Clan Cultivation: Starting with Building an Island Immortal City

9: Overseas Immortal Island, Newly Born Spiritual VeinFive days later, where the sea met the sky, a solitary island slowly emerged from the dense fog.

Li Yinglong stood at the bow, his black robe fluttering, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring ahead.

Beside him, Li Qingzhu also had a solemn expression, her fingers slightly curled, a faint flow of Spiritual Qi subtly circulating in her palms.

The journey had not been smooth sailing.

They had encountered raging storms and several attacks from fierce sea beasts.

One giant octopus, with tentacles as thick as a man’s waist and eyes like lanterns, was particularly troublesome; its terrifying strength nearly capsized the ship several times.

Fortunately, Li Yinglong and Li Qingzhu had diligently cultivated without rest for these five days, having gained an initial understanding of the Five Elements Spirit Control Art. Although far from proficient, they couldreluctantly condense the meager Evergreen True Qi within their bodies onto their weapons, enhancing their sharpness. This allowed them to repel the beast without serious incident.

Ultimately, they arrived at the island marked on the map, their boat moving like an arrow, having faced dangers but emerging unharmed.

Now, the two stood at the bow, gazing at their destination.

Ahead lay a sizable island, far from the tiny speck they had imagined.

In the center of the island, a solitary peak rose, over a thousand ren tall, shaped like an overturned cauldron, its summit wreathed in clouds and mist, exuding an imposing Aura.

The mountain body was dark brown, with craggy rocks, as if it had been forged by fierce flames and its color had not faded over time.

”This mountain is no ordinary geological feature.”

Li Yinglong said in a low voice:

”The rock is parched and withered, with twisted textures; there must have been underground fire here.”

Li Qingzhu nodded:

”There’s a faint smell of sulfur in the air, growing stronger as we get closer. It’s indeed the remains of a volcano.”

Finding a hidden water area embraced by reefs, Li Yinglong cast the ship’s anchor deep into the water, securing it firmly.

The two did not rush to land on the island, but first observed carefully from the ship for a long while, confirming that there were no obvious dangers near the shore. Only then did they gather their spirits, execute their movement techniques, and like two nimble seabirds, glided over the water to land steadily on the white sandy beach.

Their feet sank into the soft sand, and the salty sea breeze assailed them.

However, this tranquility lasted for less than three breaths!

”Be careful!”

Li Yinglong cried out.

A dark shadow shot out from the sand beneath Li Qingzhu’s feet without warning, lunging directly at her face!

Its speed was astonishing!

Li Yinglong reacted extremely quickly, swinging his overlord spear downwards!

”Clang!”

A crisp sound, and the attacking object was struck away, finally revealing its true form.

The creature resembled a giant crab, its carapace wider than a millstone and nearly an inch thick, dark greenish-black and brownish in color. Its surface was covered with wart-like protrusions and spiral patterns, as if eroded by time or naturally formed.

Its two pincers were thick as iron tongs, clattering when they opened and closed, their tips glowing with a faint blue cold light, clearly containing potent venom.

Its eight legs were hard as horn, each segment bearing barbs, digging through sand like a plow, moving swiftly and silently.

Judging by its appearance, it was clearly no ordinary sea crab, but rather something that had undergone an abnormal change due to some reason.

”Retreat!”

Li Yinglong roared, grabbing Qingzhu’s wrist and rapidly retreating.

Before his voice faded, rustling sounds suddenly arose, and vibrations came from all directions.

Dozens of the same giant crabs burst out of the sand, encircling the two. Their crimson compound eyes locked onto the intruders, pressing in step by step.

”Uncle!”

Li Qingzhu’s short sword was unsheathed, its blade glowing with an almost imperceptible faint green light, as she vigilantly backed against Li Yinglong.

”Don’t panic! Fight and retreat; don’t waste energy on these beasts!”

Li Yinglong ordered in a deep voice.

These giant crabs were numerous, with hard carapaces and immense strength. If they were trapped, they would undoubtedly expend too much energy.

The two stood back to back, slowly retreating towards the jungle in the direction of the island’s interior.

Li Yinglong’s spear moved like a Dragon, no longer directly striking the crab shells, but instead targeting vulnerable spots like joints and eyes. The spear tip contained a trace of Evergreen True Qi, and each thrust always brought forth a spray of foul-smelling fluid.

Li Qingzhu’s sword light was agile, her purple-green short blade exceptionally sharp. Driven by her initial mastery of the Five Elements Spirit Control Art, it cut through iron like mud, often precisely severing the giant crabs’ walking legs or the tips of their pincers.

Although the giant crabs were ferocious, their movements were slightly sluggish. The two cooperated tacitly, fighting and retreating. While they couldn’t kill all of them immediately, they weren’t trapped either.

During their retreat, Li Yinglong, with his sharp eyes, noticed some faded and tattered fragments of clothing scattered amidst the sand and grass, and even a few human skeletons picked clean, with rusty machetes and broken baskets lying nearby.

”It seems the Lin Family also paid a heavy price to collect sea soul moss.”

Li Yinglong’s tone was cold:

”These clothing remnants are probably what those unfortunate Lin Family guards left behind. Their cultivation wasn’t high, so they could only sacrifice lives to break through the beasts’ obstruction and gather some herbs.”

Li Qingzhu’s heart tightened at the sight, and she gripped her sword a little harder.

”Follow these traces!”

Li Yinglong decided immediately.

”Since they could continuously collect sea soul moss, they must have a relatively safe path!”

These remaining traces now became the best guiding markers.

The two followed the scattered fragments of clothing and skeletons, fighting and moving, gradually penetrating deeper into the island.

The further they went inland, the denser the trees became, and the pursuit of the mutated giant crabs gradually thinned out, as if they preferred the coastal beach environment.

After passing through a dense palm grove, their view suddenly opened up!

The center of the island was not the dense forest or valley they had imagined, but an extremely vast flat area. The ground was mostly gray-black volcanic rock, with no vegetation, and its area was several times larger than the entire Family territory of the Li Family in Linhai City!

The smell of sulfur here was not much stronger than outside, indicating that this place had been formed years ago, and its geological features had long since solidified.

A massive volcanic cone stood majestically in the center of this flat land.

”It’s true... it’s actually an extinct volcano!”

Li Qingzhu looked up to confirm.

”Indeed. It’s likely that crustal movements lifted the land above ground, and then the eruptions ceased, forming the current landscape.”

Li Yinglong also nodded.

The pursuing mutated giant crabs chased to the edge of this flat volcanic rock area, then restlessly waved their pincers, but as if disgusted by the Aura of this place, they dared not cross the boundary, eventually slowly retreating into the forest.

The pressure on the two immediately lessened.

”It seems these beasts don’t like the sulfurous Qi.”

Li Yinglong breathed a slight sigh of relief, his gaze turning to the towering volcano.

”sea soul moss... likes to be near Spiritual Veins, often growing on offshore islands... This volcano, perhaps, is the key.”

After a brief rest, the two began to climb up the steep ridge.

The mountain path was rugged, and the volcanic rock was loose and slippery, making it quite difficult to traverse.

Fortunately, both had cultivation and physiques far superior to ordinary people. After nearly a day, they finally successfully reached the summit.

The summit was not a sharp peak; the central crater was blocked, forming a sunken volcanic lake. The water surface was calm as a mirror, dark green, and unfathomably deep.

The inner wall of the crater was steep, and on the rock face near the lake, faint patches of deep purple moss-like plants could be seen growing tightly against the rocks, appearing and disappearing in the misty water vapor.

”Uncle! Look there!”

Li Qingzhu, with her sharp eyes, pointed at the deep purple moss, her voice filled with surprise.

”It’s sea soul moss! Just like the one in the jade box!”

Li Yinglong’s gaze sharpened as he looked closely, and indeed it was!

Judging by the scale of growth, there was far more than the three plants in the Lin Family’s jade box!

The two carefully climbed down the inner wall of the crater. The closer they got to the lake, the fainter the smell of sulfur in the air became. Instead, there was a refreshing, cool Aura, like a stream formed by melting snow in early spring, pure and full of vitality.

Li Yinglong and Li Qingzhu stopped in unison.

The Evergreen Art within their bodies actually accelerated its operation on its own. The meager Spiritual Qi, which normally flowed like a trickling stream and was difficult to absorb, now seemed to respond to some invisible call, becoming active and abundant.

Their Dantian and Qi Sea trembled slightly, bringing a warmth and throbbing sensation like a long-awaited rain after a drought.

This feeling... was completely different from the dryness and stagnation they experienced in Linhai City!

”Uncle, the Spiritual Qi here...”

Li Qingzhu’s voice trembled slightly. She took a deep breath, feeling an unprecedented comfort and clarity throughout her limbs and bones.

Li Yinglong did not answer.

He squatted down, immersed his hands in the lake, and fully focused his mind inward, guiding his spiritual consciousness to probe towards the volcanic lake.

Boom!

He felt a surge of Spiritual Qi, far denser and purer than that on the surface, envelop his spiritual consciousness, as if he had immersed himself in a warm Spiritual liquid.

At the deepest part of the lake, he seemed to ”see” a faint but incredibly pure white light, like the heart of the earth slowly beating. Each beat radiated the energy of life into the lake water, nurturing this enclosed world.

[Detected native, attribute-less Spiritual Vein fluctuations, Rank: Low Grade (Nascent Stage). Location: Geomorphic node directly beneath the host.]

[Spiritual Vein Origin: Formed due to the special geological structure created by ancient underground fire surges, attracting and condensing the Qi of the surrounding thousand li for a hundred years. Current Spiritual energy dispersion concentration is approximately fifty times that of the mundane outside world, and possesses natural growth potential. Assessment: Possesses extremely high strategic value and foundational significance.]

The System’s prompt was still cold, yet it sounded like celestial music!

”Qingzhu!”

Li Yinglong’s voice was slightly hoarse with excitement:

”Focus your mind, sense the bottom of the lake!”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingzhu immediately complied.

A moment later, she suddenly opened her bright eyes, her face a mixture of shock and ecstatic joy!

”Uncle! I... I felt it! The bottom of the lake... the bottom of the lake seems to have... a Spiritual spring surging! Although faint, it’s continuous! This... could this be...”

”A Spiritual Vein! It really is a Spiritual Vein!”

Li Yinglong looked up, taking a deep breath of the air filled with spiritual vitality. All the burdens in his chest lifted, and his eyes erupted with an unprecedented fervent light...

”Heaven bless the Li Clan! This is no ordinary Spiritual Vein, but an Earth-born Vein, though nascent, it contains infinite possibilities!”

”With this Spiritual Vein, my Li Family will have a foundation to take root, a base to soar! From now on, the path to immortality is within reach, and the Family’s destiny can be prolonged!”

Li Yinglong’s voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute and grand spirit, as if ushering in a new era:

”From today onwards, the Li Family will no longer be merely a martial cultivation Family in Linhai City. But rather... a nascent immortal cultivation Family!”

The surging sound resonated within the extinct volcano, which had been silent for countless years, proclaiming the dawn of a new era for a Family.