NOVPUB
Chapter 919: Chapter 925: Public Announcement
They did not dare to take action against Wanxian Island, for that would mean irreparably tearing relations apart, never to rest until death!
Facing the Wanxian Island enveloped in Spirit Light, the cultivators, though resentful, could only leave some behind while the others retreated to their sects. After all, they did not know how long the Li family planned to block the island; they could hardly afford to keep waiting indefinitely, wasting precious cultivation time, could they?
One year...
Two years...
Time flew, and over twenty years passed without any sign that the Li family might lift the blockade. The cultivators finally left altogether.
And, in the absence of the Li family’s presence, Wanxian Province began to destabilize. Some of the more powerful factions delineated territories. Although they did not declare independence for fear of consequences should the Li family end the blockade, their actions clearly revealed their huge ambitions.
They demanded tributes from neighboring powers, established Immortal Cities, and split the Loose Cultivators among them. Driven by interests and ambitions, the thoughts of expansion emerged!
When the first faction was extinguished, fires of war ignited across Wanxian Province. Many cultivators died in the ensuing conflicts, and what once was a peaceful and serene territory descended into utter chaos.
After all, nurtured by the Li family, Wanxian Province now possessed rich and high-grade Spirit Veins, naturally attracting covetous glances.
And now, since most of the Spirit Veins had been sold and no longer belonged to the Li family, other powers had even less reason to hesitate.
Loose Cultivators began fleeing en masse; this place was no longer their sacred cultivation ground!
And this only hastened the decline and decay of Wanxian Province.
Luckily, those powers retained some sanity and knew that the Li family had only sealed the island temporarily and wouldn’t be gone forever, so they dared not touch those few Spirit Veins belonging to the Li family.
Under the restriction of allowing exit but no entry, every clan member who went out for training had to stay and cultivate on the island upon returning.
Except for very few clan members, in these twenty-plus years, most had gradually returned.
To soothe the clan members and solve their cultivation issues, Li Xiansong, accompanied by a group of Elders, had come up with all conceivable solutions.
First, the monthly stipends had increased by fifty percent! Other family benefits had also improved.
It was only because on Wanxian Island, there were many Spirit Realms and Spirit Veins that could produce a large number of Spiritual Objects to meet the clan members’ needs.
Moreover, the Li family had one window open to the outside world, which was West Mountain Market!
Using the marketplace, they sold Spiritual Objects crafted by their family, earning Spirit Stones while purchasing some Spiritual Objects the Li family could not produce.
Additionally, various competition venues and arenas were opened allowing clan members to compete against each other, enhance their strength, and vent their emotions.
There was also the Red Dust Heart Inquiry Array set up by Jiang Fengwu in those days, which helped the clan members refine their Dao Hearts, somewhat compensating for the inability to go out for experience.
Then they also arranged for Divine Transformation, Nascent Soul, and Golden Core cultivators to preach and guide, covering all clan members of the Li family.
A series of combined efforts had finally managed to soothe the majority of the clan members.
However, Li Xiansong and the others knew this was not a long-term solution. Although effective now, problems would only accumulate over time.
To say nothing of other things, in these twenty-plus years, the number of clan members who had breakthroughs in their cultivation was ten percent less than before!
Moreover, through West Mountain Market, Li Xiansong and others found out that no cultivators were ambushing the Li family’s cultivators anymore. Therefore, they discussed with the Elders whether they should end the island’s isolation and restore normalcy.
When Da Qing learned the Elders were discussing lifting the blockade, he knew it was time to announce Li Zhirui’s Ascension.
"Alas, it only lasted a little over twenty years."
With a helpless sigh, Da Qing appeared in the family hall the next moment.
"Greetings to the Spirit Ancestor!" Li Xiansong was stunned upon seeing Da Qing’s arrival, then hurriedly got up to pay his respects.
"I need you to gather all the Elders; I have a significant announcement to make."
Li Xiansong was very curious, but promptly did as Da Qing instructed.
It wasn’t long before all the Elders gathered in the hall.
"Jiu is currently pushing towards Divine Transformation Completion Stage and is expected to undergo Tribulation Transcendence in the next few decades. Thus, I wish to extend the duration of the island’s isolation."
Upon Da Qing sharing this news, it stunned the Elders into silence.
"May I ask, Spirit Ancestor, wasn’t Ancestor Rui in the Middle Stage of Divine Transformation before he went into seclusion? It hasn’t been thirty years yet; how is it possible he’s ready for Tribulation Transcendence?" It took a while before an Elder spoke up.
"Jiu had an opportunity in The Void previously, which is why his cultivation progressed so rapidly," Da Qing explained without going into detail.
Li Xiansong also remembered that, decades ago, Li Zhirui had mentioned this to him but too many minutiae had slipped his mind.
"Let’s not lift the isolation on Wanxian Island just yet; wait a bit longer, then I’ll announce it publicly and soothe the clan members for a while longer," Da Qing suggested.
Li Xiansong looked thoughtfully at Da Qing; it seemed he had been considering keeping the clan members on Wanxian Island from the start, but why?
"That’s acceptable."
Da Qing did not expect Li Xiansong to agree so readily, his surprise evident in his gaze, but he did not inquire further.
After speaking with the Elders, they immediately abandoned the idea of opening up Wanxian Island and instead began pondering ways to continue pacifying the clan members.
As the saying goes, in the mountains there are no calendar days; cold ends without knowing the years.
Decades passed in a blink.
On the tiny Wanxian Island, clan members, confined for decades and despite enjoying numerous benefits, could no longer bear it.
It was like a volcano about to erupt; a blast that might potentially decimate the family.
So when Da Qing sensed the ominous signs, he immediately stood up and gathered all the clan members.
"Brother Jiu, Li Zhirui, is about to Ascend! Please endure a little longer, as you will witness the first cultivator in our family to Ascend!"
He also would grant a tremendous opportunity, but that last part, Da Qing did not voice.
Boom!
With that announcement, the crowd burst into exclamations.
"What?"
"Is that real?"
In the next instant, voices of doubt rose.
"In less than ten years! Brother Jiu will undergo Tribulation!" Da Qing did not answer their queries but loudly informed everyone instead.
"Ten years is neither long nor short; just watch."
Da Qing could say this confidently; he knew the exact timeline because yesterday, Li Zhirui had reached out to him.
Li Zhirui had spent decades elevating his cultivation to the Completion Stage of Divine Transformation!
Originally, he had planned on delaying for a few more years, striving for as perfect a preparation as possible, to improve his odds of successfully transcending.
At the same time, Li Zhirui also needed to prepare some Precious Pills and Thunder Vine Spirit Seeds, all of which required time.
However, once Da Qing informed him that, due to some unexpected events, all the clan members were currently staying on Wanxian Island, and it had been decades, Li Zhirui decided to compress that time further.
Ultimately, it became within ten years.
