Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 570 Reunion with Gao Can
The breeze in Lingbei is tinged with the stench of blood.

Xu Jin rubbed his aching lower back and slumped wearily to the ground.

As far as the eye could see, more than ten red-armored cultivators were busy bending over—they skillfully dissected the corpses of demonic beasts, and materials such as hair, bone armor, and claws were quickly sorted out.

A little further away, the all-too-familiar "Demon Suppression Camp" banner was planted atop the mountain of corpses, fluttering in the wind.

"Brother Xu, have we done a good deed?"

A muffled, deep voice came from next door.

Xu Jin turned his head and saw Gao Can carefully moving his buttocks, as if afraid of getting blood on his feet. He couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Are you being coy now?"

"Uncle Yan just made me these new clothes."

Gao Can muttered something, then pointed to a crooked red flower on his chest and said with a hint of excitement, "Look, isn't it pretty? I learned how to embroider it myself after a long time."

Xu Jin was both amused and exasperated.

With Gao Can's physique, he could scare people to death just by standing still. Instead of honing his physical skills, he was learning needlework, which was something he really couldn't understand.

However, when he saw how neat Gao Can's clothes were, a hint of envy appeared in his eyes.

What a gift!
Of the more than one hundred people present, some were injured and others died as they faced the surging tide of beasts.

Even someone as unharmed as him looked disheveled.

Gao Can, on the other hand, seemed as relaxed as if he were on a picnic.

If this guy were just slacking off, that would be one thing, but he has outstanding military achievements. He has killed at least three or five hundred demonic beasts, including many evil demons in the middle and late stages of the Spirit Summoning stage.

It's really too exaggerated.

Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator were to take action, the efficiency would be limited to this level.

The more Xu Jin thought about it, the more fortunate he felt.

Thankfully, Gao Can was taken with them back then, otherwise, they would have died countless times.

"I heard Brother Li is here too."

Gao Can fiddled with his big red flower for a while, then suddenly spoke.

Xu Jin naturally knew who "Brother Li" Gao Can was referring to, and couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

Strictly speaking, he was merely a non-family cultivator registered with the Service Institute and could not be considered a subordinate of the Li family.

However, his ability to embark on the path of cultivation was thanks to the Li family's favor. During the years he guarded the Spear Crystal Mine, several deacons valued him highly, especially the Grand Deacon Li Qianxiao, who personally taught him cultivation techniques and entrusted him with important responsibilities.

After the fall of the spear crystal mine, he was immediately recruited into the Demon Suppression Camp by Master Li and served as a sentry.

It can be said that his entire path was inseparable from the Li family.

However, after the Demon Suppression Camp was defeated in Calabash Valley, he did not return to Angelica Mountain, but instead went into hiding.

Now, the mention of Master Li fills him with unease!

Gao Can, unaware of Xu Jin's complicated thoughts, said to himself, "It's been a long time since I've seen the chieftain. I wonder if Brother Li could help me find out where he is?"

Upon hearing this, a soft sigh filled the air.

"Who?"

Xu Jin suddenly looked up and looked around.

A wisp of black smoke dissipated, revealing a brightly colored green robe.

"Brother Li?"

Gao Can was somewhat surprised, then excitedly stood up.

Xu Jin, standing beside him, appeared slightly flustered and knelt down, saying, "This subordinate greets Hall Master Li!"

Li Xiangming glanced at the two of them, his gaze finally settling on Gao Can, and asked gently, "Are you two alright?"

Gao Can raised his arm and said with a simple smile, "It's nothing."

At this moment, the cultivators of the Demon Suppression Camp scattered around gradually noticed Li Xiangming's figure and gathered around to pay their respects.

Li Xiangming had originally wanted to have a private chat with Gao Can, but he had to abandon that idea and turn around to reassure the others. After a while, he finally had a moment to look at Xu Jin and Gao Can and asked, "How did you end up at Gushe Ridge?"

From Li Jiguang, he learned that the battle situation in Lingbei was extremely tense, and a monkey demon called "Cangmian Guixiao" had accurately located the ambush position of the demon-suppressing camp.

The ambush was overwhelmed before it could even be used. The main force of the beast tide successfully broke through the encirclement.

At the critical moment, Gao Can suddenly appeared on the battlefield, single-handedly holding off thousands. The once invincible Cangmian Guixiao seemed to have crashed into an impenetrable wall, falling to the ground.

This delay allowed the pursuing troops from the Mingqiao and Jiangyun divisions to successfully reach the new battlefield.

The beast tide was caught in a pincer attack and had no fighting spirit whatsoever. More of them died from being pushed and trampled than the cultivators of the Demon Suppression Camp.

Nevertheless, having missed the carefully prepared traps, the Demon Suppression Camp still paid a heavy price to successfully quell the beast tide in Lingbei.

Upon hearing the question, Xu Jin quickly replied, "The deputy commander sent us here! After learning that several groups of demonic beasts were heading south, he judged that a large beast tide had likely gathered at Gushe Ridge, so he ordered Gao Can and me to come and investigate."

Just then, the Demon Suppression Camp was pursuing the defeated demon army, and Gao Can said he was confident.

Deputy Commander?
Li Xiangming's heart skipped a beat, and he interrupted, "Is Master Liaoshen also nearby? Are you still maintaining the organization of the Demon Suppression Camp?"

Xu Jin's face flushed slightly.

After the Demon Suppression Camp disbanded, what kind of organization was left?
Everyone was lucky to survive, but no one wanted to return to the Demon Suppression Camp to continue fighting the beast tide.

In fact, Gao Can wouldn't have shown up if he hadn't acted impulsively.

At least not now!

But it was too late.

He couldn't control Gao Can, and now, in front of Master Li, he dared not reveal any selfish motives. So he respectfully replied, "Yes, after the Demon Suppression Camp retreated from Calabash Valley, they scattered throughout Pudong. Master Liaoshen found us and fought against the demons in the Luyang Mountain area. Luyang Mountain is about four hundred li north of Gushe Ridge."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

He staked his prestige, accumulated over more than a decade in Monkey Valley, on establishing the Demon Suppression Camp. This force of five hundred cultivators exhausted his personal wealth in just two months, forcing him to compromise with the Lingluo Merchant Guild.

That's why he felt so heartbroken and regretful when the Demon Suppression Camp suffered a crushing defeat and scattered in Calabash Valley.

After he returned to the Li family, he also thought about finding his trusted confidants, such as Master Shen and Chi Laiyong, and restoring the old system of the Demon Suppression Camp.

But Pudong is too big; the search could take a month or two. He was burdened with the heavy responsibility of resisting the beast tide, and even Li Jimin was too busy to attend to anything else, let alone recall his old troops.

In fact, he knew in his heart that if the cultivators of the Demon Suppression Camp were willing to return, they would go to Dangui Mountain to find him.

However, of the five hundred men in the Demon Suppression Camp, only about forty actually returned. Keep in mind that this included four commanders and twelve captains, totaling sixteen men.

Of all these high-ranking officials, besides Li Xiangfeng, Li Jihu, and other members of the Li family, only Hu Qidao, a captain whose relationship with the Li family was relatively less close, was willing to return. This clearly shows that the Demon Suppression Camp had indeed lost its courage.

Li Xiangming didn't blame them.

The reason he dared to face the beast tide was because he had the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment.

If you can't beat them, can't you at least run away?
But what if he is a Qi Refining cultivator?

Whether a Qi Refining cultivator can survive the beast tide at Lingyue Peak depends entirely on luck. Will he be more resolute than Qi Refining cultivators like Zhang Min and Chi Laiyong?

I don’t think so.

Therefore, he has tacitly accepted the fact that the old Demon Suppression Camp has collapsed and has set his sights on sects and families such as Lingwu Sect, Luo Family, and Xu Family, intending to build a new Demon Suppression Camp.

Even so, his affection for the old demon camp remained unchanged. When he heard that Master Shen was still alive and fighting against the demons, he was overjoyed and his fatigue from the battle with the Golden-Striped White Tiger vanished.

He wants to find the old members of the Demon Suppression Camp!
Li Xiangming had made up his mind, but before that, he looked at Gao Can on the other side and said in a deep voice, "Gao Can, I have something to tell you."

Gao Can scratched his head: "Brother Li, you go ahead."

Seeing this, Xu Jin wisely withdrew.

Li Xiangming fell silent for a while before speaking, "I've met with your chieftain, and he won't be coming back. From now on, you will be the chieftain of Huanyun Village, if you wish."

"Me, the chieftain?"

Gao Can froze for a moment, then grabbed Li Xiangming's shoulder emotionally: "Brother Li, what does this mean? The chieftain... he doesn't want me anymore?"

(End of this chapter)