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

Li Changsheng closed the courtyard gate and said to Li Changle, "Set up the formation."

Li Changle responded and set up the two array plates, the Green Vine Trapping Killing Array and the Blood Thorn Strangling Killing Array, one in front of the other. After carefully adjusting them and confirming that everything was correct, he retreated into the main hall, holding the array plates and waiting with bated breath.

Li Changsheng stood beside her, eyes closed and focused, his [malicious perception] spreading out in all directions like an invisible net.

About an incense stick later.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

"They're here."

Li Changle gripped the array plate tightly.

In the distance came the sound of hurried footsteps and the booming of clashing magical artifacts.

A moment later, Du Liuniang and Chen Wenyuan appeared outside the courtyard gate, fighting and retreating as they rushed towards the temple gate.

Fighting them was a group of skeletons.

The skeletons were about half a person's height, deathly white, and covered with fine cracks, as if they would shatter at the slightest touch. But most eerie of all, each of them had a fist-sized green flower blooming on its crown, with a blood-red eye in the center of the flower, rolling around nervously.

Mid-stage of first order.

There were more than twenty of them.

Du Liuniang and Chen Wenyuan rushed into the courtyard, and the skeletons chased them to the door, but suddenly stopped.

They all raised their heads in unison, looking towards the main hall—or more precisely, towards the headless statue inside. The blood-red eyes within the green flowers revealed a clear sense of apprehension and fear.

They lingered outside the courtyard gate, not daring to step inside.

"Make your move!" Li Changsheng shouted in a low voice.

Li Changle suddenly activated the array plate in his hand—the Green Vine Trapping Killing Array and the Bloodthorn Strangling Killing Array were activated simultaneously!

Countless green vines surged from the ground, entangling all the skeletons outside the courtyard gate! Countless blood-red thorns sprouted from the vines, piercing deep into the gaps between the skeletons' bones!

The skeletons let out silent roars and struggled desperately. The blood-red eyes within the green flowers emitted an eerie red light, and wherever the red light passed, the vines began to wither!

With a thought, Li Changsheng silently sent out the first-tier peak ghost general from the Hundred Ghost Banner. Its bone claws reached out and crushed the skull of a skeleton with a single claw!

"Akaha!"

Crimson Feather took flight, its wings flapping repeatedly, unleashing countless cyan wind blades that slashed at the skeleton, leaving deep cracks.

Du Liuniang and Chen Wenyuan also turned back to fight, unleashing their magical weapons.

The four humans, one ghost, and one chicken, working together in a formation, managed to turn more than twenty skeletons into black smoke and dissipate in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

As the black smoke dissipated, a pile of soul crystals fell to the ground with a "crackling" sound. Along with the soul crystals, there were also pieces of fist-sized, jet-black objects shaped like tree stumps.

[Obtained 24 mid-stage Tier 1 Soul Crystals and 24 sections of the special spiritual material "Ebony Stakes". Clan Luck +150, Imperial Merit +150.]

[Current Family Luck Value: 4100/5000]

[Current Imperial Merit Points: 1800/10000]

Li Changsheng picked up a piece of ebony and examined it carefully.

The explanatory text appeared at the opportune moment:

[Ebony Stake: First-tier spiritual material. After planting, it can propagate into an ebony forest. The roots of the ebony forest are the favorite food of the spirit rats. The meat of the spirit rat is delicious and, after cooking, has the effect of replenishing qi and blood for qi-refining cultivators. It is in high demand in the market.]

[Note: This item only grows in places with extremely abundant spiritual energy. Finding an ebony stump indicates the presence of a spiritual vein node or a natural spiritual eye nearby.]

Li Changsheng's eyes lit up.

He looked at Chen Wenyuan: "Where did you encounter these skeletons?"

Chen Wenyuan took a breath and pointed northeast: "Go about three or four miles in that direction, there's a cave, and the entrance is full of these skeletons. We didn't dare go in, we just lured a bunch of them and came back."

Li Changsheng pondered for a moment, then looked up at the sky.

There were still one or two hours until dawn, and the period when evil spirits appeared most frequently was not far from ending.

"I'm going out for a bit." He stood up.

Chen Wenyuan panicked: "Clan leader, I'll go with you!"

"Your mana has been depleted too much. Stay here to recover." Li Changsheng shook his head. "I have Crimson Feather and Ghost General. As long as I don't encounter any evil spirits at the Foundation Establishment stage, I'll be safe."

Li Changle stood up, her face still a little pale, but her gaze was firm: "Brother, I'll go with you."

Li Changsheng glanced at her. If the skeleton's lair was concealed by an array, it would indeed be safe to bring his little sister along.

He nodded.

Before leaving, he walked to the statue of the deity and bowed three times respectfully.

"I borrow the idol to protect my brother and me."

He reached out and took the small, severed toe from the statue's foot.

Du Liuniang rose to see him off, solemnly saying, "Clan Chief Li, take care."

Li Changsheng nodded, then led his younger sister out through the door.

...

...

Outside the courtyard gate, the night was deep.

With a thought, Li Changsheng summoned a ghost general from the Hundred Ghost Banner, who used the [Shadowless and Unseen] technique to envelop the two of them. Their aura vanished instantly, and their figures merged into the night.

He followed the direction Chen Wenyuan pointed and stealthily made his way forward.

At the same time, he activated [Malice Perception], carefully avoiding the evil spirits along the way. He bypassed the weak ones, and occasionally killed one or two lone ones, collecting a few soul crystals in the process.

After walking about three or four miles, a dark mountain peak appeared ahead. At the foot of the mountain, a cave entrance was wide open, deep and dark inside, with a faint green light flickering inside.

Just as Li Changsheng was about to approach, suddenly—

A figure emerged from the woods to the side, blocking their path.

No, it's two people.

Cheng Lao Er, and the Cheng family's Qi Refining Peak Elder.

The worshipper held a palm-sized bronze mirror in his hands. At this moment, the bronze mirror was emitting a rapid buzzing sound, and its surface was flashing with a dazzling spiritual light, pointing directly in the direction where Li Changsheng was hiding.

"A peak-tier first-order concealment technique?" The elder scoffed. "Too bad, my 'Mirror of Illusion' is specifically designed to break concealment. Having hidden for so long, shouldn't it be time to come out?"

He raised his hand, and a sharp sword aura shot out, heading straight for Li Changsheng's hiding place!

Li Changsheng flashed and was forced to reveal himself.

When Cheng Lao Er saw him, his eyes lit up instantly, and the resentment and excitement in his eyes were almost overflowing.

"Li Changsheng!" His voice trembled. "Good, good! I was just looking for you, and you've delivered yourself to my doorstep! The blood feud of the third brother will be avenged today!"

He turned to look at the offering, gritting his teeth: "Kill him! Seize his soul too, so he may never be reincarnated!"

The offering master glanced at Li Changsheng unhurriedly, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips: "Fifth level of Qi Refining?"

He shook his head, as if looking at an overconfident ant.

"Boy, obediently hand over the storage bag, and I might let you die a quick death. Otherwise..." He raised his hand, the tip of his sword pointing at Li Changsheng's brow, "you won't even have the chance to be reincarnated."

With a thought, Li Changsheng noticed that the ghost general had already quietly circled around to the back of the offering.

Just then—

Suddenly, a strange melody drifted from afar.

The music was mournful and plaintive, like the suona horn or a funeral dirge. Upon closer listening, it turned out to be a wedding procession with various instruments playing.

But in the dead of night, in this desolate wilderness, where would a wedding procession come from?