Translator: AnubisTL
The journey back to the Liu Clan was surprisingly peaceful, with Li Qing encountering no bandit cultivators along the way.
This was likely due to his deliberately maintained appearance of destitution, which probably dissuaded bandits from seeing him as a worthwhile target. Moreover, he had chosen secluded routes. Immediately after leaving the Heavenly River Market, he plunged deep into the vast mountain forests, avoiding all signs of civilization.
Once he confirmed he wasn't being followed, Li Qing released Fan Tong from his spirit beast pouch.
"Awoo!" Fan Tong howled in protest, clearly displeased with being confined for so long.
Li Qing chuckled and fed him a Beast Nurturing Pill brimming with medicinal power. After devouring the pill, Fan Tong regained his usual vigor, completely forgetting his earlier discomfort.
"Let's go back to the Liu Clan!" Li Qing climbed onto Fan Tong's broad back, gently patted his tiger head, and they galloped swiftly through the mountain forest.
Nine days passed in a blur.
After nine days of relentless travel, a weary and dust-covered Li Qing finally arrived at the edge of Longevity Valley. He gazed at the towering ancient trees rooted deep within the valley and exhaled a long breath of relief.
"Finally back!" Li Qing muttered, stowing Fan Tong back into his spirit beast pouch and preparing to walk the rest of the way to the Liu Clan.
The past nine days in the mountains had allowed Fan Tong to fully indulge his fantasy of being king of the wilderness. What should have been a seven-day journey had stretched into nine, much to the detriment of the local wildlife. Not even bears or tigers were safe; Fan Tong would slap any wild boar he encountered along the way.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Li Qing hurried down into the valley below.
Soon, a thick white mist began swirling through the valley once more. At first, Li Qing thought it might be a welcoming party, but he quickly discerned several spirit-horse-drawn carriages emerging from the fog.
The carriages carried rogue cultivators employed by the Liu Clan, along with large water tanks brimming with spirit fish. Li Qing recognized one of them—the talkative Chen Xin, whom he had befriended earlier.
It seems the Liu Clan's situation has indeed stabilized, Li Qing thought to himself.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
The supply convoy, just emerging from the formation, immediately spotted Li Qing. A sharp voice demanded his identity.
Seeing the situation, Li Qing quickly lowered his posture and swiftly produced his identity token. "Senior, please don't be alarmed. I'm a spirit miner residing in Courtyard No. 49 of the C-Class District."
The leader of the group was another Liu Clan Elder, Liu Feng, whose cultivation had also reached the Late Qi Refining Realm. He was typically responsible for leading supply convoys to the Liu Clan's two shops in the Heavenly River Market.
Liu Feng skeptically accepted Li Qing's identity token. "Besides this token, can anyone else vouch for your identity as a spirit miner?"
Li Qing understood the elder's caution, given the precarious situation the Liu Clan had been facing recently.
"Yes, there are others. Liu Sheng originally led me into Longevity Valley. I also have several friends in the Loose Cultivator District. Moreover, Fellow Daoist Chen Xin, who transports the spirit fish, is an old acquaintance of mine!"
Hearing this, Liu Feng's frown eased slightly. He turned to Chen Xin and asked, "Chen Xin, is this true?"
The usually talkative Chen Xin nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! Fellow Daoist Li is indeed a spirit miner. He's visited me several times before."
With that, Liu Feng returned the token to Li Qing and casually inquired about the reason for his outing.
Li Qing simply repeated his previous excuse, and this time, he was allowed to pass.
Back in his secluded courtyard, Li Qing finally relaxed completely.
He immediately began cooking a pot of spiritual rice, built a roaring fire, and skewered two spiritual fish to roast over the flames.
The flickering firelight danced in Li Qing's eyes as he reanalyzed the current situation:
"It seems my prediction was correct. After rooting out the traitor within the Liu Clan, their situation has drastically improved. They're even able to dispatch rogue cultivators to transport goods to the Heavenly River Market."
"Although the Flying Eagle Bandits have gained another Late Qi Refining Realm combatant, they've also become noticeably more cautious in their operations."
"Given all this, my decision to return to the Liu Clan was undoubtedly the right one."
Yet two lingering questions still plagued Li Qing:
How exactly did the Flying Eagle Bandits manage to coordinate with the traitor Liu Hongyuan to turn his elaborate ambush against the Liu Clan?
And did the crucial ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill ultimately fall into the bandits' hands?
Li Qing habitually stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"Could the Flying Eagle Bandits have split their forces? Perhaps one group feigned an attack to distract the Liu Clan while the other secretly collaborated with Liu Hongyuan?"
"That doesn't quite add up. Simply dividing their forces would make it too difficult to simultaneously restrain the Liu Clan and maintain sufficient combat strength against two Late Qi Refining Realm cultivators. Unless the Demon Eagle Wanderer can create clones..."
He muttered softly to himself, his brow still furrowed. Frustratingly, the lack of information made it impossible to reach a definitive conclusion.
Another pressing concern was the crucial ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Li Qing wasn't alone in this worry; most cultivators in the region were undoubtedly watching the situation closely.
If the Flying Eagle Bandits truly managed to acquire this vital ingredient and successfully refine a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, it would be a grave matter.
A single batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, if fortune smiled, could yield two or three completed pills.
Coupled with the Demon Eagle Wanderer's already exceptional aptitude—a wind-attribute variant spirit root that would make him a coveted Heavenly Prodigy within any Cultivation Sect—the consequences would be dire.
If the Demon Eagle Wanderer reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, the cultivators in the area would face a Foundation Establishment-level Bandit Cultivator!
Moreover, this Foundation Establishment Realm Bandit Cultivator possessed a Wind Spiritual Root, granting him exceptional speed and proficiency in both pursuit and escape—a deadly combination.
If the other two Late Qi Refining Realm cultivators in the Flying Eagle Bandits had been luckier, they might have also achieved Foundation Establishment.
That would have been a far more serious problem. Two Foundation Establishment Realm Bandit Cultivators could easily overwhelm the weaker cultivation clans in the area.
The mere possibility of such a scenario sent shivers down the spines of not only Li Qing but also the Clan Heads of several cultivation clans, causing their eyelids to twitch nervously.
"If that were to happen, even the Heavenly River Sect might have to intervene," Li Qing muttered to himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by the tantalizing aroma of grilled spirit fish. Without hesitation, he began devouring the meal.
"Ah well, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. No need for me to fret," he mused.
With that, Li Qing alternated between wolfing down the two grilled spirit fish and mouthfuls of fragrant, steaming spirit rice, savoring the mouthwatering combination.
Just as Li Qing suspected, cultivators throughout the region had grown increasingly concerned about the whereabouts of the primary ingredient for the Liu Clan's Foundation Establishment Pill.
Over the past few days, the Liu Clan's elders had received countless messages via messenger birds and communication talismans, all urgently inquiring whether the Essence Fusion Fruit had indeed fallen into the hands of the Flying Eagle Bandits.
Of course, it remained unclear how many of those inquiring about the Liu Clan's well-being were genuinely concerned, and how many had ulterior motives. After all, the matter concerned a key ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill, and the Liu Clan had maintained a steadfast silence, offering no direct response.
Over the following months, the situation gradually calmed. The Flying Eagle Bandits vanished without a trace. The Liu Clan's various businesses continued to operate smoothly, with miners returning to the mines and caravan guards resuming their duties as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, the recent uproar surrounding the emergence of Daoist Ling Miao's cave abode once again drew the attention of many cultivators.
"The Restriction on the medicinal garden within Lingmiao Cave Abode has finally been breached by several Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators working together! Precious Spirit Herbs nearly a thousand years old have been unearthed!"
"An eight-hundred-year-old Blood Marrow Branch! This is a primary ingredient for refining the Spirit Enhancement Pill, capable of boosting the mana cultivation of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators!"
"Chaos erupts! The Foundation Establishment cultivators who jointly broke the Restriction are now fighting fiercely over that blood-red Blood Marrow Branch!"
"Utter madness! The Void Spirit Flower has appeared! Nearly seven hundred years old, it's a priceless treasure for those seeking to enhance their spiritual perception!"
News spread like wildfire, and more and more cultivators grew restless, eager to stake their claim on the treasures within Daoist Ling Miao's cave abode.
The primary allure was the extraordinary rarity of such ancient spirit herbs in the current cultivation world. No one had anticipated that even after Daoist Ling Miao's disappearance centuries ago, his medicinal garden would still harbor such a wealth of peerless spirit herbs.
This trove was akin to a small hidden treasure vault, prompting even Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators to abandon their dignity and clash fiercely over it.
In truth, if the Void Spirit Flower had been a few centuries older, reaching the millennium-grade level, even Core Formation Realm cultivators would likely have swallowed their pride to compete for it.
Enhancing spiritual perception was a crucial ability for any cultivator. A spiritual sense far surpassing that of one's peers granted immense advantages in both combat and breakthroughs.
Word of Daoist Ling Miao's cave abode reached even the rogue cultivators affiliated with the Liu Clan.
Many spirit miners, fresh from their work, felt a strong urge to join the fray.
"Even I can't resist getting involved," one miner remarked. "Daoist Ling Miao's cave abode is overflowing with treasures!"
"Heh, why don't you take a good look in the mirror? Going there at the Mid Qi Refining Realm is like handing yourself over on a silver platter."
"Exactly! I heard that to break the barrier, some Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators grabbed Qi Refining cultivators and used them as cannon fodder to scout ahead."
"Alas, without strength, all talk is just empty words."
Li Qing rode his spirit steed back to the Liu Clan, outwardly listening to his fellow workers' idle chatter while his mind wandered elsewhere.
Though the heavenly treasures within the Lingmiao Cave Abode were enticing, Li Qing felt no interest whatsoever. After all, none of it concerned him.
He wouldn't care even if they found a centuries-old spirit herb, or even a Ninth-Rank Immortal Pill capable of granting ascension within a hundred days.
One's priorities shift with one's cultivation stage. Li Qing's primary concern remained the matter of the Flying Eagle Bandits.
Since the bandits' disappearance, the Liu Clan area had become unnaturally tranquil—an eerie calm that felt unsettling.
Of course, Li Qing would happily see this peace continue; it aligned perfectly with his cultivation philosophy of steady progress.
Yet beneath this tranquility, he sensed turbulent undercurrents stirring.
Though he couldn't quite put his finger on it, Li Qing sensed the eerie calm before a storm.
The unknown was the most terrifying thing of all.
Li Qing now strongly suspected that the Flying Eagle Bandits had indeed stolen the Essence Fusion Fruit. Their prolonged silence likely meant they were digesting their gains and converting them into personal strength.
Meanwhile, the Liu Clan brazenly continued to deploy miners to their spirit mines and organize trade caravans to the Heavenly River Market, as if setting bait to lure the bandits out. But the Flying Eagle Bandits refused to take the bait, growing increasingly cautious in their actions.
Finally, news about the Liu Clan reached the outside world: Liu Hanyue, the clan's prized pearl residing at the Heavenly River Sect, had returned to the Liu Clan's ancestral territory.
What message was this meant to convey? Countless speculations erupted.
"Wasn't Liu Hanyue already at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, on the cusp of Foundation Establishment? Why would she return to the clan at such a crucial time?"
"Could it be that the Liu Clan is growing impatient? If the Essence Fusion Fruit truly fell into the hands of the Flying Eagle Bandits, they might urgently need combat-ready reinforcements!"
"If that's true, turbulent times likely lie ahead."
"It's too early to say," someone speculated. "The Essence Fusion Fruit might not be lost at all. Perhaps it's already been refined into a Foundation Establishment Pill, and they're calling Liu Hanyue back to attempt her Foundation Establishment!"
It's worth noting that once a cultivator reaches the Late Qi Refining Realm, whether at the seventh or tenth layer, they can consume a Foundation Establishment Pill to attempt Foundation Establishment. Waiting until the tenth layer isn't mandatory.
Of course, many cultivators prefer to cultivate to at least the ninth or tenth layer of the Qi Refining Realm before taking the pill, prioritizing stability and a higher chance of success.
Foundation Establishment is a pivotal milestone in cultivation—arguably the most critical juncture. Even a slight improvement in the success rate is worth the effort!
In short, every move Liu Hanyue makes is now under the intense scrutiny of countless eyes.
(End of the Chapter)
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