"Eldest Brother, you've finally returned from the Forgotten Immortal Domain!"
The moment Li Yaozu returned, Li Yaoqing and Li Yaotie came forward to welcome him, bringing the children of the family along.
Watching their travel-worn elder carrying that familiar sword box, Li Chang'an and Li Xinnian were on the verge of tears.
Grandfather and grandsons exchanged a glance, all heaving a collective sigh of relief.
That Li Yaozu had been stubborn enough to chase down the Cloudreach Mountain Sect for decades was not the issue.
The real issue was that the world assumed there was some deep-seated blood feud between the Li Clan and Cloudreach Mountain.
After all, he had pursued them for decades, yet it appeared he had struggled bitterly against a sect that had only a single Void Refining cultivator remaining...
[Your descendant, Li Yaozu, has spent decades hunting down the Cloudreach Mountain Sect in the Forgotten Immortal Domain.
Throughout this pursuit, he constantly experimented with new Sword Intents.
By opposing the Cloudreach Mountain Grotto-Heaven with his own strength alone, he has forged the laws of Heaven and Earth, replacing the spatial laws of the Void Refining realm with his Sword Intent.]
[Obtained Void Refining Space: Sword Domain]
[Acquired Void Refining Technique: Concealed Sword.
Within the Sword Domain, conceal the sword using Sword Intent; the longer the sword remains concealed, the greater its power becomes!]
Li Wei wore a playful expression.
Some people chase Cloudreach Mountain for decades, not necessarily because they cannot catch them, but rather... to use Cloudreach Mountain for their own cultivation!
Over these past decades, Li Wei had occasionally checked in on the situation between Li Yaozu and Cloudreach Mountain.
The Cloudreach Mountain Grotto-Heaven had transformed into a bird, and whenever Li Yaozu caught up, they would unleash all manner of strange tactics to escape.
Li Yaozu, in turn, countered every single move.
And so, amidst this constant back-and-forth, decades had passed.
[Under the pursuit of your descendant, Li Yaozu, and two Void Refining experts from the Immortal Suppression Department, the Cloudreach Mountain Sect exhausted its entire foundation of Spirit Stones.
The Void Refining Ancestor depleted his Spiritual power and passed away in meditation.
At death's door, he cried out, "Heaven should not have birthed Tang Miao; the Sword Venerable's obsession is inhuman!"
He then performed an empowerment ritual to transfer his remaining cultivation to his disciples before his soul returned to the void, begging Li Yaozu to spare Cloudreach Mountain a path to survival.]
[Obtained Loot: Corpse of the Cloudreach Mountain Ancestor x1]
[Supreme Dharma Treasure: Vermilion Bird Soul Orb.
Can be fused into a Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land to activate a grand formation, manifesting the shadow of a Vermilion Bird to defend against enemies, with power reaching the Void Refining stage.
It can also command the Vermilion Bird to carry the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land for a rapid escape.]
"The Cloudreach Mountain Ancestor saw through my purpose. Seeing that I had already achieved my goal, he used that realization to negotiate his final terms before death."
Li Yaozu offered a faint smile.
Yet, Li Yaotie and Li Yaoqing noticed the subtle change.
Li Yaoqing's eyes lit up.
"Eldest Brother, did you... Did you succeed?"
"Mn."
Overjoyed, the group returned home.
.....
"Good! Good! Good!"
High above Merit City, a Vermilion Bird soared and cried out as a fiery crimson heavenly bead gradually merged into the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land.
This was the Dharma Treasure Li Yaozu had brought back from Cloudreach Mountain—the Vermilion Bird Soul Orb!
Li Yaotie, along with numerous formation masters he had brought back from the Artifact Sect, worked together to reinforce the formation, fusing the Vermilion Bird Soul Orb into the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land.
The formation runes shone with exceptional brilliance across the dome of the Grotto-Heaven.
Upon landing, Li Yaotie exclaimed with delight,
"Eldest Brother has brought back a wonderful Dharma Treasure! It is truly a treasure worthy of the decades he spent chasing it.
It seems all that talk of him looking bedraggled for the last few decades was not in vain after all!"
Ignoring Li Yaozu's face, which was turning darker by the second, Li Yaotie continued:
"This item grants our Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land a 'Vermilion Bird' Artifact Spirit.
With this rapid mobility and the support of our formations, we can go wherever we please.
It is far superior to the Old Tree's technique of shifting the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land at a crawling pace.
Although it consumes a significant amount of Spirit Stones, with our Rank 3 Spirit Vein, we need not fear the cost!"
The group was in high spirits.
Suddenly, Li Xinnian frowned slightly as a token in his hand lit up.
The Azure Cloud Prefecture was no longer what it used to be.
The borders of every region were now guarded as heavily as the Military Mountains of the Duravia Trade Prefecture in the past; any anomaly could be reported immediately.
Across the four territories, there were formations, cultivator scouts, and even Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation stage cultivators from various sects and clans patrolling the clouds on rotational duty, projecting their Spirits to monitor the borders.
Whenever an expert above the Nascent Soul stage arrived, unless they possessed a special secret technique, they could not escape their gaze.
With the clan elders present, Li Xinnian hurriedly reported, "It is He Hao, the Sect Master of the Eternal Immortal Sect, arriving in person."
"The Eternal Immortal Sect?"
Li Yaozu had not been home these past years; he only knew that a hidden power had emerged in the Westfall Prefecture—this very Eternal Immortal Sect.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Hmph, I would like to see..."
"Ahem."
Before he could finish his sentence, Li Yaoqing coughed loudly.
"Eldest Brother, our clan and the Eternal Immortal Sect are now allies. We have a relationship of mutual trade and exchange."
"Is that so?" A trace of disappointment flashed in Li Yaozu's eyes.
Years ago, every time he fought, he was defeated in a single move.
Now that he finally had the chance to hold his head high and vent his frustrations, he was distressed to find he had nowhere to reclaim his lost dignity.