Chapter 297: The Sea-Farer Li Clan

As a Sword Pavilion Perfected One with a pure and righteous background, even if the [Ancestor of the Yun Family] was weak, he was still an absolute behemoth to these small Qi Refining forces in the outside world.

Therefore, not long after his words spread, various sects had arrived.

“Danyuan Sect, Ten-Thousand Formations Hall, Spirit Treasure Court, Beast Taming Sect, Daoist Talisman Gate, Wine Immortal Cult, Spirit Herb Valley… Good lord, the Hundred Arts of Cultivation are practically all here!”

Lu Yang’s scalp went numb looking at them. According to the [Ancestor of the Yun Family], these forces were more or less supported by the Sword Pavilion. Most of Jiangnan consisted of such forces—extremely proficient in the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, but poor at combat, resulting in them having to seek shelter under the Sword Pavilion’s rule.

This could be seen from the structure of Jiangnan.

In Jiangbei, let alone Foundation Establishment sects, there were even one or two Golden Core sects. But Jiangnan? There wasn’t a single Golden Core sect.

This method of governance had its pros and cons.

The downside was naturally that there was no one under their command to fight; Jiangnan had always relied on the Sword Pavilion itself to step up. In contrast, in Jiangbei, the Saint Sect could at least issue orders to rally the cultivators of Jiangbei.

However, the benefits were also significant. Using the entire region of Jiangnan to support the single sect of the Sword Pavilion not only nurtured the Sword Pavilion’s power to a rather exaggerated level but also made Jiangnan extremely wealthy. In terms of resource cultivation and utilization, they could even beat the other three factions combined.

Thus, Lu Yang soon received gifts until his pots and bowls were full.

“Thirteen families. Geng Metal spiritual objects looted from a whole thirteen sects… Finally managed to push the incubation progress of my Immortal Spirit to seventy percent!”

With the last thirty percent, he would reach the Perfection of the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment.

By then, as long as he found another Heavenly Spirit or Earthly Fiend to merge into his Immortal Spirit body, he could naturally break through to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment without any bottlenecks!

“Truly the child of the Heavens.” Lu Yang couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

Of course, achieving this kind of breakthrough was also due to his own special nature. Even though he was still in the incubation stage, he could actively seek resources himself.

Most [Immortal Spirits] at this stage were still ignorant and hazy, like infants, relying solely on the Heavens to feed them. Let alone finding resources themselves, just not dying prematurely was considered good luck. Those who survived were basically born prematurely in the middle, and it was impossible for them to truly incubate to the level of Foundation Establishment Perfection.

“Where can I find this last thirty percent?”

Lu Yang sat at the desk, flipping through the dossier in his hand. Then his eyebrows raised slightly. “Sea-Farer Li Clan… Didn’t this force send anyone?”

“Mmm…”

Perfected One Xiu Xin: “The Sea-Farer Li Clan is the only Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan within a ten-thousand-mile radius.”

“This family started with maritime transport. They encountered a fortuitous opportunity in some ruins and excavated a superior Spirit Treasure named the [Frontier-Expanding Ship]. Relying on this Spirit Treasure to travel between Jiangnan and Jiangbei, they accumulated a large amount of resources. Once they produced a Foundation Establishment Perfected One, they were titled an Immortal Clan.”

Lu Yang immediately understood.

After all, they were a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan. Compared to those small Qi Refining forces, they certainly had a bit more confidence. At least a single [Ancestor of the Yun Family] couldn’t scare them.

But who told them he was still short on Geng Metal spiritual objects?

However, if Perfected One Xiu Xin’s intelligence was correct, then this Sea-Farer Li Clan really had some substance. At least, they weren’t someone the [Ancestor of the Yun Family] could deal with casually.

“It seems I must come out of the mountain!”

Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately ended his cultivation with Perfected One Xiu Xin. With a wave of his hand, a figure landed in the room.

It was a man whose appearance was identical to Lu Yang’s—handsome and upright, only his eyes were dull, clearly showing he wasn’t a living being.

[Immortal Fetus Incarnation]!

“Although limited by material issues and somewhat crudely made—far inferior to the clones of my previous life, and likely to be scrapped after short use—it’s better than nothing.”

Lu Yang pinched a hand seal. His Dharma Body quickly merged with the [Immortal Fetus Incarnation], then connected with his Immortal Spirit main body. A divine ability brilliance instantly lit up on his fingertips—it was the Geng Metal divine ability [Master of Armaments]. As long as he didn’t reveal his Dharma Body, he looked like a Foundation Establishment sword cultivator no matter how one looked at him.

The only flaw was that the clone was too fragile to withstand his massive spiritual power.

Therefore, he couldn’t engage in prolonged spiritual combat with others.

With this in mind, Lu Yang swept his sleeve over the desk.

The next second, three glistening yellow papers flew out and landed in Lu Yang’s palm. Each yellow paper emitted sharp sword Qi.

[Yuan Tu Treasure Talisman]!

These were the fruits of his labor over the past few days—Rank 5 Foundation Establishment spiritual talismans. They could be activated with just a little spiritual power and wouldn’t affect the stability of the clone.

That being said, going on like this isn’t a long-term solution. I hope this Sea-Farer Li Clan is wealthy enough to let me loot more spiritual materials. Especially that superior Spirit Treasure, the [Frontier-Expanding Ship], mentioned by Perfected One Xiu Xin. If I obtain it, I can refine a superior Immortal Fetus.

The current one was really unusable for major tasks.

To truly obtain an [Immortal Fetus Incarnation] that could replace his main body to walk the world and fight freely, he still needed a superior Spirit Treasure as material.

Jiangnan, Gantang Channel.

This was a port. One side faced Jiangnan, the other faced the Great Dragon River. Exiting the port led to a vast, boundless ocean.

The Sea-Farer Li Clan had lived here for generations.

Inside a large hall, a handsome young adult stood by the window, gazing dazedly at the endless ocean outside the port.

He was the pillar of the Sea-Farer Li Clan, Perfected One [Xiao Hai].

Behind him stood a solemn and majestic middle-aged man. He was the current head of the Li Family, standing respectfully at the side.

“Perfected One, are we really not going to reply to the letter from the Yun Family?”

The Li Family Head looked nervous. The Sword Pavilion was the sole behemoth in Jiangnan. Openly rejecting a Sword Pavilion Perfected One truly made one uneasy.

“Just a declining family. Searching for demons? It’s clearly extortion. Ignore it.” Perfected One Xiao Hai shook his head disdainfully. “Besides, I know that [Ancestor of the Yun Family]. He doesn’t have many years left to live. Even if we don’t go, he doesn’t have the guts to come find us.”

“Moreover, the Sword Pavilion… Hmph!”

Mentioning this name, Perfected One Xiao Hai’s face couldn’t hide his resentment. “My Li Family has been catching sea harvests for them for ten whole generations!”

“Even for mortals, after ten generations of accumulation, the family business should be substantial, right?”

“But where is the money?”

The money earned through the Li Family’s hard work, the resources that should have been used to support the clansmen and aid their cultivation—who took it all in the end?

Perfected One Xiao Hai didn’t continue, only smiling coldly. Ten generations of the Li Family had worked diligently and governed well. But after ten generations of suffering, there was still endless suffering. If they hadn’t been lucky enough to encounter a heavenly opportunity, where would the Sea-Farer Li Clan be? They would probably still be a mere small Qi Refining family!

“Forget it… Compared to an old undying, [That Place] is more important.”

Perfected One Xiao Hai emphasized his tone. Hearing this, the Li Family Head’s expression also became serious. In their conversation, [That Place] was a location that needed no explanation.

[That Place] was where the Li Family made their fortune.

The superior Spirit Treasure [Frontier-Expanding Ship] that supported the Li Family’s current business came from [That Place]. And after years of inquiry and speculation by Perfected One Xiao Hai…

He basically had a conclusion now.

[That Place] was, in all likelihood, formed from the fragments of a Grotto-Heaven left after a Perfected Lord’s fall! For some reason, it remained in the physical world and hadn’t been discovered until now!

Ever since learning this, almost everyone in the Li Family who knew about [That Place] had been silenced. Only Perfected One Xiao Hai and the Li Family Head knew, and they never spoke of it explicitly. When discussing the objects within, they mostly used other terms to refer to them, to avoid anyone calculating the clues.

That will be the greatest opportunity for my Li Family’s rise!

In time, if we can thoroughly develop that Grotto-Heaven fragment, my Li Family can surely leap to become the largest force in Jiangnan under the Sword Pavilion!

Thinking of this, Perfected One Xiao Hai wanted to give a few more instructions.

But just then, his expression suddenly changed.

The Li Family Head’s reaction was slower. Only a moment later did he see a streak of escaping light speeding from beyond the vault of heaven, accompanied by a sharp sword hum!

“Who goes there!”

Perfected One Xiao Hai soared into the sky almost immediately. A shimmering azure light formed behind his head, swelling in the wind and turning into sky-filling giant waves in an instant.

However, in the next second, a sword hum rang out!

A slash of sword light actually tore directly through the azure waves spread by Perfected One Xiao Hai. Accompanied by a voice full of sharpness, it resounded in all directions:

“Where is the Sea-Farer Li Clan’s Perfected One? Come out and see me!”

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