Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

One hour later.

The fence surrounding that human enclosure had been reduced to dust.

Over three hundred of the patrolling orc demons were dead, and the rest knelt on the ground, trembling. They still couldn't figure out where these people had come from.

Li Xiaoyao stood motionless in front of the pile of white bones.

Behind him, countless rescued humans were being organized by the cultivators, who were distributing food, water, and clothing. Some knelt on the ground and wept bitterly, some clung to the cultivators' legs and refused to let go, and some stared blankly, as if they had lost the ability to think.

An old man, supported by others, walked unsteadily to Li Xiaoyao.

He looked up at Li Xiaoyao, his cloudy eyes filled with tears.

"You...you are..."

His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

Li Xiaoyao squatted down to be at eye level with the old man.

"We are human beings. Human beings just like you."

The old man was stunned.

Then, he cried.

It wasn't the kind of loud wailing, but rather silent tears, which streamed down the lines of his face and dripped onto the ground.

"People..." he murmured, "So...so there are still people outside..."

Li Xiaoyao remained silent for a while, then stood up.

He looked into the distance.

Further away, there are even more people, more skeletons, and more compatriots suffering.

But he didn't move.

He just stood there, looking in that direction.

Master Shuyu walked to his side: "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, what are you thinking about?"

Li Xiaoyao shook his head: "It's nothing. I was just wondering what their expressions will be when they find us in three days."

Master Shuyu smiled and said, "It will definitely look great."

Li Xiaoyao also smiled.

He turned around and began to arrange for people to clean up the battlefield and resettle the refugees.

It's not that I don't want to save more people.

But he knew that this battle couldn't be won in a day.

Three days later, when the glow of the Heaven-Covering Banner dissipates, the demon race will discover them.

Only then will the real battle begin.

But those three days were enough for them to drive the first nail into this land.

three days later.

In the southeastern part of the desolate region, seventy-two human settlements simultaneously changed hands.

Three demigod cities were captured, two demigods perished, and seventeen demon kings were slain.

Three million seven hundred thousand people were rescued.

When the first ray of sunlight, no longer obscured by the Heaven-Shielding Banner, shone on the desolate land, the demigods of the Lower Three Heavens finally realized something was wrong.

But it was too late.

In the southeast corner of the desolate region, an area spanning three thousand miles has completely fallen into the hands of the Immortal Sect.

Countless beams of light shone from the lower three heavens, flying towards the middle and upper three heavens.

"Enemy attack—"

"Human cultivators appeared out of nowhere! In great numbers! And their cultivation levels are extremely high!"

"Requesting support! Requesting the arrival of the gods!"

But there was no response from the Upper Three Heavens.

The three Golden Core demons were currently deep in the void, tightly entangled by three Immortal Sect True Monarchs, and had no time to spare for anything else.

The gods of the Middle Three Heavens looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

In the southeast of the desolate region, Li Xiaoyao stood atop the newly established stronghold, looking at the panicked communication lights in the distance, and smiled slightly.

"What's the rush?" he said softly. "This is just the beginning."

Behind him, Xiao Xiting walked over and stood beside him.

"Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, what's the next step?"

Li Xiaoyao thought for a moment and said, "Let's proceed steadily, one step at a time. First, we'll conquer the Desolate Domain, then we'll plan for the other four domains. Once we've conquered the five domains, then we can consider the Nine Heavens."

Xiao Xiting nodded: "That's a safe bet."

Li Xiaoyao looked into the distance, his gaze distant.

"Four hundred billion compatriots," he said, "I don't know how many years it will take to fight."

Xiao Xiting was silent for a moment, then said, "No matter how many years, it's better than letting them continue to be slaves."

Li Xiaoyao smiled.

"That's right."

He turned and walked down from the city wall.

Behind them, countless cultivators were busy at work, and countless humans were rebuilding their homes.

This battle is far from over.

...

On the third day after the base was established, the first batch of statistics was delivered to Li Xiaoyao.

"Seventy-two settlements, saving 3.7 million people."

Master Shuyu read aloud the record on the jade slip: "Among them, there are about 900,000 children under the age of fourteen, about 2.2 million young adults aged fifteen to forty, and 600,000 elderly and weak."

Li Xiaoyao nodded: "Has the spiritual root testing begun?"

"It has begun," said Master Shuyu. "Thirty cultivators skilled in testing spiritual roots have been selected from each team to conduct the tests overnight."

"So far, we have tested 500,000 people and found that 7,300 of them have spiritual roots."

"Proportion……"

Li Xiaoyao did some mental calculations and said, "About 1.5%, slightly lower than normal."

"That's normal." Xiao Xiting walked over. "These people have been enslaved for generations, malnourished, and their bloodline is depleted. The fact that they have this proportion already shows they have a strong foundation."

Li Xiaoyao looked at the names of the seven thousand three hundred people, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Notify all teams that all those with spiritual roots, regardless of age, must gather at the stronghold."

"Those who haven't practiced the old methods will be directly taught the basics of the new methods. Those who have practiced the old methods will have their practice abandoned and they will have to start over."

"I want to see the first batch of Qi Refining stage cultivators ready for battle within a month."

"A month?"

Master Shuyu was taken aback. "Isn't this too rushed?"

"Drive them away?" Li Xiaoyao shook his head. "Ask them themselves if they want to be driven away."

Shuyu Zhenren looked at the humans queuing up for porridge in the distance—they were ragged and emaciated, but their eyes were beginning to light up.

She stopped asking.

.....

In the center of the stronghold, inside the makeshift Hall of Skill Transmission, the first batch of three hundred people with spiritual roots sat cross-legged.

Their ages ranged from eight to sixty years old; some were trembling with nervousness, some were moved to tears, and some were at a loss for what to do.

Li Xiaoyao stood in front of them.

"My name is Li Xiaoyao, my Daoist name is Shangyuan, and I am at the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm."

He got straight to the point: "From today onward, you must forget everything you have learned before—if you have learned anything at all."

In the crowd, a middle-aged man in his forties raised his hand.

"explain."

"Master, I... I used to practice the local 'Divine Gifted Method,' and I've already reached the Priest level." He lowered his head. "But that was in exchange for being a demigod's dog..."

Li Xiaoyao looked at him: "Priest Realm? Foundation Establishment Stage?"

"Yes," the man said. "Here, those who follow the path of incense are called priests, bishops, or demigods. Those who follow the path of beasts are called great demons or demon kings."

Li Xiaoyao nodded: "What's your name?"

"My name is Shizhu (Stone Pillar)."

"Stone Pillar, from this moment forward, abolish the old methods you practiced. They were wrong; they were used by those demigods to enslave you."

"I want you to start from scratch and cultivate the true Tao."

The stone pillar gritted its teeth, and after a moment, kowtowed heavily: "I will obey the Master's will!"

Li Xiaoyao raised his hand, and a ray of spiritual light entered the stone pillar, helping to dispel the weak incense power.

Shi Zhu groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes shone brighter than ever before.

Of the remaining people, seven or eight raised their hands—all of them had practiced the old methods, with levels ranging from beginner to priest.

Li Xiaoyao helped them disperse their internal energy one by one, and then had a Foundation Establishment cultivator lead them away to teach them new techniques.

The remaining 290-plus people had never practiced any cultivation techniques; they were complete blank slates.

"You guys have it easy," Li Xiaoyao chuckled. "You just learn the new technique directly, saving the trouble of dispersing your internal energy."

He stepped back, and Xiao Xiting stepped forward.

In the days that followed, the settlement of three million people was transformed into a massive construction site.

On one side, ordinary people were rebuilding their homes and cultivating fields, while on the other side, cultivators were teaching techniques and training new people.

Those humans who were rescued learned for the first time that cultivation did not require sacrifices, kneeling, or sending their children as offerings.

It turns out that people can cultivate themselves while standing.

The effects of cramming education are surprisingly good.

These people, who had endured centuries of suffering, were finally liberated and began cultivating their lives as if they didn't care about their own lives.

In just half a month, the first batch of more than 30 people have already reached the first level of Qi Refining.

After a month, among the first batch of 300 people, 56 had reached the third level of Qi Refining or above, and more than 180 had reached the first level of Qi Refining.

Although their combat strength is still immature, they can at least wield magical artifacts, set up formations, and cooperate with Foundation Establishment stage cultivators in combat.

"At this rate," Xiao Xiting said, looking at the newly trained cultivators, "we can build a Qi Refining army of 100,000 within six months."

Li Xiaoyao nodded: "Then those demigods will have a headache."