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

Li Changle took the array plate, but before he could even see the runes on it, the Qingqiu Yitian Plate in his hand suddenly trembled violently. A beam of azure light surged from the Qingqiu Yitian Plate, enveloping the ancient array plate. The two array plates slowly approached each other within the azure light, their edges meeting and merging together seamlessly.

The cracks on the Qingqiu plate healed one by one the next day.

The indistinct runes began to light up again, one by one.

A moment later, the blue light subsided.

The Qingqiu Dipan hovered in front of Li Changle, its entire body shimmering with a warm, blue light, completely different from what it had been before.

Li Changle was both surprised and delighted, and quickly activated the array plate. This time, the spiritual power flowed in smoothly, the runes on the array plate lit up layer by layer, and streams of profound power surged out from the array plate and disappeared into the stone wall.

The ancient formation on the stone wall finally shattered under the impact of the Qingqiu Yitian Pan.

The moment the barrier broke—

The Heavenly Book within Li Changsheng's sea of ​​consciousness surged wildly.

Inside, there are things related to celestial books.

Li Changsheng didn't have time to think. He grabbed his younger sister and retreated several feet.

Almost simultaneously, a deep roar came from the depths of the barrier. A colossal beast, entirely bluish-black in color, shaped like a tiger but three times larger, burst out of the barrier, its body shrouded in intense yin energy, its crimson eyes fixed intently on the two intruders.

Peak of Tier 1? No, the aura of this barrier beast is far beyond Tier 1.

Foundation building.

Li Changsheng grabbed his younger sister and rushed out of the lair without looking back, crossing the mountain. He only stopped when he was sure the barrier beast was not chasing them.

"Brother, what is that?" Li Changle's face turned pale.

"A barrier beast." Li Changsheng glanced back at the direction of his lair, his brows furrowed.

The treasure mountain was right in front of us, but the barrier beast was blocking the entrance, making it impossible to force our way in.

He looked at his younger sister: "Is there any way to trap it with an array?"

Li Changle thought for a moment and hesitated, then said, "We can try, but with my current cultivation level, I can only trap it for a few dozen breaths at most."

Dozens of breaths.

Li Changsheng pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That's enough."

He wouldn't risk it for something ordinary. But the Heavenly Book's reaction couldn't be faked—deep within that barrier lay something related to the Heavenly Book. It was worth a try.

at the foot of the mountain.

Li Changle set up the array plates and flags of the small-scale Inverted Five Elements Array and the Green Vine Strangulation Array one by one, retreated to a safe distance, held the array plates in his hands, and held his breath and concentrated.

Li Changsheng patted Chi Yu on the back and then glanced at Mo Yu.

"go."

Crimson Feather took flight, soaring towards the mountaintop. Ink Jade, cradling a pipa, gracefully followed beside it.

A moment later, the sound of Chi Yu's neigh and Mo Yu's pipa echoed from the mountaintop. Three roars followed in quick succession, and three dark figures burst forth from the summit, chasing Chi Yu and Mo Yu down the mountainside.

"Now!" Li Changsheng shouted.

Li Changle channeled his spiritual power into the array plate, and the small-scale Inverted Five Elements Array and the Green Vine Strangulation Array were activated simultaneously!

The power of the five elements transformed into five-colored pillars of light, trapping the three barrier beasts within the formation. Countless cyan vines surged from the ground, entwining their limbs and binding them firmly.

The barrier beast roared and struggled, its vines snapped one by one, and the five elements pillars of light trembled violently.

Li Changsheng slapped a Swiftness Talisman onto his body, activated the Wind-Riding Boots on his feet, and his figure transformed into a streak of light, passing by the barrier beast and rushing into the tunnel at the top of the mountain.

The three barrier beasts sensed his intention and struggled frantically, causing the formation to tremble precariously.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Veins bulged on Li Changle's forehead as his spiritual power surged wildly into the array plate.

Ten breaths.

Fifteen breaths.

Twenty breaths.

The array's pillar of light was covered with countless cracks.

Twenty-five breaths.

"boom--"

The formation shattered.

The three barrier beasts broke free and roared as they charged toward the mountaintop.

...

...

the other side.

Li Changsheng entered the barrier.

The interior was completely empty.

On the stone platform in the very center, a fist-sized, jet-black bead floats suspended. The surface of the bead shimmers with a dark luster, and countless tiny runes seem to move within it, as if it were a world unto itself.

The Heavenly Book trembled violently in his sea of ​​consciousness, almost bursting out of his body.

Li Changsheng reached out and grasped the black bead.

A cool sensation came from his palm, and the black bead seemed to come alive, twitching slightly before transforming into a stream of light and disappearing into his brow.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Heavenly Book shone with brilliant golden light.

The black bead hovered above the Heavenly Book, slowly rotating, with strands of black silk emanating from it and connecting with the Heavenly Book.

[Upgrade materials obtained from the Heavenly Book Space. Upgrade now?]

Without hesitation, Li Changsheng thought to himself, "Upgrade."

The golden light of the Heavenly Book intertwined with the black light of the black bead, forming a massive cocoon of light within the sea of ​​consciousness. The cocoon trembled a few times before returning to stillness.

[Upgrade in progress, estimated time: seven days.]

Li Changsheng withdrew from his sea of ​​consciousness and rushed out of the barrier.

A few dozen breaths, just right.

He brushed past the barrier beast and sprinted down the mountain, yelling, "Go!"

Chi Yu swooped down, and Li Changsheng leaped onto the chicken's back, pulling his little sister up with him. Chi Yu flapped its wings and soared into the sky, leaving the enraged barrier beast far behind.

Crimson wings cut through the wind, carrying the brother and sister across a gray-black wasteland. Li Changsheng was meditating with his eyes closed when the sensing jade talisman at his waist suddenly glowed slightly.

He looked down and saw the spiritual light on the jade talisman flashing rhythmically.

"Brother, it's Dad!" Li Changle saw him too, her little face full of surprise. "Dad's nearby!"

Li Changsheng channeled his spiritual power into the jade talisman, causing the light to flicker steadily and clearly in the direction of north. He patted Chi Yu's neck, and Chi Yu let out a long cry, changed direction, and soared northward.

……

To the north lies the Yinhuai River.

The river was as black as ink, its surface dozens of meters wide, yet the current was almost silent, like a silent, winding black python. The banks were barren, covered only with gray-black pebbles and cracked earth, and a faint, putrid stench permeated the air.

Li Shouyi stood on a high point on the riverbank, soaked to the bone, his robes stained with black mud and dark red blood. But he paid no heed to that, his hands forming hand seals as he exerted all his strength to urge the golden-scaled fish in the river to move.

The golden-scaled fish moved through the water like a golden lightning bolt, locked in combat with a two-headed snake.

Two snake heads, one on the left and one on the right, one spewing poisonous mist and the other spewing ice spikes, worked in perfect coordination, their attacks fierce and powerful. Its body was as thick as a water bucket, most of it submerged in the black river water, with only a small part of its body and two ferocious heads visible.

Peak first-tier Yin Beast!

The golden-scaled fish dodged and weaved through the two-headed snake's attacks, its golden scales bearing several white scratches, but it remained unharmed. Seizing its opportunity, it unleashed a golden-scaled water blade from its mouth. The blade sliced ​​through the air, striking the two-headed snake's neck and leaving a deep wound from which black blood gushed forth.

The two-headed snake, in pain, hissed simultaneously from both heads, spewing out a thick cloud of black venom. The venom poured down like a torrential rain, shooting towards the golden-scaled fish.

Li Shouyi was prepared, and the talisman he had been holding suddenly activated.

Tier 1 Top-grade, Vajra Body Protection Talisman.

A pale golden light shield appeared out of thin air, enveloping Li Shouyi and the golden-scaled fish simultaneously. The venom landed on the shield, emitting a hissing, corrosive sound. The shield trembled violently, its spiritual light flashing wildly, but it withstood the attack.

The golden-scaled fish seized the opportunity and unleashed its long-prepared golden-scaled water blades once more, this time aiming at the two-headed snake's left head—the one that spewed venom.

The water blade was as fast as lightning, striking precisely where the left side of the head and neck met.

"Click—"

The left head fell off with a thud, gushing black blood like a fountain. The remaining right head of the two-headed snake let out a mournful hiss, its body thrashing wildly in the water, creating huge splashes.

The golden-scaled fish gave it no chance to breathe. Another golden-scaled water blade slashed towards its right.

The two-headed snake tried its best to dodge, but the water blade still sliced ​​off half of its head. It struggled a few times, then finally stopped moving, its corpse floating on the surface, its black blood staining the surrounding river even blacker.

Li Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to step forward to collect the spoils of war—

"roar--"

From the depths of the riverbed came a deep, furious roar. The sound was much louder and more powerful than the previous two-headed snake, carrying a chilling pressure.

Li Shouyi's expression changed.

The river surface exploded, and another two-headed snake sprang out of the water.

This one was a whole size larger than the previous one, its jet-black scales faintly adorned with dark red patterns. Both of its snake heads had crimson eyes, radiating a bloodthirsty, ferocious light. Its belly was swollen high, as if it had just swallowed something large, so bulging that its scales were slightly cracked.

Quasi-second order.

Li Shouyi's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.

But soon, he noticed—the two-headed snake moved somewhat slowly, its two heads didn't coordinate well, and it would occasionally glance at its swollen belly. The thing inside was resisting.

"Golden Scale Fish!" Li Shouyi shouted in a low voice. The Golden Scale Fish understood and rushed forward to attract the attention of the two-headed snake. It swam rapidly in the water, occasionally spitting out a water blade to harass the two-headed snake and lure it away from Li Shouyi.

Li Shouyi took out two talismans from his bosom.

First-tier top-grade, Heavenly Thunder Righteous Law Talisman.

A top-tier, first-class item: Demon-Slaying Talisman.

These two talismans were all he had, originally intended to be kept for self-preservation, but he couldn't care less about that now.

He poured his spiritual power into it, and both talismans lit up simultaneously.

The creature inside the two-headed snake resisted more and more fiercely, its body twisting violently, and both heads emitting painful hissing sounds at the same time, momentarily ignoring the harassment from the golden-scaled fish.

It's now!

Li Shouyi activated both talismans simultaneously. A golden bolt of lightning and a silver sword light roared out from the talismans, striking the two heads of the two-headed snake from the left and right respectively.

"boom--"

Thunder exploded, and sword light slashed down.

The two heads of the two-headed snake exploded simultaneously, splattering black blood and bits of flesh everywhere. The massive snake body crashed onto the riverbank, twitched a few times, and finally lay still.

"A close call!" Li Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to clean up the snake carcass.

"Good! Good! Good!"

A voice came from behind, carrying a hint of admiration, but also an undisguised greed.

Li Shouyi suddenly turned around.

A middle-aged cultivator in brocade robes emerged from behind a boulder, standing with his hands behind his back, his aura at the peak of Qi Refining undisguised. His gaze was fixed intently on the golden-scaled fish in the river, his eyes filled with greed.

"Huai'an County, Du family, Du Yuanlang." He introduced himself casually, as if Li Shouyi was already his for the taking. "This golden-scaled fish, I've set my sights on."

Li Shouyi's heart sank.

Like the Sun family, the Du family was a long-established Qi-refining family in Huai'an County, with no prior dealings or relationship with the Li family. Du Yuanlang's appearance at this time clearly indicated he wasn't there to help.

"Fellow Daoist Du," Li Shouyi said, forcing himself to remain calm, cupping his hands in greeting, "this golden-scaled fish is my spirit pet, having been with me for many years, like a brother. Please forgive me..."

"I'm not negotiating with you," Du Yuanlang interrupted him, his tone still calm, but the killing intent in his eyes was undisguised. "Dissolve the contract and leave the Golden Scale Fish behind. I'll allow you to enter reincarnation in consideration of how hard you worked to slay the two-headed serpent. Otherwise—"

He smiled, a chilling smile: "Soul scattered."

Li Shouyi sensed the increasingly bright spiritual light emanating from the jade talisman in his storage bag—his children were nearby, getting closer and closer.

Du Wanshan wasn't stupid; he saw that Li Shouyi was stalling for time.

"court death!"

Du Wanshan's murderous intent had already been formed.

The magical artifact in his hand suddenly lit up, and a sharp sword light rushed straight towards Li Shouyi's face.

Li Shouyi was prepared. He suddenly activated the last Vajra Body Protection Talisman in his hand, and a pale golden light shield firmly protected him. The sword light struck the light shield, causing it to tremble violently, but it did not shatter.

A golden-scaled fish leaped out of the river, its golden scales aimed straight for Du Yuanlang's back.

Du Yuanlang dodged to the side, then slashed his sword backhand, shattering the water blade. He sneered, "A mere exhausted golden-scaled fish dares to be so insolent before me?"

He struck out with his palm, the wind from which was like a knife, sending the golden-scaled fish flying. The fish tumbled several times in the air before crashing heavily onto the riverbank, its scales dripping with blood.

Li Shouyi's face turned pale as he desperately channeled his spiritual power to maintain the protective barrier.

Du Yuanlang approached step by step, his palm gathering spiritual energy, his killing intent resolute.

"Li Shouyi, your death is imminent—"