Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

The Void Flying Boat sailed through the deathly darkness for an unknown period of time.

Inside the cabin, there was no sun or moon; only a thin path of light on the array plate slowly extended, indicating that they were approaching their target.

Li Mutian spent most of his time in front of the control array, familiarizing himself with the basic functions of this unfamiliar flying boat (he couldn't control many of them, as the core permissions were obviously locked by the Immortal Sect), while silently circulating his cultivation technique to solidify his newly formed [Xuanhuang Pass] Immortal Foundation.

The intense yet stable true energy flowed through his meridians, bringing an unprecedented sense of power and giving him a calmer confidence to face the challenges of the new dimension.

Li Xiaoyao, along with Li Tongya, repeatedly studied the rudimentary "Class C Dimensional Beacon" information. The information was extremely limited, only confirming the basic parameters of the plane:

There is a stable atmosphere (composition unknown), liquid water, and spiritual energy that can be detected by conventional means (concentration and properties unknown). There are no recorded signs of large-scale intelligent civilization (but there may be remnants of primitive or lost civilizations).

Code name: "C-749".

"This means that we are likely not the first to set foot here."

Li Xiaoyao pointed to the line "Possibly containing remnants of primitive or lost civilizations" and whispered:

"The Immortal Sect has explored countless planes. Some were deemed to be of low value or difficult to develop for the time being, and were therefore marked as 'Grade C' or 'Grade D', to be left for later explorers. There may have been failed pioneers here."

Li Tongya's face paled slightly: "Second Uncle, are you saying there might be dangers left by our predecessors, or... worse, it might have been 'cleaned up' by something?"

"Anything is possible." Li Xiaoyao closed the jade slip. "Therefore, we must be extremely cautious upon arrival."

The others in the cabin weren't idle either. Li Xiangping divided the team into several groups and repeatedly practiced emergency assembly, rapid deployment, and alternating cover retreat formations in the main cabin hall.

With limited space, the drills focused more on commands, positioning, and teamwork.

The four hired rogue cultivators were also incorporated into the team. The scarred man and the silent archer adapted quickly, while the thin old man and the rat-taming woman seemed somewhat out of place, their eyes darting around.

Li Chijing was allowed to observe and learn at the edge of the formation while continuing his training.

He discovered that although the spiritual energy inside the flying boat was thin, it seemed to be able to draw some extremely subtle, neutral and peaceful energy from the void, which was slightly helpful for cultivating the True Yang Three Lights Technique.

He told his father about the discovery. Li Mutian pondered for a moment and guessed that this might be the effect of the basic spirit-gathering array of the Immortal Sect's flying boat. He instructed him to hurry up and cultivate, and break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining as soon as possible.

The main themes of the voyage are monotony, oppression, and apprehension about the unknown.

At a certain moment, the control array suddenly emitted a slight but continuous buzzing sound, and the light spot in the center representing "丙-749" became bright and stable.

"arrive."

Li Mutian suddenly stood up, his voice echoing throughout the entire cabin.

Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing, tensed up, and turned their attention to the portholes.

Outside the window, it was still eternal darkness, but in the far distance ahead, a glimmer of light appeared and quickly expanded in the field of vision.

It was the outline of a world enveloped by a thin layer of air, displaying murky yellowish-brown and dark green patches.

Lacking the azure and emerald green of the plane where Mount Luoxia is located, it appears desolate, rough, and even somewhat... lifeless.

The airship began to decelerate, the runes around it flowed faster, and a slight vibration and friction sound came from the hull, as if it were crossing a dimensional barrier.

The violent turbulence lasted for about half a cup of tea's time, then the view outside the porthole suddenly brightened, and the scene changed abruptly.

The dim, yellow sky hung low, shrouded in an indescribable haze.

The land is covered with large areas of cracked, dark red soil and exposed gray-black rock layers. The vegetation is sparse, consisting mostly of low, thorny, and twisted shrubs.

In the distance, there are the outlines of rolling, barren hills.

A faint smell of sulfur and rust filled the air, along with a spiritual aura...

It does exist, but it is extremely thin and mixed, and carries a scorching and heavy quality, completely different from the pure and ethereal water and wood energy of Luoxia Mountain.

The flying boat hovered a hundred feet above the ground, slowly circling.

"The spiritual energy is biased towards fire and earth, intense and turbid. It may be helpful for cultivating the True Yang Three Lights Technique, but it is not good for those with water and wood attributes. Furthermore, long-term absorption may damage the meridians."

Li Xiaoyao closed his eyes and sensed for a moment before quickly determining:

"The air smells strongly of sulfur, which may indicate subterranean fire or mineral veins. No obvious water sources or signs of large creature activity are visible in the field of vision."

"First, find a place to stay."

Li Mutian decisively ordered, "The flying boat cannot remain suspended for long, as it consumes spirit stones. Xiang Ping, take a team and prepare ropes; we will land and reconnoiter."

"Xiaoyao, Changhu, you two stay on the boat and keep watch, controlling the defensive formation. Tongya, organize the equipment for the first group of landing personnel. Chijing, stay close to me."

A moment later, the airship descended and hovered ten feet above the ground.

Li Xiangping, along with three agile Qi Refining mid-stage clansmen and the silent archer rogue cultivator, slid down the rope first, and quickly spread out in a fan shape to form a sentry after landing.

Li Mutian led Li Chijing, the scarred man, and five other late-stage Qi Refining clansmen in the second wave to land.

Stepping onto the dark red, hard, and cracked earth, I felt a solid sensation, but the scorching, oppressive spiritual energy and smell were even more pronounced.

Just as Li Xiangping opened his mouth and pointed to the slope backed by low rocks—

A sharp, crimson-gold glint suddenly flashed in Li Mutian's previously calm eyes.

The divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is far more acute and refined than that of a Qi Refining cultivator, sweeping across the surface and underground of an area of ​​hundreds of feet in an instant, like an invisible ripple!

This was the first time he had fully unleashed his divine sense to explore this unfamiliar land since advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Within thirty feet underground, seventeen life forms are approaching, their demonic energy is turbid, and they are moving very fast."

Li Mutian's voice was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Eleven to the left front and six to the right rear. Their target is precisely where we are standing."

Before he could finish speaking, and before Li Xiangping and the others could even react, he had already spoken.

Li Mutian simply took half a step forward, his right hand slightly spread out, and made a light press forward and to the side and back.

[Xuanhuang Pass] The intense and pure power of the Foundation Establishment True Essence condensed instantly in the scorching alien air as he focused his thoughts!

"Buzz—"

The air hummed slightly.

Dozens of fire spears, each about three feet long and with extremely sharp tips, almost entirely composed of condensed crimson gold flames, appeared out of thin air around Li Mutian!

Each fire spear was adorned with mysterious patterns, and a faint light flickered at its core, radiating intense heat and terrifying spiritual pressure that further distorted the surrounding scorching air.

"go."

He uttered a single word.

Dozens of crimson-gold fire spears transformed into afterimages like shooting stars, shooting towards the two points of ground locked by Li Mutian's divine sense at speeds far exceeding the reaction limits of Qi Refining cultivators!

"Pfft! Pfft pfft pfft pfft—!"

The dark red earth to the left front and right rear suddenly bulged up into mounds the moment the fire spears pierced through.

Then came several short, shrill screams filled with pain and shock! The sounds seemed to have been abruptly cut off in the throats.

Immediately afterwards, dark red blood mixed with charred flesh gushed out from the underground holes pierced by the fire spears, quickly staining a patch of ground red, with a pungent stench mingling with the smells of sulfur and burnt flesh.

From the moment Li Mutian issued his warning to the moment he took action, the entire process took only two or three breaths.

Li Xiangping's hand was still on the sword hilt, the scarred man's knife was only half drawn, and the other late-stage Qi Refining clansmen had just sensed something was wrong when the battle... was already over.

The hillside was deathly silent. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind through the cracks in the rocks and the faint sizzling of flames burning flesh underground.

On the flying boat, Li Xiaoyao, Li Changhu, and the others were stunned when they saw this scene through the porthole.

They knew there was a vast gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining, but witnessing their elder brother and father effortlessly slay seventeen lurking demonic beasts still left them utterly shocked.

Is this the divine sense and power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Li Chijing, standing closest to his father, felt the sensation most clearly.

The moment those dozens of crimson-gold fire spears appeared, he felt the spiritual power of the True Yang Three Lights Technique within his body tremble slightly and submit, an absolute suppression on a different level.

Father didn't even use any moves just now; he simply released and solidified the purest Foundation Establishment True Essence guided by his powerful divine sense, and it still had such power!

"Clean up the battlefield."

Li Mutian withdrew his hand, his tone still calm, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of dust from his clothes. "Be careful, get the body out and see what it is."

"yes!"

Li Xiangping was the first to regain his senses, suppressing his shock, and quickly led his men forward.