Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

"Were the words of your offering just now true or false?" a cold, clear voice rang out from above their heads.

Upon hearing this, Deng Helin's heart surged with ecstatic joy, because if the other party was asking, then, without any accidents, there must be use for them!

And this was their chance to survive!

They might even be able to cling to this Golden Core real person and thus escape their life of scrounging for food as Robbing Cultivators.

"Please, senior, see the truth, our words are entirely truthful, even if it meant climbing a mountain of swords or descending into a sea of flames, we would not shirk!" Deng Helin hurriedly declared his loyalty.

In reality, Li Zhirui didn't care about their loyalty; he had suddenly changed his mind and spared their lives because he was thinking of going to Cang Hai Province in search of the Moon Serpent. With such a vast territory, how long would it take for him to find it alone? Therefore, it would be best if he had an organization to lighten the burden.

As for Deng Helin and his group of eight Robbing Cultivators, they had temporarily caught his eye, though in Li Zhirui's view their strength was negligible, but at least they were all at the Foundation Establishment stage, and they did have some power.

"Hmm." Just when they thought Li Zhirui had refused them, a light, floating voice reached their ears, "Then for the time being, I shall spare your lives."

"As for whether you can survive in the end, it will depend on your performance during this period!"

The tone was indifferent, but to their ears, it was as delightful as celestial music, and they agreed without hesitation, "Thank you, senior! We will certainly live up to your expectations."

The journey that followed was smooth sailing; no more Robbing Cultivators like Deng Helin were encountered, nor were there any sightless Cultivators who tried to intercept them, which was somewhat disappointing to Li Zhirui. He had thought that just by being on the road, he would be able to gather enough subordinates.

Cang Hai Province, a State Domain in the midst of the Inner Sea, dotted with archipelagos and sparsely distributed Cultivators. Li Zhirui entered a large Marketplace, but there were not many Cultivators inside; it was rather quiet and empty.

And the arrival of Li Zhirui and his nine men instantly attracted a lot of inquisitive glances.

"Who are they? Suddenly arriving at this place, I wonder what they intend to do."

"Let them be, they have a Golden Core real person among them. We're better off not getting involved."

Amidst the soft murmurs of the crowd, Li Zhirui and the others entered an inn, booked their rooms, and then he instructed, "Now go out and inquire about information related to the Moon Serpent. You may also leave the Marketplace and investigate outside."

"Should you find any reliable information, rewards will be granted depending on the circumstances!"

As for whether they would take this opportunity to flee? Of course not!

Because they dared not, for Li Zhirui had forced them to consume a kind of poison, which required them to ingest the antidote periodically, otherwise, they would bleed from all seven orifices to death!

At first, most of them didn't believe it until they experienced the agony firsthand. The excruciating pain made life worse than death for them, and that's when they started to behave. This was also why Li Zhirui was at ease letting them go out.

As for Li Zhirui himself, he already had a number of subordinates, and there was no need to personally handle something as trivial as gathering information.

——

"Brother Deng, we have been running around for days on end and haven't found any clues; shouldn't we go back now?" one person urged urgently.

Most importantly, if they didn't return soon, the poison in their bodies would begin to take effect.

"Hmm, you're right," Deng Helin nodded and, along with the others, flew back towards the Marketplace where Li Zhirui was.

Li Zhirui and his group had settled in the Marketplace for over half a month now, yet information about the Moon Serpent was still scarce, with only rumors collected, some of which were even deliberate attempts to deceive them.

Of course, those latter individuals did not meet a good end, quite tragic indeed.

Nevertheless, because individuals such as Deng Helin acted without concealment, the entire Marketplace knew that Li Zhirui, a Golden Core True Person, was seeking the Moon Serpent and had offered a lavish reward!

If one could capture the Moon Serpent alive, they would be rewarded with at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones!

This generous reward drove all Cultivators mad. It wasn't just those in Li Zhirui's Marketplace but also Cultivators from nearby Marketplaces and Immortal Cities who, after hearing about the matter, joined the massive search party for the Moon Serpent.

Unfortunately, up to now, there were no positive updates.

Li Zhirui even began to suspect that the information Li Shiqing had received was nothing but rumors and that there was no existence of the Moon Serpent in Cang Hai Province at all.

Just as Li Zhirui was struggling to find a lead and was about to leave Cang Hai Province, suddenly, a Qi Cultivation Cultivator claimed to have spotted the whereabouts of the Moon Serpent!

"Where did you see the Moon Serpent?" Li Zhirui asked the youth in front of him, who appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, his attitude very gentle.

"Near the Xiao Cang River," the youth then said in detail, "A few days ago, I went to the Xiao Cang River to catch Spirit Fish. I suddenly saw a white shadow flash by; at first, I didn't pay it much attention, thinking it was just a white snake or some Devil Beast."

"But yesterday evening, when I was about to head home, I saw the Moon Serpent with my own eyes, its body sleek and its scales moon-white, even emitting a faint moonlight."

Li Zhirui's heart leapt with joy as the boy described in such detail, for what he described matched the characteristics of the Moon Serpent. However, from his words, it seemed that this Moon Serpent might have already grown and would not be suitable as a Contracted Spirit Beast for Li Chengshuo.

The Wanling Sutra stipulates a precondition for Contracted Spirit Beasts: they must be younglings, preferably newborn Spirit Beasts, because such creatures have the weakest Divine Sense and virtually no power to resist.

Thinking of this, Li Zhirui couldn't help but frown.

However, he quickly put these thoughts aside. After all, these were only his speculations. To know for sure, he would have to see the situation for himself.

"If what you're saying is true, you will definitely not be short of your reward," he said.

Unexpectedly, the youth shook his head vigorously, pleading, "I don't want the reward; I only ask that you take me and my sister away from here!"

"Tell me what happened." Li Zhirui had a measure of patience for someone who had rendered a service.

The youth's heart, which had been suspended in fear, finally settled back down upon hearing these words and he began to recount his and his sister's story.

The story was not novel: summarized, it was about the youth's parents having passed away, without any direct elders in his family, leading others to encroach upon their property. They even secretly persecuted him and his sister, not wishing for the siblings to survive.

Having decent talents was their only saving grace, their family was inclined to offer a token of care, preventing any overt harm to them, or else the siblings would have long become part of the earth.

"Alright then, since you wish to trade the hundred thousand Spirit Stones for safe passage for you and your sister, I agree," Li Zhirui stated. If he could save a hundred thousand Spirit Stones just by uttering a sentence, why not agree?

After all, it was only a minor Foundation Establishment family.