At this moment.
On a floating island in the skies of the Northern Region, Grand Tutor Lin Jiu, this person in the Azure Dynasty who is second only to one man and stands above ten thousand, was currently sitting quietly before a desk.
An adopted son poured tea. "Adoptive Father, please have some tea."
"Mm."
Lin Jiu nodded slightly and asked with a frown, "How are things in Eternal Sun Prefecture now? Baimei is about to open the Tian Xing Cultivator Abode, and there are but two years remaining. The Li family wants to take revenge; they ought to be making some move by now, shouldn't they?"
As he spoke, he gazed at the cave abode ahead, where Li Xinghuo of the Li family was currently cultivating; his aura was extraordinary.
That adopted son, who had the appearance of a young man, was extremely respectful.
"Reporting to Adoptive Father," he said, "news has come from Eternal Sun Prefecture. Li Dalong of the Li family was hiding within the Wu Clan's territory; when he appeared, it was to overcome a fifth-grade Divinity Transformation tribulation.
The technique he practices is a forbidden technique of corpse driving from over a hundred thousand years ago.
He has a Dharma Treasure, and after lying dormant for many years, he used it to refine a Corpse Emperor.
Now, he has killed the Wu Clan Divinity Transformation realm elder, 'Soul Duke'.
He is truly extraordinary. I fear that in the future, he will have the aptitude to reach the Void Refining realm, and perhaps even the Body Integration realm!"
"Oh?"
Lin Jiu's interest was piqued. "You hold him in such high regard? This old Patriarch of the Li family is truly a force to be reckoned with."
"Yes, Adoptive Father. Li Dalong rose from the countryside; he was but a slave of farmer stock. To have been able to come this far is truly a sign of Heaven's favor."
The young man glanced at the place where Li Xinghuo was cultivating, where the Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi was growing ever denser, and asked, puzzled, "It is just that, Adoptive Father, this child does not quite understand. Your concern for that small place, Azure Cloud, and for the enmity between the Li family and Tian Xing, seems to be a bit excessive."
"How could I not be concerned?" Lin Jiu held his teacup but did not drink from it, gazing at the steam rising from the hot tea within.
He murmured, "Within the Imperial Dynasty, they are all just a bunch of people who scramble for power and profit. The imperial princes are endlessly squabbling over the succession, truly believing His Majesty is about to ascend to the heavens and depart at any moment, and Min Youguo is, frankly, being far too treasonous. They are like birds in a cage. No matter what they do, they are merely thus and nothing more."
"That Li family acts with great righteousness, daring to contend with the Wu Clan, to contend with Min Youguo, and even to contend with the Human Emperor."
"Tian Xing..."
Lin Jiu blew on the hot steam, watching the ripples on the surface of the tea.
"Tian Xing also dares to contend, to contend with men, and to contend with Heaven. Often, only this kind of person can act in defiance of Heaven and obtain supreme talent."
The young man furrowed his brow. Listening to the Grand Tutor's words, it seemed he was very familiar with that wolfishly ambitious Venerable Tian Xing.
Grand Tutor Lin Jiu took a sip of tea and waved his hand towards the young man.
"This child, Li Xinghuo, is not bad. His foundation for the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation is now solid. Go to the warehouse and take a drop of Human Emperor's Blood to gift to him. Consider it a congratulatory gift from me, his Adoptive Father, for his breakthrough."
"Yes, Adoptive Father."
...
"Grand Tutor Lin Jiu?!!"
Atop the hundred mountains, Li Dalong heard a name from Lin Wudao's mouth, and only felt that the clear breeze of this day was exceptionally cold.
"Mm."
Lin Wudao paid no mind to Li Dalong's astonishment. His voice was heavy. "I met Grand Tutor Lin Jiu. At that time, I was truly at a dead end. Within the Imperial Dynasty, who knows how many people wanted my life, all so they could curry favor with my Master. But the Grand Tutor gave me a path to survival, and I also became his... adopted son."
"At that time, he was already on a northern expedition to exterminate demons and expand the empire's territory, and I became a soldier under his command. At that time, I truly believed he appreciated me. He had also saved my life, and even held nothing back in teaching me, bestowing upon me treasures rarely seen in the world, and even... Human Emperor's Blood."
Human Emperor's Blood!
When these three words were spoken, the faces of both Li Dalong and Li Wei changed.
Lin Wudao was heard to continue, "Every person who consumes Human Emperor's Blood will experience a different effect. If one is not worthy of receiving it, death is certain. I consumed the Human Emperor's Blood and cultivated the 'Great Dream Human Emperor Scripture'. A thousand years passed in a single dream, and my cultivation base soared!"
But as he spoke of his cultivation base soaring, Lin Wudao showed not the slightest hint of joy, smiling bitterly again and again instead.
"However, I was under his command for too long, so long that I had forgotten that everything we obtain comes with a price. I also cultivate my Master's techniques, and I once schemed for a fifth-grade Divinity Transformation tribulation myself.
I could feel it in the unseen depths, that ever since consuming the Human Emperor's Blood, a pair of eyes has been staring at me!"
"It was as if... I was merely procuring items that would please those eyes. At that time, I knew that Lin Jiu was not saving me; he was selecting a perfect vessel for those eyes!"
Speaking to this point, Lin Wudao's face became ferocious.
"So I fled. I created a technique that belongs to me alone. I am worthy of the name 'genius'; I was born to act in defiance of Heaven, this is the meaning of Tian Xing!"
"I reincarnated and cultivated anew. I wanted my avatars to be scattered across the world, so that one day I could have my revenge. But I never expected..."
"My avatar, Feng Qingyang, was clever his entire life. Whenever I began the reincarnation process, he would take advantage of my inability to observe him and attempt to have a genius consume the Human Emperor's Blood, wanting to seize the body of that genius to break free from my control, and even to become the main body himself. But he never expected that there was a secret agent of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion by his side!"
"From that day forward, I was exposed..."
As he spoke, Lin Wudao looked mockingly at Li Dalong, whose face was now completely pale.
"It was you people from the Li family who ruined me! Your most foolish act was letting Li Changsheng, who had consumed the Human Emperor's Blood, enter the Tian Xing Cultivator Abode. Everything about me was exposed beneath those eyes. You left me with no other choice! My ten-thousand-year plan was destroyed in a single day!"
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