In the cloudy sky above the Thunder Fire Demon Cave.
Two people advanced, treading upon auspicious clouds.
Huang Xiujin was constantly pondering.
He looked at Li Jianning beside him, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Patriarch, our Azure Cloud Prefecture is indeed very prosperous now, but have you ever thought about why our Li Clan has never done things this way?"
Li Jianning frowned slightly.
"Resources, internal demand, and supply," Huang Xiujin said.
"We have never allowed too many sects and immortal clans to rise, nor have we spread cultivation methods among the common people.
We only sent some cultivators with formidable cultivation aptitude to sects or the clan to be nurtured.
There are many people in this world capable of cultivating, but if they all cultivated, even with our Azure Cloud Prefecture's vast lands and abundant resources, it wouldn't be enough to supply their cultivation."
"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has a limit.
Coupled with the limited Spirit Stones beneath our ley lines, cultivating on such a massive scale will sooner or later cause our land to dry up and become exhausted."
"Therefore, generally speaking, every prefecture only allows the existence of three to five Void Refinement cultivators, simply because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is just enough.
As for other Void Refinement cultivators, they generally cultivate within Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.
These Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands mostly retain a surplus of heaven and earth spiritual veins, just like our Li Clan's Grade 3 Spiritual Vein."
"Cultivators have long lifespans.
The reason even the Ghost Eye Sect doesn't use the people of our Azure Cloud Prefecture to refine Human Pills is that after they die, their corpses return to the Azure Cloud Prefecture, and their spiritual power returns to heaven and earth, thus cycling to bless the common people."
"The Patriarch allowing everyone with Spiritual Roots to cultivate will result in prosperity in the short term, but afterward..."
Li Jianning did not speak further, silently listening to Huang Xiujin's admonition.
He then asked, "How long can this situation be maintained?"
"I have calculated. In three hundred years, the Azure Cloud Prefecture will be crawling with cultivators.
All wild natural treasures will be completely divided up, and we will only be able to use Spirit Stones to nourish spiritual plants.
The emergence of a massive number of cultivators will form internal entanglements and conflicts."
Huang Xiujin's calculations were proper.
It was evident that being burdened with Li Jianning—a Patriarch who only knew expansion and didn't understand restraint—had turned his hair white with worry.
In the past, when he assisted Xinnian, he never had to think about so many things.
Li Jianning had a lean and muscular build.
Unlike the refined and peaceful appearance of the previous Patriarchs, he possessed a bit more of a sinister and ruthless air that made others fear him at first sight.
"I don't care about that much. I am not as smart as Great-Grandfather. The seniors of Azure Cloud are all seeking their Dao paths in Deston Prefecture.
This is the only method I have to make the Azure Cloud Prefecture unprecedentedly powerful."
Huang Xiujin frowned slightly.
Ever since losing his son, Li Qiukong, there was nothing this Patriarch Li Jianning was more passionate about than the pursuit of powerful strength.
Not only did he demand this of himself, but he also applied this mindset to the construction of the clan.
At the very least, Huang Xiujin hadn't seen many people who would actively seek out lightning strikes every few days.
The injuries from the last lightning strike had barely healed before Li Jianning couldn't wait to undergo another Lightning Tribulation.
As the two advanced, they saw a group of monks below the Azure Cloud Prefecture, currently preaching Buddhist sutras within the prefecture.
Huang Xiujin said in a deep voice,
"These are the Rebirth Buddhist Temples that sent messages back from Deston Prefecture.
The Great Merciful and Compassionate, the Lotus Ferry Bodhisattva's sutras have spread from Deston Prefecture to our Azure Cloud Prefecture."
"In just fifty short years, does Abbess Dairou of the Lotus Ferry Nunnery want to reach the heavens in a single bound?"
Li Jianning took a deep breath and looked at Huang Xiujin.
"Old Butler, have our people keep an eye on the Great Ming King Temple.
In a few days, go and remind Master Yuming as well; tell him not to get any ideas about copying the Lotus Ferry Nunnery.
I don't want the people of our Azure Cloud Prefecture to rely on illusory Buddhas; what we rely on are our weapons."
"Understood."
Talking back and forth, the two had already arrived at the Thunder Fire Demon Cave.
Within the terrifying landscape of the Thunder Fire Demon Cave, Demonic Cultivators crossed blades with one another.
With more cultivators in the Azure Cloud Prefecture, some people who thought they could do whatever they wanted just because they had mastered Spiritual power were sent to the Demon Cave, naturally leading to an increase in Demonic Cultivators.
Before long, Li Jianning met many seniors deep within the Thunder Fire Demon Cave.
These were the seniors the clan elders had brought back from the outside world during the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
The clan and these outsiders cooperated with each other while remaining mutually vigilant.
The people from Grand Tower were the majority; they feared Min Tiange of the Peerless Hall and didn't dare to show themselves in the world, terrified that someone would deduce their location.
Soon, Li Jianning saw a child sitting cross-legged.
That was the Taotie of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
The moment he saw a member of the Li Clan, Taotie asked with a gloomy expression about the whereabouts of the Huan Gui.
Looking at the Grand Tower cultivators, expert after expert dodged his gaze, afraid that the Li Clan would ask them to run errands.
Li Jianning arrived at the dark abyss of the Thunder Fire Demon Cave and met Holy Monk Yidian, whose face was covered in fierce flesh, looking more like a mountain bandit than a monk.
"Jianning greets the Holy Monk." Li Jianning offered a slight Buddhist bow.
Holy Monk Yidian opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.
"Have you found traces of Min Tiange? Has anything happened in the Shadowfell Prefecture?"
"Ever since the Peerless Hall exposed its strength, they have never appeared in Shadowfell Prefecture again."
Li Jianning said in a deep voice, "Recently, the clan received a message from Deston Prefecture.
Spear Saint Gu Fenghua has already launched a counteroffensive against the Shadowfell Prefecture, and many cultivators are searching in Deston Prefecture for opportunities to break through their current realms.
With the chaos in the Shadowfell Prefecture reaching this point, Min Tiange will show himself sooner or later."
Holy Monk Yidian's expression gradually softened. It seemed that to him, apart from Min Tiange, nothing in the world was worth his concern.
Li Jianning asked, "I have come because the clan has noticed the Lotus Ferry Nunnery's actions becoming increasingly frequent lately.
Rumor has it that the Holy Monk once suppressed the Lotus Ferry Nunnery. Over these years, our clan hasn't been able to find traces of them, no matter what, so I came on behalf of the clan elders to ask."
"The Lotus Ferry Nunnery?"
Holy Monk Yidian pondered for a long time.
Perhaps it was because the era was too ancient, but he carefully sifted through his past memories before finally recalling a nunnery that had been inconspicuous during his long life.
While Holy Monk Yidian was thinking, Li Jianning also recounted the investigations into the Lotus Ferry Nunnery over the years.
Even though he was clearly a monk, when the Lotus Ferry Nunnery was mentioned, a trace of disdain flashed through his eyes.
"A bunch of old hags, trying to extract blessings amidst a great disaster. How shameless."
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