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Chapter 588: Chapter 594: Bottom Line
"Fellow Daoist, why not rest for a few more days before setting out?" Zhongshan, seeing that Li Zhirui was about to leave immediately, spoke up to retain him.
"Thank you for your kindness, but having been away from home for many days, I’m uneasy in my heart and wish to return sooner."
Zhongshan wanted Li Zhirui to stay because it meant having an additional combatant to help out in case of danger, but he had led his clanspeople out of Xuanfa State precisely to avoid getting involved. How could he consider staying now?
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade him to stay, Zhongshan had no choice but to personally see off Li Zhirui and his group.
"Uncle Shiling, why did you tell them about the situation in Xuanfa State?" Li Chenghuo asked somewhat puzzled aboard the Spirit Boat.
"We were passing by anyway, so we might as well remind them in passing, to prevent them from suffering heavy losses due to the Demon Cultivator and being unable to fulfill the trade with our family."
The two families had signed a contract, after all!
If Qianshan Sect couldn’t provide enough Spirit Stones, then the third-grade Spirit Pills Li Zhirui had refined would need to find a new buyer. Moreover, since they couldn’t be sure of the quantity, they couldn’t sign contracts with other powers and would have to sell them sporadically.
This would not only be troublesome but could also draw the attention of other powers.
Therefore, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing for the Li family if Qianshan Sect ran into trouble unless they were utterly destroyed or gravely weakened.
Thinking about it now, Wanxian Island, located in the remote Extreme Eastern Corner, was also a good thing in some ways. It at least kept them far away from the major powers and provided a relatively stable external environment.
"Let’s continue flying towards Wanxian Island."
For the remainder of the journey, Li Zhirui didn’t need to be constantly vigilant. He just needed to unleash the pressure of his Nascent Soul to deter some Cultivators.
Perhaps due to the Demon Cultivator’s sudden attacks, many powers hadn’t escaped, and the Li family traveled east without encountering any danger, returning calmly to their own territory.
The various vassal powers following behind gradually diminished until, at last, only the three Spirit Boats of the Li family remained.
"We’re finally back!" Li Chenghuo breathed a sigh of relief the moment he stepped onto Wanxian Island.
Outsiders could not understand how tense and uneasy he had been on the way, fearing that several Nascent Soul Cultivators would suddenly block their path.
"Elder Ancestor, your efforts are greatly appreciated." Li Xuefeng, accompanied by a crowd of Elders, rushed out to greet them.
Because Li Zhirui and the others had returned earlier than expected, they had no time to prepare anything else.
"Everyone should go back and rest," Li Chenghuo said, dispersing the onlookers from the clan.
"This time, the family only acquired two types of dragon beast eggs, namely the Thickshell Dragon Turtle and the Yellow Jade Dragon Lizard, along with some other Spiritual Objects that we missed out on the bidding, and some that we purchased."
Li Zhirui handed all the items to Li Xuefeng to manage and asked, "Has anything significant happened to the family during this past month or so?"
"Yes!" Li Xuefeng’s expression turned serious as he replied, "A few days ago, the Sea Clan sent a third-rank Water Devil to pay us a visit."
"Oh?" Li Zhirui raised his eyebrows slightly. "What did it say?"
"The Sea Clan hopes our family will stop expanding towards the Outer Sea and also restrict the number of Cultivators on Red Pine Island, or else they will resort to violent measures."
Both demands were for the same purpose, to curtail the Cultivators’ exploration of the Outer Sea!
As the Li family developed, it became harder and harder to find Water Devils in the nearby seas, so the Cultivators began exploring further afield, inching towards the Outer Sea.
The Li family was aware of this from the start and were even the ones behind it.
Because compared to the land, the resources within the Boundless Sea were significantly richer, and the Li family, being the only power rooted in the sea within thousands of miles, of course, wanted to exploit the Boundless Sea, especially the distant seas.
And this, was where the Sea Clan drew the line!
If the near sea was a mixed dwelling zone for both the human race and the Sea Clan, then the distant sea belonged solely to the Sea Clan—it was absolutely forbidden for the human race to enter!
Thus, upon detecting the Li family’s restless movements, the Sea Clan specially dispatched a third-order Water Devil to issue a warning, as a courteous prelude to potential hostilities.
If the Li family remained obstinately unenlightened, the Sea Clan would certainly show no mercy.
They didn’t even need to break the contract between the human race and the Sea Clan; merely by employing a large number of low-level Water Devils, they could sink Wanxian Island!
Hearing this, Li Zhirui fell silent for a moment before saying, "Since that’s the case, let’s abandon the idea of exploring the distant sea and continue to develop the nearby waters instead."
Given the Li family’s strength, they couldn’t afford to offend even a slightly more powerful group within the Sea Clan, let alone the entire Sea Clan.
Were they to truly enrage the Sea Clan, if the Li family were destroyed, those major powers of the human race wouldn’t seek vengeance on their behalf, not even uttering a word of reproach.
"Is there anything else?"
During the conversation, Li Zhirui and his companions also entered the family’s grand hall.
"Not long ago, the Profound Ice Sect sent a True Lord, first to reserve the Five Elements Jade Peach due several decades later, and second, to invite our family to join in eradicating the Devil Race of Great Void Province."
"The Profound Ice Sect hasn’t given up yet? It seems there really is something in the Taixu Secret Realm that they covet deeply."
Li Zhirui thought for a moment and said, "If I remember correctly, the Taixu Secret Realm will open in the next decade or so?"
Alas, the strength of the Taixu Devil Race was not to be underestimated, and if pushed too far, they would even call upon the Devil Race from the Great Snow Mountain to lend a hand. Even a joint effort from two factions would be futile.
Therefore, although Li Zhirui had always been aware of the numerous rare Spiritual Objects within the Secret Realm, he had never contemplated seizing it.
What’s more, it was the existence of the Taixu Devil Race that allowed the Li family to avoid bordering the Profound Ice Sect and spared them from its incursions.
"How did you handle it?"
Why wasn’t it Jiang Fengwu? Before they set off for Xuanfa State, Jiang Fengwu had a burst of inspiration and was in closed-door cultivation, still not emerging to this day.
Li Xuefeng replied, "I said the Jade Peach Spirit Tree is a private Spiritual Object of our ancestor; the family has no authority to make that decision. As for the latter, I refused on the grounds of insufficient strength."
"Hmm, in the future, if the Profound Ice Sect comes knocking about these two matters, just keep fobbing them off."
"If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave first."
Li Xuefeng hastily spoke up, "Ancestor, please wait a moment longer, there is one more important issue!"
"Speak," Li Zhirui said, withdrawing his motion to rise, only to hear Li Xuefeng requesting the Elders to leave first, "What follows concerns my personal affairs, I would ask the Elders to please excuse themselves."
The expressions of the Elders varied, with all manner of speculations arising in their minds, most of which revolved around Li Xuefeng’s many years as the Clan Leader and his impending retirement,
’Is he seeking the ancestor’s mercy to continue serving as the Clan Leader?’
Li Chenghuo furrowed his brows and quickly dismissed this guess. Knowing Li Zhirui as he did, he was sure that Uncle Shiling would never agree.
Moreover, Li Xuefeng was a smart man; he knew that bringing up such a matter would not only fail to garner Li Zhirui’s aid but would also engender his dislike and hasten his departure.
