"Damn it, I wasted 0.4 of my life force overnight. If only I'd ignored it," Ji Yang muttered, regretting the loss.
He glanced at the nearby corpse of the late-stage Blood Coagulation Realm's Giant Tiger. Surely, it wouldn't have skimped on the supply of Qi and spiritual power?
Meanwhile, Chen Xingzhen finally snapped out of his thoughts and turned his gaze back to Ji Yang---more specifically, to the locust leaves on Ji Yang's branch.
As the Clan Chief, Chen Xingzhen knew that not every leaf had the same remarkable effects. Besides, the Divine Tree was still in its infancy, its divine power uncertain. Negotiating with the tree was necessary, even if it felt uncomfortable.
This matter concerned the survival of their clan.
Chen Xingzhen turned to look at the other two beasts that Chen Qingyu had hunted. Without hesitation, he decided to sacrifice the giant tiger.
As for the remaining golden beast, it would serve as food for the clan.
"Good, they know their place," he remarked.
Seeing Chen Xingzhen sacrifice the giant tiger, Ji Yang nodded inwardly and quickly absorbed the blood from the tiger's body.
Indeed, the late-stage Blood Coagulation Realm beast had an abundance of Qi. Ji Yang felt his life force increase rapidly.
After a short while, Ji Yang had absorbed everything. When he checked his status bar again, the numbers had changed:
[Qi and Blood: 20 (can be converted into Qi)]
[Spiritual Energy: 6]
The tiger had contributed a remarkable 20 points of Qi and 5 points of spiritual power, far surpassing all previous beasts.
Now that he had enough points for insight, Ji Yang was faced with a choice. Instead of insight, he decided to convert all of his Qi into life force.
Before, he lacked the means to significantly strengthen the Chen Clan. But now, with the One-Leaf Barrier and the Reversal Elixir, he could temporarily increase their strength.
What he needed now wasn't more techniques or skills, but a considerable amount of Qi. After all, both types of abilities required it, and the consumption was considerable.
Moreover, after learning about the effects of the One-Leaf Barrier, Chen Xingzhen undoubtedly formulated some plans. His next step would probably be to seek out Ji Yang.
With the urgent matter of resolving the Li Clan crisis, the importance of the absorbed Qi became even more pronounced.
As expected, Chen Xingzhen soon approached Ji Yang. Half an hour later, he left the ancestral hall with a solemn and determined expression on his face.
It was time to settle things with the Li Clan.
Shortly after, several Blood Coagulation Realm warriors from the Chen clan, accompanied by some mid-stage body tempering cultivators, gathered in the clan's meeting room.
Inside the ancestral hall, Ji Yang directly converted the recently acquired Qi into life force. His original 16.3 Qi jumped to 26.3, a substantial increase of ten points.
Unfortunately, these ten additional points didn't sprout new branches on Ji Yang, but they did extend the underground roots by several meters.
Ji Yang felt that this increase was smaller than the previous ones. Ji Yang pondered whether his previous weakness had amplified the effect of each Qi point.
Nevertheless, the increase in Qi continued to improve Ji Yang's condition. Even the leaves on his branches seemed greener.
Ji Yang found it difficult to assess the situation, but a little more green wouldn't hurt.
The next morning, a fine drizzle fell from the sky, the raindrops pattering on Ji Yang's exposed robinia leaves with a soft "drip-drip" sound.
Outside the ancestral hall, the members of the Chen Clan continued their patrols with unwavering diligence, undeterred by the changing weather.
Despite recent worries, determination was now etched on their faces.
As the afternoon approached, the already sparse Chen Clan members seemed even scarcer.
By nightfall, only a few dim lanterns illuminated the area.
Inside the Li Clan compound:
Listening to his subordinates' daily reports, Li Yongcheng's calm expression showed a hint of anxiety.
When he heard about the Chen Clan's situation earlier, Li Yongcheng's brow furrowed further.
"When did this happen?" he asked patiently.
The subordinate hesitated before replying, "Elder, it happened around noon today. Many of the Chen Clan members disappeared, and we saw no sign of them until evening. The exits were clear; no one from the Chen clan left."
"We considered investigating further, but we were afraid of running into an ambush set up by the Chens.
Listening to the reports from his clansmen, Li Yongcheng quickly spun the Bodhi Bead in his hand, his mind racing to analyze the reasons behind the current situation.
Suddenly, Li Yongcheng's entire body froze, and he crushed the Bodhi Bead into powder.
"Trouble! It's a trap!"
"I should have realized this earlier. The Chen family shouldn't have been so calm, and they shouldn't have broken through the blockade just once. There must be another way out."
"Now that they know they can't compete with our clan, they've likely used the tunnel."
Regret filled Li Yongcheng's face as he muttered to himself. Perhaps he should have listened to the other clansmen and taken decisive action by charging directly into the tunnel.
However, he quickly regained his composure. Even if the Chen family had escaped through the tunnel, they probably hadn't gone too far. They would probably be moving slowly, taking their elderly and young family members with them.
Li Yongcheng decided to find the Chen family's tunnel and follow them. There was still time.
Upon hearing the reports, Li Yongcheng immediately called out to the nearby clan members.
"Quickly! Gather all clan members at or above the mid-stage of the Body Tempering Realm outside! Prepare to attack the Chen Clan!"
The news spread quickly, and many Li Clan members, though confused, quickly gathered when they heard about the attack on the Chen Clan that night.
In no time, about thirty people had gathered in the Li Clan hall. At the forefront stood several Blood Coagulation Realm warriors, including three individuals with particularly rich blood energy---the three late-stage Blood Coagulation Realm experts within the clan.
With such a formidable line-up, dealing with the Chen family seemed more than feasible.
"Yongcheng, why the urgency today? Didn't we agree to wait two more days before taking action?" asked a middle-aged man, his expression puzzled
"Uncle Wu, one of our clansmen just reported that something is wrong with the Chen family. I suspect they have a secret tunnel," Li Yongcheng explained.
Uncle Wu nodded upon hearing Li Yongcheng's explanation. "If that's the case, we can't afford any delay."
No more words were exchanged.
Soon, the group set off in a determined march toward the Chen Clan's hideout.