Gou Zai created a blessed land in the immortal abode

The treasure ship landed on the mountainside, and the Kong family monks disembarked and began organizing the Liu family disciples to board.

Kong Shaoping stood with his hands behind his back in the rain. The rainwater evaporated automatically within three feet of him, turning into wisps of white mist.

He looked at the scene before him with a calm expression, revealing neither joy nor anger.

An Mingxin stood beside him and whispered:

"Clan leader, the Zhao family wants the Liu family's spiritual mountain vein. This is tantamount to severing the Liu family's foundation! Without the spiritual vein, what's the difference between these cultivators in the Liu family and rogue cultivators?"

"It's good that you're alive."

Kong Shaoping said calmly, "As long as you're alive, there's still hope."

An Mingxin sighed and said no more.

The treasure ship slowly rose into the air.

Li Chengming stood at the bow of the boat and took one last look at the main peak of the Liu family.

In the rain, the mountain peak appeared particularly lonely. The Cloud Sea Rain Formation had lost its master, the thunderclouds had dissipated, and only the drizzling rain was washing over the mountain.

The Liu family has occupied this mountain for four or five hundred years, but from this day forward, it will become the property of the Zhao family.

He turned around and saw the Liu family members huddled in the cabin. Some were sobbing softly, some were silent, and some were leaning against the cabin wall with their eyes closed, whether asleep or unwilling to face reality, he couldn't tell.

Standing outside the cabin door, Li Chengming looked at the people and felt a mix of emotions.

He recalled the lightning he had seen on Guangling Mountain, the panic when Kong Xuan ran to ask her father, and the scenes he had witnessed when he arrived by boat.

He had only seen Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting in ancient books before, but today was the first time he had witnessed it in person.

That kind of oppressive aura, that power that could change the landscape with a mere gesture, deeply shocked him.

With his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, Zhao Zhenshan forced two families to submit, compelled a Foundation Establishment cultivator to commit suicide, and seized their foundations as easily as taking candy from a baby.

This is the reality of the cultivation world.

There is no fairness, no justice, only power.

Whoever has the bigger fist is right.

He said with a solemn expression:

"My strength is still too weak, I must break through to the late stage of Qi Refining as soon as possible."

Over the past three years, he has broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from the late stage of Qi Refining. This is a hurdle that has held him back for a long time.

"Perhaps I should find a great river that can help me break through to the late stage of Qi Refining."

"A great river stretching for thousands of miles..." Li Chengming murmured.

Within Youyang County, the largest waterway is the Yuan River, which flows from the north to the south of the county, stretching for thousands of miles with a powerful current.

Yuanjiang is several hundred miles away from Guangling Mountain, which is not considered far.

However, the Yuanjiang River basin was not within the Kong family's sphere of influence. Several Qi-cultivating families and sects, as well as some independent cultivators, were entrenched there, making the situation complicated.

"We have to go."

Li Chengming stood up, a resolute look in his eyes.

Staying in Guangling Mountain would make cultivation progress extremely slow. Now that the Zhao family has swallowed up the Liu family, once they have digested and reorganized, the next one will inevitably be the Kong family.

Li Chengming had to pave the way for his future. Whether he helped the Kong family or left them, he had to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining or even Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.

The next morning, Li Chengming went to see Kong Shaowen.

"Chengming, is something the matter?"

"Master Kong, I would like to go to Yuanjiang to cultivate for a period of time."

Kong Shaowen raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining, you've hit a bottleneck?"

"Yes."

Li Chengming did not hide anything, "I need to borrow the power of the great river to help me break through to the late stage of Qi Refining."

Kong Shaowen pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Yuanjiang is indeed a good place, let's go then."

Afterwards, Li Chengming did not linger and left Guangling Mountain in a small boat.

The flat boat is a flying magical artifact that he purchased at a considerable cost of spirit stones. Its speed is acceptable, but its advantage lies in its minimal consumption of spiritual energy, making it suitable for long-distance travel.

He flew south, following the contours of the mountains, with rolling hills and scattered villages below.

The territory of Youyang Prefecture is vast, with mortal towns and immortal cultivation forces interspersed, and they are all intricately connected.

The Kong family's sphere of influence covered an area of ​​about 500 li in radius. Beyond this area lay the territory of other forces.

Li Chengming's journey to Yuanjiang required him to pass through a mountain range called Qingfengling.

Several small cultivation families and sects are entrenched in Qingfeng Ridge, constantly fighting among themselves, but none of them have become a significant force.

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, he bypassed the core areas of these forces and traveled along remote valleys.

Even so, they still encountered a few ignorant cultivators along the way.

The first group consisted of three cultivators at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining. Seeing that he was alone, they decided to ambush and rob him.

Li Chengming didn't bother with words and directly summoned the bronze mirror. A white light shot out and killed one of them. The other two were so frightened that they wet themselves and knelt down to beg for mercy.

He took the bronze mirror and left.

As the sun set, he finally saw the Yuan River.

From afar, a giant, silvery-white python lies horizontally on the earth, winding and stretching towards the horizon.

The river is wide, even at its narrowest point it is several miles wide. The water rushes and roars, and the water vapor rises and shimmers with a golden-red light under the setting sun.

Li Chengming slowed down the speed of the small boat and flew slowly along the riverbank, searching for a suitable place to cultivate.

The banks of the Yuanjiang River are surrounded by mountains, but none of them are considered sacred mountains or spiritual veins; their concentration of spiritual energy is far less than that of Guangling Mountain.

However, what Li Chengming wanted was not spiritual energy, but the power of the water.

His martial arts techniques are related to rivers; the larger the body of water, the more it can stimulate the potential of his techniques and help him break through bottlenecks.

It's like a fish that will never grow big in a small pond; only by being released into a large river can it swim further and grow bigger.

The small boat flew along the river for dozens of miles before Li Chengming finally stopped at a bend in the river.

The river is extremely wide here, estimated to be seven or eight miles wide. There is a gap here where the water flows swiftly and violently.

The water surged to the sky, its roar deafening.

Li Chengming chose a rock protruding from the river, stowed the small boat, and sat down cross-legged.

The surface of the reef was smooth as a mirror, washed by the river water, and had a slightly cool feel to it.

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, feeling the force of the Yuan River.

The river flows ceaselessly, carrying with it a vast expanse of water vapor, within which a powerful force seems to surge.

That is the power of water.

What Li Chengming wanted to do was not just draw spiritual energy from the Yuanjiang River, but to observe the scenery and take inspiration from it, using the power of the Yuanjiang River to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining in one fell swoop.

This is not something that can be accomplished in a day; it requires long-term, gradual progress.

Time passed day by day.

Li Chengming seemed to have turned into a stone, standing there, unmoved by the crashing waves.

His aura was also slowly rising, and he was only one step away from breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining.

Just as he was immersed in cultivation, a multi-story ship was sailing downstream on the Yuanjiang River.

The ship is three stories high and its hull is made of paulownia wood. It has a faint glow, and a flag with the character "Zhou" written on it hangs at the bow.

Several cultivators stood on the deck, led by a middle-aged man in a dark green robe. He had a square face, a steady gaze, and his cultivation level was around the ninth level of Qi Refining.