Li Wei was also present at this time. He looked over at these children of his clan.
Li Yunbing was serving as the Prefecture Lord, and Li Kuanghua hadn't been idle either.
She was here representing the Myriad Arts Sect. Her master, Ye Xiu, had been unable to join the seniors on their campaign into the Duravia Trade Prefecture, and now he claimed he was too ashamed to set foot here himself.
[Your descendant, Li Kuanghua, has obtained a new identity: Sect Master of the Myriad Arts Sect.]
[She now leads the seven thousand elders and disciples of the Myriad Arts Sect. She has established the 'Five Elements Body-Tempering Art,' which she comprehended while cultivating in the 'Five Elements Forbidden Ground' of the Northern Border, as the sect's foundational practice.
This has turned the Myriad Arts Sect into a rare sacred ground for body cultivators, where all elders and disciples now practice body cultivation arts.]
The Myriad Arts Sect, ever since falling into the hands of the master-disciple duo Ye Xiu and Li Kuanghua, had truly gone against its ancestral teachings.
A sect that once cultivated the Myriad Arts of the Dao had now become a sacred ground for body cultivators.
Its disciples were incredibly sturdy, using the spirit qi of heaven and earth to temper their physical bodies, even increasing their muscle mass and height. Any disciple from the sect was now over 1.8 meters tall.
As for the Three Thieves...
The three of them were still up to their usual mischief. But at this moment, Li Wei's gaze landed on Li Tianming. He was sitting upright and proper, looking exceptionally well-behaved with his big, innocent eyes wide open.
He seemed a little... shy. A bit... simple-minded!
[Your descendants, the Three Thieves, were once revered as gods in Duskwild Prefecture and were conscripted by Prince Yu. Li Yaowen had previously divined the secrets of heaven and found a solution for Li Tianming's madness in Duskwild Prefecture.
The Three Thieves discovered a hidden treasure on a Divine Mountain there and obtained a secret art: the 'Art of the Clearheart Dao.' This is presumed to be the solution.]
[While cultivating the 'Art of the Clearheart Dao,' Li Tianming's cultivation unexpectedly fell into chaos, causing his Sea of Consciousness to split. Acquired Trait: Second Personality.]
[The second personality possesses the traits 'Innocent' and 'Timid.' It can suppress his frenzied and evil thoughts. Its mind is simple and pure, and cultivation speed is increased by 20%. Negative effects: Combat power is reduced by 95%, is easily deceived, and all other traits are hidden. It can voluntarily awaken the primary personality.]
"Second Grand-uncle." Li Tianqi was the cleverer one, after all.
He could see that his second grand-uncle was in a difficult situation and said, "If you need to deal with any particular clan, just say the word to us brothers."
"That's right, Second Grand-uncle!" Li Tianyi instantly perked up. "We might not be their match in a straight fight, but they still have ancestral tombs, right?"
"Well..."
Li Tianming timidly pressed his knees together, a shy look on his face.
"Big Brother, Tianqi," he said weakly, "are we going tomb robbing again? That's... that's not right, is it? It's immoral."
"What did you just say?"
Seeing his younger brother's cowardly display, Li Tianyi was overcome with anger. He instantly grabbed Li Tianming by the collar. "Keep undermining me and see if I don't give you a beating!"
Seeing Li Tianming trembling in fear, Li Tianyi let out a long sigh.
Ever since Li Tianming had suffered a cultivation deviation while practicing the 'Art of the Clearheart Dao,' he had been incredibly conflicted.
When Tianming was mad, he missed this innocent version of him, but now that he was innocent, he found himself missing the mad version.
...
[Year 472]
"To think I still haven't fully comprehended the Divinity Transformation realm."
In the Ancestor Space, Li Wei gave a placid smile. The more he cultivated, the more difficult he realized it was.
He had spent the past few years constantly on the move, making his cultivation in the Divinity Transformation realm incredibly arduous.
It was only today that he had finally understood how to properly use his Primordial Spirit, and his strength had increased somewhat as a result.
After appearing in Merit City, Li Wei's eyes lit up.
After many years of development, Merit City had taken on a completely new look. Gone was its former grandeur; the bustling buildings outside the Inner City had all been torn down.
In their place was a tranquil, idyllic village with endless stretches of spirit fields, from which immortal spirit qi constantly rose. Even if Merit City were to be sealed off, it could form its own self-sufficient domain.
Especially now that the Li family had prospered, buried beneath Merit City was a Rank 4 Spirit Vein plundered from the Myriad Dao Immortal Palace and more than a dozen Rank 5 Spirit Veins.
The spiritual qi these veins produced was self-circulating. Theoretically, if one were to face no bottlenecks, this self-circulating immortal spirit qi could produce three Void Refining experts and more than forty Divinity Transformation experts within a thousand to ten thousand years.
Merit City's population had also grown to more than two hundred thousand. Their children would leave the city to take up posts in the Azure Cloud Region and Eternal Sun Prefecture, join the Hall of Heavenly Principle, or simply stay behind to farm the spirit fields.
Others used to say the Li family lacked a deep foundation, but now, the 'Myriad Dao Divine Bell Pagoda' alone was more than enough to serve as one.
He took a walk through Merit City.
He saw the Heaven-Piercing Coffin in the Ancestral Hall, where Li Dalong and his wife were cultivating.
Although Li Dalong was still the Prefecture Lord, he had long since stepped back from worldly affairs.
After Xu Cuihua had spent several decades with the Fox Clan, he now cherished every moment he had with her.
"Husband, now we can hand everything over to the children and no longer have to rush about everywhere," Xu Cuihua said, resting her head in Li Dalong's lap. "I truly hope things can stay like this forever."
Li Dalong gently stroked her hair. "The world is in chaos. We forced Prince Yu to rebel; the Wu Clan and the Demon Clan are wreaking havoc, and the Human Emperor's days are numbered. Your wish will be difficult to realize. Even in times of peace, we must remain vigilant of danger."
"Mm."
Xu Cuihua gave a charming smile.
The moment the couple exchanged that smile, Li Wei's scalp tingled. He knew exactly what they were about to do. Cursing under his breath, he quickly got the hell out of the Heaven-Piercing Coffin.
And Li Dalong wasn't the only one in the family in closed-door cultivation, uninvolved with worldly matters. Li Yaozu was as well.
He sat cross-legged high in the sky above Merit City, his black sword box resting on his lap. His Primordial Spirit roamed freely, guarding the entirety of the city.
Deep underground, above the city's spirit veins, the Seven Ironclads and the Blood Demon Lord sat cross-legged upon their totems. The totemic runes crawled over their bodies like earthworms, and it was impossible to know when they would awaken.
Within the city, Li Kuangren was now in command.
He had taken over from Li Dalong in presiding over the affairs of Eternal Sun Prefecture, while his wife, Feng Mi, busily managed matters on his behalf.
The Feng family had also re-established their dominance over the Azure Cloud Region.
As for Li Kuangren's children, although Li Changsheng remained on the Old Tree, he continued to devise strategies for the family.
Li Changyao, in charge of the Hall of Heavenly Principle, spent her days rushing from one task to the next, cursing and grumbling incessantly.
Hundred Treasures Mountain now had a second Mountain Lord, Li Chang'an. With his keen insight into people's hearts, he was exceptionally skilled at managing social relations on the mountain.
Li Xingchen was still out adventuring.
On that same Hundred Treasures Mountain, Liu Xiaofang and Fan Feixuan were weaving.
The Li family's little young master, Li Xinnian, now nine years old, was elegantly playing the zither and reciting poetry, earning endless praise from his grandmother and mother.
Li Wei was very fond of the child. Li Xinnian had been clever since birth, and it wasn't just Li Wei; all the experts in the Azure Cloud Region adored him.
[Your descendant, Li Xinnian, while cultivating in the Skyveil Sect, became a direct disciple. Due to forming a grudge with a certain youth, he has acquired the trait: Fated Villain.]
[...]
"???"
Li Wei stared intently at the faintly smiling Li Xinnian, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
---
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