Family Management Game In Immortal Continent

Chapter 435: Awaiting The Day The Li Family Returns

Half a month later.

Outside the ruins of Merit City, allies of the Li family began to arrive in succession. Without exception, their faces were dark and somber. Even from the distant Imperial City, Mister Chen Qingtian himself, representing the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, had journeyed through the night to be there.

Far beyond Merit Cityʼs outskirts, the Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth still roiled violently across an immense expanse. Within a radius of 300 miles from where the fighting had occurred, not a single living creature survived; only a vast, flattened wasteland remained, a testament to the battleʼs unimaginable ferocity.

Yet, strangely, Merit City itself appeared, at first glance, almost entirely unchanged from normal. Its common citizens, along with Li family retainers now returning from afar, were all diligently working to restore any damage, bringing the city back to its former state.

Chen Qingtian had faith in his intelligence network; errors were rare. Yet, for the very first time, he found himself fervently wishing that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had been mistaken.

He intercepted a commoner passing by. ”Friend,” he began, ”Is... everything truly alright here?”

The commoner, however, merely fixed him with a bloodshot, unblinking stare.

The intensity of that gaze sent a chill through Chen Qingtian, making his limbs go cold. Then, without a word, the local simply turned and walked away. A moment later, as if nothing untoward had occurred at all, this same person was seen laughing uproariously with other townspeople passing by.

The entirety of Merit City appeared just as it always had!

Yet, Chen Qingtian sensed that beneath this bustling scene, there lay a terrifying, unnatural stillness.

Everything before him felt like a carefully constructed facade. The usual bustling sounds of Merit City filled the air, echoing just as they always had, as though the devastating events of half a month prior had never occurred at all!

”Somethingʼs wrong...” Chen Qingtianʼs unease intensified. ”These... these people, theyʼre still breathing, still moving, but theyʼve become... are they Living Dead?!!”

Being a cultivator of the Heavenly Secret Pavilionʼs esoteric techniques, Chen Qingtian focused his gaze upon the ground below, terror gripping him. A golden light flared in his eyes. In an instant, he saw it – the subtle, shimmering flow of a vast spiritual array. The whole of Merit City was encased within this potent formation! The realization forced a choked cry of disbelief from him: ”A Death Array!”

Without hesitation, he seized another passing local, his hand closing on their arm. In that single moment of contact, all color drained from Chen Qingtianʼs face, leaving it a ghastly white.

A voice suddenly spoke from behind him. ”Donʼt disturb them.”

Chen Qingtian spun around to see a procession of figures approaching. The arrivals included Feng Chunlin, Region Prince of Azure Cloud region; Mi Zhunqi from the Mi Mansion; Region Prince Jiang Chenghuan himself; Ye Xiu of the Myriad Arts Sect... One by one, these long-standing allies of the Li family advanced, all clad in stark white funeral attire. Their solemn procession through the seemingly bustling marketplace of Merit City created a jarring, incongruous sight!

But for all their conspicuous mourning dress, it was as if the ordinary citizens of Merit City didnʼt even perceive their presence, carrying on with their everyday routines completely undisturbed.

The assembled allies gazed upon the seemingly bustling spectacle within Merit City, and the eyes of every one of them were filled with an unbearable pity.

Chen Qingtian opened his mouth to speak, but the others simply shook their heads at him, making silencing gestures. It was as if they were afraid that even the faintest whisper might shatter the illusion of Merit Cityʼs bustling prosperity. Thus, with a somber face, Chen Qingtian fell in line, and the procession continued silently towards the Li family compound inside Merit City. Step by solemn step, they advanced.

Inside the Li family compound, all appeared restored, just as it had been. Any damage from that fateful dayʼs battle had seemingly been mended by Merit Cityʼs populace.

The city outside bustled with activity, yet here, within the Li grounds, there was no sign of any Li family member. Li family servants could be seen diligently cleaning the residence, ensuring that not a single mote of dust settled upon the clanʼs grounds.

Where the Li familyʼs Divine Tree (the Primal Blood Tree) was located, there indeed stood a colossal tree, a hundred meters in height. Its canopy blazed with crimson. As the cool autumn wind rustled through its branches, red leaves drifted gently to the ground. Yet this Divine Tree of the Li Clan... it held not a single spark of vitality!

One by one, the assembled allies reached out, each catching a falling red leaf. Gazing at the crimson leaves in their hands, each personʼs face held a complex tapestry of emotions. Then, as one, they turned and bowed deeply before the Divine Tree. From the treeʼs crown, a soft red luminescence descended, flowing into each of them. It felt like an affirmation, a granting of passage from Merit City itself. Only after this did they venture towards the Silver Iron Forest located within the city.

Inside the Silver Iron Forest, a fragrant mist curled through the air, carrying the distinct aroma of burning incense. The faint strains of a zither could be heard. As they drew closer, the assembled allies stopped, staring in profound shock at the sight before them.

Row upon row of statues stood there, silent and imposing. And as they looked closer, they realized with a dawning horror that they knew these figures. The carvings were so exquisitely lifelike, it was as if... as if these were the very people they had once known, frozen in time.

There they were: Li Dalong, forever shouldering his Heaven-Piercing Coffin; Li Yaozu, sword box strapped to his back, his own sword drawn as if ready to venture forth; Li Yaoqing, her familiar medicine gourd tied at her hip; Li Yaotie, bare to the waist, his formidable physique on display; and Li Yaowen, seated in her wheelchair, seemingly still directing grand strategies...

It was as if every fallen Li clansman stood before them once more, as resolute and formidable in spirit as they had ever been in life, forever watching over Merit City, forever protecting the Azure Cloud region.

A cool autumn wind whispered through the trees, carrying the blended notes of the zither. The assembled allies followed the source of that clear, delicate, and ethereal music, a melody so utterly desolate.

As they approached, they saw an elderly man playing a zither. He briefly glanced at the mourners arriving, then continued his music while addressing them. ”Esteemed friends,” he said in a steady voice, ”Your presence at the Li familyʼs home, dressed in mourning whites during this unfortunate time, demonstrates your true friendship to them. While your kind gesture is appreciated, a ceremony is unnecessary. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.”

”Mister Huang,” Feng Chunlinʼs eyes were crimson as he performed a deep obeisance to Huang Xiujin.

”After that terrible day,” he began, his voice thick with emotion, ”we launched inquiries through every available avenue, but we still cannot identify the Li Clanʼs true foe. All we know for certain is that the attackers originated from Changyang Prefecture! Furthermore, my brother-in-law... My younger sister came home that day and has been utterly silent ever since, unable to speak of what happened. That brother-in-law of mine, Li Kuangren – tell me, is he dead, or is he alive?!!”

”You ask far too much,” Huang Xiujin replied, his voice soft and almost spectral. ”The Li Clan, even when mustering its full, combined might, proved to be no match for this adversary. Knowing too much about such things... is simply a way to court your own demise.”

Feng Chunlin had initially wanted to lash out, but a glance at the silent, statuesque figures of the fallen Li members surrounding them made him draw a ragged breath and hold his tongue.

His earlier outburst had already articulated the questions burning in everyoneʼs heart: What truly befell the Li Clan? From whence did those assailants originate? What manner of dreadful foe had the Li family antagonized? Yet Huang Xiujinʼs cryptic warnings only filled them with a profound sense of helplessness!

”If that is the extent of your inquiries, esteemed guests, then you should take your leave now,” Huang Xiujin said, his tone final. ”As for paying respects by offering incense... There is no need for that either.” His face a mask of tranquility, Huang Xiujin resumed stroking the strings of his qin. ”Divine Tree,” he murmured, ”kindly escort our guests away.”

No sooner had his words died than, deep within Merit City, the great canopy of the Primal Blood Tree rustled once. In that very instant, the Li familyʼs allies vanished without a trace from where they had been standing.

The music of the zither ceased. Huang Xiujin gazed abstractedly at the statues within the Silver Iron Forest, utterly lost in thought. ”Do you think I donʼt have the same questions they asked?” he murmured to the silent figures. ”But... where are you all now, truly? Are any of you actually... still among the living? And yet, I believe... I must believe that one day, you will all return. And until that day... I will protect Merit City.”

...

Outside Merit City.

The Li familyʼs allies, who only moments before had been inside, now found themselves abruptly deposited outside. Frowning in bewilderment, they stared at their new surroundings, then back towards the city proper. Merit City was already enveloped in a dense, swirling mist, through which red leaves danced and fell like crimson snow.

Chen Qingtian, having just hurried here from the Capital, stood staring blankly, lost in a daze.

Seemingly perceiving his bewilderment, Jiang Chenghuanʼs eyes glistened with emotion. ”We arrived not long after that fateful day,” he began, his voice subdued and heavy. ”The assailants who materialized out of nowhere... they didnʼt slaughter the common folk of Merit City who fought back. Only after those iron-masked figures had withdrawn did the inhabitants of Merit City then ʼrequestʼ that we (the gathered allies) also depart.”

”Tragically, the Divine Tree saw no sign of any Li family member emerging. Then, all the citizens of Merit City, under the direction of Huang Xiujin, gathered before the Divine Tree. They, in concert with the Tree itself, invoked a powerful, city-wide array – one that has preserved everything within Merit City in the exact state it was in just before the catastrophe struck. They cannot accept what transpired. They are resolved to uphold this illusion, to keep the city as it was, awaiting the day the Li family returns.”

Upon hearing Jiang Chenghuanʼs explanation, Chen Qingtian stared in profound disbelief at Merit City, now shrouded by that immense array.

Daylight was fading, the sun sinking behind the western peaks, but there, in the lingering twilight high above Merit City, a colossal character for ”Li” still hung, defiantly visible! Within the city walls, the people laughed and went about their business, meticulously preserving the semblance of life as it had been just before the catastrophe. And so they would continue, day after day, forever locked in that single, unchanged moment.

With a simple, unwavering faith, they believed that a time would surely come when the Li family would return to Merit City. Even if that day... was a distant, perhaps impossible, dream.

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