Min Tiange finally left.
Regarding his proposal to cooperate with the Li Clan, Li Xinnian agreed on behalf of the family.
After all, talking nonsense wouldn't cost them.
At this time, within the Ancestral Space.
Key members of the family had gathered. Li Wei sat in the seat of honor.
With a wave of his hand, chairs materialized beneath the clansmen, and they sat down one by one.
"Min Tiange's purpose was to warn us. As for the matter of cooperation, in his eyes, only those who harbor a Dao Seed can be trusted."
Li Xinnian said in a deep voice, "However, he is right. While exposing our strength in the Western Border intimidated the scoundrels, crisis followed closely behind."
The clansmen lowered their eyes.
As they came to understand the affairs of the world more and more, they increasingly found that no matter what they did, it was wrong.
If they hid their strength, anyone would dare to provoke them; if they exposed their strength, they would be targeted by Emperor Realm experts.
"Xinnian, your decision to establish branch families back then was the most correct choice."
Li Yaowen said gently,
"Our family is spread across the world, cooperating with various factions.
Coupled with the surprise attack we faced in the Azure Cloud Region in the past, it has actually made the people of the world more wary of us.
Otherwise, who knows what kind of chaos would be breaking out right now."
Li Xinnian hastily lowered his head in humility.
He had grown up listening to the stories of the family.
During his years as the Family Head, he had merely followed the path paved by his elders, patching up any flaws and planning escape routes.
Now, no matter what happened, they at least had countermeasures.
"If what Min Tiange said during his visit is true, then right now is actually our most dangerous moment," Li Yunbing said.
"We have been established for too short a time.
The 'Void-Soul Exchanging Dao Technique' allowed our clansmen to break through to the Void Refinement realm one by one, and Second Aunt's pills facilitated our breakthroughs.
All of this can be traced."
"If it were during the Human Emperor's prime..."
Li Kuangren disliked the Imperial Dynasty the most.
He sneered, "We would be just like the hidden factions of the world.
No matter how great our contributions to the dynasty, in the end, we would only be forced to hide within Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, never seeing the light of day.
Without opportunities inside the Grotto-Heavens, attempting to break through would be sheer fantasy. If we refused to submit, we would end up like the Immortal Zhao Clan."
"Therefore, the Human Emperor is the protector of the dynasty's almighty experts.
He forces all cultivators above the Void Refinement realm in the world to refrain from entering the secular realm, severing their chances of a rapid breakthrough.
For over a hundred thousand years, those at the Emperor Realm have lived without worry.
But it is also because of this that the dynasty has known peace for over a hundred thousand years."
"And now that the world is in great chaos, perhaps it isn't solely Min Tiange's doing... All the hidden factions might have been longing for this day.
Even the factions under the Human Emperor wish for the world to fall into chaos. Only in this way can they seize opportunities."
"The moment something happens to the Human Emperor, the hidden factions emerge."
The clansmen looked toward Li Yaoqing, for only Li Yaoqing knew the true condition of the Human Emperor.
Li Yaoqing spread her hands.
"He really is dying. Great Emperor Realm experts possess imperishable physical bodies, lifespans of over a hundred thousand years, and can choose to reincarnate independently.
The Human Emperor could suppress the world; even those at the Body Integration realm can live for over a hundred thousand years. But when I examined him, he was old.
I didn't dare to ask, but think about it: the people of the world firmly believe the news of his impending death, so there must be a reason behind it."
"Alright, whatever his condition may be, let him be," Li Wei waved his hand.
"Min Tiange's words cannot be taken lightly. There are already signs of what he said about us being targeted."
The clansmen all looked toward Li Wei.
Li Wei said in a deep voice,
"When the incident regarding Zhijing occurred in the Northern Border, Lin Jiu completely distanced himself from the karma.
Yet, I saw that scoundrel Qiu Xundao had already come up with a plan to deal with our Li Clan."
"Lin Jiu clearly told me that if Qiu Xunfa was handed over to me and the Qiu Clan apologized, the matter would be settled."
Li Xinghuo's expression was gloomy.
He had already decided to recall the clansmen heading to the Northern Border and simply wait until he broke through to the Void Refinement realm to battle Qiu Xunfa and reclaim their pride from the Qiu Clan.
Centuries had passed, and he had almost forgotten that Lin Jiu had never been so simple.
This filled Li Xinghuo's heart with stifled frustration.
The Grand Tutor handled things far too flawlessly; regardless of the outcome, the karma would never touch the Grand Tutor himself.
Li Xinghuo didn't even have a reason to blame Lin Jiu.
"Whatever Qiu Xunfa intends to do, we must formulate a countermeasure."
Li Wei narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Min Tiange gave us a hint, and he was right.
With the strength our Li Clan has exposed now, the world will know that we are cultivating rapidly and must possess a method for swift breakthroughs.
At the same time, we captured Nun Dairou, who is herself an opportunity to reach the Body Integration realm.
Perhaps in the eyes of certain Emperor Realm experts, we, like Min Tiange, are a massive threat."
"Min Tiange's open scheme." Li Yaowen smiled faintly.
"He wants us to be wary of the Imperial Dynasty, thereby breeding resentment toward it and pitting us against the Emperor Realm, ultimately forcing us to become his fellow travelers.
At the same time, this deters us from continuing to investigate him.
He manifested the blood moon with his Spiritual power in Shadowfell Prefecture; our relentless pursuit has already made him feel threatened.
No matter what we do, it will make things much easier for him."
"At the same time, we must remain vigilant. Just as the Ancestor said, it's possible that the Emperor Realm experts have already silently lured us into a trap."
Li Wei looked at the panel before him.
Three days had already passed in the Northern Border, and the text on the panel was clearly visible.
[Special Event — Rumors]
[The news that your family conspired to kill Crown Prince Fei Heng in the Western Border, secretly causing the fall of the Western Border, snatching the opportunities of Bi Shihu, Yun Hongcai, and the Dusheng Nunnery, and capturing Nun Dairou and the Nirvana Sage Elder, has already begun to spread throughout the Imperial Dynasty.]
[Your family has been branded by the world with the labels of 'Conspiratorial', 'Tyrannical', and 'Demonic Path', inciting greater vigilance among the populace.]
[Within the Azure Imperial Dynasty, the Wu Tribe, and even the Demon Race, many covetous eyes have been drawn to your family.
Rumors that an opportunity for Body Integration lies in the Southern Border have spread across the world.]
The most terrifying rumors in the world are those that are half-true and half-false.
Li Wei looked at his clansmen. Everyone's expression remained calm, and he broke into a grin.
"The bad news is that our clan's discussion today and Min Tiange's warning are both entirely true."
Li Yaoqing tilted her head. "Ancestor, what about the good news?"
"The good news is that the majority of the rumors known to the world are true. Moreover, not only are we unafraid, but we also want to see how they plan to stop us from progressing even further."
In the dimly lit Ancestral Space.
The clansmen sat divided across two long rows of chairs.
They all looked toward Li Wei, flashing wide, gleaming smiles revealing their white teeth.