Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 324 - 330: Traces

”Please engrave the intelligence you wish to know into this jade slip, then place it on the jade plate in front of me, and I will soon provide a price. If you are willing to pay, I will give you the corresponding intelligence,” the wooden puppet said in a mechanical voice.

Li Zhirui looked at the puppet curiously, wondering what method they had used to enable it to speak through a puppet.

However, he didnʼt waste any time; he reached out for a jade slip that was nearby, and used his divine sense to engrave it with the whereabouts of the Beast Taming Sect. After a thought, he added information about the cultivation technique ”Wanling Sutra,” as well.

Once done, Li Zhirui placed the jade slip on the jade plate, and saw a flash of spirit light—the jade slip disappeared before his eyes.

This scene thoroughly surprised Li Zhirui because if he wasnʼt mistaken, the jade plate seemed to have a Teleportation Array engraved on it!

If the Hundred Intelligence Pavilion had a miniature Teleportation Array in every room, that would indeed entail a staggering expense.

ʼThe Hundred Intelligence Pavilion really is rolling in wealth; the information business is truly lucrative,ʼ Li Zhirui thought with much emotion, but he also understood that this kind of operation was not something the Li family could handle.

Not to mention whether they possessed the capability, the Li family simply didnʼt have the power to engage in such perilous business.

While Li Zhirui was lost in his wild thoughts, the two pieces of information he sought had already been found by some cultivator.

”This one is from the Li family of Wanxian Island, right?”

”Hmm, it seems to be that alchemist, Li Zhirui.”

”Why would the Li family want to inquire about the whereabouts of the Beast Taming Sect?” a young-looking cultivator asked curiously.

It wasnʼt difficult to guess; the Li familyʼs cultivation technique was the ”Wanling Sutra,” and they were likely missing the subsequent methods, so they came to purchase intelligence.

But…

”Zhang, you know, some things are better kept to yourself. Donʼt ask too much,” another person shook his head as a reminder, then joined the others to look through the intelligence and calculate a price for Li Zhirui and the others.

When he saw the price that the Hundred Intelligence Pavilion offered, even with his composure, he was taken aback!

The whereabouts of the Beast Taming Sect disciples were priced at a whopping one hundred and eighty thousand Spirit Stones, and that piece of intelligence even came with a note, stating that it was collected one or two years ago and had no guarantee of being current.

However, this was also expected; after all, even before its decline, the Beast Taming Sect, in the eyes of the Hundred Intelligence Pavilion, wasnʼt worth the special effort to gather intelligence on.

As for the second item, the subsequent methods for the ”Wanling Sutra,” the Hundred Intelligence Pavilion had also given an appraisal, but the price was vastly different than the first; acquiring it would only cost thirty thousand Spirit Stones.

With a hint of curiosity, Li Zhirui paid thirty thousand Spirit Stones, and quickly, a ray of spirit light flashed, and a jade slip appeared on the jade plate.

He took the jade slip in his hand and glanced at it; moments later, he couldnʼt help but frown, no wonder the price was so low.

The jade slip provided the location of a secret realm, stating that it contained the ”Wanling Sutra” methods and even a complete set!

The only catch was that the secret realm opened once every hundred years, and it would still be over twenty years until the next opening!

So this method was worth a try; after all, it was only a matter of twenty or thirty years, and he could certainly wait. It was just that there was no way to take action right now.

Consequently, Li Zhirui paid out another large sum of Spirit Stones and obtained a set of extremely detailed information.

It recorded where the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect were located, how many cultivators there were, what level of cultivation they had, their specialties, their preferred combat methods, and so on, nothing was left out, which made Li Zhirui feel that the one hundred and eighty thousand Spirit Stones were well spent.

Carrying the two jade slips, Li Zhirui stood up and left the Hundred Intelligence Pavilion. Upon his return to Wanxian Island, he handed the jade slips over to Li Shiqing and the others.

”Uncle, among the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, there isnʼt anyone in the Golden Core Late Stage. Should I take Da Qing and the others for a trip?” Li Zhirui asked.

According to the information from the Hundred Intelligence Pavilion, they knew that the Beast Taming Sect had established a new sect in a place called Ancient Forest State, thousands of miles northwest in Yunping State, recruiting disciples and rebuilding its influence.

This Beast Taming Sect, because of its two Golden Core cultivators, was relatively powerful in the vicinity and thus was highly sought after, with many cultivators wishing to join.

Although it couldnʼt be compared to the Beast Taming Sect at its peak, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and when the sect was destroyed, a group of disciples who escaped took quite a wealth with them, retaining some of the foundational strength of an old sect.

But if that was all, the Beast Taming Sect wouldnʼt be able to stop Li Zhirui.

——

Li Shiqing pondered for a while, then cautioned, ”This task will be troublesome for you, Zhirui, but donʼt take it lightly. If the intelligence from the Hundred Intelligence Pavilion is missing something or someone in the Beast Taming Sect has made a breakthrough recently, and the situation turns bad, escape quickly.”

After all, the intelligence they had was collected one or two years ago; things might have changed by now.

However, the Wanling Sutra was too important for the family. Now that they had news, how could they not send someone to investigate?

And he also believed in Li Zhiruiʼs strength. If they really encountered any danger, if they couldnʼt fight it, they could still escape.

With Xiaoqing, who had just advanced to the third stage, their speed was so fast that unless it was a Golden Core cultivator adept in escape skills, no one could catch up.

”Then Iʼll go back and prepare, and depart in a few days.”

He had made a promise to Li Chengsheng and his siblings that he and Jiang Fengwu would wait for them at home when they left the Spirit Wisdom Court, and Li Zhirui didnʼt want to break the promise without good reason.

”Have you gotten the news?” Jiang Fengwu asked as soon as she saw Li Zhirui.

”Yes, Iʼll go and check it out in a few days.”

”Iʼll come with you,” Jiang Fengwu said, not at ease.

Li Zhirui shook his head and refused, ”Iʼll bring Da Qing and Xiaoqing with me, you donʼt need to worry about my safety with them around.”

Without Jiang Fengwu there, he would actually be safer because if they really encountered an insurmountable danger, he could instantly hide in the space.

But if she accompanied him, Li Zhirui couldnʼt use that ace in the hole.

”And the family needs you to be in charge. If anything unexpected happens, you can deal with it in time.”

With only the weakened elder Li Shiqing and Li Shilian left in the family, Li Zhirui truly was not at ease.

”All right,” Jiang Fengwu finally compromised, but she admonished Li Zhirui again and again to be careful, not to act rashly, and to return safely.

After all, Li Zhiruiʼs visit this time was for the sectʼs core cultivation technique—how could the Beast Taming Sect agree to that easily?

If everything went as expected, both sides would surely face off.

Days later, a fully-prepared Li Zhirui set off amid the worried and hopeful gazes of Jiang Fengwu, Li Shiqing, and others.

With smooth sailing along the way and no encounters with short-sighted cultivators, it took nearly a month for Li Zhirui to finally reach Ancient Forest State.