Frozen Water Spiritual Creatures Are So Abundant in the Ning Kingdom. Wouldn't People Fight Tooth and Nail for Them in the Yuyu Realm?

Li Yuankai selected several of the most important pieces of information and went to report them to Li Zhengjun:

"My lord, these Devil Cultivators investigated the Ning Kingdom in great detail. The island on which the Ning Kingdom lies is known to outsiders as Jade Wave Island, named for its abundance of Jade Wave Turtles. But Jade Wave Island has attracted little attention from outside cultivators, simply because Jade Wave Turtles are of too low a grade for cultivators of the Great Scarlet Realm to spare them a glance."

He paused briefly, then continued:

"The waters around Jade Wave Island are called the Shattered Star Sea, for the islands scattered across them like shattered stars. There are many islands nearby, and around Jade Wave Island alone, there are more than a dozen cultivation forces of various sizes. But Daoist Lu always huddled on the island like a turtle, so his exploration of the surrounding islands was very limited."

Li Zhengjun nodded slightly, unconcerned by the gaps in the intelligence. Having this much was already a pleasant surprise.

Li Yuankai was not discouraged by the incomplete intelligence either. He changed the subject, a note of excitement entering his voice:

"Fortunately, their exploration of Jade Wave Island itself was thorough enough. I carefully studied the Devil Cultivators' records of the Jade Wave Turtle. Its shell is deep green, and when it encounters water, the patterns flow with a faint, rippling gleam. Those are the very characteristics of the Frozen Water branch. My lord, you previously said that the Jade Wave Turtle was very likely a Frozen Water spiritual creature. It now seems your judgment was entirely correct."

He opened the booklet in his hands and continued without pause:

"Furthermore, the large numbers of Jade Wave Turtles gathered here have also attracted demonic beasts that live by preying on them. According to Daoist Lu's descriptions, all of them have the characteristics of Frozen Water spiritual creatures. I therefore infer that the number of Frozen Water spiritual creatures on Jade Wave Island is considerable. Our Li Household can use this island to expand our Frozen Water Dao Path!"

After listening, Li Zhengjun smiled in satisfaction.

The Ning Kingdom's Frozen Water spiritual creatures really are abundant. Wouldn't people fight tooth and nail for them in the Yuyu Realm?

"Yuankai, you cultivate Frozen Water yourself, so your judgment certainly cannot be wrong. I heard long ago that the True Person intended for the Lineage's main force to switch to cultivating Frozen Water. As things stand, Jade Wave Island will be a stable source of supplies for our Li Household's Frozen Water branch."

Li Yuankai was overjoyed and could not resist saying a few more words:

"Previously, the Lineage relied mainly on the upper reaches of the Lesser Cold River to gather Frozen Water spiritual creatures. But the Lesser Cold River begins in the west at [Subduing Heaven Plateau] and runs through the Chu Kingdom. Our Li Household can only gather from a stretch of its upper reaches in the Chu Kingdom; the rest of the river is controlled by other clans, so our reserves of Frozen Water spiritual creatures have always been limited. Now that we have Jade Wave Island, this predicament has been greatly eased."

Unable to hide the smile on his face, he added:

"My lord, there is one more matter worth noting. According to the Devil Cultivators' investigations, there is a mountain range northwest of Jade Wave Island, which Daoist Lu called Gold-Bearing Mountain. Its main peak is shrouded in clouds and mist year-round and has the most abundant spiritual essence on Jade Wave Island. There are stretches of spiritual land in the mountains that could be cultivated into spiritual fields, but a tiger demon at peak Qi Refinement has taken possession of them. Daoist Lu was in a hurry to refine that Blood Pill. Presumably, part of the reason was that he wanted to get rid of the tiger demon before breaking through and take those spiritual mountains for himself."

He paused, then said with conviction:

"In my opinion, once we have established a firm foothold, we can march northwest and take Gold-Bearing Mountain as the true seat of our Li Household's mountain gate in this realm."

The more Li Zhengjun heard, the more pleased he became. With eighteen years of the Devil Cultivators' accumulated work behind them, there was no telling how much effort the Li Household had been spared in exploration.

"Well done. Continue gathering intelligence and gain a more thorough understanding of the island. I'll return to the Yuyu Realm first to report this great victory to the True Person and discuss the arrangements for establishing a branch of the Lineage here while I'm there."

As he spoke, he took a letter from his Storage Bag, his tone softening a little.

"Yuankai, this is from your mother, written in her own hand. Elder Brother Zhengchen asked me to give it to you. He was afraid giving it to you before the battle would weigh on your mind, so he specifically told me to hand it over now."

Li Yuankai was taken aback. He had not expected his father, who had always been stern and sparing with words, to give such instructions.

He accepted it with both hands, his cheeks reddening slightly as he showed a rare trace of embarrassment.

"Sorry for the trouble, my lord."

He did not rush to open the letter. Instead, he rather flusteredly took paper, ink, brush, and inkstone from his own Storage Bag.

Li Yuankai very much wanted to show his parents back home that he was safe and doing well, but an image-recording stone would record matters concerning the Great Scarlet Realm. For now, that was still a Lineage secret and absolutely could not be disclosed to outsiders.

So before leaving, he had made sure to prepare brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in his Storage Bag.

"My lord, could you wait while I write a letter?"

No sooner had he spoken than Li Yuankai, as though afraid of troubling Li Zhengjun, added:

"On second thought, never mind. You should return to the clan first with the good news, my lord!"

Li Zhengjun shook his head and said softly:

"More than news of victory, perhaps the clan is waiting to hear that you are all safe."

With that, Li Zhengjun sent a voice transmission summoning all nine of the other Li Household disciples, and ordered the Fang siblings to take charge of affairs in the meantime.

"This battle was a great victory, and all of you contributed much. You were all secretly summoned by the Lineage and left in haste; many of you did not even have time to say goodbye to your families. Now that the matter of the Great Scarlet Realm's Devil Cultivators has come to an end for the time being, take this opportunity to each write a letter home. Let your families and friends know you are safe, so they can set their minds at ease."

"If, in the future, you have anything or any letters you need delivered, come directly to me without hesitation, and do not fear troubling me. You are the pillars of our Li Household, the cornerstone of the Li Household in the Great Scarlet Realm. The clan will do everything it can to attend to your needs and look after your families."

The words were spoken plainly, without grand declarations, yet they moved the Li Household disciples.

They accepted the writing materials, sought out places beneath the corridors and by the steps, and each spread out his or her letter paper.

The resolve and decisiveness they had shown against the Devil Cultivators moments ago vanished without a trace, replaced by faces of rare gentleness.

They bent over their paper, taking a long time to set brush to page, weighing every word and considering every sentence.

They all knew where to draw the line and made no mention of the Great Scarlet Realm. They had endless everyday family matters to write about, but above all, they wanted to say they were safe.

Li Zhengjun waited quietly until everyone had laid down their brushes, then collected the letters one by one.

"Rest assured, everyone. I'll make certain they're delivered."

They cupped their fists in thanks, then returned to their respective tasks.

Li Yuankai watched Li Zhengjun disappear before lowering his head and opening his mother's letter.

"My son Yuankai, seeing these words is like seeing me in person."

"Ever since you left home, your mother has worried about you day and night. Are you well in that Great Scarlet Realm? Have you grown accustomed to the climate and surroundings?"

"Your father wanted to keep it from me at first, afraid I would stop you. But no one knows a son better than his mother. How could he have hidden it from me? Your mother truly hated to see you go, but you are my pride and the pride of the Li Household. To be valued by the True Person and trusted by his lordship, to accompany him on an expedition to another realm—what an honor that is! However much I hated to see you go, I am happy for you too!"

"Take good care of yourself over there. Put on more clothes when it is cold, and do not neglect your meals. Discuss matters with his lordship, do your utmost in everything, and do not fail the trust the Lineage has placed in you. The men of our Li Household should put the family's enterprise first. Though your father does not say it, he feels the same way."

"You know your father best. He has a cold face but a warm heart, and his words can be harsh, but after you left, he often sat lost in thought. He is the clan head, carrying a burden of ten thousand pounds on his shoulders. Sending you to another realm hurt him more than anyone."

"My son, do not blame him for being hard-hearted."

"If you have any difficulties, remember to tell us at home. If you have none, I still hope you will write often. Even a few words to tell us how you are doing would put your father and mother at ease. Though we cannot see what you do over there, we are always thinking of you."

"My son, your father and I are both proud of you."

"I hope you will assist his lordship in building the Li Household anew in the Great Scarlet Realm and restoring our Li Household's glory."

"All is well at home. Do not worry."

Li Yuankai read it again and again, until the writing on the paper blurred where water had soaked into it. Only then did he realize that his vision had long since grown hazy.

"Mother, how could I blame Father? How could I blame him... The Lineage needs me. Even if mountains of blades and seas of fire lie ahead, why should I hold my life dear!"

Before he had finished speaking, a sudden rush of footsteps came from behind him.

"Hall master! We've discovered something unusual!"

Li Yuankai raised his sleeve and rubbed his face hard. By the time he turned around, his proper, composed expression had returned.

"Come on, take me to see it!"