Family Cemetery

Li Tan casually waved his hand, signaling a maid to clean up the area.

His eyes were filled with indifference, as if the previous scene was merely an insignificant trifle.

Arriving at the east side of the courtyard, many exquisitely packaged gifts were haphazardly piled up, varying in color and shape.

Perhaps they all wanted to demonstrate the uniqueness of their gifts; some were ornate and dignified, others strangely shaped, and some were even just simple cloth bags.

Li Tan casually flipped through them; aside from some fools who sent expensive silks, the other packages uniformly contained Spirit Stones.

The Spirit Stones shimmered with dazzling luster, appearing quite enchanting under the sunlight.

The simplest-looking cloth bag, however, contained the most Spirit Stones, which was truly peculiar.

Li Tan lifted the cloth bag with his right hand, and Spirit Stones spilled out through the gaps, revealing a slip of paper.

It clearly read: "Wang Longzhi"

....

Soon after, Li Tan collected all the Spirit Stones from the area, roughly estimating them to be around 150,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Upon arriving at this number, he couldn't help but frown.

This was far less than he had anticipated, considering that the people who sent gifts this time comprised the entire Li Family.

There were quite a few wealthy individuals among them; could it be that his previous 'harvest' had caused some dissatisfaction among the disciples?

"But what does that matter? The standard for measuring status has never been just reputation, but one's own cultivation."

Li Tan merely glanced at the valuable silks before casually bestowing them upon his subordinates.

As for why the Li Family disciples would jump into a trap they knew Li Tan had set, how could there be so many fools in this world?

After two Grand Competitions, his accumulated reputation and combat power were undeniable, proving that he was the top among the Li Family disciples.

However, the disciples within the Family faced many problems.

"As the future Second Elder of the Li Family, should we flatter him in advance?"

"Li Tan achieved such glory in this Grand Competition, should we congratulate him?"

"Or, Li Tan was almost assassinated by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and nearly died in Yellow Springs, should we bring gifts and observe?"

And for those elite disciples who had already been extorted by Li Tan last time, would they grit their teeth and send congratulatory gifts again, just to leave a deeper impression on Li Tan?

In truth, there aren't so many complexities; at its core, it's merely due to the Family's system. For the weaker disciples, the Family system is entirely a restriction, while for the latter, it's the opposite.

There are always those who want to overthrow certain systems, but if those Elders don't get their share of the cake, how could they let the disciples below them have an easy time?

The reason a corrupt system can persist is not because the disciples below live well; it's simply because those incompetent Elders are lining their own pockets, yet externally, they become the Family's reputation and prestige, and within the main Family, they are euphemistically called: "Elders"!

A faint smile played on Li Tan's face, his thoughts a chaotic jumble.

Transitioning from a former victim to a current exploiter had taught him many truths.

It wasn't the Family that was corrupt, but only a few individuals...

.............

"The time has come. Should I refuse, variables might arise again."

Thinking of this, Li Tan no longer hesitated and went straight to the Family graveyard.

Before departing, he first disturbed Li Yong, using the excuse of paying respects to his parents, and successfully obtained his permission.

The journey was unimpeded; no short-sighted disciples blocked his path.

After a long while, Li Tan arrived at the so-called elite disciples' graveyard. Aside from being more refined, there was nothing particularly special about it.

"I thought the Family specially divided the two graveyards for a significant reason! I didn't expect it was merely to distinguish status."

Li Tan's face was full of disdain, and he scoffed at the Family's actions.

They were categorized into different classes even in life, and even after death, they weren't allowed peace, forcefully branded with a label.

Entering the graveyard, the winding paths stretched endlessly, and the entire space was incredibly vast.

In front of each coffin stood a stone tablet, recording the glory and experiences of the deceased during their lifetime.

The chillingly dim environment and the occasional gusts of cold wind seemed to whisper of the eerie nature of this place.

Li Tan slowly walked along the graveyard path, observing his surroundings to prevent any unexpected guests from suddenly appearing.

A moment later, as expected, there was no one to be found in such a desolate place.

As Li Tan ventured deeper, the graveyard's tranquility and serenity made him uneasy; there were no vibrant flowers, no resilient small grasses, only extreme silence.

This silence felt like an eternal Domain, where the passage of time was imperceptible, and the concept of perception was lost.

Time slowly passed, and the graveyard remained as quiet and desolate as before.

Li Tan immediately stopped hesitating and looked at the stone tablet beside him.

"Li Weidu, male, aged 59, cultivation at Qi Layer eight."

Just one glance, and Li Tan quickly shook his head. The reason was simple: his cultivation was too low.

"Li Yinghe, female, aged 32, cultivation at Qi Layer seven."

"Li Jiatu, male, aged 28, cultivation at Qi Layer ten."

After continuously observing dozens of tombstones, the highest cultivation found was only Qi Layer eleven; not even a Peak Qi Cultivator could be found, let alone a Building Foundation.

Li Tan had originally thought that in this elite disciples' graveyard, cultivation would generally be profound, and Building Foundation corpses would be as common as cabbages due to years of accumulation.

"It seems as long as you're born into a good Family, you don't need to worry about resources. It truly makes others envious."

Li Tan's pace quickened slightly, his eyes swiftly scanning each stone tablet, showing an Aura that he wouldn't stop until he found what he was looking for today.

After an unknown amount of time, a stone tablet on the west side caught his attention.

This tablet was entirely cast from more expensive silver, and its height was also slightly taller by ten feet, signifying the extraordinary life of the person it commemorated.

"Li Kuiyuan, male, aged 152, cultivation at Building Foundation Layer two, once served as the Ninth Elder within the Li Family...."

The content recorded on the silver tablet made Li Tan's eyes light up even more, and he eagerly rubbed his hands together.

He looked around, left and right, and finding no one coming to sweep the grave, he let loose and kicked the coffin lid flying.

As the coffin lid flew off, damp, decaying air quickly filled his nostrils, and the scene before him made Li Tan's eyes widen!

"Empty!"

"How could it be empty! This is impossible...."

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Tan suddenly seemed to realize something and abruptly looked at the coffin beside him!

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, dust billowed, and the coffin lid fell, but inside, it was still empty!

"Empty!"

"Empty!"

"Still empty!"

He opened more than ten coffins in a row, but the result was always the same.

"Hahahahaha, what a man-eating Li Family, not even a corpse is left!"

Li Tan clutched his head, bursting into laughter, appearing quite deranged.

It was clear that the entire graveyard was empty! There were no corpses left; they were probably all taken to be refined into evil arts!

"What a way to keep wealth within the Family. How is this Li Family any different from the Demonic Path?"