DIV Chapter 36: Formation Traps Enemy

On this day, at noon, Li Chang'an finished his lunch and practiced puppet crafting as usual.

"The puppets I use should also form a complete set like talismans," he thought to himself.

A single puppet could hardly achieve both offense and defense.

Perhaps higher-tier puppets could, but low-tier puppets were better focused on specific aspects.

For example, emphasizing their advantages in "attack," "defense," or "speed."

"Low-tier puppets can hardly possess all these advantages simultaneously. Trying to force them to have everything often only makes the puppet mediocre." Li Chang'an pondered.

He didn't want mediocre puppets, as such puppets wouldn't be of much help to him.

After a moment, he began crafting a puppet specialized in defense.

"I bought quite a few materials suitable for first-tier mid-grade defensive puppets in the black market earlier. Now that my skills have broken through, I should try them out."

Soon, a simple concept formed in Li Chang'an's mind.

At this moment, outside the courtyard gate, Xu Fugui's voice suddenly rang out.

"Brother Li, do you live here?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an stood up and walked out of the house.

He opened the courtyard gate.

Xu Fugui outside the gate looked nervous.

After seeing Li Chang'an, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Li, you really do live here!"

Looking at the spacious courtyard behind the gate, Xu Fugui was both shocked and envious.

A quarter hour earlier, he had business with Li Chang'an and went to where Li Chang'an used to live, only to find no one there!

With confusion, he hurriedly ran to find Chu Daniu.

After some inquiry, he learned the truth.

Originally he was somewhat worried, afraid of finding the wrong place and offending the senior living inside.

Now seeing Li Chang'an, he could finally relax.

"Fugui, come in if you have something to discuss." Li Chang'an smiled and waved his hand.

Xu Fugui was stunned for a moment, hesitated briefly, then walked into the courtyard uncertainly.

Perhaps because this was his first time visiting such a fine mansion, he seemed somewhat constrained.

"Fugui, what brings you to me?"

Li Chang'an's expression was gentle as he asked with a smile.

Xu Fugui replied, "Brother Li, I obtained a strange stone in the secret realm earlier."

As he spoke, he took out an orange-yellow stone from his chest.

This stone was about the size of an egg.

Just looking at its surface, nothing special could be seen.

"This stone should be a treasure, but the other fellows and I couldn't identify it. Brother, do you know what it is?"

Xu Fugui handed the stone to Li Chang'an.

Li Chang'an took a rough look, and his eyes immediately brightened.

He certainly knew what this was.

This was a treasure called "Dog Treasure," a crystal formed by the condensed demonic power after the death of earth element canine demon beasts.

"The Dog Treasure that Fugui obtained should be the demonic power crystal of a late-stage first-tier canine demon beast. It would be very beneficial for Big Yellow." Li Chang'an thought silently.

There were indeed many good things in the secret realm. With Xu Fugui's strength, he had actually managed to obtain a treasure of this grade.

He didn't hide anything from Xu Fugui and told him the truth.

"Fugui, this Dog Treasure probably won't be useful to you. How about selling it to me?"

"Brother, just take it directly." Xu Fugui shook his head, refusing to discuss a transaction.

"Over these years, you've taken such good care of me, and I've never had anything to repay you with."

"That won't do. Even blood brothers need to settle accounts clearly." Li Chang'an insisted.

In the end, he exchanged several sets of mid-grade talismans for this Dog Treasure.

"Fugui, the secret realm is full of dangers. These talisman sets are all mid-grade talismans. Keep them well, they'll be useful someday."

"This... mid-grade talismans?" Xu Fugui's eyes widened.

He thought Li Chang'an was still a low-grade talisman master and never expected to obtain mid-grade talismans from him.

"Brother Li, have you... have you already broken through?"

"Mm."

Li Chang'an nodded slightly, not denying it.

Upon hearing this, Xu Fugui was dumbfounded, as if frozen in place.

In the cultivation world, strength was paramount.

If he and Li Chang'an weren't friends, he would have to address Li Chang'an as "Senior"!

After a long while, he finally came to his senses.

"Brother, don't worry, I won't mention this to anyone."

...

After Xu Fugui left, Li Chang'an continued designing and crafting the defensive puppet.

Not long after, Big Yellow returned from outside, bringing Li Chang'an the latest news.

"Zheng Jinbao found another robber cultivator? That robber cultivator has a very strong aura, you didn't dare get close to identify him, worried about being detected?" Li Chang'an frowned slightly and pondered for a moment.

Big Yellow's current strength was comparable to a human cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

For him to feel that someone was strong, it should be a cultivator at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refining.

"A robber cultivator with such high strength, could it be someone from Black Wind Mountain?"

In this region, besides Black Wind Mountain, other robber cultivator forces seemed to have no experts in the late stage of Qi Refining.

"Fortunately, I have the formation."

Li Chang'an felt grateful that his earlier thinking was correct.

Even without finding opportunities through divination, he would have bought a formation array to protect his residence.

No matter what, soldiers would come, generals would block; water would come, earth would dam.

"If that robber cultivator really dares to come, I'll use him to test this formation's power." Having said this, Li Chang'an stood up.

He packed all the necessary items, altered his own aura, and left with Big Yellow.

He only left behind a puppet body to attract the opponent's attention on the surface.

That evening, he disguised himself as a fire spiritual root cultivator and rented an ordinary mansion in the marketplace.

"Big Yellow, this Dog Treasure contains considerable demonic power. Absorb it slowly."

Li Chang'an took out the Dog Treasure and gently patted the dog's head.

"Woof!"

Big Yellow's eyes were full of joy as he swallowed the Dog Treasure in one gulp.

...

Night gradually deepened, and the marketplace slowly quieted down.

Just after the hour of Zi, a golden light appeared before Li Chang'an's eyes.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today's Divination: Auspicious]

[A late-stage Qi Refining robber cultivator is hired and plans to secretly eliminate you, but when sneaking into the courtyard, he gets trapped by the formation and is ultimately killed. All the treasures on his body are obtained by you]

"Auspicious divination?" Li Chang'an was somewhat surprised.

Previously, when robber cultivators came to his door, the divination showed "inauspicious" hexagrams.

Now another robber cultivator was coming to his door, but the divination showed "auspicious."

Could this change be caused by the growth of his own strength?

"An auspicious divination is good. It seems there won't be much of a problem this time!" Li Chang'an breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It had to be said that Zheng Jinbao's continuous hiring of robber cultivators hadn't caused Li Chang'an much trouble, but instead had brought him many gains.

Whether it was the superior-grade talisman inheritance or the precious Spirit Eye, they were all gifts those robber cultivators had delivered to Li Chang'an.

"I wonder what treasures will be delivered this time?"

Li Chang'an had some anticipation.

...

That night, at the third quarter of the Yin hour, a hunched black shadow moved silently through the darkness without making any sound, as if it had already merged with the entire night.

This person was none other than Wei Sen, the Third Chief of Black Wind Mountain, famous for his escape techniques!

"This should be the place." He quietly arrived in front of Li Chang'an's mansion.

"When I act this time, I must be fast and cannot be detected by that Foundation Establishment ancestor."

Wei Sen slowly took a breath.

The next instant, he lightly swayed, and the tall courtyard wall seemed to not exist at all as his entire person directly appeared inside the courtyard.

"Li Chang'an, be reborn into a good family in your next life!"

Wei Sen's eyes were sinister as he quietly walked toward the house.

But suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

He was clearly walking toward that house, but the distance to the house was getting farther and farther, as if he were moving backward, mysteriously so.

"Not good, there's a formation!"

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