Chapter 876: Chapter 870: They Have Already Received Enough
As the secret meeting at the Immortal Suppression Department concluded.
Li Chang’an hadn’t managed to get in half a word. Only Sword Master Fang Yunyu of the Sword Pavilion, who was familiar with the Li Clan, noticed Li Chang’an being ostracized and occasionally asked for his opinion.
Fang Yunyu furrowed his brows.
Although he had been defeated by Li Yaozu’s sword in front of his own disciples back then, he had accepted his defeat with grace.
Just as he was about to go and call out to Li Chang’an, he saw another transmission arrive within the Immortal Suppression Department.
“Didn’t we just finish discussing the matter of the Three Corpses? Could the plan have changed?”
Since an order had arrived, Fang Yunyu did not dare to be negligent.
He returned to the main hall.
The group from before had gathered once again, yet Li Chang’an alone was missing.
mander Wu Neng waved his hand and smiled.
“Alright, everyone, please sit. Let us discuss the matter of the Three Corpses again.”
The group looked at each other in dismay.
Fang Yunyu narrowed his eyes slightly.
“mander, are we missing someone? Usually, you discuss matters with the four major forces. Is it not inappropriate that Li Chang’an is absent now?”
“What does it matter if he es or not?” Zhangsun Buhuo waved her hand dismissively.
“The Three Corpses are with the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems and the Grand Tower.
Both of these factions are Body Integration level powers. How could the Li Clan possibly be of help to us?
Let’s not send them to their deaths. Otherwise, His Highness the Crown Prince will be furious.”
“Hahaha!”
The speaker was a Heavenly Lord from the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary, named Ning’an.
He laughed, “In recent years, regarding the truly major matters of the Immortal Suppression Department, have they not always been handled by our three families?
That Li Yaozu of the Li Clan is still in the Forgotten Immortal Domain, busy chasing down members of the Tang family. The Li Clan is busy, so let’s not disturb them.”
Fang Yunyu remained expressionless. He let out a long breath and sat down helplessly.
He could clearly hear the sarcasm in their voices.
The implication behind their words was nothing other than that they felt the Li Clan was unqualified to be mentioned in the same breath as them, and that the clan merely relied on the backing of Crown Prince Fei Heng.
Noticing the dissatisfaction in Fang Yunyu’s eyes, Wu Neng let out a scoff, then smiled.
“It is not that we are refusing to let the Li Clan participate. It is simply that the Li Clan is too close to Prince Yu, and there are some matters they should not be privy to.
Fang Yunyu, you must not speak of what we discuss here to Li Chang’an.
Regarding what was said earlier—should it bee known to Prince Yu, keeping the Li Clan in the dark allows us to be prepared.”
“Fang Yunyu.” Heavenly Lord Ning’an smiled.
“I know your Sword Pavilion is close to the Li Clan, but there are things you must understand.
The Crown Prince allowed them to join us only because the Azure Cloud Prefecture they control is a critical stronghold for blocking the Wu Tribe.
Moreover, the Crown Prince lived among the Li Clan for three hundred years; he was merely granting them a favor for convenience’s sake.
They have already received enough.
Since when does a servant sit on equal footing with the master?”
Zhangsun Buhuo nodded as well.
“The matter regarding the Three Corpses is of grave importance. Any benefits gained should belong to our families alone.
If we were to share the spoils for no reason with those who contributed nothing, I imagine even your Sword Pavilion would find it hard to accept.”
“Alas.”
Fang Yunyu sat down helplessly, casting a glance outside the hall.
It was indeed just as these two had said: without Crown Prince Fei Heng’s remendation, the Li Clan truly would not be qualified to sit on equal footing with them.
…
“My Lord, after you departed, the Immortal Suppression Department summoned the representatives of the three major powers for another meeting.”
Li Chang’an was making his way out of the Heavenly Palace.
Before he even reached the gate, a troupe of palace maids passed by. One of them transmitted her voice to him in secret.
Upon hearing this, Li Chang’an’s expression remained unchanged as he continued on his way home.
“How dreadfully boring.”
Flying atop his sword, Li Chang’an gave a faint smile.
He had been representing his family in the Imperial Court for decades; this was not the first time he had encountered such treatment.
Regardless of the contributions the Azure Cloud Li Clan had made, the people in the Court always judged them by the longevity of their establishment or whether they possessed a Body Integration cultivator.
mander Wu Neng of the Immortal Suppression Department was the worst among them.
On the surface, he maintained a facade of peace, yet in every matter, he felt the Li Clan’s virtue and power were unworthy of their position.
This man was loyal to the Human Emperor, but having stayed in the Imperial Capital for too long, he still viewed the Southern Border as a backwater wilderness.
As for the Sword Pavilion, the Zhangsun Family, and the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary—having finally secured a seat in the Imperial Court in this era—they were constantly eager to establish a hierarchy.
It seemed that simply having the Li Clan, with its history of less than a thousand years, sitting at the bottom beneath them made them feel incredibly self-important.
“This is just as well.”
Li Chang’an’s lips curled up slightly.
“Their perspective is still stuck a hundred years in the past.
In their eyes, my Li Clan possesses merely three Void Refining cultivators and two Void Refining Guest Elders.
The Old Ancestor is indeed supremely wise; why should my Li Clan concern itself with the cold scorn of others?”
“Still as a deep pool that raises no waves, the peony rests quietly in the morning breeze—its nobility unannounced, yet unmistakable.
If you wish to chase the limelight, go ahead; my Li Clan shall simply strive for self-improvement.”
Li Wei did not bother paying attention to the matter of the Three Corpses either.
The fact that those major powers and the Immortal Suppression Department looked down on others truly meant nothing to him.
“Developing silently and strengthening oneself—that is the Righteous Path.”
He mumbled to himself.
He had already arrived at the north of the Azure Cloud Prefecture, the territory of the former Duravia Trade Prefecture.
The blizzards of the past had long since ceased.
After over a century of recuperation, the mon people were living and working in peace.
The Aeternus Sect and the Perennis Immortal Palace had bee the two dominant sects in this region.
Having lost numerous disciples during the great wars of years past, they had secretly scattered many fated opportunities throughout the mortal world to recruit new blood and restore their vitality.
The Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven was located here in the north.
A massive city had risen just outside it.
The root cause for this prosperity was the Battle of the Longevity Domain all those years ago.
The blood of the Immortal Zhao Clan—spilled as they resurrected time and time again—had soaked this land, resulting in exceptionally dense spiritual energy.
Furthermore, many powerhouses had perished in the vicinity, leaving behind numerous secret realms and ancient ruins.
Inside the Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven, Li Zhiheng sat cross-legged, preaching the Dao to a crowd of surrounding Li Clan disciples.
Besides Li Zhiheng, the flickering flame of an oil lamp had actually grown a pair of eyes.
[Candle Spirit]
[Rank: Qi Refining Level 3]
[Origin: Due to Li Zhiheng’s continuous use of his Domain and Primordial Spirit Techniques while meditating for over a century, this candle flame absorbed the spiritual energy of the Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven.
After listening to the Dao for a hundred years, it gained sentience.]
The clan’s ultimate shut-in…
He’s stayed inside so long that he’s even cultivated the candle flame next to him into a sentient being…
Even the clan disciples could not see Li Zhiheng’s face clearly.
He sat atop a lotus platform that resembled a flower bud gently opening and closing, shrouded in a dense mist of spiritual energy, appearing deeply mysterious.
The gazes of the descendants were filled with longing and admiration; in the eyes of the younger generations, these elders all seemed rather enigmatic.
Li Wei did not disturb Li Zhiheng, who was so passionate about cultivation and preaching the Dao, and instead headed deeper inside.
At the rear of the Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven stood a massive mountain that towered into the clouds.
A stone stele stood erect at the foot of the mountain, bearing the inscription: “Cliff of Repentance.”
Atop the Cliff of Repentance, three or five clan descendants sat cross-legged.
Upon closer inspection, it was apparent that most were descendants of the ‘Jian’, ‘Qiu’, and ‘Chu’ generations.
They had all mitted violations of family rules—neither too major nor too minor—and were punished to face the wall and reflect on their mistakes at the Cliff of Repentance.
Today, it seemed someone’s term of punishment was up.
A cold snort resounded from the sky above the Cliff of Repentance.
“Li Chuming, descendant of the Silver Moon Li Lineage.
Your nature is tyrannical, and you slaughtered moners in the mortal realm.
Your ten-year term of facing the wall has now concluded. If you offend again, This Seat shall personally cleanse the clan of you!”
“Yes, this child will take it to heart and dares not offend again.”
With that, the descendant departed.
Li Wei raised an eyebrow.
As the number of descendants continued to increase, it was inevitable that the good would be intermingled with the bad.
Regarding clan disciples who mitted offenses—relying on his current Divine Soul, he only needed to expand his awareness to investigate.
Let alone the details of the few hundred descendants currently on his System Panel, even if there were ten thousand or a hundred thousand, he could identify within moments who had transgressed.
If clan disciples violated family rules, the Clan Elders in the Ancestral Hall would mete out punishment.
Those with minor offenses were sent to Silver Moon City to mine.
Those with heavier sins were sent here, to the back mountain of the Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven, to face the wall in repentance for at least five years.
Here, they would endure the punishment of the mountain peak’s biting winds and glacial snow—forces imbued with the power of Laws.
As for those with even graver crimes…
They would simply be sent back to the main family’s dungeon to listen to the screeching of malicious ghosts from the Ghost Spring.
Or, they might be sent to the Underworld to be ‘tutored’ by Li Dalong.
Or, simply, the clan would be cleansed of them entirely.
And the one responsible for capturing clan members who mitted errors was Li Yunlin.
Heading up towards the sky, one could see Li Yunlin—a ‘shut-in’ of the older generation who was obsessed with cultivation—holding the Skyveil Hall while sitting cross-legged in mid-air alongside Fairy Hongxiu.
They looked like a perfect pair of immortal panions.
An Old Cat leapt around the two of them.
“Kid Yunlin isn’t bad. With the help of This Seat, you finally broke through to the Void Refining realm.
However, you are still far from the mark. You must continue to cultivate diligently and offer more spiritual items to This Seat. Meow, meow, meow, meow!”
The Old Cat’s loud laughter sounded somewhat eerie.
Li Yunlin and Fairy Hongxiu were clearly accustomed to this.
The Daoist couple exchanged a glance, their expressions peculiar.
In the Old Cat’s own eyes, it likely saw itself as a peerless powerhouse with boundless Spiritual power; yet in the eyes of the couple, the Old Cat was just a cat that loved to brag.
“Fairy, you have already reached the extreme limits of the Divinity Transformation realm.
I can see that your Spiritual power is currently constructing a Void Refining Space.
Within ten years, you will surely break through to the Void Refining realm.”
Li Yunlin’s gaze was filled with tenderness.
“Mn.”
Fairy Hongxiu nodded gently.
The sight of this couple looking so lovingly at each other gave Li Wei goosebumps, yet he was also incredibly delighted.
Fairy Hongxiu was, after all, the former Palace Master of one of the three great Sects.
She had actually begun constructing her Void Refining Space many years ago, but lacked the assurance to attempt the breakthrough.
Now, however, she possessed full confidence!
Looking at Li Yunlin again, one had to admit that the Skyveil Hall was truly a peerless wonder of the world.
[Your family has supplied the Skyveil Hall with a vast amount of spiritual items obtained from the Longevity Domain.
The Skyveil Hall has broken through to the realm of a Fourth-Grade Spiritual Item.
It contains one hundred and twenty-eight types of spiritual item laws.
These laws have transformed into Spiritual power, forming a galaxy.
Your descendant, Li Yunlin, has prehended these laws within it for many years.]
[Obtained Top-Tier Void Refining Space: The Dao Field of a Hundred Laws.
A hundred types of law-based are held within the heart. The Old Cat serves as the Spirit of the Space, capable of wielding the power of over a hundred types of spiritual item laws.]
[Obtained Void Refining Technique: Heaven’s Punishment.
It possesses two forms. First, it can transform the hundred laws into substantive Spiritual power to slay enemies, consuming a vast amount of law-based Spiritual power.
Second, the Spiritual power can be infused into one’s own body, manifesting as the Divine Armor of Heaven’s Punishment and the Divine Halberd of Heaven’s Punishment.]
It was, by and large, similar to the manner in which Li Yunlin used to slaughter his enemies back in the day.
That he was able to possess such achievements was, in fact, largely thanks to the Old Cat.
This wonder left behind by the Skyveil Hall could even be pared to Li Dalong’s Heaven-Piercing Coffin.
According to the Old Cat, it had not even reached the peak state it held back when the ancestors of the Azure Cloud resisted the Wu Tribe.
“Within ten years, Fairy Hongxiu will also break through to the Void Refining realm. The clan will gain another expert. Excellent!”
Li Wei laughed heartily and peacefully exited the game.
Returning to the Star Domain, the Saber had already been retracted into his body.
Taking the Power of Laws that had been stored within the planet, he grinned.
“As expected of the Power of Space, this saves me a great deal of travel time.”
In the boundless sea of stars.
Li Wei waved his hand casually.
The vacuum before him was torn open just like a piece of black cloth. He took a single step forward and vanished instantly.
—
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