The Lu Clan Was About to Take Flight

After pondering for a moment, Ancestor Dali ultimately set off for the Xuan Clan.

After all, even back in his own era, the Xuan Clan had not been capable of keeping him there. Now, more than three million years had passed, and he was stronger than before. Naturally, he had no reason to be afraid.

Meanwhile, within the Lu Clan.

With Ancestor Dali waging war on the clan's behalf, the pressure on the Lineage had eased considerably.

Clan Head Lu Qingshan was all smiles as he looked at the list of forces that had surrendered to the Lu Clan.

"Good. These people came just in time."

He hurriedly summoned First Elder Lu Guangyao and Third Elder Lu Chen to the clan head's residence.

Before long, both men stood before Lu Qingshan.

"This is the list of those who have surrendered to the Lineage so far. I've kept some for myself. You two can divide the rest between you."

One of the elders was responsible for building an intelligence organization, while the other was tasked with building the Lineage's defensive forces. Both were desperately short of manpower, and the list had relieved their most pressing need.

"Thank you, Clan Head!"

Both men looked delighted.

Ever since the Lineage had moved to Central Province, Third Elder Lu Chen had devoted all his time to its defensive forces, apart from organizing the competition for the Lineage's prodigies.

But so little time had passed that he had yet to make any progress.

On top of that, the Lineage was developing far too quickly. Anyone who came knocking to attack was either a Saint King or a Quasi-Emperor.

It often made him feel utterly useless, as though the Lineage could do just as well with or without him.

Lu Qingshan had long since realized what was on Lu Chen's mind, so after First Elder Lu Guangyao left, he deliberately asked Lu Chen to stay.

Looking at the other man's increasingly haggard face, Lu Qingshan felt a pang of concern.

"Lu Chen, you've worked harder than anyone else in the Lineage these past few days."

Lu Qingshan stepped forward and patted Lu Chen's shoulder with concern. Lu Chen's eyes reddened in an instant.

"Clan Head, everything I've done has been for nothing." There was a note of frustration in Lu Chen's voice.

By now, he had trained a force of considerable strength, but it had never had any chance to prove itself.

Whatever troubles or enemies the Lineage faced, the ancestors stepped in to deal with them.

It had even made him wonder whether he was superfluous.

Seeing Lu Chen like this, Lu Qingshan realized that the Lineage's new forces did indeed seem to have been lacking opportunities to gain experience. He would have to mention it to the ancestors later.

Lu Qingshan then said, "My third elder, you know the Lineage's situation as well as I do. The ancestors have awakened one after another, and the Lineage's strongest forces have grown ever stronger. That's how things came to be as they are now."

"But what about the future? If we need the ancestors to handle everything, what use are we?"

"So what you need to do is keep building up your strength. One day, you'll have your chance to prove yourself."

Hearing Lu Qingshan's words, Lu Chen felt they made a great deal of sense.

There would surely be times when the ancestors could not step in. If the Lineage lacked sufficient strength then, what would it do?

So everything he was doing now had meaning.

The time simply had not come yet.

"Clan Head, I understand. I'll keep working hard. When the day comes that the Lineage needs me, I won't let it down!"

Seeing that Lu Chen had regained his conviction, Lu Qingshan nodded in satisfaction.

"Then go on. The Lineage has abundant resources now, so tell me if you need anything."

Lu Chen then left the clan head's residence.

As he departed, a genuine smile graced his face.

After dealing with a batch of servants who had surrendered to the Lu Clan, Lu Qingshan slowly let out a breath and headed toward the ancestral shrine.

He was going to report the Lineage's current situation to the ancestors, as usual.

Ever since the Ancestral Land's secret had been revealed, the Lineage's development had enjoyed smooth sailing. Though he, the clan head, was still somewhat weary, his spirits had lifted considerably.

No matter what difficulties the Lineage faced, the ancestors could step in and resolve them.

"Greetings, Ancestor Tianyan."

After entering the Ancestral Land, Lu Qingshan saw only Ancestor Tianyan.

Ancestor Xuanzhen had recently established an array hall and passed on the Dao of Arrays to the younger generation. Quite a few clan members had already begun studying arrays and cultivating the Dao of Arrays.

Ancestor Danyang was even busier.

Not only did he have to cultivate in the Yellow Pill Grotto-Heaven while tending the pill ingredients there, he also had to find time to refine nine-revolution pills for the Lineage's benefit and answer the questions of clan members studying alchemy.

Ancestor Danyang often went entire days without any time to rest.

Fortunately, as a mighty expert of the Dao of Alchemy, Ancestor Danyang possessed exceptionally powerful spiritual strength. Anyone else might have already dropped dead from overwork.

Of the ancestors, only Ancestor Tianyan seemed to have nothing to do, spending his days in the ancestral shrine.

But Lu Qingshan knew that this ancestor, who cultivated the Dao of Deduction, was just as busy.

Not the slightest stir or shift in the outside world escaped Ancestor Tianyan's deductions. The Lineage had developed smoothly to this point without a single setback, and Ancestor Tianyan deserved enormous credit for it.

When Lu Qingshan arrived, Ancestor Tianyan slowly opened his eyes.

"I have a feeling that the next ancestor is about to awaken."

"Ah?"

That single sentence left Lu Qingshan stunned.

It had only been a few days since Ancestor Dali had awakened, yet the next ancestor was already about to awaken.

Was the Lineage about to take flight?

Putting himself in the shoes of the other forces, Lu Qingshan could feel their despair. The Lu Clan's ancestors emerged in an endless stream.

"Ancestor, Ancestor Dali is a Four-Tribulation Quasi-Emperor. Will the ancestor who awakens this time be even stronger than him?" Lu Qingshan could not resist asking.

Normally, the ancestors in the Ancestral Land awakened in ascending order of strength.

But Ancestor Dali was an exception.

He had not awakened normally; a senior of the clan had used a method to wake him ahead of time.

Ancestor Tianyan was curious about the question as well.

That senior had spoken of awakening some of the ancestors ahead of time. If that was the case, then Ancestor Dali could not be the only one who had awakened out of the ordinary.

So it remained to be seen whether the next ancestor would awaken normally.

"Let us wait. Tomorrow, the answer will reveal itself."

Lu Qingshan nodded, then began his usual report to Ancestor Tianyan on recent developments within the clan. Ancestor Tianyan offered pointers from time to time, and each one was like an enlightening elixir poured over Lu Qingshan's head.

Meanwhile, Ancestor Dali had arrived at the Xuan Clan's headquarters.

"After all these years, the Xuan Clan has changed quite a bit."

Gazing at the magnificent expanse of the Xuan Clan, Ancestor Dali had to admit that the present-day Lu Clan could never compare to it without ancestors like them.

After all, the Xuan Clan had never lost its fortune. Even when it occasionally fell into a slump, it could quickly rise again on the strength of its deep foundations.

"You came after all."

A figure slowly walked out from within the Xuan Clan, clad in white robes and holding a golden spear, his presence unfathomably deep.

Ancestor Dali was a little surprised to see him.

He had not expected the man to be a Four-Tribulation Quasi-Emperor, his equal in cultivation.

This was the first true opponent he had encountered since awakening.

For a moment, fighting spirit surged in his heart.

"At last, I can have a truly satisfying fight!"

Crushing weaklings had already left him deeply bored. Meeting an opponent in the same realm instantly filled him with excitement.

More importantly, his opponent also seemed to have undergone his heavenly tribulation not long ago, so he too could fight without restraint.

A great battle seemed inevitable.