The surface of the altar was covered in densely packed runes, layered upon layered, so intricate they made one's eyes swim. At each of the altar's four corners stood a stone pillar over three meters tall, carved with lifelike dragon designs. The dragons on the four pillars were all different, corresponding respectively to the four celestial phenomena of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.
At the very center of the altar was a recess, just large enough to hold five fragments.
Master Xuanqing pointed at the altar and said, "This is the Five Elements Fusion Array left behind by the founding ancestor of our Qingyun Sect. This formation was specifically designed to fuse the power of the five elements. If you fuse the fragments on the altar, the formation's power will help you bear most of the backlash, greatly reducing the risks of fusion."
Su Han carefully examined the altar, sensing the aura it emitted. It gave him a strange feeling. It seemed both like an ancient formation and a powerful magical artifact, yet there was also an indescribable sensation, as though the altar itself were alive.
"However," Master Xuanqing said, changing the subject, "even with the Five Elements Fusion Array's assistance, your cultivation is still somewhat insufficient. Although the early Deity Transformation stage and the peak Deity Transformation stage are separated by only three minor realms, the difference in spiritual power is more than tenfold. Fusing the fragments requires spiritual power equivalent to all that possessed by a cultivator at the peak of the Deity Transformation stage. You currently have less than one-fifth of that, which is simply not enough."
Su Han frowned. Insufficient spiritual power was a very real problem. Cultivation could be improved slowly, but time waited for no one. The seal on the Nether Cold Abyss could