Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1987 - 1462: Ahead of Schedule (2)

"Mm, it appears they feel the leftover Water Devils in the East Sea no longer meet their requirements, so they’ve decided to depart."

Upon finishing the read, an Elder declared with joy, "This brings excellent tidings to our clan!"

Close to a million cultivators had surged into the East Sea. In earlier days, the Sea Clan’s immense scale and might allowed them to readily withstand it and fulfill the cravings of countless individuals.

Yet today, that’s no longer feasible. The bulk of the Sea Clan’s forces have relocated to the Western Sea, entangled in fierce combat with the Demonic Tao, compelling these other powerful groups to seek new territories.

The Li family stayed out of it, since even with the East Sea reduced to a shadow of its past glory, it still provides more than enough for the Li family’s demands. No sense in undertaking a grueling voyage to far-off places.

And if a small gap remains at the close, the abundant devil beasts across Shanhai State’s mountain chains offer plenty for clan members to sharpen their abilities, filling any shortfall.

So, while this massive disaster creates some hassle for the Li family, it’s comparatively straightforward to manage, in contrast to the other grand powers.

"Should matters unfold without surprises, the clan can likely navigate this great calamity smoothly." Following some inner deliberation, Li Zhirui whispered to himself.

Roughly half the clan members have already cleared their cause and effect. Figures like Li Xiuting settled theirs long ago, yet persist in serving the clan.

The persisting Water Devils in the East Sea, alongside the devil beasts populating Shanhai State’s diverse ranges—as long as the calamity endures without sudden halt, the Li family will pass through unscathed.

As for Shanhai State’s scattered cultivators? The Li family has no bandwidth to consider them; they’ll have to depend on their own talents and luck to untangle their karmic bonds before the disaster concludes.

With such reflections, Li Zhirui sensed that no intense clashes would flare up in the clan anytime soon. Since slaying additional Heavenly Immortals wouldn’t help him resolve his cause and effect, he intended to spend merit presently to erase his karmic burden.

His chief worry centered on an unforeseen twist causing the calamity to wrap up abruptly; if his karmic debt lingered, offsetting it would demand far greater merit expenditure.

In any case, even should conflicts reignite later, merits from vanquished Heavenly Immortals would still come his way eventually.

At most, Li Zhirui would sacrifice a portion of merit—barely a concern.

...

Two blooms flourish, each on its separate stem.

Contrary to prior times, when just Li Zhixuan and Han Tong, the lone pair of Heavenly Immortals, dueled, the starry sky’s depths now reverberate with nonstop thunderous detonations.

Even though the great calamity has erupted for only several months, back then, at this juncture, Heavenly Immortals would lounge atop clouds, viewing the carnage of lesser beings beneath as mere entertainment.

But at present, they’ve willingly dove into the melee far sooner!

It wasn’t Li Zhixuan’s previous skirmish that stirred so many Heavenly Immortals into motion—she possesses neither the clout nor the ability for that.

The primary driver for Heavenly Immortals descending early stems from cultivators’ concerns that delaying too long in the West Continent might spawn unexpected shifts.

As a result, the starry sky’s profound layers teem with clashes among Heavenly Immortals.

Notably, at such a realm, no fight reaches a quick conclusion—lingering old battles mix with emerging new ones!

"Slash!"

Li Zhixuan focused entirely on the foe positioned close by.

At the outset, she pretended vulnerability to entice the Water Devils; judging their power ordinary, she remained unworried. However, after actual engagement, she was stunned to uncover the beast’s fighting prowess as remarkably strong.

Consequently, wrapping up the confrontation in brief moments was out of reach.

She remained unaware that the devil beast felt mounting dread as the struggle prolonged. Although this sword cultivator’s state was subpar and her cultivation not overly profound, her combat strength proved extraordinarily potent, demanding its full attention on guarding—only so could it cling to existence.

...

Heavenly Court, Palace of the Polestar.

This occasion aligned with the Divine Path meeting, so the hall brimmed with Divines, poised to detail their latest administrative tasks.

"Your Majesty, these human cultivators and Water Devils are turning the starry sky into their warzone. While they’ve avoided major devastation and haven’t provoked the Heavenly Court or targeted Divines,

the eruption of such vast conflicts in the starry sky surely erodes the Divine Path’s authority."

On top of that, the starry sky’s depths show pockmarks and gashes—one can only shake the head in dismay at the view.

"Hmm, a problem exists indeed, though it’s beyond our capacity to fix." Purple Micro answered, skipping the underlying cause.

This stems from the Heavenly Dao’s decree designating the starry sky as the arena for Heavenly Immortals—they couldn’t alter it if they tried.

And this isn’t a one-off: moving forward, the starry sky’s depths will perpetually serve as the deadly field for beings at the Heavenly Immortal level.

"Your Majesty, given the human race’s dominance across all fronts, might we step in to assist? Once the calamity passes, humans will no doubt lavish us with rewards."

Upon hearing this, certain Divines knitted their brows, their countenances grim as they fixed stern looks on him.

A fleeting shade crossed Purple Micro’s eyes. He stated, "Embellishing what’s already splendid falls short of aiding in desperation. With humans already ahead, why not back other races? That could fetch us superior gains."

His remark made evident: he had no desire to meddle or lend support.

"Your Majesty makes a fair point, but that relies on those other races truly prevailing in this conflict! If humans overpower them, what thanks would they have to give?" Yet this Divine, akin to a bullheaded youngster, kept pushing and even started enlightening Purple Micro.

It seemed this Divine—despite human birth—was committed to the broader welfare, eschewing favoritism toward his own due to blood bonds.

But his actual intentions? Only he held that knowledge!

"No way, Your Majesty!"

Promptly, another Divine advanced and declared, "We Divines enjoy the Heavenly Dao’s favor. Free from cause and effect, spared calamity, we must stay detached from these events, not plunge in as supporters!"

"If we follow Divine Yunbo’s suggestion to aid the human race, wouldn’t that drag those freshly pulled from the blaze straight back into the flames?"

He truly hoped the Divine Path would bolster the demon race of his roots; such involvement would instantly flip the dynamics!

However, having observed as a spectator moments before that Purple Micro wanted no part, he adjusted his wording on delivery, dropping pleas for demon help to instead bar the Divine Path from the conflict!

And surely, these utterances struck right at Purple Micro’s core beliefs.

In his eyes, becoming a Divine and entering the Heavenly Court meant shedding one’s former identity to become wholly the Court’s.

Divines forever angling benefits for their old affiliations gained no rises or indulgences!

"Indeed, Divine Hanyu speaks wisely. There’s no call for us to tangle in this cause-and-effect mess. Rather, let’s exploit this period to refine our cultivation and fortify our power." Purple Micro agreed, thus concluding the topic.

"If no other issues arise, head back to your roles and carry them out with diligence!"

Noting silence from the rest, he stood first and left.

The other Divines followed suit, exiting the Palace of the Polestar according to their cultivation levels and positions.

Divine Domain of Sun and Moon.

"Big Brother, do you think we should assist the human race by targeting the Sea Clan’s Heavenly Immortals? We might earn merit and achieve freedom quicker." Li Chengshuo’s avatar had conveyed the assembly’s discussions, prompting this notion in her.

Li Chengsheng shook his head, seriously clarifying, "You’re only eyeing the upsides, overlooking the lurking risks!"

"Entering the calamity brings back the cause and effect that the Heavenly Dao had wiped away. At that point, forget gaining merit—it becomes about settling karmic debts, a truly perilous exchange!"

"What?!" Li Chengshuo reacted with shock, puzzled at how Li Chengsheng possessed this insight.

"I once dispatched a subordinate Divine to the mortal world and discovered this detail through him."