Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1891 - 1414: Capture (2)

Five individuals altogether, all marked by profound old age, their bodies already exuding a faint aura of decay!

This obvious trait reveals that their remaining lifespan won't surpass fifty years.

"Who would've thought their research truly paid off..." The man voiced his shock mixed with joy, knowing he could join them on this path to a superior realm.

Though extending life demands facing Tribulation Transcendence and advancing realms, which poses great risks in their state, the might of the Thunder Tribulation pales against the terror of the Ascension Thunder Tribulation.

"It's a shame I couldn't grasp the core of their world-traversing technique; had I, even in a new realm, I could've tapped it for cultivation resources."

No one grasps the steps they took, but they've covertly tracked the bond between Bai Canghan and his disciple Gao Yunlin all this time, slipping past any notice.

"If they managed to uncover it, why can't we?"

"Enough dwelling on regrets; we must move fast, or the space rift will seal shut," one of the old folks grumbled with impatience.

The group hung back for almost fifteen minutes before at last departing, soaring into the space rift and vanishing one by one in a flash.

Right after their exit, the space rift shook wildly, as though hitting its breaking point, then burst apart with a deafening boom!

...

At the same time, within the Southern Domain of the Primal Spirit Realm, over at the Great Marsh of the Human Dao.

Minutes dragged on, and the tear in the sky widened steadily; the onlookers kept their eyes glued to it, poised to strike at once if something burst forth, striving to claim whatever appeared.

Next to him, Li Zhirui shifted restlessly, for a Confucian Saint had shown up during the vigil.

He'd rushed over so quickly because he'd been painting close by, and after getting word from the Confucian follower, he made it there in no time.

"Wu Sheng, that first cultivator to move grabbed the Devil Beast outright and applied the Soul Searching Secret Technique to uncover loads about the other world," the Confucian follower hurriedly summed up the prior events.

Wu Huasheng shot a look at Li Zhirui, eyed the barely alive Devil Beast, gave a faint head shake, and declared, "We hold off for now."

He worried that striking would kill the Devil Beast on the spot, sparking unknown troubles; it was wiser to keep it breathing and plan next steps once the dust settled.

After all, he'd already placed a barrier nearby, hiding the interior from view and trapping everyone within from escaping.

With Wu Huasheng's arrival, followers from the other Hundred Schools grew highly strung, fearing their own elders might lag and lose out on the prizes!

The heavy, charged air wore on as moments slipped by.

All at once, Li Zhirui's stare sharpened, his inner mana surging fiercely, propelling him like a bolt toward the space rift.

As he dashed, Wu Huasheng paused briefly, then hurled his brush ahead, sending out a swarm of ink flecks that morphed into beasts and spirits, lunging at Li Zhirui.

At the same time, he pulled out a landscape scroll and flung it skyward; it unfurled to show vivid peaks and streams, blending seamlessly with the world around.

Disciples of the Hundred Schools moved a touch slower yet still lashed out to disrupt the scene.

But Li Zhirui brushed aside these tactics, simply calling forth his Life-bound Magic Treasure, Thousand Spirits, to shield him.

Wu Huasheng at first thought his strike would crush a mere Human Immortal Cultivator, only to find the ink-born entities inflicted zero damage.

"He's concealing his true power!" It hit him in a heartbeat, his face darkening with realization.

Right then, a pair of shapes burst from the space rift!

Bai Canghan and Gao Yunlin had barely tasted the crisp air of this fresh world when Li Zhirui stunned them senseless and slipped away into nothingness.

In that split second, their awareness faded, Dantian and Spiritual Souls locked down, bodies restrained, hurled into void storage, with orders to Five Elements to hold them fast until he returned with new commands!

"Give up those two, and I'll spare your exit!" Wu Huasheng demanded icily.

"Afraid not; these are my rightful gains from battle. If you crave them, bide your time a bit."

With that, Li Zhirui turned to a streak of rainbow brilliance, streaking off northward.

"Hmph!"

Wu Huasheng huffed in disdain, "You believe escape is that easy? Hold still!"

But what happened next stunned him utterly.

The barriers from his scrolls—one bolstering shields, the other splitting realms inside and out—shattered under the intruder's force!

Maybe his lowball estimate kept the scroll's full might dormant, though the foe's overwhelming prowess played the bigger role.

"This guy's no lone Immortal or Human Immortal Cultivator—he's a Heavenly Immortal!"

Grasping the truth, Wu Huasheng couldn't hold back a swear, "Blast it! I got duped too."

Too late for regrets, as Li Zhirui had already fled far beyond reach, pursuit now impossible.

Thus, he pivoted back, eyeing the lingering space rift in hopes of more arrivals from beyond.

Yet, against all odds!

The barrier Wu Huasheng laid got smashed by outsiders.

Three newcomers stepped in, from the Mo Family, Legalist group, and School of Names, each at Saint cultivation level.

Their initial move was to deploy their own seals, shielding the zone from prying eyes.

This way, should they come up empty, they could at least stall intruders and gain some breathing room.

"Heh, Wu, you beat everyone here—surely you've snagged a boon or two?" The School of Names Saint queried with a grin, fishing for details.

"Asking me? Better grill your own followers," Wu Huasheng brushed them off, eyes locked on the space rift, yearning for fresh entities from the foreign side.

A shadow crossed the School of Names Saint's gaze, and with the other two Saints, they pressed their disciples for the rundown on what went down.

To their shock, prior to their coming, a Heavenly Immortal Cultivator had already nabbed a duo.

This fueled their vow to snag the next arrivals; letting another chance slip could spell no more shots.

Time raced on, another quarter-hour gone.

Abruptly, the space rift quaked hard, ejecting five forms.

The four Saints on site lit up with excitement.

Wu Huasheng had planned to scoop up all five, but the trio balked and struck together to foil him, batting away the scroll meant to claim them all.

Out of options, he shifted tactics, using the scroll just to whisk off the pair at the edge.

The leftover three dropped neatly into the laps of the other three Saints!

No words exchanged, yet the four shared an unspoken pact, dropping their barriers in unison before grabbing their followers and speeding off afar.

Greed had no place; one knowledgeable captive sufficed.

Besides, they sensed the space rift's growing instability, unlikely to yield more from outside realms.

Lingering meant clashing with incoming Saints from rival schools, outcomes too dicey; better to lock in the wins.

...

Elsewhere, Li Zhirui, having shattered the seals, avoided bold flight across the open skies, instead weaving through foliage and underbrush in hiding.

Moreover, escaping the Southern Domain demanded utmost speed.

As the old adage warns, "procrastination breeds trouble," and the Hundred Schools wield baffling, arcane arts spanning vast scopes—who can say if some tracking Secret Technique exists?

So Li Zhirui had to bolt from the Southern Domain before they mobilized and wove a web of ambushes.