Chapter 1201: 1069: Ignored_2

Chapter 1201: Chapter 1069: Ignored_2

Letting a force that has a history of over ten thousand years and has produced countless Great Vehicle cultivators bow to a newly risen power like the Li family is truly difficult for anyone to accept.

“They will! The Qingzhu Sect will rise again!” Other Elders spoke one after another, their faces full of unwavering determination.

For great powers like the Qingzhu Sect and the He Family, they were all pondering how to avoid becoming vassal forces, while powers with slightly weaker strength had already begun considering how to align themselves with the Li family.

Even those forces still nominally dependent on the Qingzhu Sect were contemplating ways to switch allegiances.

After all, with a stronger backer like the Li family, who would settle for less?

If not for their pride holding them back, these forces might have already taken action.

…

Cave Abyss Sect.

“A Great Vehicle family has emerged in the north?”

The Cave Abyss Sect Leader raised his eyebrows as he read the jade slip and remarked, “To think such a barren land could produce a Great Vehicle.”

Yet his curiosity ended there.

If the Li family hadn’t specifically sent someone to deliver the news personally to the Cave Abyss Sect, reporting that they had produced a Great Vehicle and requesting subordination, this jade slip would never have crossed the Sect Leader’s hands.

“Aren’t they planning to directly become a subordinate sect?”

The Sect Leader casually tossed the jade slip into a gray-white storage magical treasure and said, “Just handle it according to the standard vassal regulations.”

Within the Cave Abyss Sect, everything was categorized by hierarchy, and the gray-white category was undoubtedly the lowest—a designation for matters that could be discarded after review.

The Integration Realm cultivators that the Li family sent, Li Chengsheng and Li Xianxun, were escorted to a courtyard on the Welcoming Guests Peak, where they were served a single cup of spiritual tea and left unattended, simply waiting in vain.

Yet they dared not show even a hint of dissatisfaction, let alone express any complaints.

After waiting for several hours, an Integration Realm steward finally appeared, handing them a standardized jade slip and saying, “Since most of this year has already passed, we’ll waive this year’s tribute.”

The tone was filled with the air of condescension, as if bestowing a great favor.

Afterward, they were coldly invited to leave.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist,” Li Chengsheng suppressed his frustration and respectfully bowed before leading the group away.

“Hah! Such a pathetic sight!”

Li Chengsheng’s steps faltered for a moment as he transmitted a message to his clansmen, ‘Do not start trouble!’

About a quarter of an hour later, they finally left the Cave Abyss Sect’s mountain gate. Boarding the Spirit Boat and flying far away, the group immediately erupted into curses.

“Blind dogs looking down on people!”

“What a disgrace! How dare they insult us like this!”

Li Chengsheng allowed them to vent and, once they calmed down slightly, spoke, “Enough. Keep this humiliation in your hearts as one of the motivations for your future cultivation. When our strength grows, we’ll return to slap not just their faces but the entire Cave Abyss Sect’s face!”

The Li family had anticipated the treatment they would face before sending them and had carefully chosen the representatives to endure this trial.

The purpose was to have the Cave Abyss Sect crush their arrogance, giving them a firsthand experience of what a true great power looked like.

“Yes! When the time comes, we’ll ensure the Cave Abyss Sect regrets their actions today.”

Li Chengsheng said no more, steering the Spirit Boat swiftly back toward the family’s territory.

Two flowers bloom, each to its own branch.

While Li Zhirui consolidated his cultivation, he also compiled insights and realizations from his breakthrough, simplifying the process for future generations undergoing tribulation.

At the same time, he grew accustomed to his newfound power.

Li Zhirui discovered that his Hundred Zhang Dharma had not only become more powerful but had also shifted from an illusory projection to something with a degree of tangible reality.

For a Great Vehicle cultivator, the path forward was to cultivate the Dharma to perfection!

In ancient times, this process actually fell under the Integration Realm. The Great Vehicle and Tribulation Transcendence Realms had been established by the mighty cultivators of old to make it easier for the younger generations to advance along the Immortal Tao.

When confidence and power reached sufficient heights, Li Zhirui could directly summon the Ascension Thunder Tribulation, bypassing the transitional Tribulation Transcending Realm.

This was not an uncommon approach—many cultivators from powerful sects did this. They would remain in the Great Vehicle Realm for a millennium, pushing their realm, cultivation base, and power to the absolute peak, before summoning the Ascension Thunder Tribulation all at once!

Indeed, the so-called Tribulation Transcending Realm, unlike Divine Transformation or Void Refinement, was not designed as a preparatory step toward future cultivation. It had no fundamental breakthrough. It was simply a transitional stage for cultivators to test the power of tribulations.

Naturally, confident cultivators chose to go all in, avoiding a second round of tribulations.

Back to the matter at hand!

To achieve Dharma perfection, vast amounts of mana were required, but the most critical factor remained one’s mastery over the Laws.

Li Zhirui cultivated the Purification Principle—a path not known for destructive power but perfectly suited to his nature, leading to a high level of mastery.

Coupled with the immense refined spiritual energy from his successful tribulation, Li Zhirui’s Dharma advanced significantly in a relatively short time.

With his breakthrough, the aspects of his cultivation tied deeply to him—his personal realm, Five Elements Immortal Root, Cave Heaven, and Life-Bound Magical Treasure—all saw tremendous advancement.

First, the area of his realm expanded, stretching tens of thousands of miles in dimension—a growth of several times over—and now rivaling the scale of typical Secret Realms. Additionally, every corner of this domain was saturated with spiritual energy almost matching that of a ninth-grade Spirit Vein!

Previously overflowing with spiritual objects, the realm now looked spacious once more. Under the nourishment of such dense spiritual energy, the spiritual objects therein thrived and flourished.

His Five Elements Immortal Root grew even taller, its Five Elements Spiritual Light shining brighter than ever. The Cave Heaven attached to it also doubled in size, enabling him to command even greater Cave Heaven Power in battle.

Although Li Zhirui had yet to spar with another Great Vehicle cultivator, he knew that the addition of full Cave Heaven Power would undoubtedly elevate his strength to extraordinary heights!

It was precisely because of the Cave Heaven that Li Zhirui felt confident enough to bypass the Tribulation Transcending Realm and summon the Ascension Thunder Tribulation directly.

As for his Life-Bound Magical Treasure, Thousand Spirits, it required no commentary—its grade had increased alongside his cultivation, though it now needed even more spiritual resources for upkeep.

If Li Zhirui had still been cultivating the Wanling Sutra, then with his breakthrough, Da Qing and Xiaoqing’s bottlenecks would also have dissolved. As long as mana and bloodline restrictions weren’t an issue, they could directly break through to the eighth grade.

Unfortunately, as Li Zhirui had transitioned to the Earth Spirit Tao Record, Da Qing and the others would now have to rely on their own efforts to advance.

Seasons passed; winter gave way to spring.

After half a year of secluded cultivation in his cave mansion, Li Zhirui finally emerged, his cultivation base and realm securely consolidated.

When he stepped out, he did so quietly. He only summoned Li Chengsheng, Li Xianxun, Xiaoqing, and other Integration Realm cultivators still stationed at Mount Wanxian for a meeting to discuss some matters.

“Father!”

“Jiu!”

“Ancestor Rui!”

Li Zhirui raised his hand to halt their ceremonial greetings and said, “During this period, I’ve compiled my insights and experiences on Integration Realm cultivation as well as tribulation breakthroughs into texts.”

“Don’t rush to read about the latter until you’ve reached perfection in your current cultivation.”

Being overambitious was unwise and could easily disrupt one’s own cultivation.

The gathered cultivators understood Li Zhirui’s thoughtful intentions and nodded in agreement—they wouldn’t engage in such folly.

“If you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation, record them on a jade slip. When I have time, I’ll address them for you.”

“Thank you, Ancestor Rui/Father/Jiu!”

Li Zhirui shook his head—this was merely his duty as their elder. There was nothing meritorious in it, and no thanks were necessary. Seizing the chance to have many gathered here, he began directly solving their cultivation queries.

Several hours later, the discourse concluded.

“Go back now and carefully digest what you’ve learned. I hope you can all continue to improve.”

Of course, reaching higher achievements was almost impossible for most of them.

Even as the Li family’s finest cultivators, not every one of them could break through to the Great Vehicle Realm.

Cultivation had always been a process of ruthless selection—fewer remained the further one progressed.

Still, Li Zhirui earnestly wished for their success.