[Year 1017]
[Your descendants, the couple Li Xingchen and Fan Feixuan, along with Li Xinri, have decided to act on behalf of the family in the Central Plains.
Li Xingchen dispatched the Cloud Sea Army to carry the news of the immortals back to their headquarters, while the three of them settled down in the Heavenly Mountain.]
[Within your family, Li Yaoqing is ascending to immortality!]
The City of Merit is currently under lockdown.
Li Yaoqing is breaking through to the Body Integration realm to become an immortal.
The natural power of Nature was already highly beneficial to living beings, but with the addition of Lu Niang's immortal qi, Li Yaoqing's breakthrough is causing earth-shattering changes across the entire City of Merit.
Only by sealing the city can they contain this immortal qi.
The spirit vein deep beneath the family's land is depleting rapidly to replenish the Spiritual power Li Yaoqing needs for her Body Integration breakthrough.
The City of Merit is lush and verdant.
It would be a pity to cut down the spirit trees and spirit grass sprouting from the ground, so they are simply allowed to grow wild.
These spirit plants have abruptly spread across the city walls and over the houses.
In just two short years, numerous hundred-meter-tall trees have fully matured, and a chaotic tangle of vines weaves throughout the City of Merit, making the entire place look no different from a primeval forest.
As for pruning, that would have to wait until the accelerated growth rate of the flora naturally slowed down.
[Lu Niang's immortal qi shelters the entire City of Merit. Under the protection of an ancient immortal, your family acquired the Trait: Lu Niang's Blessing]
[Within the confines of the City of Merit, the growth speed of spirit plants increases by 200%, the recovery rate of cultivators' injuries increases by 30% to 200%, the probability of acquiring Wood-attribute traits increases, and the cultivation speed of Wood-attribute methods and spells increases by 20%...
Furthermore, these effects will scale upward as Li Yaoqing's progress toward immortality advances.]
Unlike Li Yaotie's Heavenly Fire Dao Field, where the Great Dao of Heavenly Fire was fraught with raw destructive power, Li Yaoqing's Dao of Nature was far more gentle and nurturing.
The villagers in the City of Merit were overjoyed.
Their fields yielded bountiful harvests, and some families even saw spirit plants they had cultivated for years spontaneously develop sentience.
Upon closer inspection, Li Tianqi was even more elated.
The rampant vines had actually intertwined to form a natural Tier-4 grand array, which in due time would inevitably evolve into a Tier-3 grand array.
At this time.
The Old Tree was standing guard by Li Yaoqing's side, while the Old Dragon tightly coiled around its trunk.
The gnarled face on the Old Tree's bark and the serpentine head of the Old Dragon both stared vigilantly at a graceful silhouette seated upon a thick branch.
The woman was dressed in a green gown, her long hair cascading like a waterfall.
Her gentle demeanor did not mask her innate nobility. She merely cast a fleeting glance at the Old Dragon and the Old Tree, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"Not bad. To think that in this day and age, a mere Li Clan could produce a child like you."
Lu Niang gently patted the branch beside her hip with a slender hand, admiring it.
"Nature Spirit plants draw upon the spirit of heaven and earth to grow, which fundamentally aligns with Immortal Dao. Serve well, and you still have room to grow."
The Old Tree didn't dare to utter a single word.
If Lu Niang hadn't emerged from Sister Qing's body, it would have long since shaken its leaves to summon everyone in the Li family to eradicate this immortal.
Sister Qing had raised it to its current towering height. Even fully aware that Lu Niang was an immortal, it remained highly vigilant.
Yet, no matter how hard its Eye of Delusion Breaking probed, it couldn't discern the true depths of this immortal's foundation.
On the other hand, the Old Dragon flicked its tongue, its face brimming with eager anticipation. "What about me, what about me?"
"You're dirty." Lu Niang's brow furrowed slightly.
She casually reached out her hand, and an invisible force coiled around the Old Dragon. Before the Old Dragon could even react, it was flung violently outward.
Though normally fond of small animals, Lu Niang despised the Old Dragon; this little dragon reeked entirely of demonic qi and nether qi.
Lu Niang suddenly looked beyond the City of Merit and noticed several silhouettes approaching.
Though they were mere avatars and their true depths could not be discerned, their auras were nonetheless formidable.
She casually called out to the Old Dragon, who was frantically flicking its tongue mid-air, "Go tell the Li Clan members that someone has arrived."
The Old Dragon was currently swearing viciously in absolute silence.
...
Floating above the family's spirit pool were the corpses of Zishu Lingtian arrayed before a silver long spear.
Outside the spirit pool stood the Blood Demon Lord, wearing a complex expression.
The Demon Lord stared at Zishu Lingtian's corpse for a long time, seemingly lost in some distant memory, his eyes locked in an intense struggle.
He took a single step forward, then retreated, unable to make a firm decision.
Though Li Chang'an was in secluded cultivation, he could still sense the presence of the Blood Demon Lord, as well as the Demon Lord's unusual hesitation.
Politicians born in the Imperial Capital were always sharp-minded. He had formulated numerous theories, and ultimately, only one remained.
"Back when the family searched the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems and the Grand Tower for Lingtian's three corpses, only a single soul remained.
Why did Fourth Prince Yu seek out our Azure Cloud Li Clan exclusively? The Blood Demon Lord possesses an imperishable and indestructible physique, and Zishu Lingtian is an entity that even the Human Emperor could not kill."
Li Chang'an's heart sank slightly. He opened his eyes and addressed the Demon Lord outside the door, "Demon Lord, there is no need to hesitate. The body is right here."
"..."
The Demon Lord hesitated for a moment, ultimately turning around and leaving only his retreating back to Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an didn't press the matter. In truth, many in the family could guess that the Blood Demon Lord and Lingtian's three corpses were fundamentally one entity.
How the Mad Blood Demon Lord chose to proceed was entirely his own business.
The Demon Lord had long established deep bonds with the family. While Lingtian's three corpses offered numerous benefits to the clan, those benefits were not absolutely essential.