Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 109: Cleansing

”The Water Devil is coming, prepare yourselves!” Li Zhirui sensed the tumultuous disturbances underwater and calmly reminded everyone.

Li Zhiruiʼs hunting team consisted of only eight members, and in terms of both numbers and strength, they were significantly inferior to the teams led by the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators. Thatʼs why he chose the northern area, where historically, his family had slain the most Water Devils.

It was exactly for this reason that Water Devils were rare in the north. To save time, Li Zhirui had gone to the Marketplace to buy several bottles of Devil-Attracting Liquid, and the current commotion was the result of Water Devils drawn by the liquid.

Li Zhirui sensed that the number of attracted Water Devils wasnʼt large, so he had no intention of taking action himself. One reason was to allow the clansmen on the ship to get some practice, and the other was to take this opportunity to acquire some resources.

It was foreseeable that, following this hunt by the Li family, and the beast tide that would come not long after, there would probably be no Water Devils within two hundred miles of Da Rong Island for a short period.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhixuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, grasping her sword in her right hand as mana surged within her, ready to unleash a fierce blade of sword light the moment the Water Devil appeared.

After years of cultivation, Li Zhixuan had reached the fifth layer of the Qi Cultivation Stage. Although she was no match for Li Zhiyue, who was the same age as her, her rate of cultivation was far from the slowest.

The most important reason for such an accomplishment was Li Zhixuanʼs relentless effort!

Since breaking through to the fourth layer of the Qi Cultivation Stage, she had joined the family hunting team, participating consistently except for the time she was in seclusion to make a breakthrough.

Although each hunt was led by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it didnʼt mean there was no danger at all. In the event of a minor beast tide, even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldnʼt protect so many clansmen.

Even though Li Zhixuan had faced danger several times, she never gave up the idea of hunting!

It was precisely hunting that brought her many gains and, along with the monthly allowance from the family, allowed her cultivation to progress at such a swift pace.

”Ha!”

No sooner had a fish-shaped Water Devil surfaced than Li Zhixuan had her eyes on it. With a sharp cry, she unleashed a white sword light infused with a vast amount of mana, instantly cleaving the Water Devil in two with the razor-sharp Geng Metalʼs power.

Watching from above, Li Zhiruiʼs eyes flashed with surprise, as this sword light actually bore hints of the nature of Sword Qi.

Although Li Zhirui was not a Sword Cultivator, with his current realm, he naturally had a deeper understanding of the Sword Dao.

Generally speaking, Sword Qi was something that Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivators could comprehend, and even among them, only those with good aptitude for the Sword Dao.

Only Sword Cultivators who had comprehended Sword Qi were regarded as true Sword Cultivators, recognized as possessing the strongest offensive capability among their peers.

To comprehend Sword Qi during the Qi Cultivation Stage was the mark of a true prodigy in the Sword Dao!

Although Li Zhixuan had not yet comprehended Sword Qi, Li Zhirui saw in her a glimmer of potential, indicative that she indeed possessed considerable talent for the Sword Dao.

It was just unfortunate the Li family lacked such a legacy. The Geng Metal Sword Skill that Li Zhixuan practiced, despite its name, wasnʼt actually a true Sword Cultivation Technique; it merely included a set of sword maneuvers.

ʼPerhaps after Uncle breaks through to the Golden Core Realm, he can seek out a genuine Sword Cultivation Technique,ʼ Li Zhirui thought to himself.

The Li family currently possessed three Cultivation Techniques that extended to the Golden Core Realm. Aside from the foundational Wanling Sutra, which must not be disclosed, techniques such as the Clear Qi Mysterious Method Scripture and the Green Wood Longevity Skill could be traded.

However, because the Li familyʼs strength was not sufficient, they dared not publicize their possessions, lest they bring disaster upon themselves.

Li Zhirui thought to himself, while below, several of his clansmen had almost finished clearing out the water devils.

”Roar—”

Just as everyone was collecting the water devil carcasses and Li Zhirui was preparing to leave, a deafening roar suddenly came from the bottom of the sea, and in the next moment, a colossal fish demon surfaced.

”Second-order water devil!” Li Zhixuan and the others were greatly alarmed, for they truly hadnʼt expected a second-order water devil to exist in the nearby waters.

For a time, many clansmen looked at Li Zhirui with worried eyes, as everyone knew Li Zhirui was an alchemy genius, but had never heard that he was particularly strong in combat.

”How can there be a second-order water devil here?” Li Zhirui was somewhat surprised, knowing that the northern waters had been hunted by the Li family for many years, with water devils being fewest in number there except for the west, as could be seen from the fact that only a few were attracted when he had used the Devil-Attracting Liquid just now.

”Could it have come from even farther north?” Li Zhirui thought to himself. His hands, however, were not slow. He summoned the Corrosive Water Gourd and with a slight shake, dozens of black water arrows formed and attacked the fish demon.

Following closely behind was a giant serpent made from corrosive water, opening its gaping maw with black fangs that were evidently filled with potent poison, silently sinking into the depths of the water.

Although Li Zhirui had never concocted poison before, as a second-tier alchemist, crafting some simple first-tier poisons was a trivial matter for him, easily done.

Inside the Corrosive Water Gourd were several kinds of poison he had incorporated, which could not be purged without a second-order Detoxification Pill.

Bang!

The giant fish, distracted by the barrage of arrows, didnʼt notice the huge serpent close behind. If not for the serpentʼs movement being too great, which allowed it to dodge in the nick of time, it would have been bitten, and once the poison entered its body, it would quickly lose its combat effectiveness.

Nevertheless, the giant fishʼs body was still grazed by the poisonous fangs, and the toxin had begun to invade its system.

Although the fish demon wasnʼt as intellectually gifted as Da Qing, being a second-order water devil, it knew it was no match for Li Zhirui and immediately tried to dive deep into the sea to escape.

Unfortunately for it, the corrosive water serpent was there, and under Li Zhiruiʼs control, the serpent tightly coiled around the fish demon, not giving it any chance to flee.

Ultimately, under Li Zhiruiʼs persistent attack, the fish demon met its end, its vast body floating on the seaʼs surface.

Li Zhirui waved to collect the corrosive water back into the gourd. Although not all of it could be collected, it saved some mana or Spirit Stone expenditure, and only then did he store the water devilʼs carcass in his storage bag.

”What a pity, the corrosive water is poisonous, so this fish demonʼs body canʼt be used to make Spirit Food,” Li Zhirui murmured regretfully.

While it was impossible to make second-order Spirit Food, the Spirit Chef could surely derive some benefits for Foundation Establishment cultivators from a second-order fish demon.

Ignoring the astonished gazes of the people around him, Li Zhirui controlled the sea vessel to leave the area, but he did not completely depart. Instead, he hid nearby, using the dense blood qi here to attract more water devils.

”Recover your mana quickly, we might be in for a fierce battle soon!” Li Zhirui reminded them.

It was not even half a moment before a water devil covered in sharp spikes appeared, followed by more water devils one after another. The moment they encountered each other, they began a fierce battle.

”Altogether twenty-eight first-order water devils. Let them fight one another first, you all should recover some more mana for now.”

After all, if the situation didnʼt get too dangerous later, Li Zhirui wouldnʼt intervene in the fight.