A Glorious Past

"So that was how it was. So that was what happened."

Wang Ping's gaze turned cold, and he clenched his fists.

Back when he had been in the Chat Group, Cai Yonglong had told him about the Transcendent Realm and the Spirit Clan.

He had simply never imagined that the Chi Clan Members were actually descendants of the Spirit Clan.

No wonder the Li Family had targeted the Chi Family. No wonder the Sword Spirit Sect Leader had been overjoyed upon learning about the people of Chi Village from him, directly crippling him, feeding him a Truth Pill, and extracting the information.

No wonder Li Huai killed only adults and spared the children. It was all because the Chi Family were Spirit Clan Descendants.

The Spirit Clan's bloodline was simply too powerful and precious. While it granted them immense potential, it also made them a sweet, tempting morsel.

If a family fell into decline and had no powerful experts to deter others, then once word leaked out, they would be in grave danger. Countless hungry wolves would pounce upon them, tear at them, and squeeze every last drop of value from their bloodline.

"But if the Chi Clan Members are from the Spirit Clan, why can't they break through beyond the Innate Realm? Perhaps there's another hidden reason."

Recalling some of the Chi Clan Members' other secrets, Wang Ping muttered to himself.

After all, they were Spirit Clan Descendants. Even if their bloodline had gradually thinned and their spirit blood no longer showed itself, they should not have fallen so low as to be unable to break through into the Spirit Origin Realm.

There had to be some other hidden truth that he did not know.

"Could it be that some powerful expert planted a secret art like a Bloodline Curse in them?"

As Wang Ping pondered, this possibility suddenly came to mind.

After all, this was a Xianxia World. The Li Family had previously obtained a miraculous secret art such as the Blood Demon Tracking Art, so possessing a technique like a Bloodline Curse was perfectly normal.

Based on his experience of having read widely, the likelihood that they had been afflicted with a secret art like a Bloodline Curse was over eighty percent.

No wonder the Village Chief had mockingly said that he could only produce a Profound Middle-Grade Cultivation Method.

The Chi Clan of old had likely been incomparably powerful, but they must have encountered some calamity, fallen into decline, and then been cursed with a vicious Bloodline Curse by their enemies.

In the end, a small portion of their clansmen had been forced to migrate to Great Xia, where they developed into a second-rate family in White Moon City. Yet they had still been destroyed by the Li Family and could only cower within Blackwind Forest, terrified of being discovered by the Li Family.

That way, everything could be explained.

"This really is a complicated past."

Wang Ping sighed softly.

No wonder the Village Chief always looked so frustrated and unfulfilled. With such a past and their current state of constant danger, it was only natural for him to be like that.

Only after Wang Ping displayed sufficient potential had the Village Chief valued him so highly. He was waiting for Wang Ping to fully mature, reach the Transcendent Realm, and protect these remaining clansmen.

Only someone at the Transcendent Realm could completely protect the people of Chi Village.

Otherwise, if the secret of their bloodline was discovered, any Spirit Origin Realm cultivator would go mad over it. Only Transcendent Realm experts would not care.

They would not even spare a glance for Spirit Clan Descendants whose bloodlines did not manifest.

Because once they reached the Spirit Embryo Realm, they could breed a powerful Spirit Clan of their own, become the Old Ancestor of the Spirit Clan, and look down upon an entire region.

"Now that I know these secrets, I have a way to avoid danger. Next, I can finally save Chi Village."

Wang Ping muttered to himself.

All he needed to do next was scatter the people of Chi Village across different places. That would reduce the odds of them being found to the lowest possible level.

After all, the Blood Demon Tracking Art could only trace places where large numbers of similar bloodlines gathered. It could not track an individual.

"Still, that is only the inferior strategy. The true way to preserve Chi Village is for me to become powerful enough to completely slaughter the entire Li Family and obtain the Blood Demon Tracking Art as well, preventing it from spreading."

Wang Ping clenched his fists, his gaze profound.

"Beyond that, the Sword Spirit Sect is also an enemy to me. I must prepare myself mentally for the possibility of facing it."

"Bai Tianhong..."

Wang Ping fell silent again.

After so many simulations, he actually had quite a favorable impression of Bai Tianhong.

His talent was astonishing. At merely twenty-five years old, he had already reached the Half-Step Spirit Origin Realm and comprehended Sword Intent.

To save a million people, he had used his Half-Step Spirit Origin Realm cultivation to directly confront the Seventh-Level Demon Beast, the Silver Moon Wolf. In the end, he heavily wounded and slew it, repelling the beast tide.

It could be said that in that battle, he had certainly risked his life.

Later on, he had emerged from seclusion for the common people, ended the war, overthrown the corrupt Great Xia, and brought peace to the land.

He was a genius sword cultivator, and also a righteous man of chivalry.

But he was a member of the Sword Spirit Sect.

Perhaps he was not cut from the same cloth as the Sword Spirit Sect Leader, but if Wang Ping faced the Sword Spirit Sect, a battle with him would likely be unavoidable.

"Forget it. There's no need to think too much about it. After all, it's difficult for me to interfere with the Wang Ping in the Life Simulation. He is practically self-aware; he can grow and change in personality. He is essentially me without the simulator. I cannot determine what the future will hold."

Wang Ping shook his head slightly and stopped dwelling on it.

No matter how things developed, he could learn it all through the Life Simulation. There was no need for him to agonize over it.

Then, Wang Ping stared at the screen once more, wanting to see how the following events would unfold.

As Wang Ping gazed at the screen again, words began to appear upon it once more.

While anger filled your heart, the Li Family Head expressed his hope that you would lead the other Third-Grade Alchemists in the family to use the bloodline of the Chi Clan Members they had collected to research the Pill Formula for the Blood Spirit Pill and refine Blood Spirit Pills. On the surface, you chose to agree.

Next, you claimed that you needed to enter seclusion to study the Pill Formula. One month later, you found an opportunity to gather all the Li Family higher-ups and announced that you had gained some insights. The Li Family higher-ups were all overjoyed. You raised a cup in celebration, declaring that you would bring the Li Family to the pinnacle of Great Xia.

The Li Family members happily echoed your words, their ambitions laid bare. They all raised their cups alongside you and drained them in one gulp. After the wine entered their stomachs, they sensed something was wrong, but it was already too late. They had been poisoned and could not move.

The Li Family Head looked at you in disbelief and demanded to know why you had poisoned them. You had no intention of wasting words and merely left in silence. Although Chi Village had shown you kindness, you had also spent many years in the Li Family and developed feelings for them. You could no longer bring yourself to kill them.

"Alas..."

Seeing this, Wang Ping sighed inwardly.

The simulated version of himself had likely struggled for a long time before making that decision.

After all, the captive Chi Clan Members had already lost their personhood. They were living a fate worse than death.

And the Wang Ping in the simulation had no ability to take them away.

As for helping the Li Family refine Blood Spirit Pills and continuing to lie low while developing himself, that was something he could not bring himself to do either.

Pretending that Blood Spirit Pills were difficult to refine in order to buy time would not work, either.

Moreover, even if he wanted to delay, he could not stall for long. People were made of flesh and blood. He might be able to temporarily suppress his emotions and use the Chi Clan Members' blood to research Blood Spirit Pills, preventing the Li Family from becoming suspicious.

But as time passed, the emotions he found difficult to suppress might be noticed by the Li Family. He might even suffer cultivation deviation while cultivating.