Li Yiting had never imagined that the prodigy who had effortlessly defeated him would come from the secular world he had looked down on.
He had made a name for himself at a young age. Several years ago, he had been defeated by a young member of the Ye Imperial Clan, and his Dao Heart had crumbled.
But how powerful was the Ye Clan? Ever since the Heaven and Earth Cataclysms, they had stood alone above all others in the Eastern Continent. Even an ordinary member of their clan was far beyond comparison with anyone else.
Yet the person before him came from the secular world. Li Yiting found that utterly impossible to accept.
The secular world was already poor in resources, and it had few profound cultivation methods. How could such a barren place nurture a prodigy like this?
A prodigy of this caliber would be rare even among all the Ancient Clans of the Eastern Continent, Li Yiting guessed—not to mention the Ye Imperial Clan, which stood above the entire continent.
Ye Jing showed no sign of being moved by the panic on Li Yiting's face. He raised a finger, and a sharp strand of Innate Sword Qi burst from its tip, annihilating Li Yiting's body from heaven and earth.
After dealing with Li Yiting, Ye Jing took another instant step and appeared before Qiuyue.
Having witnessed the battle and seen his Third Brother die a horrible death, Li Wencheng was filled with terror. When he saw Ye Jing appear before him, his face turned deathly pale.
"You... If you come any closer, I... I'll kill this woman."
Li Wencheng grabbed Qiuyue, who had long since fallen unconscious, intending to threaten Ye Jing.
A trace of coldness flashed in Ye Jing's eyes. With a casual swing, a strand of Sword Qi lopped off the Ancient Clan disciple's head.
"What a lot of nonsense. If you'd killed Qiuyue during the fight just now, you might have taken us both down."
"You're only a Grandmaster, yet you think you can kill someone within ten feet of a Great Grandmaster? That's harder than climbing to heaven."
After eliminating the other Ancient Clan disciple, Ye Jing used the Innate Sword Qi in his body to annihilate the corpse. Once he had made sure no trace remained, he quietly left with Qiuyue in his arms.
In the Taixu Profound Realm, inside the Tianshu Hall of the Li Clan Ancient Clan.
Robust laughter echoed through the Tianshu Hall, lingering without end. Wearing a broad smile, Li Tianchen addressed the many elders gathered in the hall.
"Elders, I've just received a Message Jade Slip from Yiting. He's found that Innate Dao Body in the Great Li Dynasty, in the Canglan Domain."
"Yiting is now bringing that Innate Dao Body back from the Great Li Dynasty."
Li Tianchen's announcement instantly set off a commotion in the silent Tianshu Hall. The elders offered their congratulations one after another.
"Clan Leader, is... is what you said true? Has Yiting really found that Innate Dao Body?"
"Hahahaha! Heaven truly favors our Taixu Li Clan. Our Li Clan Ancient Clan is sure to flourish in this age!"
"That's right, that's right! As long as we present this Innate Dao Body to the Ye Imperial Clan, the Taixu Li Clan will rise in one leap to become one of the Eastern Continent's top Ancient Clans!"
"I never thought the Li Clan Ancient Clan would return to its golden age in my lifetime. Even if I meet my end on the Dao in the future, I'll be able to face our Ancestor beneath the Yellow Spring."
"Silence. Elders, contain your joy for now. There's still something important we must do."
Li Tianchen was every bit the schemer of his age. Even in the face of such overwhelming joy, he didn't lose his composure and quickly calmed down.
"Clan Leader, tell us. What is this important matter?"
One of the elders asked.
Li Tianchen looked around at the elders, then said gravely, "Elders, the Innate Dao Body is of the utmost importance. It concerns the rise or fall of our clan, and nothing can be allowed to go wrong."
"The Great Li Dynasty is far too distant from our Taixu Li Clan. There could be unexpected trouble along the way, and if another Ancient Clan discovers them, they might interfere."
"To ensure everything goes smoothly, I propose that we send someone from our clan to meet them."
Li Tianchen's concerns were not unfounded. The elders present nodded one after another, expressing their agreement.
"The Clan Leader is right. This concerns the rise or fall of our clan. We can't afford the slightest carelessness. A cautious sailor never regrets it, so we should indeed send clan members to meet them."
An elder spoke up in agreement.
"Clan Leader, in my view, we should send the Mystic Bird Guard to meet them. What do you think?"
Another elder stood and made the suggestion.
"Sixth Elder is right. Every member of the Mystic Bird Guard is a Peak of Humanity. In the secular world, they would be an invincible force, more than capable of safely escorting the Innate Dao Body back to the clan."
An elder in a purple robe stood up to support the Sixth Elder's proposal.
After hearing the elders' suggestions, Li Tianchen shook his head. Clearly, their ideas did not meet his requirements.
"Elders, every member of the Mystic Bird Guard is a Peak of Humanity. But our Taixu Profound Realm is only a small world, and its laws place far greater limits on them than the laws of the greater world outside."
"The Mystic Bird Guard's strength would be greatly diminished in the outside world. This plan is unsuitable."
Li Tianchen rejected the elders' proposal.
"Then what does the Clan Leader suggest?"
"In my view, to guarantee success, someone in this hall must sever their cultivation and fall below the Divine Realm. Only then can we ensure nothing goes wrong."
Fall below the Divine Realm! Upon hearing Li Tianchen's proposal, the elders in the hall fell silent. The entire hall was suddenly shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.
Severing one's cultivation was no trivial matter. The slightest misstep could damage one's origin, and with bad luck, one could even become a cripple.
It was a forbidden path in cultivation. Many peerless prodigies, in pursuit of a perfect realm, would rather spend any length of time tempering themselves than choose to sever their cultivation.
Once one's origin was damaged, the path to the Great Dao was all but severed. Unless one had a Dao medicine to heal them, there was almost no chance of recovery.
Li Tianchen knew how dangerous this would be, so he quietly watched the elders think it over, waiting for them to make their final choice.
After a long silence, the Thirteenth Elder finally broke the heavy atmosphere.
"Clan Leader, I'm willing to sever my cultivation and fall below the Divine Realm to ensure that the Innate Dao Body returns safely, without fail."
Seeing the Thirteenth Elder agree, Li Tianchen was overjoyed and was just about to give his approval when someone suddenly came in from outside to report.
"Clan Leader, bad news! Bad news! The Third Young Master's Soul Lamp has gone... gone out!"
"What did you say? Yiting's Soul Lamp has gone out?"
A Soul Lamp was lit using a person's innate soul. Li Tianchen knew better than anyone what it meant when one went out.
Li Tianchen's face turned grim. Though Li Yiting was the foremost of the Li Clan Ancient Clan's younger generation, there were several others just a little weaker than him. His death alone would mean little to the Li Clan Ancient Clan as a whole.
But that Innate Dao Body was another matter entirely. It concerned the rise or fall of the entire Li Clan Ancient Clan.
Wasn't that why he was willing to have a clan elder risk damaging their origin and sever their cultivation—to ensure nothing went wrong?
Who could have guessed that despite all his careful calculations, things would still take an unexpected turn?
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