Bi Changchun
My god! Is that cool old man in the painting Bi Changchun? Are you kidding me? Do the Four Great Families have such a powerful guy? Is this really the Bi Changchun I know? He's a figure who's probably the most powerful in the entire Demon Ghost Domain!
"You... Brother Bi... Brother Bi, is Bi Changchun your ancestor?" Yue Qianchou tried his best to control his emotions, but he still stuttered a bit when he spoke.
"That's right." Bi Zicong looked at the portrait and asked in confusion, "My ancestor passed away more than two thousand years ago. Has Brother Yue heard of my ancestor?"
"Dead for over two thousand years? So it wasn't the same person after all. That scared me to death! No wonder, with such a terrifying figure around, the Four Great Families would have been running rampant in the Cultivation World long ago, why would they need to be so low-key?" Yue Qianchou breathed a sigh of relief, subconsciously wiping his forehead, and said, "No, no, I just happened to know someone with the same name as your ancestor. This person is still alive and well. By the way, who is Tan Xiu who left the inscription? Could he be an ancestor of the Tan family?"
He quickly changed the subject; he had no choice! The mere mention of Bi Changchun's name instilled fear in anyone. Those who didn't know him were unaware of his terrifying power. For example, at today's auction, he had only vaguely borrowed Bi Changchun's prestige, yet it had silenced the number one sect of both the Righteous Path and demonic paths. Impressive!
Bi Zicong hesitated for a moment, unsure if he could say it. He glanced back at Wu Sihai and saw that the latter nodded slightly in agreement. He then smiled and said, "He is indeed Tan Fei's ancestor, and he is of the same generation as my ancestor. Tan Fei's ancestor was a master painter. He painted four of the same paintings, which are enshrined in the ancestral halls of our Four Great Families."
"A fine painting, a fine painting. Since he is Brother Bi's ancestor, I, as a junior, should offer incense to express my respect." Yue Qianchou smiled as he took the incense from his hand, lit it on the incense table, and then bowed three times on the prayer mat before offering incense.
Wu Sihai, standing to the side, looked at the portrait and then at Yue Qianchou, his brows furrowing. After Yue Qianchou finished offering incense, he suddenly said in a deep voice, "Yue Qianchou, where is that person you mentioned who shares the same name as the Bi family ancestor?"
Yue Qianchou had just turned around when he heard this, his face stiffened, and he said with an awkward smile, "I can't remember either, it seems to be in some remote and desolate place. Old man, why are you asking this?"
Wu Sihai stared at him with a flickering gaze, finally shifting his attention to the portrait and leisurely saying, "The Bi family ancestor was a prodigy, born a Rogue Cultivator. When he was over two hundred years old, his cultivation had reached the late Tribulation Transcendence stage Realm. His profound skills were unparalleled in the misunderstood the Heavenly Dao from the Heavenly Dao. Such talent should have made him famous in the Cultivation World, but he disliked showing off. Therefore, few people in the Cultivation World knew the name of Bi Changchun. Even those who did know were his defeated opponents, so they probably wouldn't have made a fuss about it. And now they are all gone."
"Truly a talent!" Yue Qianchou praised the portrait, his heart pounding. Could this Bi Changchun really be the that Bi Changchun? He scratched his head and asked, "Grandpa, what do you mean by telling me all this?"
Bi Zicong and the others also looked at Wu Sihai, wondering what he meant by suddenly saying that.
"Yue Qianchou, you must have heard a rumor as well?" Wu Sihai asked.
Yue Qianchou was taken aback and asked, "What rumor?"
"It is said that the Tan, Jing, and Tan, Jing, Wu families originated from the Bi family. I can tell you clearly that this rumor is true. Our ancestors were the constant attendants of the Bi family ancestor, always by his side and obeying his orders. You could say that our ancestors were disciples of the Bi family ancestor. Unfortunately, the Bi family ancestor's profound skills were all comprehended from the Heavenly Dao, unlike the current Cultivation World's method of accumulating Spiritual Qi over many years to improve cultivation. It can be said that he forged a different path in the path of cultivation, which cannot be learned just by saying so. He can point you in the right direction, but in the end, it still depends on your own enlightenment. Once you understand it, your cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, in the past two thousand years, no one from our three families, including the Bi clan family, has had such enlightenment!" Wu Sihai shook his head and sighed.
"There's such a method of cultivation?" Yue Qianchou exclaimed in astonishment. He wondered if it was similar to the legendary enlightenment from his previous life? Could one achieve sudden enlightenment and ascend to immortality in broad daylight?
Wu Sihai nodded and sighed, "When the Bi family ancestor turned three hundred, he suddenly dismissed our three families, ordering them to establish their own sects in the Cultivation World and support each other. He said he had suddenly gained enlightenment and was about to retreat into seclusion to cultivate and withdraw from worldly affairs. Our three families obeyed his orders, but the Cultivation World is a dog-eat-dog world, and it was extremely difficult to establish ourselves. So, within a few days, the Bi family ancestor flew all over the country, secretly challenging the leaders and top experts of the Ten Great Sects of the Righteous Path and demonic paths. He forced them to swear a poisonous oath within three moves to keep the secret and to bind their disciples from provoking the Four Great Families without cause during their lifetimes. It was because of this that our Four Great Families gained the opportunity to start developing and became the Four Great Families we are today."
Bi Zicong and his companions were filled with pride upon hearing this, their descendants benefiting from their ancestors' shrewd methods. Yue Qianchou, however, was utterly shocked. The Ten Great Sects were teeming with hidden masters, their number far exceeding what outsiders could estimate, not to mention the numerous Law Treasure they possessed. He had personally experienced the Qingguang Sect firsthand. Yet, not a single Ten Great Sects from Righteous and Demonic paths could withstand three moves from Bi Changchun! Heavens! What incredible skill! How formidable they must have been back then!
Yue Qianchou swallowed hard and said, "It's a pity that none of the Four Great Families could inherit the profound skills of the Bi family ancestor. It's such a pity, such a pity!"
"How easy is it to comprehend it!" Wu Sihai shook his head and said, "It's precisely because of the word 'difficult' that our Four Great Families, in order to maintain their current status, have no choice but to accumulate cultivation through Spiritual Qi, just like other cultivators. Otherwise, the Four Great Families would have long since vanished."
Yue Qianchou sighed for a moment, then suddenly said, "Grandpa, this is a secret of your Four Great Families. Why are you telling me, an outsider?"
"Because you just said you know someone named Bi Changchun, I want to know where he is," Wu Sihai said, staring at him.
Yue Qianchou chuckled and said, "I do know such a person, but you don't think he's the same person as the Bi family ancestor? Do you really think anyone can live for over two thousand years?"
The others agreed with Yue Qianchou's words and looked at Wu Sihai with suspicion.
"Very likely!" Wu Sihai nodded seriously.
Yue Qianchou's heart pounded. He was almost certain it was the same person; otherwise, how could there be two such powerful figures, sharing the same name? The odds were practically nonexistent. But he still feigned disbelief, because he really didn't want such a terrifying figure to be used by someone else; the thought made him uncomfortable. Bi Zicong and the others were also skeptical.
Wu Sihai sighed, "After the Four Great Families had stabilized their initial situation, the Bi family ancestor summoned the four of them together and told them that he was very likely to break through to the legendary Spirit Transformation stage. However, the Great Dao is ruthless, and one must sever worldly ties and free one's mind from distractions in order to cultivate in peace. He instructed the four of them to support each other in the future, and that he would no longer concern himself with worldly affairs, telling them to take care of themselves. With that, the Bi family ancestor drifted away and disappeared without a trace..."
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