Regardless of whether Qiuyue was an Innate Dao Body, Ye Jing was increasingly certain that her origins were likely extraordinary.
It wasn't only Ye Jing who thought so. The higher someone's cultivation, the more likely their children were to be born with exceptional talent.
According to ancient records, since the six Heaven and Earth Cataclysms, there had been 103 cases of special physiques born in the Canglan Domain alone.
Every one of these special physiques had been born into a great family or clan. Their parents were all figures who had reached the Peak of Humanity, and some were even Gods of Heaven and Earth.
Ye Jing had no doubts about this claim, because the current Great Li Imperial Family was exactly such a case.
Ever since the first Emperor Li broke through to become a God of Heaven and Earth, his descendants had awakened the power of their bloodline. With that power, the Great Li Imperial Clan had produced generation after generation of talented people.
But more than a thousand years had passed, and Great Li had produced no new God of Heaven and Earth. The bloodline power of the Great Li Imperial Family had grown weaker by the day, and by now, it had produced no one of any real talent.
That was the true root cause of Great Li's decline.
Of course, some special physiques had risen from humble beginnings, but such cases were exceedingly rare and could not be used as a reference.
Still, Ye Jing was cautious by nature and always considered the worst-case scenario.
If Qiuyue's ancestors had all been ordinary people, that would be a great blessing. He would only need to nurture Qiuyue, and with her talent, she would soon become a figure of transcendent power.
But if Qiuyue came from an Ancient Clan or great family, things would be troublesome.
Children of these Ancient Clans and great families had their aptitude tested from birth and were nurtured from a young age.
With Qiuyue's talent, whether or not she was an Innate Dao Body, she was unquestionably a prodigy of the highest order.
Even among the Ancient Clans and great families, someone like her would be nurtured as a foundation for the clan's legacy the moment she was discovered. How could she possibly have been abandoned?
Ye Jing could only think of two possibilities: either Qiuyue's parents had been forced into a desperate situation, or there had been infighting within the family, and they had abandoned her among ordinary people to save her life.
Neither possibility was one Ye Jing wanted to see.
Ye Jing's expression grew grave. All these years, Qiuyue's parents had never come looking for her. They had presumably already met with misfortune.
Perhaps things were even worse than he imagined.
Today, he had broken through to the Grandmaster Realm and comprehended the Time Domain. Ye Jing believed that even across all of Great Li, he could certainly be considered a figure of note.
He had been feeling rather pleased with himself that morning, but when he imagined the plight Qiuyue might face in the future, he felt an increasing urgency and yearned ever more for greater strength.
He roused Qiuyue from her cultivation and, his face grave, instructed her, "Qiuyue, don't show your cultivation in front of anyone but me."
It was the first time Qiuyue had seen Ye Jing give her such a stern warning. Though she didn't understand why, she still nodded belatedly and replied, "I understand, Young Master."
Void Mountain, Taixu Profound Realm.
On the East Sea Shore stood a towering mountain called Void Mountain. It rose tens of thousands of zhang high and was said to be a pillar connecting to the Heaven's Ruins.
At its summit stood a giant tree hundreds of zhang wide, its canopy blotting out the sky and sun.
The Taixu Profound Realm lay in the void above its canopy, opened by the ancestors of the Li Clan Ancient Clan through a Great Divine Ability.
Within the Taixu Profound Realm, ancient pines stood strong, clouds churned like a sea, immortal cranes circled overhead, spiritual beasts roamed everywhere, and fragrant medicinal herbs filled the air.
Compared with Great Li's barren spiritual energy, this place was abundant in it—a truly excellent place for cultivation.
Amid the sea of clouds, three immortal mountains appeared and disappeared from view. The central peak was the tallest, while the two beside it were slightly lower. The entire Li Clan Ancient Clan lived among these three peaks.
The tallest central peak was where the main branch of the Li Clan Ancient Clan resided. Palaces and pavilions stood everywhere across its slopes.
One of these magnificent and splendid palace complexes gleamed like a treasure. It was called Celestial Pivot, and it was where the Clan Leader of the Li Clan Ancient Clan lived.
In the Celestial Pivot Hall, the clan elders of the Li Clan Ancient Clan, rarely seen together, had all gathered. Above the jade steps, the Li Clan's Clan Leader, Li Tianchen, sat in a chair.
He scanned the gathered figures in the hall. Seeing that the elders were silent, he spoke first.
"Elders, what do you think?"
An elder with white hair and a grizzled beard glanced at Li Tianchen before asking cautiously, "Clan Leader, that child is really still alive?"
"That's right. This morning, that remnant's Life Tablet lit up once again in the Ancestral Hall, so I summoned you all here to discuss what to do."
"That brat, Li Changqing, thought that by hiding his daughter among ordinary people, he could evade the family Life Tablet's detection and escape the clan's search."
"He never would have dreamed that his daughter would eventually embark on the path of cultivation and be detected by the clan's Life Tablet."
A trace of anger flashed through Li Tianchen's eyes. Fifteen years ago, Li Changqing had escaped his grasp, earning him punishment from the Ye Imperial Clan and nearly costing him his life.
Even though he had eventually captured Li Changqing himself, they had never found the Innate Dao Body the Ye Imperial Clan wanted most.
Now that the Innate Dao Body had reappeared, if he could find her and offer her to the Ye Imperial Clan, he might regain their trust.
Hearing Li Tianchen confirm it, the elders in the hall could no longer sit still. They spoke up one after another.
"Clan Leader, what are we waiting for? Fifteen years ago, if that Criminal Branch hadn't offended the Ye Imperial Clan, our Li Clan Ancient Clan would nearly have been wiped out by them."
"Fortunately, you stepped in and suppressed the former Clan Leader and the Criminal Branch, averting the danger of our clan's destruction."
"Exactly, Clan Leader. What is there to hesitate about? If we offer that Innate Dao Body to the Ye Imperial Clan, our Li Clan Ancient Clan will surely soar to great heights. It may even be possible to recreate the prosperous age of our ancestors!"
"That's right, Clan Leader. Exchanging one mere descendant of the Criminal Branch for a thousand years of prosperity for our Li Clan Ancient Clan is surely the most worthwhile bargain in the world."
"Enough noise."
Li Tianchen gave a soft snort, resonant as a great bell. The entire hall fell silent at once.
"I know. Naturally, we must capture that remnant. But she is among ordinary people. If a God of Heaven and Earth appeared in the mortal world, the Judgment Divine Envoy would discover them at once."
"What's more, Old Monster Wang is stationed in White Emperor City on the East Sea Shore, forbidding anyone above the level of Gods from entering the Eastern Continent."
Hearing Li Tianchen's words, the gathered clan elders finally calmed down. That was true: with Old Monster Wang stationed on the East Sea Shore, how many Gods would dare enter the Eastern Continent?
What's more, according to rumor, Old Monster Wang was the reincarnation of a great figure from the Heavenly Court. Even the Ye Imperial Clan might not dare violate his taboo.
"By the way, Clan Leader, that remnant must be somewhere in the Eastern Continent. Although Gods of Heaven and Earth aren't allowed to enter the mortal world there, we can send our clan's younger generation."
"The Eastern Continent is vast, but our Li Clan Ancient Clan has plenty of descendants. If we spend enough time, we'll surely find her."
Before you continue