Chapter 44: Demonic Cultivators Run Amok
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Li Dalong’s resolute character was truly rare. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to elevate his family from a humble rural background to such prosperity during a severe drought year, relying solely on a single manual titled "Qi Refining Practitioner’s Cultivation Handbook." If it had been anyone else, Li Xiang guessed he might have had to constantly invoke the "wrath of the ancestors" every day.
[Special Trait: Greatness Achieved]
[Late bloomer, cultivation speed increased by 20%. Due to breaking magical barriers, with a broad-minded mentality and enhanced comprehension, it becomes easier to successfully practice spells and martial arts!]
Upon returning from Listening Wind Town, Li Dalong immediately offered incense and bowed in worship. Li Xiang glanced at the incense offerings he currently possessed—27,650.
“Still quite a way to go,” he mused, raising an eyebrow. As the Li family’s descendants grew in number, he could receive about 3,000 incense offerings annually, with more during special events.
He had long coveted the profound-level spell "Phantom Shadow Sky Cluster Step" from the "Secrets of Leaving Heaven" scripture. After years of cultivation, the most advanced family member, Li Yaozu, had only reached 28% progress.
“By the time Yaozu truly masters this spell to perfection, it will probably require 100,000 incense points to replicate,” Li Xiang pondered how best to use these incense points.
[Your family has constructed a large practice chamber, named the Three-Story Martial Arts Tower!]
Following the event prompt, he looked on. In the center of Zhi’en Village stood a three-story spire. Upon further understanding, Li Xiang realized that under the guidance of a master whom the Li family had paid handsomely, the tower itself had become a large magical artifact. Unless someone pried open the tower, the existence of the Martial Spirit Pearl inside would remain undiscovered.
The Martial Arts Tower could manifest the phantoms of masters. As long as there were sufficient spirit stones, it could demonstrate spells and martial arts day and night, while also increasing the spiritual energy inside. The first floor was for Qi Refining, the third floor allowed entry, and so forth.
The Li family immediately transmitted their accumulated insights from thirty-six martial arts and spells—such as the "Wang Family Body Refining Technique," "Dragon Swimming Step," and "Gentle Breeze Technique"—into the tower using their magical power.
Nowadays, the Li family placed greater emphasis on cultivating the "Secrets of Leaving Heaven" scripture.
After settling matters with the Martial Arts Tower, the Li family gathered as one. For them, eradicating the Listening Wind Martial Pavilion was just the beginning.
Li Yaowen addressed Li Dalong, who sat in the main seat at home: “Father, the matter with the Listening Wind Martial Pavilion was handled cleanly; no one suspects us. You used the Thunder Guide Scripture of the Leaving Heaven Sect, leading the Xuanwu Gate to suspect the Leaving Heaven Sect’s involvement.”
“Hmm.”
Li Dalong nodded slightly, past events fading like the wind. Now, he was as steady as an ancient tree in the wind. “Let’s drop the matter and speak no more of it. Our Li family is a small clan—that’s our best disguise.”
“Understood, Father.”
Li Yaowen sipped his tea and said solemnly, “We must abandon our previous plan to go to the Qingting Valley.”
Before Li Dalong could respond, Li Yaoqing grew anxious: “Why? Has something changed? What about the Tianxin Grass?”
In recent days, the Li family’s planning went beyond just the Listening Wind Martial Pavilion. As the family prospered, they engaged in business everywhere, gaining both friends and foes. Now was the time for reckoning.
The Qingting Valley Li Yaowen mentioned was one such place, part of their sect’s territory abundant with Tianxin Grass. This was a key herb missing from the new medicine Li Yaoqing wished to concoct.
“Demonic cultivators.”
Li Yaowen’s two simple words changed the expressions of all Li family members.
Demonic cultivators were different from ordinary practitioners. Seeking rapid progress, their cultivation often violated heavenly laws—they might sacrifice human blood or use people as cauldrons for practice.
Such acts were akin to cannibalism, crude and unrefined, like eating raw human brains. This method, as Li Xiang knew, ultimately brought disease; the cultivators became insane, violent, bloodthirsty, and greedy.
One could think of them as practitioners constantly high on drugs.
“I received news from the Su family. The small sect we had our eyes on was preempted.”
Li Yaowen continued, “At the scene, traces of demonic cultivators’ unique aura remained. Their methods were unorthodox. They were cunning, taking advantage of the two sects’ war to act unnoticed. After succeeding, they vanished without a trace.”
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“My Tianxin Grass!”
Li Yaoqing, knowing how difficult it would be to retrieve the herb from demonic cultivators, suddenly lost heart.
At that moment, guards of the Black Blood Hall, affiliated with the Li family, hurried in to report, one clutching a token that made everyone tense.
A token from the Leaving Heaven Sect!
Li Dalong took the token, and a white light entered his mind. It was a message left by a Leaving Heaven Sect master within the token using magical power.
After a moment, Li Dalong narrowed his eyes.
“There’s news about the Tianxin Grass.”
...
[Special Event]
[Demonic Cultivators’ Calamity]
[Due to the war between two sects, Leaving Heaven Sect’s masters have no time to manage mundane affairs in Taiqing City. Hearing of demonic cultivators causing chaos, some disciples descended the mountain to train, earnestly inviting masters from various factions to assist in eradicating the demons!]
After receiving orders from the Leaving Heaven Sect, Li Dalong went to the ancestral hall to report. Li Xiang saw the news too.
“Eradicating demons to defend the Way?”
It was somewhat interesting. Sects like the Leaving Heaven Sect and Xuanwu Gate all claimed to be righteous and honorable. Yet, opening ancient tombs had cost many lives. The two sects fought battles regularly, stirring turmoil.
Were they truly evil? When it came to demonic cultivators causing harm, they were usually quite conscientious.
While pondering this, Li Dalong knelt and bowed deeply. “Ancestors, I bid farewell; during next year’s grand ceremony, I will only be able to offer incense from afar.”
This surprised everyone.
Li Xiang frowned; it seemed Li Dalong intended to join this mission to eliminate the demonic cultivators.
Small words appeared above Li Dalong’s head.
“Leaving Heaven Sect disciples have located the Thunder Fire Demon Cave where the demonic cultivators reside! If the temple guardian beast is to transform, the cave contains heavenly thunder and earthly fire!”
No wonder Li Dalong was involved.
Li Xiang was tempted too. The Purple Thunder Sky Sun Python wished to ascend to Demon King, and heavenly thunder and earthly fire were among the conditions!
However, the mission was far away and not achievable in one day. Eradicating demons was already difficult. The Leaving Heaven Sect disciples were novices, unaware of the exact number or strength of the demonic cultivators; the danger was high.
Just as Li Xiang pondered whether to take the risk, the Li family in the ancestral hall began deciding who would go.
“The temple guardian beast is the strongest existence of our Li family. If it can transform into a demon king, it will be a blessing for us all.”
Li Dalong scanned the group, finally fixing his gaze on Xu Cuihua. “Wife, while I’m away, you must take greater part in family affairs.”
This caused an uproar.
“Father, how can you go? You are the head of the family; everyone depends on you!”
“Yes, Father, I’ll go! I’m idle in the Black Blood Hall anyway.”
“Boss, you can’t go. The family can’t do without you. As for me, with the Heavenly Balance Seal, I can fight the fake pill, and since my Spirit Beast Courtyard has moved to Silver Iron Forest with Old Zhu to help watch over it, I have no pressing matters.”
They all knew the journey, though led by Leaving Heaven Sect disciples, was fraught with danger.
“Enough!”
Suddenly, usually quiet Li Yaoqing raised her voice, silencing everyone.
Feeling all eyes on her, she ruffled her messy hair and smiled, showing bright white teeth. “Father, please don’t go. Big brother is right—over all these years, it’s been you and the fourth sister out front. The families we secretly control only acknowledge you. If you’re gone too long, chaos will follow.”
“Mother certainly shouldn't go either; your demonic cultivation makes it inconvenient.”
She glanced at her eldest brother, whose expression had softened.
“Big brother, you shouldn’t go either.”
“Huh?” Li Yaozu frowned.
“In the plans fourth sister made, Black Blood Hall is needed, and only you know it well. Besides, you can’t have Father running Black Blood Hall errands all over the place, can you?”
She then looked at Li Yaotie, who was now standing tall and proud.
Li Yaoqing rolled her eyes. “Third brother...”
“You have seven children who aren’t grown yet. Do you want them not to recognize you when you come back? And the Forging Pavilion—after all these years, you’re the only craftsman. The family is waiting for you to forge high-grade magical tools.”
Her words hit Li Yaotie’s weak spot.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Li Yaoqing.
“Second sister, are you going?” Li Yaowen’s expression was complex. Everyone volunteered, but she was a weak woman without cultivation and could only watch anxiously as her family faced danger.
At such times, she doubted whether the path she had chosen was right.
“What? You don’t believe in your second sister?”
Li Yaoqing teased, but her usually carefree face suddenly grew serious as she looked at her many relatives.
“I’m the most suitable to go alone. I have no more medicines to concoct. Fifteen apprentices in the spirit medicine garden can handle ordinary potions, and I have one student I’ve raised step by step into a grade-nine pharmacist. That’s enough to meet the family’s needs.”
“Qing’er...”
Li Dalong wanted to persuade her but was interrupted.
“Father, you know I can’t match your skills. But with potions, and some new abilities I’ve recently gained, survival won’t be an issue.”
“Intellectually, I’m no match for you all... except maybe third brother. But after everything I’ve experienced, I understand how to deal with outsiders.”
“Especially being a woman, outsiders tend to underestimate me—that’s the perfect disguise.”
“Moreover...”
“I’m not foolish. My goal is to find the demon cave and investigate the heavenly thunder and earthly fire, not to die. If danger comes, I can still escape. Those demonic cultivators even stole my Tianxin Grass; that grudge I will repay too!”
Her reasoning left the family speechless.
She immediately knelt before the ancestral tablet, saying solemnly:
“Ancestors, please grant me permission to undertake this great responsibility!”
[Good.]
Li Xiang silently clicked on the avatar of the Purple Thunder Sky Sun Python. Li Yaoqing had convinced him.
Soon after, at the end of the year before the grand Li family ceremony, facing the cold wind, Li Yaoqing donned her usual simple clothing and led four spirit beasts borrowed from Silver Iron Forest to the entrance of Zhi’en Village.
She took out the ancestral tablet from her bosom.
Then she smiled at the family members who had accompanied her to the village entrance and said, “Don’t worry. I’m bringing the ancestors with me. Whether it’s the Leaving Heaven Sect or demonic cultivators, with the ancestors’ blessing, I’m not going to die. I’ll make them know that the Li family has a presence in Taiqing County.”
“Li family has a daughter, Li Yaoqing!”
Upon hearing this, the Li family laughed.
“Well said!”
Li Dalong narrowed his eyes. “Yaoqing, many powerful figures from Taiqing County are involved in this mission. Don’t be afraid. If any trouble arises, just send a letter back.”
“Father, I’m already forty-two, not a child anymore.”
Li Yaoqing smiled wryly.
Then, under everyone’s gaze, she slowly turned and headed toward Taiqing County, waving her hand.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the girl, usually dirty from working in the spirit medicine garden, with her slender figure, looked like a radiant fairy.