Chapter 56: Coming out of Seclusion!

[Qingyuan County · Five Absolutes Mountain]

Li Xiang clicked on the map and immediately saw the location of the Li family's current enemy.

The Su family resided on Five Absolutes Mountain, a peak that appeared to have been cut off at the waist. Their stronghold was established at the summit, featuring numerous magnificent pavilions and palaces—a vast and thriving domain for a cultivating clan.

At this moment, the Li family was already making preparations to attack the Su family.

Having obtained intelligence from the Qingping Gu family and the Yunshu Wanghai Pavilion, Li Xiang was also observing the entirety of Five Absolutes Mountain to gather more useful information.

The details on the map became increasingly complete as Li Xiang observed.

[The Su family's domain of prosperity and reproduction for 722 years.]

[Family members: 3,286]

[Early-stage Golden Core patriarch: 1 person, Name: Su Qingyun, Lifespan: 342 years]

[Foundation Establishment experts: 121 people, including 4 at the Pseudo-Core realm, 13 at the Foundation Establishment peak...]

[Family grand formations—Five Absolutes Spirit-Trapping Formation, Hundred Spirits Bluebird Totem Formation...]

"Is a Golden Core clan that has only risen in the past hundred years already this profound in foundation?"

Li Xiang's expression turned solemn.

A Golden Core clan could truly be considered a genuine cultivation family. The Golden Core stage possessed a lifespan of five hundred years, and their formidable strength allowed their clan to command abundant resources.

Once a family survived for five hundred years, it essentially ushered in a qualitative transformation.

This applied to an up-and-coming family like the Su family; if he were to encounter a long-established Golden Core clan with deep historical roots, Li Xiang would never dare to boast about wiping them out.

Prior to this, Li Xiang had learned of an old-school Golden Core clan with a history of over two thousand years. They boasted twin Golden Cores in a single generation, with more than 120,000 family members. They had nearly twenty individuals at the Pseudo-Core realm alone, and there was a constant possibility of a third Golden Core emerging among them.

Such a Golden Core clan often possessed immensely powerful trump cards hidden within their household, with descendants spread across the entire Qingyun Prefecture. Even Nascent Soul entities had to show them some respect.

After all, backed by the strength of an entire clan, with numerous trump cards accumulated over a long history, who knew what terrifying friends they might have made outside? The Li family was the best example: when their younger generation reached Foundation Establishment, they had a Golden Core in-law, and Li Yunlin was a direct disciple of the Leaving Sky Sect. A clan with a millennium of history, whose generations of descendants might exceed a million over time, was one whose hidden depths were entirely unpredictable.

"Over three thousand family members. I truly wonder when the Li family will reach such a state."

Li Xiang's eyes were filled with anticipation.

Immediately afterward, he shifted his perspective toward the Li family's stronghold.

At this moment, the family members had temporarily concluded their secluded cultivation.

...

[Silver-Iron Forest]

The cave dwelling deep within the Li family belonged to the domain of the Silver-Iron Forest. Here, the Li family descendants underwent secluded cultivation, aided by the collective trait "Guardians of the Silver-Iron Forest," which increased their cultivation speed by 10%!

They had long since been aware of this; the secluded cultivation chambers of all important Li family members were located here, paved with precious spirit stones.

Deep underground, millions of low-grade spirit stones and tens of thousands of medium-grade spirit stones were buried!

As time passed, while the Li family courtyard within Zhien Village remained the ostentatious living quarters of the clan on the surface, over the years, vital items such as the ancestral hall worshiping the family patriarchs, the spirit treasure Death-Facing Coffin of the True Path, and the Grade-Eight Blood Spirit Fruit Tree had gradually been relocated to the Silver-Iron Forest cave dwellings.

"Bang!"

Having undergone secluded cultivation for nearly ten years, Li Dalong stepped out of his cave dwelling. He took a breath of the fresh air outside before slowly opening his eyes.

This former family head, who had led the Li family forward for more than fifty years, looked like a middle-aged man but was already eighty years old. The passage of time had made his eyes profound, carrying a rather ethereal aura that made anyone feel as though Li Dalong were a towering, majestic mountain.

"I've been in seclusion for so long; it feels like just the blink of an eye."

Looking at the text floating above Li Dalong's head, Li Xiang slowly opened his historical logs to check Li Dalong's gains.

[Year 55 of the Li Family: Amidst secluded cultivation, he gained profound insights. He recalled the days of striving for the family in the past, fighting wild boars, wandering through the forests, and the slaughter of the past fifty years. His traits began to undergo a certain transformation.]

[Year 58: Watching his descendants gradually grow, Li Dalong came to understand that the days of constant killing and fighting would become a thing of the past. What he ought to do now was to acquire greater power to protect his children and grandchildren.]

[Year 61: Through a grand ancestral ceremony, upon seeing the appearance of fourth-generation descendants, he finally understood the significance of his current role as the first-generation patriarch. His traits underwent a transformation—]

[Traits: Wild Boar Slayer and Forest Hunter merged and evolved into—]

[Family Guardian!]

[When battling enemies, all attributes increase by 100%; when cultivating within the family, cultivation speed increases by 20%!]

[Year 63: Li Dalong experienced a flash of enlightenment and could break through to the Foundation Establishment peak at any moment.]

"He truly lives up to being a man capable of slaughtering his way through the Wild Boar Forest."

Li Xiang gave a thumbs-up to Li Dalong.

Shortly after, Li Dalong was seen knocking on Xu Cuihua's cave dwelling, shouting, "Wife, seclusion is over. For staying out of child-rearing all these years during seclusion, you've been a rather irresponsible great-grandmother."

Scarcely had he finished knocking when Xu Cuihua's dissatisfied complaint echoed from within the cave dwelling.

"What do you mean irresponsible? Those little rascals breed faster than pigs; I can't even tell who is who anymore. Hey, dear, you should understand too—we're getting old; it's impossible to be close to every single child."

The cave dwelling opened.

Xu Cuihua emerged. Surprisingly, she seemed to be growing younger with age; the white hair she had grown while raising children in previous years had turned black once more.

Particularly outside her cave dwelling, fox dens were densely constructed. The moment those foxes caught sight of Xu Cuihua, they kowtowed to her as if gazing upon a deity.

Li Dalong understood Xu Cuihua's words. Not only Xu Cuihua, but as he grew older—

Although he still occasionally emerged from seclusion to check on the children over the years, he gradually felt a sense of emotional detachment from newly appeared descendants separated by more than three generations.

He did not dwell further on the degree of intimacy between the couple and their great-grandchildren, but merely pointed at the thousands of foxes outside Xu Cuihua's cave dwelling, blinking as he asked, "Wife, these foxes outside your dwelling..."

"Dear, let's see which of us two husband and wife manages to break through to the Golden Core stage first from now on." Xu Cuihua smiled, her eyes curving downward.

"Forget it. Aside from that fox residing inside your body, your true form isn't even at the Qi Refining peak yet."

Li Dalong rolled his eyes.

However, Li Xiang, watching the couple's exchange, felt quite differently.

He clicked on Xu Cuihua's avatar.

[Year 61 of the Li Family: A fox sensed the aura of the Fox-Tamer and came to pay homage.]

[100 foxes came to pay homage...]

[Xu Cuihua gradually fulfilled the conditions for the Fox-Tamer qualification.]

[Progress of Ten Thousand Foxes Paying Homage — 13%]

Xu Cuihua had found the method to break through via the Fox-Tamer aptitude. As long as more and more foxes came to pay homage, and she subsequently fulfilled the condition of possessing a Demon King's blood core, her natal spirit beast could evolve into a Demon King!

Presently, all she lacked was the Demon King's blood core.

However, she did not elaborate further to Li Dalong, intending to leave him a pleasant surprise.

Instantly, the couple traveled further into the distance.

They spotted an open space near the Silver-Iron Forest. The ground was covered in sword scars, with iron swords planted in a circle enclosing the clearing. As the wind blew, the humming sound of swords echoed all around.

Even outside the sword array, the couple could sense the piercing sword qi emanating from deep within.

"Yaozu's sword intent..."

A smile appeared on Li Dalong's face. "Splendid, splendid, splendid. This child used to harbor heavy murderous intent. Now, after nearly ten years of secluded cultivation focusing on the sword, that violent, murderous edge is completely gone from his sword intent. A good thing."

Over the years, while Li Dalong was gratified by Li Yaozu's growth and moved by his filial piety—he still remembered how this child had single-handedly barged into the Hu family to avenge him—he had also grown increasingly worried for Li Yaozu. As the Li family's enemies multiplied, Li Yaozu's killing intent had escalated as well.

Now, it seemed the stone weighing on his heart could finally be put down.

"Father, Mother!"

A gentle breeze swept by, and Li Yaozu appeared before the couple. Though nearing sixty, he still retained the appearance of a young man, with sword-like brows and starry eyes. Currently, a profound peace dominated his gaze. Yet when he bowed in salute and occasionally glanced elsewhere, it was as if a sword blade had swept past, causing a leaf to be cleanly severed by the wind.

[Through years of secluded cultivation and simultaneous practice of over a dozen sword techniques, Li Yaozu began to discard his former sword arts, dedicating himself entirely to the mastery of fundamental sword techniques.]

[He came to comprehend that the sword is not solely about lethal strikes, nor is it merely about dazzling sword beams that blind the eye; sword techniques ought to return to simplicity.]

[Having observed a hundred swords for nearly ten years, Li Yaozu understood that a long sword must possess a spirit before it can be wielded as effortlessly as one's own arm.]

[His profession underwent a transformation: Swordsman evolved into—]

[Sword Ancestor!]

[In communion with the sword, when wielding a sword, spiritual power and combat strength increase by 100%!]

In Li Xiang's view, Li Yaozu's ascent to Sword Ancestor was entirely natural.

Equivalent figures existed on Earth as well—they were grandmasters of the sword path, each possessing a unique understanding of swordsmanship, with their defining trait being the creation of their own unique sword technique.

Following the emergence of these three from seclusion, Li Yaotie's wife, Bai Rourou, also broke through her closed-door cultivation.

In the distance, Li Yaotie from Zhien Village arrived accompanied by eight members of the Li family's 'Yun' generation. The silver prosthetic on his left arm was particularly eye-catching. Having finished crafting spiritual puppets, this fellow had lost the frenzied obsession for hammering iron that he once had in the smithing pavilion, reverting to his previous carefree and bold demeanor.

Look at that—the carefree temperament of the Seven Sons of the Iron Gate was clearly inherited from him.

"Father, Mother, Big Brother, Wife, hahaha! Come take a look at my arm—losing a hand actually has its perks!"

"From now on, our family will never have to worry about anyone missing arms or legs!"

"..."

Everyone tacitly ignored Li Yaotie's nonsense.

The current family head, Li Yunbing, stepped forward to pay his respects to the elders. Having served as family head for several years, being able to witness the senior members emerge once more to take charge instantly made him feel immensely relieved of his burdens.

"Yunbing, you've done a commendable job as family head over these years, but remember never to let your cultivation lag behind." Li Dalong patted his second grandson's arm.

The others also looked at Li Yunbing with warm smiles.

During their years in secluded cultivation, Li Yunbing had consistently managed to secure their necessary provisions through the family's influence and external conquests.

"This child will remember it well." Li Yunbing nodded repeatedly.

This time, even Li Yaozu looked at his second son with newfound respect, reaching out to pat Li Yunbing's head. "Child, you've grown up. You take after me."

A simple sentence brought a flush of red to Li Yunbing's eyes.

From childhood onward, he had spent more time with anyone else than with his father. Back then, he had mistakenly believed his father disliked him because of what happened to his mother.

It wasn't until he grew older that his Fourth Aunt told him his father's distance stemmed from guilt.

As he grew older still, Li Yunbing finally understood.

Perhaps on the day his mother was driven out of the family home, his father was the one who suffered the most. From that day onward, his father never sought another woman. Every time his father looked at them brothers, it was as if he were seeing their mother, awakening memories of the past; he could only immerse himself endlessly in cultivation and sword practice.

"Father, I am already thirty-four years old." After becoming family head, Li Yunbing rarely displayed a hint of childlike vulnerability.

"Hahaha!"

Li Yaozu suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Even if you were three hundred and thirty-four, you'd still be my good son!"

Li Yunbing smiled foolishly as he looked at his father, who stood as straight as a drawn sword.

Past grievances vanished with the wind amidst the laughter of father and son.

Observing this, the members of the Li family all wore warm smiles.