Following that, Li Wei walked into the boisterous pavilion.
From inside the pavilion came the irascible voice of Li Changyao.
"What? The Dynasty sent people again, asking us to send troops to support the border against the Wu Clan? Fine, send every last prisoner from our dungeons over there!"
"The new spies sent to the Duravia Trade Prefecture were captured? How many? What? All of them?!"
"Some idiot Region Prince is suppressing the aristocratic clans? Who? Didn't we just send him over to the Duravia Trade Prefecture? Shouldn't he at least wait a few years before trying that? Oh, it's Senior Han Yun... No wonder it was someone so stupid."
"You, Scholar Wuwen, go and lend him a hand."
Li Changyao was seen sitting in the main seat, completely overwhelmed with work.
In this administrative office of the Hall of Heavenly Principle, Xian Tong, Scholar Wuwen, and the others were all present, but ultimately, they all had to obey Li Changyao's commands.
Li Changsheng had now essentially handed over the Hall's affairs to her. Only when a matter was truly indecisive would they seek him out.
With the various prefectures in rebellion and the world in chaos, the Hall of Heavenly Principle had stopped assassinating members of the imperial bloodline. This was because...
That mysterious Heavenly Secret Pavilion was doing the same thing. Although they didn't know why, the Hall of Heavenly Principle had no intention of competing with them for the work.
The moment the bell of Merit City rang, the busy Li Changyao's face lit up with joy. She put down her work and hurriedly left the pavilion.
"Don't look for me unless it's something important!"
Li Changyao¹ ran back home without a single glance back.
[Your descendant, Li Changyao, has acquired the trait: Precise Calculation]
[Due to her status as the temporary head of the Hall of Heavenly Principle's Shadow Division, Li Changyao went from being interested to becoming increasingly irritable.
Every time Merit City's bell rang to signal the night, she would get off work right on time.
She gradually became able to calculate time with great precision, even down to the number of steps from the pavilion to the family courtyard. Archery control has increased by 5%.]
"Huh?"
Watching Li Changyao sprint away, Li Wei never imagined that the simple act of 'going to work' could actually help an archer's development.
Li Wei also followed her back to the main courtyard.
The first thing he saw was the Old Tree.
The tree had once been enormous, but now it was much more low-key.
As it absorbed more blood, it had also found the time to break through to the Divinity Transformation realm, becoming the Primal Origin Blood Tree and gaining the ability to automatically adjust the size of its main body.
The Old Tree was now only ten meters tall, but its crimson crown was still exceptionally eye-catching.
Li Changsheng was still lying upon it, and Li Wei glanced at his condition.
A trait came into view.
[Trait: Mysterious Eyes]
[Your descendant, Li Changsheng, after consuming the Human Emperor's Blood for many years, has now completely absorbed it. He has cultivated the "Great Dream Human Emperor Scripture", which he obtained from the blood, to its peak. A pair of eyes is constantly staring at him, inspecting him to see if he possesses the qualifications to be possessed.]
Li Wei's eyes narrowed slightly.
In truth, Li Changsheng could now shed his mortal shell at any time.
Li Yaowen had investigated the matter and determined that as long as he stopped suppressing his own power, he could control the power of those mysterious eyes, and his strength would reach the Nascent Soul 'Leaving the Body' realm at the very least.
Right now, never mind the other Li family members—even Li Changsheng himself didn't know how strong he truly was. But given his cautious nature, he would never take such a risk unless it was an absolute last resort.
Li Wei still remembered that during the family's great battle, Li Changsheng had been on the verge of controlling those eyes.
"What's the real story behind those eyes?"
Li Wei rubbed his fingers together in thought. Li Yaowen had been investigating this all along; it seemed that quite a few people in this world possessed the Human Emperor's Blood, to say nothing of the princes and princesses, who received it directly from the Human Emperor.
The only thing they knew for certain was this: once someone else was successfully possessed, Li Changsheng would no longer need to fear it.
In truth, those eyes were not malicious; they were simply in the process of selecting a suitable vessel.
Many people in the world had consumed the Human Emperor's Blood, but in the end, only one of them would suffer the calamity.
As he pondered this.
Li Wei walked toward the courtyard. In the night of Merit City, Li Dalong was holding the family's newborn, Li Xinnian, his face beaming with joy.
Xu Cuihua, who had returned with no plans to leave, was affectionately teasing the baby with a gentle, grandmotherly expression.
Many family members were gathered together, enjoying their evening meal.
However, Li Yaoqing, Li Yaotie, and Bai Rourou had already returned to the Heavenly Light Grotto; otherwise, it would have been even livelier.
At just one year old, Li Xinnian was no longer as unsightly as he had been at birth. His face was chubby, and he reached out to grab Li Dalong's hair, making Li Dalong laugh uncontrollably.
Li Yaozu whispered something, and only then did Li Dalong hand the child to Xu Cuihua.
The new parents, Li Xingchen and Fan Feixuan, could only watch eagerly from the sidelines.
Their child had been born, yes, but the entire family was always vying to play with him, and they didn't have the heart to refuse.
Sometimes it was even nerve-wracking. On one occasion, the family's infamous 'Three Thieves' had taken Li Xinnian with them to rob a tomb in Duravia Trade Prefecture—the tomb of a Divinity Transformation cultivator, no less...
Li Yaozu, standing nearby, leaned in and whispered to Li Dalong, "Dad, Consort Shu has come to our door again. She wants to see Prince Qian."
Li Dalong frowned but didn't reply.
But as Li Yaozu added something else with a grin, the expressions on Li Dalong and the clansmen who overheard turned strange, while Li Wei nodded again and again in gratification.
"Also, about Yunlin," Li Yaozu had said. "That kid has finally grown up."
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