"Even fiercer than the Human Sovereign himself?"
Li Yuanshang's small eyes widened into circles.
"Then how did that Third Prince meet his end?"
The crack-crack of melon seeds filled the air.
Fei Heng, having grown accustomed to this crude fatty, spoke in a grave tone.
"The records are sparse; it was the jealousy of Heaven.
That Third Imperial Brother of mine dared to wrestle with Divine Dragons.
If he were still here today, after more than a hundred thousand years, how would the Wu Clan dare to bully our Azure Imperial Dynasty?"
"Oh, come off it. If he were still here, do you think you'd still be the Crown Prince?" Li Yuanshang momentarily forgot who was sitting in front of him.
"You..."
Fei Heng was choked into silence for a moment.
Seeing Li Yuanshang instantly sit up straight and act properly, Fei Heng smoothed his chest to calm his breath and continued.
"His descendants were all extraordinary. Yet, the Qingtian lineage suffered one death after another in the very year the Third Imperial Brother passed away.
The only survivor was Zishu Lingtian."
"Didn't you say it was uncertain whether he was alive or dead?" Li Yuanshang scratched his head.
"Mn."
Fei Heng spoke, "Just like my Fourth Imperial Brother, who is currently entrenched in rebellion, he is a natural-born rebel to the bone.
After the Third Imperial Brother died, Zishu Lingtian's temperament changed drastically.
He defied Father Emperor at every turn, even going so far as to commit the act of killing the Empress.
However, he inherited the Third Imperial Brother's ability—no one could find his Phylactery."
"Even Father Emperor had no choice but to seal his head, soul, and body separately."
"Now that over a hundred thousand years have passed, no one knows whether he is dead or alive.
Because those seals seize the creative powers of Heaven and Earth, they could exist in any form.
However, the one thing that is certain is that he is definitely still within the Imperial Dynasty.
This is his root; he can never leave, even if only his corpse remains."
"Hiss." Li Yuanshang gasped sharply.
Dismembering his own great-grandson into three pieces...
He found it hard to imagine what kind of great-grandfather could bring himself to commit such an act.
Li Yuanshang rolled his eyes.
"If even the Human Sovereign couldn't find him, where are we supposed to look? I propose we just keep fighting!"
"I suspect Fourth Prince has also made a promise to your Li Clan."
Fei Heng smiled. "The Imperial Preceptor and the Grand Preceptor will not permit his agents to enter the Imperial Dynasty. Only you can help him."
...
"Fourth Prince said that regardless of whether we help him search or not, he will withdraw his troops."
Li Kuangren took a deep breath.
"He is the most magnanimous man I have ever met.
He stated that whether the target is found or not, he will make concessions to give Fei Heng the opportunity to campaign against the Wu Clan."
"Because this is the land of their Zishu Clan, the land of the Human Race.
Even if he is defeated in the civil war, he cannot allow it to fall into the hands of foreign races."
"At the same time, this is also his opportunity to purge the factions within the Twelve Prefectures.
It is not the place of outsiders to sow chaos in the army of his Duskwild Prefecture.
Since there is accumulated rot, it is time to eliminate these internal hidden dangers at any cost."
"If our Li Clan trusts his words, he is willing to..."
A trace of hesitation flashed through Li Kuangren's eyes.
"...give our clan an opportunity to break through to the Body Integration stage!"
"Body Integration?!!"
Li Tianyi was beside himself with excitement.
"Body Integration! We've struck gold! We've struck..."
Suddenly, Li Tianyi's expression froze.
He was the only one in the clan cheering; everyone else was holding their breath, lost in deep contemplation.
This situation caused the corner of his mouth to twitch.
He lowered his head, looked left and right, rubbed his nose, and sheepishly retreated behind Tianming.
After a long silence, Li Chang'an finally spoke.
"This matter is riddled with suspicious points. If there is an opportunity for Body Integration, why has it been left unused until now? And why not bestow it upon his own subordinates?"
"Secondly, why ask our Li Clan to search for Zishu Lingtian?
With so many hidden factions emerging in the world now, he surely has the means to contact them. Those hidden factions are undoubtedly more powerful than our Li Clan."
"Finally, why does he want Zishu Lingtian? Is he not afraid that his grand ambitions for the throne will face yet another rival?"
[Special Event — Search for the Three Severed Remains of Zishu Lingtian]
Li Wei furrowed his brows.
This was a business transaction.
The temptation of the Body Integration stage was immense—so immense that no one could remain unmoved by it.
Yet, Li Wei simply could not find it in himself to feel happy.
He looked around at his descendants and realized that they all wore the same expression.
Suddenly, they looked at one another and smiled.
Li Yaowen spoke.
"The world is in chaos.
Fourth Prince believes from the bottom of his heart that our Li Clan, for the sake of strengthening ourselves, will put our lives on the line for him like servants.
Chang'an's doubts are correct.
If this is an opportunity to reach the Body Integration stage, why would he not use it for his own people?
To him, our Li Clan are outsiders; such a good thing would never fall into our laps."
"Exactly! What the hell does his Zishu family's business have to do with us?" Li Yaotie glared, his eyes widening.
"If we happen to run into him, fine. If not? Let it be.
Besides, it is not as if we lack existences with the potential to reach the Body Integration stage ourselves."
Li Wei nodded in agreement.
"The most crucial matter right now is to handle Tianyue's situation properly, as well as the refining of the Void-Soul Exchanging Dao Technique."
At this moment.
Within the Azure Cloud Prefecture, Li Zhiheng sat cross-legged in cultivation, seven-colored dharma orbs circling around his body.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Li Zhiheng could clearly feel the "Heavenly Dao Divine Heart" within his chest, tempting him to devour the Providence of Heaven and Earth.
He raised his eyebrows.
"Are you hungry? Draw in the Spiritual power of Heaven and Earth to aid my cultivation, and I will feed you."
The heart beat faster, and the Spiritual power of Heaven and Earth surged in like a tide.
Li Zhiheng blinked his eyes and patted his chest.
"My dad says I'm stupid, but you're even stupider than I am.
You only get to eat once a month—that is the rule.
If you don't listen, you'll never get to eat again."
Thump? Thump? Thump!!!
Ignoring the ceaseless thumping of his heart, Li Zhiheng looked inward at the Nascent Soul within his Soul Sea.
Seeing the Nascent Soul growing stronger, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Fifty years... no, thirty years. I will shatter the Nascent Soul and achieve the Divinity Transformation stage!"