Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

After a moment, Li Zhirui obtained three sealed jade boxes, inspected them, and then placed them into his storage ring.

With the task completed, he naturally would not linger here too long and immediately rose to leave.

As soon as Li Zhirui stepped out of the shop, he bumped into a group of cultivators, led by a white-haired elder with a silver beard, whose aura surged like thunder, unmistakably a Nascent Soul True Lord!

Li Zhirui recognized this person; he was none other than Cloud Thunder True Lord of Shen Leishan!

Behind him stood three Golden Core cultivators: one was a square-faced middle-aged man with cultivation equal to Li Zhirui, also at Golden Core Perfection; the other two, a male and a female, were merely at the late stage of Golden Core, but their aura fluctuated, hinting at the possibility of a breakthrough.

If nothing else, these three were likely centenarian Golden Cores, ready to enter the Secret Realm and participate in the trial.

Their followers, either Foundation Establishment disciples or those who had just advanced to Golden Core, clearly could not enter the Secret Realm and were probably Shen Leishan's promising new generation of disciples, out for training and to broaden their horizons.

Initially, Li Zhirui had also considered whether to bring some clan members along, which would undoubtedly benefit their future development.

But after considering it, he eventually decided against it!

There was only one reason: Li Zhirui had no confidence in protecting so many clan members. In case of any danger, he could fight to save everyone, but he might be injured, and then what would happen with the matter of the Secret Realm?

In Li Zhirui's mind, the subsequent cultivation techniques of the "Wanling Sutra" were the most important thing during this time. Bringing up juniors, an insignificant matter, was not his concern.

However, Li Zhirui did not expect to encounter such a coincidence. There were many routes from the Eastern Territory to the Central Territory, yet they had chosen the same path and happened to meet on the way.

With a Nascent Soul True Lord leading the other party, Li Zhirui naturally stepped aside to let them pass first. But as he bowed his head discreetly, he did not notice that Cloud Thunder True Lord's gaze lingered on him a moment longer.

"Senior Brother, is there something unusual about that person?" Master Milei, who stood nearby, asked curiously after witnessing this scene.

"That person is also at Golden Core Perfection, and by the looks of it, he should be from the Eastern Territory as well."

Of course, being from the Eastern Territory did not mean they could recognize him. After all, the Eastern Territory was vast; they were barely fellow countrymen.

Li Zhirui had changed his appearance, and without a careful probe with Divine Sense, one could not detect it, which is why no one recognized him.

"Find an opportunity to make contact and see if we can travel together in the Secret Realm—it will be beneficial for you all." However, it was evident that Milei and the others were not taking this matter to heart.

Whether they trusted in their own strength or had reservations about strangers, they were unwilling, so Cloud Thunder True Lord naturally did not press the issue.

But he felt a bit regretful, as there is indeed a certain gap between two cultivators at Golden Core Perfection, and having Li Zhirui with them would definitely allow them to reach the gate of the stone tower more quickly.

——

"I didn't expect to run into them. It seems I have to leave this place quickly to avoid being spotted by the Xu Family again. If my identity is exposed, that would be bad," Li Zhirui thought to himself.

Firstly, the Li family was a vassal of Shen Leishan, and as a cultivator of the Li family, how could he not respond to a summons from his Supreme Ancestor? Secondly, now that his cultivation level was exposed, whether Shen Leishan would act against the Li family due to this was unknown to Li Zhirui.

Having made up his mind, Li Zhirui left the Xu Family domain that day and headed to the largest Immortal City nearby, intending to learn more about the Central Territory before the Secret Realm opened. He did not want to encounter Spiritual Objects again without recognizing them.

——

After leaving the Li family, Li Zhiyue, who traversed mountains and rivers under the cover of night and day, now found her path blocked. Astonishingly, a third-order Devil Beast intended to take her as its wife!

"Get lost!" Li Zhiyue's gaze was icy as she stared at the short, fat, dark-skinned, and ugly-transformed Devil Beast before her. She had no idea what its original form was, yet it had such preposterous ideas.

"My dear, just come with me up the mountain, and I will give you everything I have!" the Devil Beast pleaded desperately, as if it were love-struck.

But what responded to it was Li Zhiyue's merciless, mocking gaze, accompanied by waves of water hurtling one after another.

Quack!

With a shake of its body, the man transformed into an enormously large toad. With a wide-open mouth, it swallowed all the waves effortlessly.

"A fourth-grade Heaven-Devouring Toad?" Li Zhiyue frowned. A Devil Beast with a legacy was much harder to deal with than others.

After showing off its strength, Li Zhiyue made up her mind not to tangle with it anymore and immediately fled northward.

"My lady, don't leave me!" The toad Devil Beast persistently chased after her, crying out loudly. To the uninformed, it might seem like a playful game of chase between a couple.

The more Li Zhiyue heard, the uglier her expression became. She already had a bad impression and attitude toward Devil Beasts, and now encountering such a situation, if not for her insufficient strength, she would've loved to tear it to pieces!

And so, after several days of chase, the toad Devil Beast finally gave up!

One, it was not known for speed and could barely keep up with Li Zhiyue without getting shaken off; that was all. Two, it had its own possessions. Although it very much fancied Li Zhiyue, it wasn't the kind to forego its estate for love, chasing her for thousands of li was already its limit.

Another reason was that Li Zhiyue had discovered its weakness and occasionally would turn to strike. This left it in quite an embarrassing state.

"Phew!" Seeing the toad Devil Beast no longer following her, Li Zhiyue let out a heavy sigh of relief; she was genuinely afraid of being captured and taken back to be some mountain fortress lady.

"When I get back, I'll surely have Jiu butcher you!" Although she wasn't injured, the repulsive experience was more than enough to vent her frustration.

However, thanks to the pursuit of the toad Devil Beast, Li Zhiyue had completed over half her journey. In just over another six months, she would reach the Central Region!

——

Time flies.

Seeing the bustling Marketplace not too far away, Li Zhiyue breathed a sigh of relief, "I wonder where Jiu is right now."

Perhaps it was the appearance of the toad Devil Beast that absorbed all her bad luck; the rest of her journey was smooth. Although there were setbacks, they weren't significant, and Li Zhiyue, with her strength, could manage.

Furthermore, throughout the journey, Li Zhiyue's will had undergone a baptism. She was no longer as fixated on Li Shiting's death as before.

Though it was only a slight loosening of her emotions, it was still progress in the right direction.

"This is indeed the Central Region! The Spiritual Energy is so rich here!" This was Li Zhiyue's first exclamation as she stepped into the Central Region, and she was quite astonished in her heart.