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

Just as the light curtain was closing, a figure darted out from the gap and landed steadily on the ground.

Li Changsheng dusted off his robes and straightened up.

All eyes were on him. Not because of the shock of his emergence, but because of his appearance—he was spotless, his clothes were neat, his hair was in perfect order, his complexion was rosy, and his aura was calm. He didn't look like someone who had escaped from a horde of ghosts, but rather like someone who had just emerged from a blessed land.

Yun Qilang frowned, scrutinizing Li Changsheng from head to toe. He was still at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but his entire demeanor was completely different. His skin was as white as jade, with a subtle luster, and his eyes were clear as water. How could this be a cultivator who had struggled in the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave for three months? He had clearly consumed some rare and precious treasure, undergoing a complete transformation.

He muttered to himself.

What incredible luck did the Li family have?

Other prominent families suffered heavy casualties when they went in, but the three members of the Li family returned unharmed.

Wansui Mountain is like this, and so is Wan Gui Cave.

When Yun Jiuniang saw Li Changsheng, a smile immediately bloomed on her face. She turned back and gave her eldest sister an admiring look. The eldest young lady remained calm, as if she had known this would be the outcome all along.

Upon seeing her brother safe and sound, Li Changle was so overjoyed she almost jumped for joy. She grabbed Li Changsheng's arm, her eyes red-rimmed, but she scolded him playfully:

"Brother, why did you take so long to come out! You scared me to death!"

Li Changsheng ruffled her hair without saying anything more.

boom--

The barrier completely closed. The light curtain dissipated, and the stone wall returned to its original state.

The five Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly.

They simultaneously activated the formation, and beams of light separated the six surviving families, isolating them from each other and preventing them from interfering with one another.

Steward Zhou walked up to the Sun family and asked in a deep voice, "What happened in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave?"

Sun Zhengyuan, his face ashen, recounted the events of the ghost tide in detail.

In another light screen, Du Yuankun was also recounting the same experience. Du Yuanlie stood beside him, gritting his teeth, occasionally interjecting with his own words about the ghost tide.

Li Changsheng briefly recounted what happened before he entered the forbidden area, omitting everything inside, only saying that he found a hidden cave and escaped the ghost tide. Li Changle and Li Shouyi added to his account, and the three of them gave the same story.

Half an hour later, the five Foundation Establishment cultivators removed the formation and gathered together to exchange information.

Yun Zhiwu said in a deep voice:

"The six families all agree that a ghost tide did indeed erupt in the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts. Judging from their descriptions, the source of the ghost tide was in the direction of the forbidden area."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the other four:

"The deaths of these Qi Refining families are of no consequence to the Yun family. However, the forbidden area cultivates the Yun family's Foundation Establishment main medicinal herbs. Although the Yun family does not possess the Foundation Establishment pill formula and can only offer them as tribute to the imperial court, this is still the main way for the Yun family to obtain Foundation Establishment pills. If something goes wrong with the Foundation Establishment main medicinal herbs in the forbidden area, it will have a significant impact on the Yun family's long-term plan."

Manager Zhou nodded: "You mean, check their storage bags?"

"Just in case," Yun Zhiwu said.

The five people were in agreement.

.......

Steward Zhou turned and walked towards the surviving cultivators, raising his voice:

"Gentlemen, a ghost tide has occurred in the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts. This is no small matter. To determine the cause, we need to check your storage bags and, incidentally, count the number of Soul Pearls. Does anyone have any objections?"

The crowd looked at each other, and no one dared to say "no".

Manager Zhou started with the Sun family. Sun Zhengyuan proactively handed over his storage bag, which Manager Zhou probed with his divine sense and carefully examined. The spirit stones, pills, talismans, magic tools, soul beads, and some rare spiritual flowers and herbs were all found to be normal. He then counted the number of soul beads and registered them one by one.

Next, they checked Du Yuankun, Nangong Jin, Du Liuniang, Li Shouyi... one by one, they checked each storage bag, but found nothing unusual.

When it was Li Changsheng's turn, Steward Zhou took the storage bag and probed it with his divine sense. After a moment, his body trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He looked up at Li Changsheng, then lowered his head to continue counting the soul beads.

"The Li family has a total of..." Steward Zhou announced a number, paused, and repeated, "...one thousand more merit points than the Sun family."

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

Yun Qilang stared at Li Changsheng in disbelief:

"The Li family won by sheer luck at Wansui Mountain, and then somehow managed to slip through the mud and take first place at Wan Gui Cave. Did their ancestral graves emit auspicious smoke?"

Yun Zhiwu's gaze fell on the young lady.

The Li family's repeated victories can no longer be explained by mere "luck." The eldest daughter's bet on the Li family to win suggests that the Li family may have received secret assistance from the eldest branch of the family.

Yun Qilang also realized what was happening, sneered, and transmitted his voice:

"The eldest son's family is blind. Of all people to choose, they had to pick the poor and destitute Li family. The highest cultivation level in the Li family is only the fifth level of Qi Refining. Who knows when they'll be able to advance to the ninth-rank aristocratic family?"

Yun Zhiwu glared at his son, signaling him to shut up.

On the other side, Yun Jiuniang saw that the Li family had indeed won first place and cast an admiring glance at her eldest sister.

With a flick of her sleeve, the young lady pocketed Yun Zhiwu's Flaming Sun Pearl and Steward Zhou's Drunken Immortal Gourd.

Manager Zhou was a good loser; he laughed it off and didn't care.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice:

"The top five in the family competition have been determined: the Sun family, the Du family of Huai'an County, the Nangong family, the Du family of Qinglan County, and the Li family. Among them, the Li family has emerged victorious."

He paused, then continued:

"The top five teams will not only qualify for Wulong Mountain, but will also receive additional rewards for advancing. The prizes will vary depending on the ranking."

With a flick of his sleeve, five jade boxes floated in mid-air, lined up in a row. Each box was marked with the number "one" to "five," and they shimmered with spiritual light, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary items.

Yun Qilang stared at the jade box marked "one," his face so dark it could drip water. This first-place reward was something their seventh branch had fought tooth and nail for, overcoming all opposition, all to help the Sun family. With three peak Qi Refining cultivators and the treasures secretly bestowed upon them, the Sun family should have easily secured first place. Who could have imagined that the Li family would suddenly appear and snatch the reward away?

Li Changsheng stepped forward, took the jade box marked with "one", and put it into his storage bag without opening it on the spot.

Du Liuniang took the jade box marked with the number "5," holding it in her hands, her eyes slightly red. For the Du family to make it into the top five was an unexpected delight. Just surviving the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave was a feat in itself; who would have thought they could even achieve a ranking?

She glanced at Li Changsheng, walked up to him, and handed him the jade box.

"Chief Li, this is for you."

Li Changsheng was taken aback: "Clan Chief Du, this is a reward from your Du family—"

"Without you, our Du family wouldn't even be able to save our lives. Where would this reward come from?" Du Liuniang interrupted him, stuffing the jade box into his hand. "Keep it. Consider it a small token of our Du family's appreciation."

Looking into her sincere eyes, Li Changsheng did not refuse any longer and put the jade box into his storage bag.

"Thank you, Chief Du," he said, cupping his hands in thanks.

Du Liuniang shook her head and stepped aside.

Manager Zhou clapped his hands and laughed, "Alright, everyone, we'll announce the details of the trip to Five Dragon Mountain later. Let's board!"

The group boarded the treasure ship just as they had come and headed back towards Anyang County.

...

...

The cabin allocated to the Li family was on the middle deck of the treasure ship. It wasn't large, but it was quiet enough.

As soon as Li Changle entered, she busied herself. She took out several array flags from her storage bag, waved her small hand, and the flags disappeared into the four walls, creating an invisible soundproof barrier that completely isolated the cabin from the noise of the outside world.

"Alright!" She clapped her hands, turned around with a grin, and stared at Li Changsheng with bright eyes. "Brother, hurry up and take out the prize! I can't wait!"

Li Shouyi also sat down to the side. Although he didn't speak, his eyes couldn't hide his curiosity.

Li Changsheng smiled and shook his head, then took out the jade box marked with the number "five" from his storage bag.

"Let's take a look at the Du family's first."

He pointed a finger at the box, and with a "click," the restriction was lifted, and the lid popped open automatically.

A wave of scorching heat hit us, and the temperature inside the cabin suddenly rose several degrees.

The three of them went closer to take a look and found a small stove, about the size of a palm and entirely crimson, lying quietly in the box. The stove body was carved from some kind of unknown fire-attribute mineral, with fine patterns covering its surface, and a faint crimson flame flickered within the firebox, as if it could be lit at any moment.

"A mid-grade first-tier... Spirit Fire Stove!" Li Shouyi gasped.

Li Changle exclaimed in delight, "A spirit fire stove! This is an essential treasure for spirit cuisine chefs! With it, the efficiency of preparing spirit cuisine can be increased several times!"

She grabbed the small stove, examined it from all angles, and kept muttering to herself:

"We've always used a regular stove to cook spiritual meals, and we can't control the heat properly at all, so we waste a lot of the essence of the spiritual ingredients. Now that we have this, Mother will be overjoyed!"

Li Shouyi nodded with a smile, his eyes full of satisfaction:

"Your mother's ancestors were chefs, and her skills have been passed down for generations. After she embarked on the path of immortality, she kept thinking about spiritual food to nourish the body and developed several recipes, but she was troubled by not having a suitable stove. If this spiritual fire stove is sent back, she will probably be so happy that she won't be able to sleep."

Looking at the smiles on his younger sister's and father's faces, Li Changsheng felt a warmth rise in his heart.

Du Liuniang's gift was perfectly timed.

"Brother, quickly open the first one!" Li Changle carefully put the spirit fire stove back into the box, pushed it to his father for safekeeping, and urged him impatiently.

Li Changsheng took out the jade box marked "one". It was heavy in his hand, more than twice as heavy as the box of the fifth place.

He cast a spell, and the layers of restrictions were broken, causing the box lid to pop open with a "snap".

A beam of blue light shot out from the box, circled once in mid-air above the cabin, and slowly descended.

It was a small boat, about ten feet long and shaped like a willow leaf, with a turquoise body. The hull was smooth and its surface was covered with densely packed runes. A gentle breeze seemed to swirl around it, and the entire boat hovered in mid-air, as light as a falling leaf.

"A flying artifact!" Li Shouyi suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Li Changle blinked, leaned closer to take a look, and said "Oh" with little interest:

"It's just a ship. I thought it was some kind of powerful magical artifact."

She has her Pegasus, Little White, to get around, moving like the wind, so she has no interest in flying machines that require piloting.

Li Changsheng did not rush to conclusions. He probed the ship's hull with his divine sense, sensing the restrictive structure within.

Although this willow-leaf boat is only a first-grade high-quality flying artifact, its crafting process is extremely complex, and the materials required are quite rare. It is rarely seen on the market and is often priceless. Not to mention a third-rate family like theirs, even ninth-grade aristocratic families have a limited number of them.

Passenger capacity...

With a thought, he channeled his spiritual energy into the willow leaf boat. The interior space was quite large, over three zhang in length, enough to accommodate more than twenty people.

Li Shouyi's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he couldn't help but reach out and touch the hull of the boat, his voice filled with excitement:

"Immortality, this thing is a treasure!"

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on his son: "Our Li family now relies entirely on our two legs and those two flying spirit pets to get around. Although Little White and Red Feather are incredibly swift, they can only carry two or three people at a time. If something really happens, a large group simply can't get out."

He paused, then continued:

"With this flying artifact, whether we form a hunting team or a conquest hall in the future, we can set off as a whole team. Before dark, we can reach a much larger area."

Li Shouyi's voice lowered, carrying the caution characteristic of an old hunter:

"As you know, evil spirits are most rampant in the Eastern Wilderness at the turn of day and night. Before, we were trapped in Qinglan County not because we didn't want to go out, but because we couldn't—if we went too far, we wouldn't be able to get back before dark, and we would have to spend the night outside, which is no different from courting death."

He patted the gunwale of the willow-leaf boat, his tone resolute:

"With it, our activity range can be at least doubled. Within a radius of 500 miles, we can go and return on the same day, returning before sunset, which is much safer."

Upon hearing his father's words, Li Changle abandoned his dismissive expression, tilted his head, thought for a moment, and nodded.

"So, this boat is indeed quite useful. But I still prefer riding Little White; the wind brushing against my face feels so good!"

Li Shouyi looked at his daughter with affection and did not refute her.

Li Changsheng put the willow leaf boat back into the box and into his storage bag, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Just then, a familiar vibration came from the depths of his mind.

He focused his mind, and golden light flowed across the Book of Destiny, where a new line of text appeared:

[Family Luck Value +500]

[Family Luck Value: 10600/12000]

The value of a flying artifact is indeed considerable.

He snapped out of his daze, looked at his father and younger sister who were huddled together studying the spirit fire stove, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

The gains from this trip to the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts went far beyond these.