Through two centuries of the clan's trials and growth, culminating in their recent near-annihilation, the Li Wei of this day had finally come to a stark realization, one that mirrored Li Yaowen's own conclusions: In the past, they had been bound by too many self-imposed limitations; they had been overly cautious, forever weighing consequences.
And at times, their adherence to a certain 'benevolence' had cost them dearly.
"The Great Dao, however, demands struggle!" At this point, Li Wei couldn't be bothered to care whether the 'Ten-Thousand-Year Heavy Water' was the Crab Spirit Beast's rightful possession or if Li Kuanghua had simply stumbled upon it and a fight had ensued. Such details were now irrelevant.
They needed resources, anything, to bolster their strength. Without it, how could they ever hope to return to Eternal Sun Prefecture? How could they rescue Li Kuangren from his wretched cage? How could they venture into the Wu Clan's territory to reclaim the family's Heaven-Piercing Coffin? And how, how could they ever hope to confront that monstrously perverted, almost demonic, Venerable Tian Xing?!!
The time allotted by one burning incense stick had now passed.
The Raging Sky Flood Dragon's massive form began to solidify further, its entire body glowing an intense, fiery crimson!
Li Kuanghua, still locked in her frenzied battle at the breach in the array, suddenly showed a flash of clarity in her eyes.
The Ancestral Spirit Tablet, suspended around her neck by a simple red cord, began to pulse with an intense light. It swayed for a moment in mid-air, then tore itself free from the cord, ascending high above and rapidly expanding in size.
A swirl of black mist coalesced – the Old Ancestor had arrived!
In a single instant, the entire seascape was thrown into turmoil as the very winds and clouds changed and transformed!
"What... what is this?!!"
The faces of the four transformed Crab Spirit Beasts contorted in horror.
All around them, beyond the already palpable bloodline pressure from the Flood Dragon, an even more dreadful aura now radiated from the entity within the black mist. And then, the sudden manifestation of a massive Yin-Yang Diagram alongside that formidable Spirit Treasure spear – these were portents of an exceptionally terrifying power!
[Their minds reeled:] The Flood Dragon... that unutterably bizarre madwoman... and now this cultivator shrouded in black mist...
Never before had they encountered such a peculiar assembly of opponents. Furthermore, as the black mist solidified, yet more cultivators could be seen approaching swiftly on flying swords from the far distance. These newcomers... they were two Nascent Soul masters!
Then, a brilliant golden radiance abruptly flared! A disheveled beggar ambled closer, casually sloshing his wine gourd as he walked. Pausing, he tipped his head back and took a long swig directly from it.
His golden bowl and chopsticks then levitated, expanding to form a Massive array barrier around the besieged island.
He sighed theatrically. "I suppose I truly am indebted to you, old Lis," he declared. "Still, these crabs do look remarkably tasty. Steamed, braised, maybe some marinated in wine crab... Tsk, tsk, looks like I'm in for a proper feast today!"
And there stood the Wine Maniac, advancing upon his rapidly spinning golden bowl, the sea wind tearing at his ragged robes. A savage grin split his face as he brandished two enormous, spear-like golden chopsticks. His body crouched in a posture of readiness, like a warrior gathering power, ready to unleash hell!
This was the legacy of the Divine Beggar.
The Wine Maniac of today had successfully weathered the formidable Six-Nine Lightning Tribulation. Thus, despite being only at the Early Stage of Nascent Soul, when coupled with his two supreme-grade spirit artifacts, his combat prowess was truly exceptional!
"My gratitude, Senior," Qingyu said quietly to the Wine Maniac.
The woman standing beside him, Qingyu, possessed an air of quiet elegance. Clad in a simple white robe, she looked for all the world like a celestial fairy descended to earth.
She moved effortlessly on her flying sword, her dark, silken hair streaming in the wind. And as her fingers danced, forming complex hand seals, seven perfectly circular spiritual arrays materialized behind her, spinning upright like ethereal gears!
This, indeed, was Qingyu, wife of Li Kuangtu.
Yet, she possessed another, hidden identity: for many years, she had been the chosen successor of that 'old fox' Huang Xiujin, the one to whom he had long entrusted matters of grave importance.
Huang Xiujin himself had once declared that the Cloudsea Pavilion could stand for ten millennia, perhaps even an eternity – and that its endurance was intrinsically linked to Qingyu's very being!
"My, my, quite the Array Master you are!" One of the Crab Spirit Beast leaders likely sneered, observing Qingyu's display. "You certainly concealed your depths well!"
Though the Wine Maniac had always known Qingyu was far from ordinary, seeing her now casually unleash seven distinct Rank 7 spiritual arrays – while simultaneously forming hand seals as if preparing to conjure even Rank 6 formations, all without the aid of any pre-laid array foundations and with such astonishing speed – he couldn't help but be deeply impressed.
Noticing Qingyu's faint, confident smile, and then glancing towards the distant Flood Dragon and the Li family's enigmatic Old Ancestor – both clearly poised to unleash their might at a moment's notice – the Wine Maniac cast aside all reservations.
Brandishing his chopsticks, he surged forward, roaring, "Emerge, Heavenly Corpse!"
"Yes, Master!" a voice seemed to echo from within.
Instantly, the storage ring on his finger pulsed, and a swirl of black mist erupted forth.
Indeed, it was none other than the Heavenly Corpse that Li Dalong had entrusted to the Wine Maniac all those years ago, the one he'd been told to keep with him always – the Heavenly Corpse known as 'Long Xuankong'!
"Three... Three Nascent Soul experts?!!"
Sensing these three potent auras, the four transformed Crab Spirit Beast leaders completely lost their nerve.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that the Flood Dragon they had cornered on this desolate island actually had such formidable reinforcements! But now, if they wished to escape, it was already far too late!
The black-misted figure of Li Wei moved; his Yin-Yang Diagram pulsed with light, and in the same instant, he was behind the female Crab Spirit Beast leader.
With a single, decisive thrust of his long spear, his voice, raspy and low, echoed:
"Apologies to you four," he said, his voice devoid of any actual regret. "You happened to be in the way. And now... well, you'll each have to leave something behind that This Seat finds... acceptable."
In that fleeting instant, utter terror washed over the female Crab Spirit Beast. Her own ambient Spirit Qi saturated the space around her, her innate Spirit Beast Qi forming a protective barrier. Yet, as for how this black-misted adversary had materialized directly behind her, she hadn't the faintest clue! And in that same split second, she felt it – from the very essence of this shadowy assailant, an overwhelming torrent of different powers of the Rules, all erupting simultaneously!
.....
Within Fishermen's Village.
Inside the small tavern, Li Chang'an and Li Xingchen sat off to one side, watching the scene before them.
Opposite the father and son was Li Xinghuo. He was attacking the seafood spread on the table like a starving refugee driven to near madness, practically inhaling every last morsel.
The boy's eyes gleamed with an almost feral light, as though he hadn't had a proper, peaceful, and plentiful meal in his entire existence.
"Say, Little Bro," Li Xingchen finally couldn't take it anymore, "It's been half a month now. You stuff yourself like this every single day – don't you ever get sick of it?"
Li Xingchen truly couldn't hold his tongue any longer. This newcomer simply woke, ate, and then went back to sleep, day in and day out, seemingly unconcerned about their kin who had charged off on that rescue mission half a month ago.
It wasn't about the seafood itself – if they really put their minds to it, one big fishing expedition could probably feed Li Xinghuo for an entire year.
No, it was the principle of the thing; he couldn't stop himself from voicing his sarcastic complaint: "So, you're not even slightly concerned about our family members being cornered by all those Crab Spirit Beasts, huh?"
"What's to fret about?" Li Xinghuo mumbled around a mouthful. "My daddy always said our kin can endure anything that comes their way. Even if you kick the bucket tomorrow, you should at least die on a full stomach, shouldn't ya?"
His mouth crammed with food, Li Xinghuo grunted noncommittally and went right back to his meal.
And Chang'an and Xingchen weren't far off in their assessment. Li Xinghuo had spent his entire childhood within the confines of a cultivation sect. His parents and the Sect Master had provided him primarily with cultivation elixirs; beyond that, his worldly knowledge was limited.
He had a dim recollection from his early studies of seeing images or reading descriptions of the ocean, and the 'mother' and 'father' figures who had overseen his education had once mentioned taking him to the seaside if an opportunity ever arose.
More than half a month had now gone by, and Li Xinghuo was still gorging himself on seafood. He knew that his own father and mother had never had the chance to taste such delicacies, so he was determined to eat enough for all three of them, making up for their lost portions.
Li Chang'an and Li Xingchen glanced at each other. Of course, they were unaware of Li Xinghuo's history, much less the fact that this fifteen-year-old boy had spent five grueling years trekking across vast distances to reach them. All they could privately conclude was that the lad was possessed of an astonishingly carefree disposition.
Just as Li Chang'an and Li Xingchen were lost in their somber reflections, while Li Xinghuo continued his unrestrained feasting, a sudden shock ran through all three of them simultaneously.
Their eyes snapped wide in unison, and they sprinted towards the village's harbor entrance. Out on the water, they saw it: a colossal green crab steadily making its way towards the shore.
Upon its carapace stood three figures, their robes whipping in the sea breeze. A soft white mist swirled gently about the smallest among them – a young girl dressed in yellow.
---
2/2
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [https://ko-fi.com/darktea] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 50 Chapters: Search for "Dark Tea" on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!