted against and poisoned by one of his old enemies, and now she was struggling between life and death. Li jun tried every possible method he could, but he was only able to prolong her imminent doom. But one day, due to a lucky encounter he manged to get the clues of the bone heart flame residing in this place.
The only way he knew of saving her lay in this bone heart flame, and he also needed this flame to refine a certain pill which could help him in breaking through to the Yin-Yang void realm. The value of this flame was even above his own life for him.
Of course he knew the consequences of refining this flame, the entire mountain would collapse and loss of life would number in thousands at the very least, but he didn't give a damn as long as he could get what he wanted. He might not be a demonic path cultivator now, but that just means he had to do such things secretly.
"I am still far from refining it completely, but thankfully the resistance is much surprisingly less than I expected. If everything goes accordingly, I should be able to refine it within the next 7-8 hours." Li jun evaluated his progress, then he slightly glanced behind him.
Six hundred meters away from him a intense battle was taking place.
"How can just one person be so powerful?"
"unbelievable!"
The group of nearly thirty core formation realm experts surrounding Li wei found it extremely difficult to accept that she alone could match their collective might. But the facts were right in front of them, they had no choice but to accept it.
Li wei clad in an ice armor, with two extra pair of icy arms which held icy tridents gave the impression of an awe inspiring divine goddess of ice, cold and ruthless. The ground below her feet had long turned into ice.
The band of core formation realm peak stage experts ganging up and fighting against one young girl, who was only in the initial stage of core formation realm. Just what kind of monster was she. She was even able to injure many of the experts surrounding her without suffering much injuries.
"Hmph! bunch of foolish villagers. How could they ever equally fight against Li wei. There is reason I have taken in her has a disciple, The amount of trouble I had to go through to get such a fine cauldron only I know it. For the time being I can continue to peacefully refine this bone heart flame." Li jun disdainfully looked at the bunch of insects fighting, before once again placing his attention on the refinement.
...
"Another one, and this time it's strength is at initial spirit realm." Ye Qing han looked gloomy as he stared at the restriction in front of him.
"Let's not waste time and begin studying this restriction, breaking the restriction forcefully we have already seen the consequences." The voice came from the middle-aged man standing next to ye qing han. This person with a strong body and disposition looked somewhat similar to Luo sheng, He was none other than the head of the luo clan, Luo Feng a peak spirit realm expert.
Restrictions are a branch of the formation path, much like arrays. Arrays use very specific methods to create a very specific effect. The components used in a array are very complex. If one tries to study it by force, they will only gain an elementary understanding.
Restrictions are considered a type of formation, only they are much more versatile. They can change based on the will of the user. Restrictions are much like divine sense in a way.
Powerful cultivators can place down restrictions with just their divine sense. Even after thousands of years, as long as the divine sense isn't destroyed, then those restrictions will still be active.
Sometimes even if the user is dead, the divine sense in a restriction will form its own consciousness and continue to maintain the restriction.
Restrictions are ever changing. Almost no one but the caster can completely see through them. There are two ways to get through a restriction. The first is to break through by force, but that is not something ordinary people can do.
The second method is to research it and once you understand the principles and rules behind the restriction to a certain degree, you will naturally be able to open the restriction. The process of studying restrictions compared to arrays is 10 times easier and the requirements are also fewer.
"I disagree, even if breaking the restrictions with just brute force increases the strength of the next restriction, it should have a limit. breaking the formation by brute force is indeed not the best idea, but we are currently running short on time. We have to take risks at this crucial time." A old man wearing black clothing spoke, he had grey triangular pupils. There was huge sliver axe on his back emitting a dangerous aura, he was head of the Song clan, Song li.
"It does make sense and we have still not seen anyone yet, we need to hurry. Who knows, this might actually be the last restriction." An luo clan core formation realm elder spoke, expressing his view.
Soon they came to a conclusion and acted on it, they began to forcefully break apart the restriction.
With three peak spirit realm cultivators, breaking down the restriction was easy.
Luo Feng attacked the restriction with a simple spear strike, smashing it apart.
Next, another restriction appeared before them and this had the strength of peak stage of spirit realm.
The group spent nearly 10 minutes to break through this restriction, but what greeted them was another restriction which had strength corresponding to the Yin-Yang void realm, now they had no choice but to study the restriction. If they wanted to break this restriction, they had to spend at least Six or seven days to understand it completely.
The restrictions behind them were already begining to repair and close by itself.
--------------
"This is not exactly what I expected." Bai Ming squinted his eyes as he looked at the restriction before him. The location of the abnormality wasn't a secret, everyone knew about it. He was able to get here within half an hour.
"This work is ameture at best." Bai Ming slightly shook his head, "This is just a low level formation, even though nothing is wrong with it. But just few changes and it's power can be multiplied by at least four times, it looks like the person who had set up these formations has only ordinary level attainment in the formation path, but since the elders were still not able to come out, there must be at least a 4th grade restriction or array set up, the caster of these formations must have gotten some great formation path expert's inheritance. if the inheritance contains fifth grade formations, I must obtain it." With Bai Ming's grandmaster realm attainment he could make out many things which ordinary people could not, it was clear from one look that this restriction which were set up here were passed down to the caster, likely a formation path inheritance. Formation path inheritances generally contain methods on constructing certain formations or pass on a treasures relating to the formation path or insights on formation path, etc. If Bai Ming were to set up a restriction here, he would definitely consider the natural environment, the density of heaven and earth essence and few other factors which influence the restriction and set up the most suitable formation. Of course if someone else with higher attainment than Bai Ming were do it themselves it would have even greater effect. But when Bai Ming observed the restriction which was set up, he could make out that caster had very low understanding towards the formation path, he only did what was probably recorded in his inheritance.
Bai Ming gazed at the restriction for a second more, before scanning his surroundings. He carefully checked the surface of the cave again and again with his divine sense.
Next he moved towards the restriction once again and and destroyed it with brute force, next he went deeper inside and checked his surroundings again, before inspecting the new formation. After that Bai Ming carefully watched the restriction behind him reconstruct, once the restriction was reconstructed again Bai Ming smiled lightly as he broke it again and left the cave. Once he was outside, he began to inspect his surroundings, he spread his divine sense throughout the place hoping to find a certain thing, but Bai Ming's efforts were fruitless.
Without any change in his expression, he began setting up a much complex formation outside, formations were complex to begin with but this one was particularly complex. After setting it up, Bai Ming rested for few minutes, next he moved inside the cave again and began to disperse the restrictions inside, but this time he didn't use brute force but used his formation path abilities, one after another formations were broken by him, with Bai Ming's high attainment breaking these low level restrictions was a piece of cake for him.
After nearly breaking eleven restrictions, Bai Ming finally encountered a restriction with core formation realm strength.
"My divine sense is lacking." Bai Ming turned around, but what was different this time was none of the formations which were broken by him were reconstructing.
"But this should probably be enough." Bai Ming walked back outside, the formation which he had set up outside was glowing with azure lights, if one inspected with their divine sense they could see that hundreds of rays of blue light heading from the cave to the formation outside.
"This particular formation allows me to fight against the original divine sense in the restrictions in the cave, and gain control over it. But every thing will depend on the strength of the divine sense and its remaining will, the person who has set up this formations is probably dead long ago, now this divine sense has probably formed it's own consciousness or it can even be due to certain treasure. This battle will determine how far I can go."
Bai Ming meditated for an hour, reaching his peak mental state. Only then did he enter the formation, once Bai Ming stepped inside he made dozens of hand signs and constantly tapped his forehead, when he was finally done the blue lights moved towards Bai Ming and enter his forehead and began to clash against his divine sense, Bai Ming persisted as he tried to defend against the invasion of divine sense before he fiercely started to counter attack. Much to his delight, after the fierce invasion the strength of invading divine sense suddenly feel, Bai Ming effortlessly used his divine sense to refine and mark the invading divine sense, but after reaching a certain point it was like the invading divine sense which was a mud wall turned into an unshakable iron wall, it had regained it's fierceness. Bai Ming tried his best to refine it, but it was futile, hence he quickly destroyed the formation.
"I have control over 90% of restrictions inside, this situation is strange, really strange. When the divine sense invaded it was like a rampaging tsunami, but it suddenly lost its fierceness and then I was able to refine it, no it was more like I was allowed to refine it and when the refining reached the 80% rate, I couldn't even make it budge and it didn't show any signs of retaliating, something is definitely not right here, is the person in control of this formation still alive and wants to lure me inside, but if it was really a person couldn't he be less obvious by putting on act of struggle, this more likely seems to be the work of a dumb formation spirit with some shady ulterior motives, its best if its the latter, dealing with humans who have high wisdom is more difficult than dealing with dumb formation spirits or consciousness." Bai Ming's gaze was deep as he fixedly stared at the cave, his thoughts rampaging wildly.
Bai Ming paced around for a while, before he entered the cave, he was still determined to venture. Venturing the cave had risks for sure, so what should he do turn around and go back. Maybe if did that he would live through today or he could even die, maybe there is an opportunity inside that could make him take the next step to reach his grand yet foolish goal, No one knows what will happen in the next second, one might live or die it is totally unpredictable, just think of those pitiful mortals who lived in their villages peacefully, without caring about the outside world just living an ordinary quite life, but what did their life amount too, nothing more than becoming cheap materials for Bai Ming.
Bai Ming was an opportunist at heart, he might always act with caution, but when it was time to face death head on, he shall not cower. He will face death fearlessly with overbearing arrogance in his demonic heart.
But of course Bai Ming isn't stupid, he will not take risks without ample preparations or risks which guarantee his end.
Bai Ming quickly reached the core formation level restriction, this time Bai Ming covered his entire body with his divine sense and just walked towards the barrier and passed through it without any obstruction.