Chapter 1223: The Wagered Duel
The Sea Clan's attack was far too sudden, no one had anticipated it beforehand.
Moreover, the timing was perfect; as the Taixu Illusionary Realm had just begun to merge, everyone was immersed in joy, making them even less guarded.
However, the Sea Clan's intention was clear; they knew they couldn't compete with the Li family and Cave Abyss Sect in the battle for the Taixu Illusionary Realm, with the East Sea benefiting the least.
So, they came up with the idea of acquiring a portion of the benefitting sea area.
Judging by the Sea Clan's actions, it was certainly planned long in advance, waiting for the dust of the Taixu Illusionary Realm to settle before making their move immediately.
"Xiaoqing, go back to inform the family, let them lead the clan to fight against the Sea Clan. I'll take Cang and the others to the Ten Thousand Spirit Sea Area first."
With that, Li Zhirui swung his sleeve and flew eastward with all his might.
In such an urgent moment, he could not afford to hide his strength, streaking across the sky like a rainbow and disappearing instantly.
Xiaoqing also used his fastest speed, rushing towards Mount Wanxian.
In no more than an hour, Li Zhirui and Cang brought a group of clansmen who had just returned from the Mingshui Realm and landed on Wanling Island.
"Greetings, Ancestor Rui, and Green Cang Spirit Ancestor!" Li Yunliang hastily ran to pay his respects.
Meanwhile, another Individual Immortal guarding Wanling Island, Li Yunzhuang, had already led many clansmen to the battlefield.
"How is the situation in the outer sea area?" Li Zhirui asked directly.
"The situation is extremely unfavorable for us! Those forces in the outer sea area have always acted independently, and their strength is not strong. Moreover, the Sea Clan was well-prepared and struck suddenly, so as soon as the battle broke out, it became one-sided."
Li Yunliang said bitterly, "And by the time we received word, several forces had already been destroyed or abandoned their islands to flee."
"Now, half of the sea area is already in the hands of the Sea Clan. If it weren't for Brother Yunzhuang and the clansmen going to help, this line of defense might not have held."
"Is the situation really this dire?"
After listening, Li Zhirui also found it extremely tricky, his brows furrowed as his thoughts raced, hoping to devise a solution.
He had guessed the Sea Clan's intention: dissatisfied with the meager gains from the Taixu Illusionary Realm, they wanted to seize some sea areas but likely wouldn't want a bloody clash with the family.
But the problem was, the Sea Clan came too quickly and fiercely, and by the time they reacted, half of the outer sea area had already fallen into their hands.
With the family's current strength, can they reclaim this part of the sea from the Sea Clan?
After a brief consideration, Li Zhirui answered: Impossible!
Because the Sea Clan did not carry out a full-scale attack, their strength wasn't dispersed, and the Li family alone was no match for them.
"Jiu, the Sea Clan is coming aggressively, their intentions enormous; what should we do?" Cang asked worriedly.
His Divine Domain had already been partially occupied by the Sea Clan, and would he still control these areas in the future?
"We can only fight back with all our strength, perhaps there is still a slim chance."
A thought suddenly flashed in Li Zhirui's mind, "I do have an idea, but the cost is quite high."
"Jiu, please tell us; in this situation, what is there to fear about the cost?"
"Gamble with the Sea Clan!"
Li Zhirui said in a serious tone, "With the entire Ten Thousand Spirit Sea Area as a stake, engage in three battles of magic with the Sea Clan. The victor takes the whole sea area, and there should be no further invasions in the future."
This method was indeed bold!
If the Li family wins, they can regain the small part of the sea lost; but if they lose, the Ten Thousand Spirit Sea Area, crucial after years of management, would have to be relinquished to the Sea Clan.
"This..."
Cang couldn't make up his mind, unwilling to trap the entire family in adversity for his own selfish desires.
In his view, there was almost no hope of victory for the family in this gamble.
If, as Li Zhirui suggested, they fight the Sea Clan thrice, the family would probably win only his match, while the remaining two held little hope regardless of whom the Li family dispatched.
Jiang Fengwu, Da Qing, Xiaoqing, at most, were no more than late-stage individual immortals. The Sea Clan had numerous Water Devils, whose mana refined over thousands of years, had reached near extremes!
And most of the Sea Clan's mana was naturally vast and powerful, augmented by their refined mana, making their combat strength incomparable to ordinary individual immortals.
The only three human immortals in the family—apart from Li Zhirui, Li Zhixuan was training outside, Li Mingyao faced the same issue.
Cang voiced his concerns, "Don't let the family bear such a huge cost for me."
"You seem to forget, Shuo and Sheng, even though they are Star Gods and Divine Path Star Lords, they are also part of the family. Their strength may secure a win in one match too," Li Zhirui added.
"But if we lose, the price the family has to pay is immense! I'm worried..."
Cang was worried about being unable to stand within the family later on, even if other clansmen didn't blame him, he wouldn't be able to get past this hurdle in his heart.
"This is my decision, what does it have to do with you?"
Li Zhirui said earnestly, "Moreover, if we win this battle, the family will no longer suffer the Sea Clan's harassment in the future."
With these words, he took out the emergency contact method left by Li Chengsheng, a Fusang leaf imbued with the Sun's divine charm, activating its mana to trigger a response from the other side.
"Father activated the Fusang leaf?"