Under a gentle spring breeze and the warmth of the sun, Li Kuanghua set out, accompanied by Qingyu and Li Xinghuo.
Meanwhile, the Wine Maniac and Qing Yuan, following Li Kuanghua's successful breakthrough, had already departed for the ocean territories to ensure the safety of Li Chang'an and Li Xingchen.
[Year 222]
[Descendant Activity (Li Chang'an & Li Xingchen): After several years of searching the ocean territories with a cultivator convoy, their gains have been minimal.
Of the secret realms they sought, not even a glimpse was caught. Instead, they stumbled upon the ancient ruins of a Golden Core stage, 'Clam Spirit Beast King'.
After outwitting and outfighting numerous rival cultivators, and struggling desperately for survival, they managed to secure a single item: a 'Rank 8 Material: Blood Pearl', its spiritual essence unfortunately long since dissipated.]
[Cultivation Update (Li Chang'an): Your descendant Li Chang'an has advanced to the Mid Stage of Foundation Establishment.]
"..." Li Wei was speechless for a moment.
Observing this father-son duo on some desolate island, emerging battered and scarred from yet another ancient ruin, Li Wei clapped a hand to his forehead in weary exasperation.
It brought back vivid memories of Li Tianyi's grave-robbing escapades from years gone by...
"Pillaged tombs for half his life," Li Wei sighed internally, "and aside from accidentally unearthing that Old Grandfather's soul, nearly everything else he ever dug up was utter junk!"
The faces of this father and son were deeply etched with weariness and the marks of their long, hard journey.
Li Chang'an watched as, in the distance, the various cultivators emerged from the ruins. Having apparently buried the hatchet after their earlier conflicts, they were now forming a joint party to set off once more.
His own expression was serious. "Xingchen," he declared, "Come on. We're going with them. I refuse to accept that we'll come away empty-handed again."
"We're... we're still going treasure hunting?" Li Xingchen scratched his head in weary resignation but trailed after his father nonetheless.
"All these years," he grumbled internally, "and absolutely nothing to show for it."
"We continue the hunt," Li Chang'an stated, his voice firm. "Xingchen, my boy, don't focus solely on our lack of tangible gains. What truly matters in this life, son, is the journey itself, the experiences along the way."
"..." Li Xingchen mentally rolled his eyes.
"The journey," he thought with derision, recalling the backstabbing, the betrayals, and the life-or-death struggles they'd endured in those ruins.
"Give me a break, Dad!" he fumed internally. "Some 'journey' we had! We didn't gain a single blasted thing and almost ended up as corpses!"
Not daring to voice even a fraction of these thoughts, he nevertheless trudged after his father and dutifully "boarded the pirate ship" once more.
Watching the father and son duo set off, riding the wind and cleaving through the waves as they ventured out to sea, Li Wei shifted his focus to his other descendants.
[System Update (Tian Xing Abode Group): Your thirteen descendants within the Tian Xing Abode attempted to rob Wuwen Scholar once more. Initially, the ever-vigilant scholar managed to evade them. However, after half a month of persistent effort, they finally succeeded in cornering and thoroughly ransacking him yet again.
Spoils Acquired: Rank 6 Material - 'Boundless Rainbow Flower'; Assorted Rank 7 Materials; Mid-Grade Spirit Artifact - 'Azure Sky Bow'.]
"That's everything, I swear! There's absolutely nothing more!" This time, Wuwen showed not an iota of his usual arrogance.
Surrounded by the thirteen Lis, he had simply handed over his valuables without a fuss.
Now, arms crossed defiantly over his chest, he glared at them, his face a mask of impotent rage and bitter grievance.
"Go on then! Kill me, dismember me, do whatever you damn well please !" he spat. "Don't for a second think I'm oblivious to your scheme! Well, from this day forward, I'm done robbing others! Let's just see how you manage to fleece me then, when I've got nothing left for you to take!"
Observing Wuwen's demeanor, now meek and downtrodden, the Li family members shared a knowing look.
"Looks like we really can't keep fleecing the same sheep over and over," Li Tianming remarked, a predatory gleam in his eyes as they roved over Wuwen's now defenseless form.
After their many years together, Li Yunlin knew that look.
The instant Li Tianming's eyes shifted that way, Yunlin knew what the young scamp had in mind.
Frowning, he sent a mental message: "Tianming, leave this one alone. He may be a plunderer himself, but it's said he's never actually taken a life in all his escapades. Someone like that... he's of more value to us alive than dead."
Li Tianming waved a dismissive hand, as if to say, "My dear Elder Uncle, you're judging a noble person by your own low standards."
"In that case," Li Tianyue interjected with a cool smile, "our next order of business should be a little 'visit' with Xu Dingsheng. According to Nangong Yazhi's intelligence, she's already dug up every last detail on him."
...
[Year 225]
[System Update (Xu Cuihua): Benefiting from the Fox Saint's personal instruction, Xu Cuihua has successfully advanced to the Mid Stage of Nascent Soul.]
[System Update (Li Xinghuo): Your descendant Li Xinghuo has advanced to the Mid Stage of Foundation Establishment.]
[Descendant Activity (Li Kuanghua & Qingyu): In one of the Prefectures, your descendants Li Kuanghua and Qingyu have successfully tracked down the cultivator holding the 25th position on the Divine Infant Ranking. They have formally issued a written challenge to this individual.]
[...]
As the days slipped by, the various Li family members remained dedicated to their cultivation.
Concurrently, Li Yunbing, operating from the Azure Cloud region, was employing every conceivable method at his disposal to unearth further intelligence on Venerable Tian Xing, while also tirelessly working on plans to secure Li Kuangren's release.
Regrettably, the location where Li Kuangren was being held was under the direct guard of a Spirit Transformation expert.
At this precise moment, Li Wei too manifested at Li Kuangren's place of confinement. As it happened, the Li family shared a degree of fateful connection with this particular location.
[Location: Qilin Mountain, Lin Family Estate]
This specific locale was the rear mountain of the Qilin Mountain Lin family estate.
A secluded courtyard stood there, the ground inscribed with a potent spiritual array designed to concentrate the ambient Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi. And from the room that connected to this courtyard, a figure emerged – someone with a youthful look, clad in distinguished purple robes, just then stepping out from the room.
The courtyard was filled with a multitude of trees, and from their branches hung cage after cage.
Inside each cage were 'caged birds' – transformed individuals – all chirping and squawking incessantly.
The purple-robed figure was approximately 1.75 meters in height, his long hair falling loosely about his shoulders, his features strikingly handsome.
He strolled along a path through the courtyard and then, without warning, stopped directly before Li Kuangren's cage.
Li Kuangren, in his avian form, thrashed about like a creature possessed, frantically trying to break free of his cage, struggling to lunge and peck at the purple-robed man.
This man was named Lin Wudao, an Old Ancestor of the Qilin Mountain Lin Family, his age numbering some six millennia!
"Interesting." The purple-robed Lin Wudao idly produced a feather and began to poke at the frantic Li Kuangren.
A cruel smirk played on his lips. "You desperately want to kill me, don't you?"
He taunted. "To avenge your precious clan? Alas, your Li family simply isn't qualified for such a feat. Still, I'll grant you this: your people do possess some remarkable abilities. To have slipped from my very clutches and vanished so thoroughly... And I still haven't figured out who it was that managed to confound my divinatory calculations so effectively, preventing me from locating any of you Lis for all these years."
"And yet, it's also a shame..." A slight, self-satisfied smirk touched Lin Wudao's lips. "Your Li family never learned the meaning of discretion," he drawled, "and you gravely underestimated me – Tian Xing."
At these words, Li Wei, who had just focused his full attention on this scene, felt his own expression shift dramatically.
Inside his cage, Li Kuangren went into a renewed frenzy, madly thrashing against the bars with his talons.
What was he implying? "No discretion"?!!
Did this mean... that despite all their efforts, despite Li Yaowen's sacrifice, 'Tian Xing' had still managed to track down all the scattered Li family members?!!
In that very instant, Li Wei disappeared from the spot.
All that was left was the sound of Lin Wudao's derisive laughter, echoing amidst the desperate flapping and cries of the numerous 'caged birds' – the frantic beating of transformed souls against the bars of their prisons.
---
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