The Ninth Ancestor Emerges, the Divine Son Is Appointed, and the Check-In Location Refreshes!
Heaven and earth fell silent.
The Li Lineage members present had all watched Xuan Shijiu roar and rave like a madman in the sky.
Then he put on a show of splitting apart on the spot.
He died cleanly and decisively, without dragging things out in the slightest.
"???"
The Li Lineage's Ninth Ancestor, who had just emerged by breaking through the void, frowned slightly and froze on the spot.
Had that bastard from Xuanming Divine Mountain hidden his tracks and lurked outside their ancestral grounds, all so he could die on their doorstep?
Did that count as suicide?
Or was he framing them?
The Ninth Ancestor couldn't make sense of Xuanming Divine Mountain's ways, no matter how hard he thought about it.
He didn't know what game they were playing or what medicine they were selling in their gourd.
"The Ninth Ancestor is invincible, without equal in the world!"
"A mere saint of Xuanming Divine Mountain, slaughtered like a pig or dog!"
Li Qianqiu and the other clan elders raised their arms and cheered, their faces full of admiration.
They too had recognized Xuan Shijiu as a peak saint of Xuanming Divine Mountain.
Yet the Ninth Ancestor had killed a figure whose might shook an entire region just because he said so. How mighty and domineering!
"Mm..."
The Ninth Ancestor clasped his hands behind his back, speechless for a moment.
The bastard from Xuanming Divine Mountain had died under somewhat suspicious circumstances, and he wasn't the one who had killed him.
But at this juncture, it seemed he had no choice but to take credit.
The Ninth Ancestor gave Li Xunyuan a meaningful glance, an inexplicably strange look on his face.
Just as Xuan Shijiu fell, he had distinctly sensed a very unusual trace of killing Dao fluctuations emanating from this junior of his lineage.
"Could this little fellow have killed him?"
But on further thought, the Ninth Ancestor put the idea out of his mind.
It was far too inconceivable, utterly impossible.
A cultivator in the Purple Mansion Realm killing a peak saint? Even thinking with one's toes, it didn't add up!
In any case, he was only a peak saint. Dead was dead. Even the Xuanming Divine Mountain behind him held no fear for the Li Lineage!
"Greetings, Ninth Ancestor and honored clan elders!"
Gentle as jade and without a trace of stage fright, Li Xunyuan respectfully bowed to everyone present.
Chaos Dao essence intertwined around him. His every movement accorded with the Great Dao of heaven and earth, lending him an ethereal, immortal bearing of its own.
He wasn't doing it deliberately; it was the presence that came naturally with the Innate Chaos Sacred Body Dao Embryo.
Five years of gestation in the golden cocoon had left him looking no different from an ordinary five-year-old child, except that his posture was even more upright.
Hum!
The Ninth Ancestor's figure suddenly vanished in a strange manner. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Li Xunyuan.
"Innate Chaos Sacred Body Dao Embryo, Longevity Immortal Pupils, Supreme Bone... good, good, good! Wonderful!"
The Ninth Ancestor's gaze was profound and ancient, as though it held a supreme power that could see through everything. He saw Li Xunyuan through from head to toe.
Under the old ancestor's gaze, Li Xunyuan's expression changed slightly.
He felt as though the space around him had frozen solid and the laws of heaven and earth were trembling.
Fortunately, the Ninth Ancestor didn't notice the system.
To be honest, he really wanted to test the power of One Sword Makes Immortals Kneel on the Ninth Ancestor standing before him...
The moment the thought surfaced, Li Xunyuan did his utmost to suppress it. It really was a little too outrageous and disrespectful.
"Hahaha, my grandson is destined to bear the likeness of an immortal!"
Like a ghost, Li Qianqiu flashed to Li Xunyuan's side, grabbed him, and planted several frenzied kisses on him in quick succession.
"Old man, stop! Get your mouth off me!"
Li Xunyuan swiftly pulled away and retreated, escaping his clutches.
"You all stop too! Don't kiss me!"
Seeing that the other Li Lineage elders were also itching to try, Li Xunyuan promptly declined loudly but politely.
His cheeks were as delicately sculpted as pink jade, rosy and utterly adorable.
The sight sent the elders into gales of laughter. Their gazes lingered on him, full of affection they could hardly conceal.
Good grief, these old antiques were all far too enthusiastic!
Although Li Xunyuan could hardly accept being showered with kisses, waves of warmth still flowed through his heart, filling him with comfort.
In his memories of his previous life, he had been an orphan who had never experienced the feeling of family affection.
Now, the feeling of being cared for was truly wonderful!
Seeing this, the Ninth Ancestor also shook his head slightly and couldn't help laughing.
"Ninth Ancestor, you sealed your blood and halted your lifespan, and were entombed in the ancestral mausoleum. Emerging like this, wouldn't you..."
A clan elder spoke with an implied meaning.
What he meant went without saying.
Once an old ancestor who had sealed his blood and halted his lifespan broke the seal and emerged, he would inevitably fall without a corresponding heavenly treasure capable of extending his life.
Unless the Li Lineage faced a crisis of life and death, the ancestors would not awaken lightly.
"Others who seal their blood and halt their lifespans might fall when they break their seals and emerge, but I won't, because... I only pretended my lifespan was nearly exhausted."
The Ninth Ancestor spoke the most jaw-dropping words in the calmest tone.
He knew full well what the junior had meant just now.
His lifespan was nearly exhausted?
Sealing his blood and halting his lifespan?
Nothing of the sort had ever happened.
He slept in his coffin in the ancestral mausoleum whenever he wanted and came out whenever he pleased. It was all about doing as he liked!
Hearing this, Li Qianqiu and the other clan elders looked at one another and wiped away cold sweat in unison.
Good grief, he could even pretend to seal his blood and halt his lifespan?
He really had put on a convincing act!
Only after hearing the Ninth Ancestor admit in person that he was fine did Li Qianqiu and the others quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
That was the Li Lineage's way, all right. They had really gotten them worked up!
Fortunately, it had all been a false alarm!
"We happen to be living in the golden age of a flourishing era, and heirs with divine bodies are appearing one after another on every side. I believe this little fellow can sweep through the present age and suppress every enemy in the world!"
The more the Ninth Ancestor looked at Li Xunyuan, the more he liked him. He couldn't help laughing aloud, sparing no praise.
Three heaven-defying physiques-the Chaos Body, the Ancient Sacred Body, and the Innate Dao Embryo-had fused into one. It was impossible to imagine how terrifying his combat power would be!
Any physique before his would be like a firefly, paling into insignificance!
Li Xunyuan replied in his childish voice, "Against any heavenly prodigy, I need only one sword strike. One sword can make immortals kneel!"
"Hahaha, good!" The Ninth Ancestor laughed heartily.
"From today onward, this little fellow is the Divine Son of the Li Lineage. Seeing him is the same as seeing the patriarch, and he may squander all our resources as he pleases!"
The Ninth Ancestor continued.
"This child can take the position of Divine Son!"
The clan elders' eyes showed shock, though it was also within their expectations.
If Li Xunyuan wasn't qualified to be the Li Lineage's Divine Son, then no one in the entire lineage was fit for the position.
"Thank you, Ninth Ancestor!" Li Qianqiu bowed in thanks.
Although his son Li Xiaoran had been the previous Divine Son, that didn't mean the position would necessarily pass to the next generation.
Everything depended on talent and strength; whoever had the ability would take the position.
"Besides the Divine Son, the Li Lineage has nine Holy Sons. None of those nine little fellows is a lamp that saves oil, and every one of them wants to compete for the position of Divine Son."
"But whether you can hold that position securely depends entirely on your own ability."
The Ninth Ancestor looked at Li Xunyuan and smiled slightly.
The Li Lineage's Divine Son was also its future young patriarch. If he didn't fall, he would certainly become patriarch one day!
Among the Li Lineage's younger generation, numerous contenders vied for supremacy. There were tens of thousands of heavenly prodigies, and no shortage of people with exceptional talent or special physiques.
But only nine were truly qualified to compete for the position of Divine Son, and the Li Lineage had bestowed the title of Holy Son upon them.
The Divine Son, meanwhile, stood above the Holy Sons and was the true leader of the younger generation!
After hearing the Ninth Ancestor's explanation, Li Xunyuan immediately felt tremendous pressure.
He currently had only the skill One Sword Makes Immortals Kneel.
Although it was powerful enough to be absurd, it could only instantly kill living beings that weren't humanoid. The conditions were extremely restrictive.
Against a normal opponent, the skill could only serve as a powerful restraint and had no killing power.
It seemed he still needed to learn some of the Li Lineage's other divine abilities and skills first. Staying alive was the priority.
"From today onward, I will personally teach you to cultivate. Come with me!"
The Ninth Ancestor swept his sleeve. The space behind Li Xunyuan silently shattered, and a spatial vortex appeared.
Immediately afterward, an invisible force enveloped Li Xunyuan and carried him into the spatial rift, where he vanished.
The Ninth Ancestor vanished along with him.
Li Qianqiu watched the spatial rift close, unable to hide the pride in his eyes.
The other clan elders also looked envious.
To be personally instructed by the Ninth Ancestor was a supreme honor!
The instant Li Xunyuan entered the spatial rift, the system's notification sounded in his mind once more.
[Ding! A new check-in location has refreshed. Please check in at the Immortal Pavilion!]