Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1893 - 1415: Decision (Part 2)
Previously on Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan...
Simultaneously, efforts were launched to refine the incomplete techniques possessed by those five individuals, pooling the might of the four great academies to rapidly finalize them and prevent lagging too much behind the Immortal Tao.
...
Within the space.
Li Zhirui observed the master and disciple pair still lying unconscious, then unleashed a burst of Spirit Light to instantly awaken them.
"Hand over the spatial traversal techniques, and you'll escape death." His expression remained grave, and even as he questioned them, he applied subtle tricks to rapidly extract the authentic techniques from their minds for his examination.
"I will give..."
The elder's mind was far feebler, so against Li Zhirui's approaches, he resisted only briefly before spilling all his knowledge.
Li Zhirui hastily noted down this information for his future review and analysis.
While Bai Canghan spoke, he placed a barrier around Gao Yunlin to block him from catching the conversation details.
The purpose was straightforward: it would ease the upcoming questioning of him and guarantee the techniques' reliability.
After hearing the elder out, Li Zhirui left the various seals on his form intact, keeping him bound in place.
After all, this realm brimmed with countless precious and vanished Spiritual Objects. A sudden frenzy from them could threaten every treasure inside the space!
Besides, they were fated for handover to the Immortal Tao, since the Li family's power alone made venturing into the Outer World far too risky. Should the rift's other side lead to a Great Thousand World, it might not yield resources for the clan but could invite retaliation, endangering the entire family.
With no way to keep these two around, Li Zhirui ensured they couldn't expose the space's hidden truth.
Right from the start, he had restrained them on a neglected peak, blocking any deep insight into their surroundings and safeguarding his greatest mystery.
Now, he turned to questioning Gao Yunlin. This man's resolve proved stronger, yet the vast power disparity doomed his resistance, and he soon yielded the techniques without a fight.
Cross-checking their stories revealed no discrepancies or clashes, lending the techniques a measure of trustworthiness.
Naturally, prior collusion between them remained a possibility. Should that be true, Li Zhirui could only lament his own misfortune.
Once he secured the techniques, he held off on practicing them and instead simulated deductions in his Sea of Consciousness to see if improvements were possible.
Through this, he once more marveled at the duo's skill in crafting such a profound Secret Technique.
Gazing at them with a touch of sympathy, he realized that barring surprises, their capture by the Immortal Tao meant at best lifelong captivity and lost liberty; at worst, serving as guinea pigs.
The elder, in particular, teetered on the edge of his lifespan's close.
Over the next month or so, Li Zhirui poured all his focus into enhancing the techniques, though gains were minimal. Still, disappointment evaded him; creating a new method was never simple.
"Those Human Dao techniques should be removed."
He refused to think Human Dao would pour vast resources into such a slim-chance scenario.
Prior to departure, he struck them unconscious once more.
"Indeed!"
Emerging from the space, Li Zhirui scanned the horizon and noticed the once-dominant Human Daoist magic web, which had blanketed the heavens, was gone.
Relief washed over him; absent Human Dao's deliberate obstruction, no barrier stood in the way of his voyage back to the East Continent!
"Depart."
With no pause or second thoughts, after confirming all was clear, he boldly embarked on the return path.
...
At the same time.
Southern Domain, School of Names' central lands.
Scores of Saints assembled, setting rivalries aside to collaborate purely on hastening the refinement of spatial traversal techniques.
Thanks to their combined push, success arrived in little more than a month!
Or so it seemed on the surface, though without trials, true viability stayed uncertain.
"Now comes the vital and pivotal stage—testing."
Concerns over the rift's steadiness and security demanded discovery via experiments, followed by fixes and refinements.
As Human Dao Cultivators, they wouldn't start by risking human lives. Abundant Devil Beasts roamed beyond, ripe for capture to fuel the trials.
...
Two paths diverge, each with its tale.
Amid the Void Chaos, from a shadowy nook, echoes of fierce combat rang out.
"Die for me!" Li Zhixuan bellowed in fury.
Her foe resembled a centipede stripped of its many limbs, its obsidian carapace granting ironclad protection.
Even after she shattered its outer armor, the beast suffered scant harm, shielded by the dense white blubber underneath.
This turn fueled Li Zhixuan's rage further, her lethal strike so casually thwarted by the adversary.
Buzz——
Mana roared through her like a torrent into the blade she gripped. The Mysterious Sword hummed with eager thrill, slashing fiercely at the creature in hopes of landing a crippling blow.
Yet the beast reacted with startling speed, summoning its plates to shield itself anew while channeling Mana to bolster its guard.
Clang!
The deadly sword crashed down, meeting resistance like unyielding steel.
Still, after a tense standoff from the impact, the carapace shattered into shards.
The beast's fatty layer failed in that instant, letting Li Zhixuan target and pierce its core vulnerability.
"Aaaaargh——"
A shrill, tortured wail escaped the monster.
The mighty beast crumpled motionless to the ground.
Its doom was now inevitable!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
With a flurry of additional Sword Qi strikes, the vexing creature met its end at last. Though victorious against such a tough enemy, Li Zhixuan's face stayed clouded.
For one, after endless tempering in the Void, the path to Heavenly Immortal eluded her still.
For another, the vast stock of Pills she'd carried for the journey dwindled to almost nothing!
This forced the reality that she'd soon have to retreat to the Primal Spirit Realm, no matter her desire to linger.
Unless Li Zhixuan gambled her survival, persisting in the Void sans Immortal Pills while chasing a Heavenly Immortal breakthrough.
"Risk it all, or advance with caution?" Li Zhixuan pondered inwardly.
Deep down, she favored the bold leap, but fear gnawed at her—what if the wager failed and Heavenly Immortal slipped away.
After some internal struggle, Li Zhixuan resolved to stay in the Void and hazard the chance!
She yearned to rejoin her clan bearing good tidings, and nothing shone brighter than her own breakthrough.
...
Meanwhile.
Primal Spirit Realm, Southern Domain.
Merely under a hundred miles off lay the frontier between Southern Domain and East Continent.
"Finally on the verge of leaving!" Li Zhirui murmured with deep feeling, then picked up his prior pace, skirting past multiple cities to dodge any Human Daoist magic web surveillance, before pressing onward into East Continent's domains.
Moments later, he emerged anew.
The last leg wrapped up without a hitch.
Hovering mid-air, he drew in a long breath, savoring the dense Spiritual Energy and the vibrant, potent aura of the Laws enveloping the area.
On this prior venture, Li Zhirui had overlooked sensing his surroundings closely, but now such perceptions came sharp and clear.
"Finally back!"
Murmuring with heartfelt emotion, he faded from sight again.