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

Qinglan Mountain.

The spiritual light of the mountain-protecting formation flowed like water ripples; to outsiders, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary first-order formation.

"Chief! A large number of bandits have arrived outside the mountain gate!"

Chen Wenyuan leaped off the flying horse and then retreated from the lookout post.

Li Changsheng moved to the array hall and, through the array's light screen, indeed saw a group of robbers.

The leader at the peak of Qi Refining.

More than thirty followers.

Another female cultivator stayed outside with several others, constantly scanning the surroundings, clearly as a backup plan to prevent being ambushed.

"Listen up, Li family!" the bandit leader shouted. "Hand over this year's harvest of red marrow rice obediently, and if I'm in a good mood, I'll spare the lives of you bunch of good-for-nothings! If you don't know what's good for you..."

He snorted coldly and slammed the demon-headed broadsword, stained with the blood of countless people, onto the ground, causing cracks to appear like a spider web.

"Breaking your lousy formation will only take three breaths!"

The Li family members gathered on the mountaintop, and upon hearing this, everyone turned ashen-faced.

Even the usually composed Chen Wenyuan's Adam's apple bobbed constantly.

Li Changsheng remained calm and quietly activated [Malice Perception].

"Um?!"

Surprisingly, two groups of bandits, each numbering around twenty, were lurking on the outskirts of Qinglan Mountain. No wonder the bandits left a female cultivator behind to keep watch.

The other two groups of robbers held back because bandits believed in first come, first served.

This was an unwritten rule among the bandits, and a tacit understanding they used to avoid internal strife.

We must kill chickens and monkeys!

Li Changsheng lowered his eyes: "Open the array gate."

Chen Wenyuan looked up abruptly, thinking he had misheard.

"Chieftain..."

"Open the array gate," Li Changsheng repeated.

Li Changle was very obedient. Upon hearing this, he immediately manipulated the array plate. Ripples appeared in the array light shield outside the mountain gate, and then an entrance emerged.

Li Changsheng raised his voice:

"Fellow Daoist, our Li family's red marrow rice has not yet been harvested. If you do not mind, you may enter the mountain and wait. The Li family will do its utmost to harvest it and offer not a single grain missing. We only ask that you restrain your subordinates and not harm our people."

Outside the mountain gate, the bandit leader was stunned for a moment.

So cowardly?

His gaze swept across the entire Qinglan Mountain. Indeed, there were still large swathes of golden-red rice fields in the back mountain that had not been harvested. A dozen or so clansmen at the first or second level of Qi Refining were frantically making hand seals in the fields. They were obviously novices, and it would take them a long time to finish harvesting a single row.

There was no trace of late-stage Qi Refining in the mountains.

There was no ambush.

There are no traps.

That thin, protective array of mountains was so weak that it seemed as if it could be punctured with a single poke.

The bandit leader sneered.

"You know what's good for you." He waved his hand. "Men, into the mountains! Hurry up, if we take this one, there'll be another!"

More than thirty bandits filed in.

The bandit leader's Taoist companion remained outside the mountain gate.

She leaned against an old tree, looking utterly bored.

This job was just a freebie, she didn't need to worry about it.

……

The Hall of Formations.

Li Changsheng stared intently at the thirty-odd bandits who stepped into the mountain gate, especially their leader who was at the peak of Qi Refining.

Ten steps to go.

Two steps.

step.

"rise!"

With Li Changsheng's command.

Li Changle let out a low shout and suddenly poured his spiritual power into the array plate!

In an instant.

The spiritual energy from the earth's veins of the entire Qinglan Mountain surged wildly towards the mountain gate!

The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise formation—the illusory images of the four symbols rise into the sky from the formation plate!

The Azure Dragon coiled around the mountain peak, the White Tiger guarded the western slope, the Vermilion Bird spread its wings on the southern cliff, and the Black Tortoise protected the northern ravine. Though faint, these four illusory figures carried genuine second-tier pressure, crashing down like four towering mountains!

"This is a second-tier formation—!"

The bandit leader's pupils contracted.

His reaction was incredibly fast. He slashed out with his ghost-head saber, the blade's energy tearing through the air and striking the azure dragon phantom on the mountain peak!

At the same time, he retreated rapidly, rushing towards the mountain gate—

But he was fast, and the Four Symbols Formation was even faster.

The illusory image of the Azure Dragon opened its mouth, and a bolt of azure lightning crashed down!

The lightning bolt, no thicker than a child's arm, carried the might of heaven and earth. It struck first, cleaving the bandit leader's blade into pieces.

The force of the blow had not yet subsided when it slammed into his shoulder.

"ah--!"

The bandit leader screamed in agony, half of his body charred black, and he flew backward.

at the same time.

With a low roar, the phantom of the white tiger caused dozens of Geng metal sword energies to suddenly rise from the western foothills, like a rain of pear blossoms, pinning the fleeing bandits to the spot.

In less than three breaths.

More than thirty bandits, including their leader who was at the peak of Qi Refining, all fell into pools of blood.

Li Changsheng unleashed the Hundred Ghosts Banner.

The jet-black banner fluttered in the wind, a sudden gust of cold wind arose, and the pale skull patterns on the banner seemed to come alive, opening their hollow jaws and emitting a silent shriek.

Twelve, twenty-four, thirty-six—

Semi-transparent phantoms were forcibly pulled out from the corpse.

The banner trembled violently.

The two original illusory skulls greedily devoured the surging souls, the eerie green flames in their eye sockets burning ever brighter. New illusory skulls materialized one after another—

Five, eight, twelve.

Twelve pale white skulls hung above the banner, arranged in a neat row, their empty eye sockets staring at Li Changsheng like soldiers awaiting orders.

The aura of the Hundred Demon Banner rose steadily.

Until the twelve illusory skulls completely solidified, a ring of pale golden spiritual light appeared around the edge of the banner.

Tier 1 Supreme Item.

It's only half a step away from the second order.

Li Changsheng tucked the banner into his bosom and looked up at the mountain gate.

Those two groups of bandits did not move.

They watched as their thirty-odd companions stepped into the seemingly frail mountain gate, watched as the four illusory figures soared into the sky, and watched as the leader, a peak Qi Refining expert, fell into a pool of blood before even touching the edge of the formation.

Then they watched as the black banner unfurled, dragging the thirty-odd souls like pigs and dogs into a hell from which they could never be reborn.

"Hold……"

Someone muttered a curse in the depths of the woods.

They came to rob us.

I'm not here to risk my life.

The leader, a peak Qi Refining expert, swallowed hard and gestured for retreat. The twenty-odd people retreated silently like a tide, quickly disappearing into the depths of the mountains and forests.

Another group of people left as well.

They left even faster than they had come.

...

...

Outside the mountain gate, only one person remained.

That leader's partner.

She didn't leave.

She stood at the edge of the blood-soaked land, staring intently at Li Changsheng inside the mountain gate through the layer of azure array light. The hatred in her eyes was so intense it seemed to drip blood.

She couldn't break through that second-tier formation.

But she couldn't swallow her anger.

She wasn't stupid. A moment's thought made it clear—

It's the Cheng family.

It was that bastard Cheng Lao Er who told them that the Li family had no experts, no high-level formations, and could be manipulated at will.

It was Cheng Lao Er who sent them to their deaths!

The Cheng family and the Li family are clearly in cahoots!

No wonder the Cheng family handed over the red marrow rice so readily; it turns out they were waiting for her husband to jump in!

She turned and flew towards the Cheng family's residence.

At the same time, he took out a communication talisman from his bosom, whispered a few words, and then turned the talisman into streams of light, scattering them in all directions.

She needs to call for help.

She wants the Cheng family to pay the price.