Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 491 - 497: Hardship

”Letʼs go!”

About a quarter of an hour later, Li Zhirui led Li Zhixuan and Li Chenghuo, among others, away from Wanxian Island, flying towards Great Void Province.

His target was that unknown fourth-order Great Devil, but the destination was not Great Void Province, but rather the border between two provinces.

——

”Cough cough!” Qing Leiʼs face was pale, and he opened his mouth wanting to say something, but couldnʼt stop coughing. It took him a long while to stop and weakly said, ”Iʼm sorry, senior brother, it was I who dragged you down.”

If it werenʼt for Qing Leiʼs overconfidence and deep infiltration into the battlefield, he would not have been severely injured by that suddenly appearing fourth-order Great Devil, resulting in Shen Leishanʼs months of preparation coming to nothing. Moreover, the losses were heavy.

”Donʼt blame yourself; no one expected that the Taixu Devil Race still had a fourth-order Great Devil.” Yun Lei shook his head, never having the thought of blaming Qing Lei.

Sometimes, he even thought that them withdrawing from the war might be a good thing for Shen Leishan.

At least the number of disciplesʼ casualties was not high!

Li heard that without their containment, the Profound Ice Sect had been stuck in a difficult battle until now, losing a large number of disciples every day. Although no Nascent Souls perished, Golden Core cultivators never ceased to fall.

After this battle, the Profound Ice Sectʼs strength would probably diminish by twenty to thirty percent!

And Qing Leiʼs injuries merely required some quiet recuperation to heal.

”The Li family...” Qing Lei struggled to speak.

This serious injury was not entirely a bad thing for Qing Lei, at the very least he was no longer as arrogantly dismissive as before.

”Rest assured,” said Yun Lei with an odd expression, ”After you were severely injured and fell unconscious, that Spirit Void Fox declared its intention to trouble the Li family. Now the Li family is in a tough spot itself and is unlikely to make a move against Shen Leishan.”

”Rest well and donʼt worry about anything else. Iʼm still here,” he said.

Watching Qing Lei fall into a deep sleep, Yun Lei silently left the place.

Upon stepping out, he immediately asked, ”Whatʼs the Li family doing now?”

The reason the Li family received the news about the fourth-order Great Devil intending to attack them so promptly was because Shen Leishan had been acting behind the scenes.

Shen Leishanʼs move was to drag the Li family into the quagmire of war as well, seizing the opportunity to weaken the Li familyʼs strength so that they wouldnʼt have the capacity to target Shen Leishan.

”That True Lord of the Li family set out with several Golden Cores right away, and now theyʼre already at the edge of Great Void Province, waiting for the arrival of that fourth-order Great Devil.”

”Keep a constant watch over that battlefield, and report back to me immediately with any developments!” ordered Yun Lei, a dark light flashing in his eyes.

”Yes!”

——

”Just take this as a form of training; donʼt be too nervous,” Li Zhirui calmly reassured.

”Jiu, you make it sound so easy, but Chenghuo and I are still in the early stages of Golden Core!” Li Zhixuan glared at him, exasperated.

”You two are also close to breaking through, right? After this battle, you can try to seclude yourselves and make a breakthrough,” Li Zhirui said in what seemed like an unrelated conversation.

That Li Zhixuan and Li Chenghuo were close to making a breakthrough so soon was not only because the Li family could now provide an ample supply of third-order Spirit Pills, but also due to their previous experiences. Accumulating both allowed their cultivation to progress so swiftly.

”Sigh,” Li Zhirui sighed, ”I hope our clan can soon have someone who can share the burdens with me.”

Li Zhixuan and Li Chenghuo instantly fell silent. They longed to be the person Li Zhirui mentioned, but their cultivation levels were insufficient.

Or to say, the Li family did not have such a person at all.

Thatʼs not right!

Li Zhixuan suddenly thought of someone, someone she had desperately chased, yet never caught up with—Li Zhiyue.

Only she could help Li Zhirui share some of the pressure.

The scene suddenly fell into a silent stillness; the wilderness stretched endlessly, yet not a single creature was in sight.

”Theyʼre here!”

Li Zhirui suddenly spoke, his eyes intensely fixed on what lay ahead.

Boom!

A sound of something tearing through the air exploded, followed by the Lethal Spirit Light, heading straight for Li Zhixuan.

Li Zhirui extended his hand and slapped it away; the nearby Spiritual Energy gathered in torrents, clung to his right palm, and upon collision, unleashed a powerful impact that pushed him several steps back.

The Great Devil that had made its move was also forced to reveal its true form.

”Are you that Spirit Void Fox?” a hint of surprise flashed in Li Zhiruiʼs eyes.

If his memory served him right, just half a year ago, it was but a late-stage third-order Devil Beast!

But now it had crossed that chasm, turning into a formidable Great Devil!

”No, thatʼs not right! Even if you could break through Tribulation Transcendence within half a year and solidify your realm, itʼs impossible not to undergo the Thunder Tribulation!”

The Li family didnʼt pay much attention to the Devil Race, but the Profound Ice Sect and Shen Leishan would have definitely kept a close watch on them, so why had even they not noticed anything amiss?

”Hu Linghuan? So itʼs you!” Li Zhixuan also recognized the Great Devil and a glint of shock and fear flashed through her eyes, but it quickly turned into resolve.

”Jiu, itʼs me heʼs after,” Li Zhixuan said with a wry smile. ”That Devil Beast I talked about before, itʼs this one.”

Li Zhirui also remembered and shook his head, ”Itʼs got nothing to do with you.”

”Enough talk! Come and fight!” Hu Linghuan glared at Li Zhixuan with determination, knowing full well that unless he dealt with Li Zhirui first, he couldnʼt possibly kill her.

Having broken through to the fourth order, Hu Linghuan was no longer the weak Devil Beast from before, who could only dodge attacks by hiding in space!

Its strength had undergone an earth-shattering transformation!

With a single thought from Hu Linghuan, he vanished into thin air, directly entering the fabric of space.

”Be careful, both of you!” There was a hint of caution in Li Zhiruiʼs eyes, for his current strength was still unable to shake space, let alone detect Hu Linghuanʼs presence.

However, that didnʼt mean there was no way to track him down!

Li Zhirui quickly executed several spells, and soon a thick fog enveloped the area, threaded with numerous slender, resilient vines.

Swish, swish, swish—

Invisible Spatial Blades easily sliced through the vines, but the dense fog could close back in almost immediately after being split.

Such was the power that the Spirit Void Fox had mastered after breaking through to the fourth order!

They were no longer limited to hiding within space, but could now manipulate the power of space against their foes.

ʼThis is problematic,ʼ Li Zhirui thought, his face expressionless yet his heart growing heavier.

For Hu Linghuan, space was like his home; navigating through it came without any obscurity, and at incredible speed. Even if he revealed himself in the fog, Li Zhirui couldnʼt react in time.

Perhaps because he had only recently broken through, he hadnʼt fully mastered the power of the fourth order; otherwise, Li Zhiruiʼs situation would be even more dire.

Since he couldnʼt strike Hu Linghuan, Li Zhirui simply gave up on attacking and focused entirely on defense, seemingly planning to exhaust the opponentʼs mana with his own profound mana reserves.