Inside the Silver Iron Forest, within a cave-dwelling specially created by Li Yaoqing, lay a 'Cold Jade Bed of Returning Vitality'. This was a supreme-grade spirit artifact that the Li family had spent a large amount of spirit stones to obtain from Region Prince Mi Zhunqi of Starfall Region, usable for healing injuries.
Even if a Qi Refining stage cultivator was seriously injured, they could fully recover after lying on it for just three to five days. Even for the Foundation Establishment stage, a few months would suffice.
And right now, a man and a woman lay upon it. The woman was extremely beautiful—who else could it be but the Demon Lord of the Demon Cave, Fang Linglong? As for the other man, he had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes; even lying down, his arrogant air was extraordinary.
Li Yaozu... this fellow was currently bare-chested. On his chest was a long, gory blade wound. The wound wasn't dripping blood, but was instead emitting black qi.
[Your descendant Li Yaozu, together with the Star Sword Saint, intercepted a Divinity Transformation cultivator from the Clear Wind Sect intruding into the Azure Cloud region. He was seriously injured by the cultivator and saved by Wang Jinhu and Daoist Shanchen.]
This past experience was from two years ago.
Over these dozen or so years, the Azure Cloud region had long become a special existence; if Divinity Transformation stage cultivators dared to come, they would have long been detected by Daoist Shanchen. But the Li family hadn't been idle either. They would try every means possible to recruit experts from all over the Azure Dynasty, sometimes helping the Hall of Heavenly Principle 'escort' back experts who had committed crimes outside Azure Cloud region, to supplement the insufficiency of Azure Cloud region's troop sources.
The incident occurred when Li Yaozu and the Star Sword Saint brought back a Nascent Soul sect from Eternal Sun Prefecture. The Clear Wind Sect's ancestor came pursuing them with the intent to kill. Li Yaozu and the Star Sword Saint, these two fellows who feared nothing, naturally wouldn't back down. Unexpectedly, they were defeated in just one move.
However, the Clear Wind Sect's ancestor spared Li Yaozu's life; otherwise, the Li family would have long since gone to fight the Clear Wind Sect to death.
At that time, when Li Yunbing and Li Yunlin learned the news of their father being injured, they almost went crazy. Even someone as calm as Li Yunbing led the Azure Cloud Region Army to the border and had already penetrated 300 miles into Eternal Sun Prefecture. If Li Dalong hadn't come out to stop them, and Li Yaozu hadn't briefly regained consciousness to tell the two brothers not to be impulsive, right now they presumably wouldn't be fighting the Wu Clan, but rather staging a rebellion.
At this time.
After discussions in the main hall, the Li family members all came to the sick room. Looking at Li Yaozu lying on the bed—it had been two years. Li Yaoqing had been continuously refining medicine, yet still hadn't been able to dissipate the blade qi on Li Yaozu's chest; he was unable to fully recover.
"Grandfather, two years have passed. You kept seeking out the Eternal Sun Prefecture authorities, but no one paid any attention to this matter. The Emperor promised that anyone above the Nascent Soul stage must report their entry into Azure Cloud region territory. Father had already entered the border at that time [when he was pursued]. Eternal Sun Prefecture logically should have arrested that person, but the Clear Wind Sect is still around, and that Divinity Transformation old dog is still carefree and content!"
Li Yunlin looked at his father on the sick bed. For over a hundred years, father and son actually hadn't interacted much, but the one Li Yunlin admired most was still Li Yaozu. Over these years, he hadn't participated much in family discussions, spending most of his time at the Skyveil Sect. This was actually all because of the incident back then when the Pig Demon King was killed; this kid had always felt that the family's disaster was his fault.
But now that his father was injured, he had stayed within the family [base] for the past two years, just waiting for Li Yaozu to recover.
Now that the family was out of materials, he found his opportunity. "Grandfather, you've never let us go looking for trouble with the Dynasty, afraid we would rebel. But you've seen it too; the Azure Dynasty doesn't treat us as their own people, and Eternal Sun Prefecture power even less so."
Hearing this.
Li Changsheng, who was sleeping and sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Li Changyao, slightly opened his eyes. As if muttering in a dream, he said, "Heavenly Ancestor, our family's Hall of Heavenly Principle hasn't been doing well in Eternal Sun Prefecture these years either. Eternal Sun Prefecture suppresses us at every turn. You gave this child a large amount of spirit stones, but this child finds it very difficult to purchase high-quality materials. This child investigated; Eternal Sun Prefecture has always been very wary of us. They are doing it deliberately."
Li Kuangren also frowned. "Right. In recent years, fewer and fewer cultivators have come from Eternal Sun Prefecture seeking refuge in our Azure Cloud region. The reason Great-grandfather has to go bring people back is also because Eternal Sun Prefecture obstructs them everywhere. They frequently interrogate cultivators now, precisely to prevent them from coming to the Azure Cloud region. Their bullying is a bit too much! I heard a Divinity Transformation senior wanted to come, but was even 'invited' back by them."
Listening to the children's words.
Li Dalong's expression was heavy. In truth, over these dozen or so years, although the Azure Cloud region held a special status, he had always wanted to ease relations with the Azure Dynasty. After all, compared to a behemoth like the Dynasty, the Li family was too insignificant. If the Dynasty truly wanted to move against the Li family, they would have been gone long ago. Their continued existence was simply because the Azure Cloud region helped the Azure Dynasty block the Wu Clan, but now...
"Husband." Xu Cuihua smiled faintly. "Don't hesitate anymore. The children need resources, and our family isn't someone they can just bully whenever they feel like it."
Seeing the children all looking at him, Li Dalong suddenly grew angry.
"Do you think I've grown soft just because I've aged?"
"Huh?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
Li Dalong continued, "Tianyi and Tianqi already went to Eternal Sun Prefecture some time ago."
The Li family children immediately stared wide-eyed. No wonder Tianyi and Tianqi hadn't been seen lately; it turned out they had gone to Eternal Sun Prefecture ahead of time!
Li Dalong sighed, looking up at the sky. "Azure Cloud region's resources were snatched clean by us long ago. After more than a hundred years on the long road of cultivation, I understood long ago. The Great Dao is ruthless; the path of cultivation is fundamentally a struggle of snatching and fighting. How can our Li family allow ourselves to be restrained by this Azure Dynasty?"
Hearing this.
Everyone in the family was delighted. They had wanted to go to Eternal Sun Prefecture long ago. Whether it was to avenge Li Yaozu or because of the resource issue, they had to contend with Eternal Sun Prefecture, the most prosperous land in the south!
Under Li Dalong's lead, they headed towards the ancestral hall.
Just after they left, Li Yaozu, on the sickbed, opened his eyes. He looked at his own wound, and a look of shame and indignation flashed across his face. "A man almost over two hundred years old, struck down by someone's blade and lying here for two years! What a disgrace!"
Just as he was struggling to get up, he caught sight of Fang Linglong lying beside him. Li Yaozu froze. Fang Linglong was currently unconscious. Seeing the snow-white chest of this old demoness, who knows how many years she's lived, Li Yaozu frowned. He thought to himself that Second Sister had been too thoughtless, actually putting him and Fang Linglong on the same bed. At least covering Fang Linglong's delicate body would have been considerate.
He had just taken out an animal hide to cover Fang Linglong, laying it over her chest.
"What are you looking at?"
Li Yaozu's expression froze. A pair of eyes like crescent moons opened. The killing intent in the sick room became rather heavy.
For some reason, a feeling of embarrassment he hadn't felt in over a hundred years suddenly rose in Li Yaozu's heart. He only thought for a brief moment.
"Pfft!"
Li Yaozu deliberately spat out a mouthful of blood and shut his eyes tight. Mm, everything will be better after I wake up.
"...."
Fang Linglong glanced at the animal hide covering her body, then looked over at Li Yaozu. Mm, this kid is handsome. Forget it.
Immediately, she went back to sleep again.
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