Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

"Yes!"

As Xiaoqing spoke, she retrieved a stalk of Spirit Grain wrapped in gentle breezes and handed it to Li Zhirui, urging, "Jiu, please try to be as quick as you can. This unknown blight appears aggressive, and I'm worried it's one of those that lurks for a long time and then suddenly erupts."

If that's the case, then the blight could have already spread before they even notice!

"I understand."

Li Zhirui's expression was solemn. Before turning back to the Cave Mansion, he suddenly spoke up, asking, "Has anyone been sent to investigate in Cave Abyss State? What's the situation with the Cave Abyss Sect?"

"Yes, we just received news that the Cave Abyss Sect is under complete lockdown! It seems they are in a far more severe situation than we are. According to the clan members' investigative reports, they encountered many Cultivators from the Cave Abyss Sect at the borders, including not a few Human Immortals and Individual Immortals."

As a result, our clan members have not entered Cave Abyss State. The information was only obtained with the help of the Wind Breath Clan.

Thus, the Li family members stationed in Cave Abyss State were unable to send the information out.

"From this perspective, the blight originated in Cave Abyss State or regions further from the clan, so the clan need not be overly worried. The situation isn't as severe as you might think."

"But don't lower your guard. We must strengthen the lockdown and prevent further spread of the blight."

Saying this, Li Zhirui did not delay further and hurriedly entered into the Cave Mansion to focus his efforts on studying the blight, selecting from myriad Spiritual Objects ones that could eradicate it, or at least suppress it.

"Is this blight not an infestation? Then it must be some sort of epidemic?"

Scanning with his Divine Sense, Li Zhirui found no traces of pests, quickly ruling out many Spiritual Objects that repel or kill insects.

He then cut off a section of Spirit Grain and began categorizing attempts.

Though somewhat rough-hewn, these methods usually yield decent results unless in special situations.

Due to the urgency of the situation, Li Zhirui couldn't afford to rest. When his Mana was depleted, he drew upon the reserves in his Life-bound Magic Treasure. If that ran dry, he would resort to the power of the Minor Thousand World.

Yet in terms of Divine Sense, beyond consuming Immortal Pills, there was no better way to recover, and frequent use of Immortal Pills could damage his Spiritual Soul, making it counterproductive to resolving the matter at hand, and potentially harmful to himself.

So when Li Zhirui reached his limit, he had no choice but to rest and naturally restore his Divine Sense.

...

"It's been ten days, Jiu still hasn't developed an antidote!" Xiaoqing paced anxiously in front of the Cave Mansion door.

In these ten days, even though the Li family tightly prohibited southern Cultivators from heading north, sporadic signs of the blight emerged north of the blockade!

This implies the blight has already crossed over, only still in its incubation period, and potentially broader in scope than they estimated!

If it reaches the clan's heartland, the impact on the Li family would be catastrophic.

It's important to realize the heartland is planted with numerous precious Spiritual Objects, and typically, the Grade of these objects isn't low, growing over several centuries, sometimes lasting hundreds of years.

If anything goes wrong with these Spiritual Objects, even setting aside whether the Li family has spare Spirit Seeds, all the time and effort previously invested would be for naught!

"Don't worry too much. Things might not be as dire as we fear." Da Qing tried to reassure.

But even as he said this, he hardly believed himself.

For further investigation revealed this sudden blight had an extended incubation with not the slightest anomaly, but once it erupts, it's like thunderous lightning, beyond salvation!

Thus far, they had no clue where the blight had spread.

"Not worried? If we're not more concerned, the blight could soon be at the clan's heartland!" Xiaoqing's tone was fiercely agitated.

Da Qing didn't take offense. He understood it was Xiaoqing's concern for the family. But in such matters, outsiders like them can only worry so much!

Li Guangjie and the Elders weren't present. They needed to stay informed in real-time, and especially at times like this, they must maintain stability.

Otherwise, if the clan were to fall into unrest, who knows what further misfortune might occur.

Creak—

Suddenly, the soft sound of a door opening was heard.

"I developed a powder that, when combined with typical Spirit Water and sprayed on Spiritual Objects, can kill the blight,"

Li Zhirui said weakly, looking haggard, "Da Qing, here is the Pill Recipe. Quickly arrange for the clansmen to refine it, I'll take a short rest first."

In these ten days, aside from necessary rest, he hadn't closed his eyes; the rest amounted to less than twenty hours, constantly on the brink of collapse!

Thankfully, his efforts paid off, allowing him to develop an effective Spirit Pill with relatively low material cost.

Both elements are indispensable!

Effectiveness is self-explanatory, but if the material cost isn't low enough, not only would refinement become costly, but also the number of Spiritual Objects would likely not be enough.

Just think about how vast Shanhai State is; a missing or extra Spirit Stone adds up to astronomical figures!

"Thank you, Jiu, take a good rest first!"

Xiaoqing hurriedly flew off, while Da Qing stayed behind, his face full of concern, saying, "Jiu, in your current state... are you alright?"

"It's nothing, just overdrafted too much in a short time. A good rest will restore me soon enough."