Inuyasha’s Journey to Immortal

The Li family of the Peninsula had a long and rich lineage.

As early as the Qin and Han dynasties of the Nine Provinces, they had already begun interacting with the mainland.

Back then, the peninsula was known as Silla and ruled by the Park family.

During the golden age of the Tang dynasty, exchanges between the two regions became even more frequent. At that time, the Kim family held control over the peninsula.

By the Song and Ming dynasties, these exchanges reached their peak.

The Li family's ancestor, Yi Seong-gym, successfully seized power—

And founded a dynasty.

It wasn't until the 20th century, when neighboring island nations and global powers began to infiltrate, that this dynasty came to a less-than-perfect end.

Now it was 1996—the twilight of the 20th century. The Park, Kim, and Li families had all gone into hiding, becoming the hidden cultivation clans whose behind-the-scenes influence gave rise to the peculiar phenomenon of corporate conglomerates shaping everyday life.

Among the Three Great Families:

The Park family was the most mysterious, deeply hidden, and with unfathomable foundations.

The Kim family was the strongest on the surface, overflowing with talent.

The Li family, although historically the longest ruler of the peninsula, had their development severely disrupted around 1500 with the sudden arrival of the Age of Decline in spiritual energy. As a result, they became the weakest of the three in terms of cultivation heritage.

Before the Age of Decline, it had been a period of accumulation; after that, they were simply living off the past.

As a family that rose from humble beginnings, the Li clan had only about three hundred years of accumulation. The Park and Kim families, by contrast, were true millennia-old cultivation aristocracies. Especially the Kim family—they ruled the peninsula for nearly a thousand years during the golden age of cultivation, and in that time amassed and monopolized countless cultivation resources and sacred sites, far surpassing anything the late-blooming Li family could achieve.

Fortunately, the Li clan's founding ancestor was quite capable.

He clung tightly to the leg of their powerful mainland ally—China. With this strong external support, he managed to preserve a spirit spring that, even to this day, showed no signs of drying up.

With that spirit spring sustaining the most basic cultivation system, the Li family's lineage didn't get cut off.

Li Xia returned to the clan for two reasons:

First, to acquire knowledge about the art of crafting shinigami;

Second, to obtain more spiritual liquid.

The Li family's ancestral grounds were nestled in a picturesque coastal region of lush mountains and rivers.

From the outside, it appeared to be just a remote, insular village.

Most ordinary people who passed through never gave it a second thought.

After all, how could anyone who couldn't sense the spiritual energy here imagine that this poor, xenophobic village was hiding a giant?

Inside the clan grounds—

Father and son reunion.

"What's going on with you, brat? It's only been a few days and you're already running home?"

Wearing a Daoist robe and refined spectacles, Li Xia's father, Li Zhun, frowned.

At a delicately carved jade table, Li Xia, who was wolfing down rice, slowly looked up. He reached into his waist pouch, pulled out a small vial, and handed it to his father with a serious expression:

"I found this in the island nation. Take a look—see if there's anything off about it."

He had left that morning and arrived by noon.

Such was the distance between the island nation and the peninsula.

Hearing this, Li Zhun was first surprised, then casually took the vial and played with it. He gently shook it to gauge its contents—liquid, judging by the sloshing sound inside.

At first, the cheap old man didn't take the liquid seriously.

He opened the cap absentmindedly, expecting nothing special. After all, he knew his son's general level—could he bring back something impressive? Don't be ridiculous!

But the moment he popped the cap, a strong, fragrant aroma burst forth.

Within seconds, the room was filled with a rich, invigorating scent that made one's entire body feel relaxed and one's mana stir restlessly.

"Hmm? What's this?"

Li Zhun's nostrils twitched. His eyelids quivered, and the nonchalance on his face vanished—replaced by visible suspicion and surprise.

Seeing his father's reaction, Li Xia smiled knowingly but said nothing, eyes twinkling with meaning.

Li Zhun calmed himself and leaned in to sniff the vial, inhaling lightly.

After two sniffs, his expression grew even stranger.

Li Xia suggested:

"Dad, try tasting it. Then you'll understand why I rushed back in such a hurry."

Li Zhun nodded. He trusted that his son wouldn't poison him, and besides, he was genuinely curious about the liquid's contents. So he took a small sip.

The moment the water hit his tongue, its familiar taste made his spirit jolt—it couldn't be wrong. This was their Li family's specially crafted spiritual liquid.

But why was its characteristic fragrance now dozens of times stronger?

What was originally sweet and cooling now burned with overwhelming heat, like it had become too sweet—to the point of fiery intensity. His entire mouth and taste buds felt like they were being stabbed with needles.

With one audible gulp, his esophagus and stomach spasmed violently and practically burst into a chorus of hallelujahs!

He felt as if he could fly into the sky and high-five the sun!

And that was just the flavor.

What left him truly speechless was the way his internal mana circulation suddenly sped up by a factor of ten or more. It was like going from the speed of a tractor to that of a bullet train in an instant.

There was no need to guess—what Li Xia had brought back was none other than the spiritual liquid he had enhanced using Four Soul Shards.

"Xiao San, how did our family's spiritual liquid become so delicious and miraculous? The mana recovery effect has improved more than tenfold!"

His "cheap old dad" asked, face full of astonishment.

At that, Li Xia put down his chopsticks, a more solemn expression settling on his face.

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about! Dad, the formula for the spiritual liquid should only be known to the family's upper ranks, right? Then why did I find the same spiritual liquid in the island nation? More importantly—the one they concocted is far superior to even the best blend produced by our Li family!"

"Could it be… the family elders have secretly improved the formula?"

The moment Li Xia said that his father's expression changed dramatically.

"Impossible! If the higher-ups had refined the formula, we'd have heard something! Even if it's rare and reserved only for prodigies in the main branch, we from the collateral lines would've caught wind of it somehow! The main branch wouldn't hide this kind of intel!"

"Wait... Are you suggesting someone from our family leaked the formula? Some ungrateful traitor even improved it and sold it off to the island nation?"

Li Zhun's eyes widened further, the shock and anger in his gaze growing more intense.

"Dad, I only managed to get a tiny sample, and the lead vanished while I was dealing with a ghost that had taken the form of a little girl.

What do we do now?

Should I report this to the clan?"

Li Xia asked deliberately.

Li Zhun fell into a long silence.

First, his son had brought back a sample of high-grade spiritual liquid and confirmed it came from the island nation—this information needed to be taken seriously. It was extremely valuable to the clan.

Second, given his son's rookie status, there was no way he could've concocted something of this quality, so he could rule out it being a misunderstanding.

The final question was how to report this to the higher-ups without alerting the traitor who might've leaked the formula.

"You were just sent to the island nation for middle school studies. How the hell did you end up involved in something this serious?"

Li Zhun's mood was extremely complicated.

Li Xia shrugged and launched into the pre-prepared story.

"Dad, I ran into a yokai while I was over there."

"Oh? What kind of yokai?"

"It only appears at night, its whole body glows golden, its tail looks like an ear of wheat, and it floats midair with its eyes closed. Oh—and it's always surrounded by the ghosts of children."

Li Xia described it in detail.

It was the same yokai A Li had encountered recently in the modern world.

Even though Li Xia hadn't witnessed it himself, that didn't stop him from using it to back his story.

Upon hearing the description, Li Zhun's eyes narrowed.

"Sounds like you encountered a Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai!"

"What's a Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai?"

Li Xia pretended to be completely clueless.

Seeing this, Li Zhun explained briefly:

"The Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai is born from the souls of children. It plays a soothing flute, keeping newly deceased children company and protecting them from other yokai.

Until the children ascend to the afterlife.

Usually, if it keeps its eyes closed, it's very gentle. But if the children's souls are filled with resentment and can't move on... the Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai will open its eyes and transform into a fierce, wrathful guide to the underworld—dragging those vengeful, lost spirits straight to hell."

"So that endless abyss I saw… it was a gateway to hell…"

Li Xia feigned a look of shock and lingering fear.

"Wait—you saw the Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai open a gateway to hell?"

His father raised an eyebrow.

Li Xia nodded with conviction.

"Yeah. I almost jumped in to save that kid."

"Foolish boy. Don't be so soft-hearted in the future."

His father was moved.

"So Dad, does the information I brought back count as a major contribution?"

"Absolutely! You've done the family a great service! Both the high-quality spiritual liquid and the intel about the Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai are worth alerting the elders. Don't worry—the old fogeys up there won't overlook your reward. And your old man will benefit too..."

"You'll benefit from it too?"

"Of course!"

Seeing his scholarly father suddenly so full of confidence, Li Xia couldn't help but grin widely.

This tiny vial of spiritual liquid, enhanced by Four Soul Shards, was just bait—a fabricated, yet extremely valuable piece of intel meant to secure a large supply of spiritual liquid from the family's upper ranks. With that, he could survive the hardest period ahead.

As for the report about the Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai in the island nation, that was meant to stir the interest of the powerful elders hidden within the clan.

Today, yokai had all but vanished, and powerful ones were extremely rare.

While not particularly dangerous, the Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai had the unique ability to open portals to the underworld and bind targets.

A yokai like that—moderate in power, high in utility—was ideal as a shikigami.

There was a high chance some of the reclusive old masters in the clan would come out of hiding to subdue it.

Getting a front-row seat to watch how they captured and contracted a yokai into a shikigami? That was a rare opportunity.

With one part truth and a few fabrications, Li Xia not only helped himself, but also helped the elders, strengthened the clan, and let his "cheap old dad" benefit too—a win on every front.

There was no reason not to give it a shot.

Sure enough, by that very afternoon, three clan elders—all well into their eighties—showed up together.

"Is the information about the Spirit-Worshipping Child Yokai true?"

The three old men were visibly excited.

In this age of declining magic, finding a yokai to subdue as a shikigami was incredibly difficult.

Too many monks, and not enough meat.

(End of Chapter)