Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1888 - 1413: Pending Fix

Li Zhirui was completely unaware that revealing his cultivation base had stunned Feng Yan so deeply, and right now, his mind was fixed entirely on escaping the Undying Volcano without delay.

By pushing himself to the utmost, he managed to depart from this blisteringly hot zone in only a handful of days.

This journey could be seen as wrapping up flawlessly.

After everything, he had harvested plenty during the trip, and though his fortune remained strong, he had struck a temporary low point.

At first, Li Zhirui intended to soar from the South Sea toward the East Sea, then cross into the East Continent and head back to the lands of Shanhai State.

This path would let him skip the Human Territory altogether, dodging the oppressive grip of the human Daoist magic network.

Yet he overlooked a key detail!

The feud between the Phoenix Clan and the Dragon Tribe had bound them in strife for endless ages. Though both powers had weakened substantially, clashes and battles still erupted sporadically.

As Li Zhirui pressed on southward into the South Sea, he abruptly spotted hordes of Sea Clan Water Devils clashing fiercely with swarms of Flying Feathered Birds right in front!

Faced with this chaos, he couldn't stick to his original route back home and had no choice but to veer northward, cutting through Human Territory instead.

This detour cost him considerable time on the road, leading him once more into human-controlled lands.

Still, on this occasion, Li Zhirui avoided the mighty empires of Daqian, Great Xia, and Great Zhou, choosing instead to pass through the cluster of minor nations that served as buffers between Great Xia and Great Zhou.

These lesser states lacked real power, and with his Ancestor Dragon Qi at hand, the pressure from the human Daoist magic network barely touched him.

Should trouble arise, Li Zhirui could strike openly without restraint, a far cry from Daqian where he needed to plot and maneuver in the shadows.

Upon stepping into a minor realm called Qi Country, he didn't rush ahead but simply disappeared from sight.

By then, he had slipped into the space realm.

With a mere flicker of intent, he selected five mountain summits to sow the Spiritual Objects he'd claimed from the Phoenix Clan's hidden trove!

For context, ever since Li Zhirui advanced to Heavenly Immortal rank, the space realm's expanse had swelled beyond certain lesser Minor Thousand Worlds, while its Spiritual Energy matched that of Heavenly Immortal Rank Spirit Veins.

In light of this, a clear issue emerged!

He lacked the hours in the day to nurture and expand such an enormous Medicine Garden.

He'd pondered taming some Devil Beasts to handle the upkeep, yet he hadn't come across fitting breeds and couldn't spare moments for thorough picks.

As a result, vast stretches of fertile Spirit Field inside the space realm lay idle or claimed by whatever Spiritual Objects had taken root.

Hence, dedicating five peaks just for the Ten Thousand Moisture Bright Light Xuan Lotus, Ten Thousand Water Treasure Spirit Root, Starlight Vine, Long Spirit Origin Tree, and Spirit Transformation Fruit proved no challenge at all.

Once these Spiritual Objects took to the soil, they began ravenously drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Energy in short order.

Fortune shone as the space's Spiritual Energy brimmed abundantly and the plantings stood well-separated; without that, Li Zhirui might have fretted over them turning on each other in their expansion!

Never dismiss these Spiritual Objects for wanting Spiritual Intelligence—their raw drive to endure could spark savage clashes, far deadlier than battles among thinking beings!

The mindless ones battled without pause for dominance, forcing a brutal you perish or I survive verdict; the aware, however, could choose retreat against unbeatable foes.

Confirming the Spirit Seeds' progress looked promising, Li Zhirui spent some light moments conversing with the Five Elements, urging them to watch closely over the fresh plantings, then exited the space realm.

...

Qi Country.

A tiny realm stretching just three hundred miles, dwarfed by even the outlying corners of Daqian's provinces, home to only tens of thousands of souls.

It fit the label of a true backwater nation, clinging to existence amid Great Zhou and Great Xia, forever at risk of becoming a war zone for the colossal empires.

In this tense setup, from high lords to everyday folk in Qi Country drifted through life with idle ease, grasping at fleeting joys and revelries.

But it was exactly this odd backdrop that birthed a surprising bounty of delights.

Thus, against all odds, this modest land turned into a cherished haven for folks from nearby realms, letting its residents thrive in relative peace.

Learning all this, Li Zhirui couldn't hide a peculiar look on his face; prior to now, he'd never pictured such a quirky place thriving so decently.

"No wonder the Daoist magic network here in Qi Country feels looser than elsewhere."

Muttering offhand, he had no intent to dally in Qi Country; with twilight falling, he chose to press onward.

Come nightfall, Li Zhirui arrived at Qi Country's northern edge, a city marking the brink, past which sprawled the wilds known as Great Marsh.

This immense wetland covered some five or six hundred miles, transforming into a colossal lake for about eight months yearly.

Because of the harsh terrain, settlements scarcely formed, leaving this broad expanse free from any empire's hold.

Still, the marsh teemed with dwellers—runaways from distant lands, tax-dodgers fed up with heavy levies.

Transient folk dotted the area too, mainly anglers and gatherers, drawn by the Great Marsh's rich bounty of fish and rare herbs.

To traverse the Great Marsh and arrive at Jiang Country on the far side, options boiled down to skirting around, soaring above, or the tried-and-true way: sailing across by vessel.