The Bamboo Array Gains Fame

With his resolve made, Li Su no longer hesitated.

He spent several days thoroughly surveying the environment around his new foothold. He also hunted lone ferocious beasts and absorbed the lingering remnants of the ancient battlefield, accumulating 35 Evolution Points. (After reaching a high-tier foundation, the points required for evolution increased significantly.) His cultivation had also completely stabilized at the peak of the mid-stage Earth Immortal realm.

On this day, he took one last "look" at the sea of corpses and bones, the ancient battlefield that had given him his initial growth (and almost cost him his life). His eight-zhang Mo Xing Bamboo body trembled slightly, and its main root completely pulled free from the ground.

Westward, begin!

He didn't choose to fly, as that would attract too much attention and consume too much energy. Instead, he used his roots as feet, "gliding" close to the ground.

Countless fine root tendrils, like flexible tentacles, supported his bamboo body, allowing him to move rapidly across the ground and rocks. When he encountered ravines, he would briefly leap over them. Though his speed was less than flying, it excelled in stealth, flexibility, and low energy consumption.

The Mo Xing Bamboo body's radiance was contained, and his spiritual sense was retracted to a radius of a hundred zhang around him, used solely for early warning. He aimed to avoid attracting the attention of any powerful beings.

However, the path westward through the Primordial World would hardly be smooth!

Less than a thousand li from the ancient battlefield, a desolate stone forest blocked his path.

Within the stone forest, the Evil Qi was exceptionally dense, even forming a faint black mist.

Li Su's spiritual sense swept over it, and his heart grew tense.

Deep within the stone forest lurked dozens of ferocious beasts resembling leopards, but covered entirely in bone spurs.

Their individual strength ranged from Spirit Refining Returning to Emptiness to early-stage Earth Immortal. However, they moved like the wind, silently, and had subtly formed some kind of encirclement.

It was an ambush! These beasts had clearly mistaken him, this "moving bamboo," for prey!

He couldn't force his way through! Li Su judged instantly. If he got entangled and caused too much commotion, who knew what would be attracted.

He immediately changed direction, attempting to bypass the stone forest. But those bone-spurred leopards were extremely cunning. Seeing this, they immediately darted out from the stone forest, flanking him from both sides. Their speed was astonishing, and in the blink of an eye, they had formed a pincer movement!

Roar!

The leading leopard, the largest and possessing the aura of a mid-stage Earth Immortal, let out a low growl. All the leopards simultaneously arched their backs, their bone spurs standing erect, shimmering with a dark light, clearly imbued with potent poison or armor-piercing effects.

Nowhere left to retreat!

Li Su's bamboo body paused; he no longer attempted to escape.

Since he couldn't avoid it, he would fight! It was the perfect opportunity to test his newly acquired strength!

With a thought, dark radiance flowed around him, and the Star Evil Body Protection spiritual power activated on its own, enveloping his bamboo body in a thin, star-speckled black halo.

At the same time, the first three bone-spurred leopards pounced! Their claws, accompanied by sharp shrieks that tore through the air, slashed fiercely at his bamboo body!

Chira!

A grating sound of friction echoed!

The Star Evil Body Protection halo fluctuated violently, yet it was only lightly scratched by those sharp bone claws!

But ultimately, they failed to break through his defenses! Instead, a recoil force, mixed with Stellar Evil Energy, surged back along the bone claws, corroding the three leopards!

The three leopards let out pained hisses. Their claws became covered in a thin layer of black frost, and their movements immediately stiffened.

Now!

Li Su's bamboo body swayed slightly, and over a dozen dark bamboo leaves, shimmering with starlight, silently detached. They transformed into lightning-fast blades, precisely shooting towards the eyes, throats, and other vulnerable spots of the three stiffened leopards!

Puff puff puff!

Blood splattered! The three leopards, caught off guard, were instantly heavily wounded, falling and rolling on the ground with screams.

Having struck successfully, Li Su showed no hesitation. His roots moved, and he forcefully charged towards the flank, attempting to break through the encirclement.

But the leading leopard king reacted extremely quickly. With a low growl, the remaining twenty-odd leopards simultaneously spat out a stream of gray-black airflow!

These streams intertwined in the air, forming a massive, viscous net of Evil Qi that descended upon Li Su! Dark light flickered on the net, clearly containing sealing and corrosive power!

Area attack! These beasts indeed have some tricks up their sleeves!

Li Su's pupils (spiritual sense) contracted. It would be unwise to withstand this Evil Qi net; his speed would inevitably be hindered, and he would be completely surrounded.

He abruptly stopped, his eight-zhang bamboo body sinking deep into the ground!

"Rise!"

As his spiritual sense urged, countless sharp bamboo roots, shimmering with dark light, erupted from the earth within a hundred-zhang radius!

These bamboo roots were not physical but phantoms formed by his own root tendrils combined with Stellar Evil Energy and the power of the earth. They formed a temporary, crude trapping and killing array—the Secluded Bamboo Trapping Array!

This was a rudimentary spiritual power he had devised himself after advancing to the mid-stage Earth Immortal realm and improving his foundation. It combined his own characteristics with a superficial understanding of array formations from the remnants of the ancient battlefield.

Using his own roots as a conduit, he communicated with the earth's ley lines and Evil Qi, forming a combination of an illusion array and a killing array. Though not durable, it could erupt instantly!

The bone-spurred leopards clearly hadn't expected this bamboo plant to have such a trick up its sleeve and were immediately caught in the array.

The scene before them shifted, as if they had fallen into an endless bamboo sea. Sharp bamboo roots stabbed from all directions. Though most were illusions, real attacks were interspersed among them, making them impossible to defend against!

The Evil Qi net lost its target and slowly dissipated.

The leopard king let out an enraged roar. The bone spurs on its body erupted with intense dark light. With a violent shake, it forcibly tore a corner of the illusion array!

But its subordinates behind it lacked this strength. Their formation immediately fell into chaos. They were wounded and entangled by the elusive bamboo root phantoms, their screams echoing continuously.

This was the opportunity Li Su was waiting for!

His bamboo body abruptly pulled free from the ground, like a dark arrow shot from a bowstring. He instantly shot towards the gap in the array torn open by the leopard king!

At the same time, the Soul-Devouring Dark Light, which had been prepared for a long time, shot out silently, its target fixed on the Leopard King, which had just broken free of the array and was caught between its old strength spent and new strength yet to be born!

The Leopard King's spiritual senses were sharp, and it felt a fatal threat, so it suddenly turned its head to dodge!

Chii!

The Soul-Devouring Dark Light grazed its neck, taking away a small piece of flesh and a large amount of its vital energy and spirit!

The Leopard King immediately let out a piercing howl, its aura significantly weakened. A look of terror flashed in its eyes, and it no longer dared to pursue. It turned and fled!

With the leader fleeing, the remaining leopards, trapped in the array and in a state of panic, lost all will to fight and scattered in all directions.

Li Su did not pursue.

He quickly retracted his Spiritual Power, his bamboo roots moving, and left the stone forest area at the fastest speed. He ran for thousands of miles, confirmed there were no pursuers, and then found a hidden mountain hollow to take root again, catching his breath.

Although the battle was short, the consumption was not small. Especially the "Secluded Bamboo Trapping Array" he had set up at the end, which had drained nearly 30% of his Stellar Evil Energy.

However, the effect was also significant. Fighting against a larger number with fewer resources, he injured the Leopard King, scared off the beast horde, and remained unharmed himself.

After this battle, he had a clearer understanding of his own strength. At the mid-stage of Earth Immortal, coupled with his advanced natural endowment and two Spiritual Powers, he had a certain degree of self-preservation ability in this area. However, when facing a pack of Earth Immortal-level fierce beasts or even stronger existences, he still needed to be cautious.

At the same time, the initial use of the "Secluded Bamboo Trapping Array" also showed him a direction.

Being a bamboo himself, with roots spread everywhere and communicating with the earth's veins, he might have great achievements in formations in the future.

After a brief period of recovery, Li Su continued westward.

The journey remained arduous, with all sorts of strangely shaped fierce beasts appearing endlessly, and the treacherous terrain and environment were filled with killing intent.

He encountered giant flowers that could spew poisonous mist, nearly fell into a quicksand blood marsh that swallowed everything, and was even chased by a flock of flying fierce birds for a full day and night...

But relying on his caution, his gradually improving strength, and his occasional flashes of inspiration in using formations, he managed to escape danger time and time again.

The name Mo Xing Soul Devouring Bamboo seemed to spread quietly among the few intelligent survivors in this vast and dangerous wilderness as he traveled west – a black bamboo that could move, set up arrays, and devour beast souls.

Li Su paid no mind to these matters. His goal remained clear – northwest, Kunlun!

Evolution Points were accumulating slowly, and his cultivation was steadily improving through practical combat.

His perception of stellar energy was becoming clearer and clearer. When traveling at night, he drew upon the Taiyin Star Light and the energy of the Cosmos to temper his body, and the effect was even better than absorbing Evil Qi.

One day, he arrived at the edge of a black desert.

The desert had sparse Evil Qi but was filled with a strange, deathly silence that could dissolve divine consciousness and spiritual power.

Just as he was hesitating whether to take a detour, suddenly, the fragment of "Bedrock Rune" in his embrace grew slightly warm again!