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

Li Changsheng frowned slightly and activated the contract mark in the spirit beast bag with his mind.

A moment later, a squeaking sound came from a distance.

Zhao Cai darted out from the side gate of the palace, its two little paws clutching a puppet fragment larger than its body, and stumbled along.

The two storage bags hanging around its neck were bulging and stuffed full, making a jingling sound as it ran. On its back, it carefully carried an old-fashioned egg-shaped object about the size of a palm, covered with dark brown patterns, for fear of dropping it during the bumpy ride.

It ran to Li Changsheng's feet, first carefully placing the puppet fragments down, then laboriously moving the beast egg on its back to the ground. Then, it proudly puffed out its little chest, squeaked twice, and pointed at the beast egg with its little paws from time to time, looking like it was asking for credit, saying, "Look, I not only found something good, but I also protected it well."

"Well done!"

This little money-grubber.

They clearly haven't been idle in this forbidden area for the past two months.

Li Changsheng squatted down, took the storage bag from its neck, and probed it with his divine sense.

It was filled with all sorts of "junk"—fragments of puppet beasts, remnants of rune arrays, scraps of spirit stones, unknown ores, a few spirit herbs of poor quality... Most of them were useless, but a small piece of silvery metal caught his attention.

He took it out and examined it closely. The fragment was engraved with intricate runes, and there was a faint flow of spiritual energy.

The Heavenly Book Trembled:

[Fragments of azurite ore can be used to refine azurite.]

An unexpected delight.

Li Changsheng's gaze fell on the ancient beast egg.

The surface of the eggshell is covered with spiraling soul-locking patterns, which intertwine and bind like withered black ancient vines, closing in a ring along the curve of the egg. At the nodes, there are fine silver patterns that turn into miniature array nails, locking the egg in place and forming a natural ancient seal.

hum!

A wisp of subtle divine consciousness slowly seeped in along the cracks in the pattern. As soon as it touched the surface restriction, it collided with a cold and stagnant force of confinement and quietly bounced back.

"what?"

A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes as he tried a few times.

The origin of the seal remains unknown.

"Fine!"

He put away the strange sealed beast egg, intending to investigate it in detail later.

He then transferred all the illicit items from his storage bag—fragments of Azure Sand, core components of the puppet beast, and several high-grade spiritual herbs—to his Heavenly Book space. The remaining ordinary spirit stones and materials stayed in his storage bag, just enough to cover any future inspections by the Yun family.

"Chirp chirp—"

Zhao Cai squatted at his feet, looking up at him with its round little eyes full of expectation, its tail constantly swishing on the ground, waiting for its master's reward.

Li Changsheng couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

He took out a brightly colored spiritual fruit from his storage bag and placed it in its arms.

Zhao Cai immediately hugged the spirit fruit, munching away until juice splashed everywhere, its fluffy tail wagging like a windmill, completely satisfied.

Just now.

hum!

The jade talisman at his waist trembled slightly, and a faint halo appeared, a sign that the secret realm teleportation was about to open and he was about to be teleported out.

Li Changsheng happily put the wealth-bringing beast back into his spirit beast bag, then carefully put the Hundred Herbs Cauldron into his storage bag, tidied his clothes, and made sure nothing was left behind.

Once everything is in order.

He habitually activated the Book of Destiny to begin his daily divination.

The Heavenly Book trembled once more, and a line of text clearly entered the divine consciousness:

The Eastern Wilderness Heavenly Dragon Tribe possesses an embryonic talisman for opening the mind's apertures. This treasure can assist in cultivating the first level of the Seven Apertures Elixir Scripture, helping you successfully open your mind's apertures.

...

...

Entrance to the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts.

The three-month period has arrived.

The barrier light curtain rippled like water, and five figures stood in front of the light curtain, sitting cross-legged in the five elements orientation.

Manager Zhou was a lively person, and after waiting for three months, he was getting restless. Seeing that the light screen was about to open, his eyes lit up, and he smiled:

"Since we have nothing better to do, why not take a gamble and see which one wins this time?"

"Why not?" Yun Qilang's father, Yun Zhiwu, smiled and took out a fist-sized spirit pearl from his sleeve. The pearl was entirely red, with faint flame patterns flowing on its surface, radiating a warm aura.

"A second-tier spiritual item, the Flaming Sun Pearl." He held the pearl in his palm and said with a smile, "This pearl has the essence of the earth's core as its core and three-hundred-year-old warm jade as its shell. Wearing it can nourish the meridians and dispel cold poison. It is of great benefit to cultivators who practice fire-attribute techniques."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his smile undiminished:

"The Sun family is my wife's family. Regardless of the outcome, I cannot avoid suspicion. This time, I'm betting on the Sun family. Winning is fate, losing is my sentiment."

Manager Zhou laughed heartily, took the wine gourd from his waist, and tossed it into the air.

"A second-tier magic artifact, the Drunken Immortal Gourd." Steward Zhou stroked his beard and said with a smile, "This gourd was acquired by me many years ago. It was made from a five-hundred-year-old spirit vine and nurtured with a hundred kinds of spirit wine. It can hold a thousand catties of spirit wine and can also warm and nourish the wine, making it more fragrant the longer it is stored. I'm betting it on the Zheng family."

The two elderly men sitting there kept their eyes closed and remained silent, showing no interest in the gambling game.

The eldest daughter of the Yun family took out a jade hairpin from her sleeve.

The hairpin is entirely white, with a plum blossom bud carved on the head, its petals faintly glowing with spiritual light.

"A second-tier spiritual artifact, the Cold Plum Hairpin. Its core is made of three-hundred-year-old cold jade, and its soul is the essence of ice. Wearing it can clear the mind and brighten the eyes. When facing an enemy, it can transform into thirty-six ice spikes, combining offense and defense. Bet on the Li family."

After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent for a moment.

Yun Zhiwu's smile froze slightly, then returned to normal.

Yun Qilang, standing behind him, couldn't hold back any longer and quickly sent a telepathic message to his father:

"Father, has the young lady gone mad? The highest cultivation level in the Li family is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. It would be good enough if they could come out of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave alive, let alone win the grand prize?"

Yun Zhiwu glared at his son without changing his expression, and transmitted his voice, "Do you think the eldest young lady is making baseless accusations?"

He said that, but he was also having doubts.

The Li family? That small family that was only established a little over two years ago?

What is this young lady up to?

Steward Zhou was also taken aback, stroking his beard as he advised, "Miss, wouldn't you like to reconsider? After all, the Li family's foundation is still relatively weak..."

"No need," the young lady interrupted him, her voice calm as still water.

Yun Jiuniang stood behind her eldest sister, stamping her feet anxiously. She quickly sent a telepathic message to her elder sister: "Sister, although the Li family isn't bad, they're still far behind those established families. The treasure pouches we gave them can only save their lives, how can they possibly win the championship? Sister, think it over again!"

The young lady had no intention of changing her mind at all.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Manager Zhou stopped talking and clapped his hands happily: "Alright, it's settled then."

……

The two old men opened their eyes and said simultaneously, "The time has come."

The five Foundation Establishment cultivators simultaneously activated the jade talismans in their hands, unleashing five streams of spiritual energy—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—into the barrier's light screen. The light screen trembled violently, runes flowed, and spiritual light surged. A massive portal slowly opened in the center of the light screen.

Immediately afterwards, figures were drawn out from the doorway.

The first four people to emerge were covered in blood and looked utterly disheveled.

Sun Zhengyuan, the head of the Sun family, and Sun Zhengfang, the second elder of the Sun family. Both of them were covered in wounds. Sun Zhengfang's left arm was severed at the elbow, and blood was still seeping from the wound.

Du Yuankun, the patriarch of the Du family, and Du Yuanlie, the third elder of the Du family. Du Yuankun was pale and weak; Du Yuanlie was covered in blood.

Yun Qilang was overjoyed to see Sun Zhengyuan and was about to go forward when he suddenly realized someone was missing. Where was Sun Zhengming? Where was his second uncle? He hurried forward, his voice trembling:

"Where are my eldest uncle and second uncle?"

Sun Zhengyuan's face was ashen, his lips trembled a few times, and his voice was hoarse: "Zhengming... he has fallen."

Yun Qilang was struck dumb, standing there as if by lightning.

He perished? My second uncle was at the peak of Qi Refining, a near-second-tier array master. He had protective robes, a barrier-breaking bead, and various life-saving talismans. How could he have perished?

"A ghost tide has broken out in the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts." Sun Zhengyuan's voice trembled with lingering fear. "Tens of thousands of ghost soldiers poured out of the forbidden area, overwhelming everything in their path, killing them all..."

Before he could finish speaking, his injury flared up, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He quickly sat down cross-legged, took some healing pills, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

……

A flash of inspiration struck again.

Zheng Yuanlong, the patriarch of the Zheng family, was teleported out. He was covered in blood, his storage bag was missing, and he was barely breathing. He fainted as soon as he landed.

Manager Zhou's expression changed, and he quickly stepped forward to check.

After a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief: "There's still hope."

He took out a healing pill and put it into Zheng Yuanlong's mouth, then channeled a stream of spiritual energy to protect his heart meridian.

……

The light screen surged again.

The Nangong clan chief, Nangong Jin, and his wife were teleported out.

Although the two had wounds, their breathing was still steady and their injuries were not serious. After landing, Nangong Jin glanced around and saw the miserable state of the Sun and Du families. He frowned slightly, said nothing, and led his wife to the side to sit cross-legged and meditate.

Immediately afterwards, four figures appeared at the same time.

Du Liuniang, Du Qiqi, Li Changle, Li Shouyi.

Although the four were disheveled, their injuries were not serious. After landing, Li Changle quickly glanced around, but not seeing her brother, her face instantly turned pale. She grabbed her father's sleeve, her voice trembling:

"Father, where's my brother? Why hasn't he come out yet?"

Li Shouyi's heart tightened, but he forced himself to remain calm and patted his daughter's hand:

"Don't worry, your brother... he'll be alright. Just wait a little longer, just a little longer."

Du Liuniang and Du Qiqi also looked at the light screen with concern. If it weren't for Li Changsheng's rescue, they would have died in the ghost tide long ago. They hoped more than anyone else that Li Changsheng would return safely.

No one else appeared in the light screen.

The expressions of the five Foundation Establishment cultivators changed simultaneously.

Manager Zhou frowned, activating the jade talisman in his hand, channeling spiritual energy into the barrier in an attempt to sense the situation inside. After a moment, he shook his head:

"The spiritual energy within the barrier is chaotic and cannot be sensed. Something must have happened in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave."

Yun Zhiwu's face darkened, and he gave his son, Yun Qilang, a meaningful look. Yun Qilang understood, took out an array plate from his robes, and poured spiritual energy into it. With a hum, a light screen rose from the ground, enveloping the entire exit area.

"Gentlemen, no one is allowed to leave until the matter is clarified," Yun Qilang said coldly.

Outside the light barrier, the surviving cultivators looked at each other in bewilderment.

Yun Jiuniang stood behind her eldest sister, her palms sweating with anxiety. She secretly sent a telepathic message to her elder sister: "Sister, Li Changsheng hasn't come out yet, could it be...?"

after all.

Their previous support for the Li family was all based on Li Changsheng's future potential.

The young lady looked at the light screen and said calmly, "No need to worry."

Yun Jiuniang bit her lip, not daring to ask any more questions.

Time passed little by little.

No one else appeared in the light screen.

The Zhou family, the Wu family, the Zheng family (except for Zheng Yuanlong), the Wang family... nine families, twenty-seven people, were all wiped out.

Fifteen noble families entered, with three people from each family, totaling forty-five people. Only eleven of them came out alive.

Li Changsheng has not yet come out.

"Brother..." Li Changle stared intently at the light screen, her eyes reddening.

The light curtain begins to close!