No one knew what the future would bring in the war between the two sects.
But Li Xiang knew full well that if the Li Family wanted to preserve itself wisely—or even profit—from this Calamity that might last a hundred years, strength still came first. Otherwise, what right did the Li Family have to speak of anything else?
Yet a blade hanging over one's head was also a force that drove people forward.
[Amid news of the war between the two sects, your descendants felt the danger of the unknown. For the sake of allowing the Lineage to endure beneath this Calamity, they began cherishing every second and every opportunity to strengthen the Lineage.] [Your Lineage has obtained the trait: Strive Forward] [Until the crisis ends, your clansmen's cultivation speed increases by 10%, and their comprehension increases by 10%. They will find opportunities to develop the Lineage more easily. The current descendants of the Lineage will remember this crisis, permanently increasing the effectiveness of 'Strive Forward' by 10%.]
BUFF!
Li Xiang's tense mood began to ease. After resolving the trouble in Tailin Town, the Revenge BUFF had already vanished, but now the Li Family had gained another collective trait.
"Sure enough, no matter what kind of challenge it is, opportunity exists alongside it?"
Never mind the appearance of a game trait.
Even Li Xiang had an epiphany!
He suddenly slapped his thigh.
"That's right. If I stop treating this as danger and instead see it as an opportunity, everything changes!"
Li Xiang immediately fixed his gaze on the screen.
Certainly, the war between the two sects would plunge the Li Family into unknowable danger.
But Li Yaowen had said it before: under such circumstances, the two great sects would be busy fighting each other. They simply would not have time to concern themselves with anything else. Because of that, there would be forces and individuals fishing in troubled waters, seizing the chance to gain benefits.
Then...
Why should the Li Family wait to be fished up by others in troubled waters instead of becoming the hunter themselves?
"My train of thought is suddenly fucking clear."
Li Xiang was about to have the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python summon his descendants.
Just as he clicked on the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python's portrait, intending to raise the matter he had realized.
He froze.
The descendants entered the Ancestral Hall.
After everyone kowtowed as usual, Li Dalong beamed. "Old Ancestor, when Yun Bing emerged from cultivating in the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin today, he said that the zombies on the first level had always been beating him up. But after he took the initiative to attack, the road toward the end of the first level became much easier."
"So he asked this child: why can't our Li Family take the initiative amid the Calamity of the war between the two sects?"
"Old Ancestor, this child does not know whether this foolish child is right or wrong. Please enlighten us!"
"..."
Li Xiang's smile gradually disappeared. He stared blankly at Li Yunbing on the game screen—the guy with those innocent eyes, his entire face screaming, 'I'm an idiot, come fool me!'
He did not move for a long while.
Li Dalong on the screen received no response from Li Xiang either, and he grew somewhat anxious, practically wanting to urge, 'Old Ancestor, say something.'
"I came up with the same thing as Li Yunbing, who gets scammed every day in the Lineage?"
Gritting his teeth, Li Xiang clicked on the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python's portrait.
[Good.]
After he entered the words, the Li Family members received the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python's response and immediately erupted in joy.
"Old Ancestor agreed, hahaha!"
"I told you Yun Bing isn't stupid. He can think of useful methods too."
"My grandson takes after me."
Li Xiang gritted his teeth and clenched the flesh of his thigh tightly.
Calm down!
Absolutely stay calm. Don't smash the keyboard!
Then, seeing the flow of time on the screen, Li Xiang comforted himself.
"It's fine. Why should I doubt myself? So many days have passed in the game. I thought of it very quickly."
"Yes, that's right. My descendants came up with the same thing as me—I should be happy. It proves he's grown up."
"I should smile!!!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
The phone rang. Li Xiang answered it, and Boss Qi's delighted voice came through. "Young Master Li, I've sold everything. I made a huge profit..."
"Boss Qi, do I look like an idiot to you?"
"Huh? Why ask that all of a sudden?" Boss Qi's voice stalled, then he said solemnly, "I know my reputation wasn't good before, but rest assured, Young Master Li. I swear on my life that from the day I began working with you, I will never take a kickback."
"Hahaha."
Li Xiang finally smiled. "Talking with smart people really is easy."
After hanging up, Li Xiang was finally at ease.
[After deliberation, your Lineage decided to take advantage of Taiqing's chaos to secretly eliminate the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion. Li Dalong brought his wife and borrowed the spirit beast 'Wind-Shadow Bright Spirit Bird' from the Silver Iron Forest to travel there together.]
Li Xiang ate melon seeds as he watched this special operation.
The deeper he got into the game, the more Li Xiang understood that every special operation had a special reason behind it.
Either it involved a major matter that endangered the Li Family, or it was an event through which they could gain benefits.
Although he had always kept watch over the development of the Li Family's forces.
Li Xiang also knew about this matter.
The Tingfeng Martial Pavilion was located in Tingfeng Town, Taiqing County. Its strongest member was only at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
Though this small sect, supported by only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, was weak.
The Li Family had still spent two months preparing to eradicate the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion, even making use of the Tailin Su Family's connections. The reason was that the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion was loyal to the Xuanwu Sect. If they did not prepare thoroughly and avoid the Xuanwu Sect's eyes and ears on every front, the Li Family would likely face considerable trouble as well.
Their ultimate goal was to obtain the top-grade auxiliary Dharma artifact within the martial pavilion—
[Martial Practice Spirit Pearl] [Those at Foundation Establishment can use their insights to imprint cultivation methods upon the spirit pearl for others to cultivate.]
Its effect seemed ordinary, but the Li Family had gone to such lengths because they learned that after decades of experiments, the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion had discovered that placing the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl atop a building similar to Zhien Village's training room could further accelerate the cultivation speed of those inside the training room!
At this moment, the Li Family had already begun dismantling those ten training rooms and combining them into one massive training room. They had even prepared the dome to place the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl atop it.
Very soon.
On a late night, Li Dalong and his wife brought the spirit beast toward the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion, located atop a small mountain outside Tingfeng Town.
Within the ancient cluster of buildings, killing intent suddenly rose beneath the night curtain!
Xu Cuihua wielded a low-grade Spirit Artifact and already possessed the ability to battle a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator. Added to that was the Foundation Establishment peak Wind-Shadow Bright Spirit Bird, which resembled a sparrow yet was as elusive as a shadow. Within this small sect, there was not a single opponent capable of withstanding even one exchange against them.
The Tingfeng Martial Pavilion had only one pavilion master at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and two elders at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
This Li Family couple and their spirit beast even knew exactly where to go and whom to kill. Clearly, they had plans and targets, having thoroughly investigated the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion. It was truly a night of high winds and dark skies, perfect for murder.
They acted with astonishing decisiveness!
Li Xiang had intended to switch screens and check on his other descendants.
But the hand resting on his mouse paused.
After the Li Family members swiftly severely wounded the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion's master and captured him alive, taking him to a cliff dozens of miles outside the mountain, Li Dalong seized the man's throat tightly.
"What's going on?"
Li Xiang fiercely bit into a melon seed. He saw the complicated emotions in Li Dalong's eyes—hatred, relief, and liberation?
"Do you still remember who I am?" Li Dalong's voice was faint and slightly trembling.
"This friend, I... I do not know where I may have offended you all? We can talk this out. Do you want the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl? Take it. I... I still have many Spirit Stones. I can give you the Spirit Stones and everything valuable in our martial pavilion!"
The Tingfeng Martial Pavilion master was no fool. He knew that since this group dared come, they had never feared the Xuanwu Sect behind him. He simply begged for mercy. Staying alive was what mattered.
"You don't remember."
Li Dalong let out a long sigh. "By my count, it has been forty-nine years. You don't remember me, but I remember you."
"Y-you... who are you?!!" The pavilion master grew even more terrified.
But Li Dalong ignored him and continued speaking to himself:
"Your Tingfeng Martial Pavilion proclaimed itself a righteous and renowned sect within Tingfeng Town, but in truth, it was filthy beyond measure. Back then, you were at the peak of Qi Refining and were establishing the Tingfeng Pavilion. Oh, right—you had another identity as well. You were a slave trader who abducted other people's children and sold them."
"You..."
The pavilion master wanted to say something, but veins bulged on his forehead. Li Dalong was already choking him so tightly that he could not utter a word, then casually struck with a palm and crippled the pavilion master's dantian!
"Children with good aptitude, you sold to great sects."
"Children with poor aptitude, you turned into cultivation furnaces!"
Li Dalong calmly broke the pavilion master's arms and legs.
"Do you know that when the twelve of us cultivation furnaces reached twenty years old, when you were about to use us to raise insect gu, I fled that devil's den called Tingfeng Pavilion to stay alive? Only I made it out alive. Even now, I remember my companions shouting for me to run faster!"
"Run faster... Agou, you must escape..."
"I escaped, but my companions died. I could only follow the memories of my childhood back to what had once been my home, but all I found were my parents' graves. The thatched hut at home had also been abandoned, leaving only Old Ancestor's memorial tablet."
"When you abducted me, I was still only called Agou. The fortune-teller had not even given me a name yet."
"I knew I had no ability, but in my dreams, I wanted nothing more than for you to die, for your martial pavilion to be destroyed!"
Li Dalong let out a long breath. Only when Xu Cuihua placed a hand on his shoulder did he give the worried Xu Cuihua a reassuring smile. Finally, he stared coldly at the pavilion master. "Now I am no longer called Agou. That nameless little dog who once saw his Household destroyed and his family dead, who fled with his tail between his legs, has a name now. Great Dragon. Remember me in your next life. My name is Li Dalong!"
"It is time to let go of everything from before."
Li Dalong truly let go. He threw the pavilion master beneath the cliff, then borrowed the Spirit Artifact from Xu Cuihua and flew down, bombarding the man wildly until the pavilion master's flesh and blood mixed with the filthy earth.
Watching everything on the screen, Li Xiang felt as though he were standing beside Li Dalong, buffeted by the cold wind of the deep night.
The melon seeds in his hand suddenly no longer tasted good.
This was also the first time he had learned that Li Dalong's past had been so miserable. Perhaps that was why Li Dalong had gained the trait 'Vigorous Striving,' and why, after obtaining cultivation methods, he had continued changing, wanting to attain a better life.
Many years ago, the Li Family had already possessed the strength to help Li Dalong take revenge.
But Li Dalong had not sought revenge. Perhaps he had long known that the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion had gained a backer, and for the sake of the Lineage's development, had kept suppressing his hatred. Even today, it was only because the Lineage needed the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl. Otherwise, Li Dalong might still not have risked himself for personal desire.
As the roaring continued from the game screen.
[Your descendant Li Dalong shattered the inner demon he had suppressed for many years. The trait 'Vigorous Striving' has undergone a transformation—] [Trait: Achieve Greatness!] [Your descendant Li Dalong has broken through—] [Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!]
Before you continue