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

Green Phosphorus Valley.

The moment Li Changle landed, she knew she had been teleported to a place she shouldn't have been.

The valley was filled with such dense, almost tangible, ghostly flames flickered all around, and countless greyish-white phantoms roamed in the mist—a dense, layered mass of ghostly soldiers, numbering at least a hundred. Sensing the presence of a living soul, they all turned their heads in unison, their empty eye sockets flickering with eerie green flames.

"Akaha!"

Li Changle reacted swiftly, channeling her spiritual energy into the protective talisman in her sleeve. A burst of golden light erupted, enveloping her. Several ghosts that lunged at her were repelled by the golden light, emitting sharp screechs. At the same time, she yanked Chi Yu out of her spirit beast pouch, flipped over, and leaped onto its back.

"Go! Quickly!"

With a flap of its wings, Chi Yu took to the air.

At that very moment—

A deep, angry roar came from the group of ghost soldiers.

That roar was no ordinary sound, but an invisible ripple that surged straight into the sea of ​​consciousness!

Li Changle felt a buzzing in his head, and the world spun before his eyes.

However, she had cultivated the "Refining God Technique," making her spiritual power far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators. She gritted her teeth and endured it. Chi Yu, on the other hand, was not so lucky—although it was a demon beast, its soul was even more fragile than that of cultivators of the same level. When the sound wave entered its brain, its eyes rolled back, its wings stiffened, and it plummeted straight down from mid-air.

"Akaha!"

Li Changle rolled off Chi Yu's back, using the roll to dissipate the impact, while simultaneously summoning the array plate in her hand. Four array flags flew out, accurately planting themselves in the soil around her, and the Azure Vine Strangling Array was activated with a roar! Countless azure vine phantoms surged from the ground, weaving together to form an impenetrable barrier, firmly protecting her in the center.

The horde of ghosts pounced.

The ghosts, fearless of death, crashed into the green vine barrier one after another.

Bang bang bang!

The vines trembled violently from the impact.

A flurry of inspirations struck, but I could hold on for the time being.

Li Changle dared not be negligent. He took out the Qingqiu Yitian Plate from his bosom, poured spiritual power into it, and the runes on the plate lit up, turning into sharp blades of light that slashed at the ghost soldiers who were attacking the life gate of the formation.

One, two, three...

Wherever the blade of light passed, the ghosts turned into black smoke and vanished.

Ding ding ding.

Soul beads kept falling to the ground.

We must think of a way to escape as soon as possible.

Li Changle's mind raced.

The horde of ghosts was simply too numerous; one wave was killed, and another wave appeared, seemingly endless. The green vine barrier grew thinner and thinner under the onslaught of the ghosts, and its spiritual light dimmed more and more.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Li Changle's forehead.

Can't wait any longer.

She gritted her teeth and took out a golden talisman from her storage bag—a top-grade, first-tier Heavenly Thunder Talisman. This was one of the life-saving items Yun Jiuniang had given her before she left, and she had been reluctant to use it. But if she didn't use it now, she feared she wouldn't even be able to save her life.

Spiritual energy is infused.

The talisman transformed into a golden bolt of lightning, which slammed out from her palm!

"boom--!"

Wherever the lightning struck, ghosts were torn to shreds as if made of paper, billowing black smoke clearing the area within a ten-foot radius. A charred crater remained on the ground, with dozens of soul beads scattered around its edge, crackling incessantly.

The ghost horde's offensive finally paused for a moment.

Li Changle dared not delay. She immediately sat down cross-legged, formed hand seals, and activated the Heart-Cleansing Mantra. A pale blue halo spread from her palms, enveloping the collapsed Chi Yu.

"Wake up! Akabane, wake up!"

Akabane's eyelids twitched, and a low gurgling sound came from his throat.

Just then.

From the depths of the horde of ghosts, that deep, angry roar resounded once more.

This time, Li Changle saw it clearly—the ghost horde parted, and a ghost general, entirely black and with a solid, lifelike form, emerged from the darkness. Crimson ghost flames flickered in its eye sockets, and its peak-level first-tier aura pressed down like a mountain.

"Kill," it said, its voice hoarse like a broken gong.

The horde of ghosts swarmed forward again.

Akabane finally opened his eyes.

It swayed as it stood up, shook its head, and saw the dense horde of ghosts before it. It let out an angry hiss, flapped its wings, and opened its mouth to release a fireball the size of a human head!

The fireball exploded, incinerating the first few ghosts to ashes. It then unleashed several more fireballs, temporarily halting the ghost horde's advance. But the ghost horde was simply too numerous to kill, pouring out of the valley endlessly.

Li Changle's face was pale, and she had already exhausted most of her spiritual energy.

The barrier of the Green Vine Strangulation Formation is getting thinner and thinner, and it looks like it's about to collapse.

……

Just then—

A figure swept in from the valley entrance.

Sun Zhengming, the third elder of the Sun family.

He landed on a high ground, looking down at Li Changle, who was struggling to hold on in the formation. He then glanced at the first-tier peak spirit pet that was breathing fire, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which then turned into greed.

A top-tier, first-order fire-type spirit pet is worth at least a thousand spirit stones on the market.

"Such a spirit pet, falling into the hands of this little girl, is a complete waste!"

He took out several array flags from his sleeve, waved them casually, and the flags were planted in the ground around him.

The miniature Inverted Five Elements Array was activated instantly, and an invisible barrier enveloped the entire area. The Yin energy in the valley was forcibly reversed by the array, transforming into the power of the Five Elements, and building a wall of fire between Li Chang Le and the ghost horde.

The horde of ghosts, blocked by the wall of fire, let out unwilling roars.

The ghost general also stopped in his tracks, watching the suddenly appearing formation warily.

Sun Zhengming stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he looked at Li Changle:

"Little girl, break the contract and give this spirit pet to me, and I'll save your life. How about it?"

Li Changle agreed without hesitation.

Sun Zhengming was taken aback, not expecting her to agree so readily.

But he quickly came to terms with it.

What could a young girl at the fifth level of Qi Refining not give up when facing a life-or-death situation?

In front of him, Li Changle made hand seals and chanted the incantation to break the spirit pet contract.

Sun Zhengming was overjoyed upon seeing this and, without further hesitation, activated the formation.

The miniature Inverted Five Elements Array operated at full power, forcibly transforming the Yin energy in the valley into the power of the five elements, turning it into a blazing sea of ​​lava that dragged all the ghost soldiers and generals into it. The ghost soldiers struggled, roared, and turned to ashes in the lava, while the ghost general, though powerful, was also overwhelmed and in a sorry state under the restraint of the Five Elements Array.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the ghosts in the valley were all slaughtered.

The ground was scattered with countless soul beads, at least a hundred of them.

Sun Zhengming laughed heartily, and with a flick of his sleeve, he pocketed all the soul beads. A rough calculation showed that these soul beads could be exchanged for over a thousand imperial merit points—such a harvest on his very first day in the valley was truly a blessing from the heavens!

He stopped laughing and looked at Li Chang Le in the formation, his gaze becoming deep and unfathomable.

Although this little girl is young, she is already a first-tier high-grade array master, her talent is truly astonishing. If we can recruit her, the Sun family will have another array genius in the future. We can also plant a spy in the Li family, killing two birds with one stone!

He took out a pitch-black book from his pocket, the cover of which was outlined with two eerie words in dark red patterns: "Soul Contract".

"Little girl," he said with a smile, "I admire your talent and don't wish to take your life. Sign a master-servant contract with me, and I'll spare your life. How about it?"

Li Changle felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the Soul Book. However, she didn't show it on her face, instead revealing hesitation: "Senior, could you please remove the formation first? I'm only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, while you're at the peak of Qi Refining. I can't escape."

Sun Zhengming shook his head, his smile unchanged: "Sign the contract first, then remove the formation. You and that spirit pet will both acknowledge me as your master."

"This old geezer isn't taking the bait!" Li Changle bit her lower lip.

……

at the same time.

hum!

Sun Zhengming's expression changed drastically.

The warning array he had set up on the perimeter went off.

Someone is coming.

He reacted extremely quickly, and the first-grade top-quality magic weapon in his hand suddenly lit up. He cast a spell, and the magic weapon transformed into hundreds of flying needles, which shot towards the direction where the warning array sounded like a rainstorm!

"Jingle bells—"

The flying needles shot into the void, yet emitted a dense, metallic clanging sound.

A slender figure was forced to appear from the void—Mo Yu, holding a pipa, her body surging with yin energy, her cold eyes staring at him. Behind Mo Yu, Li Changsheng's figure gradually emerged from concealment.

"Li Changsheng!"

Sun Zhengming's pupils contracted slightly.

A peak-level first-tier ghost general! The Li family actually has such a trump card?

He didn't take the Li siblings seriously because their cultivation levels were low. But that peak-level first-tier ghost general, plus that peak-level first-tier fire-type spirit pet... if they fought head-on, he might not be able to escape unscathed.

His goal for this trip is to get into the top five, not to fight tooth and nail.

The murderous intent on Sun Zhengming's face vanished instantly, replaced by a warm smile:

"Young friend Li, it's a misunderstanding! I was just passing by when I saw your sister being attacked by ghosts, so I came to her rescue. Our families have no prior grudges, so why must we fight?"

Li Changsheng looked at his face, which changed like flipping through a book, and sneered inwardly. He nodded.

"Senior Sun is right. We do not wish to be enemies with the Sun family. Please dispel the formation, and my brother and I will leave now."

Sun Zhengming was secretly delighted.

His miniature Inverted Five Elements Array was quite valuable; if a battle broke out, the array would be damaged, resulting in more losses than gains. Since the Li family was sensible, he was happy to go along with it.

"Of course, of course." He smiled and made a hand seal, slowly putting away the small inverted five elements array.

The battle flags rose from the ground, the wall of fire dissipated, the sea of ​​lava receded, and the yin energy in the valley resumed its normal flow.

The moment the formation was removed—

Trapped in the formation and regarded by Sun Zhengming as "ownerless," Chi Yu suddenly burst forth!

A cyan wind blade roared out of its mouth, as fast as lightning, heading straight for Sun Zhengming's throat!

Sun Zhengming was shocked and retreated rapidly, while his protective robe glowed with a pale golden light. The wind blade struck the light shield, exploding into a blinding light. The light shield trembled violently and cracked, but it managed to withstand the attack.

"You beast!" Sun Zhengming roared, about to retaliate, when he suddenly saw Li Changsheng's lips move slightly, as if he were chanting some kind of incantation.

His mind went blank for a moment, and he instantly understood everything—that spirit pet wasn't that little brat at all! That little girl's actions just now were all an act! He'd been tricked by a little girl at the fifth level of Qi Refining and a little boy at the fifth level of Qi Refining!

"You're asking for it!"

Sun Zhengming flew into a rage, and the magical artifact in his hand lit up once more—

The black jade moved.

She plucked the pipa with her delicate hands, and the strings vibrated, transforming musical notes into sharp arrows that rained down on Sun Zhengming like a storm. Sun Zhengming had no choice but to turn and defend himself. The protective aura of his protective robe shattered inch by inch under the bombardment of the arrows, and he fought and retreated, utterly disheveled.

However, he was, after all, a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining and a near-second-tier array master, with profound foundations. Although caught off guard, he quickly regained his footing. He took out a wind escape talisman radiating a blue light from his robes, poured spiritual power into it, and the talisman lit up, enveloping him in a blue whirlwind.

"Li Changsheng! I will remember this grudge! Once I get out of here, I will make sure your Li family—"

He hadn't finished his harsh words.

A short, jet-black sword silently slashed across his neck.

The short sword had been lurking beside him, concealed in the shadows by activating [Concealment], leaving no trace of its presence. Sun Zhengming's entire attention was focused on Mo Yu and Chi Yu, and he was completely unaware of its existence.

The short sword flashed, and blood appeared.

Sun Zhengming's eyes widened, a "hoarse" sound coming from his throat. He covered his neck with both hands, but couldn't stop the gushing blood. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but only spat out a string of blood bubbles.

He couldn't believe, even in death, that he had perished like this.

He died at the hands of a junior who was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Li Changsheng activated the Hundred Ghost Banner, and a semi-transparent soul was forcibly pulled from Sun Zhengming's corpse. The soul twisted and struggled, its face contorted in grotesque horror, and it roared silently—but it could not escape the pull of the Hundred Ghost Banner and was dragged into that boundless darkness.

With her lips slightly parted, Mo Yutan absorbed the soul into her abdomen.

【Ink Jade: Peak Tier 1 (50/100)】

Followed by.

The belt around Li Changsheng's waist lit up again.

A surge of blood-red light enveloped Sun Zhengming's corpse, slowly draining his life essence. Within moments, Sun Zhengming's body had turned into a dried-up corpse, which then crumbled into ash and scattered in the wind.

A warm surge of blood energy flowed into Li Changsheng's body through his belt, exploded in his dantian, and transformed into countless fine streams that flowed through his meridians to his limbs and bones.

Li Changsheng dared not delay, so he sat down cross-legged on the spot and began to circulate the "Iron Bone Forging Technique".

The power of his blood and qi surged into his muscles like raging fire and molten lava. Under the tempering of this power, the muscle fibers of his Lesser Completion of the Flesh Refining Realm tore, reformed, and strengthened once again. Each tear was excruciatingly painful, and each reformation made him even stronger.

After a moment, he opened his eyes.

Meat refining realm, great success.

He looked down at his arm; the muscles beneath his skin were more defined, every muscle fiber brimming with explosive power. He clenched his fist, and the air crackled slightly.

"Brother!" Li Changle exclaimed, her eyes filled with the joy of surviving a disaster, "I knew you'd come!"

Li Changsheng smiled indulgently.

They then discovered that Zhao Cai had disappeared without their knowledge.

"Looks like this little guy has found some new treasure!"

Li Changsheng flicked his sleeve, took the storage bag from the ground into his hand, sensed it, and discovered that Zhao Cai was in the ghost soldiers' lair.

He immediately said:

"Little sister, let's go!"

...

...

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, at the Sun family's residence...

Soul Palace.

The Sixth Elder, who was guarding the Soul Hall, was meditating with his eyes closed when he suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy. He opened his eyes and casually glanced at the hundreds of soul lamps in the Soul Hall—then, his gaze froze.

The third lamp from the left in the second row. The soul lamp of the Third Elder, Sun Zhengming, has gone out.

The Sixth Elder suddenly stood up, and the chair crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

He stared intently at the extinguished soul lamp, his lips trembling, his face ashen.

The Third Elder... is dead?

The Third Elder is one of the five most promising candidates in the Sun family to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage! His mastery of formations is extraordinary. Once he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he will immediately become a second-tier formation master and one of the future pillars of the Sun family!

How could such a person die? How could he die during a grand competition among aristocratic families?

The Sixth Elder scrambled out of the Soul Palace and ran wildly towards the back mountain.

The back mountain is where the Sun family patriarch secluded himself for cultivation, and the Third Elder is the patriarch's most beloved son.

He dared not, and could not, conceal the truth.

The stone gate at the back of the mountain was tightly shut. The Sixth Elder knelt before the gate, his voice trembling:

"Ancestor... the Third Elder's soul lamp... has gone out."

Beyond the stone gate, there was a deathly silence.

A moment later, a deep voice came from deep within the stone gate:

"Who killed my son?!"

Though the voice was low, it contained suppressed anger and killing intent, causing the Sixth Elder to freeze. He dared not be negligent and quickly replied:

"Ancestor, the Third Elder has entered the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave. If it wasn't... if it wasn't the work of ghosts, it was most likely the Du family who killed him."

The Du family and the Sun family have been constantly clashing in Huai'an County, and their grudges have been accumulating. If the Du family finds an opportunity, they will definitely not let the Sun family off the hook.