Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 538 - 544: Sacrifice

Crackling—

Even the Starlight River Array shattered under the terrifying impact.

But fortunately, it absorbed most of Yun Leiʼs self-destructionʼs might.

And thanks to Li Zhiruiʼs warning, the clansmen used their most powerful defenses; most of them remained unharmed, but there were injuries and even deaths among the clan.

Compared to the cultivators outside the Formation from Shen Leishan, the cultivators of the Li family didnʼt meet with too tragic a fate.

When Yun Lei self-destructed, Li Zhiruiʼs Water-Wood Barrier obscured the view, and the disciples of Shen Leishan had no clue and thus could not defend in time.

The horrific blast of energy passed directly through their bodies, turning them to ash in an instant, so fast that they themselves didnʼt even feel the pain of death.

Bear in mind, Shen Leishan brought forth seventy percent of their power this time to annihilate the Li family.

But now, due to Yun Leiʼs self-explosion, not one in ten of these cultivators survived!

Even those cultivators who were far enough away had no better fate.

Some of them suffered even more than their deceased fellow disciples, collapsing to the ground with continuous wails.

”Is everyone okay?”

Li Zhirui didnʼt bother with the dying cultivators, at the first moment when the energy subsided, he started to arrange for people to treat the injured clansmen and collect the bodies of the unfortunate dead.

”Jiu, Uncle, Elder Lian, and my big brother, they all...” Li Zhixuan couldnʼt bring herself to finish the last few words.

When Qing Lei appeared and Li Zhirui faced danger.

Li Shiqing turned and left with a determined look, and at that time, Li Zhixuan didnʼt understand his intentions, only thinking he was preparing for the clanʼs last seed to escape in case of Li Zhiruiʼs failure, so she didnʼt pay much attention.

But what Li Zhixuan could never have imagined was that after leaving the front lines, Li Shiqing gathered all the clansmen whose lifespan was less than ten years.

”Our family is in a crisis, and I have a Method that might resolve this,” Li Shiqing said.

After pausing, he continued, ”But, it requires the sacrifice of our lives!”

”If anyone is unwilling, you may turn around and leave. The family will not hold this against you in the future.”

Li Shiqing waited for a moment, and seeing fear on everyoneʼs faces, but with none turning away, he couldnʼt help smiling and said, ”How fortunate the Li family is, to have all of you!”

With time pressing, Li Shiqing didnʼt waste words and immediately led them to the altar where Li Zhirui had performed the Call of the Ghostly Cold.

But as he was about to perform the witchcraft, Li Shilian suddenly appeared on the altar.

”Get down! You still have a hundred or two hundred years of life ahead; you shouldnʼt waste it here!” Li Shiqing said harshly.

However, Li Shilian just smiled and said, ”Second brother, if the Ghostly Cold Energy that you sacrificed canʼt harm Yun Lei, wouldnʼt everyoneʼs sacrifice be in vain?!”

Li Shiqing was at a loss for words, seeing his determined face, he no longer stopped him.

As Li Shiqing performed the witchcraft, the altar drew Qi, blood, Mana, cultivation, and everything else from everyone, leaving only their Divine Soul Origin that could reincarnate—everything was sacrificed!

It was precisely because of the lives of two Golden Cores and more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators that such powerful Ghostly Cold Energy could be performed, putting Yun Lei in a dire situation within a short time.

Ultimately, they had to resort to self-destruction as a final gamble, hoping to take Li Zhirui and most of the cultivators from the Li family with them.

Unfortunately, Li Zhirui was resolute, using the Spirit Stones that the family had accumulated over many years and, regardless of the damage to the Spirit Vein, he blocked most of the deadly force of Yun Leiʼs self-explosion.

——

But coming back to it!

When Li Zhirui heard this, he was like being struck hard by a hammer, standing there stunned, a sudden surge of intense sadness welled up in his heart.

The memories he had deliberately forgotten instantly surfaced in his mind.

The moment the Ghostly Cold Energy appeared, Li Zhirui realized what was going on.

But now, he understood that the situation was much more serious than he had thought!

To summon the Ghostly Cold Energy that could threaten Yun Lei, Li Shiqing, Li Shilian, Li Zhizhun, and all the elders of the family, more than a dozen in total, sacrificed their lives as an offering.

Even their bones were not left!

”Jiu, what happened to the family? Was there a great battle? Why didnʼt you knock on the door to summon me?” Li Zhiyue hurried over, her face full of concern.

Behind her, followed many clansmen.

On Wanxian Island, the main third-tier Spirit Vein was drained of a large amount of Spiritual Energy by the Formation, and although its foundation wasnʼt damaged, it alarmed Li Zhiyue and others who were in seclusion.

As soon as they came out, they were greeted with corpses scattered everywhere, pieces of flesh and blood, the suffocating stench of blood, and the demoralized and somber atmosphere among the clansmen.

Knocking on the door is something no force would do unless absolutely necessary, because any accidents that arise are akin to ruining someoneʼs path of cultivation.

”The matter has already been resolved, donʼt worry,” Li Zhirui said with a forced smile. ”Just in time, now that youʼre out of seclusion, there is something I need you to do.”

Li Zhiyue frowned slightly; she could tell Li Zhirui was hiding something, but since he didnʼt tell her, she figured he had his reasons, so she didnʼt ask any further and just nodded in agreement.

”The Shen Leishan invaded our family but has now nearly lost 70% of its strength to us. I hope you can take the remaining combat-capable members of our family and head to Shen Leishan to retrieve the items like the ship cabins and Spiritual Objects back to our family.”

By combat-capable members, he meant those who could still take Spirit Pills and restore their Mana during the journey.

Li Zhirui said, ”I will catch up with you all later.”

His internal injuries were too severe at the moment; if he didnʼt deal with them, they might become untreatable.

Therefore, Li Zhirui needed some time to temporarily suppress his injuries, then, after dealing with the Shen Leishan issue, he would go into seclusion to properly heal.

Now that Shen Leishan, without Yun Lei, Qing Lei, and most of their Golden Core cultivators, was a massive treasure trove, the Li family had paid a heavy price, and looting Shen Leishan was the only way for them to recover without knowing how many years it might otherwise take.

”Okay,” Li Zhiyue, seeing the exhaustion on Li Zhiruiʼs face, agreed with a nod and turned to select clansmen.

Soon after, Li Zhiyue led a group of clansmen, boarded several Spirit Boats, and flew towards Shen Leishan.

”Xue Feng, organize the elders to tally the casualties, set up some third-tier Formations within the clanʼs territory, and clean up the homeland...”

Having said that, Li Zhirui turned and returned to his cave dwelling to suppress his injuries, but seemingly recalling something important, he added, ”Also, send someone out to comfort those Secular Clansmen and help them recover as quickly as possible.”

Fortunately, with the expansion of the Li family over the years, Wanxian Island and the homeland had increased in size, quite far from where the Secular Clansmen lived, so they hopefully hadnʼt been too affected.