Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan-Chapter 2013 - 1475: Treasure Hunt (Part 2)

But even though they understood, they no longer had the strength to change the Immortal Tao's plans or intentions. The main issue was that there simply wasn't enough time. At this moment, the majority of the Sea Clan's fighting force was still locked in a deadly war with the Demonic Tao on the West Continent, so all they could do was passively wait for the enemy's attack, thinking of ways to delay them and reduce their own casualties.

It wasn't long before the Xiaxian Sect and Yumen He Family led tens of thousands of sect disciples, together with hordes of loose cultivators and vassals, in their wake. Like tigers descending from the mountains or flood dragons plunging into the sea, they turned the nearby waters upside down, bringing unrest and chaos wherever they went.

Meanwhile, when news reached the Cave Abyss Sect and Shanhai State, the cultivators there also found it difficult to sit still.

"Clan Leader, when will we strike? Why not take advantage of this golden opportunity and move now? Perhaps we could even seize a sea territory from the Sea Clan's hands." a clan member asked in confusion.

Li Debo shook his head and said, "The other side hasn't made a move yet, there's no need to rush."

Reasonably speaking, this affair should not have required the Clan Leader to act personally, but for certain reasons and calculations, he took the initiative to leave the clan grounds and personally oversaw this campaign against the Sea Clan.

When news finally arrived that the Cave Abyss Sect had taken action, Li Debo gave the order for his clansmen to throw themselves into battle and suppress the Sea Clan ahead of everyone else.

"Kill!"

After a long period of calm, thunderous shouts of battle resounded on the edge of the Ten Thousand Spirit Sea Area.

Before the low-level water devils even saw the cultivators, their hearts were already seized with terror, their strength diminished as a result.

BOOM—

Tens of thousands of streams of spirit light burst forth between sea and sky, dazzling to behold, yet laced with murderous intent. They rained down with terrifying might—within moments, the surface of the sea was littered with the corpses of water devils.

With barely a single exchange, the Sea Clan's morale was utterly shattered!

There was nothing to be done. The Li family was facing only tens of thousands of water devils, the strongest among them being nothing more than an Earth Immortal.

One could say, in thousands of years of conflict between the Li family and the Sea Clan, this was the smallest-scale clash in history!

The fact that the water devils did not rout on the spot, but instead scattered and fled, was already proof of their discipline.

But that was all. Expecting them to fight again and contribute any real combat strength was wishful thinking.

"Finish them quickly. Then carry out the plan as instructed!" Li Debo gave the order, his expression calm as ever.

As for the water devils who'd already scattered, gathering together to attack them now would be inefficient, so the cultivator side split up as well, each locking onto their own targets.

"Die!"

A member of the Earth Immortal Clan charged at an Earth Immortal Realm water devil, spear in hand; it glittered coldly as it tore through the air. The water devil didn't anticipate this move, and before it could react—

Just as it was about to die beneath the spear, a beam of spirit light suddenly flared up and shielded it.

It was its final life-saving method: perceiving danger in the nick of time, it had activated its protection and saved itself from death.

But that was all it could manage. The next instant, the spear danced through the air again, thrusting for the kill—relentless, as if it would not cease until its foe was destroyed.

"Damn it!" The water devil, furious and flustered, found the situation troublesome.

To escape pursuit, the best method was to deal with its opponent. It roared, "Do you think so little of me?!"

Before the words had faded, it shot forward like an arrow released, charging the cultivator in the blink of an eye.

But it hadn't expected that the cultivator was fully prepared, not giving it any chance to turn the tables.

After a brutal bout, the cultivator triumphed—successfully slaying the water devil!

...

At the same time—

Across the vast expanse of the sea, tens of thousands of small skirmishes broke out. With the advantage of numbers, the initiative, and soaring morale, the cultivators dominated the battlefield.

The water devils, by contrast, had been drafted at the last minute—some even forced into service. With such issues from the start, and the Immortal Tao seizing the initiative, things only got worse.

Dissatisfied, demoralized, and having lost their usual edge in numbers, how much strength could they truly muster under these conditions?

The result: the sea ran crimson, littered with the Sea Clan's broken limbs and corpses—a terrifying sight to behold.

Yet in the eyes of the cultivators, this was hardly something to be frightened of. Instead, they rejoiced. Streaks of spirit light darted to and fro, collecting useful spiritual objects from the bodies of the water devils.

There were losses among the cultivators, of course, but only a few hundred in all—and many of those would recover. Fewer than a hundred truly perished!

In all these years of bloodshed with the Sea Clan, this was the smallest cost they'd ever paid!

Li Debo did not enter the fray personally. From the outbreak of battle, he sat aboard a seemingly ordinary yet astonishingly sturdy spirit boat.

He had no choice—even with Earth Immortal Realm cultivation, his status forbade him from taking such risks.

When he saw the battle concluded, Li Debo ordered his clan to seize the moment for rest and restoration of mana.

The great war was far from over. Rather, it had only just begun!

As for the vassal cultivators and loose cultivators, Li Debo ignored them. They left their injured or exhausted companions behind and hurried deep into the East Sea!

Right now, the East Sea was as empty as it had ever been. Most water devils had gone to the West Continent, locked in struggle with the Demonic Tao, leaving only a remnant behind—many of whom had just fallen in the prior battle.

It wouldn't be surprising if some Sea Clan gathering points were now guarded only by the old, weak, sick, and wounded.

The Sea Clan was infamous for its wealth. With such opportunity before them, how could those vassal and loose cultivators pass it up? Weakened as they were, they still rushed to beat the Li family and claim as much spiritual loot as possible.

Li Debo saw through their little schemes at a glance, but didn't care. It was just some spiritual objects—hardly treasures worth fussing over.

Besides, they had contributed to the battle. If they came away empty-handed, who would ever follow the Li family again?

After a period of meditation and recovery, the clansmen were split into ten small squads, each with three to four hundred members, dispatched into the East Sea to seek spiritual objects.

Given their strength and numbers, as long as they didn't go too deep, the East Sea posed little danger at present.

...

The flower blooms on two branches, each with a tale of its own.

To speak of Li Debo leaving Mount Wanxian to oversee the Sea Clan campaign—at first, the elders were vehemently opposed.

Though the Sea Clan's forces in the East Sea are weak now, what if something unexpected were to happen? If Li Debo were wounded or, worse, to fall, it would spell disaster for the clan.