Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1893 - 1415: Decision (Part 2)
Previously on Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan...
Simultaneously, efforts commenced to refine the incomplete techniques held by those five individuals, uniting the might of the four great academies to rapidly finalize them, thus preventing a major gap from forming with the Immortal Tao.
...
Within the space.
Li Zhirui gazed upon the master and disciple pair still lying unconscious, and with a flicker of Spiritual Light, he swiftly restored their awareness.
"Surrender the techniques for crossing through space, and you'll escape death." His expression remained grave, and even as he questioned them, he applied subtle tricks to rapidly extract the authentic techniques from their minds for his examination.
"I will give..."
The elder's mind proved far more fragile, so against Li Zhirui's approaches, he endured only briefly before spilling all his knowledge.
Li Zhirui quickly jotted down these details for his future comprehension and analysis.
At the same time, while Bai Canghan spoke, he established a barrier close to Gao Yunlin, blocking him from catching any of the shared information.
The purpose behind this was straightforward: it would ease the upcoming questioning of him, guaranteeing the reliability of the techniques.
After hearing the elder out, Li Zhirui left all the bindings on his form intact, keeping him restrained in place.
After all, they now dwelled in a realm brimming with countless precious and even vanished Spiritual Objects. Should they abruptly lose control, every treasure within the space could face ruin!
Furthermore, their fate was set for handover to the Immortal Tao, since relying solely on the Li family's power to probe the Outer World carried excessive peril. If the far side of the spatial tear led to a Great Thousand World, it wouldn't just block the clan from claiming its riches but could invite retaliation, endangering the entire family.
As these two couldn't be kept, Li Zhirui had no intention of letting them expose the space's hidden truth.
Right from the start, he had isolated them on a neglected peak, thereby limiting their grasp of the surroundings and safeguarding his greatest concealed asset.
Following that, he turned to questioning Gao Yunlin. This man's resolve stood much stronger, yet the vast disparity in their cultivations proved overwhelming, and in the end, he yielded the techniques without resistance.
Upon cross-checking their stories, no discrepancies or clashes emerged, lending the techniques a measure of trustworthiness.
Naturally, collusion between the pair beforehand remained a possibility. Should that hold true, Li Zhirui could merely lament his own shortcomings.
With the techniques secured, he refrained from immediate practice and instead simulated them inside his Sea of Consciousness, probing for ways to improve them more.
In this endeavor, he once more marveled at the duo's skill in crafting such an arcane Secret Technique.
Afterward, he regarded the two with a touch of sympathy, knowing that barring surprises, once in the Immortal Tao's grasp, their best fate might be lifelong captivity without liberty; the worst, serving as guinea pigs.
This held especially true for the elder, whose remaining years dwindled to nothing.
Over the next month or so, Li Zhirui poured all his focus into advancing the techniques further, though gains stayed minimal. Still, disappointment evaded him; creating something new from scratch demanded far more than ease.
"Those Human Dao methods ought to be discarded."
He refused to accept that Human Dao would pour vast resources into chasing such a slim chance.
Prior to departure, he struck the pair unconscious yet again.
"Indeed!"
As he emerged from the space, Li Zhirui scanned the horizon at once and noticed the once-dominant Human Dao spell formation, which had blanketed the heavens, now vanished.
This sight drew a heavy breath of relief from him; absent Human Dao's deliberate obstruction, no force could halt his path back to the East Continent!
"Set off."
Free of doubt or lingering, once he confirmed all was clear, he launched into motion without pause.
...
At that moment.
Southern Domain, School of Names' central lands.
Dozens of Saints assembled, setting rivalries aside to collaborate, all aimed at hastening the refinement of spatial crossing techniques.
And through their combined labors, success arrived in scarcely more than a month!
At least on the surface it seemed so, though without trials, true viability lingered uncertain.
"Now comes the vital and pivotal stage—verification."
Matters such as the spatial rift's steadiness and security required discovery via tests, followed by fixes and enhancements.
As followers of Human Dao Cultivation, they wouldn't start by risking human lives. Abundant Devil Beasts roamed the wilds, ripe for simple capture to fuel the trials.
...
Two paths diverge, each bearing its own tale.
In the Void Chaos, from a shadowy nook, echoes of fierce combat rang out.
"Perish for me!" Li Zhixuan bellowed in fury.
Her foe resembled a centipede closely, yet without its legion of limbs, its obsidian carapace granted unyielding protection.
And though she shattered the insect beast's outer armor, harm proved scant, thanks to the dense cushion of pale blubber hidden underneath.
This turn fueled Li Zhixuan's rage even more, her lethal strike so casually thwarted by the adversary.
Buzz——
Mana churned wildly inside her like a torrent unleashed, surging into the blade she gripped. The Mysterious Sword hummed with eager sword intent, then lashed out at the beast in a flash, aiming to deliver grievous wounds.
Yet to her shock, the creature reacted with haste, summoning its plates instantly to shield itself while channeling Mana to bolster its guard.
Clang!
The deadly blade descended but met resistance like unyielding steel.
Nevertheless, after a brief clash under the blow, the carapace burst apart in shards.
As for the beast's fatty layer, it suddenly faltered here, letting Li Zhixuan target and pierce its genuine vulnerability.
"Aaaaargh——"
The monster unleashed a shrill, tormented wail.
The formerly mighty creature now sprawled helpless on the ground, motion denied.
With this result, its doom stood assured!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
After unleashing a flurry of Sword Qi slashes, the vexing beast met its end at last, and despite conquering a mighty enemy, Li Zhixuan's face stayed shadowed.
For one, after tempering herself in the Void across endless days, the chance to ascend to Heavenly Immortal eluded her still.
For another, the vast stock of Pills she'd carried for the venture neared exhaustion!
This state meant that before long, retreat to the Primal Spirit Realm awaited, no matter her desire to linger.
Unless Li Zhixuan chose to stake her existence, enduring the Void sans Immortal Pills in pursuit of Heavenly Immortal's breakthrough.
"Shall I gamble or advance with caution?" Li Zhixuan pondered inwardly.
Deep down, her spirit yearned for the gamble, though fear gnawed that failure to reach Heavenly Immortal would doom the effort.
After a spell of indecision, Li Zhixuan resolved to stay in the Void and hazard the chance!
She yearned to rejoin her kin bearing glad tidings, none brighter than her own ascension.
...
At that juncture.
Primal Spirit Realm, Southern Domain.
Merely under a hundred miles off lay the divide between Southern Domain and East Continent.
"At last, departure draws near!" Li Zhirui murmured with deep feeling, then reclaimed his former pace, skirting multiple cities to evade Human Dao spell detection, before pressing onward into East Continent's domains.
Moments later, he surfaced anew.
The concluding phase wrapped up without a hitch.
Hovering amid the clouds, he drew in a profound breath, savoring the dense Spiritual Energy and the vibrant, intricate pulse of the Laws.
Prior to this venture, Li Zhirui had scarcely bothered sensing his surroundings, but now insights flowed sharp and true.
"Back at last!"
Murmuring with heartfelt emotion, he faded from sight once more.