The World's Only Imperial Clan

"Senior Xuanzhen, please return to the ancestral shrine at once."

Just as Ancestor Xuanzhen was basking in triumph, Ancestor Tianyan's voice transmission suddenly rang in his mind.

Hearing the slight gravity in his tone, Ancestor Xuanzhen's heart skipped a beat.

Could something else serious have happened?

Without stopping to rest, he hurried back to the ancestral shrine.

"What happened?"

Seeing Ancestors Tianyan and Danyang staring intently at the incense burner on the table, Ancestor Xuanzhen frowned deeply.

Could another ancestor be about to awaken?

Ancestor Tianyan said gravely, "It seems that the will of an old senior in the Ancestral Land has awakened. He is trying to contact us."

Hearing this, Ancestor Tianyan was startled.

Once ancestors like them awakened, they could not remain in the Ancestral Land for long.

Yet this ancestor's will had awakened early while his body remained asleep in the Ancestral Land. To accomplish such a thing, his strength had probably reached a terrifying level. Even a mere trace of his will was already stronger than the three of them.

Which ancestor could it be?

Beside them, Ancestor Danyang's expression was grave as well. "The awakening of this old senior's will was probably no accident, but a contingency he left behind. Clearly, he must have known some secret of the clan, which was why he did this."

"Then couldn't we learn something through this ancestor?"

Ancestor Xuanzhen said.

After all, although they were ancestors of the clan, that was only true in this era. Before the true old antiques in the Ancestral Land, they were all children.

Thus, they too had only a partial understanding of the clan's true secrets.

For example, what exactly had the clan gone through back then that had led to the Ancestral Land being polluted and its fortune draining away?

"Let's wait. Once this ancestor awakens, perhaps we'll learn the answer."

The three ancestors then waited patiently in the ancestral shrine.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Lu Clan did not remain idle.

After Ancestor Xuanzhen of the Lu Clan made a name for himself in a single battle, countless factions sent people to pay their respects. Their numbers and the scale of the gathering surpassed even those seen when Ancestor Danyang refined a ninth-grade Yang Restoration Pill.

Looking out at Qiyun Mountain, which was nearly filled to capacity, the clan leader, Lu Qingshan, remained calm, as though this was only to be expected.

These people were nothing more than insignificant nobodies. Now that the Lu Clan was powerful, he, as its leader, naturally had to maintain his stature. Not just anyone could see him.

"Clan leader, are we really going to ignore these people?"

In the clan leader's residence, the first elder, Lu Guangyao, looked at the messages in his hand and asked Lu Qingshan.

Some of these people were even leaders of superpowers, with Saint Realm cultivation. Wherever beings like them went, weren't they treated as honored guests?

But now, at the Lu Clan, Lu Qingshan would not even spare them a glance.

Lu Guangyao was somewhat worried. If they angered these people, might there be unpleasant consequences?

But Lu Qingshan chuckled at his words. "What do these people amount to? They're nothing but a pack of petty people who curry favor with the powerful. What we truly need to guard against are those who have yet to reveal even a glimpse of themselves."

"Ancestor Tianyan said that a great war is coming. Undercurrents are surging through the four provinces, and now is precisely the time for our Lu Clan to build up its strength. These minor figures and petty factions aren't even worth mentioning."

This was the composure and confidence his clan's foundation gave him.

More importantly, the Lu Clan had more than three ancestors. Countless others were on the verge of awakening, each stronger than the last.

Who under heaven could contend with them?

After hearing Lu Qingshan, First Elder Lu Guangyao nodded slightly, then changed the subject. "I'm planning to establish an intelligence organization outside the Lu Clan, one that will work exclusively for us. What do you think?"

An intelligence organization.

Lu Qingshan thought for a moment and agreed. "That's a good idea, but it must be kept secret. Ideally, no one should know it belongs to the Lu Clan. Having an intelligence organization handle certain matters would indeed save us a great deal of trouble."

Seeing that Lu Qingshan approved of his idea, Lu Guangyao smiled. Then he rubbed his hands together with a grin. "In that case, you'll have to allocate me some resources. Establishing an organization costs a great deal of money."

Lu Qingshan's face darkened.

So this was what he had been waiting for.

But since it would help the clan develop, Lu Qingshan ultimately allocated Lu Guangyao an enormous amount of resources.

In an instant, the clan's entire treasury was reduced by half.

Lu Qingshan looked pained. "It seems we'll have to make Ancestor Danyang keep working hard. There's nowhere near enough to cover our spending."

Meanwhile, in the Murong Clan.

A powerful presence shot into the sky.

Sensing the familiar presence, the Murong clansmen cried out in alarm, "A Saint King's presence! It's the ancestor! The ancestor has come out of seclusion!"

Upon hearing the news, the clan leader, Murong Haikuo, hurried to Ancestor Murong's side.

"Ancestor, you... you've really recovered!"

At the sight of Ancestor Murong, Murong Haikuo's face lit up with delight.

The presence of peak Saint King cultivation constantly spilled from Ancestor Murong. The pillar of the Murong Clan had finally recovered.

Now they could finally pay back all the setbacks and grievances the Murong Clan had suffered over the years!

"How is the Lu Clan now?"

Looking at Murong Haikuo, Ancestor Murong asked the question that concerned him most.

Murong Haikuo was briefly taken aback, then told the ancestor the truth.

"I never expected the Lu Clan to have such capabilities. Not only do they have a ninth-grade alchemist, but they also have a mighty expert in the Dao of Arrays. Fortunately, none of the Lu Clan's ancestors excel at fighting. Otherwise, I'm afraid half of Central Province would have to watch the Lu Clan's expression."

After hearing Murong Haikuo out, Ancestor Murong's expression grew grave.

After a moment of silence, he said, "It seems I'll have to pay the Lu Clan a visit myself."

The ancestor was going to visit them personally?

Murong Haikuo could hardly believe it. "Ancestor, the Lu Clan is indeed powerful now, but our Murong Clan is one of Central Province's ancient clans. In terms of foundation, our Murong Clan is no weaker than the Lu Clan, is it?"

The strength the Lu Clan had displayed now indeed had few rivals. Moreover, Ancestor Danyang had made a high-profile appearance after living for more than eight hundred thousand years, raising the possibility that the Lu Clan already feared almost no faction. But so what?

The Murong Clan had held sway over Central Province for millions of years, and naturally had trump cards capable of overturning heaven and earth.

In other words, the Murong Clan did not fear the Lu Clan.

But Ancestor Murong's next words shocked Murong Haikuo, the Murong Clan's leader, once again.

"An ancient clan of Central Province? Heh. Then did you know that the Lu Clan's history goes back even further than that of ancient clans like ours?"

At those words, Murong Haikuo's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"

To be called an ancient clan, a clan had to have a history of at least several million years, and its ancestors had to have produced a terrifying being above the Saint King level.

There were probably only a handful in all of Central Province whose histories went back further than those of the ancient clans. Most had already perished in the long river of history.

The Lu Clan's history went back further than that of the ancient clans?

Murong Haikuo could not believe it in a hundred ways.

But that was the truth. Ancestor Murong sighed and said, "The Lu Clan is not as simple as it appears. Ancient histories recorded that the Lu Clan was once called the world's only imperial clan, reigning across the four provinces."

"Now, I can say with certainty that this Lu Clan is connected to the imperial clan of legend. It is even highly likely that they are descendants of that imperial clan."

An imperial clan!

Murong Haikuo was utterly shocked.

How many tens of thousands of years had it been? How many tens of thousands of years had the concept of an emperor been absent from this world?

That was a true legend.

The great emperors of ancient times were invincible throughout the world!

The mere fact that the Lu Clan could be connected to the word "emperor" meant it was no ordinary superpower. No wonder his ancestor attached such importance to the Lu Clan.