Chapter 990: Chapter 984: The Time To Strike
“The old tree is transforming into a Demon Venerable, and the old snake is about to transform into a dragon.”
Inside the Ancestral Space.
Sitting cross-legged and comprehending the laws of space, Li Wei let out a long breath.
With his current cultivation, he could already sense the situations of important clan members in their respective locations through the Ancestral Space.
He similarly sensed the abnormalities of the old tree and the old snake; lifting their heads, they could see the gaze of the lightning tribulation.
Demons were the most powerful existences in the world, boasting the longest lifespans and the greatest numbers, occupying the entire sea region and the Endless Forest.
But at the same time, it was the most difficult for them to break through.
Their power was carved into their bloodlines, and when breaking through, they received special attention from the heavenly tribulation.
If they couldn’t withstand the power, their bodies would explode, and they would die.
Therefore, for many years, the old tree and the old snake had not dared to attempt a breakthrough.
[You killed the Wu tribe’s “Ancient Branching Tree,” obtaining the Void Refinement Demon Venerable ancient tree’s millennial Spiritual Core, and bestowed it upon the clan’s Primordial Blood Tree.
Your clan’s Divine Tree is on the verge of breaking through to Demon Venerable.]
[Your clan’s Guarding Divine Beast swallowed the Black Dragon Scale.
Having devoured numerous beast blood, human blood, elixirs, and Primordial Blood Fruits over the years, as well as the bloodline awakening gifted by the clan, it is on the verge of transforming into a dragon.]
“A Tree Demon Venerable, and a dragon!”
Li Wei took a deep breath.
He had obtained the Spiritual Core by slaying the Wu tribe’s ancient tree during the battle at the Shadowfell Prefecture Border Pass.
That tree was too massive, and its entire body was full of treasures.
However, the Nirvana Sage Elder was too formidable, so he could ultimately only take the most important Spiritual Core.
Yet, he also knew of the ancient tree’s potent efficacy; although it was a Demon Venerable, the growth of an ancient tree was rare, and its uses were manifold.
The old tree was originally one of the clan’s most important foundations and close friends.
No matter what, the clan had to plan and secure a Void Refinement opportunity for it.
The same went for the old snake.
Powerful existences like dragons were born with Nascent Soul physiques.
The old snake, on the other hand, had defied the heavens and changed its fate step by step under the clan’s powerful fortuitous encounters.
In all its years, the clan hadn’t even seen a true dragon, though they had seen quite a few flood dragons.
A flood dragon wishing to transform into a true dragon was fighting the heavens for its life.
“The old snake could also break through to the Void Refinement realm, holding the identity of a flood dragon, which wouldn’t be perilous.
But… if it wants to transform into a true dragon after that, it won’t be easy.
At that time, it would mean breaking through to the Body Integration realm.
Glimpsing the Dao is already exceedingly difficult; not only would it have to Glimpse the Dao, but it would also have to break through its bloodline limits…”
Thinking of this—with the current war in Deston Prefecture, the impending breakthroughs of the clan’s two elders, clan members seeking Body Integration opportunities, and the younger generation preparing to venture out into the world—Li Wei couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
“I can only wait for opportunities to arrive and fight for them.”
…….
[Year 809]
[Under the call of Li Jianshu, the descendants of your clan headed west alongside the Eternal Immortal Sect, the Zhangsun Clan, and the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary.]
[For years, your descendant Li Xinnian has claimed the souls of three hundred Yun Clan members under his Top-Grade Dharma Treasure, the “Yun-Slaying Saber,” forcing Yun Manlou to send ten letters begging for mercy, yet he continues to press them step by step.
Your descendant Li Yunbing led the people of the Azure Cloud Prefecture and used schemes to drive Bi Shihu’s three armies out of Sunfall City, causing half of Bi Shihu’s one hundred thousand soldiers to flee.]
[Under the effects of “Ling Tian’s Blood,” Li Yaoqing’s elixirs, the old tree’s fruits, and the Netherworld products sent back by Li Dalong, your descendants’ cultivation is rapidly improving.]
[Your descendants Li Yunlin, Li Xinnian, and others are currently searching for the Lotus Ferry Nunnery and the Peerless Hall, but still to no avail.
Following the great war in Deston Prefecture, they report to you their suspicions that the Peerless Hall and the Nirvana Sage Elder are fighting in secret, vying for an opportunity to break through to the Mahayana realm.]
Shadowfell Prefecture.
Two years after the heads were mounted on spikes at the border of the two regions, spikes bearing the heads of people from both races still stood there; the heads of those with lower cultivation had gradually weathered into skulls.
The Shadowfell Prefecture could be called a land of chaos, with human cultivators charging in and battlefields everywhere.
The Wu tribe and human cultivators here mostly charged in as small squads.
The massive battles between both sides resulted in the deaths of many experts, leaving behind their final inheritances or Dharma Treasures.
These were all opportunities and treasures. At the same time, they had to be on guard not only against enemies but also against their companions.
At this moment, inside “Polaris Region,” a Region city in the Shadowfell Prefecture that had already undergone several campaigns, several figures appeared.
Su Chen wore a travel-worn black robe; beneath the brim of his hat was his resolute face, having weathered many vicissitudes.
Beside him stood the extraordinary and imposing Li Yunbing, Li Tianqi holding an array compass, Li Xinnian, and the Huan Gui who had followed them from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
This fellow, the Huan Gui, was an old monster who had lived for an unknown number of years.
She loved beauty and still wore that modified white robe from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
The exposed fair skin at her chest made one’s blood boil, while the two strips of white cloth hanging down the front and back of her waist revealed the graceful curves of her legs on both sides.
In her own words, her entire body was stitched together from corpses; if anyone had designs on her, they would truly be falling into a trap.
“Bad woman.”
Li Tianqi grumbled at the Huan Gui, who was half-squatting on the ground, exposing a great deal of skin.
Over the past two years, a few people had wanted to become Huan Gui’s Dao Companion.
Later, when those people sensed that the Huan Gui was fundamentally a “corpse,” their Dao Hearts shattered on the spot.
To this day, Li Tianqi still remembers the despairing expressions of those people and the Huan Gui’s unrestrained laughter; she never tired of it.
“A great battle took place here.”
The Huan Gui pressed her hand against the ground and chanted a Spiritual incantation.
From the already riddled ground of Polaris Region, streaks of ghosts emerged, whispering ghost language.
In an instant, as the group looked around, they could see the residual traces of Spiritual power overflowing with radiant colors.
A glint of coldness flashed in Huan Gui’s eyes.
“Five Void Refinement experts fought here. Two were elders of the Wu tribe, and the other three were from the dynasty. One person died.”
“Under the surveillance of the mighty figures in the three cities of Deston Prefecture, the actions of the dynasty’s cultivators are no secret.
Moreover, military merits can be obtained in every battle, and accumulating military merits can be exchanged for the dynasty’s rewards.
However, this battle here was not recorded; it was a secret battle.”
Li Yunbing surveyed the traces everywhere.
“Other than Min Tiange and the Nirvana Sage Elder competing behind the scenes, there would be no one else.”
Li Xinnian said,
“In other words, among the many Void Refinement and even Body Integration cultivators in Deston Prefecture, there are those who harbor Dao Seeds.
Min Tiange has thoroughly enraged the dynasty; even his father, Min Youguo, has ordered the Emberwing Guards to search for the Peerless Hall.
Other than breaking through to the Mahayana realm, he doesn’t have many ways out; this is a desperate last stand.”
“He wants to break through to the Mahayana realm? Not unless he steps over my dead body.”
The Huan Gui’s tone was chilling.
In the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, Zhen Wu defected, and Lingxu died; the karma forged was immense.
“Min Tiange will show his head sooner or later.
He planted Dao Seeds on the mighty figures of the Wu tribe, but he underestimated the Wu tribe, or at least underestimated the Nirvana Sage Elder.”
Su Chen said calmly,
“This man is too greedy, wanting everything, and he will resort to any means for it.
The Nirvana Sage Elder is not simple either; judging from this battle, he is stopping Min Tiange from entering the Shadowfell Prefecture.”
“Sooner or later, Min Tiange will expose himself, and that will be the time for us to strike.”
Hearing this, Li Xinnian nodded toward his eldest brother.
Over the past few centuries, not only had he grown, but his eldest brother Su Chen had as well.
Having continuously experienced the world and re-cultivated a lifetime over hundreds of years, his eldest brother was no longer that arrogant and proud “Heavenly Venerable Xuan.”
“They will fight sooner or later; this is our opportunity.
At the same time, the Imperial Protectors Guard, the other Sage Elders of the Wu tribe, and the major factions of Deston Prefecture will not let this opportunity slip by either.”
Huan Gui glanced at the group.
“When the time comes, I hope your Li Clan has enough strength. Otherwise, if you can’t be the fisherman catching the fish, don’t blame me for abandoning you.”
The members of the Li Clan frowned.
The words were unpleasant to hear, but they were the truth.
Huan Gui was an evildoer who had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, and furthermore…
“Senior.” Golden light flickered in Su Chen’s eyes.
He only saw that behind the Huan Gui, eight avatars were gradually walking into her body.
Huan Gui’s main body was already at the extreme limit of the Void Refinement realm, and all eight avatars were stitched corpses, possessing the great Spiritual power of the Void Refinement realm, currently fusing with each other.
He raised an eyebrow. “You are Glimpsing the Dao?”
“Yes, I am only short of one opportunity.”
Over the years, Huan Gui’s injuries had recovered by eighty percent under Li Yaoqing’s elixirs.
Back during the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, she had been just a hair’s breadth away from the Body Integration Dao realm.
“Then, when your opportunity arrives, I only hope our Azure Cloud Li Clan won’t hold you back.”
The corners of Su Chen’s mouth lifted slightly, fully revealing his demeanor from sixty thousand years ago.
The members of the Li Clan exchanged glances.
Feeling the aura swirling the dust around Su Chen, they couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
They sensed the aura on Su Chen’s body: Mid-stage Void Refinement!
A mid-stage Void Refinement expert over four hundred years old!
What kind of aptitude did Li Xinnian have? Furthermore, possessing an ancient bloodline and a continuous outpouring of clan resources, he was still struggling in the Divinity Transformation realm.
Su Chen, re-cultivating his past life, supported by the clan’s “Ling Tian’s Blood” and “Spiritual Fruits,” and coupled with continuous experiential learning over the years, could be said to have experienced a meteoric rise.
When others broke through to the Divinity Transformation or Void Refinement realms, they all needed to endure tribulations and seek fortuitous encounters.
Su Chen was different; he had no bottlenecks whatsoever.
He knew exactly what was needed to break through realms, and everything fell into place naturally.
…
[Year 810]
Li Wei awoke from secluded cultivation.
His cultivation base had improved, but the path of space laws was like crossing a river in the dark, feeling for stones beneath the current; he could only slowly comprehend it.
Being able to play “cat and mouse” with Body Integration experts was nothing more than relying on the special nature of space and time laws.
However, Li Wei also knew that if he ran into something like the “Human Emperor’s Eye,” he could only wait to consume Clan Will to resurrect.
He glanced at the experiences of his children in various places; they all had their own goals and lives.
The clan’s descendants were growing increasingly numerous.
Ever since the children in the various Grotto-Heavens of the clan branched off to form their own families due to maternal families, business, and other reasons, the continuation of the bloodline was unprecedented.
At the same time, the deaths of descendants also became more frequent, especially over by the Endless Forest.
[Your descendant Li Qiuhong, while hunting a Demon King with clan members in the Endless Forest, had his soul breached by the Demon King’s Spiritual arts and died in battle.]
[Li Chuxiu was schemed against by despicable people and died in battle. Li Jianshu personally led a team to avenge Li Chuxiu.]
[Li Jianfang of the Silver Moon lineage, overly eager for quick success, failed to break through to the Golden Core realm and died from the backlash.]
[…]
Without realizing it, the clan had grown to thousands of people.
Let alone managing them, just remembering their names and respective origins was difficult.
Everyone’s life has its own encounters.
The clan’s foundation was profound; even the major Grotto-Heavens had a richer foundation than when the clan was first fighting for its place.
Ultimately, how things turned out depended entirely on the individual.
Even the ancestors of the clan today were like this.
And shortly after the Clan’s Grand Ceremony this year, Li Wei felt a surge of joy.
Above the Azure Cloud Prefecture, clouds and thunder rolled.
In the lands covered by the lightning tribulation, as if blessed by Spiritual power, plants grew, and flowers bloomed.
The fragrance of flowers and grass gradually spread in all directions across the entire Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Above the cloudy sky stood a lush, towering giant tree.
Wearing a Daoist robe and holding a green bamboo pole and the Golden Chapter of Enlightenment, Li Yaoqing sat on a thick branch of the giant tree, allowing the lightning tribulation to bombard her body.
The giant tree was scorched black, but her body didn’t have the slightest injury.
Li Yaoqing grinned.
“Hehe, true Void Refinement, the Divine Art has reached the next level. With ancient Grade 4 elixirs and medical skills, my Li Clan shall ascend to greater heights…”
Before her voice had faded.
Li Yaoqing’s delicate nose wrinkled.
Far outside the range of the lightning tribulation, next to a large ancient cauldron, a two-meter-tall bald, muscular man danced about wildly.
“Hahaha, Second Sister, you’ve broken through! From today onwards, the Golden Chapter of Enlightenment is mine!”
“…”
Li Yaotie’s smile gradually disappeared.
“Third Brother, oh Third Brother, why must you force me to beat you up on such a happy day?”
Li Yaotie’s expression turned ugly.
He had the Unorthodox Artifact Body; when his Second Sister beat him, it didn’t hurt anymore, which was why he had been acting presumptuously for hundreds of years, daring to talk back to her.
But now, feeling his Second Sister’s steadily climbing aura, Li Yaotie trembled, grabbing his rejoicing wife beside him. “Rourou, let’s go! We’re leaving home to hide!”
—
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 90 Chapters: Search for “Dark Tea” on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!