Chapter 556 - 556 562 Admission

Chapter 556: Chapter 562: Admission Chapter 556: Chapter 562: Admission “What gift do you plan to present for the Li family’s Nascent Soul ceremony, my fellow Daoist?” True Lord Qingshui was the first to ask.

Under the pressure brought by the Li family, the Water Spirit Sect and Wuya Sect, long-harboring old grudges, now seem to be inclining towards an alliance.

After all, in the face of sect inheritance, continuity, as well as the safety of their lives, those petty conflicts don’t amount to much.

Because they had carefully studied the Li family, they discovered that the frequency of the Li family’s territorial expansion was very high! This made them extremely wary and concerned.

But what they didn’t know was that each expansion by the Li family was in response to the other party’s provocation, and the Li family was merely acting in self-defense, striking first to gain the upper hand.

The truth behind many matters has been buried by time, and without detailed investigation, one would never know the full story.

“Hearing that the Li family is a Beast-Taming Family, I specially prepared a fourth-grade Spirit Beast Egg,” True Lord Ya Hai said with a wry smile.

Just over a decade ago, the Li family, inferior in strength to his own, now required him to personally curry favor.

“Have you also prepared a Spirit Beast Egg?” True Lord Qingshui asked. “It seems we have had similar thoughts.”

After some idle chatter, the two began to discuss more serious matters.

“Do you think, my fellow Daoist, that the Li family will use this celebration to pressure others?” For instance, forcing our two families to bow down and become vassals to the Li family from now on.

“Not likely in the short term.” After all, currently, the Li family only has two more Nascent Souls than us, but in terms of quantity and strength of Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Cultivation disciples, they are far behind.

But once the Li family fully grows, that remains to be seen.

“What you say is true,” True Lord Ya Hai agreed, their thoughts on the matter were very similar.

He then directly expressed his opinion, saying, “With the threat before us, shouldn’t we cast aside past grievances and work together? If we continue to deplete each other like this, we will indeed become subordinates to the Li family in the future.”

“Of course, our two families don’t really have deep-seated hatred. It’s all just normal competition for resources,” True Lord Qingshui nodded in agreement.

Although several conflicts had erupted between the two families, resulting in the deaths of many disciples, these were all minor affairs. The higher-ups of both families had always turned a blind eye, simply seeking a competitor to stimulate each other.

But now, with the evident target of the Li family, they no longer needed to continue their mutual depletion.

“The principle that ‘when the lips perish, the teeth grow cold’ is well understood by all.”

After discussing and coming to an agreement, the two did not put anything in writing, but from then on, the two families no longer targeted each other and began to work together in many ways.

——

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day arrived for Jiang Fengwu’s Nascent Soul ceremony to begin.

Wanxian Island became incredibly lively, with numerous cultivators walking about, admiring the scenery of the Li family’s clan lands.

As for the star of the ceremony, Jiang Fengwu, he was at that moment together with Li Zhirui inspecting the spiritual objects sent by various families.

“Those forces that weren’t very honest before have actually brought quite precious spiritual objects today,” Li Zhirui said with a hint of amusement.

Let’s not talk about the small Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment forces, almost every one of the Golden Core forces has brought a fourth-tier spiritual object as a gift!

“They are trying to ingratiate themselves with the family through such measures,” Jiang Fengwu pinpointed.

Unfortunately, the Li family currently had no intention of showing their might and would not act against them because of these events.

The main issue is that the foundation of the Li family is not very strong, unable to control so much territory.

“What gifts do you think the Water Spirit Sect and Wuya Sect will bring?” Li Zhirui suddenly asked.

He had a particularly deep impression of both families: they were exceptionally cautious and careful!

During the intense battle with Shen Leishan that lasted several days, there were no reports of Shen Leishan being ambushed from behind, resulting in the Li family’s victory, albeit at a tremendous cost.

Without any surprises, the gifts prepared by both families should be fourth-grade Spirit Beast Eggs.

“I don’t know them well, but I expect they won’t simply send ordinary fourth-grade Spiritual Objects.”

Li Zhirui smiled and shook his head, not revealing his own speculation.

“Will the Profound Ice Sect be attending?”

Logically speaking, the two families don’t share borders, and the Li family did not extend an invitation, but if they remain interested in Great Void Province, it’s very possible they’ll take the initiative to come, and perhaps they even intend to seek an alliance with the Li family.

Hearing Li Zhirui say so, Jiang Fengwu couldn’t help but frown and said, “The strength of the Devil Race in Great Void Province is already formidable, not to mention they have the backing of an even stronger Devil Race power. With our family’s current strength, getting involved may not yield a good outcome.”

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of agreeing to their proposal. Having the Devil Race as a buffer is quite good.”

Back when Great Void Province was under the influence of the Profound Ice Sect, they would frequently invade southward!

After all, the land of the Profound Ice Sect is extremely cold, and even with dense spiritual energy, it is not suitable for mortals to live in, severely limiting the number of mortals.

And the number of mortals, to a certain extent, affects the quality and quantity of cultivators!

If the Profound Ice Sect wants to improve its strength, it must address the mortal issue; they can’t continue like now, deploying large-scale Formations to resist the snowstorms, given the enormous costs involved.

Therefore, if the Li family wants to avoid conflict with the Profound Ice Sect, it’s best for Great Void Province to remain in the hands of the Devil Race.

Moreover, this situation provides Li family cultivators with a place for training and obtaining Spiritual Objects.

——

As the forces participating in the grand ceremony entered one by one, the originally empty square was now full of cultivators, with only the main seat at the very top and the first row still vacant.

“True Lord Qingshui and True Lord Ya Hai, along with disciples from Water Spirit Sect and Wuya Sect, have arrived with their Golden Core members to offer congratulations, wishing True Lord Fengwu may align with The Great Tao and achieve Ascension soon!”

With the call for respect, the seated cultivators all stood up in a gesture of reverence.

And they were the only ones so far led in by Clan Leader Li Xuefeng in person.

Everyone had anticipated the main character would make an immediate appearance, yet after waiting for a while, not only was Jiang Fengwu absent, even Li Zhirui was nowhere to be seen.

Although they dared not discuss it aloud, their frequent eye contact conveyed the speculation about why the Li family would offend the two Great Primordial Nascent Soul Sects.

In the eyes of Qingshui and Ya Hai, a dark glint flashed; if the Li family truly intended to embarrass them before the crowd, they would need to prepare early once they returned.

“True Lord Han Chan of the Profound Ice Sect, along with a group of Golden Core members, has come to congratulate, wishing True Lord Fengwu enlightenment and ascension to immortality!”

At these words, everyone came to a realization.

It turned out there was still one Nascent Soul Sect that had not yet arrived.

It didn’t take long before yet another True Lord joined the assembly.

“Welcome, distinguished guests. Due to pressing affairs, I was unable to meet you in person, and I ask for your understanding,” Li Zhirui appeared hurriedly before everyone, full of apologies before the guests even took their seats.

However, his appearance took Qingshui and the others by surprise.

‘Mid-stage Nascent Soul?! When did he make the breakthrough?!’