Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 2015 1476: Oppression (Part 2)

However, the rewards were hardly noteworthy.

Upon securing a Spirit Vein, they discovered nothing but mundane spiritual objects of little value. The existence of empty pits served as a clear indicator that any truly precious treasures had already been scavenged.

"Could the Sea Clan have retreated intentionally the moment they received word that the Immortal Tao was launching an offensive on the East Sea?"

Li Debo frowned deeply. If that were the case, the entire situation suddenly made perfect sense.

They were baiting cultivators with worthless trinkets, encouraging them to scramble or even clash over scraps, simply to buy the Water Devils precious time to pull back.

As it turned out, the actions of the Sea Clan mirrored Li Debo's theory exactly.

Upon receiving intelligence from their undercover agent within the Immortal Tao, they had swiftly coordinated the withdrawal of the Water Devils, abandoning Spirit Veins and discarding only the most trivial spiritual items.

After all, given the nature of cultivators, they would never willingly annihilate a Spirit Vein and incur the burden of heavy karma. At best, they might attempt to extract the vein using a Moving Spirit Secret Skill to carry it away.

Yet, very few cultivators possessed such rare techniques. Furthermore, the East Sea is vast, and the average cultivator lacks the sheer mana required to transport a Spirit Vein back over such great distances.

"It seems this push into the East Sea shall yield far less than our initial projections," Li Debo sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

The cultivators on the front lines felt this bitterness acutely!

They had embarked on this journey with visions of immense wealth, only to be crushed by the harsh reality.

After grueling exertion, they walked away with almost nothing. Even those who found items held only low-grade, common materials that barely fetched a handful of Spirit Stones.

"Damn it! How did things fall apart like this?"

"It appears the Water Devils were tipped off early and fled into the abyssal depths."

The cultivators wore grim expressions, trapped in a difficult position. If they pressed forward, they risked traveling hundreds of miles only to find common Mortal Realm trinkets. Yet, retreating now felt like a total waste of effort.

Eventually, the coalition fragmented; some chose to dive deeper into the East Sea, while others turned back toward the mainland.

"Cowards! The path of Cultivation is built on defying the heavens. If they tremble at such minor risks, how far can they truly go on their Immortal Path?" one cultivator sneered at those retreating in the distance.

"Indeed! Such weak hearts will never achieve greatness."

This particular individual possessed the highest cultivation and the most influence. As he prepared to continue hunting for treasures and tempering himself within the East Sea, others chimed in loudly to show their agreement, fearing that any sign of hesitation might offend him.

"A bunch of suicidal fools!"

Those who had chosen to turn back felt an equal amount of contempt for the others, dismissing them as reckless.

However, an observant eye would have noticed that every single member of the Li Family was among those retreating, as if they had received advanced warning or specific instructions.

The cultivators who ventured deeper into the East Sea would soon come to regret their decision!

It was not long before they encountered a substantial squad of Water Devils. Though they managed to wipe them out, the price they paid was steep.

Yet, they managed to scavenge a decent amount of loot from the corpses—not to mention the Storage Magical Treasures they recovered.

This success left them ecstatic, solidifying their belief that they had made the correct choice. Some were already lost in dreams of a glorious future.

But their beautiful delusions were shattered by the brutal reality soon after!

A massive force of elite Water Devils suddenly materialized and launched an immediate, unrelenting assault.

Howling winds and towering waves descended instantly, leaving no room for a defensive formation. The situation turned dire, and the specter of death loomed over every cultivator.

"Impossible! I have yet to reach the Earth Immortal realm or establish my own Sect—how could I possibly fall here at the hands of these beasts?!"

The leader roared in fury, unleashing his full momentum in a desperate bid to fight his way out.

Alas, he had gravely misjudged the ferocity of the Water Devils and their boiling thirst for vengeance!

Having been driven from their ancestral homes and losing their Spirit Veins by the Immortal Tao, they had been forced to flee in disgrace into the deep sea. The hatred festering in their hearts was vast and bottomless.

With revenge finally within their grasp, they poured out all their suppressed malice!

Consequently, the cultivators who pressed deep into the sea faced total disaster.

Barring a handful of exceptional individuals with powerful secret techniques, almost no one escaped. Within the Li Family's area of operations alone, thousands were either slaughtered or maimed.

Across the entire East Sea, greed had led nearly fifty thousand cultivators to their graves!

Regardless of the individual strength, the sheer loss of numbers rivaled the total force of a major power.

This incident served as a chilling message to the Immortal Tao: the Sea Clan might be weakened, but they were certainly not prey to be easily slaughtered!

Nevertheless, the warning fell on deaf ears.

The Demonic Tao had paid an exorbitant sum to hire the Immortal Tao. If there were no results, the Demonic Tao would have paid a fortune for nothing—and they were not that foolish.

The mandate was clear: keep the pressure on the Sea Clan to force them to exhaust their reserves from the Western Sea!

Thus, ignoring the carnage, the Immortal Tao merely ramped up their efforts, sending even more powerful cultivators into the fray.

"Damn! Are these Immortal Tao practitioners really so desperate to please the Demonic Tao that they would squander so many lives?" a Water Devil cried out in disbelief.

Regardless of their disbelief, the relentless approach of the cultivators was genuine—they were hunting the Sea Clan down with single-minded focus.

With no other recourse, the Sea Clan was forced into a desperate fight for survival, opting to strike first and maintain the initiative.

However, this time, the Immortal Tao sent only Earth Immortal-level combatants with bodies as durable as any Body-tempering master. The Sea Clan’s initial assault barely scratched them.

These few stalwarts placed extreme pressure on the Sea Clan, and as more cultivators swarmed into the East Sea, the living space of the Sea Clan was steadily compressed.

...

Deep within the Western Continent, inside a massive river now held by the Sea Clan…

"Curses! Those cultivators are truly willing to pay any price for the Demonic Tao! They are determined to drive us back to the East Sea!" a Celestial Immortal bellowed in rage.

"So, the choice remains—do we cling to these waterways in the Western Continent, or abandon them to retreat back to the East Sea?"

When the reality of the situation set in, there was only one logical conclusion—they had to relocate.

"I hope those cultivators do not retreat too quickly—I wish to personally gauge the strength of their supposed elites!"

Though some Water Devils burned with indignation, they had no choice but to mobilize and prepare for the journey back.

"Hold—we cannot simply retreat into the shadows! I intend to leave a parting gift for these Demon cultivators before we depart!" A Celestial Immortal Water Devil smirked with chilling malice.

"What do you have in mind?"

The gathered Water Devils asked with keen interest.

"We shall perform a standard retreat, then covertly loop back. Once the Demon cultivators move in to stake their claim, we will turn and crush them when their guard is lowest!"

"Excellent!"

The plan, simple and cruel, won immediate approval.

Shortly after, the Sea Clan began their withdrawal, moving with excessive caution to avoid exposing any openings that the Demon cultivators could exploit to cause chaos.

Within thirty minutes, word of the retreat reached the Demon cultivators.

"They are finally packing up?"

A few Celestial Immortal Demon cultivators breathed a synchronized sigh of relief.