3 Chapter 3: Departure

While the Li family was busy packing up to leave Bailang County, the Beast Taming Sect's main peak, Wanling Mountain, was facing a tremendous crisis!

The Nascent Soul cultivators from the White Jade Sect were leading their Sect Disciples in a frenzied attack on the Mountain Protection Array; and once the Formation was broken, one could well imagine the fate that awaited the Beast Taming Sect.

"Zhao, immediately take the True Disciples with you, and activate the Teleportation Array in the secret chamber to leave the Sect!" the Beast Taming Sect Leader said, while handing over his storage ring.

Zhao Yu, the youngest Golden Core cultivator of the Beast Taming Sect, was also considered the sect's most promising talent to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, possessing a Metal Spirit Root.

Regrettably, Zhao Yu had been born too late. Even though his rise was rapid, forming his Golden Core in under a hundred years, and now, in his early two hundreds, he was already at the Golden Core Late Stage!

But regrettably, there came a Nascent Soul cultivator from the White Jade Sect!

In fact, the moment a Nascent Soul cultivator appeared in the White Jade Sect, the Beast Taming Sect knew that the other party would not let them go, so during this period, the Beast Taming Sect was preparing various Spiritual Objects, in hopes of the sect's revival from East Mountain.

But they never expected the White Jade Sect to act so swiftly! The day after that Nascent Soul cultivator had his breakthrough, without even stabilizing his realm, he launched an attack directly at them! Leaving absolutely no chance for the Beast Taming Sect.

The storage ring the Sect Leader gave to Zhao Yu contained a large number of Spirit Stones, Cultivation Techniques, various Spiritual Objects, and Spirit Seeds, among which the most important was the foundational Cultivation Technique of the Beast Taming Sect, the "Wanling Sutra."

"Brother, I want to stay..."

Before Zhao Yu could finish speaking, a petite female cultivator burst in nervously and said, "Sect Leader Brother, all Spirit Beast Eggs and younglings of grade three and above have been collected."

The Sect Leader nodded and said, "Zhang, you are the most talented Beast Tamer in the Sect. These Spirit Beasts are in your care now."

Seeing Zhao Yu was about to speak, the Sect Leader frowned and sternly commanded, "Zhao, take Zhang and the Disciples and leave the Sect immediately!"

"Only if you all survive will the Beast Taming Sect continue on!"

Zhao Yu's eyes were filled with tears, but in the pleading look of the Sect Leader, he could only turn around heavily, as if bearing a tremendous weight on his shoulders, and started moving slowly forward.

"Hurry!"

With a shudder, Zhao Yu grabbed Zhang and bolted.

"The future of the Beast Taming Sect is in your hands!" After the two figures were no longer in sight, the Sect Leader muttered to himself, then with a determined expression, soared into the sky, facing the Nascent Soul of the White Jade Sect who was standing in midair, not yet having made a move.

This night was destined to be one of blood and fire.

When the sun rose and the sky brightened, the once vibrant and lush Wanling Mountain was covered with corpses and flesh.

And with this, the Beast Taming Sect, which had persisted for over a thousand years, from this day forth, vanished into the long river of history.

...

While the Beast Taming Sect's cultivators were fighting a bloody battle, more than fifty cultivators from the Bailang Li family had already arrived at East Lake.

Li Shiqing, seeing everyone's reluctance, consoled them, "As long as we're still here, the Li family remains!"

Despite his words, Li Shiqing's eyes, like everyone else's, found it hard to leave the place they had lived for over a hundred years.

"Let's go!"

Li Shiqing was the first to board the Spirit Boat, followed by Li Zhirui and other family members, one after another. Half an hour later, the Spirit Boat ascended and flew towards the vast sea to the east.

"Ren Uncle, what's with all these kids on the boat?" Li Zhirui asked Li Shiren in a low voice.

The Li family had two second-grade Spirit Boats, each thirty meters long and five meters wide. On the one Li Zhirui was on, besides twenty-odd cultivators, the rest were apparently children of only a few years old—there were probably several hundred of them.

"They are Secular Clansmen who haven't tested for their Spiritual Root yet. Taking them with us this time is in hopes that a few of them will turn out to have a Spiritual Root."

Li Shiren pointed to another spirit boat and said, "On that spirit boat are young people in their twenties, who after reaching Da Rong Island, will be able to better adapt to the environment and then continue the family lineage."

Li Zhirui suddenly realized, but what was Da Rong Island? Li Zhirui, due to his superior talent, was quite familiar with Li Shiren, and directly asked him.

"This is a branch that our family deliberately established overseas a hundred years ago; there are more than thirty thousand secular clansmen on the island, around twenty cultivators, and one Foundation Establishment cultivator. The island got its name, Da Rong Island, because it is filled with big banyan trees," Shiren explained.

Since they had already decided to go to Da Rong Island, there was no need to keep it secret any longer.

"Da Rong Island is located twenty thousand li to the northeast of Bailang County, but it is not far from the Profound Origin Continent, only a little over two hundred li away. That area is under the control of a Golden Core power known as Yuanming Sect," Li Shiren explained further.

Under the guidance of Li Shiren, Li Zhirui and the others obtained a general understanding of Da Rong Island and the nearby powers.

The strength of Yuanming Sect could not match the Beast Taming Sect. It only saw its first Golden Core cultivator several decades ago, so it remains a vassal to a larger Golden Core power.

Aside from the five-hundred-li square territory directly under the jurisdiction of the Sect Master of Yuanming Sect, it also has some scattered cultivation families at sea.

Because these families are at sea and Yuanming Sect's own strength is insufficient, its control over these families is not very strong.

Moreover, there are three cultivation families near Da Rong Island, all of which are Foundation Establishment powers, and the relations among them are quite ordinary.

"Alright, you all rest for now. Once we arrive at Da Rong Island, there won't be time to rest," Li Shiren said, changing the subject.

Li Zhirui walked silently to the edge of the boat, gazing down at the dark, profound sea below, seemingly harboring great dangers.

As a descendant of a family from the coastal area, Li Zhirui was not unfamiliar with the ocean and knew that this vast expanse of water, known as the Boundless Sea, was different from the Profound Origin Continent. It was not dominated by the human race.

Beyond the near sea, the true masters of the Boundless Sea were the innumerable Sea Clan devil beasts along with the innately powerful Dragon Tribe.

In Bailang County, a minor beast tide would occur every decade or so. What kind of beast tide would Da Rong Island, which lay out at sea, have to face, potentially many times stronger?

But how had the handful of cultivators on the island survived the onslaught of the beast tide?

As he pondered, Li Zhirui suddenly remembered something. A few years ago, the Clan Leader and his aunt had brought back a large amount of spirit materials, all of which were harvested from members of the Sea Clan.

That meant when Da Rong Island faced a beast tide, the family would send support.

Three Foundation Establishment cultivators, combined with twenty or so Qi Cultivation cultivators, were able to hold off the beast tide. Perhaps the beast tides on Da Rong Island weren't as dreadful as he had imagined...

"You're thinking about the beast tide, aren't you?" Li Shiren approached Li Zhirui, his presence unnoticed until now.

Having been around his nephew for many years, Li Shiren naturally understood Li Zhirui's nature. To put it nicely, he was cautious by nature; to put it bluntly, he worried unnecessarily.

Li Zhirui nodded, hoping to get some answers from Li Shiren.

"The other three families are all on the east side of Da Rong Island."

With just that one sentence, Li Zhirui understood.

With those three families attracting the fire, the beast tide faced by Da Rong Island naturally wouldn't be as frightening.

"Don't overthink it. Da Rong Island is a good place. Perhaps the family will have even better development there," Shiren reassured.

"It will!" Li Zhirui said with unwavering certainty. He believed that once they left behind the Beast Taming Sect, which exploited their family like "feudal landlords," the family would surely develop even better!

Seeing Li Zhirui so confident seemed to infect Li Shiren, and a radiant smile appeared on his face.

Perhaps the "Zhi" generation would really bring a bright future for the family. That's what Li Shiren hoped.