Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 365 - 371: Searching

Jiang Jielin, who had been tense and anxious, let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She feared that this lofty Golden Core True Lord, after noticing her uniqueness, would harbor malicious intentions towards her.

By then, she worried that she might not even be able to commit suicide to preserve her purity.

——

”Is this what you referred to as the Xiao Cang River?” Li Zhirui looked down and saw a wide river, about ten miles from edge to edge, flowing gently toward the east. He had thought it was just a small river a couple of miles wide.

”Where did you see the Moon Serpent?”

Jiang Jieming scratched his head, looking embarrassed as he said, ”Senior, I canʼt tell the location from up in the sky.”

Upon hearing this, Li Zhirui landed the Spirit Boat and looked around for a while before finding the spot Jiang Jieming had mentioned, precisely at a bend in the river.

”Are you certain of this?”

”Yes! I didnʼt find the wrong place, I was catching Spirit Fish right here,” Jiang Jieming nodded vigorously, assuring with conviction.

Without another word, Li Zhirui steered the Spirit Boat back into the sky and then concealed the aura of the three of them, especially his own. If the Moon Serpent sensed his presence, it probably wouldnʼt show itself again.

However, after waiting several days, they saw no trace of the Moon Serpent, which made Jiang Jieming very anxious. If Li Zhirui thought he was a liar, he and his sister would likely be close to death.

He sneaked a glance at Li Zhirui and seeing that his expression remained unchanged, he felt relieved and hesitantly said, ”Senior, if the Moon Serpent has left this place, what should we do?”

Li Zhirui furrowed his brow. He had never suspected Jiang Jieming of lying. For a minor Qi Cultivation practitioner to lie to a Golden Core would be tantamount to being tired of living! And Jiang Jieming did not seem like someone with a death wish.

Could it be true, as he said, that the Moon Serpent had left? But after rescuing Jiang Jielin, Li Zhirui had rushed over. It hadnʼt even been a full day since Jiang Jieming last saw the Moon Serpent!

Meanwhile, about ten miles away from the trio, several female cultivators were floating in mid-air on a lotus platform.

”Master Xuanhua, is the Moon Serpent that escaped from the Sect really hiding here?” asked a young female cultivator with a tender face and a crisp voice.

”Yes, thereʼs a mark left by the Sect inside the Moon Serpent, and the Seeking Compass points in this direction.” As she spoke, Master Xuanhua glanced down at the Compass in her hand, the needle pointing to the northwest.

And that direction was exactly where Li Zhirui and the others were hiding!

”Someone is coming!” Li Zhirui immediately looked southeast, and moments later, he saw a Golden Core female cultivator approaching with several younger cultivators.

Master Xuanhua also noticed the presence of Li Zhirui and the others, a sense of dread filling her heart. She asked aloud, ”I wonder, friend, have you come here for the Moon Serpent as well?”

Despite Li Zhiruiʼs concealed aura, the moment Master Xuanhua set eyes on him, she felt an immense pressure and threat, and thus, she was absolutely unwilling to resort to combat if it could be avoided!

Hearing the female cultivator speak so, various speculations arose in Li Zhiruiʼs mind. Could it be that the Moon Serpent was nurtured by them? He then said, ”Indeed, Moon Serpents are a rare sight. I planned to catch it to serve as a Spirit Beast. May I know your relationship with the Moon Serpent?”

In truth, the moment he saw the leading Golden Core female cultivator holding the Compass Magic Artifact, he had his suspicions.

”The Moon Serpent was raised by my mentor. It unexpectedly broke through to the third rank, and while we were unguarded, it escaped from the Profound Yin Sect.

The Profound Yin Sect, a particularly unique Sect because it consists solely of female cultivators and not a single male cultivator; more importantly, the Profound Yin Sect possesses a Nascent Soul True Lord!

Hearing this, Li Zhiruiʼs expression stiffened, as what he suspected indeed turned out to be true. Now, what was he supposed to do?

Let alone other factors, it was the Moon Serpent itself that had gone through a three-tier breakthrough and was beyond what Li Chengshuo could hope to contract.

”Fellow Daoist…” Seeing that Li Zhiruiʼs complexion was less than pleasant, Master Xuanhua spoke with some unease, ”There are several other Moon Serpents within the Sect, albeit lesser in cultivation. If it pleases you, would you consider a visit to our Profound Yin Sect afterwards?”

”Thank you for the invitation, but I have other matters to attend to, so I wonʼt go,” Li Zhirui declined. Knowing whether this trip would be a blessing or a curse was uncertain; it was better to keep his distance.

After all, it was widely rumored that the Profound Yin Sect wasnʼt the most welcoming place for male cultivators. Apparently, the founder was deeply hurt by a male cultivator and hence had ingrained a dislike, even disgust, towards all male cultivators, going so far as to forbid their entry into the Sect.

Although the founding ancestor has long since perished, many of her edicts—such as the prohibition against male cultivators—remain in effect to this day.

Having said this, Li Zhirui prepared to leave; with the Moon Serpent already contracted, he naturally didnʼt wish to linger and waste time. It would be better to return home and see if his family had heard of any other Taiyin Spirit Beasts.

But just as he was about to leave, the Moon Serpent made an appearance!

A serpentine body dozens of feet long burst forth from the water, hissing tongue flickering as a chilling voice echoed, ”Youʼve followed me all the way here?”

”Master Bai, please come back with me. Do not make this difficult,” Master Xuanhua sighed softly and spoke.

”Ha!” The Moon Serpent let out a cold laugh. Its eerie serpentine eyes fixated on them for a protracted moment before it finally agreed, its voice laden with a deadly intent, ”I will go back with you.”

As for Li Zhirui and his two companions, the Moon Serpent didnʼt even glance at them. It simply shrank its form and landed on the Magic Artifact of Master Xuanhua and her group.

”Fellow Daoist, with this matter concluded, I too must return to report my duty. Farewell!” Master Xuanhua said amiably to Li Zhirui.

After all, if he were to make a move, this wouldnʼt have gone so smoothly.

Li Zhirui simply nodded, watching them leave in the distance, and pondered to himself, ”What a pity. Who knows what that Moon Serpent has encountered to be harboring such thoughts of death...”

”Senior, where will you be heading next? Could I trouble you to take us out of Cang Hai Province on your way?”

Jiang Jiemingʼs words jolted him to alertness. Thinking it over, he ultimately agreed, since it was on the way anyway.

But before that, he had one more thing to do!

Li Zhirui released all his Divine Sense, carefully searching every inch of the nearby waters as if looking for something.

If he hadnʼt seen it wrong just now, that Moon Serpentʼs aura was disguised, forcibly sustained; this meant either it was injured or it was gestating offspring!

And judging by its sudden escape from the Profound Yin Sect, the latter seemed more likely.

”I hope I am not mistaken!”

This search went on for several days.

At first, the siblings Jiang Jie Ming and Jiang Jie Lin couldnʼt understand what Li Zhirui was doing, but they quickly caught on and joined in, using their not-so-powerful Divine Sense to slowly search.

”Senior! There is something strange here!” Jiang Jielin suddenly cried out.

Li Zhirui immediately flew over, extending his Divine Sense towards the area she indicated. On the surface, it looked no different from its surroundings, but upon closer examination, one could see that the Spiritual Energy was slowly converging towards that spot!