Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

The thirtieth day, early morning.

At the square in front of Luoxia Mountain, all the selected personnel, totaling 147 people (including four externally hired cultivators), were already lined up.

The monks wore their finest robes or tight-fitting clothes, and the servants and craftsmen were also neatly dressed, carrying simple bags that had been uniformly distributed.

The crowd remained silent, with only suppressed breathing and occasional sobs.

Family members and more townspeople gathered at the edge of the square, a dark mass of people watching silently.

Li Mutian stood at the front of the group, with the four brothers Li Xiaoyao and Li Changhu behind him.

He changed into a deep red patriarch's robe, symbolizing the fire element of [Xuanhuang Pass], and also the family's determination to burn their bridges at this moment.

There was no lengthy sermon. Everything that needed to be said had already been said in the past month.

He slowly scanned the faces before him, some resolute, some fearful, some bewildered, and finally his gaze passed over the crowd and landed on the distant, misty mountain outline—Luoxia Mountain, the place where their ancestors had lived for generations.

Then, he raised his right palm, and the crimson-gold "Pioneer Talisman" mark on his palm suddenly lit up, bursting out a mysterious wave that shot straight into the sky.

A low hum came from the horizon.

As if an invisible hand had parted the clouds, a colossal object slowly descended.

It was the "Void Flying Boat" rented by the Qingxiao Immortal Sect.

It was about thirty feet long, with a heavy gray-black color all over. The material was neither gold nor wood. The lines of the hull were simple and ancient, and it was covered with layers of protective runes that were faintly visible. They shimmered with a dim luster in the morning light.

There is a clear light blue cloud pattern on the side of the ship, symbolizing its origin.

The airship did not land completely, but hovered three zhang above the plaza, casting a huge shadow. The cabin door was open, and a gangway with a faint glow extended down.

"Boarding!"

Li Mutian gave the order; his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Li Xiaoyao was the first to step onto the gangway. Li Changhu took a deep breath and followed. Li Xiangping glanced back at his wife who was seeing him off, then resolutely turned away.

Li Tongya quietly directed the order of the procession. Li Chijing followed closely behind his third brother, unable to resist turning back to glance at his mother's tear-streaked face in the crowd seeing them off.

Monks, servants, craftsmen... the procession began to board the ship in silence and in an orderly fashion.

The four rogue cultivators were mixed in with the group. The scarred man looked up at the cold hull of the ship, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he followed.

Li Mutian was the last to board the ship. He stood at the gangway, looking back one last time.

In the square, Li Mude led the remaining clansmen to kneel down in unison, touching their heads to the ground. Further out, countless townspeople also spontaneously prostrated themselves.

The mountain wind howled, fluttering the hem of his robe.

The next moment, he turned around and stepped into the airship cabin.

The gangway retracted and the hatch closed. Runes around the gray-black void airship lit up one by one, emitting a low hum, and it began to slowly ascend.

In the square, the cries could no longer be suppressed, and they merged into a sea of ​​grief.

Inside the airship, however, was a completely different scene.

The entrance is a spacious cabin, which, although somewhat simple, clearly utilizes space-expanding techniques, making it several times more spacious than it appears from the outside. It can accommodate more than a hundred people without feeling too crowded.

The air was somewhat stuffy, filled with a faint smell of metal and old wood, and... a faint, lingering sense of desolation and loneliness from the depths of the void.

Everyone was crammed into the cabin, looking out through the portholes inlaid with transparent crystals at the gradually shrinking Luoxia Mountain and Luoxia Town, as well as the waving arms and blurry faces.

Li Mutian didn't go to the window. He walked to the front of the cabin, where there was a slightly raised platform, which should be near the core area for controlling the airship.

He faced the crowd, his voice echoing in the somewhat empty cabin:

"Gentlemen."

Everyone turned around and looked at him.

"This place is now inside the Void Flying Ship. The way back has been cut off the moment you stepped through this gate."

His gaze swept over the faces that still bore the traces of sorrow at parting and fear of the future.

"I know you're afraid. I'm afraid too."

Li Mutian frankly said, "I fear the unpredictability of the Void Sea, the dangers within that plane, my death and the disappearance of my soul, and the loss of my remains."

"But I'm afraid it won't be of any use."

His tone suddenly turned stern: "From this moment on, the lives of these 147 of us are bound together! We are going to fight for our lives, but more importantly, we are fighting for a future!"

"It's not for the Immortal Sect, it's for ourselves, for our descendants, so that we can have a future where we don't have to depend on others, and don't have to stake the fate of our entire clan for a single Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"The airship will take us to the place indicated by the 'Category C Dimension Beacon.' We know nothing about that place."

"It could be a desolate place with little spiritual energy, or it could be a bloody battlefield overrun by demons."

"But since the Immortal Sect has classified it as 'Grade C,' it at least indicates that there is a basic possibility of survival and resources to be acquired!"

"Our mission is to establish a foothold there within thirty years, set up an outpost, and pay 50% of the first year's output to the Immortal Sect."

Li Mutian took a deep breath. "This is difficult, extremely difficult. But we have no way out."

He pointed to the rear of the cabin: "This ship has additional space. In addition to this main cabin, there are several smaller cabins available for rest and cultivation."

"For some time to come, we will be traversing the void. Make use of this time, Li Xiangping!"

"Here!" Li Xiangping stepped forward.

"Training must not stop! We must familiarize ourselves with the formation drills and alert deployments using this cabin space!"

"Li Tongya!"

"exist!"

"Compile a comprehensive list of all supplies and formulate preliminary allocation and usage regulations. Food, water, and medicine, in particular, must be strictly controlled!"

"Li Xiaoyao, Li Changhu, come with me to familiarize yourselves with the flying boat's controls and formations. Chi Jing, you may also listen in."

As orders were issued, the panicked crowd seemed to find their anchor and began to move according to the instructions.

The sadness was temporarily suppressed, replaced by a tense, grim atmosphere, a readiness for survival.

Li Mutian walked to the control platform, where there were several complex array plates embedded in the bulkhead, with a groove in the center whose shape matched the Pioneer Mark on his palm.

He placed his palm on it.

The array plate lit up, and a blurry, star-map-like image composed of light appeared in the sky ahead.

Most of the star chart was dark and unclear, except for a thin path of light that stretched from a faint point of light representing the current location to a nearly imperceptible point of light in the distance marked "B-749".

That was their target, an unknown dimension codenamed "C-749".

The airship shuddered slightly, and the scenery outside the cabin began to blur rapidly, with the outline of Luoxia Mountain completely disappearing into the clouds.

The void journey has officially begun.

Ahead lies endless darkness and uncertainty. Behind me lies a homeland I can never return to.