Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 108: Preparation

Li Zhiruiʼs heart sank; surely something serious had happened, or else Li Shiting, obsessed with her cultivation, and Li Shize, who was out gathering information, would not have appeared here.

”Now that everyone is here, I will begin,” Li Zhirui had just taken a seat below Li Shiting when Elder Li Shilian bypassed Li Zhizhun and began to speak.

”Iʼm sure you are all aware that the Boundless Sea is teeming with water devils, which reproduce rapidly, leading to a monster tide every dozen years or so. And judging from the recent hunting teamsʼ experiences, I fear a monster tide could erupt before long,” he said.

The fundamental reason for the eruption of a monster tide is the overabundance of water devils; when a certain sea area cannot sustain so many, the higher-level water devils drive the lower-level ones to attack the human raceʼs territories.

By leveraging the hands of human cultivators, they aim to reduce the numbers of the lower-level water devils, and if they manage to breach the cultivatorsʼ defenses, they might even harvest some spiritual objects in the process.

At the same time, this is a test for the lower-level water devils. If they perform well during the war, they might be taken under special cultivation.

The hunting teams within the Li family are small squads led by Foundation Establishment cultivators, taking family members to gain experience and hunt water devils while earning resources.

However, Li Zhirui hadnʼt led any teams recently due to acting as the Clan Leader and devoting time to researching the Hundred Herbs Pill.

In recent times, the hunting teamsʼ loot has been particularly bountiful, which has delighted the family members, especially those with descendants. They are eager to seize this opportunity to accumulate massive Contribution Values to aid their progenyʼs progression in cultivation.

Neither Li Shiting nor Li Shiren noticed anything amiss until this instance when Elder Li Shilian led the team back.

He also reviewed previous records and, seeing such abnormal patterns, immediately thought of the monster tide.

After all, he had been stationed on Da Rong Island for decades and had witnessed several monster tides, which made him much more sensitive to these matters.

”But the scale of past monster tides shouldnʼt have threatened our family, right?” asked Li Shiren in confusion. He didnʼt understand why there was such a fuss, finding Elder Li Shilianʼs reaction somewhat exaggerated.

The meeting was convened at Elder Li Shilianʼs request, but Li Zhizhun, it seemed, had not yet grasped the crux of the matter.

”Clan Leader, Uncle Ren, donʼt forget, in previous years, the monster tides were manageable because those three families stood in front, and our family only needed to defend against water devils from the sea area between Da Rong Island and Red Pine Island, so there wasnʼt much danger,” Li Zhirui said with a somber expression.

This sea area is barely more than three hundred li across, and being a coastal region, scarcely has any water devils, so it doesnʼt pose a great threat to the Li family.

But now the strength of those three families has waned terribly, especially the He Family, which has become pitiful with merely a dozen members and one Foundation Establishment cultivator. Retaining their islands without loss would already be commendable, let alone blocking many water devils.

In fact, during the monster tide, the Zheng Family, Jiang Family, and He Family are not the first line of defense. About a hundred li to their east lies a lengthy chain of islands, and that is the real battlefield.

At that time, a multitude of loose cultivators will swarm in, slaying water devils to earn Spirit Stones, and it also serves as a way to garner Contribution Values and join the Yuanming Sect.

The nearby Zheng, Jiang, and He Families, as the second line of defense, take care of any water devils that slip through.

The Li family has its own responsibilities, which include stopping the water devils from reaching the shore to prevent calamity for mortals.

It is important to remember that the coastal regions of Yunping State are the most populous and prosperous among mortals. If issues arise in this area, it would be a significant depletion of Yunping Stateʼs mortal resources.

Of course, there would certainly be cultivators on the shore; after all, Da Rong Island was only so big, and it was impossible to fend off all the Water Devils. However, most of them came from nearby families, and should any Water Devils attack the shore, they would inevitably prioritize saving their own clansmen first.

”Thatʼs right!” Li Shilian looked at Li Zhirui with approval and said, ”Thatʼs why I say, this time our family will face a greater challenge and crisis, and we must prepare in advance.”

Li Zhizhunʼs expression became serious, and he said in a heavy tone, ”Everyone, please speak up if you have any thoughts.”

He hadnʼt expected that he would encounter such major trouble soon after taking office, and he hadnʼt had the slightest inkling of it, even after Li Shilian reminded him.

It wasnʼt really Li Zhizhunʼs fault; after all, he had so much to do that there was no time to review the previous records, so naturally, he was not very familiar with the monster tide.

Moreover, there had been no news of monster tides in recent years, and many people had forgotten about it.

”Before the monster tide breaks out, we should purge the Water Devils in the nearby seas of Da Rong Island. That way, when the monster tide erupts, the family will face less danger,” Li Zhirui said firmly.

Thanks to the hunting teams of the Li Family over the years, almost no Water Devils remained in the seas near Da Rong Island; every hunt had to go hundreds of miles north or south.

But they seldom went to the seas slightly to the east because it was too close to Red Pine Island, which was the Zheng Familyʼs hunting ground. To avoid unnecessary conflicts, the Li Family had always stayed away.

”The other places are manageable, but the Zheng Family will likely not allow us near the waters close to Red Pine Island,” that was Li Zhiruiʼs concern.

After thinking for a moment, Li Zhizhun said, ”First, weʼll clean up the Water Devils within two hundred miles of Da Rong Island. We wonʼt concern ourselves with those farther away; after the monster tide breaks out, those Water Devils shouldnʼt abandon the nearer targets to attack Da Rong Island.”

”By the way, remind both the Zheng Family and Yuanming Sect to prepare,” he added.

”Yes!”

Li Zhizhun nodded, then continued, ”But before that, take out some Spirit Stones from the storeroom and go to the Marketplace to purchase Spirit-Replenishing Pills, Hemostasis Pills, and other Spirit Pills. The Spirit Pills concocted by the family should not be sold anymore.”

Li Zhizhun, as Acting Clan Leader, was quite competent and considered issues comprehensively.

”Elder Shilian, it will be hard work for you and the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators to purge the nearby Water Devils,” Li Zhizhun said. As the Clan Leader, and not skilled in combat, with sufficient Foundation Establishment cultivators in the family, there was no need for him to take action personally.

”Yes!” The four led by Li Zhirui responded in unison.

After the meeting, Li Zhizhun immediately gathered all the clan members on the island and announced the impending outbreak of the monster tide. He also declared the formation of hunting teams led by the four Foundation Establishment cultivators but only allowed clan members above Qi Cultivation mid-stage to sign up.

The early-stage Qi Cultivation clan members were too weak and had too little Mana; such hunting tasks naturally did not fall to them, and besides, various Spirit Lands on Da Rong Island also required manpower.

When Li Zhixuan heard that Li Zhirui was also forming a hunting team, her eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she decided to join his team.

However, compared to the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Zhirui was not as popular. Although he was a well-known prodigy in the family, he hadnʼt been in Foundation Establishment as long as the others, and his strength was certainly inferior.

Li Zhirui wasnʼt particularly concerned about this, for his strength was indeed not on par with the other three seniors.