Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

The next day.

Behind Qinglan Mountain, clouds and mist swirl among the trees.

Li Changsheng rode his magnificent flying horse "Little White" and once again set foot in this area. He searched almost every inch of the back mountain, shrubs, rock crevices, the end of streams... but the "underground river" mentioned in the divination seemed to have evaporated, leaving no trace.

"How strange..." Li Changsheng pulled on the reins, his brows furrowed.

The divination results are never wrong, but where exactly is the entrance?

"Brother! Brother!"

A clear, childlike voice came from afar. Six-year-old Li Changle, her cheeks flushed, ran over, lifting her skirt. Her big, bright eyes stared at Xiaobai with longing.

"Brother, can I ride Little White?"

Looking at his younger sister's expectant face, Li Changsheng's annoyance dissipated. He smiled, dismounted, and handed the reins to her small hand.

"Be careful, don't wander too far, stay in this area and be back before dinner."

"Mmm!" Li Changle nodded excitedly, clumsily climbing up with Xiaobai's help. Carefully holding onto the mane, Xiaobai, being intelligent, carried her steadily into the depths of the forest.

Li Changsheng continued his search.

However, as the sun began to set and dusk fell, not only was the underground river not found, but Little Sister and Little White had also vanished without a trace.

"Chang Le hasn't returned yet?" Li's mother anxiously went to the back mountain to look for Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng's heart sank.

The protective array around the mountain remained active, making it impossible for his younger sister to have left. He immediately gathered his clansmen and began a search centered on the area where his sister had last disappeared. His shouts echoed through the mountains and forests, but there was no response.

The atmosphere inside the patriarch's mansion was heavy.

"It's been two whole hours. The back mountain isn't that big; we should have searched it thoroughly by now." Chen Wenyuan's face was grim. The wound on his arm had mostly healed, but his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked. "Clan leader, there's nothing wrong with the mountain-protecting formation. People can't just disappear into thin air... unless..."

He paused, his voice hoarse: "Unless there are... evil spirits in our mountain?"

These words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

When the Zhen Shi Si Immortal Master took over, he repeatedly assured that the evil spirits within the fiefdom had been basically eliminated. But those things are elusive, so who can guarantee that they are 100% safe?

Li Changsheng's face remained calm, and he did not immediately draw a conclusion. He waved to his anxious parents and clansmen to calm down, and then walked into the quiet room alone.

I sat cross-legged, and my consciousness sank into the sea of ​​knowledge.

"Today's divination result is clear!"

The first page of the Heavenly Book shimmered with golden light, revealing lines of text:

Clan Chief Cheng has already married his eldest daughter to the second elder of the ninth-rank Yun family as a concubine.

"The Second Elder of the Yun family is a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

The Cheng family has climbed the social ladder.

Li Changsheng's heart stirred slightly; this information was quite valuable, but at the moment he was more concerned about his younger sister's safety.

"Why is there no trace of Chang Le? Could it be that the Heavenly Book couldn't deduce it? Or...did she not encounter any danger?"

Just as his mind was in turmoil—

"Brother! I'm back!"

The clear and cheerful voice of the youngest sister, Li Changle, suddenly came from outside the quiet room, followed by the "clatter" of hooves and the joyful clamor of the tribesmen.

Li Changsheng suddenly stood up and pushed open the door to go out.

In the courtyard, Li Changle was riding peacefully on Xiaobai's back, her face flushed with excitement, and she was clutching a few wet, shimmering pebbles in her hand.

"Changle!" Mother Li rushed over and hugged her daughter, crying and laughing at the same time. "Where did you run off to? You worried sick!"

"Mom, I didn't run around!" Li Changle proudly held up the pebbles, "I found a huge underground river in the back mountain! It's sparkling clean, and these stones are from that river!"

underground river!

Li Changsheng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked urgently, "Changle, how did you get in? And how did you get out? Tell me slowly."

Li Changle tried hard to recall: "Hmm... when I went in, it seemed like the vines next to me swayed, like ripples on water. When I came out, I felt that a large rock was in the wrong place. It should have been on the left, but when I came out it was on the right, so I walked around it."

A clear sense of direction and a keen awareness of subtle changes in the environment!

Li Changsheng was almost certain that his young sister possessed an extremely rare talent for array formations! This talent was not acquired through learning, but rather a near-instinctive intuition about space, orientation, and energy fields.

"Good, Chang Le is really amazing!" Li Changsheng patted her head, stood up, and his eyes gleamed with determination. "Father, Mother, Brother-in-law, get ready and take torches and weapons. Chang Le, take us on another trip to find that underground river."

---

Night fell, in front of the rocky cliffs on the back mountain.

Li Changle was held in Li Changsheng's arms. She stretched out her little hand and pointed ahead: "Brother, from here, walk three steps behind this slightly flat rock, then turn left and walk straight towards that crooked tree... Oh dear, I can't explain it clearly, I'll lead you!"

She struggled to her feet, her little hands tightly gripping Li Changsheng's fingers. She took small steps, moving forward with a seemingly haphazard, unpredictable gait. Li Changsheng followed closely behind, while his father, Chen Wenyuan, grandmother, and others held their breath, perfectly following in their little sister's footsteps.

A strange sight occurred.

Even though there was a solid rock wall in front of them, when Li Changle led them to "crash" into it, the rock wall rippled like a water curtain, and the group passed through without any hindrance!

Suddenly, everything became clear!

It was no longer a dark mountain forest, but a huge, naturally formed cave.

A crack in the cave ceiling allowed a sliver of light to filter through, illuminating an underground river about three zhang wide. The water wasn't pitch black, but rather glowed with a faint milky-white spiritual light, flowing quietly, its moisture mist rising, the concentration of spiritual energy significantly higher than outside! Scattered along the riverbank were some luminous moss and crystals; the pebbles Li Changle had just picked up came from here.

"Found it! This is it!" Li Changle exclaimed excitedly.

"Be careful!"

Just as everyone was reveling in the joy of discovering the treasure land, Chen Wenyuan suddenly shouted and shoved Li Changsheng, who was standing next to him, backward!

"Splash!"

From the underground river, a gigantic black shadow burst forth with lightning speed, rushing straight at the group! It was a monstrous beast resembling a crocodile, but covered in black and blue scales, with a single horn on its head, and nearly two zhang long! A foul stench filled the air, and its oppressive aura had clearly reached the mid-stage of the first rank!

Chen Wenyuan stood in front of Li Changsheng, unable to cast any spells, and could only cross his arms and use his spiritual power to withstand the attack!

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Chen Wenyuan was struck hard by the monster's giant tail, sending him flying backward and crashing into the rock wall. He groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and his left arm was cut open by the edge of the scales, leaving a deep gash that exposed the bone!

"Changle! Mount the horse! Lead it in the direction it came from!" Li Changsheng made a decision instantly.

The little white dog, being intelligent, didn't need to be urged. With a neigh, it carried Li Changle and ran towards the "rock wall" they had entered from, at an extremely fast speed.

The unicorn seemed to have identified the intruder, abandoned the injured Chen Wenyuan, and turned to give chase!

Just as it was about to catch up with Xiaobai and its blood-red maw opened wide, Xiaobai, carrying Li Changle, suddenly leaped and crashed into the rock wall—ripples rose again, and the man and the horse instantly disappeared into them.

The unicorn crocodile followed closely behind and crashed into it hard!

This time, however, the rock wall did not transform into a water curtain. With a loud "thud," the crocodile beast crashed solidly into the illusion of hard rock, its head spinning and it roaring angrily. It was clearly trapped in the illusion array, spinning in place, frantically biting and whipping its tail at the air, but it could not break through that invisible barrier.

"It's trapped by an illusion array!" Li's father exclaimed.

"A perfect opportunity!" A cold glint flashed in Li Changsheng's eyes. "Father, you and brother-in-law harass them from the sidelines to draw their attention! I'll take the lead!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already drawn his newly acquired Qingfeng Sword. The sword rang out with a clear sound, and a pale blue light shone in the dim cave. Li Changsheng circulated the Chaos Origin Scripture, and the wisp of hazy chaotic spiritual power within his body flowed into the sword. The light of the Qingfeng Sword became more subdued, yet it exuded an even more concentrated and sharp aura.

Although Li's father had just begun to cultivate his inner energy, his experience as an old hunter remained. Upon hearing this, he immediately picked up a sharp stone from the ground, infused it with a meager amount of spiritual power, and hurled it fiercely at the crocodile beast's eyes and other vulnerable parts. Chen Wenyuan also endured the excruciating pain, using the Sharp Metal Technique to unleash streaks of pale golden light.

The crocodile beast was already agitated by being trapped in the illusion array, and the constant harassment only made it angrier, distracting it further.

Li Changsheng seized the opportunity, stepped into the Seven Star Step, and his figure cut into the crocodile beast's side opening like a ghost!

"cut!"

The Qingfeng Sword, imbued with chaotic spiritual power, traced a mysterious trajectory. It did not strike directly, but rather pierced the relatively soft side of the crocodile beast's neck with unparalleled precision, following the gaps in its scales!

"Pfft!"

The unique corrosive and inclusive properties of chaotic spiritual power erupted, easily breaking through the demonic beast's protective demonic power and penetrating straight in! The crocodile beast let out a deafening scream, struggled wildly, and shattered the rocks in the cave with its tail sweeping across.

Having landed a successful blow, Li Changsheng did not linger for the credit and quickly retreated. Once the crocodile beast's movements slowed slightly due to the intense pain and blood loss, he once again seized an opportunity to attack, his sword flashing as he targeted vital points such as the wounds, eyes, and mouth.

This process repeated itself, and with the help of Li's father and Chen Wenyuan's restraint, after an incense stick's time, the mid-stage first-tier unicorn crocodile finally collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, twitching a few times before falling still.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; their backs were soaked with cold sweat.

"Chang Sheng, are you alright?" Li's father rushed forward.

"I'm fine." Li Changsheng shook his head and quickly walked to Chen Wenyuan's side. "Brother-in-law, how are your injuries?"

Chen Wenyuan's face was pale, but he grinned and said, "Flesh and blood wounds, nothing serious, I'll be fine in a few days. Clan leader, what excellent swordsmanship!" He looked at Li Changsheng, his eyes full of admiration. The calm and ruthless tactics and precise, deadly sword moves he had just executed were nothing like those of a novice.

"Sit down and rest." Li Changsheng made him sit against the wall and took out some hemostatic herbs he carried with him to apply to the wound. Chen Wenyuan wanted to deal with the monster's corpse, but Li Changsheng stopped him.

"Brother-in-law, you rest. Dad, we'll take care of it."

Li Changsheng and his father worked together to begin dissecting the mid-stage first-tier demon beast. Its scales were tough, and it took considerable effort to peel off a relatively intact hide. Its horn, a superior material for crafting magical artifacts, was carefully sawed off. After separating the flesh and bones, they even found a pseudo-demon core (the size of a pigeon egg) with a moist sheen inside its internal organs. Although its energy was mixed and far inferior to a genuine demon core, it was still quite valuable.

"Good heavens! This set of materials, plus this fake demon core, could fetch at least forty or fifty low-grade spirit stones at the market!" Father Li weighed his heavy haul in his hand, a smile spreading across his face. For the impoverished Li family, this was undoubtedly a fortune.

Li Changsheng shook his head: "Father, I plan to keep these things for our own use."

"For personal use?" Mr. Li was taken aback.

"Hmm." Li Changsheng pointed to the monster materials. "We can try to have someone tan them, or figure it out ourselves, to make simple leather armor for our clansmen. As for the horn and main bones, we can see if we can find a weapon-making apprentice, or we can try to forge them into weapons ourselves. Our Li family currently has no magical artifacts other than my Qingfeng Sword. Relying solely on magic and ordinary iron will put us at a significant disadvantage next time we encounter danger."

Upon hearing this, Li's father pondered for a moment, then nodded emphatically:

"You're thinking long-term! It's your father's narrow-mindedness; he's only thinking about making money. That's true, no matter how good the product, turning it into real power is what matters!"

After dealing with the monster, Li Changsheng turned his gaze to the depths of the underground river, to the spot where the crocodile beast had sprung out. He waded across and made a new discovery in a dry hollow on the riverbank.

A spiritual plant, about three feet tall, entirely crimson with leaves like flames, grew there. Several longan-sized, equally fiery-red fruits hung from its branches, emitting an enticing fragrance and pure fire elemental energy. However, most of the fruits on the branches were gone, leaving only bite marks and a few fruit pits on the ground.

"Tier 1, Mid-grade, 'Flame Fruit'!"

Li Changsheng identified it based on his knowledge of the "Hundred Lark Illustrated Manual":

"These are the companion plants of that unicorn crocodile! Unfortunately, it ate most of the fruits, leaving only these last twelve."

Although most of them were consumed by the demonic beasts, the remaining few Flame Berries were still a huge harvest!

Also.

This underground river is rich in spiritual energy, making it an excellent place to raise spirit fish.

"Changle, you've done a great job this time. Come on, take everyone out first."

The group left the underground river.

Li Changsheng called his younger sister to a secret room.

He took out the [Array Dao Fate Seal] seed from his bosom.

"Chang Le, your brother has a gift for you. It will help you play 'hide-and-seek' better, allowing you to spot those 'invisible walls' at a glance, and even make your own 'walls' to protect your family. Would you like to accept it?"

Li Changle blinked her big eyes. Although she didn't fully understand, she nodded without hesitation when she heard that it could "protect her family."

"Yes! Chang Le will protect her parents, her brothers and sisters, and everyone!"

"Good child." A warm feeling welled up in Li Changsheng's heart. He guided the [Array Dao Fate Seed] to slowly approach Li Changle's brow.

The seed of Dharma seemed to sense an excellent host, its light blazing brightly, transforming into countless fine threads of light that gently yet firmly merged into Li Chang Le's sea of ​​consciousness between his eyebrows.

Li Changle's body trembled slightly, and his eyes were momentarily dazed before regaining their clarity.

"Changle, this is our little secret. You can't tell anyone, understand?"

"Yes! Lele will listen to her brother!"

Li Changle now looks upon his reformed elder brother with utmost admiration.

Li Changsheng glanced at his sister's loyalty value, which had reached 100%, and immediately bestowed upon her the first two levels of the Chaos Origin Scripture.

just in case.

He currently only teaches this Earth-rank cultivation technique to those who are absolutely loyal to him.