No wonder the clan elders were so desperate to find that surviving member of the clan's Innate Dao Body bloodline. The Ye Imperial Clan had originally wanted to create an Innate Dao Body Sacred Fetus.
The Innate Dao Body Sacred Fetus was a legendary supreme physique. It was said that during the First Heaven and Earth Cataclysm, someone had attained the Great Emperor's realm with this physique. In that ancient Golden Prosperous Era, he had ranged across the world, unmatched by any rival.
This was unquestionably a supreme physique with the potential to reach the Emperor Realm. It could very well allow the Ye Imperial Clan to produce another Emperor Realm existence. Its importance to the Ye Imperial Clan went without saying.
If he could find this Innate Dao Body and present it to the Ye Imperial Clan, the rewards would be vast beyond measure. They might even allow the Li Clan Ancient Clan to rise in one leap to become the Eastern Continent's foremost Ancient Clan.
The Heaven and Earth Cataclysm did indeed bring great opportunities, but it came with great risks as well. Which of those ancient Secret Realms hadn't been accompanied by bloodshed and mountains of corpses?
The Li Clan Ancient Clan had risen during the Third Heaven and Earth Cataclysm. Though it had weathered several Heaven and Earth Cataclysms, its overall strength still ranked only among the Top Ten Ancient Clans across the entire Eastern Continent.
It wasn't that the Li Clan Ancient Clan had failed to gain great opportunities during those several Heaven and Earth Cataclysms. Rather, competition in the Secret Realms that truly harbored ancient Immortal Treasures had been too fierce.
The Li Clan Ancient Clan wasn't truly first-rate among the Ancient Clans of the Eastern Continent. When faced with the genuinely top-tier Ancient Clans there, it was no match for them.
A thousand years ago, the Fifth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm arrived, ushering in a Golden Prosperous Era for the Li Clan Ancient Clan. Several extraordinary, peerless talents emerged among the younger generation.
But over an ancient Secret Realm, they fell into a dispute with the Ancient Clan ranked third in the Eastern Continent. The two sides fought a great war, and the Li Clan Ancient Clan's Golden Generation was wiped out to the last. That showed just how great the risks were.
Now, finding this Innate Dao Body would bring the Li Clan Ancient Clan a boost far greater than all it had accumulated through several Heaven and Earth Cataclysms.
With the Ye Ancient Clan as its backing, even those top-tier Ancient Clans of the Eastern Continent would show them some respect for the sake of the Ye Imperial Clan. They wouldn't dare offend them lightly.
After weighing the pros and cons, Li Wencheng could barely contain his joy. But then he remembered how they had searched for an entire month without finding the slightest clue. It was like fishing for a needle in the ocean, and the excitement in his eyes vanished in an instant.
"Third Brother, we don't have the slightest lead. Searching like this is like fishing for a needle in the ocean. When will we ever find this Innate Dao Body?"
"The opportunity offered by the Ye Imperial Clan is certainly tempting, but right now it looks just like the moon in the sky—visible, yet out of reach."
Hearing Li Wencheng's complaint, the young man in green robes remained unmoved. "Wencheng, you're always in such a hurry. The clan's disciples have all left the Mystic Realm to search the Eastern Continent for this Innate Dao Body. Why do you think your great-grandfather repeatedly insisted that you come with me?"
Li Wencheng froze. He remembered the great-grandfather who doted on him most in the clan. As he left the Mystic Realm, the old man had repeatedly urged him to search for the Innate Dao Body together with Third Brother.
Back then, he had thought his great-grandfather was worried he might run into danger in the Eastern Continent, and that traveling with Third Brother, the strongest of the younger generation, would keep him safe. Now that he thought about it, his great-grandfather must have had another reason for arranging things this way.
"Third Brother, stop keeping me in suspense. Do you really have a way to find this Innate Dao Body?"
Li Wencheng gazed at the young man in green robes before him, his eyes burning with anticipation.
The young man in green robes took a crystal-clear, blood-red bead from his chest. It looked like a blooming rose. He explained to Li Wencheng, "Wencheng, I'm the undisputed king of the Li Clan Ancient Clan's younger generation, and you're the child your great-grandfather dotes on most."
"This Innate Physique is of the utmost importance. If some ordinary clan disciple finds it, then with the Ye Imperial Clan's support, he might soar like a dragon on the wind. When that happens, our main branch's position as the sole authority could be in danger."
"This is the Blood Jade Bead. It contains a drop of Li Changqing's essence blood. That surviving wretch is Li Changqing's descendant. With this Blood Jade Bead, I can sense the Innate Dao Body's presence within a ten-mile radius."
"With the Blood Jade Bead, all we need to do is search patiently. This Innate Dao Body will surely fall into our hands."
The Blood Jade Bead! Li Wencheng was familiar with it. The closer the bloodlines, the stronger the Blood Jade Bead's response.
But more than ten years ago, the clan had undergone great upheaval. Only two or three little fish remained from that sinful line. Its core members had long since died.
"Third Brother, wasn't Li Changqing executed by the Judgment Divine Envoy more than ten years ago for traveling to the Eastern Continent in his Gods' form and violating the Judgment Department's rules? Why is there still some of Li Changqing's essence blood in this Blood Jade Bead?"
"Hahahaha."
The young man in green robes laughed aloud before explaining, "Wencheng, this is where our Clan Leader's brilliance lies. Li Changqing was only seized by the Judgment Department and taken to the Heavenly Court, where he was locked up in the Heavenly Prison. He wasn't killed at all. Our Clan Leader merely deceived the elders of the other branches."
"Our Clan Leader truly is an unparalleled schemer. Without his foresight, we might not have this advantage today."
A flicker of doubt crossed Li Wencheng's eyes. "Third Brother, the Blood Jade Bead can sense things within a ten-mile radius, but the Eastern Continent spans well over a million miles. Even if we search like this, it'll still be harder than climbing to heaven."
"If it were really that difficult, do you think your great-grandfather would have had you search for the Innate Dao Body with me?"
The young man in green robes rose and went to the pavilion's railing. He looked down at the Great River surging east beneath them, excitement glinting in his eyes.
"Wencheng, there's something you don't know. Back then, when the Clan Leader discovered Li Changqing's whereabouts, it was in the Primordial Ancient Forest."
"For a thousand miles around the Primordial Ancient Forest, there are no people. The only mortal dynasties nearby are Great Wei and Dali. If Li Changqing truly hid the Innate Dao Body among ordinary people, those two countries are the likeliest places."
"For an entire month, we've searched every inch of Great Wei. If the Innate Dao Body were really in Great Wei, the Blood Jade Bead would have sensed it."
"Based on my deductions, Li Changqing most likely hid this Innate Dao Body among the common folk of Dali."
"As long as we search every inch of Dali carefully, we're sure to find this Innate Dao Body."
Li Changqing had been captured in the Primordial Ancient Forest? No wonder Third Brother could be certain that the Innate Dao Body would be in either Great Wei or the Great Li Dynasty.
The Primordial Ancient Forest was a mysterious and sinister place. It was said that the Yellow Spring flowed beneath its trees, and not a trace of life could be found within the forest.
Anyone who stepped inside, whether a Peerless Powerhouse or someone with heaven-reaching abilities, would be slowly corroded by the power of the Yellow Spring. All they could do was watch helplessly as their Lifespan was stripped away.
It was precisely because the Yellow Spring was said to flow beneath it that not a trace of life could be found within a thousand miles.
Li Changqing had a Gods' form. Unless a Heaven and Earth Cataclysm had occurred, the Judgment Department's rules forbade Gods from appearing in the Eastern Continent.
To evade the Judgment Department's pursuit, Li Changqing surely wouldn't dare use his Divine Power. Otherwise, the Judgment Divine Envoy could easily sense him, and his whereabouts would be exposed.
But in an ordinary mortal body, he couldn't cross the void. The nearest mortal countries to the Primordial Ancient Forest were Great Wei and Dali.
"Third Brother, there's no time to lose. Let's hurry to Dali! The sooner we find this Innate Dao Body, the sooner our Li Clan Ancient Clan can become the Eastern Continent's foremost Ancient Clan."
With that, he paid no heed to the young man in green robes. He leapt straight down from the seventh floor of Wangxian Tower, then flew toward Dali.
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