Chapter 509 400 Deer Demon Invitation

The news of Li Jingtian's death reached the Li Family, and they donned white mourning garments. Though she was but a mortal, she was nevertheless the daughter of Li Xiangping and the younger sister of Li Xuanfeng, one of the few with the highest seniority in the family.

Chen Donghe held his wife and hurried back, showing no signs of anything amiss. Li Yuanjiao silently followed him, head bowed and eyes downcast, not uttering a word throughout the journey.

Finally, Chen Donghe had returned. He was now seventy years old, he had started practicing Qi Cultivation at thirty, and though he appeared to be in his early fifties, he was considered to be an elder. He stood up straight at the funeral.

Li Qinghong had just learned of her mother Lu Wanrong's death, and her aunt Li Jingtian's body had just been transported back to the Li Family. The consecutive deaths of two close relatives left her in profound grief; the face that had just been jubilant from her recent breakthrough was now filled with sorrow.

After being busy for half a year, she finally managed to arrange everything. Li Qinghong had just had a breakthrough, and the great joy and sorrow had fluctuated her cultivation level, forcing her to close off and stabilize her cultivation. Moreover, Li Yuanjiao remained at home.

Qingdu Mountain.

Li Yuanjiao, as usual, led Chen Donghe into Qingdu Mountain. Seeing that he still looked spirited and composed, Li Yuanjiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully said,

"My uncle has been troubled these past years... Now that the younger generation has grown up, there is no need for my uncle to stay in that barren land. From now on, the younger generation can manage the qi gathering, and my uncle can focus on his cultivation."

"That's nothing to mention."

Chen Donghe performed a polite bow, sighed, and then replied,

"Who does the family plan to send there?"

Li Yuanjiao answered,

"An Zhiyan has two sons, both of whom have married daughters from our Li Clan. Both of them have reached the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, can hold the fort, and are reliable and loyal. I wish to have the two alternate in gathering qi."

Chen Donghe nodded,

"I will write a letter immediately to inform Bai Yinzi."

He paused, then continued,

"Valley Smoke Temple's Bai Yinzi intends to forge connections. We can send some of our own people there to establish familial alliances. Within twenty years, they should be able to become our wings and serve as pieces to advance deep into the desert."

"Good."

Li Yuanjiao readily agreed. With a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, he saw that Chen Donghe had already reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation. He then politely said,

"My uncle's hard work over these years deserves reward. The family has a secret Barrier-Breaking Elixir, which my uncle should take to break through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation."

"This... I am already a worn body, not worthy of such a pill. It would be better left to Ximing and Xijun..."

Chen Donghe furrowed his brow, his words earnest and not mere politeness,

"I am already over seventy years old! What difference will it make if I break through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation sooner or later? It's better for the younger generation..."

Li Yuanjiao had no choice but to forcefully push the elixir into his hand, explaining,

"The children already have their share... How can you inspire respect like this!"

Chen Donghe could only accept it. He murmured the Xuanjing Spirit Oath to himself and found a place to close off for cultivation.

Li Yuanjiao sat down on a stone bench. The old books Chen Donghe had brought back, all collected and annotated by Li Jingtian before her death, were piled upon the table. He gathered them up and sighed softly.

"Auntie... what a pity."

He sat in the courtyard for a while, when a tall man came in and bowed,

"Li Xihong pays respects to his elder ancestor."

"Hmm."

As Li Yuanjiao raised his hand, he lifted Li Xihong with mana. Li Yuanping had been gradually weakening over the past half year, and the majority of the clan's affairs had fallen into Li Xihong's hands. Li Xihong clasped his hands and said,

"The family's output has steadily increased. By raising spiritual fish in the lake through magical beasts, the first batch has already been harvested, selling for a total of seven Spirit Stones. In the future, it will be more, with at least four to five additional Spirit Stones per year."

"As for the two mining veins, we have gone deeper into the mines; there hasn't been much discovered yet, but in a few years, there should be some output."

When Li Yuanping took over the Li Family, it was in deficit every year, a declining noble family robbing Peter to pay Paul. But when it came into Li Xihong's hands, it was showing a profit of more than ten Spirit Stones per year, a healthy ledger. Li Yuanjiao nodded inwardly at the income report.

"In recent years, the family has added three Qi Cultivators and five mixed Qi cultivators, replacing several Fetal Breathing ranks among the Five Peaks."

The Li Family was now showing the posture of a Noble Family, with Qi Cultivators emerging one after another, and mixed Qi cultivators like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Li Xihong himself had reached the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation.

"With the Qi Cultivating Late Stage An Zhiyan at the helm, followed by Chen Donghe, Ximing, and Uncle Xuanxuan, there are Qi Cultivators in the Late Stage. Tian Zhongqing, Xu Gongming, White Monkey, Chen Mufeng, Li Wen and others are in the Middle Stage, and in the Early Stage, there are foreign surnames and eleven Jade Courtyard Guards, totaling twenty-seven Qi Cultivators and forty-one mixed Qi Cultivators."

"For Foundation Establishment, there are Uncle Zhong, Aunt Qinghong, Senior Wushao, and Mage Kongheng, four people in total. At the moment, our Li Family's influence is catching up with the Yu Family of the past and is now the overlord on the lake."

Li Xihong sighed,

"Now our Li Family governs over more than 450,000 common people. The Spiritual Fields are strained to the limit; we've tried our best to control the situation, but we are still constrained by the oath to the three families, prohibited from expanding northward. Otherwise, sweeping Wangyue, overtaking the dense forests, and seizing Hanyun would be trivial tasks compared to dealing with the Fei Yu and Yu Families!"

With new Foundation Establishment Cultivators at the top, the Li Family was brimming with vitality, Qi Cultivators and mixed Qi Cultivators were increasing in numbers, and as the space released by the Five Peaks swap was consumed, there began to show a bit of the situation where there were too many monks and not enough porridge.

Listening to Li Xihong report everything, Li Yuanjiao nodded lightly and replied,

"To expand northward... we must first ensure the death of Yu Muxian and gain a foothold within the Green Pond Sect, so the Wangyue Lake can be affiliated with Qing Sui Peak... only then can we establish a powerful position."

"Green Pond Sect rotates affiliations every seventy years, and there's only about twenty years left for Yuanwu Peak."

Li Xihong acknowledged the point, and Li Yuanjiao spoke in a low voice,