Chapter 1117: Chapter 1111: Overwhelming Power Breeds Suspicion
[Your descendants heading to the Northern Border encountered an enemy ambush on the way.
Their spirit boat was destroyed, and they have headed to the Imperial Capital to rest and reorganize.]
Not long after the secret discussion at home, Li Zhiheng and the other descendants had been heading to the Northern Border for barely a dozen days before encountering an enemy attack.
Li Wei frowned.
Arriving beside Li Zhiheng via his perception, he saw the thousand descendants of the family having no choice but to use various means to rush to the Imperial Capital.
Looking again at the [Rumors] in the special events, and recalling Qiu Xundao’s soliloquy in the Grand Preceptor’s study that day, as well as Min Tiange’s warning, Li Wei murmured,
“The events in the Western Border happened only recently; we truly revealed too much of our sharp edge.”
However, Li Wei also shrugged.
Since the family’s founding until now, he had experienced far too many things; what was bound to come would come sooner or later.
He had many descendants, and each had their own ideas.
For instance, Li Jianshu was dead set on leading the family’s descendants to the Northern Border for revenge.
As the Old Ancestor, he simply needed to offer his protection.
Over the next few days, the clansmen arrived at the bustling areas of the Imperial Capital, awestruck by the extraordinary splendor of the glorious city.
The descendants raised their heads to gaze toward the Heavenly Palace.
That kind of majestic Spiritual Qi was something they had never experienced, even in Merit City.
The four massive divine statues at the four corners of the Imperial Capital similarly exuded an overwhelming pressure, making it seem as though if any enemy dared to approach, these statues would transform into divine generals to slay them.
The Merchant Lineage had long since come to welcome them, bringing over a hundred powerful bodyguards and rushing to meet the main family halfway.
The descendants from the Azure Cloud Prefecture cultivated year-round in the Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven.
The moment they arrived at the Merchant Grotto-Heaven, they were completely dumbfounded.
It was tacky… tacky to the extreme.
The artificial rockeries in the Grotto-Heaven were carved from spirit stones, and even a single tree inside was a Dharma Treasure.
Other families used their Dharma Treasures for combat; the Dharma Treasures in the Merchant Grotto-Heaven were auxiliary tools used purely for decoration.
“Dad, Eldest Brother!”
Li Yuanshang hurried over and quickly walked up to Li Yuanwu.
When he went back to Merit City a few years ago, Li Yuanwu had already grown old, and now he had lost even more vital blood energy.
“Eldest Brother, you are so foolish! We have as many life-extending pills as we need.
If you want to break through, I can find pills for you. Why must you make things so hard for yourself?”
The giant fat man, round as a ball, panted heavily.
This caused Li Zhiheng, standing to the side, to feel a slight ripple of emotion in his heart.
Of these two sons of his, one was old, and the other was fat, but they ultimately brought him gratification.
Li Yuanwu held true to his original heart, having no desires or pursuits other than practicing martial arts.
Although Li Yuanshang’s temperament was vastly different from his own, he was extraordinarily clever, earning much praise even from their father, Li Xinnian.
He also had a daughter, Li Yuanling, who had married into the Feng family and lived a happy life.
Coupled with a house full of descendants, he had no regrets in this life.
Immediately after, he murmured his usual self-reminders to his Heavenly Dao Divine Heart.
After a round of greetings, everyone entered the Merchant Grotto-Heaven.
The Merchant Lineage possessed spirit stones and wealth to rival a nation; otherwise, Li Yuanshang wouldn’t have dared to boast so grandly to Fei Heng back in the day.
Once inside, there were layers upon layers of grand arrays, though they couldn’t exactly be considered exceptionally formidable—they were mainly there to prevent people from stealing their treasures…
In the main hall, Li Chang and the Martial Emperor, who had come to protect the Merchant Lineage in earlier years, were seated.
Li Chang was a graceful gentleman, not looking the least bit like an Old Ancestor; he appeared to be the youngest person in the entire hall.
That little old man, the Martial Emperor, had grown a full size rounder.
The children of the Merchant Lineage came forward one by one to pay their respects to Li Zhiheng and Li Yuanwu, their words holding a few degrees more reverence when speaking with Li Jianshu and the others.
It wasn’t that the Merchant Lineage lacked strong individuals; they had even produced two Divinity Transformation cultivators among them, but one look was enough to tell their cultivation base had been piled up entirely with pills.
According to Li Yuanshang, a merchant should look like a merchant.
Breaking through to Divinity Transformation was already good enough.
If they truly produced a Void Refining expert, in the eyes of the Imperial Capital’s dignitaries, they would no longer be seen as merchants, but rather territorial lords.
As the group conversed, Li Jianshu brought up the matter of the ambush they encountered on the road.
The flesh on Li Yuanshang’s face quivered as he slammed the table heavily.
“First, the Northern Border had an incident, and now they even dare to touch the people of our main family! They are defying the heavens!”
“Second Uncle, it was a probe,” Li Jianshu corrected him.
“I don’t care if it was a probe! Our Li Clan elders in the Western Border secured the southern rear for the Imperial Dynasty, joining forces with the dynasty’s almighty experts to severely injure the Nirvana Sage Elder.
Our Li Clan holds unparalleled merit in the great victory of the Western Border.
If they have the capability to target our Li Clan, why don’t they muster the courage to go deal with the Wu Tribe?”
Even as a merchant, Li Yuanshang was not lacking in hostility.
“I have already hired people to investigate. I want to see exactly who is playing tricks behind the scenes!”
Standing to the side, seeing that his descendants already had plans, Li Chang smiled faintly.
“You all go ahead and investigate; I will make a trip to the Heavenly Palace.”
Noticing the looks in his descendants’ eyes, Li Chang added, “To see the Empress.”
“Huh?”
The clansmen were stunned. They watched Li Chang’an’s dashing and elegant departing figure, then collectively turned their gazes to Li Yuanshang.
Li Yuanshang pursed his lips.
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know. Great-Great-Grandfather only comes back here to rest his feet.
The place he spends the most time on a daily basis is the inner palace, playing the zither and reciting poetry for the Empress and the concubines.”
“Hiss~” Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air, followed by collective sighs.
They had long heard that the peace the Azure Cloud Prefecture and the family enjoyed today was due to the immense contributions made by Old Ancestor Li Chang.
It was only today that they realized just how great of a “sacrifice” Ancestor Chang had actually made for the family.
When night fell, Li Chang still hadn’t returned.
The only things that arrived were letters from the Merchant Lineage, the Hall of Heavenly Principles, and Li Chang.
A special event caught Li Wei’s eye.
[Overwhelming Power Breeds Suspicion]
[Your family possesses formidable strength in the Western Border, producing numerous Void Refining cultivators within a millennium, and has obtained the Body Integration opportunity of Nun Dairou, causing many dignitaries to grow wary.
After Qiu Xunfa severely injured Li Zhijing, Qiu Xundao, in order to protect his younger brother, sent messages to various dignitaries in the Imperial Capital, claiming that the Li Clan acts recklessly and publicly provoked the Qiu Clan without cause or reason.]
[The Imperial Capital’s dignitaries have long coveted the Li Clan’s treasures that allow for rapid cultivation.
They have already attempted to spy on and scheme against the Li Clan…]
[Several individuals are already conspiring in secret, a plot which has been discovered by the spies of the Hall of Heavenly Principles.
Perfected Yueqiu of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Zishu Ling of the Royal Family, Gongyang Ju of the Emberwing Guard…]
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