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Chapter 648: Chapter 654: The Chase
Not more than a quarter, Li Zhirui returned to Wanxian Island.
But before entering, he made a point of contacting Da Qing to ask if Jiang Fengwu was still in seclusion, and only after receiving a positive response did he proceed directly inside; otherwise, he would certainly have had to disguise himself to avoid arousing suspicion.
Once he entered the clan grounds, Li Zhirui headed straight for the family grand hall. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
"Ancestor, where did you obtain these methods?" Li Darong looked at the few hundred Jade Slips in the storage bag, his face filled with shock as he asked, almost blurting out whether he had gone out to plunder some force.
Li Zhirui shook his head and said, "Don’t worry about these, just think of them as having appeared out of nowhere."
He had been using the excuse of seclusion during this time and had been on the island all along, unable to clearly explain the origin of the Jade Slips, so he simply chose not to explain at all.
After all, to cover a single lie, one needs countless more lies, which is simply too troublesome, and full of loopholes, making it easy for people to see through.
Li Darong was on the verge of speaking, but with just a casual remark, the Ancestor had dismissed him; however, how was he to explain to the other family members?
"By the way," Li Zhirui suddenly recalled, asking, "Has anything significant happened at Profound Ice Sect during this period?"
At the mention of this, Li Darong instantly became spirited and excitedly said, "Ancestor, you’re not aware of how severe the losses at Profound Ice Sect were, their dream of Divine Transformation completely shattered, the Sect Leader fallen, disciples injured or killed, and then there’s the reconstruction of various marketplaces and Immortal Cities..."
"In short, it will take several years for Profound Ice Sect to recover!"
Having witnessed everything first-hand, Li Zhirui was, of course, well aware of these facts, and he knew that the greatest crisis for Profound Ice Sect lay in the loose cultivators losing faith in them, and in the serious damage to the disciples’ morale!
It was known that Profound Ice Sect used formations to trap loose cultivators, intending to coerce them into resisting devil beasts, and in the end, they even plotted to drag them down together in mutual destruction; once these news spread, Profound Ice Sect’s reputation among loose cultivators turned utterly abysmal!
If it weren’t for Profound Ice Sect’s willingness to offer several preferential deals targeting loose cultivators, such as reducing the rental prices for caves and Spirit Fields by twenty percent.
Plus, there was the tremendous environmental advantage, with resource-rich mountain ranges to the west and south, the extreme cold snowfields in the north harboring many unique resources, and to the east—there was no need to mention—the Boundless Sea teeming with Water Devils.
With all these measures combined, they managed to retain quite a few loose cultivators, but still less than before.
Although the effect was a bit lesser, at least the problem was solved; however, the issue of the disciples’ morale wasn’t so easily mended.
If this issue isn’t addressed, the Profound Ice Sect’s strength won’t make much progress over the next twenty years.
However, for the Li family, this was undoubtedly a fantastic development; with one declining and the other rising, the gap between the two powers would only narrow!
"And until now, the Devil Race of the Great Snow Mountain hasn’t stopped harassing Profound Ice Sect."
"Hm?"
This was something Li Zhirui wasn’t very clear about because after exiting the space, he immediately left Profound Ice Immortal City and didn’t have the chance to gather information.
"But the Devil Race’s losses weren’t small either, right? If they’re not licking their wounds, why are they still being aggressive?"
Li Darong shook his head, as he was also unclear about the details.
Later on, news came that made them understand the reason.
The underlying cause boiled down to two words, territory!
The biggest factor restraining the power of the Devil Race of the Great Snow Mountain was not Profound Ice Sect, but the lack of land, which couldn’t provide more resources.
So, although the Devil Race suffered heavy casualties, compared to Profound Ice Sect, which was too busy dealing with internal affairs to mount a defense, their situation was much better.
They simply decided to take advantage of the vulnerable and seize more territory.
Upon hearing this news, Li Zhirui developed a measure of admiration for the Great Devil of the Devil Race in charge of affairs, who knew when to advance or retreat and understood how to grasp the greatest benefits.
However, these matters had little to do with the Li family; the clanspeople were all immersed in their cultivation, watching the younger generation gradually strengthen, which brought a different sense of accomplishment to Li Zhirui’s heart.
One day, Li Chenghuo and Li Chenghua came to pay their respects together.
"What brings you here?" Li Zhirui already had an idea of what they were about to say.
Li Chenghuo and Li Chenghua weren’t young, with more than half of their five hundred years of allotted lifespan already gone. The former was doing well, having broken through to the Golden Core Late Stage a few years ago, but Li Chenghua, who was less gifted, was still stuck in the Middle Golden Core Stage.
With such a rate of cultivation, Li Chenghua’s chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul were incredibly slim. Therefore, he planned to venture into the Great Thousand World to seek an opportunity for advancement.
Li Chenghuo had the same goal, except he aimed even higher—seeking to break through to the Nascent Soul.
After all, which cultivator doesn’t wish for a longer lifespan?
Even Li Darong, who lacked grand ambitions, harbored this thought, yet he was well aware how fortunate he had been to reach the Golden Core Stage at all. The idea of breaking through to the Nascent Soul was exceedingly remote, so he preferred to prepare more resources for his descendants.
In fact, Li Darong had married twenty or thirty mortal women in the hopes that one of them would bear him a child with decent innate talent, but so far, the best among them had only a seventy percent purity Three Spiritual Roots.
Moreover, with higher cultivation, the grade and quality of the magical treasures crafted by Li Chenghuo would greatly improve, which also served as a strong motivation for him.
"Uncle Shiling, we’ve decided to go out together for experience," said Li Chenghuo with a respectful bow.
"Have you made all the preparations?"
"Yes!"
Li Zhirui didn’t try to dissuade them. Two Golden Core cultivators joining forces to travel would certainly be much safer, but as an elder, he still had to show some concern.
"I have crafted several spirit pills; take them with you."
As he spoke, he took out several jade bottles and explained one by one, "This is the Burst Spirit Pill, which can temporarily enhance your strength, but after half an hour, you will feel exhausted and weak, unable to recover for several days."
"This is the Concealing Qi Pill, which can completely conceal your aura; this is the Spirit Revitalizing Pill..."
The spirit pills Li Zhirui brought out were mostly from the Profound Ice Tower, and the materials for these third-grade pill recipes were relatively easy to come by.
The ones he selected were all quite useful, and perhaps at a critical moment, they could even save their lives.
"Thank you, Uncle Shiling!" The two bowed formally in gratitude.
Li Zhirui waved his hand and said, "No need for thanks. Your safe return will be thanks enough. If you achieve a breakthrough, that would be even better."
"We will not disappoint you, Uncle Shiling!"
"When will you depart?"
Li Chenghuo smiled, "There’s no better day than today. Everything is arranged, so let it be today."
"Then I shall see you off."
Li Zhirui rose to his feet and silently escorted them as they left Wanxian Island.
"Sigh!"
The path to seeking the Dao is fraught with hardships and perils. Many times, even he, as an elder, could only do so much. He could only hope they would achieve their goals and return safely.
