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Chapter 694: Chapter 700: Aftermath
Not only had the two of them failed to make a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, but they were also covered in injuries, which appeared quite severe. The condition of their contracted Spirit Beasts was also rather poor.
At that time, it had alarmed Li Zhirui, who was in secluded cultivation, and he especially refined a furnace of top-quality healing Spirit Pills for them.
"Ancestor Rui, how are the two clan elders doing?" Li Wenli asked anxiously.
Not to mention that both of them were rare Golden Core Late Stage cultivators in the family, but Li Chenghuo was also the only Artifact Refiner in the Li family capable of crafting high-grade Magical Treasures, making his status and position extremely important.
"They need to rest and recuperate quietly for a while," Li Zhirui said, his expression looking somewhat grim. That was because the injuries on the two men were not caused by ordinary fighting; instead, they resembled the aftermath of torture!
But given their current condition, it wasn’t convenient to ask what had happened. They could wait until their injuries had somewhat healed to inquire further.
"Wenli, instruct the clan members to be more cautious. If they encounter any cultivator acting suspiciously, they should report it to the family immediately." Li Zhirui wasn’t sure if their enemy would follow them here, but if they really did, it would actually be a good thing.
"Yes!" Li Wenli pressed down the shock and suspicion in his heart, performed a respectful salute, and hurried off to issue the orders.
——
Several hundred miles away from Wanxian Island, in an unremarkable small Marketplace and a rented cave dwelling, three Golden Core cultivators were gathered.
"I told you we should always keep a close watch on those two. Now look, they have escaped. How are we going to report back to the Ancestor?" one of them couldn’t help but complain.
"It was plainly you who were guarding them that day and yet you let them escape. What does it have to do with me?"
"Had you not left to indulge in drinking and revelries, would they have been able to escape?"
"It’s your incompetence. Those cultivators were nearly crippled, and you still let them slip away!"
"You!"
"Enough! All of you, shut up!" the Red-robed Cultivator with the highest cultivation level interjected sternly.
The two men didn’t dare to oppose him and immediately fell silent, but the hostility in their eyes never ceased.
"What’s done is done. We should think about how to manage the aftermath now. None of you would want to experience the Ancestor’s methods first hand, right?" the Red-robed Cultivator said with a somber face.
At these words, the other two trembled and hastily spoke up, "Big brother, you are the wisest. Have you thought of any solutions?"
"Those two are likely from the Li family and might have already escaped back to their clan. It is impossible for us to capture them again."
After a pause, he continued, "But there are countless cultivators in this world who specialize in fire-attribute skills. Finding two other cultivators to replace them would suffice, though we must be careful not to let the Li family detect us. Not only could it disrupt the Ancestor’s plans, but it could also draw the Sect into conflict with the Li family as enemies."
The following night, the three gathered again.
"Big brother, the Li family has issued an order stating that traces of Demon Cultivators have been detected within their territory. They’ve advised cultivators to be cautious of strangers and to travel in pairs when venturing out. Further, the Li family has offered a generous reward for the identification of any suspicious individuals."
Given their proximity to Wanxian Island, they were among the first to receive the order.
With this order, while not everyone felt personally threatened, it made all cultivators highly vigilant. Any approach from them would draw warnings and if they persisted, the Golden Cores being eyed would immediately flee.
"Let’s wait then, and not be hasty in taking action. We still have some time before the demonic fire within the Ancestor becomes uncontrollable. As long as we return before the old affliction erupts, it should be fine," the Red-robed Cultivator considered before saying.
——
Half a month later.
On Wanxian Island, Li Chenghuo and Li Chenghua had recovered significantly from their injuries.
Li Zhirui finally asked the two what they had encountered outside, why they were so miserable.
"Uncle Shiling," Li Chenghuo began, his expression immediately wilting.
Li Zhirui wasn’t in a hurry either, waiting for the two to regain their composure.
"At first, when Cheng Hua and I were training abroad, things were fine. Although there were some setbacks, the two of us, together with our respective Spirit Beasts, didn’t face any great hardships. It was just that we couldn’t find the chance for a breakthrough, which was somewhat disheartening,"
a touch of nostalgia appeared on Li Chenghuo’s face as he murmured, "As time went on, Cheng Hua and I gradually lost our confidence, and having been away from home for many years, we decided to return for a rest."
"But unexpectedly, on our way home, we fell into a self-directed play!"
Speaking of this, his eyes brimmed with anger, "Because the cultivators looked so miserable, and they were flying towards us, coupled with only two Golden Core cultivators pursuing them, we thought of saving a life."
"Who would have thought that, while we were fighting, that person launched a sneak attack from behind! The three of them joined forces to overpower us and then attempted to take us away."
The righteous indignation that soared into the sky made Li Zhirui frown heavily.
Throughout the ordeal, the two of them never stopped struggling, which led the three cultivators to torture them cruelly. If it weren’t for the fact that there was only one person guarding them at the end, they wouldn’t have been able to escape by a fluke.
But just as they escaped the city gates, they were discovered, and chased all the way. By then, both of them were already at the end of their tether. If their Spirit Beasts hadn’t desperately fled, they wouldn’t even know if they would still be alive!
"Are you sure those three were cultivators, not Demon Cultivators?" Li Zhirui asked, frowning.
Considering the fact that they captured Chenghuo and Chenghua without killing them for their treasures, it was likely they had other motives.
And those who seek the cultivators themselves are either Demon Cultivators, evil cultivators, or Devil Beasts.
Li Zhirui directly asked about Demon Cultivators because the aura of Devil Beasts is quite obvious; they couldn’t possibly have failed to notice and gone forward to save them.
"No! They were cultivators!" Li Chenghuo confirmed emphatically.
Li Chenghua, who was at his side, nodded in agreement, "Uncle Shiling, we were with them for several days, we definitely wouldn’t mistake it!"
Hearing this, Li Zhirui’s expression became much graver as he said solemnly, "Could it be that a Nascent Soul cultivator has succumbed to the demonic, intending to use you two to cultivate Demonic Tao?"
If that was the case, it would explain why cultivators had captured them and why they had been tortured instead of being killed outright.
Because many Demonic Tao cultivation techniques require souls filled with resentment and hatred to increase cultivation.
"Do you still remember what they looked like?"
Although there’s a good chance they were using false appearances, it was at least a clue.
It didn’t take long before the two described the appearances of the three cultivators.
"You two rest well and heal. The family will avenge you,"
he said, but they all understood that the chances of catching those three were still quite slim.
Li Zhirui instructed Li Wenli to replicate these three portraits and distribute them to every family member stationed abroad, and then to make more Loose Cultivators aware.
He even publicly announced his speculation, attempting to leverage the strength of others to find the three cultivators.
"Do you guys think the Nascent Soul cultivator practicing Demonic Tao, as mentioned by the Li family, really exists?" a Loose Cultivator looked around before speaking.
The few Loose Cultivators beside him weren’t fools either, discussing carefully, "Are you saying, the Li family is using this as a pretext to eliminate dissidents?"
