Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Shen Leishan suddenly transmitted a message because cultivators like Qiu Xuan died in large numbers in an instant, their Life Tokens shattered. Coupled with the news brought back from the battlefield, it was not hard to guess that it was the work of that fourth-order Great Devil.

"You all go and rest first," Sect Master Wen said with a wave of his hand, his complexion not looking very good. He, who was in the midst of glory, was abruptly sobered up by this massive defeat—how could he be in a good mood?

Li Shiren and Li Shiting, who were concerned about Li Shiqing and Li Zhirui's conditions, immediately got up to take their leave upon hearing this and hurried to the small courtyard where the Li family lived.

"Master Yun Lei, what should we do now?" Sect Master Wen asked anxiously, looking towards the Cloud Thunder True Lord who sat at the head of the room, eyes closed for rest.

The Cloud Thunder True Lord opened his mouth indifferently and said, "Send people to station near Great Void Province. Do not initiate any attacks. As for the rest, wait until the cultivators sent to the Profound Ice Sect bring back news."

"Yes," By the time Sect Master Wen looked up again, Cloud Thunder True Lord had already left the great hall.

'What exactly is going on? How did the Devil Race get the news in advance? Was it deliberately leaked by the Profound Ice Sect, or is there a spy from the Devil Race within our Sect?' After returning to his cave dwelling, the Cloud Thunder True Lord began to ponder these doubts seriously.

According to the news brought back by everyone, they encountered at least tens of thousands of the Devil Race, including several dozen third-order Devil Beasts. Such a massive scale could not have been assembled in a short period of time; it was definitely prepared in advance.

Furthermore, the Great Devil's strike was too abrupt. Although both sides suffered heavy losses, the war had just begun, and the number of casualties was not too many. Besides, the Devil Race still held a slight upper hand.

'It all depends on how the Profound Ice Sect responds.'

The reason Shen Leishan took action was that the Profound Ice Sect had sent a message, agreeing on the time to make their move.

But if the Profound Ice Sect did not launch the attack on time and even informed the Devil Race of the plans, then it would all make sense!

But why would the Profound Ice Sect do that? The Cloud Thunder True Lord was at a loss, as there was no significant conflict between the two, nor did their territories border each other at present.

The flowers bloom in two separate places, each on its own branch.

Meanwhile, Li Zhirui, who had fainted from exhaustion, soon regained consciousness after being brought into Shen Leishan.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw Li Shiren at his bedside, his face filled with worry. With a hoarse voice, Li Zhirui asked, "Uncle Ren, where are we now? How did we escape in the end?"

Li Shiren hesitated and finally, under his insistent questioning, managed to recount what had happened.

"What?!" Li Zhirui heard that their escape was all thanks to Li Shiqing, who had burned his own lifespan to shatter that terrifying strike.

"Cough cough cough..."

Li Zhirui, whose body had not yet recovered, couldn't help but cough violently with each outburst, feeling terrible.

"Don't worry, your Uncle is alright, he's resting right next to you," Li Shiren hastened to comfort him.

Li Zhirui shook his head, his anxiety uncontrollable as he said, "No good, Uncle Ren, help me up quickly, I need to see Uncle."

Before his break through to the Golden Core, Li Shiqing had been nearing the end of his lifespan. After the Core Formation, his lifespan had doubled, but it was still only a little over two hundred years. Now that he had burned part of it, wouldn't that mean he could only live for over a hundred years?!

"You need to rest now; the meridians in your body are very fragile. If you accidentally break them, wouldn't your Uncle's sacrifice have been in vain?"

Li Shiren's face darkened as he said, "The great war has not ended yet, in some time we will still need to go to the border city to station ourselves, to guard against the Devil Race."

"Is Shen Leishan really not treating us as humans!?" Li Zhirui said through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry, they're not sending us to die, just to be on the lookout for the Devil Race," Li Shiren said, his face filled with scorn as he spoke.

"So, you should rest well now, so when we do encounter danger, we can escape smoothly." Li Shiren gave a bitter smile and said, "I'll go check on Uncle Er."

Li Zhirui found it hard to calm his mind for a long time, knowing that Shen Leishan didn't regard them, the hierarchical Cultivators, highly. Yet they were expected to go straight into what was clearly a life-threatening situation!

"Jiu, how are you feeling now? Other than your channels, is there any other discomfort?" Da Qing rushed in, frantic with worry, and asked.

Because the relationship between the two was not that of a master and servant, which is unequal, it seemed inappropriate to use such terms of address. After some discussion, they agreed on this method of referring to one another according to Li Zhirui's family ranking.

"I'm fine, it was all thanks to you at that moment," Li Zhirui managed a weak smile and spoke to reassure.

If it wasn't for Da Qing exerting all his power to execute defense spells, buying Li Shiqing time and weakening the power of the azure light, their group would likely have perished long ago!

"Cough cough..."

Da Qing wanted to say something more, but seeing that Li Zhirui was still coughing, he immediately took out a Revitalizing Pill from his own storage ring and fed it to him, saying, "Jiu, you should quickly refine the Spirit Pill to heal, I'll go outside and protect you."

Li Zhirui carefully directed the warm flow created by the pill's efficacy, slowly traveling through his body, repairing the damaged channels.

Time hurried by, and several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Leishan urged the Li family to head to the border once more, and this time, with Li Shiqing having awakened from his coma, they had no reason to refuse. They had no choice but to drag their injured bodies to the border city.

Li Zhirui, supported by Da Qing as he walked towards the Spirit Boat, turned to look back at the grand and towering gate not far away, a deep hatred surfacing in his eyes.

If not for Shen Leishan, they would not have gone to the border to battle the Devil Race, and Li Shiqing would not have burnt his lifespan to save them.

After Li Zhirui's Divine Sense began to extend outward, he 'saw' Li Shiqing's condition.

Once jet-black hair now started showing signs of grey, and wrinkles appeared on his face, making him look somewhat aged.

'Someday, I will shatter Shen Leishan!' Li Zhirui swore in his heart and then withdrew his gaze, following the Spirit Boat as it flew towards the border.

With full-speed flight, it took but half a day to reach their destination, and then the group settled in an Immortal City.

This was where the Li family was to stay for the foreseeable future. As for how long they would stay, that depended on when the Devil Race retreated or when Shen Leishan recalled them.

"Zhirui, you and Uncle Er rest easy and heal. We will be keeping an eye on the Devil Race's movements at all times."

"Thank you, Uncle Ren. You have my gratitude for your hard work," Li Zhirui turned to Da Qing and said, "Da Qing, I have to trouble you to help hold down the fort, to deter the Cultivators within the city."

The moment they disembarked the Spirit Boat, he and the similarly guarded Li Shiqing, both invalids, caught the eyes of many onlookers. Maybe some bold Cultivators believed in their own strength, thinking to take advantage of their vulnerability.