Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

The bottom of the grotto contains a forbidden stone cell. Li Xiaoyao, Li Mutian, Li Tongya, and the Poisonous Old Man are among them.

"Directly search the soul?" Li Mutian asked.

"Give it a try. Its soul structure is unusual; be careful of backlash." Li Xiaoyao nodded.

He chose the oldest of the indigenous people, whose eyes held not only fear but also a stubborn hatred.

The Foundation Establishment Divine Consciousness transformed into an invisible sharp cone, fiercely piercing into its chaotic and fragile sea of ​​consciousness!

"ah--!"

The indigenous inhuman screamed in agony, his whole body convulsed violently, blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and his yellow eyes almost bulged out.

The harvest was meager. The fragmented memories were extremely scattered and blurry, filled with bloodshed, hunger, the fear of hunting and being hunted.

There were rudimentary rituals involving the worship of ferocious stone statues, huddled and trembling in the midst of turbid storms, and fighting and killing with other tribes...

There is no clear information about the history, calamities, or origins of this realm. Their thinking is simple, and their language consists of only a few dozen syllables.

"waste."

Li Xiaoyao withdrew his divine sense, his expression slightly cold. This native's soul was too weak; his memories were priceless, and even this sample was barely acceptable.

The other two indigenous people witnessed the tragic state of their companion and were paralyzed with fear, wailing in despair.

Li Mutian glanced at it, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes:

"They are worthless, keeping them only wastes food, and they harbor resentment and are ultimately a hidden danger. Xiang Ping, get rid of them."

"yes!"

Li Xiangping responded without hesitation. A flash of sword light, and silence fell over the stone cell. His clansmen disposed of the body.

My first encounter with native intelligent life ended in such a cold and efficient manner.

There was no communication or probing; only naked judgment of strength and weighing of interests. In this ruined realm, kindness was a luxury, and uselessness was the original sin.

"Although no direct useful information has been obtained, it is confirmed that there are indeed indigenous beings in this world, and we have already made contact with them."

Li Tongya recorded, "Their civilization is extremely primitive, their cultivation is chaotic and primitive, and they pose little threat, but we need to be wary of their gatherings and disturbances or the existence of a stronger force behind them."

Li Xiaoyao wiped away non-existent bloodstains from his fingertips and gazed at the dim sky outside the cave:

"The discovery of indigenous people means that our tribe has touched a part of this world's ecosystem. Accelerating our expansion will inevitably lead to encounters with more tribes."

"Next time, perhaps we could try to capture their chief priest, and learn more. Their worship of stone statues... is worth noting."

Li Mutian nodded: "The accelerated development plan remains unchanged. However, we need to increase patrols and strengthen early warning systems."

"Strategy towards indigenous people: Avoid contact unless absolutely necessary; if resistance or threats are encountered, swiftly eliminate them; select those of value for interrogation."

"The focus remains on searching for clues related to ancient ruins and the origin of the world. I have a feeling that the origins of these indigenous peoples may be related to that demonic calamity."

After the initial encounter and handling of the three indigenous people, the expansion of "Thick Earth Golden Cliff" accelerated dramatically and took on a clear and ruthless character of purging.

Li Mutian and Li Xiaoyao agreed to designate a 50-mile radius area around the grotto as an "absolute control zone".

Within this area, any living creature not marked by the Li family, especially humanoid aborigines, shall be immediately eliminated upon discovery without prior authorization.

The exploration team split into smaller units and launched attacks in more frequent rotations.

Scarface, Iron Bow, Liu Gu, Han Mo, Xu Laoquan, and others are all capable of handling things on their own.

Each group led several to more than ten elite clansmen, repeatedly surveying the wasteland, rift valley branches, and hilly areas surrounding the Thick Earth Golden Cliff.

Encountering sporadic small groups of indigenous people has become the norm.

These indigenous people usually live in groups of three to five, with a maximum of a dozen or so people. They live in simple caves or burrows and make a living by gathering and hunting.

Their level of civilization was low, and most of them lacked even decent stone tools.

Facing the Li family's cultivators, whose equipment was becoming increasingly sophisticated, whose teamwork was becoming more and more seamless, and whose cultivation level was at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, they were almost powerless to fight back.

Li Xiangping strictly adhered to the ironclad rule of "kill those who are useless." In several encounters, he swiftly annihilated his enemies with ruthless methods, leaving no survivors.

The bodies were taken back and examined by the Poison Master to see if there were any special parts that could be used for making poison or as materials for spellcasting. The rest were either incinerated or buried.

"They are all mindless beasts, their intelligence is undeveloped, and their internal energy is chaotic; they are utterly useless."

After several tests, the drug addict shook his head in disbelief.

These lowest-level indigenous peoples are indeed not even worth searching for souls; their memory fragments contain nothing but the most primal survival instincts.

However, Li Xiangping did not simply kill indiscriminately.

He ordered that each operation must be recorded in detail, including the location of the encounter, the number of indigenous people, their behavior patterns, and any unusual aspects of the surrounding environment.

This information was compiled and marked on a map by Li Tongya, gradually outlining some vague areas and habits of the indigenous people's activities.

They seem to tend to cluster near areas with a weak water source (even if it's murky) or where certain types of drought-resistant plants grow.

The expansion proceeded steadily amidst bloodshed. Any remaining threats within the controlled area were swiftly eliminated.

Relying on the newly discovered underground river tributary and Yinsha iron ore vein, the Li family established two small outposts.

A small number of personnel were deployed to form a preliminary triangular defense and resource collection network.

The introduced water purification array and "purifying moss" have begun to show their effects, and the environment around the outpost has improved slightly.

Resource gains are also increasing.

Besides Yin Sha Iron, several other minerals and spiritual plants unique to this world, containing unique evil energy, were also discovered. Although their grade is not high and their uses need to be studied, they add up little by little.

The monster materials obtained from hunting are used personally, and those of slightly better quality are also categorized and stored for future exchange.

However, definitive clues about ancient ruins or the origin of the world remain elusive.

Those ancient stone piles and animal bones cleaved by sharp weapons seem like vague echoes from a distant past, unable to point the way.

Three months later, Han Mo led a reconnaissance team about 150 miles southeast and sent back crucial information.

They were originally tracking a group of migrating "Stone-Toothed Rat" demons, hoping to find out if their lair was connected to a special mineral vein.

However, they mistakenly entered a deeper, more mysterious rift valley maze, where the malevolent energy almost solidified into a pale gray mist.

To avoid getting lost, Han Mo released a large number of scout insects to explore the way.

One of the spirit insects, after passing through a narrow crevice in the rock, sent back an exceptionally clear image:

The valley suddenly opened up, revealing a relatively flat piece of land that had been roughly leveled by human hands.

On the land, hundreds of simple huts, built on the foundation of huge stones and covered with animal hides and some kind of dark brown clay, stand densely packed together!

In the center of the shed stands a conical stone temple, significantly taller than the others, built of rough, massive stones, its surface etched with twisted and grotesque patterns.

More importantly, the footage shows a large number of active indigenous people. Their numbers far exceed anything previously seen, estimated to be at least several thousand!

They no longer roamed alone or hunted in small groups, but instead worked in an organized manner with a division of labor.

Some were busy in a sparse "field" covered with dark red thorns in the distance, while others were processing the monsters they had hunted.

Others, carrying finer spears or bone staffs that appeared to be inlaid with some kind of dull crystal, patrolled the outskirts of the settlement.

The video ends with two strikingly different figures emerging from the stone hall.

A person of exceptionally tall and robust stature, wearing a complete, horned skull of some kind of large monster as a helmet.

He wore several strings of animal teeth and bones around his neck and held a giant axe, almost the size of a door panel, with a dark metallic sheen.

As he walked, the ground trembled slightly, and a powerful, violent, and resonant aura of turbid energy from heaven and earth emanated from him.

The other was thin and hunched over, wearing a strange robe made of variegated feathers and scraps of leather, his face covered with dark red and white mud paint.

He held a wooden staff with a turbid crystal inlaid at the top and many small bone ornaments hanging from it.

Its aura was cold and eerie. Although it was not as outwardly powerful as that of the giant axe-wielding native, it still made Han Mo, who sensed it through the spirit insect, feel a sense of unease in his soul.

"Foundation Establishment... or at least an aura extremely close to the Foundation Establishment level! And there's more than one!"

Han Mo immediately assessed the situation and felt a chill run down his spine. He dared not let the spirit insect linger, so he quickly recalled it, led his team to quietly withdraw, and sent the intelligence back immediately.