After those insignificant troublemakers from the Lin family were driven out of the Azure Cloud region, no further incidents occurred. Perhaps it was because word of Lin Yuanshan's miserable state spread beyond the Azure Cloud region, causing no one from the Eternal Sun Prefecture to dare cause trouble in the Azure Cloud region anymore. It seems that without dealing with them harshly, one truly couldn't intimidate these greedy types.
The Li family was waiting for the Lin family's retaliation. They had even informed Daoist Shanchen and Wang Jinhu. These two Divinity Transformation stage cultivators had long been dissatisfied with the major factions of Eternal Sun Prefecture for hitting others when they were down, so they naturally promised to drive away any Divinity Transformation cultivator who might come personally.
As Wang Jinhu himself said, the Lin family of Qilin Mountain only had one ancestor at the early Divinity Transformation stage. If he hadn't wanted to avoid needlessly stirring up trouble, he would have long ago taken his Hammer to teach them a lesson, just for the unrestrained satisfaction of it.
In the blink of an eye, five years passed.
Everything remained as usual in the Azure Cloud region. Fighting broke out periodically at the border, and Li Wei even managed to gain quite a bit from it.
[Congratulations! Under the leadership of Li Yunbing and through Li Tianyue's decisive warfare, your clan has killed over 300,000 invading Wu Clan enemies in five years. They seized lands rich in Spirit Jade, originally belonging to the Wu Clan, and incorporated them into the Azure Cloud region. With numerous battle achievements, you have gained 5 Family Will.]
Calculating it now, adding the achievements of his descendants over these past five years and accounting for any expenditure, Li Wei's Family Will had reached 53 points.
On that battlefield, Li Tianyue and Li Yunbing had gained abundant rewards.
[Your descendant, Li Tianyue, has killed over ten thousand enemies on the battlefield. He once attempted to coexist peacefully with the Wu Clan, but was unable to change their mindset. After an incident where Wu Clan captives and soldiers launched a night raid on the Azure Cloud Region Army, your descendant spent half a month establishing a massive execution pit and gathered cultivators to massacre them within it using Sky Thunder and Earth Fire.]
[Trait: Wu Butcher. Has killed one million Wu Clan members. Can overcome the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.]
On this day, Li Tianyue, dressed in red armor, stood atop the border city wall. Holding twin swords, she remained there for a long time, gazing calmly at the vast, Endless Forest.
Below the wall were the soldiers of the Azure Cloud Region Army. Their numbers had now reached eighty thousand; if not for the heavy casualties still suffered in battle, they likely would have numbered two hundred thousand. Every single soldier wore red armor.
Wasn't this armor practically identical to the 'Black Iron Beast Blood Armor' that Li Yaotie had once crafted?
And indeed, it came from the blueprints Li Yaotie had gifted to the artifact refiners of Azure Cloud region, chosen simply because his armor design was the easiest to produce and the most suitable for quickly crafting batches of soldier armor for such a battlefield. These suits of armor were all artifacts. Just like the ones Li Yaotie had previously forged, after the materials were forged, they were soaked in pools of Wu Clan blood for seven times seven, forty-nine days.
As for the effects... they were variable. However, each suit of battle armor did allow the soldiers' spiritual power to link together, enabling them to collectively activate large formations.
Li Tianyue looked down at the army below and smiled faintly; half of the entire Azure Cloud Region Army was now under her command. Beyond the main army, there were over three hundred thousand cultivators in the other place. Every year, new children in the Azure Cloud region grew up, cultivated, and joined these forces, all of which were firmly controlled by her Second Uncle, Li Yunbing.
"'Tianyue, your Lightning Tribulation is imminent.'"
Li Yunbing instantly appeared beside Li Tianyue. Sensing the Lightning Tribulation gathering above her – one filled with the scent of blood and resentment – he smiled and said, "It's the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, excellent! Your Second Grandmother recently refined a batch of seventh-grade spirit medicines, the family's Pill Pavilion has prepared a dozen or so recovery pills for you, and your Third Grandfather has also prepared spirit artifacts for you. Use this time to prepare for your breakthrough."
He continued, "Oh, right, you've spent many years on the battlefield and haven't visited the Liu family to see your child, Liu Wuhuan. He's a very capable Family Head now, and your great-grandson has even been born! You really should go back to the Liu family for a visit. No need to exhaust yourself here further."
Li Yunbing had no children of his own and remained unmarried. Among the children of the 'Tian' generation, he doted on Li Tianyue the most. This niece of his was intelligent, ruthlessly decisive, and had been deeply influenced by the teachings of his Fourth Aunt, Li Yaowen. With Li Tianyue leading the troops on the border these past years, he, as her uncle, had been spared much worry and effort, allowing him to focus entirely on the struggle of wits and strength against the Apostles and Elders within the Wu Clan.
Hearing this, Li Tianyue shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the Endless Forest. "Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle," she said, "In the first half of my life, I left our family for the Liu family. I believed I was going solely to seek benefits for our clan, but unexpectedly... I hesitated. I harbored foolish thoughts and mistakenly trusted Liu Yifeng."
'Since that incident, this child resolved not to be foolish again. By helping Wuhuan become Family Head and ensuring the continuation of the Liu family's bloodline, my final attachment to them was severed.'
'Over these years, this child has experienced much. Seeing our clan's residence nearly destroyed, our clansmen almost forced to abandon their homes once more, this child was truly afraid. The world is a sullied place, and our Li Clan is not yet strong enough. I fear how many children, like myself, will have to endure the suffering, deception, and betrayal this world holds.'
'As long as the Wu Clan does not lay down their arms, Tianyue will never turn back!'
Seeing the determination in Li Tianyue's eyes, Li Yunbing felt immensely gratified and handed a storage ring to her.
Unexpectedly, however, Li Tianyue shook her head at her Second Uncle, [implicitly refusing the ring].
"Second Uncle, this child defends the border and accumulates Killing Karma. This is the principle I have comprehended. The heavier this Killing Karma, the stronger my Heavenly Tribulation becomes. If my Heavenly Tribulation does not reach the Nine-Nine level, this child will continue to kill!"
Her expression was calm, as if she were discussing the most ordinary of matters.
Li Yunbing stroked his beard appreciatively. "Good child," he said. "Second Uncle will go prepare the spirit medicines and spirit artifacts you'll need to overcome the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. You just focus on killing; leave the rest to me."
[Your descendant, Li Tianyue, vows to overcome the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. Trait: Wu Butcher has advanced to—— Wu Clan Doom Star.]
[Requirement: Kill ten million Wu Clan members to overcome the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. Current progress: 11%. Wu Clan's fear towards her increased by 40%. Damage dealt to the Wu Clan increased by 20%.]
"Good child... they are all good children."
Li Wei looked at Li Tianyue with gratification. This young woman, like Li Yunlin, possessed great aspirations; both were aiming to overcome the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. Consequently, Li Wei quickly instructed the family to prepare the necessary resources for these two 'children' to face their trials.
Afterward, his attention shifted to the group of clan members who had been sent out five years prior. Their objective of concealing their identities had been met; each one had matured into a steady and composed individual. Furthermore, under the arrangements made by Li Changsheng, they had successfully joined various sects and factions within Eternal Sun Prefecture. Guided by Li Changsheng, they acted with patience and composure, truly integrating themselves within these sects.
This young fellow, Li Changsheng, was certainly not simple.
[Your descendant, Li Changsheng, lay low within the Eternal Sun Prefecture Li Family for many years, deliberately showing no hint of his own abilities while getting acquainted with every member. Feigning a crippled body and leveraging the genius of his younger sister, Li Changyao, he gradually gained the regard of the Eternal Sun Prefecture Li family members.]
[Li Changsheng speaks elegantly and behaves refinedly. Although his apparent aptitude is mediocre, he consistently gains the goodwill of the Eternal Sun Prefecture Li family members. Furthermore, adopting the role of an advisor, he has begun solving problems for various members, thereby receiving their care and concern. Obtained Trait: Pitiful Soul.]
[Effect: While in a wheelchair, Li Changsheng's chance of receiving pity increases by 30%. Upon learning the tragic backstory of his family being destroyed and parents killed, the chance of evoking compassion increases by 50%.]
"Old Ancestor," [Li Changsheng reported], "Changyao is now recognized as a genius within the Eternal Sun Prefecture Li family. In another ten years, she should gain the attention of their Clan Ancestor. We will then have a firm foothold within their family. At that point, we can deploy our own experts here and, bit by bit, replace all the Eternal Sun Prefecture Li personnel with our own people!"
"...."
Upon reading Li Changsheng's report, Li Wei blinked in surprise. Honestly, he had been watching Li Changsheng for a year. At first, he had speculated whether this young man would, while concealing his identity, emulate the narratives of protagonists from the 'cool' web novels of his previous life and execute a dramatic 'useless person counterattack. ' After all, the young man was strong, Li Changyao was formidable, and they enjoyed the complete support of their clan.
Shouldn't the next step have been gathering all his hidden subordinates for a dramatic reveal, shouting in unison, "Greetings, Dragon King!"?
But as it turned out, years passed, and Li Changsheng simply maintained a smiling facade towards everyone, never making enemies. He gradually worked his way up step by step to his current position, all while secretly arranging for his clansmen to establish their own footholds. Li Wei had even observed that there truly was a fool within the Eternal Sun Prefecture Li family – also a piece of 'useless person' – who, after stumbling upon some fortunate opportunity, started acting arrogantly and faintly showed signs of staging his own 'counterattack'.
(This individual had broken through from the third to the seventh level of Qi Refining in just one month.)
And then...
One day, as this person raised his arrogant head towards Li Changsheng, his head ended up rolling several times across the ground. In Li Changsheng's own words, individuals lacking sufficient strength and powerful backing are simply treated as roadblocks to be removed.
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