Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 499 Nine Luminaries Dragon Trapping Formation

"Moo!"

A powerful roar came from afar.

Li Xiangming looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the enormous body of the Xuanjia Rhinoceros had already entered the valley entrance, and the beast tide behind it was like a black flood bursting its banks, as if it was about to fill the entire mouth of the gourd.

Too much!
Li Qianshi and the others, who were at the end of the gourd's mouth, were all in shock.

Although I knew the beast tide numbered 100,000, without witnessing it firsthand, I couldn't possibly imagine the terrifying pressure brought by an endless array of monsters!
Master Liaoshen suddenly realized something and cried out in horror, "The beast tide is about to split up!"

As soon as the words were spoken, hundreds of monkey demons leaped out from the beast tide, splitting into two groups and heading towards the high ground on either side, followed closely by a continuous stream of demon beasts. Some of the demon-suppressing camp cultivators who were still holding the high ground and reluctant to retreat were suddenly like frightened birds, fleeing in panic.

"They're trying to surround us!"

Li Qianshi glanced at the situation and his face turned extremely ugly.

Originally, it was thought that opening the valley entrance and leading the beast tide into the narrow gourd mouth, then having the Demon Suppression Camp trap the beasts in a pocket formation, would be a good tactic.

However, the beast tide was much smarter than expected. Seeing that the vanguard had suffered a setback, it immediately adjusted its strategy and sent out flanking forces to seize the high ground.

This move not only undermined the Demon Suppression Camp's advantage of being high up and surrounded on three sides, but also protected the safety of the main force of the beast tide. Most importantly, those monkey demons were highly mobile and could easily flank the Demon Suppression Camp from behind, launching a surprise attack.

"Look there!"

Someone shouted something, and Li Qianshi looked up, his face turning deathly pale.

In the middle of the surging beast tide, a huge monster was lifted up by the demonic beasts at some unknown time. The monster had a hunched body, and its outline vaguely resembled that of a hunchbacked old woman.

Her shriveled human skin barely covered her head, her mouth torn to the roots of her ears, and her long, gray-white hair revealed wriggling appendages. Behind her was a bluish-black carapace. Below her waist, her segmented torso was black and red, and dozens of pairs of sharp legs swayed gently as the monster below lifted her up and down, appearing leisurely and content.

What kind of human is this?
It's clearly a centipede demon!

Li Qianshi stared intently; he could tell that this centipede demon was the one who instigated the beast tide.

However, it was only now that the Demon Suppression Camp learned of the other party's existence!

"what is this?"

"The fourth Bone-Merging Demon Cultivator!"

"It's over!"

The cultivators of the Demon Suppression Camp were even more desperate when they saw the centipede demon appear, and their wails were endless!
Even Li Xiangming couldn't help but clench his fists.

The centipede demon was not only incredibly intelligent, but its cultivation was also unparalleled. Judging from the demonic power it exuded, it was actually a powerful demon in the late stage of the Bone Fusion Realm!

The Xuanjia Rhinoceros Demon and the Crimson Ape Demon were already suffocating him.

With such a powerful demon at the same time, could it be that he has really led the Demon Suppression Camp to a dead end?
"All four demons have entered the valley. Commander Li, retreat immediately!"

Just then, Li Chengfeng's voice gently entered my ears.

"go!"

Li Xiangming immediately shouted and retreated rapidly, striking the Crimson Ape Demon with a palm strike along the way.

Enraged, the Crimson Ape Demon unleashed a barrage of punches, the surging magical power colliding with the violent demonic energy to create a deafening roar. Without pausing, the ferocious ape demon shifted its stance, tearing through the aftershocks with its bare hands. Then, its blood-red maw opened wide, unleashing a pillar of crimson fire like an angry dragon emerging from the abyss, distorting the air in its wake.

"Trying to use the same old trick again?"

Li Xiangming's gaze was gloomy.

Ordinary demonic beasts, having missed their attacks, had to regroup, but the Crimson Ape Demon was able to use fire escape techniques to connect with its own offensive, giving it a huge advantage in battle.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Crimson Ape Demon is almost invincible in battles against opponents of the same level, thanks to its fire-based escape techniques. Moreover, this guy's cultivation level is already significantly higher than mine!
Do not contend with them!

Li Xiangming held his breath and instantly rose to the top of the body to dodge the pillar of fire, then looked down.

As expected, the Crimson Ape Demon emerged from the flames it spewed out, stretching out its hand covered in magma cracks, intending to crush Li Xiangming to death!
To conserve his magical energy, Li Xiangming activated the Instantaneous Movement Talisman again and fled towards the direction of Li Qianshi and the others.

At this time, Li Xiangyu and Qingyang Daoist also retreated.

The entire Huluzui area was almost entirely occupied by the beast tide.

In a secluded hillside within the valley, Li Chengfeng observed the deteriorating situation and nodded slightly, saying, "Young friend Xianghua, please."

Li Xianghua stood to the side, took a deep breath, placed the array plate the size of a bronze mirror on the ground, and then began to perform a magic incantation.

In an instant, immense magical power surged forth from the array plate, causing countless spiritual energies around to vibrate and whip up a gale that completely tore apart Li Xianghua's meticulously bound hair ornament.

His long, upside-down hair gave him a touch of madness.

"Array up!"

Li Xianghua roared, and the tremors on the array plate intensified. A ring of trembling light unfolded from beneath his feet, instantly spreading towards the dense horde of beasts.

At the same time, dark clouds rolled in like ink, swallowing up the last ray of light at a visible speed, plunging the entire sky into suffocating darkness.

"Roar!"

The Crimson Ape Demon seemed to sense the threat and no longer cared about Li Xiangming, pounding its chest and roaring in anger.

The array plate seemed to be summoned, and the nine beads on it pulsated violently. The halo on the ground became even more dazzling, and nine white lights shot up from different directions, tearing through the gloom of the sky, as if they were the dawn light projected down from the celestial realm.

"It's the Nine Luminaries Dragon-Trapping Formation!"

The cultivators of the Demon Suppression Camp exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this scene.

A thick white mist burst forth from the nine pillars of light. In the blink of an eye, the entire Calabash Valley was pitch black.

The once menacing Crimson Ape Demon suddenly became bewildered, looking around, but no matter how wide it stared, it couldn't see a single enemy.

"Xiangming, are you alright?"

Seeing that Li Xiangming had returned, Li Qianshi and the others immediately stepped forward and inquired with concern.

Li Xiangming was a little out of breath, but he shook his head to indicate that he was fine. Then he looked at the white mist in front of him, and a look of shock flashed in his eyes.

Although Li Xianghua had shown him the power of the Nine Luminaries Dragon Trapping Formation beforehand, actual combat is different!

Fortunately, the Nine Luminaries Dragon-Trapping Formation did not disappoint anyone. Despite the enormous number of beasts and the formidable strength of the Bone-Melting Demon Cultivator, they remained rooted to the spot, at a loss.

"Commander Li!"

Li Chengfeng sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, softly chanting, "This old Daoist is unwell. This time, the manipulation of the Nine Luminaries Dragon-Trapping Formation was entirely supported by my junior brother's magic power. However, my junior brother is also injured. If we combine our strength, we can at most buy three days. Whether we can defeat the beast tide depends on the abilities of Commander Li and all the comrades in the Demon-Suppressing Camp!"

Three days?

Li Xiangming turned around and bowed sincerely to Li Chengfeng, saying, "The two Daoist masters have provided invaluable assistance, and the Li family and the Demon Suppression Camp are deeply grateful! I, Xiangming, am willing to race against time and defeat the beast tide!"

"it is good!"

Li Chengfeng opened his eyes and smiled slightly: "Then please have Commander Li and young friend Xiang Yu each lead a team to attack from the Kan and Li positions, and finally turn to the Xun position to attack out; Fellow Daoist Qingyang, attack from the Dui position and stop at the central palace, ready to be ordered to provide support at any time!"

"As ordered!"

Li Xiangming was the first to cup his hands in response, then looked at the demon-suppressing camp cultivators behind him and said in a deep voice, "Who is willing to travel with me?"

"I!"

"Me and Commander Li!"

"Me too!" In an instant, almost everyone stood up and shouted in unison.

Xu Buxiu, in particular, strode ahead.

Seeing this, Li Xiangming felt relieved. Although the beast tide was powerful, the morale of the Demon Suppression Camp had not collapsed, which was already quite remarkable.

He immediately gave the order: "Panque Division will follow me into battle, Jiangyun Division will follow the Deputy Commander! Mingshao Division will remain in the central army to await orders, and the remaining troops of Yanji and Xieyun Divisions will continue to construct fortifications in the valley!"

Having said that, he looked at Xu Buxiu and the others, his voice becoming impassioned: "I swear in the name of the Li family that in this battle, I, Li Xiangming, will definitely lead the charge, even if it means my battle robes are stained with blood and my soul perishes on the battlefield! You all, fight bravely with me and achieve great deeds!!"

"Fight bravely against the enemy!"

"To achieve great things and establish a career!"

“Kill the enemy!!”

The hundreds of cultivators from Panque Division were instantly infected, shouting loudly, wishing they could immediately use their unsheathed magical weapons to chop the monster's head.

Without another word, Li Xiangming took the lead and plunged into the white mist, leaving behind only a faint green afterimage.
-
That night!

Danggui Mountain.

The flickering candlelight cast a warm glow on the crimson gauze window.

Cao Yanjun sat before her dressing table, staring blankly at the scattered silver hairpins and rouge, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the broken jade pendant in her hand. The mirror, illuminated by candlelight, reflected a haggard face.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps.

Cao Yanjun stood up abruptly, but stopped abruptly and asked softly, "Is this Uncle Tong?"

There was a moment of silence outside the door.

After a long while, Li Xiangzhen's voice rang out: "Sister-in-law, Uncle Tong escorted Sister Yun and hasn't returned yet."

Cao Yanjun gripped the jade pendant in his hand tightly and asked again, "Has Xiangming returned?"

"not yet."

Lee Sang-jeong's tone immediately became low and somber.

Previously, Li Xiangming had encountered danger many times, and the Fish-Dragon Wall Shadow on Cao Yanjun's body had reacted, but at most it had only flashed a bloody light. This time, however, it cracked open directly.

Needless to say, Li Xiangming was in crisis, and it was a life-or-death crisis.

The matter of the beast tide heading south is being discussed among the various tribes.

Not to mention Cao Yanjun, the entire Fourth Branch was in complete chaos.

However, saying these things aloud will only make Cao Yanjun more worried.

Li Xiangzhen paused for a moment and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, there's no need to worry too much. While the Fish-Dragon Wall Shadow can sense my brother's life signs, it's nowhere near as accurate as the Li family's Life Tablet. As long as the Life Tablet doesn't fall, my brother will be fine! The family has already sent Grand Uncle to investigate towards Monkey Valley. Even if the Dai Mountain Beast Tide really moves south, it won't be able to harm Grand Uncle."

After a long silence in the room, Cao Yanjun finally answered softly, "I hope so."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangzhen immediately cupped her hands towards the room and said, "Sister-in-law, Sister Yun and Brother Xiangren are not home. Jiye said he can't sleep and wants to see you."

"Jiye?"

Cao Yanjun pushed open the door and looked at Li Jiye's somewhat frightened little face. She couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache and beckoned, "Come here quickly."

Li Jiye threw himself onto Cao Yanjun's lap, his usually steady voice trembling slightly: "Auntie, I had another nightmare."

Cao Yanjun quickly pulled him into her arms: "It's alright, it's alright!"

Li Jiye was still unsettled as soon as Ye Yun left.

Just then, the Li family declared martial law, prohibiting clansmen from going out without permission, especially in the central courtyard where there were many people, where the restrictions were particularly strict.

Even she herself felt nervous. The precocious Li Jiye immediately sensed that something was wrong. He was uneasy about his mother's departure, had frequent nightmares, and couldn't even sleep well, let alone cultivate.

"Auntie, will my mother ever come back?"

Li Jiye's eyes had become somewhat red at the corners without him noticing.

Cao Yanjun forced a smile and tapped Li Jiye's forehead: "Your mother is just visiting her family, she'll definitely be back! How could she bear to leave her good child like you?"

"Auntie, I'm scared. I'm scared that my mother won't want me anymore."

As Li Jiye spoke, he began to sob softly.

Cao Yanjun hadn't expected the child to react so strongly. He gently patted the child's head and comforted him, "Your father is very capable. He went to find your mother himself. Perhaps your mother will return before she even leaves Pu County."

Father is gone too.

Li Jiye seemed not to hear, and was even more heartbroken.

Cao Yanjun was momentarily at a loss and couldn't help but glance at Li Xiangzhen outside the courtyard.

Seeing this, Li Xiangzhen was about to say something when a cough suddenly came from behind her.

He hurriedly turned around, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Father!"

Li Qianhe's gaze swept over Cao Yanjun and Li Jiye in the courtyard, lingering particularly on Li Jiye before turning to him and instructing, "Come with me."

Li Xiangzhen dared not disobey and stepped forward slowly.

After a while, when the two were far away from Mingjun Courtyard, Li Qianhe stopped and said in a deep voice, "Something big has happened!"

Lee Sang-jeong's expression changed drastically: "Brother, he..."

"It's not your brother!"

Li Qianhe interrupted irritably, "If it were your brother, would I still be this calm?"

Lee Sang-jeong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, "What happened?"

To be honest, the news he's heard these past two days has been more and more explosive than the last, and he's become somewhat immune to it.

Li Qianhe remained silent for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea before sighing, "Ye Yun's life tablet has fallen."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiangzhen was shocked and looked at him with disbelief.

Although Ye Yun was not of the Li family bloodline, she married into the Li family as their legal wife and thus became a member of the Li family. Therefore, the Li family also made a life tablet for her and placed it together with Li Xiangren's.

The two fate cards have the same effect.

The fact that Ye Yun's life tablet fell down can only prove one thing.
Li Xiangzhen's throat went dry. He had just brought Li Jiye here and had comforted him a lot on the way, but then news came that Ye Yun had fallen.
Suddenly, he remembered something and hurriedly grabbed Li Qianhe's arm.

Before he could speak, Li Qianhe hissed, "Keep your voice down! Do you want to disturb Yan Jun and Ji Ye?"

Li Xiangzhen's expression froze for a moment, then she calmed down, but still asked unwillingly, "My elder brother went to find Ye Yun. Now that Ye Yun has perished, what about my elder brother?"

Li Qianhe closed his eyes: "In just half a day, the Fish-Dragon Wall Shadow on your sister-in-law's body shattered, Xiangren's Daoist life tablet fell down, and the family has completely gone mad."

Lee Sang-jeong took two steps back, his face filled with panic.

In this generation of the Li family, it's rare to see two prodigies with the potential to reach the Golden Core stage! Even the luck of the Ji generation has been devoured, and so far, no promising talents worthy of being cultivated have emerged.

If Li Xiangren and Li Xiangming were to perish at the same time, the Li family would be plunged into an abyss of no return, unable to recover for at least a century.

(End of this chapter)