Chapter 241
The moment she saw her daughter, she knelt down and wept bitterly.
Fortunately, Xiao Wanqiu's grandfather was still lucid. After examining Xiao Wanqiu's injuries, he said that it did not seem like she had gone mad from her cultivation, because Xiao Wanqiu did not have any Spiritual Qi in her body at all.
Without Spiritual Qi, it means there has been no cultivation; without cultivation, how can there be cultivation deviation or Qi Deviation?
A single word awakened me from my dream.
The couple immediately realized what had happened.
There must be some reason behind this that they don't know.
So the couple decided to set off again to Yangzhou to find out what was going on.
At this moment, it was Xiao Wanqiu's grandfather who stopped them again.
"Back then, you were forced to leave Xiao Wanqiu with the Lin family. Now, if you go back, wouldn't that be like throwing lambs to the slaughter?"
The couple were so concerned that they became confused and at a loss, not knowing what to do.
The old man sighed deeply, "Perhaps all of this is Xiao Wanqiu's fate. This world is a dog-eat-dog world. We are too weak to protect Xiao Wanqiu, which is why she suffered this calamity."
The couple remained silent, abandoning their idea of going to Yangzhou to demand an explanation.
It would take them at least several years to travel back and forth, and by the time they returned, Xiao Wanqiu might already be gone. It would be better for them to stay in the Southern Border and take good care of Xiao Wanqiu, at least they could accompany their daughter through the last part of her life.
From then on, Xiao Wanqiu's father began a continuous search for remedies and medicines, willing to pay any price to help Xiao Wanqiu's injuries.
However, all efforts were in vain, and Xiao Wanqiu's condition became more and more dangerous each day.
Until one day...
A woman who looked like a banished immortal appeared in the city lord's mansion.
She claimed to be a member of the Lin family and had come to make amends to Xiao Wanqiu.
"Previously, due to some mistakes within the Lin family, your family was harmed. But the mistakes have been made and cannot be undone. I can only do my best to make amends."
Then, the woman inserted a bead into Xiao Wanqiu's body. After a while, the bead flew out, and Xiao Wanqiu's injuries improved.
The woman incorporated the dull, lusterless spirit pearl into Xiao Wanqiu's Jade Pendant, and instructed the couple to always carry the Jade Pendant with them.
After that, the woman drifted away.
However, although Xiao Wanqiu's injuries improved, she remained unconscious for a long time.
It was during this endless, desperate waiting that Xiao Wanqiu's mother could no longer bear it and passed away.
Several years later, during a Beast Tide, Xiao Wanqiu's grandfather also passed away.
After that, Xiao Wanqiu's Wanqiu continued to work tirelessly day after day to help her recover.
One day, Xiao Wanqiu woke up.
Although she had regained consciousness, Xiao Wanqiu's body remained weak; she couldn't even walk normally, let alone cultivate.
However, after years of taking elixirs to recuperate, his body gradually recovered, and apart from his extremely slow progress in cultivation, he was not much different from a normal person.
Days passed by like this.
Until one day, she grew into a graceful young woman.
Until one day, in that pitch-black cave where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, she saw the light that illuminated her eternal night...
295. Lin Wanqiu's Background (Part 2)
"This is what the Jade Pendant records about Lin Wanqiu's past."
The Sun Hall Mistress slowly finished his narration.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu's gaze became complicated, her heart filled with mixed emotions that were difficult to discern, and she fell silent.
Aside from what the Sun Hall Mistress said, she knew almost nothing about what happened after she awoke, and had no idea that there was such a complicated story behind it all.
Her father never mentioned these old stories to her, only saying that her mother fell ill during her pregnancy, which made her born weak.
After a long silence, Lin Wanqiu exhaled deeply and said softly:
"Thank you for telling me all this, senior. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't even know about my own background."
However, the Sun Hall Mistress shook his head slightly and said, "No, what I just said was what was recorded in the Jade Pendant, something you should have known all along. I was just extracting it to tell you once. What I'm about to tell you is what you truly don't know."
"This is a secret concerning the Lin family. Keep it to yourselves, only to the two of you. Do not tell anyone else!"
Upon hearing this, both Xiao Minghuang and Lin Wanqiu nodded emphatically.
Next, the Sun Hall Mistress slowly spoke:
"The Yang Prefecture Lin Clan originated several eras ago..."
According to the Sun Hall Mistress, the Lin Longevity Family, a lineage of immortals, originated several eras ago. The exact antiquity is unknown, but perhaps there are family genealogies within the Lin family, though outsiders cannot know for sure.
Even someone at her level who was about to attain enlightenment only knew that the Lin family's ancestor was an extremely ancient supreme being. Although he had never truly attained enlightenment, his foundation was incredibly profound, and he was suspected of having already generated Immortal Qi, almost no less than a Great Emperor who had merged with the World Source.
Since the time of the Lin Clan Progenitor, the Lin clan has gradually prospered and grown, and by the beginning of this era, it had become a vast Longevity Family, comparable to the Supreme Holy Land.
During this period, a prodigy with extraordinary talent emerged in the Lin family. He rose to prominence like a comet, reaching the Supreme Realm in just a few hundred years and creating an indelible legend.
Thus, the Lin family, with two Supreme Beings, directly entered the ranks of top holy land families.
However, this also sowed the seeds of instability.
The new supreme ruler of the Lin family is called "Taiyin Supreme".
Because he was the second supreme ruler in the clan, he was called the Second Ancestor or the Second Patriarch.
Although the Taiyin Supreme was a member of the Lin clan, he came from a peripheral branch and received almost no help from the main branch of the Lin clan during his cultivation career. In fact, he was even suppressed by the main branch.
In reality, this is just a polite way of putting it. On the road to the rise of the Taiyin Supreme, almost all the tribulations were more or less related to the main lineage due to the jealousy of the main lineage.
Therefore, after achieving immortality, the Taiyin Supreme launched an extremely brutal revenge campaign within her clan.
All those above the rank of Saint in the main lineage who had any grudges against her were killed by her.
As for those below the rank of saint... they are not worthy of having any enmity with her.
In the end, only one enemy remained.
That was the Lin Clan Progenitor.
He is too ancient and his foundation too profound; even a genius like the Taiyin Supreme cannot defeat him.
Therefore, the Taiyin Supreme temporarily fell silent and carved out half of Yangzhou as his own territory.
Even though the Lin Clan Progenitor was dissatisfied, he dared not take any action.
Because the Taiyin Supreme is not alone, but is backed by the Holy Academy.
In fact, the reason why the Taiyin Supreme was able to rise so quickly was largely due to the support of the Holy Academy. When she was suppressed by the main lineage, it was almost always the Holy Academy that provided assistance.
The Old Dean of the Holy Academy was too mysterious and too powerful; he had only met him once.
During that meeting, he couldn't see the other person's appearance clearly, but just a glance projected by countless Dao patterns made him feel as if he were facing an abyss, and his Supreme Dao Patterns almost collapsed!
Even the Immortal Qi of immortal energy within him could not bring him a sense of security.
The Lin Clan Progenitor dared not offend the Holy Academy, so he could only endure it and maintain the illusion of unity and prosperity.
But this unstable balance will one day be broken.
And this day was the day Xiao Wanqiu turned two years old...
The Lin Clan Progenitor knew that the Taiyin Supreme was an Innate Taiyin Saint Body, whose talent was unimaginable. It was unlikely that Taiyin Body of the same rank would appear in this era.
However, just because something cannot be born at birth does not mean it cannot be created later in life.
Therefore, by chance, he created a secret technique that allows one to acquire special physical qualities or talents later in life.
Within the main lineage of the Lin family, a person with Innate Water Saint Body was born. Although he was a genius, he could not compare to the Innate Taiyin Saint Body.
It should be understood that once one's physique reaches the level of a sacred body, it reaches its limit and cannot progress any further unless one finds a divine object of the immortal level.
Just when he was worrying about how to improve his physical talent, someone appeared and made him overjoyed.
A genius was born from a branch of the clan from Dongyang Prefecture, which is the side of the Taiyin Supreme.
Innate Taiyin Divine Body and is born with a Supreme Heart.
Such talent is in no way inferior to that of the original Taiyin Supreme.
The so-called Supreme Heart is the heart imprinted with a Supreme Divine Ability. As long as one does not die young, one is destined to become immortal!
Therefore, he made up his mind to graft his Innate Taiyin Divine Body and Supreme Heart onto his Innate Water Saint Body.
However, a problem arose during the grafting process. The Innate Taiyin Divine Body and the Innate Water Saint Body were not compatible and a fierce conflict occurred, causing severe damage to both the Shui Sacred Body and the Taiyin Divine Body, leaving both of them on the verge of death.
At the critical moment, he made up his mind to abandon the Taiyin Divine Body and only graft the Supreme Heart.
He succeeded!
A genius possessing both the Innate Water Saint Body and the Supreme Heart has been born!
Although the fit is not perfect, the gaps will gradually heal over time, eventually achieving a perfect match.
As for Taiyin's body, it was severely damaged due to the removal of her heart, so he used many Divine Medicine to treat her, hoping to save her life.
It wasn't because he was kind, but because if the Taiyin Divine Body hadn't died, the main lineage would have had another genius.
But in the end, it still failed.
The Taiyin Divine Body was too weak; even using half a longevity elixir couldn't save it.
Ultimately, the Taiyin Divine Body survived, but its physique degenerated into the Taiyin Spiritual Body, losing all its power. Its spiritual root withered, making cultivation difficult in this lifetime.
Having lost all value, Xiao Wanqiu was simply thrown out by him.
However, the birth and mutation of a person with a Taiyin constitution has already attracted the attention of the Taiyin Supreme.
Both have the same constitution and are connected by blood, so the Taiyin Supreme can naturally sense the other's presence.
The reason I didn't interfere before was because I was in seclusion, and I planned to bring him to my side to teach him after I came out of seclusion.
But after leaving the pass, they could not find any trace of Xiao Wanqiu.
Finally, she found the poor little girl in the desolate lands of the easternmost point, amidst the mountains of the Southern Border.
296. Go and take your heart back!
Xiao Wanqiu was extremely weak and could die at any moment.
The Taiyin Supreme immediately recognized that this little girl was the descendant of the Yin constitution she had been searching for.
However, she was unable to ascertain what had happened before because the Lin Clan Progenitor had manipulated things.
Therefore, she requested the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion Master to intervene, dispel the cover-up, and investigate the truth.
The result... infuriated her!
The Lin Clan Progenitor's disgusting and despicable methods—using a supreme being to ambush a mere infant who had just made a move—were utterly beastly!
The Taiyin Supreme immediately wanted to settle scores with him.
But her friend, the Sun Supreme, stopped her and told her that the most important thing now was to save Xiao Wanqiu's life.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the Taiyin Supreme and the Taiyin Supreme, Xiao Wanqiu's life was saved, but her talent was also diminished, making it difficult for her to have the opportunity to cultivate.
Afterwards, the Taiyin Supreme, enraged, descended upon the main branch, determined to demand an explanation.
But the Lin Clan Progenitor, who had always been timid and submissive, suddenly changed completely. He stopped holding back and confronted her directly, and the two ended up fighting.
The two supreme beings fought their battle from the vast, boundless plains to the endless mountain ranges, from the boundless sea to the heavens above.
In the end, the two supreme beings fought a great battle that reached the cosmos, obliterating countless immortal stars. The matter was only brought to an end when several supreme beings joined forces to mediate.
Ultimately, both sides reached a temporary truce amidst their hatred.
Note that this is a truce, not a reconciliation.
Since Xiao Wanqiu has become a cripple, no amount of compensation will help. The main purpose of Taiyin Supreme's intervention is to reclaim the Supreme Heart that belongs to Xiao Wanqiu, but this is also the bottom line of the Lin Clan Progenitor, and neither side will back down.
Just as they were preparing to make another move, the mysterious Old Dean of the Holy Academy arrived and personally mediated between the two sides.
He said:
The Lin Clan Progenitor acted perversely and harmed his clansmen; he is hereby condemned to be permanently stationed in the remote borderlands and never to return!