Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1992 - 1465: The Choice

Actually, even prior to the full conclusion of the massive disaster, the cultivators from the Western Continent along with the Human Dao Hundred Schools had quietly allied to pull back—they genuinely feared that the Demonic Tao might set up an ambush or hinder their path, thus planning an early withdrawal.

After all, their karmic connections were already cleared, and through battling the Sea Clan, they had even gathered a bit of merit.

Initially, they held off on retreating right away since, as part of the human race, they believed it wrong to stand by while the Sea Clan built up power.

But with the massive disaster nearing its end, the key priority was that post-calamity, the realm would turn pure and radiant, the Heavenly Dao would reveal itself, and grasping the Laws would grow simpler.

An ideal moment for advancing one's realm and cultivation base—they surely wouldn't want to miss it lightly, so they opted to depart before the disaster fully concluded.

Furthermore, as the two primary factions withdrew jointly from the Western Continent, even if the Demon Cultivators harbored secret plans, they lacked the boldness to act on them and simply observed the departure.

Truth be told, though, the Demon Cultivators never seriously entertained ambushing them—first off, the Western Continent was now a ruined battlefield, its recovery timeline unknown.

Secondly, united Immortal Tao and Human Dao forces were overwhelmingly strong, making any move likely fruitless while inflicting more losses on the already battered Demonic Tao.

Thirdly, threats loomed over the Western Continent from the Sea Clan and Ghost Clan—the former's power couldn't be dismissed, but the Sea Clan demanded the Demonic Tao's total focus, and alliances with the other two paths might become necessary soon.

In light of these factors, how could they afford to provoke the Immortal Tao and Human Dao right now?

...

At the same time.

Upon Mount Wanxian, thanks to his practice of the Purification Principle, Li Zhirui held exceptional sensitivity to Tribulation Evil Energy, placing him among the initial beings to detect the shifts in the heavens and earth.

With the massive disaster approaching closure, the whole world seemed to lighten in mood.

Next followed the recognition of deeds and distribution of rewards—meaning the Heavenly Dao granted merit based on each person's distinct efforts.

Suddenly, the Primal Spirit Realm appeared drenched in a soft golden downpour, enveloping everything.

While the display looked impressive, truly, relative to all creatures, those who cleared karma and earned merit remained a minority—likely just thirty to forty percent.

Still, a figure like Li Zhirui, who missed out on merit yet dissolved his karma, stood out as extremely uncommon, since few across the entire Primal Spirit Realm could spend merit to erase karma as he did.

Indeed, not everyone possessed or desired to offer up so much merit in that manner.

Even without gaining merit, his karma resolved allowed Li Zhirui to access the post-calamity heavenly and earthly transformations too.

As such, he alerted his clan ahead of time, directing relatives to ready themselves for retreat and reflection, grasping the moment to boost cultivation. When the disaster wrapped up, he had tuned his state and instantly steadied his breathing, channeling full attention toward grasping the Purification Principle.

Peace and quiet blanketed the whole Primal Spirit Realm—scarcely any conflicts erupted.

This stemmed not just from creatures grabbing the chance and refusing to squander vital time, but also because fresh from the disaster, all existence craved tranquility!

Though no tally existed for losses in each group or power during this massive disaster, the toll was undoubtedly massive.

Should anyone compute it, they'd discover almost thirty percent of Primal Spirit Realm inhabitants, directly or otherwise, fell victim to the disaster!

Such a staggering statistic revealed the horrifying devastation wrought by the massive disaster.

Having endured it, beings naturally avoided fresh battles so quickly—even the Sea Clan and Demonic Tao, with lingering disputes, held back.

...

As seasons turned through springs and autumns, quiet decades slipped away.

In this settling phase, while population didn't rebound fast, the Primal Spirit Realm's total might rose notably.

Additionally, throughout this era, Thunder Tribulations boomed relentlessly in various areas!

It felt like, temporarily, cultivation challenges worldwide had eased.

In reality, however, this was mere deception. The true reason lay in numerous entities achieving breakthroughs post-disaster, sparking frequent Thunder Tribulations.

That said, a precise count would show far more perishing to Thunder Tribulation than those triumphing in advancement.

The realm simply spotlighted winners, overlooking the losers whose forms and souls vanished utterly.

Over these decades, atop Mount Wanxian, Tribulation Thunder occasionally crashed too—some kin failed, others prevailed.

Drawing from the Li family's self-reliant cultivation, bolstered by elixirs, and given most relatives weathered the fierce massive disaster,

the success ratio for facing Tribulation hit sixty percent.

A remarkably elevated figure—typically, only around forty percent would pull through.

And during this cultivation stretch, Li Zhirui harvested benefits as well; his realm edged forward modestly—though slight, it satisfied him greatly.

Yet he confronted a grave issue now: after years of devoted practice, he sensed his insight into the Purification Principle had hit an absolute ceiling!

Not merely a bottleneck, but a true boundary!

Put plainly, Li Zhirui's command of the Purification Principle refused further progress.

He hadn't fully conquered the Purification Principle—impossible for a Heavenly Immortal Cultivator alone—but in the Primal Spirit Realm, no more insights emerged from it for him.

In some other Outer World, Laws might evolve variably, permitting continued study—but finding such a spot proved challenging.

Besides, Outer Worlds actively suppressed outsiders like them—why would they let him freely probe the Laws?

Confronting this outcome, Li Zhirui's prime path involved entering The Void to hone and raise his level further.

Alternatively, he could pursue transcendence outright, departing the Primal Spirit Realm!

Doing so, Li Zhirui would escape future cultivation stalls—exiting the Primal Spirit Realm, such concerns fade away.

Logically, to advance his Dao Path, he should clear remaining karma and transcend straight, whether venturing The Void for chances or ascending to superior realms—both superior to stagnation here.

Having exhausted this realm's Laws, unable to glean more or nudge cultivation ahead even a bit.

Still, such choices aren't straightforward, and presently, Li Zhirui hesitated to decide.

Particularly given the clan's state—Li Zhixuan stayed absent, Jiang Fengwu remained secluded for years without exit—if he transcended and departed, abandoning Li Mingyao to uphold the family solo, the clan would face real peril!