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Chapter 598: Chapter 604: Worries
With Li Zhirui’s original self, he was still not a match for this fourth-tier Desolate Crocodile, let alone a fraction of his Spirit Division? Moreover, it was one that he had just refined shortly after his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.
Besides, the environment was extremely unfavorable for him, fire overcomes wood, and casting wood-attribute skills would be easily countered by the Desolate Crocodile.
As for water-based spells? Being inside a volcano, there wasn’t a trace of moisture in the air, relying solely on his own mana to create water, which was too draining.
Thus, under the furious offensive of the Desolate Crocodile, the Spirit Division found itself at a disadvantage from the start.
In just a short moment, the Spirit Division had dimmed considerably.
Fortunately, by then Li Chengsheng had already escaped, and the Spirit Division no longer had to worry about his safety, so after entangling with the Desolate Crocodile for a bit longer, it took the initiative to destroy the Jade Slip and also erased Li Chengsheng’s aura.
Without the Jade Slip to store and provide mana, the Spirit Division also instantaneously turned to nothingness, disappearing into the world.
Roar!
"Dammit! Dammit! All cultivators must die!!!"
The actions of the dissipating Spirit Division caused the Desolate Crocodile to lose the means to track Li Chengsheng, meaning the Flood Dragon corpse it had obtained through great hardship was now gone!
Filled with towering rage, the Desolate Crocodile, unable to find the root of its woes, directed its gaze toward other cultivators.
——
"Senior brother, we might have been deceived, all of this could be a lie concocted by the thief who stole the spiritual objects! The purpose was to lure us into drawing out the Desolate Crocodile, achieving his own ends," said a junior.
After quickly searching the volcano inside out, the expressions of the two Nascent Soul cultivators were dark and fearsome, particularly after realizing they had been played for fools.
"Quickly assemble the disciples and leave!" Just then, the roar of the Desolate Crocodile was heard, prompting the senior brother to say anxiously.
"Yes!"
Despite their quick reaction, they had brought a significant number of disciples, and most of them were still entangled with devil beasts, unable to extricate themselves immediately.
The Desolate Crocodile had already burst out of the volcano, charging straight at the cultivators with its terrifying, formidable strength, mercilessly slaughtering those Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
In an instant, their pitiful screams filled the air, as countless cultivators fell on this blazing land!
And the very culprit of it all, the one who had caused everything, was completely unaware of the tragedy.
Even if Li Chengsheng knew, he wouldn’t have felt anything; these people were strangers to him. What did their life or death have to do with him?
It would be more accurate to say that the cultivators had ventured here not because they believed his words but because of their greed. They had decided to come in hopes of obtaining those spiritual objects.
Right now, Li Chengsheng was carefully making his way through the volcano, escaping towards the outside world, with no time to think about anything else.
——
Far away, in the Extreme Eastern Corner of Wanxian Island.
"Hm? Why did the Jade Slip shatter!" Li Zhirui sensed the dispersal of that strand of Spirit Division and paused in shock, hastily rising to check Li Chengsheng’s Life Token in the back hall.
Seeing that his Life Token was intact, he breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, "That’s good, nothing happened. Sheng must have safely escaped."
"What happened?"
Jiang Fengwu, just returning from outside, saw Li Zhirui’s rush to the back hall, his face filled with alarm, and couldn’t help feeling a sense of foreboding. He quickly followed and asked anxiously, "Is it Shuo, Sheng, has something happened to one of them?"
"No, no, both are safe and sound." Knowing Jiang Fengwu, who was frantic, might not take in explanations, Li Zhirui handed over both of their Life Tokens.
"Hu——"
Jiang Fengwu, seeing the intact Life Token, finally set her heart at ease and somewhat reproachfully said, "If they are fine, then why were you so panicked just now? You really scared me to death."
"Sheng must have encountered some danger and activated the Soul Dividing Jade Slip I gave him, but just now, I sensed that strand of spirit vanish completely, so I worried something had happened to Sheng," he explained.
Li Zhirui recounted the events exactly as they had happened and then said, "Fortunately, his Life Token is undamaged, so he must have escaped."
"Where exactly has Sheng gone to train? It’s been so many years, and he still hasn’t returned."
In Jiang Fengwu’s complaining words, there was full of worry, "And Shuo, too—one after the other, they really don’t let one have peace of mind."
"You don’t need to worry about Shuo."
Li Zhirui shook his head and said, "I met her in Xuanfa State, and who knows, she might bring a son-in-law to visit you, the future mother-in-law, when she returns."
"Then why didn’t you tell me?" Jiang Fengwu hit him lightly, discontent.
It was because he was too busy—at first, she was in seclusion, and when she emerged, she was experimenting with establishing the Formation for Spirit Realm. Busy with one thing and then another, Li Zhirui had simply forgotten.
"Moreover, what’s this about a son-in-law? Which male Cultivator has Shuo taken a liking to? You should have seen him, do you know his background?"
"Shuo probably hasn’t taken an interest; it’s the man who’s in unrequited love, wanting to pursue Shuo."
After a pause, Li Zhirui said, "As for his background, though I’m reluctant to admit it, I must say that Shuo is the one reaching high."
"What are you talking about!" Jiang Fengwu, displeased with his belittling words about Li Chengshuo, glared at him.
"He comes from Wanxiang Sect’s Myriad Puppet Peak, the closed-door disciple of a Divine Transformation elder. Now, tell me if it isn’t Shuo who’s reaching high."
Li Zhirui said with a bitter smile, "The reason I was able to sell high-quality Spirit Pills in Xuanfa State with no issues was that I waved his big flag."
"This..." After hearing this, Jiang Fengwu was left speechless, unable to refute.
After a silence, she said in a low voice, "In the mortal world, they say a match should be well-matched in social and economic status. If Shuo really marries him, she might face undignified treatment in the future, and we, as her parents, would be helpless."
"Especially with Shuo’s constitution, that’s a major issue!"
Li Zhirui told Jiang Fengwu about asking Wei Ningchen to make an oath and then shook his head, "A sworn oath is only a last resort. What matters most is strength!"
One has to be strong to forge ahead!
If either of them were Divine Transformation practitioners, many concerns would be non-existent.
Not to mention, you have to give some face to a Divine Transformation practitioner.
"You’re right," Jiang Fengwu whispered with a sigh.
But achieving Divine Transformation is incredibly difficult!
Countless Nascent Soul True Lords of exceptional talent, even at the end of their lifespans, are stuck at this step.
And she had only broken through to Nascent Soul a few decades ago; although Li Zhirui was doing slightly better, now being at the mid-stage of Nascent Soul, the breakthrough to Divine Transformation was still far off.
"Cultivation cannot be rushed; we will take it slow. At the very least, I see that young Wei Ningchen truly likes Shuo," he said, even if such sincerity is hard to maintain.
"Mm," Jiang Fengwu responded unconsciously.
If she could have her way, she would rather Li Chengshuo not seek a life partner. And if she must, it would be better to find someone whose strength and status were lesser than her own!
Because her Tianyin Spirit Body is an ultimate temptation for any male Cultivator!
During dual cultivation, the partner might not be able to restrain their desires, and if the male Cultivator is stronger, there is the danger that the balance of yin and yang could shift, leading to a scenario of absorbing yin to replenish yang!
