Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 432 - 438: Aging

To change the subject, Li Zhirui turned his gaze toward the fourth-order Spirit Beast beside Li Chengsheng and seemed to recall something, asking in surprise, ”Is this the opportunity you mentioned before?”

It resembled a phoenix but had the eyes and beak of an eagle, a proudly commanding and robust figure, ferocious in demeanor, and wholly crimson. Atop its head blazed a Southern Bright Li Fire, as if it would never be extinguished.

”A fourth-order Li Fire Sparrow?!”

A high-level Spirit Beast with the blood of the Vermilion Bird, astonishing in combat power, untamed and belligerent, truly extraordinary.

”Li has been obtained during my time training abroad,” Li Chengsheng said softly.

”Hmm, not bad, nurture it well.”

Screech!

Although the Li Fire Sparrow was only first-order, its Spiritual Intelligence was not low, and it seemed to understand Li Zhiruiʼs praise, proudly crying out.

Honestly, Li Zhirui was somewhat envious of his own child. To have obtained such a powerful Contracted Spirit Beast at the Foundation Establishment Realm, one must know that he went through various hardships to acquire Cang, and moreover, the Li Fire Sparrow could remediate his deficiencies in combat to a great extent.

”Daddy, I have also contracted a new Spirit Beast!” Li Chengshuo shouted out discontentedly from the side.

”Oh?” Li Zhirui turned to look, his face also displaying a hint of surprise, ”Howling Moon Silver Wolves? How did you girl manage to get these Silver Wolves?”

”Hmph!” Just as Li Chengshuo was about to boast proudly, Jiang Fengwu suddenly let out a cold snort. Although several years had passed, the thought of that girlʼs daring act still sent shivers of fear and anger through her.

Li Chengshuo trembled and swallowed the words he had intended to say, forcing a dry laugh, ”Just luck, really good luck. During my outdoor training, I fortunately encountered these Silver Wolves.”

”Oh? Is that so?” Li Zhirui could tell there was something amiss, but seeing Li Chengshuo repeatedly shooting him meaningful glances, he refrained from asking further.

”Now that youʼve come out of seclusion, you should quickly go and report to the two elders, they are quite anxious at this moment.”

Li Zhirui nodded his head and left the cave dwelling.

Walking on the road, he could clearly sense the clanspeople becoming more proud and confident. Feeling this atmosphere, he couldnʼt help but show a smile involuntarily.

And the appearance of Li Zhirui also stirred excitement among the clan members, with many eagerly crowding around, wishing to witness his elegance with their own eyes.

Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Li Zhirui decisively withdrew and, feeling helpless, walked into Li Shiqingʼs cave dwelling.

After several years without seeing each other, Li Shiqing now seemed even more aged, his hair grayed and wrinkles spreading wildly across his face, even his straight back for a lifetime had now bent considerably.

”Hahaha!” Upon seeing Li Zhirui, Li Shiqing laughed manically. He already knew about Li Zhiruiʼs breakthrough to Nascent Soul, but had never seen it with his own eyes; today, he finally confirmed it.

The family having birthed a Nascent Soul True Lord during his lifetime, reaching the apex of power since the founding of the Li family hundreds of years ago, how could he not be overjoyed?

Moreover, he foresaw that the Li family would become stronger and stronger!

Then, when his life reached its end and his spirit returned to the Underworld, he could proudly narrate to his ancestors the prosperity and strength of the family.

”Now, even if I were to die, I would depart this world with eyes closed in peace,” Li Shiqing finally settled down after a while and spoke from the heart.

Li Zhirui quickly responded, ”Uncle, you must stay alive and continue to watch the family grow even stronger!”

As the saying goes, a personʼs spirit is crucial, especially for the elderly; without it, their life might not last for long.

”Besides, I havenʼt found the life-extending spiritual object I promised you all those years ago, so you canʼt let me be seen as someone who breaks his promises,” Li Zhirui said.

”Very good, very good!” Li Shiqing laughed with great joy.

”And Elder Lian?”

”Him? He spends all his days in the Spirit Beast Mountain Range, nurturing those Spirit Beasts,” Li Shiqing chuckled. ”Heʼs still young, what would it look like for him to accompany this old wreck all day?”

”Right, now that youʼve come out of seclusion, we should also start preparing for the Nascent Soul Ceremony. It must be grand and glorious, to let the world know about the Li family!”

Li Zhirui didnʼt really want to hold a grand ceremony in his heart, but the family had been preparing for many years. If he were to refuse now, he would be letting down the familyʼs good intentions and efforts, so he had no choice but to agree.

Moreover, he didnʼt need to handle it personally; all he had to do was show up at the ceremony, display his strength, and afterward, discuss the so-called ʼpath.ʼ

”Uncle, this is the method of Transforming the Golden Core into a Nascent Soul that I have deduced, as well as insights from my breakthroughs. Please place them in the Family Scripture Pavilion,” said Li Zhirui, producing two Jade Slips.

Li Shiqingʼs hands trembled slightly as he took them, and his murky eyes brimmed with hot tears as he murmured, ”With this, my Li family finally has a Nascent Soul inheritance!”

Although the family already had several Nascent Soul Realm cultivation techniques, especially the Wanling Sutra, which could be practiced up to the Void Refinement Realm, those were just cultivation techniques, cold and impersonal doctrines, that required people to try and summarize to come up with better methods and experiences of cultivation.

And this, this was inheritance!

Li Zhirui just sat there, waiting for Li Shiqing to calm down. After a while, he heard him say, ”Youʼve worked hard.”

”You havenʼt seen Fengwu, Shuo, and the others for many years, and there must be many things you want to talk about, so I wonʼt hinder you from enjoying the joy of family,” Li Shiqing said with a smile. ”Take good care of Sheng and Shuo; they are no less talented than you.”

”Donʼt worry, ʼblue is extracted from the indigo plant but is more vivid than it.ʼ My children will naturally be more impressive than their father,” Li Zhirui also smiled.

”Go on, go on.”

Li Zhirui paused for a moment, performed a respectful gesture towards the old man, and then turned to leave.

Once he stepped out of the cave dwelling, Li Shiqingʼs entire presence visibly wilted, and he looked even older.

All of this was due to the act of burning his lifespan years ago!

That had not only cost him over a hundred years of his lifespan but also brought many problems and hidden dangers to his body. Now with old age, his vitality, spirit, and essence were gradually becoming harder to suppress.

All of this had been noticed by Li Zhirui. Although he wasnʼt a Medical Cultivator, he was an Alchemist, after all, with some understanding of medicine, plus his powerful spiritual soul, how could Li Shiqingʼs attempts to conceal his condition escape him?

”Sigh.”

Li Zhirui stood at the entrance, sighed, and thought to himself, ʼIt looks like I need to prioritize finding the life-extending spiritual object for Uncle.ʼ

For some reason, even though Li Shiqing still had several decades of life expectancy left, Li Zhirui felt a persistent unease in his heart.

Pushing away the jumbled thoughts in his mind, he used his Divine Power and instantly returned to his cave dwelling.

This was because he was worried about being surrounded by his family members again. Although their intentions were good, merely wanting to see him, Li Zhirui always felt like he was a monkey being watched.