After the Grand Ceremony concluded, Li Dalong and his wife departed for the Underworld once again.
[Your descendant Li Dalong has brought back numerous local specialties from the Underworld.]
[Blood Stone, Spring of Sorrowful Wailing, Nether Eyes...]
Li Dalong and Xu Cuihua commanded ten thousand ghosts in the Hell Layer I: The Silence Maw, effectively making them rulers of a region there.
Every time they returned, they brought back plenty of "goodies," but... they all seemed a bit "Underworld-esque."
The Blood Stone was naturally a material for artifact refining, but the other two were likely unfit to be shown in public.
[Grade 5 Spiritual Object: Spring of Sorrowful Wailing]
[A Blood Spring from the Hell Layer I: The Silence Maw.
It originates from the very site where tongues are ripped out.
The spring water is formed from the sorrowful screams of evil ghosts echoing for tens of thousands of years after their tongues were plucked.
Listeners will be plunged into a state of painful wailing, as the cries of the evil ghosts penetrate the Divine Soul.]
Li Yunlin's Skyveil Hall usually loved spiritual objects the most.
Yet, when this thing was offered to the Artifact Spirit, Old Cat, the cat's fur stood on end, and it refused to accept it no matter what.
Now, this object was placed right inside the prison of the Thunder-Fire Demon cave.
Surprisingly, Gu Yinming of Skynet adored this spiritual object to the extreme.
He had moved from being a waiter in a tavern to serving as the Warden of the prison.
To him, listening to the constant wailing of evil ghosts was like listening to Celestial Music.
Dressed in official robes, he leaned against a prison cell, shaking his leg rhythmically.
As the shrieks reached his ears, his face was filled with sheer comfort.
"I truly don't know where Brother Dalong found such a superb item. A holy artifact like this is truly a supreme treasure for me to comprehend the Laws."
Outside the prison, a group of Demon Cultivators were actually fighting over who got to be locked up, just so they could share in this "blessing" together.
[Grade 5 Spiritual Object: Nether Eyes]
[When placed in the eyes, even if the Divine Soul is annihilated, the body will continue to battle. Truly, one dies with eyes wide open, never resting in peace.]
"Good stuff!"
This item became an offering that took Li Wei's fancy.
He refined it into his own eyes, and instantly, he possessed a pair of pitch-black pupils.
Li Wei was overjoyed; for him, this item was even more useful than a Grade 4 Spiritual Object.
During the battle in the Immortal Domain, the Zhao Clan Patriarch had possessed a method to control the Divine Soul, and Li Wei had been "insta-killed" by it.
With this item now in his possession, anyone who dared to target his Divine Soul would be in for a nasty surprise.
...
Most of the family elders had their own affairs to attend to.
The descendants of the branch families returned to their respective locations, while Li Tianyue and Li Xinghuo returned to the battlefield.
Li Kuanghua claimed she couldn't endure the peace and quiet at home, so she returned to the Wu Tribe battlefield.
She declared that as long as she was there fighting the Wu Tribe, no one in the Imperial Court—high or low—would dare gossip that the Li clan was failing to contribute to the war against the Shamans.
Family affairs continued to be managed by Li Yunbing, Li Kuangren, Li Chang'an, and Li Xinnian.
The former Duravia Trade Prefecture had now become part of the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
In this single territory governed by two Prefecture Lords, Li Dalong was absent.
Thus, on the surface, Li Yunbing was actually the figure with the highest status and authority.
Theoretically, a Prefecture Lord should be busy, yet the busiest person turned out to be Li Kuangren.
He was the Li family elder who made the most public appearances in Azure Cloud, effectively acting as a proxy for Li Dalong's duties.
Meanwhile, Li Chang'an traveled year-round among the various Clans and Sects of the Azure Cloud Prefecture; he was known as the "Jade-Faced Gentleman."
No matter how high and powerful a family might be, they still needed to maintain relationships.
Li Chang'an handled matters with fairness; he treated others with gentility and elegance while possessing deep insight into the human heart.
It was largely thanks to his existence that the many major powers in Azure Cloud Prefecture did not devolve into endless vendettas where one side would not rest until the other was dead.
Li Xinnian held a letter in his hand, scrutinizing it repeatedly.
Only after a long while did he finally set it down.
When he looked toward his elders, Li Xinnian frowned—a rare occurrence.
"Impressive skill. That fellow Feiheng truly has impressive skill.
It has been merely four years since he returned to the Imperial Capital, yet he has already won over numerous forces like the Sword Pavilion.
With the assistance of the Imperial Preceptor, even the prince supported by the Grand Preceptor perished at his hands.
He has been crowned Crown Prince and now wields heavy power in the court."
Crown Prince Sheng had only just fallen from power, yet within four short years, Lord Feiheng had ascended to the position of Crown Prince.
Even though the Li family was extremely familiar with Lord Feiheng, this turn of events still left them greatly astonished.
Li Xinnian asked Li Chang'an,
"Grandfather, that foolish grandson of mine, Yuanshang, has already sent a letter mentioning that Feiheng has become the Crown Prince.
Should we borrow his momentum to elevate the Heavenly Principles Hall and the Li Clan Chamber of Commerce to the next level?"
Li Chang'an shook his head.
"No. Not only must we not do that, but we must also keep a respectful distance.
My Li Clan sits in possession of two prefectures.
The great war against the Zhao Clan back then was a narrow victory that drew the gaze of the entire world.
Now is precisely the time to act with a low profile.
The affairs of the Imperial Court are complex. If we were to utilize Feiheng, what would the people of the world think?
They would only say that my Li Clan is wildly ambitious."
The group nodded slightly in agreement.
Li Chang'an continued, "If I were Lord Feiheng, holding great power in my hands right now, what would I think if the Li Clan came to curry favor?"
Li Kuangren was someone who had once served as a Judge; he had witnessed many things.
He smiled and said, "Ask for a favor once, and it might pass.
But if you try to curry favor again after that, it will be perceived as greed.
If he has the intention, he will naturally offer conveniences to our Li Clan.
The affairs of the world are ever-changing, and people are fickle.
We simply need to look after ourselves; it is not as if we absolutely require Lord Feiheng's assistance."
"Agreed."
Li Xinnian smiled faintly. "Then I will write a letter of congratulations and tell Yuanshang to behave himself."