Chapter 1231: 1084: Conjecture_2

Chapter 1231: Chapter 1084: Conjecture_2

This gave the Li family complete opportunity to seal off the news.

The situation of Li Chengshuo was exceedingly rare. If it were truly unique in the world, it would inevitably attract the intervention of major forces, whether to study, seize, or outright destroy!

Until the Li family, or Li Chengshuo herself, possessed formidable strength—at least reaching the Integration Realm—this news must not be leaked.

After a moment, the eighth bolt of Tribulation Thunder struck rapidly, but it was easily resisted by Li Chengshuo.

The ninth bolt of Tribulation Thunder didn’t take long to arrive. Originally the most powerful strike within a Thunder Tribulation, Li Zhirui felt little more than a slight increase in effort.

The final trial—the Heart Demon Tribulation.

Yet for Li Chengshuo, this still posed little difficulty; her Mental State and Realm remained resolute and intact.

Boom!

The massive Tribulation Cloud in the sky instantly transformed into pure Spiritual Energy, condensing into a pillar that directly entered Li Zhirui’s body.

With an influx of massive Spiritual Energy, Li Chengshuo’s cultivation broke through, and an immense pressure radiated outward, yet it quickly diminished, fading to nothing.

From this alone, one could see that Li Chengshuo’s Realm was incredibly advanced—otherwise, it would have been impossible to so quickly gain initial control over her own pressure.

But no one noticed the subtle furrow in Li Chengshuo’s brow, as the crowd erupted into excited cheers, celebrating the birth of the family’s second Great Vehicle Cultivator.

“Thank you all for standing as protectors. I must now enter seclusion to stabilize my Realm; we’ll discuss many matters later.”

With that, Li Chengshuo returned to her Cave Mansion.

However, she did not stabilize her cultivation but instead carefully examined the sudden influx of information in her mind.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Chengshuo slowly opened her eyes. As she contemplated the revelations she had just learned, she couldn’t help but sigh.

Just as Li Zhirui had previously worried, gaining such a profound fortuitous opportunity, with a cultivation path that seemed to flow without obstacles, inevitably came with a price.

…

Several months later, Li Zhirui emerged from seclusion, only to discover his door was plastered with Communication Talismans, tightly packed without the slightest gap!

Seeing this, Li Zhirui retrieved all the talismans and activated them with a trace of mana. A cacophony of voices erupted from within.

Yet he easily sifted through the noise to extract the key information and details he sought. In less than half an hour, Li Zhirui learned about the significant events that had occurred within the family and the surrounding regions during his seclusion.

“Shuo has broken through to the Mahayana Realm? Even Fengwu and others could clearly sense the reduced power of the Thunder Tribulation…”

“The Baiyun Sect and several veteran Integration forces in the surrounding area have finally erupted into full-scale war, and they are still locked in battle. Although the Baiyun Sect holds a slight advantage, they cannot achieve a swift victory.”

“The Cave Abyss Sect has produced another Individual Immortal…”

Among these, three events caught Li Zhirui’s attention.

The last matter regarding the Cave Abyss Sect had little to do with the Li family. If they planned a celebration, the Li family would simply follow protocol and send a congratulatory gift. With the Li family’s strength, they’d likely only be able to claim a middling position in the seating arrangement.

The Baiyun Sect, in its bid to expand its territory and enhance its luck, had resorted to aggressive means against nearby forces, only to stall without making any breakthrough.

Although those factions lacked a Mahayana realm overseer, their combined power—with Integration cultivators outnumbering the Baiyun Sect severalfold—posed a daunting resistance. The sheer number of other cultivators in those forces only added to the disparity.

As for the Mahayana overseer, due to certain rules, they couldn’t personally step in.

In the end, this left the Baiyun Sect disgraced, underestimating the resolve of the surrounding factions.

It was for this exact reason that the Li family had refrained in the past from forcibly subduing various factions, not to mention their own weaker foundations. Should they take action, their situation might turn out even more humiliating than the Baiyun Sect’s.

As for the matter, the Li family gleefully chose to remain bystanders. Li Zhirui naturally saw no need to intervene.

“Shuo’s breakthrough…”

At this thought, Li Zhirui couldn’t help but frown. This matter was far more significant than the other two.

After some deliberation, he sent out Communication Talismans to the Integration-level clansmen, inviting them to meet in five days if available.

“Jiu has come out of seclusion? Perhaps he can resolve Chengshuo’s issue.”

Not only Da Qing, but many others placed their hopes in Li Zhirui.

Five days passed in a blur.

Nearly all the Integration clansmen residing on Mount Wanxian had gathered.

Most were there to understand why Li Chengshuo’s Thunder Tribulation had been so weakened. If they could decipher the cause, could they replicate it?

If so, then during their Tribulations, their success rates could increase, and they could cultivate more high-realm experts for the family.

“Regarding Shuo’s Thunder Tribulation, I don’t know much more than you do. I’ve spoken with Shuo several times, but I haven’t gained anything concrete,” Li Zhirui began, his statement catching the group off guard.

“But I do have one hypothesis: Shuo, Yue, and Howling Moon might have unknowingly gained recognition from the Heavenly Dao during their past fortuitous encounter!”

Beyond this speculation, Li Zhirui couldn’t think of another theory that seemed remotely plausible.

“Recognition from the Heavenly Dao?”

Li Zhirui nodded and explained, “Simply put, it’s a form of merit, though more deeply favored and noticed by the Heavenly Dao.”

“However, there is a critical difference: recognition from the Heavenly Dao may signify that there is something it requires you to do! Thus, it bestows benefits in advance.”

This was a conjecture he had pieced together by drawing from mythological tales of his previous life.

Whether this truly aligned with his deductions, Li Zhirui himself wasn’t certain.

“This…”

The crowd exchanged uncertain glances upon hearing his words.

“What could the Heavenly Dao possibly require someone to do?” Xiaoqing asked, puzzled.

“Naturally, there are such things!”

Li Zhirui considered his words carefully as he explained, “You should know that the world exists in hierarchical levels. Typically, they are divided into Minor Thousand Worlds, Middle Thousand Worlds, and Great Thousand Worlds.”

“The Heavenly Dao represents the will of the world itself. Its purpose is to use all means to maintain and uplift the world, driving it toward ascension. The Primal Spirit Realm, as we know, is a Great Thousand World.”

“That’s correct, but since it’s already a Great Thousand World, and it can ascend no higher, why would it still need Chengshuo?”

“Beyond ascension, worlds can also fall! The Taixu Illusionary Realms, after all, are nothing but ruined worlds for various reasons.”

Li Zhirui paused, then added, “And who has said that there is no level higher than a Great Thousand World?”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Jiang Fengwu.

Jiang Fengwu froze, recalling that when she inherited the teachings of Array Tao, her mercurial master had mentioned challenging the celestial limits of the Primal Spirit Realm before venturing to some enigmatic place in search of higher realms.

“So by your interpretation, the Heavenly Dao has chosen Shuo? It requires her assistance?”

Li Zhirui nodded grimly. His thoughts turned to a widely known myth from his previous life—the tale of Chang’e ascending to the moon.

These thoughts hadn’t surfaced in such detail suddenly. In truth, Li Zhirui had long harbored such speculations; he merely never wanted to believe them.

However, judging from the remarks of Jiang Fengwu and others, it was hard to deny that the weakened Thunder Tribulation during Li Chengshuo’s Mahayana breakthrough seemed too coincidental. The Heavenly Dao likely couldn’t wait any longer and directly aided her breakthrough.

“What trait of Shuo’s could possibly make the Heavenly Dao choose her?” Li Chengsheng murmured in disbelief.

“Taiyin!”

Li Zhirui let out a bitter laugh, explaining, “It’s not just Chengshuo; Yue and Howling Moon experienced the same fate!”

Back when they were trapped in the Taiyin Realm for hundreds of years, the warning from that mysterious female voice before they departed—especially her parting words of ‘until we meet again’—had long heralded the trio’s shared destiny.

“Chengshuo has stabilized her cultivation and said she has another crucial matter to discuss.”

At this moment, Li Zhirui received a Communication Talisman from Li Chengshuo. With some speculations forming in his mind, his spirit dimmed, and he said no more.

Soon after, Li Chengshuo stepped into their midst.

“I didn’t expect everyone to be here!”

Seeing such a crowd, Li Chengshuo paused for a moment, a faint yet bittersweet smile playing on her lips.