Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 280 - 286: The Battle Begins

Atop Yuanming Mountain.

”What a pity,” Mingling had been waiting in vain for several days, but had never heard any movement from the Li family, and couldnʼt help but sigh deeply.

He knew this plan was crude; given the Li familyʼs cautious style, they were almost certain not to fall for it.

Yet, he didnʼt dare set foot on Wanxian Island, for without the protection of the Formation, he would have to face several Golden Core cultivators, and even though he harbored thoughts of death, he didnʼt wish to die without gain.

What he hoped for was to use a desperate tactic to take away two of the Li familyʼs Golden Core members, weakening their strength, so they couldnʼt hold on to these two State Domains.

Then, through these two ownerless territories, attract other Golden Core forces to come in and fight with the Li family.

By then, the Li family, having lost two Golden Core cultivators, would definitely not be a match for other forces and might even be further weakened.

Unfortunately, the Li family didnʼt fall for the trap, making it difficult for Mingling to execute his subsequent plans.

”However, itʼs not like there are no other opportunities!” Mingling said to himself in a cold voice.

Either he would stealthily attack the Li family during the great war against the Devil Race, which, if done, would greatly damage the reputation of Yuanming Sect, turning it into an entity everyone would want to strike down.

Or he would not heed the summons and warnings of Shen Leishan and take advantage of the Li familyʼs lowered strength on Wanxian Island after sending their cultivators to war, as an opportunity for retaliation.

But which path to choose, Mingling couldnʼt make up his mind.

The flowers bloom in two, each showing a different branch.

Because the war was approaching, Li Zhirui spent most of his time crafting Spirit Pills, resulting in not having met Jiang Fengwu for several days.

He had planned to meet today but was unexpectedly called back to the family hall by Li Chengmo.

”Who is this...” As Li Zhirui entered, he saw a Golden Core cultivator seated at the head, and he quietly transmitted a message to ask.

”A Golden Core from Shen Leishan, inviting us to the sect to discuss the great war against the Devil Race,” Li Shiqing briefly explained.

The great war was about to begin! Li Zhirui felt emotional. The others were already summoning them to their doors, how imminent was the war?

”I wonder how many disciples our family needs to dispatch?”

The Golden Core lazily said, ”Two Golden Cores, ten Foundation Establishment, and fifty Qi Cultivation, of course, the more the better.”

That last comment was ignored by everyone present; these family elders would rather not send their kin to die, so why would they voluntarily add more people?

Unless it was a family at a critical juncture that needed to fight with all they had, it was unlikely they would send a large number of family members to war.

The Li family had already prepared for this, so as soon as the Golden Core spoke, someone began to gather the family members who had already been selected, ready to follow him to Shen Leishan.

They were chosen long ago, some had volunteered, and some were assigned by the family, just waiting for the familyʼs command.

”I have said all there is to say, may I know which two fellow Daoists will accompany me back to the sect? Please hurry.”

Li Shiqing and Li Zhirui stood out; it was still the two of them fighting and skirmishing outside, after all, Li Shilian was not skilled in combat,

”Take the rest of the people and letʼs go.”

Soon, under the gaze of their kin, the group left Wanxian Island and flew towards Shen Leishan in the northwest direction.

”Weʼve arrived, everyone disembark, please. Someone will come to guide you shortly; your patience is appreciated.”

Before long, a Foundation Establishment cultivator came over and led them into the interior of Shen Leishan.

In just a few short years, the spiritual energy of Shen Leishan had grown much denser, and the various strange phenomena had intrigued Li Zhirui immensely, leading him to speculate that there must be a secret technique for moving Spirit Veins on Shen Leishan.

After all, if one were to cultivate a Spirit Vein, there would be a buffer, and it was impossible for such a dramatic change to occur so abruptly.

Although this kind of secret technique was not Divine Power, each had its corresponding use. For example, the spirit movement he guessed could draw a Spirit Vein from the underground and relocate it elsewhere.

If the Li family acquired this secret technique, they could move Spirit Veins and enhance the spiritual energy of Wanxian Island even more.

However, this secret technique consumed a massive amount of mana. Taking the mana-rich Li Zhirui as an example, even if he exerted all his effort, he could only maintain it for a moment or two.

Plus, Spirit Veins are the lifeblood of a land, and rashly taking one away would not only cause the original locationʼs vitality to plummet, but in severe cases, it could entirely sever the life force.

If such a result actually occurred, a massive karmic debt would ensnarl one, potentially obstructing the path to enlightenment and halting progress for life.

Of course, there were ways to repair the damage caused by removing a Spirit Vein, such as repeatedly casting Spiritual Rain to irrigate the vegetation or by enhancing soil fertility—there were various solutions.

”If the Li family got hold of this secret technique, that would be great.” Li Zhirui was already thinking about how the family would use it.

With Yuanming Sect on the brink of destruction, how could the Li family not covet the many Spirit Veins of Yunping State, especially that third-grade Spirit Vein?

Should the Li family secure these Spirit Veins, they wouldnʼt have to worry about a lack of spiritual energy for hundreds of years to come.

Unfortunately, such a secret technique was impossible for Shen Leishan to divulge.

——

On the ninth of July, under a gentle breeze and bright sun.

Suddenly, bell tolls echoed within the gates of Shen Leishan, summoning all disciples, including affiliated cultivators like Li Zhirui.

Having stayed a few days on Shen Leishan, Li Zhirui and others were finally going to war!

In this upcoming battle, Shen Leishan was not the main force, but merely acting to repay its karmic debt to the Profound Ice Sect.

Theoretically, everyone only needed to proceed with caution, gradually wearing down Devil Beasts along the way. High-scale combat should be left to the Profound Ice Sect.

Yet, since many of the Devil Race bore Spirit Materials, other cultivators, upon hearing the call to arms, were visibly excited and eager, underestimating the Devil Race.

Once the assembly was complete and after listening to Sect Master Wenʼs plethora of superfluous talk, Li Zhirui glanced up at him unintentionally and was momentarily stunned.

The man before him was completely different from the Sect Master Wen he had previously encountered, who was calm and composed, surrounded by a faint aura of Tao; whereas now, his eyes brimmed with arrogance and conceit.

He had a rough idea why Sect Master Wen had changed like this, likely due to annihilating Yin Wind Cave and fulfilling a thousand-year-old wish of Shen Leishan, receiving excessive praise from numerous cultivators, which caused a shift in his temperament.

If it werenʼt for the way people addressed him, he would have thought Shen Leishan had surreptitiously replaced its leader.

And that Cloud Thunder True Lord, he didnʼt intervene? Li Zhirui was somewhat curious.

But it was someone elseʼs family affair, so he merely gave it a brief thought before letting it go, waiting for Shen Leishanʼs arrangements for everyone.

As with the attack on Yin Wind Cave, each power formed its own group, then recruited some Loose Cultivators before heading straight into Great Void Province.

”Depart!”

At the command of Sect Master Wen, the crowd surged forward like a massive black wave, majestically flying toward Great Void Province.

Li Zhirui glanced at the heavily guarded Devil Beasts not far away, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes. Did the Devil Beasts have prior knowledge of this?

Or was it because the Profound Ice Sect had already made its move, and they were preparing in advance, fearing Shen Leishan would join in?