Chapter 1112: Chapter 1106: Emperor Realm
Li Xinghuo and Zishu Wandong stood within the room, observing Qiu Xundao as he headed toward the Grand Tutor’s residence.
But the true observer was Li Wei.
As long as he remained near his descendants, even without manifesting a physical form, he could move freely within a certain range.
Moreover, as his strength increased, this range continued to expand—allowing him to even descend directly within that domain.
Ordinarily, the family used this method to uncover secrets, and it rarely failed.
This was not his first time appearing near the residence of Grand Tutor Lin Jiu.
Of course, this was also due to Li Xinghuo gaining increasing favor in Lin Jiu’s eyes.
His bloodline was the absolute bane of demons and monsters.
Even if Lin Jiu merely kept Li Xinghuo at his side as an ornament, this ancient trait alone could bring fortune and prosperity—a rare and auspicious sign.
Raising his gaze slightly, Li Wei couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer grandeur of the Grand Tutor’s military stronghold.
The Asura Army was merely an assassin-like force under his command.
The Grand Tutor—who had forged the Northern Border into an unbreakable fortress—held the very core of power firmly in his grasp.
Above the palace, massive phantoms loomed, blotting out the sky and sun.
These were the “Qi signatures” Li Wei could perceive after years of cultivation.
A ten-thousand-meter golden dragon soaring through the clouds, celestial soldiers and divine generals brimming with killing intent, an ancient and mysterious black bell…
Beneath these overwhelming presences, even Li Xinghuo’s Half-Step Void Refinement aura felt like that of a mere ant struggling beneath the feet of towering giants.
With such forces at his command, the Grand Tutor was not only the pillar of the Northern Border—but one of the ancient “gods” of the entire Imperial Dynasty.
Qiu Xundao pushed open the door to the Grand Tutor’s chamber.
Lin Jiu wore no armor. Dressed in a simple black robe, he held a calligraphy brush, writing the four characters: “Beast’s Heart at Present.” Yet each time, he crumpled the paper and began anew.
Seeing this, Qiu Xundao immediately stepped forward to grind ink for him.
“Emperor Realm.”
Li Wei’s gaze sharpened.
There were only twenty-four Emperor Realm experts in the world, and Lin Jiu was one of them.
These twenty-four were the true rulers of the realm.
At times, Li Wei couldn’t help but wonder—if the Li Clan possessed an Emperor Realm expert, wouldn’t they be able to act without restraint?
Yet such figures—these living gods among mortals—either remained hidden from the world or acted with great restraint, operating through others from the shadows.
Within the chamber, Qiu Xundao silently ground ink until Lin Jiu finally spoke.
“I am already aware of the matter between Qiu Xunfa and the Li Clan. It is good that you came to me first.”
“Adoptive Father, he is my only remaining blood relative.” Qiu Xundao immediately dropped to his knees. “I beg Adoptive Father to spare Xunfa’s life.”
Lin Jiu continued to write.
Though his brush moved across the paper, not a single trace of ink appeared.
He maintained this for a long time. Then, with a slight shake of his head at the kneeling Qiu Xundao, he simply turned and left.
Qiu Xundao abruptly rose to his feet.
Seeing the blank sheet—untouched by ink—and recalling the fleeting disappointment in Lin Jiu’s expression, Qiu Xundao’s face turned deathly pale.
“Twenty thousand years… I have risked life and death for him for twenty thousand years, and yet he won’t even leave me a path to survive?”
“If only he would speak—just one word—a mere Li Clan…”
After a long silence, Qiu Xundao suddenly froze, then picked up the crumpled calligraphy.
“No… that’s not it. Every action Adoptive Father took carried meaning.
He saw me arrive, yet continued what he was doing—this means his resolve to fight the Demon Race remains unchanged. That is still the true priority.
At the same time… it means no matter how I clash with the Li Clan, he will not intervene.”
“‘Beast’s Heart at Present.’ Adoptive Father often said that all people harbor a beast’s heart—and that using others as one’s opportunity is the key to breaking through.
The Li Clan… they are my opportunity to step into the Body Integration realm. Opportunity… opportunity… The Li Clan captured Nun Dairou in the Western Frontier!”
“And then—he wrote, yet left no trace. The words exist in his heart, but not on paper.
The true players shape the world without leaving a mark. Their moves influence everything, yet remain unseen.
In other words… Adoptive Father wants me to understand that anyone in this world can be used.”
“As expected of Adoptive Father—profound and unfathomable. Thank you, Adoptive Father. I already know what to do.”
With that realization, Qiu Xundao’s eyes lit up. He hurried off, his expression filled with excitement.
“…”
Li Wei watched in stunned silence as both Lin Jiu and Qiu Xundao departed.
Whether Lin Jiu truly intended any of this, Li Wei had no way of knowing.
But one thing was certain—Qiu Xundao, the Second Commander of the Asura Army, had just experienced a sudden epiphany.
It was as though his meridians had cleared, and he now sought to become a hidden mastermind manipulating the board from the shadows.
The mention of Nun Dairou meant he had already formed a plan.
Not long after,
Li Wei followed after him.
He saw Qiu Xundao return to his quarters, bringing Qiu Xunfa along.
Without a word, Qiu Xundao sat down cross-legged and began cultivating.
His profound techniques manifested into spirit birds that scattered in all directions.
Shifting his focus back to Li Xinghuo’s courtyard, Li Wei saw that the Grand Tutor had already arrived.
Li Xinghuo and his wife greeted him with utmost respect.
Lin Jiu had already perceived the 108 demonic runes fully forming within Li Xinghuo’s half-complete Void Refinement domain, and his expression carried even greater approval.
Surprisingly, when facing Li Xinghuo, he was far less taciturn than he had been with Qiu Xundao.
“Xundao came to see me just now.”
With just that single sentence, Li Xinghuo’s brows furrowed deeply.
At his age, he was naturally not naive enough to believe the Grand Tutor would favor the Li Clan.
Lin Jiu continued,
“This matter is simple to resolve. Zhijing was saved by your Li Clan’s Ancestor.
Qiu Xunfa is Xundao’s closest kin, and like you, Xundao holds a high position within the Asura Army.
If matters escalate, a rift between the two of you is inevitable.
Qiu Xunfa is currently within the camp. Whether you seek an apology or demand blood for blood, the decision is yours.”
From Lin Jiu’s lips, such a grave conflict was handled as though it were a trivial matter.
Li Xinghuo quickly bowed. “Yes, Adoptive Father. This child understands.”
After Lin Jiu departed, Li Xinghuo and his wife exchanged puzzled glances.
As for Li Wei, he found the entire situation deeply strange.
Why had Lin Jiu not spoken these words to Qiu Xundao, but instead to Li Xinghuo?
Normally, such a matter would involve summoning both sides to mediate—reducing a major conflict into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing.
Yet when Qiu Xundao came, Lin Jiu said nothing at all—allowing him to spiral into his own interpretations.
As these thoughts lingered…
Li Wei suddenly vanished.
A single line of text remained on the fading system panel:
[Special Event — Your descendant Li Chuyuan has consumed Min Tiange’s Dao Seed…]
[Your descendant Li Xinnian, currently in Shadowfell Prefecture, has encountered Min Tiange’s clone…]
…….
Beneath the blood moon, the tree shadows cast a red hue.
A gentle breeze blew past as Li Xinnian and Min Tiange leaned against the same tree.
Li Xinnian calmly observed the figure dressed in white, his hair bound by a jade crown.
Min Tiange’s hair fell over his eyes, and he exuded not the slightest hint of an imposing aura; he looked exactly like the most ordinary of mortals.
Today, a letter from Min Tiange had arrived at the Golden Toad Divine Palace, requesting a meeting with a member of the Azure Cloud Li Clan.
After some deliberation among the clansmen, Li Xinnian decided he also wanted to meet this existence who was secretly stirring up the winds and clouds.
Li Xinnian had once imagined how majestic and domineering Min Tiange would be, how intensely oppressive his presence.
Yet, seeing him here in this forest, he felt the other party was nothing more than a person like himself—a mere mortal.
“I hear your Azure Cloud Li Clan has been looking for me lately?” Min Tiange’s thin lips parted slightly.
“That’s right.”
Showing no fear, Li Xinnian smiled and said,
“Your Excellency ordered the Wu Tribe to cross the borders.
The Crown Prince was also manipulated by Your Excellency.
And now, this blood moon gathering the spiritual energy and souls of the dead across the world is also your doing.
There are many in this world who wish to find Your Excellency; my Li Clan is merely one among them.”
Min Tiange let out a scoff through his nose, his voice suddenly turning faint and eerie.
“In my view, the people of the world coming to find me are like starving dogs lunging for food, driven by nothing more than greed or the apprehension of sensing danger.
Which kind is your Li Clan?”
Li Xinnian frowned and remained silent.
If he were to speak his true thoughts, it would be nothing more than what the elders at home often said: kill this bastard for revenge, no matter the cost.
“It seems you are neither.”
Min Tiange teased, “In my view, your Li Clan shouldn’t be looking for me. You should be standing on the same side as me. We are the same kind of people.”
“…” Li Xinnian continued to remain silent.
Min Tiange said, “You truly shouldn’t have killed Fei Heng. Fei Heng and I were the same kind of people; we are the innovators of the world.
As a member of the royal bloodline, Fei Heng dared to cultivate the Corpse-Stitching Art of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
He should have achieved far greater things. What a pity he fell by your hands.”
Li Xinnian didn’t want to elaborate on the story between them and Fei Heng.
Perhaps in Min Tiange’s eyes, he hadn’t even realized that by nearly causing Li Yaotie’s fall and Li Tianyue’s death, the Azure Cloud Li Clan had long since placed Min Tiange at the very top of their kill list.
“Innovators?” Li Xinnian was more focused on this novel term.
“Yes. Your Li Clan has existed for too short a time; you know too little about the affairs of the world,” Min Tiange said.
“There are twenty-four Emperors in the world.
Every single one of them possesses an imperishable physical body; they never truly die, and can even choose to reincarnate independently.
They are gods in the mortal realm. Yet, despite possessing such formidable strength, every single one of them is as timid as a mouse.”
As timid as a mouse… Li Xinnian frowned. He hadn’t expected that Emperor Realm experts would receive such an evaluation from Min Tiange’s mouth.
“They are already incredibly difficult to kill or destroy, so they only have one thought: to live forever.
But at the same time, they have severed the hopes of others achieving immortality.
However, an imperishable physical body does not equate to eternal life. They are afraid. Afraid that latecomers will snatch away their Emperor Thrones.”
Min Tiange grinned, pointing at his own nose. “Latecomers like us.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Li Xinnian frowned.
“We have never been enemies,” Min Tiange laughed.
“Perhaps you haven’t realized it, but the more potential someone has in this world, the more dangerous they are.
And your Li Clan, established for less than a millennium, has geniuses rising like dazzling new stars.
To the Emperor Realm experts, you are a true threat. Perhaps they are already preparing to eradicate you ‘troublemakers’ as we speak.”
Li Xinnian narrowed his eyes slightly.
He only heard Min Tiange continue, “These people never taint themselves with karma.
They are afraid of being targeted by latecomers, and at the same time, they will silently and stealthily scheme to eliminate all threats.”
“For example, me.” Min Tiange’s face remained calm, but Li Xinnian could sense the madness lurking in his eyes.
“Cooperate with me. Only with the Imperial Dynasty in utter chaos will we have the chance to obtain more opportunities and snatch the Emperor Thrones!
At the same time, forcing the Emperors to exhaust themselves dealing with us… that is our opportunity.”
“Lure the Wu Tribe of the Southern Border across the pass.
Have the cultivators of the Azure Cloud Prefecture launch a surprise attack on the Eastern Border.
Lure Fourth Prince across the pass to kill Dongfang Liancheng.”
“I guarantee, your Li Clan will become a beneficiary!”
Three veins bulged on Li Xinnian’s forehead. Staring into Min Tiange’s eyes… why was he actually feeling a little tempted?
—
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