Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1949 - 1443: The Summoning (Part 2)

The elders entertained no further suspicions. While Ancestor Li Zhirui might lack deep familiarity with Li Xiuting, they grasped this junior's temperament thoroughly and felt assured he would never fabricate details on such critical issues.

"Ancestor Rui, what's your view on our next steps? Do we call Ancestor Xuan back for support?" one elder proposed.

Li Zhirui firmly shook his head and replied without pause, "Time is too short for that now. Moreover, pulling her back would surely alert them. That could draw even worse calamities upon us."

"So how do we proceed from here?"

"Our only option right now is to set up ambushes outside while dispatching someone to the Primal Spirit Realm for reinforcements from the clan!"

No better path existed. Their stronghold housed close to five thousand cultivators, yet nearly half remained sidelined by wounds. Their power was already constrained, and the injuries only hampered them further.

After pondering briefly, Li Zhirui continued, "If feasible, enlist additional loose cultivators too."

In truth, the clan's own cultivators were finite in number, and not everyone could deploy to the Floating Light Realm. The smartest approach involved rallying loose cultivators and tapping into their might.

"Understood!"

"We'll handle the preparations without delay!"

Noticing he had wrapped up his directives with no further words, the elders rose promptly, bid farewell, and dashed away, each tackling the duties Li Zhirui had just assigned.

"May we have enough time to pull this off!"

A wave of pressing anxiety welled up inside him, yearning to resolve it all instantly, yet he recognized that haste would breed errors, so he compelled himself to steady his nerves.

His mind turned to the impending massive conflict, pondering optimal countermeasures to ensure the clan not only endured the looming war but potentially diminished the foes from This Realm.

To reach that objective, supreme power stood as the primary necessity. Lacking it, survival against This Realm's locals seemed impossible.

Next, they required a strategy to vanquish—or minimally drive off—the invaders!

Indeed, Li Zhirui held the rank of Heavenly Immortal, yet amid this crisis, his solitary efforts fell short of crushing a horde of tens of thousands; he needed to amass greater forces still.

...

At another location.

Elder Li Xiuhuai raced back to Mount Wanxian, ignoring all else, and immediately located Li Xiuyuan.

"Clan Leader, disaster looms!"

He swiftly outlined the dire peril threatening their outpost in the Floating Light Realm, then added, "Ancestor Rui directed me to rally as many clan members and loose cultivators as I can for entry within two hours."

"Did Ancestor Rui specify a minimum number of cultivators required?" Li Xiuyuan inquired gravely.

"He didn't specify, but I reckon we need to dispatch at least half the clan."

"Is such a large force truly necessary?"

Li Xiuyuan needed little reflection to realize the clan couldn't spare that many on its own; the solution lay in drafting extra loose cultivators.

Given the tight deadline, standard methods to alert and gather loose cultivators proved unfeasible. Thus, invoking his Clan Leader authority, he activated the Synchronized Bell to broadcast this urgent summons directly into every loose cultivator's mind:

"The Li family now calls upon three thousand loose cultivators at Mahayana, Tribulation Transcendence, and Immortal Realm to breach into the Floating Light Realm and counter the imminent assault. Any who step forward to aid during this crisis can freely enter and leave the Floating Light Realm repeatedly in the days ahead, retaining full possession of all spiritual treasures they acquire."

The proclamation from the Synchronized Bell echoed outward, propagating wider and wider.

"Is the Li family facing some grave peril? Why else offer such lavish rewards?" one loose cultivator wondered aloud to his fellow.

This round's conditions far outstripped prior offers in freedom and gains.

Yet these perks served their purpose. To hastily assemble thousands of loose cultivators under such pressure, the clan had to extend far more enticing deals, or participation would fall short.

All loose cultivators sensed the Li family's dire straits this time. Some opted to provide aid in the nick of time, others observed from afar, but none dared exploit the chaos to sow discord.

Under these conditions, any fool deeming the Li family vulnerable and attempting to disrupt would meet swift failure, as the clan would guard fiercely without slack.

Lured by such bountiful rewards, countless loose cultivators, after momentary doubt, resolved to back the Li family—or more accurately, to seize opportunities for their own gain, not altruism.

Within a single hour, more than two thousand loose cultivators had slipped through spatial rifts into the Floating Light Realm, and this marked merely the start; queues formed with others eager to join.

Even once the count surpassed the Li family's stated three thousand slots, droves of loose cultivators persisted in pushing forward.

The motive was straightforward: they understood the Li family wouldn't overlook such overreach. Retribution would surely follow once the crisis passed!

Entering the Floating Light Realm at this juncture tied them to the Li family's future schemes.

Among these loose cultivators, numerous had trailed the Li family before and harvested immense riches. They recognized the potential windfalls and refused to forgo them.

Why wait until the fight concluded? The Li family wasn't some benevolent giver. Refusing risk now meant forfeiting shares later. How could anyone expect easy pickings?!

At the same time, Li Xiuting and his companions staggered back to the clan, weary and gasping. Their arrival delivered even sharper details on the demon cultivator and beast alliance.

"Ancestor Rui!"

As he bowed in respect, Li Xiuting caught his breath and relayed, "The demon cultivator and beast coalition totals no less than thirty thousand! Though we spied from afar for just moments, it's evident many radiate formidable presences."

"Furthermore, their progress moves at a leisurely pace; expect another six to eight hours before they reach our outpost's detection zone."

"That many?"

Li Zhirui had deemed his guess of over twenty thousand ample, yet this revelation showed he'd lowballed the locals' zeal to eradicate them.

"That said, I noticed plenty of cannon-fodder beasts in their ranks. Likely, the count of elite warriors isn't overwhelming," he quickly supplemented.

Still, this update offered Li Zhirui scant reassurance.

Naturally, he concealed his inner turmoil from the juniors.

"Got it. Rest up now. You'll need your vigor for the clash ahead."

Shortly after their departure, yet another elder rushed in, saluting. "Ancestor Rui, close to six thousand loose cultivators have reached the outpost. Factoring in over two thousand clan members plus those already present, the base now teems with more than ten thousand souls."

"Yet loose cultivators keep pouring in from the clan's territory. Do we permit entry?"

"Allow them through! Meanwhile, evacuate the wounded clansmen to free up space!"

"At once!" This command hinted to the elder at the colossal scope of the brewing showdown; it promised a titanic struggle that could seal the Floating Light Realm's destiny!

With that, he sped off once more.

"Let my strategy unfold without hitches!" Li Zhirui stared afar, whispering to himself.

Meanwhile,

A colossal horde—merging into a shadowy mass spanning hundreds of miles—crept steadily across the heavens.

Wherever it swept, daylight vanished abruptly, plunging the area into sudden gloom.

In reality, their velocity wasn't sluggish, but the array stretched so vast that the vanguard had surged far ahead while the rear barely departed its starting point.