Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1989 - 1463: Esteem (Part 2)

Should we fail to strike immediately, Li Zhixuan will undoubtedly slip away! What on earth is going on here?

In this scenario, even with shifts in position and strategy, allowing Li Zhixuan to flee would leave him mortified by his own inadequacy.

Thus, upon witnessing Li Zhixuan's withdrawal, he wasted no time; fearing she might vanish in an instant, he charged forward with his assault.

Yet he could never have anticipated such ferocity directed at him, as she deliberately sustained severe injuries to draw him into her snare.

The moment the Water Devil relaxed his vigilance, multiple strands of Sword Qi erupted from Li Zhixuan's grasp; since he had forsaken all protection, evasion or resistance came far too late.

"Hmph!"

Faced with the inevitability of the strikes, he resorted to his techniques to repel the Sword Qi.

However, Li Zhixuan, battling through her grievous hurts with unyielding desperation, unleashed blows that defied simple deflection!

The Water Devil, who had remained utterly unharmed until then, swiftly incurred multiple dire wounds.

To his astonishment, these gashes refused to mend—instead, they drew in the Evil Qi from heaven and earth, expanding relentlessly!

"Damn it! What's going on? What sort of bizarre method is this!" the Water Devil exclaimed in alarm.

It appeared peculiar, yet in truth, she had merely infused Evil Qi into her Sword Qi.

Naturally, this feat demands exceptional skill—any momentary lapse in control, and the Evil Qi would invade the body, inflicting catastrophic damage.

Typically, Evil Qi infiltration poses no grave threat, merely an annoyance. With proper suppression, it can be addressed in due course.

Yet amid the raging Great Calamity, where Tribulation Evil Energy saturates the atmosphere, the Evil Qi at his injuries attracted even greater quantities from the environs.

Healing was out of the question now—the lesions merely widened further.

Seized by dread, the Water Devil refused to continue clashing with Li Zhixuan, seeking to withdraw under cover while frantically striving to endure.

But Li Zhixuan had sacrificed far too much; how could she permit his easy departure?!

She propelled her mangled form ahead, unleashing relentless barrages that blocked the Water Devil's paths to retreat, compelling him into direct confrontation.

The Water Devil proved no pushover—despite his defensive inclinations, as a Heavenly Immortal, he wielded immense power and savagery.

In their depleted conditions, the outcome of such a mortal duel hung in precarious balance.

This assessment held validity, yet he overlooked a crucial factor—the repercussions of Evil Qi permeating his form!

Initially, vast quantities of Evil Qi obstructed his meridians, drastically impeding the flow of Spiritual Energy; soon after, it clouded his thoughts, rendering concentration in combat impossible.

Among Heavenly Immortals' clashes, unleashing full potential is essential to vanquish foes, rendering the capture of fleeting chances paramount!

With his mind befuddled by Evil Qi, the Water Devil forfeited the capacity to exploit openings!

Li Zhixuan fared poorly as well, yet her afflictions were superficial. After consuming a Pill, she quelled her damages.

Her resolute determination ensured that agony in no way diminished her fighting prowess.

Therefore, in the climactic showdown, Li Zhixuan, despite her profound injuries, ultimately felled the Water Devil!

This victory bestowed upon her immense Merit.

Yet the toll was immense—these hurts would require centuries to recover!

Fortuitously, the various Heavenly Immortal battlegrounds lay distant from one another; word of these events would not spread quickly, affording Li Zhixuan an opportunity to conceal herself.

Otherwise, in her debilitated state, even mere Individual Immortals could end her, to say nothing of a full Heavenly Immortal!

Of course, only if they survived the final, desperate counter from Li Zhixuan.

...

Concerning Li Zhixuan's plight, Li Zhirui remained utterly unaware, though worry for her well-being gnawed at him understandably.

From his knowledge, even after settling her personal karma, she wouldn't depart the fray so hastily—instead, she'd hunt down additional adversaries!

However, enduring numerous brutal skirmishes in rapid succession, her apparent restoration masked underlying strains.

Such residues might not surface promptly or vanish entirely, but their accumulation could trigger a sudden collapse, gravely affecting Li Zhixuan's state.

Should this occur in ordinary circumstances, it might be manageable—but if it struck mid-battle, escape would become her sole recourse!

Li Zhirui himself, through months of relentless toil and expending substantial Merit, had at last purged all his karma!

As the karma dissipated, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over him—like a crushing weight finally removed from his back.

"I wonder how the clan members have been doing these past months?"

Confined in seclusion for so long, he had ignored all external communications.

Now with leisure at hand, he gathered the Jade Slips piled outside his door and delved into the most recent ones.

They detailed how Immortal Dao forces from the East Sea Shore surged into the Southern Domain. With countless cultivators bolstering the assault, the Devil Race buckled under the onslaught and withdrew.

Most Devil Beasts, repeatedly routed and their vexing karma resolved, faced no further hindrance from retreat.

This left a cadre of human cultivators seething with frustration.

Even arriving later, not to mention Human Dao practitioners, many still bore unresolved karma; thus, with the Devil Race's departure, they urgently sought alternative resolutions!

Li Zhirui perused the Jade Slips sequentially, rapidly assimilating updates on the Great Calamity and forming a thorough grasp.

"At this rate, the end won't be far off!" This was his initial reaction upon finishing.

Next, he reflected that while clansmen had cleared their individual karma, the Li family as a whole shouldered considerable burdens; for instance, the young ones' karma had been shifted to the collective.

After deliberation, Li Zhirui dispatched a Communication Talisman to Clan Leader Li Xiuyuan.

Li Xiuyuan was overseeing family matters when the Communication Talisman arrived. Without pausing to inspect, he triggered it—and recognized the voice within.

"Ancestor Rui has emerged from seclusion?"

Yet upon absorbing the contents, he banished all distractions.

If Li Zhirui's conjecture proved true, and the Great Calamity neared its close while the family harbored substantial karma,

Failure to dispel it promptly could doom the lineage's prospects, spawning untold troubles; thus, his poise faltered briefly.

He convened the elders without delay and initiated talks on purging the clan's karma.

"Assuming Ancestor Rui's prediction holds, time is scarce. Relying on hunting Water Devils in the East Sea for resolution simply won't suffice in speed."

Water Devils had always been sparse in the East Sea; with Cave Abyss Sect and allied forces sweeping the region—and the Li family pursuing them since the Calamity's onset—

So much time elapsed that their numbers dwindled, and they burrowed ever deeper.

The elder pressed on, "Our sole viable path now lies in exterminating Devil Beasts within the mountain ranges we dominate!"

No opposition arose; consensus formed swiftly, with full accord.

One elder alone cautioned: "In purging the mountain Devil Beasts, spare the pregnant and juvenile ones; post-Calamity, these lands remain vital for our clansmen's cultivation practice."

"Mm."

Li Xiuyuan nodded promptly, then inquired, "Whom do you suggest command the forces?"

"Li Xiuting!"

An elder recounted Li Xiuting's remarkable exploits amid the Great Calamity, lauding him effusively.