Another winter arrived.
Li Wei appeared all over the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Throughout the twenty-four Regions of the Azure Cloud Prefecture, family descendants from the Northern Frontier, the Imperial Capital... as long as they were from the northern lands, all the descendants converged toward the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
The major Grotto-Heavens guarded strategic locations, capable of advancing to attack or retreating to defend.
If enemies dared to enter the Azure Cloud Prefecture, they would find themselves trapped in a twenty-four-point encirclement.
[Family Descendants: 12,083]
Inside the Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven.
At this time, the clansmen were collecting the family resources.
These were all cultivation products that could be refined under the family's current production chains.
The most eye-catching among them were several large bamboo baskets of medicinal pills, exuding a mouth-watering aura of vital blood energy, mostly a vibrant, bloody red.
[Divine Blood Pill: Developed over many years by Li Yaoqing, primarily made from diluted blood of the Three Corpses of Ling Tian, supplemented by various heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Consumers will experience an enhanced physique and form a surge of vital blood energy within their bodies. Refining it grants 2 to 5 years of spiritual energy cultivation.]
[Nether Blood Pill: Refined over many years by Li Yaoqing, crafted from Nether Dragon Blood combined with heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Consumers will experience an enhanced physique and have an extremely low probability of acquiring a Darkness spiritual root.]
[Shaman Human Pill: Using the Wu Tribe as the catalyst, their flesh and blood are refined into pills.
Consumption can increase cultivation by 1 to 3 years. It can be taken once every five years; otherwise, there is a high probability of falling into the demonic path.]
[Beast Blood...]
Additionally, various other spiritual pills were refined entirely from mass-produced heavenly materials and earthly treasures, making them pills that the family could produce in bulk.
The major Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands also had their own specialties, refined internally by their respective members.
The same was true for Dharma Artifacts, spiritual array compasses, and talismans.
Aside from the standard-issue Ancestral Spirit Tablets, Demon Suppression Talismans, and Hidden Edge Swords, a few new standard items had been added.
[Sarira Spirit Compass: Blessed by Li Kuanghua's Buddhist Dharma, this array is constructed using the bones of various elemental living beings as its foundation.
It possesses multi-elemental spiritual power. Cultivating within the compass increases the absorption rate of worldly spiritual energy and can also be used for self-defense.]
[Visualization Talisman: This talisman incorporates the souls of demonic beasts, Wu Tribe members, and humans, recording the enlightenment they gained during their lifetimes to enhance the user's comprehension.
Combined with the Buddhist Heart-Clearing Mantra, it maintains the clarity of the Spirit Soul.]
[Sacred Heart Spirit-Gathering Pendant: Centered around the 'Silence Maw Bloodstone' from the Underworld, it has been nurtured for years inside Li Yunlin's 'Skyveil Hall' and Li Zhiheng's 'Sacred Heart Domain', imbued with the power of myriad laws.
Wearing it constantly enhances one's personal comprehension.]
The clansmen who had previously ventured into the rear of the Wu Tribe emanated powerful auras.
Having experienced numerous great battles behind enemy lines, they brimmed with killing intent.
On the other side were the children who had cultivated obediently within the major Grotto-Heavens for years.
Only the Demon Suppression Lineage and the Silver Moon Lineage, due to their complex environments, possessed a bit more of a murderous edge.
This time, they had all returned to the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
[Due to the incident of the 'Ten Deadly Sins' and the Empress's apprehension, your family has altered its strategy in response to the covetous gazes of numerous cultivators outside the Azure Cloud Prefecture.]
[The major branch lineages will retain their industries, and experts will be dispatched at regular intervals to protect these branches.
This also serves as a tempering experience, and guarding the branch families rewards merit points.
The family's children can select clan missions to earn merit, which can be exchanged for stronger cultivation resources.]
[The family's descendants will develop with the Azure Cloud Prefecture as their foundation.]
Within the long queue.
An elderly couple could be seen leading two pairs of men and women—one middle-aged and one young—along with six children ranging in age from three to twelve.
Li Wei's expression shifted slightly.
The old man was named Li Qiuheng. He bore a scar on his face, and his sparse vital blood energy made his steps falter.
Li Wei remembered him; on the spirit boat returning from the Northern Frontier, he was among the clansmen whose lifespans were nearing their end.
"What a grand occasion, what a grand occasion." Li Qiuheng's voice was hoarse.
Unable to suppress the joy on his wrinkled, kindly face, his cloudy eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Seeing his father's agitation, the son beside him hurriedly moved to support him, but Li Qiuheng pushed him away.
The old man gazed at the clansmen in all directions, at the old comrades who had once ventured with him to the rear of the Wu Tribe and still retained their vigor, and at the young people gathered from the major branch families.
He laughed heartily and said, "Years ago, when the family established branches all over the world, each of our lineages cultivated its own abilities. We had places for tempering everywhere; those were territories under our control."
"In the future, no matter what happens to the Azure Cloud Prefecture, our descendants will be able to go elsewhere to temper themselves.
Using the territories we've occupied over the past two hundred years as a foundation to acquire an endless stream of resources, our Li Clan will prosper and flourish forever."
Speaking these words consumed too much of his energy, leaving him breathless and panting endlessly.
The middle-aged man beside him urged anxiously, "Father, you should go back and rest. I can collect the resource provisions."
However, Li Qiuheng ignored him. Smoothing his breath, he smiled radiantly and gathered all the children of his household around him, caressing their heads with his aged hands.
A toddler wearing a dudou, intimidated by the old man's wrinkles and sensing he looked different from the others, shrank back slightly.
Li Qiuheng didn't mind. Babbling to the younger generation of his household, his gaze suddenly grew distant.
"This old man's spiritual root was poor, but back then, I simply refused to accept my fate.
Following the family's spirit boats, I went to the Western Frontier, and I went to the Imperial Capital. Yet, I couldn't even reach the seventh layer of Qi Condensation."
"Later, a letter from the Family Head instructed us to go to the Western Frontier.
This old man lacked strength, and there were many in our generation with poor cultivation.
Seven or eight of us brothers discussed it for half a day, concluding that, ultimately, we couldn't go to such a dangerous place. Guess what happened?"
"The next day, only one person didn't board the spirit boat."
A naive seven or eight-year-old child blinked and asked, "Great-Grandpa, was he a coward?"
The old man affectionately stroked the child's face, shaking his head with a smile.
"Our generations accomplished two things, both of which were monumental for our family.
One group of us opened up new lands and secured new resources, but lost the freedom to travel elsewhere.
The other group, like this old man, went to many places and brought back a body full of scars, but we saw many, many different things on your behalf."
"This old man is old. The future belongs to you."
After finishing his words, Li Qiuheng and the children gradually merged into the crowd.
The predecessors plant the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade.
The older generation will vanish into the torrents of history, remaining only on the genealogy records, while the descendants will continue walking the paths paved by their predecessors, treading much easier.
Li Wei smiled faintly as he looked at the long queue of his clan, before disappearing from where he stood.