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

Chapter 111 Breakthrough, Transformation of the Heavenly Book

When Li Changsheng returned silently to Shen Qing's side, Shen Qing had already refined the healing pill. Although her face was still ashen, there was a hint of life in her eyes. Seeing Li Changsheng return, she was still worried and asked again, "You—who exactly are you?"

"Li Changsheng of the Li family of Qinglan Mountain. I need your father's help, so I've come to rescue you."

Shen Qing was stunned.

"My father? He's not—not already—"

"He's not dead." Li Changsheng interrupted him, his gaze calm and resolute. "Your father is under house arrest by the Zhuo family, forced to forge weapons day and night. Let's leave here first."

Li Changsheng reached out and helped him up, took out a Swift Travel Talisman from his storage bag, patted it on Shen Qing's back, and then had Mo Yu use the Invisible Trace Technique.

"Walk."

He helped Shen Qing walk out along the mine tunnel.

Light streamed in at the end of the mine tunnel. Li Changsheng used his divine sense to confirm that the foreman outside was not nearby, quickened his pace, and helped Shen Qing out of the mine tunnel.

The moment the two stepped out of the mine tunnel—

"Who goes there!"

A shout came from behind. Li Changsheng turned around and saw a foreman emerging from the other side of the mine tunnel, carrying a spirit whip and suspiciously scanning his surroundings. He couldn't see that Li Changsheng and Shen Qingyi's invisibility talismans were still active. But the footprints on the ground were clearly imprinted on the damp soil.

"How dare you trespass on my Zhuo family's territory!"

The foreman's gaze fell on the footprints, his expression changed, and he suddenly lashed out with his whip, striking towards the footprints!

With her delicate, black-jade hands, she lightly plucked the strings of the pipa.

hum!

An invisible sound wave spread out silently, striking the overseer squarely between the eyebrows. The overseer's body stiffened for a moment, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Soul-capturing sound. A near-second-tier spell; anyone below the peak of Qi Refining will instantly fall.

Li Changsheng threw the miner's body directly into the Heavenly Book Space, then helped Shen Qing walk quickly out of the mining area and disappear into the mountains and forests.

Shen Qing was shocked to see that the other party had killed a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator with a single move, and at the same time felt fortunate: "My son and I have truly met our benefactor this time!"

.

the other side.

In the center of the mining area, foreman Zheng Hu was checking the ore accounts in the accounting room when he heard the alarm. His face changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly, causing his chair to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Oh no! The forbidden area has been trespassed!"

He rushed out of the tent and looked towards the mine tunnel. Deep within the tunnel, he saw a faint red light flickering—a sign that the restriction had been triggered. Zheng Hu's temples throbbed, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. The things in that forbidden area were of paramount importance, personally entrusted to him by the clan chief to be guarded. If anything went wrong, his life wouldn't be enough to pay for it.

"Everyone, assemble!" Zheng Hu roared.

A dozen or so overseers rushed over from all directions, some carrying ritual implements, others leading spirit dogs, all looking tense. The miners were also alarmed, peeking out of their sheds. Some had a glimmer of hope in their eyes, but most just glanced at them blankly before shrinking back inside.

Zheng Hu quickly assigned tasks: "Wang Hai, you take some men to the mine tunnels and find out who broke in and whether the things in the forbidden area are still there! Li Yuan, you go to the array core and activate the Spirit-Trapping Locking Array at full speed. Within a five-mile radius, not even a fly is allowed to escape! Zhao Si, you take some men to count the number of all the overseers and miners and see if anyone is missing! Hurry! Hurry, all of you!"

The group accepted the order and left.

Zheng Hu then took out a communication jade talisman, poured spiritual power into it, and the talisman lit up. He hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and activated the communication.

"Chief, something has happened in the mining area. Someone has trespassed into the forbidden area."

From the other end of the jade talisman came Chief Zhuo's somber voice: "Where are the things in the forbidden area?"

"We don't know yet. We've already sent people to investigate." Zheng Hu's voice trembled slightly.

"Investigate thoroughly and report back immediately. I'm coming personally." Chief Zhuo's voice was as cold as ice, and he immediately cut off the communication.

Zheng Hu put away the jade talisman, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and strode towards the center of the formation.

Deep within the mine, Wang Hai, along with three overseers, cautiously made their way to the location of the forbidden area. The runes on the stone walls had mostly faded, and a gap had been breached in the barrier. Wang Hai peered inside and his heart skipped a beat—the stone platform that had been suspended in mid-air was completely empty.

The Blood Demon Stone is gone.

"It's over—" Wang Hai's face turned ashen, and his legs went weak.

"Quickly, notify Chief Zheng!" Wang Hai's voice changed.

When the news reached Zheng Hu's ears, he felt dizzy and only managed to stand by leaning on the stone pillar at the center of the formation. The theft of the Blood Demon Stone was a responsibility he could no longer bear. He took a deep breath and activated the communication jade talisman again.

"Chieftain, the things in the forbidden area—are gone."

Chief Zhuo's anxious voice came through: "I'll be there in two hours. Before I arrive, no one is allowed to enter or leave the mining area. Check every single miner and overseer. Dig three feet into the ground, but find what you've got for me."

"yes!"

Zheng Hu put down the jade talisman, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He turned to the overseer beside him and ordered, "Go, bring the tracking spirit beast 'Bloodfang' here."

Bloodfang is a late-stage Tier 1 tracking spirit beast, resembling a mastiff, with a jet-black body, blood-red eyes, and an extremely sensitive sense of smell, capable of tracking the aura of any living being within a ten-mile radius.

Zheng Hu led his men to follow behind Blood Fang.

Bloodfang charged wildly, through the mine tunnels and through the shack area, finally stopping in front of a thicket on the edge of the mine, barking wildly at the air.

"Some people have already escaped," Zheng Hu said through gritted teeth. "And more than one."

He stood up, glanced around, and suddenly remembered something. He called over Zhao Si, who was in charge of counting the men: "How's the headcount going?"

Zhao Si's face was grim: "Chief Zheng, three people are missing. Zhao Hu and Liu An, who were escorting the supplies, and—Ma San, who was patrolling the western district."

Zheng Hu's heart sank. Zhao Hu and Liu An had delivered supplies today and should have already returned to the county town according to regulations. Ma San, the foreman who had been patrolling the western area earlier, was nowhere to be seen. He immediately realized that someone had impersonated Zhao Hu and infiltrated the mining area, and that Ma San had most likely met with misfortune.

"Pass down the order to conduct a thorough search inside and outside the mining area," Zheng Hu said in a deep voice. "At the same time, send men to pursue them towards the county town. If Zhao Hu and Liu An are still alive, they are most likely hidden along the way."

He paused, then added, "Also, find that miner surnamed Shen for me. If he's still here, it means that man didn't come to rescue him; if he's gone—"

Zhao Si's expression changed, and he turned and ran.

Before a cup of tea could be brewed, Zhao Si returned, his face even more grim than before: "Chief Zheng, Shen Qing is missing."

""

Zheng Hu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

really.

Someone came to rescue Shen Qing. And this person, while doing so, stole the Blood Demon Stone.

He activated the communication jade talisman again, reporting the situation to Clan Chief Zhuo in detail. On the other end of the talisman, Clan Chief Zhuo's voice finally showed a hint of emotion: "Shen Qing? That son-in-law? Someone risked everything to infiltrate the mining area to save him? And even stole the Blood Demon Stone?"

"Yes."

"Have you found out who it is?"

"Not yet. The other party is very cautious and hasn't left many traces. I've already sent Bloodfang to track them, but their concealment methods are very sophisticated. Bloodfang lost his way at the edge of the forest."

at the same time.

Li Changsheng had already stopped with Shen Qing in a mountain stream several miles away.

The Zhuo family reacted much faster than he had anticipated. The array fluctuations coming from the direction of the mining area indicated that the Spirit-Trapping and Yuan-Locking Array was operating at full speed, sealing off the entire mine. Fortunately, he managed to escape before the array completely closed; otherwise, he would be trapped inside now.

An hour later, the two finally left the territory of the Zhuo family's mining area.

Li Changsheng found a secluded cave, set up an array, and then entered the Heavenly Book space with a thought.

He entered the small hut, and his belt instantly wrapped around the Blood Demon Stone.

:

The Blood Demon Stone trembled violently, like an enraged beast desperately resisting. A massive surge of blood energy erupted from the stone, like a flood bursting its banks, rushing in all directions. The power was so violent that Li Changsheng felt his blood churning throughout his body, blood beads seeping from his skin, and his bones cracking.

The blood-red light on the belt grew stronger and stronger, absorbing all the blood energy and then feeding back a purer and gentler energy that entered Li Changsheng's dantian.

"not good!"

Li Changsheng's expression changed, and he quickly sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the "Iron Bone Forging Technique".

That pure energy of blood and qi exploded within his body, rushing into his bones and marrow. Under the influence of this power, his bones began to undergo a qualitative change. Impurities in his bones were gradually stripped away, making the bone tissue denser and more resilient. A pale golden luster appeared on the surface of his bones, a sign of "bone tempering like gold."

He progressed from the Lesser Completion of the Bone Refining Realm to the Greater Completion of the Bone Refining Realm, and then to the Perfection of the Bone Refining Realm.

The power of Qi and blood continued to penetrate deeper, flowing into the bone marrow.

"Marrow Refining Realm!"

Li Changsheng gritted his teeth, guiding that power to repeatedly cleanse his bone marrow. Bone marrow is the source of blood production in the human body; refining marrow is about refining the impurities in the bone marrow, making it purer and more active. This step is the final and most difficult level of the "Iron Bone Forging Technique."

A tingling and stinging sensation spread deep within his bone marrow, as if a million ants were gnawing at him. Veins bulged on Li Changsheng's forehead, and sweat poured down his face, yet he gritted his teeth and persevered. With each flush, his bone marrow became purer, and his blood and qi became more vigorous.

Beneath his skin, a faint red glow flowed, a sign of his blood and energy reaching their peak. His heart pounded like a drum, and the sound of his blood flowing was like a rushing river. His bones cracked and popped, as if something was being reshaped.

"Refine your marrow like mercury, and your qi and blood like a dragon!"

After an unknown amount of time, that vital energy was finally exhausted.

Li Changsheng opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. His skin had become smoother than before, yet it had a subtle sheen. He clenched his fist, and an unprecedented sense of power surged from his bones, as if he could shatter a boulder with a single punch.

Marrow Refining Realm, Minor Success.

The foundation-building stage, the Qi and Blood barrier, has been completed, marking the most crucial step. Once the Marrow Refining stage is perfected, the Qi and Blood will flow like a mighty river, inexhaustible, and the Qi and Blood barrier will crumble on its own.

He stood up and glanced at the crimson belt floating in mid-air. The crimson light on the belt had subsided, and it had returned to its unremarkable appearance.

But the Blood Demon Stone is still there.

The stone hovered in the thatched hut, emitting an eerie red light. Li Changsheng reached out to grab it, but the stone suddenly trembled, and a violent surge of blood energy rebounded, making his fingers numb.

"This thing is really weird!"

'

Just as Li Changsheng was about to take out the jade box to seal it, the Heavenly Book of Destiny deep in his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly trembled, and a golden light shot out from the book, shining directly on the Blood Demon Stone.