Chapter 1096: Chapter 1090: No Major Moves
“The Nirvana Sage Elder has returned to the Wu tribe. Not only are we looking for them, but even the Radiant Sun Sage Elder is looking for him.”
On the way to the Azure Cloud Li Clan’s Golden Toad Divine Palace, people could be seen walking on the void.
It was precisely the three Body Integration experts who had come from the Imperial Capital to Shadowfell Prefecture, along with Ba Siyu.
The four were heavy-hearted.
Ba Siyu looked at Perfected Qinghe, who had put his mask back on, and asked,
“The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion possesses the ability to calculate heavenly secrets. Could it be that even Perfected Qinghe cannot pinpoint his location?”
Hearing this, the others all looked at Perfected Qinghe.
Right now, the Nirvana Sage Elder’s strength was less than ten percent of what it used to be.
This was practically a vacant Great Dao, and there was no one who wasn’t covetous of it.
If they could kill the Nirvana Sage Elder and snatch his Great Dao, it would be equivalent to obtaining a mid-grade Spirit Treasure.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Perfected Qinghe’s face turned ugly.
“For an opportunity like this, we naturally performed calculations. Our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had planned to infiltrate the Wu tribe and snatch his Great Dao long ago.
But a few days ago, for some unknown reason, that old thing simply walked away, his whereabouts uncertain!”
“If you really want the Great Dao that much… Hmph!”
Perfected Qinghe snorted coldly and looked toward the Golden Toad Divine Palace in the distance.
The others also looked toward the Divine Palace, their gazes complex.
In the Golden Toad Divine Palace, the Azure Cloud Li Clan was currently detaining Nun Dairou.
Although they had obtained two Spirit Treasures and divided the spoils amongst themselves, Nun Dairou was still a coveted prize.
“I advise you to dismiss those thoughts.”
Zhao Guang sneered.
“Living as long as we have, any Dao path that could be easily occupied has already been taken.
The latecomers who can break through to a Dao path in an environment like this are no ordinary people.
The Li Clan brought along the Huan Gui from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems this time. What about the other members of the Li Clan?”
Hearing this, everyone frowned, and those covetous thoughts in their hearts dissipated.
Wenren Jiuyue came from the oldest immortal clan in the Imperial Capital and knew the affairs of the dynasty like the back of his hand.
He said deeply, “The Li Clan’s Spirit Puppet Ancestor, Li Yaotie, was once the top of the dynasty’s Nascent Soul Ranking.
He hasn’t appeared in the world for centuries, and he has forged his own Dao.
Currently in Shadowfell Prefecture, it was rumored that Li Yaozu died at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, yet he has already appeared.
Do you think Li Dalong is still alive? The Corpse-Driving Art that person cultivates originates from ancient times…”
“They inherently possessed the potential for Body Integration.” The corners of Zhao Guang’s mouth curled up.
He also secretly praised himself for not taking the wrong medicine from the Azure Cloud Li Clan.
“Everyone should discuss this with their own people and abandon any crooked ideas.”
The others all nodded. This time, the Li Clan had achieved illustrious military merits in Shadowfell Prefecture.
Although they hadn’t fought on the front lines and the Crown Prince’s matter wasn’t made public, simply by trapping and killing three hundred thousand Wu tribesmen and severely injuring the Nirvana Sage Elder, they had already done the dynasty a massive favor.
Ba Siyu appeared somewhat more high-spirited.
“I will convey this to everyone in the Imperial Protectors Guard. Everyone can rest assured.”
Seeing Ba Siyu’s demeanor, everyone rolled their eyes at him simultaneously.
“Lord Ba has gained quite a lot of benefits.
With our human race counterattacking and reclaiming more than half of Shadowfell Prefecture’s territory, Lord Ba’s Earth Virtue has reaped a bountiful harvest.”
Perfected Qinghe was extremely envious.
Because Ba Siyu was commended by the Human Emperor, this kind of Land Merit Great Dao allowed one to achieve the Dao by expanding territory, making him no different from a patron deity of the dynasty.
Soon, the group received permission from the Golden Toad Divine Palace and entered its interior.
Ba Siyu, who had just been high-spirited, hastily stood in the middle of his Daoist friends, his expression vigilant.
Although the Azure Cloud Li Clan members hadn’t sought him out to settle old scores, the fact that Yun Hongcai and Bi Shihu had conspired to harm the Li Clan couldn’t be hidden at all.
Moreover, with the Nirvana Sage Elder suffering a disaster, he still needed to be careful.
Fortunately, the Li family members came forward and received them warmly.
After a round of discussion, they stated their purpose for coming.
Ba Siyu spoke deeply to Li Yaozu, who was sitting in the seat of honor.
“Sword Venerable, now that Shadowfell Prefecture has reclaimed more than half of its lost territory, we have completely torn off all pretense of cordiality with the Wu tribe.
The Moon Dragon Tribe has arrived and is already stationed within the endless forest.
The Wu tribe’s Elders are making their move, and we request the various members of the Li Clan to assist us.”
Hearing this, Li Yaozu took an extra look at Ba Siyu.
Knowing what had happened previously, he felt that looking at Ba Siyu was like a mortal looking at a towering mountain—he confirmed that a single sword strike wouldn’t poke him to death.
He then replied, “If there is a need, I and the children of my family will naturally assist. Please rest assured, Seniors.”
Li Yunlin had once again adopted his transcendent, immortal-like Daoist appearance.
In the battle against the Nirvana Sage Elder, Li Yunlin’s single halberd strike had been enough to demonstrate the formidable strength of his Spiritual power.
Even among the Void Refinement realm, it would be hard to find an opponent for him, and he could even hold his own against a Half-Step Body Integration expert.
Ba Siyu frowned and asked, “What about the Huan Gui and the Li Clan’s other friends…”
Having long heard that Ba Siyu was profit-driven, Li Yaozu finally witnessed it for himself.
Suppressing his temper, he said expressionlessly, “What does Lord Ba think? My Li Clan commands the Azure Cloud Prefecture. With this battle, could it be that we should abandon our vast clan territory?”
He wasn’t actually lying. At this moment, his Second Sister and Kuanghua had already escorted the imprisoned Nun Dairou back home.
Furthermore…
Li Yaozu subconsciously touched his back and his side. His sword box was no longer by his side; it was hidden inside the Heaven-Piercing Coffin.
Before the red moon incident erupted, he truly didn’t plan on making any major moves. Right now, he felt absolutely zero sense of security.
If not for the Old Tree breaking through nearby, he even wanted to take the children and run back to the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Perhaps because Li Yaozu’s blunt words made Ba Siyu somewhat embarrassed, Li Yunlin smiled and said,
“Now that the Wu tribe is increasing its troops at the border, Lord Ba should discuss this with this junior. This junior actually has some understanding of the Wu tribe.”
At this time.
Li Kuanghua, who had stayed in the Western Frontier for many years, was currently returning to the Azure Cloud Prefecture alongside Li Yaoqing.
Just after passing through the Sunreach Prefecture and heading home, Li Kuanghua’s mouth was already slightly agape.
She saw that across the lands of the Azure Cloud Prefecture, even small villages were planting spiritual herbs, and cultivators could be seen flying on swords.
On some mountains, there were more Immortal Masters. Even on the roads, armies formed by numerous cultivators could be seen.
The spiritual energy of the Azure Cloud Prefecture was unprecedentedly rich.
“Great-Grandaunt, worldly spiritual energy thrives and declines. This state cannot be maintained for long.” Li Kuanghua instantly saw the underlying issue.
The more cultivators and heavenly materials and earthly treasures there were in the Azure Cloud Prefecture, the more spiritual energy they absorbed.
Only when cultivators died and heavenly materials and earthly treasures returned to the earth would worldly spiritual energy return to heaven and earth.
But cultivators have long lifespans. Once they finished absorbing the spiritual energy, the worldly spiritual energy would be gone.
The same applies to the world. Three thousand Great Daos are already the limit; only then can the world endure for a long time.
“This is the doing of Jianshu, a child of our family. Let him be,” Li Yaoqing smiled warmly.
“I suppose we must.”
Li Kuanghua shrugged. Having cultivated for so many years, she also knew many things.
A prefecture possesses worldly luck, which also represents the capacity for worldly spiritual energy.
Even Void Refinement cultivators like them needed worldly spiritual energy. The maximum number of Void Refinement cultivators a prefecture can accommodate is limited.
Otherwise, they should simply stop consuming worldly spiritual energy altogether, and just sit cross-legged to comprehend the laws without seeking personal breakthroughs.
Only places like Shadowfell Prefecture and Deston, where people die continuously, could truly be considered places of opportunity.
Hence, the people of the world often say, “Heroes emerge in troubled times.”
As for elders like them, apart from staying in Grotto-Heaven, they had already begun slowly cultivating in various places across the world.
Otherwise, Li Kuanghua was certain that if all the people of their family stayed home, the cultivators of the Azure Cloud Prefecture would have to drink the northwest wind.
The two returned to the family, and soon the family descendants came to meet the elders.
After just a brief meeting, Li Yaoqing returned to her pill furnace and locked Nun Dairou inside it.
Meanwhile, Li Kuanghua built a Buddhist temple nearby and chanted scriptures for Nun Dairou to hear.
At night.
Li Jianshu knelt and bowed to the elders, respectfully leaving after receiving their reprimands and instructions, his mind filled with fascination.
“Deston and Shadowfell Prefecture…”
“The elders of my family actually settled the scores with the Undefeated Marshal Bi Shihu, the Half-Step Body Integration Yun Hongcai, and even the Body Integration realm Nun Dairou in Shadowfell Prefecture.”
“Even the Nirvana Sage Elder was severely injured and fled from the hands of the elders. This…”
The matters of Shadowfell Prefecture had long since spread back to the Azure Cloud Prefecture, but having heard rumors and having the elders personally admit it were two entirely different things.
This made Li Jianshu scratch his head and ears in wonder. “Just what degree of power has our Li Clan reached?”
Having succeeded as the Patriarch for decades, he still didn’t know how deep the family’s foundations truly ran.
He only knew that leading the family now, even when facing a single Void Refinement cultivator, he had to handle it carefully, looking both forward and backward with caution.
“The items in here…”
Li Jianshu grabbed the spatial ring sent back by the elders.
Sending his divine soul into it, his expression instantly turned to sheer terror.
Even the worst items inside were Spirit Artifacts and Tier-7 items.
Besides that, inside the spatial ring were seventy-two golden bells, which, when used together, could form a supreme-grade Dharma Treasure.
[Supreme-Grade Dharma Treasure: Vast World Seventy-Two Golden Bells]
[The foundation passed down through the Dusheng Nunnery over many years. Seventy-two golden bells, each individually capable of acting as a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact.
Striking the bell can summon Nascent Soul techniques, capable of inflicting ‘Immobilization’ and ‘Soul Shattering’.
If one person holds each golden bell, possessing the power of a supreme-grade Dharma Treasure, they can summon the Vast World Bodhisattva to guard a region or defend against enemies.]
“It requires seventy-two Nascent Soul experts to drive it at full power. This…”
Amidst his thoughts, he had already arrived in the main hall.
Even though it was night, Huang Xiujin arrived with hurried steps.
“Patriarch, under your orders, the major clans of the Azure Cloud Prefecture have already gone to develop the sea regions.
This can temporarily alleviate the current conflict of having too many cultivators in the Azure Cloud Prefecture, and it can also allow us to seize the worldly spiritual energy and luck of the sea regions.”
Li Jianshu noticed the hesitation in Huang Xiujin’s expression and frowned, asking, “What else is the matter?”
“It is the Northern Frontier.”
Huang Xiujin said, “Miss Zhijing of the Northguard City found traces of a dragon, but before she even had time to arrange a capture, it was snatched away by someone else. And Miss Zhijing… was also severely injured.”
“Who dares to hurt her?”
Li Jianshu’s face turned gloomy.
When his great-grandfather went to Shadowfell Prefecture, he passed the position of Patriarch to him, repeatedly instructing and urging him that, even separated by thousands of miles, he must take care of the demon-suppressing branch in the Northern Frontier.
Li Zhijing was his grandaunt. Back when Li Zhijing cultivated in the Azure Cloud Prefecture, let alone him, even his great-grandfather would give way to her.
Huang Xiujin replied, “A fellow member of the Asura Army, the family of the Second Commander, Qiu Chuxian. His clansman, Qiu Xunfa.”
At this time.
[Your descendant Li Zhijing was severely injured by Qiu Xunfa, and then hunted down by the other disciples of the Qiu Clan. Her life hung by a thread. You used a family skill to save her life…]
Li Wei was sitting inside a cave, keeping a fire burning, looking at Li Zhijing, who had been unconscious for several days.
Outside the cave lay the corpses of over a dozen Qiu Clan disciples, even their blood frozen stiff by the ice and snow.
Li Wei looked at the burning campfire and raised an eyebrow.
“Qiu Xunfa? Never heard of him. Where did this nobody come from, costing me 5,000 Clan Will?”
“Oh well. On the path of seeking the Dao, I might as well play with you all. Hopefully, there will be someone somewhat decent.”
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