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

The courtyard of my younger sister, Li Changle, was brightly lit.

She was studying the array formations she had obtained from the robbers under the lamp when she heard footsteps. She looked up and called out, "Brother?"

"Come with me," Li Changsheng said succinctly. "Bring the array plate."

Li Changle didn't ask any more questions. He immediately put away the book, put the array plate of the Minor Illusion Array into his storage bag, and followed his brother out the door.

Chen Wenyuan rushed over upon hearing the news, his expression grave: "Clan leader, has something happened?"

Li Changsheng changed the content of the divination to what the flying horse had detected, and then summarized it.

Chen Wenyuan's expression changed drastically, and he immediately said, "I will go with the clan leader!"

"No," Li Changsheng shook his head. "The clan mountain needs someone to guard it."

He stared into Chen Wenyuan's eyes and said, word by word, "Remember, if it's not me, then no one else is allowed to activate the formation."

Chen Wenyuan nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, clan leader, as long as the mountain stands, we'll live on."

Li Changsheng leaped onto Chi Yu's back with his younger sister, then summoned the Green Wood Wolf, ordering it to lie on Chi Yu's back. Chi Yu flapped its wings and soared into the sky, speeding towards Qing Shi Town.

...

...

Qingshi Town is located 80 miles south of Qinglan Mountain. It is one of the four towns under the jurisdiction of the Li family and has more than 3,000 households. It is considered the largest market town in the surrounding area.

Akabane landed three miles outside the town.

With a thought, Li Changsheng summoned a ghost general who emerged from the Hundred Ghost Banner and used the [Shadowless and Unseen] technique to envelop the two of them.

His aura vanished instantly, and his figure blended into the night.

The town was unusually quiet.

Although the banditry did not affect ordinary people, the atmosphere was tense, with every household closing their doors and windows, and the streets deserted. Occasionally, a stray dog ​​would dart by, quickly disappearing into the depths of the alley.

The mayor's house is located in the center of the town and is a large three-courtyard mansion.

The gate was tightly closed, and the courtyard was pitch black.

Li Changsheng did not rush in.

He closed his eyes, and [Malice Perception] quietly activated.

A moment later, he sensed it—deep underground, a dense, inky malice was lurking there. That malice was cold, bloodthirsty, and carried a nauseatingly evil aura.

"In the basement." Li Changsheng opened his eyes and looked at his younger sister.

Li Changle understood, took out a small detection array from his pocket, and infused it with spiritual power.

The array plate glowed faintly, and after a moment, she whispered, "Brother, there's a warning array at the main entrance, a high-grade first-tier one. It will be triggered when someone passes by."

Li Changsheng frowned slightly and walked around to the corner gate on the east side of the courtyard.

Li Changle probed again, and after a moment nodded: "Not here."

"Set up the formation," Li Changsheng said. "You stay here and activate the small illusion array. If anything escapes, trap it."

Li Changle took out the array plate of the Minor Concealment Array and quickly set it up inside the side gate. She looked up at her brother, her eyes filled with worry: "Brother, be careful."

Li Changsheng nodded and, with Qingmulang and Chiyu, sneaked into the mansion through the side gate.

...

...

The basement was bigger than he had expected.

It was roughly three zhang square and had been transformed into a crude, blood-red altar.

A blood-red banner was planted at each of the four corners of the altar, and the ground was covered with dense, eerie runes drawn in blood. Blood continued to flow slowly between the runes, converging towards the center of the altar.

In the center of the altar sat a monk draped in a blood-red robe.

It is precisely the blood-refined seed mentioned in the divination.

The man's face was gaunt and pale, clearly indicating he was still recovering from serious injuries. He was currently meditating with his eyes closed, absorbing the refined essence and blood through the altar and transforming it into his own life force.

Around the altar, nearly a hundred corpses lay scattered about.

Beside the altar, a pitch-black ghost general floated silently.

The ghost general's figure was several times more solid than Li Changsheng's ghost general, with faint blood-red patterns flowing on its bones, and ghostly green flames dancing in its eye sockets—peak of the first tier!

Just one step away from the second stage!

Li Changsheng held his breath.

Although the Ghost General's concealment technique is powerful, it is hard to guarantee that he will not be detected when facing another Ghost General of the same kind.

He secretly communicated with Aoki Wolf.

A faint blue light emanated from the Green Wolf's eyes, and spiritual energy began to gather around its body. The bloodline spell it had awakened, "Azure Moon Slash," was a top-grade first-tier spell, powerful enough to severely injure someone of the same tier.

Just as Aokirou was about to make his move—

The ghost general suddenly turned his head!

Its eerie green eyes stared straight in the direction where Li Changsheng was hiding!

It was discovered!

"Let's do it!"

Li Changsheng gave a low shout, and the Azure Wolf unleashed its Azure Moon Slash with a thunderous roar!

A crescent-shaped cyan light blade, carrying a sharp and fierce aura, went straight for the Blood Refining Seed in the center of the altar!

Xue Lianzi suddenly opened his eyes, raised his hand and waved it, and a blood-red light shield suddenly appeared on his blood robe!

"boom!"

The Azure Moon Slash struck the light barrier, causing it to tremble violently and crack, managing to block the attack!

Akabane's attacks came one after another.

A blazing fireball hurtled towards Blood Refiner!

"Damn it!"

Xue Lianzi gritted his teeth, ignoring the recurrence of his old injuries, and suddenly activated his blood robe, raising the light barrier once again.

boom!

The fireball exploded, the light shield shattered, and the blood-red robe was completely destroyed.

Xue Lianzi reacted extremely quickly, immediately taking out a palm-sized Bagua array plate from his bosom, injecting spiritual power into it, and a pale golden light shield enveloped him.

Xue Lianzi then clearly saw who had attacked him!

"A mere fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator dares to ruin my plans! You're courting death!"

He made a hand seal, and the ghost general transformed into a black shadow, rushing towards Li Changsheng!

With a thought, Li Changsheng sent his ghost general out of the shadows to meet Xue Lianzi's ghost general!

The two ghost generals collided with a deafening roar!

Although Li Changsheng's ghost general was only at the late stage of the first rank, it was strengthened by the Qi Luck Tome, making its combat power far exceed that of an ordinary late-stage ghost general. The two ghost generals fought fiercely in the basement, their bone claws clashing and stirring up gusts of yin wind.

Seeing that the ghost general was entangled, Xue Lianzi's face turned even more ugly.

"I can't beat him!" Xue Lianzi's injuries had flared up again, and he planned to retreat temporarily. Once he recovered, he would repay the debt tenfold. He immediately used his escape technique.

Just then.

A talisman in Li Changsheng's hand was activated!

Tier 1 Top-grade Earth Spike Talisman!

Whoosh whoosh!

Countless sharp spikes surged from the ground, piercing the pale golden light shield of the Blood Refiner!

The light shield trembled violently, holding for three breaths—

"Click—"

Broken!

The earth spike pierces straight into the Blood Refining Seed!

This time, Xue Lianzi had no way to avoid it, and several bloody holes were instantly pierced into his body.

but.

He had already used his escape technique and transformed into a streak of blood-red light, shooting towards the exit.

"Chase!" Li Changsheng shouted.

……

Blood Refiner burst from the ground and fled towards the side gate—

hum!

The mini-maze was activated with a roar!

Countless wisps of mist surged in, and Xue Lianzi's vision blurred as he found himself surrounded by a vast expanse of white fog, unable to distinguish east from west!

"A maze!!"

Just then, Aoki Wolf caught up.

It opened its mouth, unleashing another Azure Moon Slash!

"Damn it!"

The Azure Moon Slash was as fast as lightning. Blood Refiner had no time to defend himself and was pierced through the chest.

"I……"

Xue Lianzi never expected that he would die at the hands of a petty thief at the fourth level of Qi Refining. He looked down at the bloody hole in his chest, his eyes filled with resentment.

His body swayed, then he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

When its master died, the ghost general let out a mournful shriek, suffering a backlash that caused its aura to suddenly weaken!

Li Changsheng's ghost general seized the opportunity to pounce, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed the ghost general whole!

The ghost general's body trembled violently.

On the pale golden skeleton, the specks of light grew denser and brighter.

The Book of Destiny shows:

【Ghost General: Peak First Tier (1/100)】

Not bad!

He broke through from the late stage of Tier 1 to the peak of Tier 1.

The Li family's strength has greatly increased.

Li Changsheng did not forget to use the Hundred Ghosts Banner to forcibly pull Xue Lianzi's soul from his corpse and drag it into the banner.

A soul at the peak of Qi Refining is a great tonic for a demon general.

He then stored Xue Lianzi's corpse in his storage bag—good material for Li Chang'an to use as fertilizer. The head could also be exchanged for dozens of imperial merit points, a triple benefit.