12dz Chapter 78: Humans are like ants
Chapter 78: Humans are like ants
The smoke in the valley gradually dissipated, and the array light screen that had enveloped the top was long gone.
High in the sky, warm sunlight streamed down.
Seeing the sunlight, Liu Yuelong, Lu Wenzheng, and the others felt as if they were seeing the dawn of life.
"Brother Long, they escaped... The people from Xuan Yin Valley escaped, we survived!" Lu Wenzheng and Liu Yuelong shouted.
"We're not dead!" Huang Cheng muttered to himself, his eyes dimming slightly as he looked ahead.
The horrific scenes he had just witnessed filled him with fear, and he was still in shock, his heart pounding wildly.
After Li Feiyu took a Qi-restoring pill, his magical power and spiritual power had recovered to four-tenths of their original levels.
He glanced ahead, then walked to the two corpses and took out two storage bags.
He also picked up two first-tier high-grade magic weapons: a black whip and a black-gold giant hammer.
Yang Jiuli watched silently without saying a word.
He had not previously taken the initiative to collect the spoils of war.
His earlier attempt to assassinate two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators violated his strategic plan to keep a low profile during this trip.
If he does anything out of the ordinary again, it will definitely attract attention and be detrimental to him.
After confirming that the "Azure Emperor's Longevity Technique" could increase lifespan by advancing one minor realm, Yang Jiuli set a cultivation strategy: to choose a good spiritual vein, repair his spiritual root, and at the same time, cautiously raise his cultivation to the late stage of Qi Refining before attempting to establish his foundation.
In this way, he will have a good chance of forming his core.
Now that there's a smooth road ahead, Yang Jiuli naturally has no need to show off.
Isn't it better to grow stronger by hiding your strength?
As for fighting and killing, the risks are too great!
It's not cost-effective.
Li Feiyu put the two magical artifacts into his pocket and then walked to Yang Jiuli's side.
"Here you go..." Li Feiyu weighed a storage bag in his hand and tossed it to Yang Jiuli.
Yang Jiuli was taken aback, but still accepted it.
"Young Master Li, how can this be!" Yang Jiuli bowed and handed over the storage bag with trepidation after receiving it.
His current status is merely a low-level Qi Refiner at the first level of Qi Refining.
Facing a clan prodigy at the seventh level of Qi Refining, one should naturally adopt this attitude.
Being too calm and composed can easily arouse suspicion.
As for the arrogance that should have come with his status as a Core Formation True Person in his previous life, he had long since cast it aside and entered his new role.
"You must accept this storage bag!" Li Feiyu reached out and pushed the storage bag back from Yang Jiuli, saying solemnly, "If you hadn't acted decisively and killed those two from Xuan Yin Valley, we would all probably be dead here!"
Thinking back to the battle just now, Li Feiyu was still shaken.
The mental and magical power required for a second-tier low-grade spirit talisman is far too immense.
It's simply beyond his grasp with only the seventh level of Qi Refining.
"If it weren't for Ninth Brother, we would have really been in trouble just now!" Lu Wenzheng shuddered and whispered, thinking of what had just happened.
"Ninth Brother saved our lives!" Liu Yuelong and Huang Cheng both nodded, looking at Yang Jiuli with respect.
"I only took advantage of Li Shao injuring two people to get something for nothing, it's not worth it," Yang Jiuli said.
"Hey, if you say that, you're underestimating me, Li Feiyu. You saved my life today, so you're my brother now," Li Feiyu said sharply. "Of course, if you don't consider me your brother, you can refuse this storage bag!"
"This..." Yang Jiuli hesitated for a moment, then said, "In that case, Jiuli thanks Young Master Li!"
He accepted the storage bag.
"What 'Young Master Li'? Just call me Feiyu from now on!" Li Feiyu patted Yang Jiuli on the shoulder with satisfaction.
He had a hearty and generous expression.
"Okay, I'll listen to Young Master Li!" Yang Jiuli said, seeing that Li Feiyu was in high spirits and didn't want to offend him.
Li Feiyu nodded slightly.
At that moment, someone flew in.
It was a middle-aged man, accompanied by two armored guards.
But it was the people from the Li family who came to help earlier.
The Li family sent a total of eight people to provide support, the strongest of whom were two Qi Refining Level 9 cultivators.
The middle-aged man in front of them was one of the ninth level of Qi Refining, named Li Wei, Li Feiyu's third uncle.
"Yu'er, how are you? Are you hurt?" Li Wei landed in front of Li Feiyu, patted his shoulder and looked him over, his face full of concern.
"It's alright, thankfully Uncle San came to our aid in time!" Li Feiyu said, glancing at several clansmen ahead as he spoke.
"It's good that you're alright!" Li Wei said.
He glanced at Yang Jiuli and the others again.
"Third Uncle, why didn't any Foundation Establishment Ancestors come to our aid?" Li Feiyu asked.
Li Wei was naturally aware that Li Changyan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was accompanying him on this trip.
Even so, Li Wannian and the others still sent out a distress signal, clearly having encountered an ambush by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Logically, it would be safer for the clan to send a Foundation Establishment cultivator to provide assistance.
It could even severely injure the enemy's Foundation Establishment and Overhaul units.
However, this time they sent two clansmen at the ninth level of Qi Refining to help, which made Li Feiyu uneasy.
"Kuang Guang, the master of Xuan Yin Valley, is leading his men to attack our clan," Li Wei said in a low voice.
"What..." Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu frowned.
"It's alright... Kuang Guang damaged his foundation in his early years, so he's nothing to worry about!" Li Wei said. "I suppose the great war in the clan should be coming to an end by now!" As he spoke, he also looked in the direction of Yunmeng Lake ahead.
"Okay!" Li Feiyu nodded.
"So Xuan Yin Valley sent someone else to attack the Li family!" Yang Jiuli realized.
Judging from Li Wei's appearance, it's clear that the Li family was prepared.
Throughout the entire process, the Li family did not reveal a single piece of information that their clan was facing a major battle.
If there were any prior indications, Yang Jiuli would naturally not choose to join the Li family.
He shook his head.
That's just how the world is; big shots only care about their own interests and don't care about the lives of those ants.
Having experienced the trials of several lifetimes, Yang Jiuli was naturally no longer as cynical and resentful as he was in his youth, nor did he secretly curse the Li family for their ruthlessness.
He knew in his heart that the only way to change his insignificant fate was to work hard to improve his strength.
Just remember your purpose for coming to Lijia Village.
As for the rest...
After the foundation is laid, they will all turn into smoke and clouds.
The Li family took some medicine and rested in the canyon.
Half an hour later, Li Wannian walked towards Yang Jiuli and the others.
At this moment, the Li family members in front had already tidied up the battlefield.
In this battle, three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators from the Li family were seriously injured.
Two more seedlings were devoured by the Earth Armor Beast, and two others were seriously injured.
If Yang Jiuli hadn't killed two Qi Refining cultivators from Xuan Yin Valley, the Li family would have suffered a devastating loss.
Li Wannian showed no sign of sadness in response.
He came to Yang Jiuli's side.
Yang Jiuli, Lu Wenzheng, and the others stood up.
"Elder Li!" Yang Jiuli immediately bowed and greeted him.
Lu Wenzheng and the others also followed suit and bowed.
"Hehe, Brother Yang, right? No need for formalities!" Li Wannian said with a friendly smile as he reached out and lifted Yang Jiuli up.
Yang Jiuli straightened up.
"I witnessed the battle just now, and you performed very well! My Li family needs talents like you," Li Wannian said.
"I used to make a living in the martial world and have seen some grudges and killings. Just now, in a moment of desperation, I did this to protect myself! I was able to succeed this time entirely because Young Master Yu injured those thieves," Yang Jiuli said cautiously.
"Hehe, you're only at the first level of Qi Refining. Even if you've made a living in the martial world, do you dare to attack a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator? That kind of courage is not something ordinary people have! Keep up the good work, I have high hopes for you!" Li Wannian patted Yang Jiuli on the shoulder and said with a smile.
"It is my honor to serve the Li family!" Yang Jiuli said.
"As expected, this move has attracted attention," he thought to himself.
Li Wannian had a smile on his face, as if he were praising Yang Jiuli.
However, his statement about daring to attack a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator made Yang Jiuli realize that there was something intriguing about it.
"I must keep a low profile and be cautious from now on!" Yang Jiuli thought to himself. "I will never show off unless it is a matter of life and death."
"very good!"
Li Wannian withdrew his hand and casually asked, "Was that 'Swift Travel Talisman' a gift from Fairy Luo?"
He had also seen Luo Qiuping meet with Yang Jiuli and Tang Yifan alone.
They could guess that Luo Qiuping was warning Yang Jiuli and the other person not to jeopardize Qin Zhixue's future.
They must sever their worldly ties.
"Exactly!" Yang Jiuli said.
Luo Qiuping went to see him, which is probably known to people from all the major families.
It was reasonable for Yang Jiuli to reveal that he possessed a high-grade talisman at this time.
Furthermore, with connections like Luo Qiuping and Qin Zhixue, even if one enters a prestigious family, one won't be bullied for no reason.
This will reduce a lot of trouble.
"Work hard, and your future achievements will definitely be no less than anyone else's!" Li Wannian stroked his beard and said.
"I know I am dull-witted and dare not hope for too much. It is already a blessing to be able to learn a skill from the Li family," Yang Jiuli said.
Li Wannian nodded with satisfaction.
"Let's go!" he said, glancing at Lu Wenzheng and the others.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wannian summoned a flying boat and carried Yang Jiuli and the others towards the southern part of Yunmeng Lake.
Li Changyan sat cross-legged at the head of the flying boat, adjusting his breathing, but ignored everyone else.
The direction from which Xuan Yin Valley attacked Yunmeng Lake was in the northwest.
They flew south this time to avoid the Xuan Yin Gu people.
Yang Jiuli sat cross-legged on the flying boat, silently guiding a wisp of green wood spiritual energy into his body, and then guiding the green wood energy into his sea of consciousness for the Three Lives Stone to refine.
In the time it takes to breathe, spiritual energy data appeared beside the Three Lives Stone.
Spiritual energy concentration level: 1.4...
"This place is still more than ten miles away from Yunmeng Lake, yet the spiritual energy concentration has already reached 1.4... If we reach Yunmeng Lake, the spiritual energy concentration level should be at least around 1.6. In that case, I can not only cultivate faster, but also repair my spiritual root better!" Yang Jiuli thought to himself.
He was quite satisfied with the richness of the spiritual energy here, which finally dispelled the heavy mood brought about by the previous incident.
With a thought, he began to draw upon spiritual energy to restore some of his magical power.
A quarter of an hour passed.
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the heavens.
Yang Jiuli opened his eyes and abruptly stood up.
At this moment, on the flying boat, Lu Wenzheng, Liu Yuelong, and Huang Cheng had all fixed their eyes on the sound and looked in that direction.
But now, a huge array of light shield covering hundreds of miles had appeared in the air ahead.
High above the northwest area of Yunmeng Lake.
Outside the array's light barrier, a man in brocade robes stood in the air above the lake.
The man in brocade robes was none other than the current head of the Li family of Yunmeng Lake.
Li Ruoyu, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
He was over 180 years old, yet he still looked radiant and exuded a heroic spirit.
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, being over a hundred years old is still considered to be in one's prime.
At this moment, a magic array plate appeared behind Li Ruoyu.
High in the sky above Yunmeng Lake, there is a light screen formed by an array.
Within the light barrier was a vortex, from which a vast amount of fire elemental energy poured down, flowing down into this array.
After being transformed by the array plate, the fire elemental energy actually turned into magical power and was introduced into Li Ruoyu's body.
At this moment, a nine-foot-long ancient bow made of red iron was floating in front of Li Ruoyu.
This is a near-Tier 3 ancient bow: the 'Crimson Dragon Blazing Bow' is made from Crimson Essence and the blood and bones of a Crimson Dragon.
The bowstring was also made from the spine tendons of a near-third-tier red dragon.
Even among near-third-tier magic weapons, it is a top-tier existence.
At this moment, Li Ruoyu, together with the Li family patriarch, found a second-tier top-grade ancient formation: the "Li Huo Ju Ling Array". This formation gathered the magical power of countless fire-attribute cultivators in the clan. He grabbed the ancient bow in front of him with both hands, grasped the bowstring, and pulled it to its full extent.
Flames erupted within Li Ruoyu's body, and surprisingly, three sparks appeared above his head.
Beneath these three sparks, waves of fire surged, forming a ten-zhang-wide lake of fire suspended in the air, which was manifested as his Dao foundation.
This is the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Flowers that only cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage can condense.
Early stage of foundation building: The human flower has already been formed.
Mid-stage of Foundation Building: Earth Flower Condenses.
Late stage of Foundation Building: The condensation of ceiling flowers.
Each spark contained extremely rich magical power.
It forms the foundation for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Unless it is a life-or-death battle, Foundation Establishment cultivators will mostly not summon the Three Flowers Phenomenon to manifest externally.
If the three flowers are damaged, it will harm the foundation of the Dao.
Of course, the three sparks that evolved were just illusions, not the real thing.
However, if one is defeated, it can also damage one's mental and physical well-being.
As Li Ruoyu pulled the bowstring, a surge of fire elemental power immediately flowed into the bow from the three sparks above his head.
The talismans on the bow were lit up one by one.
Roar!
Suddenly, a roar came from the Crimson Dragon Blazing Bow, as if a sleeping dragon had been awakened.
On the bowstring, arrows formed from condensed flames began to slowly take shape.
At this moment, there were four Foundation Establishment cultivators opposite Li Ruoyu.
One of them had a sinister look in his eyes, but his face was as handsome as jade. However, a scar on the bridge of his nose made him look more ferocious.