Sensing the aura of these three children, Li Yunbing sighed deeply, then looked up at the sky and said with a smile, "Because of her, this place now—"
"—belongs to the Li family!"
As Li Yunbing finished speaking.
The three children looked up. They had never imagined that the Thunderfire Cave and the Demon Subduing Alliance, which were said to be locked in a deadly struggle in the legends of the martial world, were not at all like the tragic tales they had heard.
And the one who had brought about all this was their Second Great-grandmother!
At this moment, they seemed to see the clouds in the sky gather together, gradually forming a giant character "Li," suppressing the entire Thunderfire Cave and the Demon Subduing Alliance.
They had even heard the story of how their Second Great-grandmother came here alone to help the Ancestor Hall Guardian Beast undergo its transformation.
An image appeared in their minds.
In this land shrouded in dark clouds, filled with conflict, demon cultivators and righteous cultivators were locked in battle.
Until one day, a frail girl carrying a medicine basket, her hands tightly gripping the straps, arrived at the Thunderfire Cave. Step by step, she walked to the central throne and sat down, maintaining a balance between the forces of good and evil in this place!
"Let's go see your Great-grandfather."
Li Yunbing called out to the three children.
...
The three soon arrived at the depths of the Thunderfire Cave, where scorching heat emanated from a cave dwelling.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing against metal came from within the cave, causing their eardrums to vibrate. The ground trembled with each impact, like a small earthquake!
Li Yunbing had already left.
The three children were left standing outside the cave, dumbfounded.
Inside the cave, they saw a large, bald man with his upper body bare, wearing only tattered pants. His muscles bulged with visible tendons, and he was furiously hammering a pitted piece of iron with a hammer larger than himself!
It was their great-grandfather, Li Yaotie!
"Come in!"
Li Yaotie didn't even glance at his three great-grandnephews. His eyes were bloodshot as he continued hammering the iron, just like when he was obsessed with forging back in Green Valley Village.
His roar startled the three children, causing them to tremble as they entered the cave.
Bolts of lightning, seemingly originating from an unknown source, struck the river formed by a cascading lava waterfall.
Lightning and flames intertwined, and the lava erupted with continuous explosions, splattering molten rock in all directions. Some even splashed onto Li Yaotie's back. This was the Thunderfire Cave, aptly named for the thunder and fire that filled it.
"Great... Great-grandfather."
The three children stood respectfully before their great-grandfather.
If this were before they entered Li Yaoqing's cave, Li Yaotie would certainly have shown them great affection. But now, he did not.
Li Yaoqing sealed the cave, but Li Yaotie still sensed it. His Second Sister was using her life force to extend the lives of those three children and temper their bodies!
Second Sister couldn't actually control that strange pool of poison. She had only said those eccentric things to make him think she had everything under control.
"Now, all of you, pick up this equipment!"
Li Yaotie continued hammering away. A phantom image began to appear around him—a hammer, floating above his head!
The three children didn't dare say a word. They looked at the ground in front of their great-grandfather. There were three sets of black armor, each with nine iron bars across the chest.
"Yes!"
Enduring the intense heat within the cave, they tried to lift the armor, but their expressions immediately changed.
Despite their cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Refining, they had to use all their strength just to lift the armor!
"From now on, you will wear this armor every day," he commanded. "No matter what you're doing—eating, drinking, even relieving yourselves—you will wear it! When you can bear the weight of the armor, pull out one of the iron bars from your chest."
"Two years. If those nine bars are still there after two years, I will consider it as if I don't have these three great-grandchildren!"
The three children, now clad in the heavy armor, looked aghast.
They had used all their strength just to put on the armor, and now even walking was extremely difficult. Sweat drenched their bodies.
They didn't understand.
Why was their great-grandfather, whom they were meeting for the first time, being so harsh with them?
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Their great-grandfather continued to hammer furiously at the iron, and the three children didn't dare ask any more questions.
They could sense that besides his focus on forging, their great-grandfather also harbored a wave of unexplained anger and guilt.
"What are you still standing there for?" he roared. "Get out there and run two laps!"
"After today, someone will bring you pills and natural treasures. No matter what they are, you will consume them as quickly as possible!"
"Remember, you only have two years. I want results!"
Following Li Yaotie's roar, the three children stumbled out of the cave.
It seemed the family rumors were all fabricated. Eldest Great-uncle's ruthlessness was a lie.
If Eldest Great-uncle offered them the gifts of an elder, and Second Aunt provided gentle nurturing, then with Great-grandfather, they only experienced the strictness of an elder.
"Waaah, Elder Brother," Li Kuangtu cried with reddened eyes, "why is Great-grandfather treating us like this?"
Li Kuanghua gritted her teeth. "Stop whining!" she said. "Great-grandfather wants us to grow stronger. He's doing this for our own good."
Hearing this, Li Kuangren's expression was filled with guilt. He didn't say a word and simply ran faster.
He vaguely sensed that everything was connected to him. Perhaps if he hadn't made that mistake, his younger siblings wouldn't be suffering because of him.
"Twenty years," he thought with determination. "I must achieve something, I won't let my elders and siblings down!"
---
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