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Chapter 1151: Chapter 1044: Fear_2
Fortunately, the tremendous loss suffered by the Zhang Family hundreds of years ago has not yet been recovered from, and they lack the confidence to launch a proactive attack on the Li family’s Mount Wanxian.
Moreover, the Li family has also secured an external ally, the Huoyang Sect! 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
There wasn’t much conflict between the two families to begin with, and under the Li family’s deliberate efforts to build good relations, ties between them have grown closer and closer.
In fact, the Li family is well aware that if the Zhang Family really wanted to take action, the Huoyang Sect would not likely intervene directly; the Li family would inevitably have to pay a price to enlist their help.
The reason for displaying such a close alliance is nothing more than to give the Zhang Family more to consider.
Hence, currently, the Li family and Zhang Family have many conflicts, but neither has publicly torn apart their facade.
...
Mount Wanxian, Double Dragon Valley.
Jiang Fengwu’s first task after solidifying her cultivation and coming out of seclusion was to further enhance the family’s Mountain Protection Array.
Originally when she was in the Void Refinement Realm, she had crossed into a higher realm and, with the combined strength of all the family’s Array Masters, laid out a Seventh Rank Mountain Protection Array.
Now that Jiang Fengwu has reached the Integration Realm and her proficiency in Array Tao has vastly improved, she of course wants to continue upgrading the Mountain Protection Array. If she could deduce an Eighth Rank Formation, that would be even better, as it is also part of her cultivation journey.
And this set of Mountain Protection Array was, after all, created by Jiang Fengwu by combining various Great Arrays, so she is more than familiar with it.
Even if she can’t elevate the grade of the Formation, she would still be able to perfect the Great Array!
Jiang Fengwu spent twenty or thirty years elevating the Star Array to the peak of Seventh Rank, using up a vast quantity of Spiritual Objects in the process.
Many family members complained about this, thinking that it was a waste to spend so many Spiritual Objects on strengthening the Mountain Protection Array instead of on themselves, as they might have been able to achieve a breakthrough.
"Elder Ancestor Jiang, can the Mountain Protection Array be promoted to Eighth Rank?" asked Clan Leader Li Taiyao.
"Alas!"
At these words, Jiang Fengwu sighed and said, "It is possible, I have that confidence, but it needs a long time as well as a multitude of resources."
Jiang Fengwu knew all too well about the grumbling of the clan members.
This time it took only thirty years, but to advance to Eighth Rank, it would take at least two or three hundred years, and the resources needed will be even more!
By then, the family might indeed be heavy with complaints.
"Elder Ancestor, you need not worry. As long as you have the confidence, the family will definitely support you with all their might," Li Taiyao said resolutely.
Jiang Fengwu, however, shook her head, saying, "For now, let’s leave it as it is. It would be better to wait until my realm has increased a bit more before undertaking this task."
In fact, after Jiang Fengwu’s perfection of the Guardian Mountain Star Array, its offensive and defensive capabilities have increased at least fivefold. If it’s fully activated, it could withstand attacks from a Great Vehicle Cultivator for an hour.
There’s also an effect that benefits the entire Mount Wanxian and all the clan members: the Formation can absorb a great amount of star power and transform it into Spiritual Energy!
The transformed Spiritual Energy can not only sustain the normal operation of the Formation, but the excess can enhance the density of Spiritual Energy on Mount Wanxian.
And according to Jiang Fengwu’s estimates, it would only take five or six hundred years for the Spiritual Energy in Mount Wanxian to rise to the next level!
Five or six hundred years, for an Integration Family, is really not a long time; merely accumulating Spirit Stones and allowing the Spirit Vein to absorb them passively, the time needed for promotion would not be much quicker than this.
But this, would not even require the expenditure of Spirit Stones.
"The clan members are shortsighted, not realizing the benefits that the Mountain Protection Array brings. But the elders and I are clear in our hearts, so everyone supports your effort to continue enhancing the Star Array," Li Taiyao continued to urge.
Nevertheless, Jiang Fengwu’s mind was made up. The grumblings of the clan members was one reason, and more so because she herself felt that her own realm wasn’t high enough; even if she forced the deduction of the Formation, it would have many problems. It would be better to achieve it in one step and save the family a lot of Spiritual Objects.
"I’ve made up my mind, no need to persuade me further."
Seeing this, Li Taiyao wanted to say something but ultimately closed her mouth.
Jiang Fengwu turned and returned to her Cave Mansion, began summarizing the insights from the past decades, and cultivated her own Dharma appearance.
As time passed, on a certain day more than a decade later.
A minor spiritual energy storm occurred on Mount Wanxian, and the one who triggered it was Li Chengshuo, who was in deep seclusion.
"It’s only been a few years since Shuo broke through to Integration, how has he managed to reach the mid-stage of Integration so quickly?" When Jiang Fengwu came out of seclusion and learned of this, he couldn’t help but recall the inexplicable worries that Li Zhirui once had.
"Could it be that the opportunity Shuo obtained back then really contains some sort of enormous hidden danger?"
However, when asked, Li Chengshuo herself didn’t feel there was anything amiss.
Moreover, Jiang Fengwu had personally investigated and found that whether it was Li Chengshuo’s realm, cultivation, or Dharma, there were no hidden dangers or flaws, which gave her a bit of reassurance.
In the end, with no other choice, they could only ask Li Chengshuo to pay more attention, and if she noticed anything amiss, to come to him immediately.
Then, one day, Li Chengsheng left Mount Wanxian, embarking on a journey to seek a breakthrough in Integration.
Initially, his assimilation of that strand of True Sun Fire had cleared the path towards Integration, but Li Chengsheng always felt something was missing, it wasn’t perfect.
Therefore, he chose to go out, attempting to complement the last bit of deficiency.
It wasn’t just Li Chengsheng, Li Xianxun, Li Mingyao, and others also left the family one after another to seek the opportunity to break through Integration.
...
Kunlun State.
Li Zhirui emerged from a certain Secret Realm, his face showing signs of fatigue.
This trip to the Secret Realm was truly fraught with danger.
It could be said to be the most dangerous one he had encountered in his years of exploring hundreds of Secret Realms!
And the cause of it all was an insanely irrational Integration Cultivator who had gone berserk.
This madman practiced a certain cultivation technique that could bewitch people’s hearts.
Even though everyone was at the level of Integration or Void Refinement Cultivators, with Dao Hearts that were not all as firm as rocks but at least immune to common tricks, few could resist in the face of this madman!
He had bewitched a large number of Cultivators, continuously inciting conflicts in the Secret Realm, accumulating tensions, and ultimately sparking a great war that spread throughout the entire Secret Realm!
At the beginning of the disaster, Li Zhirui had encountered this mad Cultivator.
Just one glance from him made Li Zhirui feel somewhat dizzy, and if not for his Spirit Sense frantically alerting him to imminent danger, Li Zhirui feared he might really have fallen into the trap.
Once he realized something was wrong, Li Zhirui immediately hid in space to avoid the other party.
At that time, Li Zhirui was utterly shocked, wondering how such a being could exist!
He hadn’t even noticed the other party using any Divine Powers, just a look, and Li Zhirui felt as if he had been enchanted.
Li Zhirui stayed in space for three whole days, repeatedly confirming there were no threats to himself before he dared to leave and became extremely cautious.
At first, Li Zhirui did not notice anything wrong, until he frequently saw the corpses of Cultivators and numerous signs of battle, then he realized something was wrong.
In past Secret Realms, there had been casualties, but not this many, after all, the primary purpose for everyone to enter the Secret Realm was to search for Spiritual Objects or to temper themselves against Devil Beasts, not to kill each other.
Then, Li Zhirui stumbled upon a war involving over a hundred Cultivators, which in itself was not surprising given the small scale.
But upon seeing the mad Cultivator from before, manipulating the Cultivators as if controlling puppets, making them fight each other, a chill rose in his heart.
It was like a puppet show among mortals, with over a hundred Void Refinement and Integration Cultivators all being his puppets, able only to act according to his will.
Li Zhirui didn’t hesitate to turn around and leave immediately, such a terrifying existence was not something he could afford to provoke. After all, those Cultivators had no relation to him, and there was no need for him to show off and attempt a rescue.
Li Zhirui even suspected that this person might not be a madman as other Cultivators described, but instead someone who had awakened memories from a past life!
Considering his methods, it was highly probable that in his past life, he was a terrifying Demon Cultivator old monster.
Li Zhirui ran away headlong, only stopping when he felt he had put enough distance between them.
In the following time, aside from searching for Spiritual Objects in the Secret Realm, Li Zhirui stayed hidden in space, waiting for the Secret Realm’s Teleportation Array to activate.
Never before, in any Secret Realm experience, had he been so eager to leave as he was this time.
