Chapter 1625: Chapter 1281: Distinctions (2)
"There are two more pieces of good news to share with the two ancestors."
Li Xiuyuan spoke, "Rui Ancestor and Xuan Ancestor have both successfully broken through to the Earth Immortal realm. Rui Ancestor is in seclusion within the family, while Xuan Ancestor has ventured into the Void ahead of time to scout, ensuring the family isn’t left completely in the dark."
"I didn’t expect Jiu and Zhixuan to both break through to Earth Immortal. It’s indeed a great joy," Jiang Fengwu said with a sigh, his eyes showing a hint of envy.
After exchanging pleasantries and gaining a new understanding of the family, she left the grand hall and returned to her own cave mansion.
At this moment, Jiang Fengwu, whose heart was in turmoil, was not suited for cultivation, so she merely sat on the meditation mat, calming her mental state and adjusting her condition.
"Earth Immortal, they’ve merely taken a step ahead, I can catch up soon!" she murmured, as if making a vow.
Once she finished speaking, she closed her eyes to cultivate, striving to quickly increase her cultivation and aim for an early breakthrough to the late-stage Human Immortal, continuing to advance.
The reason Jiang Fengwu was doing this was that she thought perhaps if she gained insights during a great battle, she might take advantage of it to break through to the Earth Immortal realm!
...
Thus, several decades passed, and Xiaoqing finally faced the Thunder Tribulation for breaking through the Realm of Human Immortality.
As a Divine, and an exemplary one with great virtue and responsibility, his Thunder Tribulation was not worth mentioning, its power moderate, causing him little harm, and he easily overcame it.
During the tribulation, Xiaoqing wasn’t even serious. He resisted the first few bolts of Tribulation Thunder with his physical body, and only later did he allow the War God to counteract the remaining Tribulation Thunder.
Such an innovative and unique method of transcending tribulation won great admiration from many family members, though luckily, none were foolish enough to think they could transcend tribulation in the same manner.
...
At the southeastern part of Shanhai State, at the junction with the Cave Abyss Sect and the sea domain.
One day, it suddenly shone brightly, and a significant earthquake occurred.
This earthquake drew the attention of Li Mingyao, who, as the Earth God of Shanhai State, was immensely concerned and attentive to sudden earthquakes like this.
After all, this was his foundation; he had no choice but to pay attention.
So, immediately after the earthquake appeared, he rushed to the scene to investigate the cause of the earthquake.
But unexpectedly, before understanding the earthquake, he discovered an unexpected surprise—a newly emerged Secret Realm!
Upon seeing that ’Void Bubble’ floating mid-air, Li Mingyao was filled with excitement, veiling it before returning to Mount Wanxian to inform Li Xiuyuan, instructing him to arrange for family members to take custody.
As for the cause of the earthquake, he deduced that it was likely due to the emergence of the Secret Realm.
"Good! Thanks to Yao Ancestor’s timely awareness, the family seized the initiative, concealing this newly emerged Secret Realm!" Li Xiuyuan was naturally overjoyed.
No matter the grade of the Secret Realm, even if it’s the lowest, it can bring substantial gain.
Moreover, according to Li Mingyao’s judgment, the grade of this Secret Realm is not low, as he saw several high-grade Spiritual Objects inside the Void Bubble.
However, the subsequent matters have nothing to do with him, as all the chores and tasks were arranged by Li Xiuyuan.
For this reason, the Clan Leader specifically summoned the elders to discuss the matter, preparing all kinds of Spiritual Objects and resources, especially materials for stabilizing the Secret Realm and establishing the Teleportation Array.
If the grade of the Secret Realm is high enough, the Li family will naturally establish a Formation to easily control it, but if the grade is lower, they won’t waste precious materials and will patiently wait for the Secret Realm to emerge again, to explore and collect Spiritual Objects then.
After preparation, the next day, several enormous Cloud Boats departed from Mount Wanxian, heading straight for the Secret Realm.
Such a grand move naturally caught the attention of various cultivators and loose cultivators.
"What is the Li family planning to do with such a massive operation?"
You should know, those few Cloud Boats, if packed with cultivators, can carry as many as ten thousand people! Even if not filled to capacity, dispatching Cloud Boats means the number won’t be small.
Individual after individual mustered the courage to follow behind the Cloud Boats, curious to see what the Li family intended to do.
"Xun Ancestor, should we take action to drive away those cultivators following us?" Li Yunran frowned, expressing some dissatisfaction.
Li Xianxun looked back at the strands of Spirit Light, dismissing it lightly, "There’s no need for that. They might prove useful later."
A Secret Realm, especially one making its first appearance, is likely filled with various dangers.
If relying solely on the family’s efforts to clear it out, it would not only be time-consuming and laborious but could also result in considerable casualties!
And this is the time when those loose cultivators become necessary.
Although some Spiritual Objects will be distributed, compared to the family’s carefully nurtured cultivators over the years, the loss of those Spiritual Objects is negligible.
In no time, a procession arrived at the site of the Secret Realm’s emergence.
"A Secret Realm?! The Li family is truly fortunate to have discovered such a newborn Secret Realm!" Some loose cultivators exclaimed with envy.
"Indeed, since the Li family discovered the Secret Realm, whether we can enter depends on their willingness."
If it had been other cultivators who discovered the Secret Realm first, they would likely be able to claim a share; but now, that remains uncertain.
"What’s the rush? If the Secret Realm is fraught with peril, the Li family wouldn’t want their carefully nurtured members to go in and perish. They would likely rely on us to help clear and manage the dangers," remarked a loose cultivator bluntly, but truthfully.
As for the life-threatening aspect? For many loose cultivators, as long as they have not forsaken the path of cultivation, danger is not something they fear.
That afternoon, the Cave Abyss Sect received word of the Li family’s discovery of the Secret Realm.
After a brief discussion among the Sect Leader and elders, they eventually decided to send many disciples, hoping to acquire some Spiritual Objects.
As for contesting the ownership of the Secret Realm? They were inclined to, given its proximity to the boundary line, yet the Secret Realm resided entirely within Shanhai State’s territory, without crossing it even slightly!
This was regrettable for them because the Secret Realm bore no relation to the Cave Abyss State, and unless they wanted to fall out with the Li family, there was no point in disputing ownership for a Secret Realm that didn’t benefit them.
Of course, if the grade of the Secret Realm proves high enough, the Cave Abyss Sect wouldn’t mind taking it by force!
Yet, Li Xianxun and others weren’t surprised by the arrival of disciples from the Cave Abyss Sect, nor did they comment, treating them as tools, like the loose cultivators, for exploring the Secret Realm and mitigating risks.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day to open the Secret Realm.
Buzz—
The Void Bubble quivered slightly and revealed a portal in mid-air.
Li Xianxun didn’t rush to send cultivators inside but first placed several puppets to gauge the situation within the Secret Realm, assessing its dangers, grade, and more.
"This is an Eighth-Order Secret Realm."
Soon, he gleaned the basic information through the puppets.
"An Eighth-Order Secret Realm?!"
From among the cultivators in the rear, exclamations of surprise ensued, leading many to depart immediately, fearing their low cultivation wasn’t suited for a high-grade Secret Realm that might lead to immediate demise!
But simultaneously, many cultivators were thrilled and excited internally due to the high grade, and high danger also promised rich rewards.
"Of the seven puppets sent into the Secret Realm, four are now damaged, indicating it’s not safe. So, everyone must act cautiously once inside and first regroup with family to explore collaboratively," Li Xianxun reminded the family members.
Then he addressed the external cultivators, saying, "Our family allows outsiders to enter this Secret Realm!"
"Thank you, Li family, for allowing us entrance," they all expressed their gratitude, regardless of their ulterior motives.
"However, the rules of my Li family differ from the norms you may have; we don’t take a fixed percentage of what you acquire in the Secret Realm but employ another method."