Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 48: Results

The Li family of Da Rong Island were safe and sound, but that did not mean the other three families were so lucky and capable.

Two Foundation Establishment cultivators, leading more than a hundred Qi Cultivation cultivators, landed on Zheng Familyʼs Red Pine Island.

Among them, one wore a black mask, clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator unwilling to reveal his identity, and he seemed very familiar with Red Pine Island, effortlessly leading the group to the base of Spirit Mountain, where Zheng Familyʼs cultivators resided.

”Attack!” The bandit cultivators, who could no longer hold back, raised their magic artifacts and struck the Clan Protection Array that had not been fully activated.

”Hum—”

The array, upon being attacked, immediately drew spiritual energy from the Array Eye to strengthen its defense, and also alerted the Zheng Family cultivators on the mountain.

”Weʼre under attack!” Patriarch Zheng sprang to his feet, repeatedly striking the bronze bell hanging at the doorway. Nine tolls of the bell, signaling an enemy assault, spread across Red Pine Mountain top to bottom, alerting his clanspeople to prepare for battle.

He also contacted the Elder of Array with the familyʼs jade token, instructing him to hasten to preside over the Mountain Protection Array.

After finishing all this, Patriarch Zheng calmed down and muttered to himself, ”Has the Li family sent someone to seek revenge?”

Although the Zheng Family had many enemies, none bore deeper hatred than the Li family. The grudge over a Foundation Establishment cultivator being killed would never be forgotten by the Zheng Family, and it was very likely that the Li family would take action to resolve the issue before the Zheng Family could recover their strength.

But something about it didnʼt sit right with Patriarch Zheng; if the Li family really wanted to strike, they wouldnʼt have waited until a year later to do so.

”Clan Leader, the attackers are two Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a hundred Qi Cultivation cultivators,” reported an elder who had hurried over at that moment.

Patriarch Zheng was taken aback, ”Itʼs not the Li family?” Otherwise, they wouldnʼt have sent just two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He then scoffed disdainfully, ”Who gave these people the gall? To actually dare attack the Zheng family, truly courting death.”

Although the Zheng Family cultivators were fewer than their opponentsʼ, they were protected by their formations, and with only two Foundation Establishment opponents, breaking through the Defensive Array would be very difficult.

”Originally, I thought Iʼd have to use my trump card, but now, it seems unnecessary.” With that, he flew towards the battlefield.

When he saw the bandit cultivators attacking Red Pine Island, he said with contempt, ”Have these loose cultivators lost their minds? Or do they think that with two Foundation Establishment cultivators backing them, they can take Red Pine Island?”

The difference between loose cultivators and those with lineage was very clear; for instance, loose cultivators had more mixed mana, and the magic artifacts they used were often old or didnʼt match their cultivation levels.

Many of the Zheng Family cultivators shared their clan leaderʼs view that these loose cultivators were not worth mentioning.

Once the great battle started, the loose cultivators indeed did not perform as well as hoped, especially once they were at a disadvantage; their morale plummeted, and they only thought of retreating to save their lives.

However, Patriarch Zheng and the other Foundation Establishment cultivator were not as relaxed as everyone else, instead, they found the battle extremely tough.

The ones who managed to break through to Foundation Establishment among loose cultivators were all extremely powerful because if oneʼs strength wasnʼt formidable enough, they wouldnʼt be able to compete for resources in the loose cultivator community to reach the milestone of Foundation Establishment.

”The capability of the Zheng family is nothing special; we werenʼt prepared enough this time. Weʼll come to learn again next time,” said the masked cultivator upon realizing a prolonged attack was futile, immediately extracting himself from the battlefield without regard for the surprise on the other Foundation Establishment cultivatorʼs face.

However, this other Foundation Establishment cultivator clearly had also held back; seeing his counterpart retreat, he too ceased fighting, piloted his Spirit Sword, and departed.

As for the Qi Cultivation loose cultivators below, no one cared about their fate.

”What exactly is the background of these loose cultivators?” Patriarch Zhengʼs eyebrows furrowed slightly, especially the words spoken by the masked cultivator before departing, which filled him with a sense of unease.

He caught several loose cultivators, and before subjecting them to severe torture, they had revealed everything they knew.

”Kou Bai, the loose cultivator alliance, wishes to annihilate the four major maritime clans...” Patriarch Zheng was shocked, the matter was far more complicated than he had imagined, and behind Kou Bai, there must be a force; otherwise, how could a single loose cultivator amass so many cultivators?

”Go and find out whatʼs happening with the other three clans,” Patriarch Zheng instructed an elder.

At the same time on Red Pine Island to the north, the He and Jiang families also faced their own adversaries.

The Jiang family, slightly stronger, and a few months ago, a Foundation Establishment cultivator appeared, defeating not only the invading Qi Cultivation cultivators but also, at some cost, killing a Foundation Establishment loose cultivator.

On the other hand, the fate of the He family was quite the opposite, with one of their two Foundation Establishment cultivators nearing the end of his life, utterly unable to exhibit the strength expected of his level.

The invading cultivators included as many as three Foundation Establishment cultivators, making their group the most formidable aside from Kou Baiʼs team.

Even as the multitude of He family cultivators fought desperately, the disparity in strength was not so easily overcome.

In the end, amidst a dense miasma of bloodshed, the He family, having endured for over two hundred years, was completely eradicated by the bandit cultivators, their amassed wealth over the years thoroughly plundered.

All the surviving loose cultivators were quite pleased, and then waited for good news from the other teams.

Soon, news arrived, but it wasnʼt good, the four teams—apart from them—none had succeeded, and even suffered heavy losses.

The bandit cultivators, initially dreaming of occupying Spirit Mountain, suddenly came to their senses and dared not stay on the island any longer, fearing the other three families would come to their senses, retaliate against them.

In less than an hour, all the bandit cultivators had left the rich Spirit Land, and before their departure, other than the few immovable Spirit Veins, they took anything that contained spiritual energy.

...

On Da Rong Island, everyone from the Li family was extremely happy, as they had come into a pleasant windfall.

Although those hundred or so Qi Cultivation loose cultivators were poor, together they amounted to a considerable wealth.

To reward the clansmen who had defended against the enemy, Li Shiqing decided to distribute part of the loot among all the clan members, with the remainder going into the family treasury.

After the clansmen dispersed, only the senior members remained in the main hall to discuss the invasion that had started strongly but ended in a fizzle.

”From the confessions of those few loose cultivators, we learned that the loose cultivator alliance had the audacity to strike at the four clans. Although they failed here, it does not mean the other clans are out of harmʼs way,” one said.

Li Shiqing spoke, ”What we need to do now is collect their information as quickly as possible and then take appropriate measures.”

”At the same time, we need to spread some false information.”

With the four great clans under attack and only the Li family suffering no losses, it stood out too much and was all too likely to draw suspicion, possibly leading to rumors of the Li family colluding with the loose cultivators.

In fact, Li Shiqing had another motive he hadnʼt mentioned, which was to use this false information to see if any forces wanted to move against the Li family, and whether they would seize this golden opportunity to make their move.