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Chapter 866: Chapter 872: Preparation
"The Communication Talisman is from..."
Li Zhirui identified it after a moment and a look of surprise appeared on his face, "Fellow Daoist Yu Xue?"
Though before parting, Li Zhirui had invited Yu Xue to visit Wanxian Island, in reality, both knew it was merely a polite offer and Yu Xue was unlikely to come to such a barren place.
Unexpectedly, he really came!
Li Zhirui immediately flew out of the Spirit Realm and headed straight for Tianqiong, instantly spotting Yu Xue sitting cross-legged on a white cloud.
"Long time no see."
Yu Xue opened his eyes, a flash of surprise in his eyes upon seeing Li Zhirui’s cultivation, he smiled and said, "It’s only been a bit over a hundred years, not too long. But your cultivation has progressed leaps and bounds, having reached the Middle Stage of Divine Transformation already."
"Who knows how many Essence Pills you must have consumed for such speedy progress?"
Li Zhirui smiled and said, "Since Fellow Daoist has traveled a long way, how about you rest on the island first?"
"No need, I am here on a mission."
Yu Xue shook his head and declined, speaking gravely, "Fellow Daoist might not know, the contract signed between the human race and the Sea Clan has a term limit, and it will expire soon."
Li Zhirui was taken aback upon hearing this, frowning and asking, "Do you mean that a great war between the two races will break out?"
As for the battlefield, needless to say, it was bound to be in the nearby seas,
and as the only Transforming Spirit force in the nearby sea areas of the Extreme Eastern Region, the Li family could not escape unless they relocated entirely should a war indeed break out.
"Yes, the Sea Clan will definitely not miss this opportunity to reclaim the nearby territories!" Yu Xue affirmed.
Then Yu Xue mentioned that the Central Region had already dispatched many Nascent Soul Cultivators to various places, with even more powerful cultivators yet to arrive, especially in support of the Eastern Region.
He had arrived ahead of the main forces to meet Li Zhirui, to allow him to prepare in advance and do him a favor.
"Thank you for the information, Fellow Daoist! Since you have matters to attend to, I won’t invite you to rest on the island. When you’re free in the future, I’ll host you properly," Li Zhirui said apologetically.
He could no longer concern himself with Yu Xue, as his mind was wholly occupied with the impending great war.
Yu Xue’s task was to investigate the Sea Clan’s movements. Of course, not by infiltrating the Distant Sea—at such a critical moment, it would be no different from suicide.
Mainly, he was to travel around the nearby sea areas of the Eastern Region, gathering information about the Low-Level Water Demons, which wasn’t perilous but quite exhausting.
"Then, after the great war, we shall sit and discuss the Way."
After speaking, he transformed and disappeared from sight.
Li Zhirui almost instantaneously returned to Wanxian Island after Yu Xue’s departure, heading straight for the clan hall.
"Ancestor Rui!"
Li Mingzi, who was calculating the family’s incomes from various places and seeing how many Spirit Stones and Spiritual Objects could be allocated for war reserves, was startled by Li Zhirui’s sudden appearance and quickly stood up to greet him.
’Could it be that Ancestor Rui has also heard about Li Xianyu’s matter? However, he shouldn’t need to intervene for him.’
Though Li Xianyu was recognized by the family as a potential Nascent Soul, in Li Zhirui’s eyes, unless someone was a Divine Transformation seed like Li Xianxun, he would not pay much heed.
"From now on, the family besides the already signed contracts, none of the refined and produced Spiritual Objects can be sold externally. Moreover, we need to purchase as many Spiritual Objects from the market as possible at low prices," Li Zhirui said abruptly.
Realizing his statement was a bit sudden, he explained, "The Sea Clan is about to start a huge war, and our family, located over the Boundless Sea, cannot avoid this conflict."
"Ancestor Rui, the family just passed the resolution to prepare for the war half an hour ago," Li Mingzi was incredibly curious. How did Ancestor Rui, who had been secluded in the Spirit Realm, know about the Sea Clan’s movements?
Moreover, in his view, the scale of the war was far beyond their estimates.
"Oh?"
Li Zhirui showed a trace of surprise and asked, "Which war are you planning for?"
Then Li Mingzi explained the situation of Li Xianyu being ambushed and fallen to a Water Devil, and the increasing number and strength of Water Devils in the surrounding seas to Li Zhirui.
In fact, just from these actions, Li Mingzi and the others had shown great foresight.
Who would have thought that the contract between the human race and the Sea Clan had an expiry date? Even the major forces in the Central Region had forgotten, and the Li family knew even less about the full details of the contract, only hearing that Fourth Order Water Devils could not enter the nearby seas.
"This war is far more dangerous than any beast tide, and you cannot compare the two," Li Zhirui said gravely. "Even the family could potentially be overturned and extinguished."
From Yu Xue’s reminder, one could infer why the support for the Eastern Region was the strongest—because the Eastern Region’s strength was the weakest, and perhaps there was an implication that the nearby Eastern Region would be the main battlefield.
The family could not significantly enhance its strength in a short time; they could only start from other aspects, such as preparing a large amount of Spiritual Objects.
Despite doing as Li Zhirui suggested would raise attention soon enough, the urgency of the situation left no room for such concerns.
"Also, we must prepare for the worst. Keep some of the family’s seeds inland on Wanxian Island. If the situation becomes dire, they can flee deeper inland and reestablish the family."
Li Mingzi’s face paled—already certain of significant support from the Central Region’s cultivators, yet Ancestor Rui’s outlook on this war was still so pessimistic!
"Ancestor, surely it can’t be that dangerous?"
Li Zhirui shook his head silently and said, "For now, you and the elders focus on collecting Spiritual Objects and preparing supplies for the war. Also, prepare for mobilization, letting our clan members understand that this war is unlike any before."
After speaking, he hurriedly left. A thought had just emerged in his mind, and he planned to seek out Jiang Fengwu, Da Qing, Xiaoqing, and Cang to join forces and accomplish it in the shortest time possible.
After healing in the Purification Spirit Realm for so many years, Xiaoqing’s injuries had finally healed recently!
And thanks to the Purification Principle, no complications were left inside his body.
Healing at this critical juncture could also add strength to the Li family in the soon-to-be battle.
Under Li Zhirui’s summons and apart from Jiang Fengwu, who was in cultivation, Da Qing, Xiaoqing, and Cang soon arrived.
"Jiu, what happened?"
Li Zhirui told the three about the impending great war with the Sea Clan, giving them time to accept the news before saying:
"I plan to artificially create a chain of islands 3000 li east of Wanxian Island to prevent Wanxian Island from becoming the frontline of the great war."
The reason for choosing this distance was first to allow a certain spatial gap—if the frontline was breached, the Li family would have more time to move and preserve their strength to the greatest extent.
