Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1897 - 1417: Triggered (2)

Explosions echoed without pause for a moment, as enormous boulders tumbled from the peak. The colossal mountain shrank noticeably, becoming shorter and more compact.

Li Mingyao simply observed, choosing not to step in.

It wasn't a lack of desire to halt the chaos and hasten through the Thunder Tribulation; instead, he lacked the strength to act.

After employing the Secret Technique, Li Mingyao appeared ashen and frail, his energy drained. He was grasping the chance to rapidly replenish his mana.

With his personal security guaranteed, he spared little focus for events beyond his immediate surroundings.

After half an hour, the tribulation thunder had diminished greatly, yet the lofty mountain was now merely a modest mound, on the verge of total ruin!

At that precise instant, however, Li Mingyao had regained a substantial portion of his mana, so the modest mound didn't vanish; rather, it expanded swiftly.

Though it fell short of the former colossal mountain in scale, it could at least endure for a while longer, and the tribulation thunder's force had been notably depleted.

In this manner, the duo returned to equilibrium, or more accurately, a deadlock.

Nevertheless, Li Mingyao had recuperated multiple layers of mana, enabling him to steadily bolster the mountain's resilience, while the tribulation thunder, detached from its tribulation cloud, resembled a weed without roots, steadily depleting its own essence.

As moments passed, the tribulation thunder's might waned further until it was ultimately overwhelmed and pulverized by the surging stones.

The vast tribulation cloud then morphed into a grand, refined flow of spiritual energy that poured from the heavens into his form, coursed along his meridians, settled into his dantian, and propelled his cultivation to its concluding phase.

Boom!

The sudden surge of pressure from the breakthrough rippled through every clan member, weighing upon them like the earth's burden; those with weaker cultivation even struggled to draw breath.

"I didn’t expect to witness such a joyful event right after coming back." A familiar voice echoed over Mount Wanxian, gentle as a spring zephyr, relieving the tension for all.

"Jiu!"

"Ancestor Rui!"

Amid the eager cries from the gathering, Li Zhirui's silhouette gradually appeared.

"Congratulations to Mingyao for achieving the Heavenly Immortal status!"

Li Mingyao offered a respectful bow and replied, "Many thanks for Ancestor Rui’s guidance."

While Li Zhirui had been cleansing the corruption in the Earth Core terrain, he inevitably encountered various Earth Laws. Though he hadn't deliberately studied them, he instinctively retained much knowledge from that period.

Once finished and back with the family, he inscribed these Earth Laws onto a Jade Slip and handed it to Li Mingyao for study.

Without this Earth Law, he might not have ascended to Heavenly Immortal so swiftly, thus his appreciation for Li Zhirui ran deep and genuine.

"It has nothing to do with me; it’s all your own achievement."

Li Zhirui dismissed it with a wave and added, "Go consolidate your realm and cultivation first."

Li Mingyao bowed once more before retreating to his cave mansion.

"Tribulation Transcendence is over; everyone disperse."

With those words, he too disappeared.

Xiaoqing and Cang quickly trailed after him.

The report of Li Mingyao's advancement to Heavenly Immortal swiftly circulated throughout Shanhai State, reaching the ears of countless cultivators.

Naturally, the Li family aided in disseminating this intelligence, as publicizing such a milestone enhanced their standing.

Hearing the tidings, folks were stunned anew and once more admired the Li family's remarkable progress, with yet another Heavenly Immortal emerging from their ranks.

"Ha! Can the Li family still be considered a cultivation family now? The power of a Divine is much stronger than that of a cultivator, perhaps they’ve already become a Divine Dao Family." Still, some cultivators resentful toward the Li family jeered at them.

Those around shot him glances brimming with shock, as though questioning his audacity in voicing such notions.

The cultivator sensed the unease and hastily rose to depart.

...

At the same time.

Upon Mount Wanxian, the conversation turned to the same subject.

"It’s strange. Clearly an Immortal Tao family, yet the strength of the Divines far surpasses that of the cultivators," Li Zhirui remarked, reflecting on Li Mingyao’s triumphant Tribulation Transcendence and ascent to Heavenly Immortal.

Furthermore, the Li family now boasted four promising souls poised for Heavenly Immortal breakthroughs: Xiaoqing, Cang, Li Zhixuan, and Jiang Fengwu—exactly two Divines and two cultivators.

Should they all succeed, the Divine Path's dominance within the Li family would persist unchallenged.

Xiaoqing and Cang, seated opposite him, offered no reply, just remaining quiet.

"What? Are you feeling resentful at being surpassed by juniors?" Li Zhirui pierced their hidden sentiments instantly.

They naturally wouldn't confess envy toward the young ones but pivoted the discussion, inquiring, "Jiu, do you have any methods to help us break through quickly?"

"In matters of cultivation, there are no shortcuts."

Were shortcuts possible, Heavenly Immortals wouldn't number so few, nor would the world hail them as Great Ability.

Li Zhirui shook his head and noted, "You two are too impatient now, why be so anxious?"

For an instant, the pair found themselves at a loss for words.

Looking back over the years, they acknowledged their undue haste, neglecting deep Dao comprehension or Divine Position duties, chasing every avenue for rapid advancement.

Countless such pursuits were reckless deeds they'd later berate themselves over fiercely.

"There’s no shortcut in cultivation. Maybe you take one now, but someday it might suddenly collapse without you knowing why," Li Zhirui counseled earnestly.

They had experimented with numerous approaches earlier, and the outcomes were evident: none succeeded!

Presently, repercussions from their prior frenzy were starting to unfold.

"After you go back, do not rush into cultivation, think well. If you can’t calm down, you may consult with Da Qing; he’s more adept in this regard." Li Zhirui instructed, sending them off.

In truth, a means existed for him to assist them both, yet under present circumstances, impulsive aid might exacerbate matters.

Besides, the optimal path involved each overcoming their inner barriers independently, though few managed it.

"Alright, we’ll leave for now," said Cang, tugging Xiaoqing along.

"Why are you dragging me away?"

Xiaoqing protested with irritation, "Jiu clearly has a way to help us. Why sit by and do nothing?"

"What’s wrong with you?" Cang’s face shifted, suspecting Xiaoqing might already be succumbing to a heart demon.

"I’m fine."

After some time, Xiaoqing responded evenly, though he recognized his own turmoil and hastened onward, wary of further influence en route.

Cang paused, eyeing Xiaoqing’s departing form, then glanced back at the sealed cave mansion entrance, grasping a sudden insight.

"Is this a trial for Xiaoqing?"

Li Zhirui caught his query, pondered briefly, and affirmed, "Yes, during my interactions with Xiaoqing, I realized his heart demon influence was deep, yet he was unaware."

"So I helped him slightly. Now it’s up to him whether he can break through, rebuilding from the broken state!"

Cang's brow furrowed in concern as he said, "But if he fails, won’t Xiaoqing be consumed by his heart demon?"

"Don’t worry, I’ve hidden a Purification Lotus Seed in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness. If he encounters a situation where he can’t defeat the heart demon, a contingency plan will automatically trigger."

Li Zhirui went on steadily, "However, with this, it will also make future breakthroughs much more difficult for him."

As though the peril belonged to some distant outsider, unrelated to him, rather than a longtime family companion.

Truthfully, the peril loomed larger than described; absent rare fortunes, a shattered Dao Heart severed one's path almost completely!

Having heard this, Cang lingered motionless for ages, silent, before departing soundlessly.