"Stop!"
Just as Li Xuan's spiritual sword was about to end Li Wentian's life, a voice suddenly boomed. Li Xuan's heart stirred at the sound, but a slight smile curved his lips as he gently pushed his spiritual sword forward, piercing Li Wentian's chest.
"You!" Li Wenwu's expression turned grim the moment he appeared. Li Wentian's life was rapidly ebbing away. Within a few breaths, Li Wentian was dead. What angered Li Wenwu most was that Li Xuan, a disciple of the Li family, had disregarded his command.
"We pay our respects to the Patriarch!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Li Wenli and the others rose and bowed. Excitement flickered on each of their faces. The Patriarch had already been at the peak of the Spiritual Soul Realm before his seclusion; his strength must have advanced further upon his return. The hope of the Li family had arrived.
Li Wenwu nodded slightly and then looked directly at Li Xuan, "Why did you have to kill him?"
Li Xuan smiled at the question, then looked up at Li Wenwu and said, "Firstly, he and I have a grievance. Years ago, he deliberately sent my parents out, and when he received my parents' distress signals, he concealed it, leading to their tragic deaths. Secondly, this is the Life and Death Stage. On the Life and Death Stage, the victor lives, and the vanquished dies. Patriarch, do you intend to defy the ancestral teachings of our forebears?"
"It is true that he was wrong in the matter of your parents. However, he has contributed much to our Li family over the years. Even without merit, he has labored. Furthermore, I told you to stop, so why did you kill him? Do you still have any regard for me as your Patriarch?" A flicker of surprise crossed Li Wenwu's eyes. Li Xuan remained unfazed when facing him. While he somewhat approved of Li Xuan, his authority could not be trampled upon.
"You exaggerate, Patriarch. Of course, I have regard for you as my Patriarch. It's just that I was a bit nervous when you called out, so my hand slipped," Li Xuan said, shrugging. The others rolled their eyes. His hand slipped? Nobody believed that.
"Very well, since it was a battle to the death, let this matter end here. That you have cultivated to the Spiritual Soul Realm at such a young age, our Li family can be considered to have successors," Li Wenwu said after a moment of silence, waving his hand.
"Patriarch, Li Xuan possesses a secret!" Just then, Li Xian, who had been hiding after seeing his elder brother Li Yong and even his grandfather Li Wentian killed by Li Xuan, suddenly rushed out and shouted loudly.
As if fearing Li Xuan wouldn't give him a chance to speak, Li Xian paused for a few breaths before speaking again, "Patriarch, Li Xuan previously broke into the ancestral shrine and was captured by my grandfather, his dantian crippled, and then he was confined in the Ice Pool. But for some reason, after Li Xuan emerged, he already possessed the cultivation of the Initial Spirit Realm. And in just these three days, Li Xuan has reached the Spiritual Soul Realm! He must possess a secret treasure!"
*Whoosh!*
As Li Xian's words fell, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically.
His dantian was crippled, yet he could recover his cultivation?
In just a few days, he advanced from the Initial Spirit Realm to the Spiritual Soul Realm?
An eerie silence descended upon the scene, and all eyes turned to Li Xuan. Even Li Wenwu's gaze shifted to Li Xuan, a hint of confusion in his eyes. If what Li Xian said was true, then the secret Li Xuan held was too extraordinary. What annoyed Li Wenwu was that Li Xian had revealed this matter in front of everyone. It was likely that even the City Lord would soon arrive.
"You seem to have forgotten something. I just said I would let you join your grandfather," Li Xuan did not seem angry at Li Xian's betrayal. Clearly, Li Xian was not the only one in the clan who knew about this matter, so Li Wenwu would find out sooner or later. Li Xuan glanced at Li Xian, then shot out his sword, instantly killing him. Even Li Wenwu's pupils constricted slightly. Li Xuan's sword strike was something even he could not execute so casually. Thus, a hint of apprehension appeared in his eyes as he looked at Li Xuan.
"Esteemed sirs, Li will now attend to family matters. I request your departure," Li Wenwu pondered for a moment, then his gaze shifted to Zhao Tianlong and the others.
Since Li Xuan possessed a secret, especially one that allowed for such rapid cultivation advancement, it could not be known to outsiders. Li Wenwu had considered sealing the news, but the people present were all grand elders of several major families. While their strength was inferior to his, suppressing or even killing them was not easy. If that happened, the Li family might find it difficult to remain in Qingcheng.
"Patriarch Li, I rushed here as soon as I learned of your emergence from seclusion, but you're already rushing me off?" A voice rang out, and a figure broke through the air, appearing directly before Zhao Tianlong. The newcomer was Zhao Wuji, the Patriarch of the Zhao family.
"Haha, Brother Zhao arrives so quickly." As Zhao Wuji appeared, several other figures also materialized in the air. Seeing them, Li Wenwu couldn't help but curse inwardly. Clearly, the Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Wang families had already sent messages to their respective Patriarchs when Li Xian revealed Li Xuan's secret. Now, with the four Patriarchs present, Li Wenwu's plan to monopolize this secret had fallen through.
Once Zhao Wuji and the other three appeared, their gazes all fell upon Li Xuan in the center of the field. Curiosity glinted in each of their eyes. They were evidently aware of what had transpired earlier.
"State your purpose for coming, all of you," with the arrival of the four Patriarchs, Li Wenwu had completely abandoned his previous intentions.
"We merely wish to know if the matter concerning this young man is true. If it is, we wish to share this secret. Of course, in return, our four families can each grant the Li family ownership of three spirit mines," Zhao Wuji said, narrowing his eyes and smiling.
Li Wenwu fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded, "Agreed. However, please hand over the contracts for the three spirit mines first."
Zhao Wuji and the other three smiled, then waved their hands, and contracts flew towards Li Wenwu. After this was done, everyone's attention turned back to Li Xuan.
"Patriarch, are you truly going to sell me out?" Li Xuan, who had been quietly observing everything, felt a pang of disappointment. His gaze towards Li Wenwu gradually turned cold.
"It's merely sharing, not selling. Your ability to bring benefits to the family is what you should do as a Li family disciple," Li Wenwu said, shaking his head.
The disappointment in Li Xuan's eyes deepened. "What a disgrace to call yourself a Patriarch, so shamelessly. Unable to protect even a family disciple, what are you?"
"You scoundrel! How dare you question the Patriarch's decision!" Li Wenzhe immediately rebuked sternly. Li Wentian was dead, and if he could gain Li Wenwu's approval, the Fifth Branch might rise.
"Oh, you've dropped your pretense too. How ridiculous. One is my Patriarch, and the other is practically my elder. Now that outsiders are invading, instead of protecting your kin, you sell them out for glory. Such a family is truly pathetic," Li Xuan laughed, a hint of sadness in his laughter.
"For these seventeen years, I have been diligently cultivating, only wishing to make a name for myself. Even when bullied by my own kin, I, Li Xuan, never thought of leaving. Because I always believed I was a member of the Li family, and eventually, I would earn your recognition. Yet, I never expected you to betray me, to betray your own descendant, to outsiders."
After listening to the words of Li Wenwu and Li Wenzhe, Li Xuan felt utterly disheartened. What was the point of keeping such a family?
"Today, I, Li Xuan, swear that from this moment on, I, Li Xuan, am no longer a member of the Li family. The Li family and I, Li Xuan, will have no further connection!"
As Li Xuan's words fell, the expressions of everyone present changed. Li Wenwu and Li Wenzhe, in particular, looked as if they could drip water, their faces extremely grim.
Leaving the family, this was a huge humiliation.
"I had initially considered promoting you to a main lineage disciple for your contributions to the family, but I didn't expect you to be so uncooperative. Since you refuse to cooperate, do not blame me for being ruthless!" Li Wenwu narrowed his eyes, and a wave of aura instantly enveloped Li Xuan.
Martial King Realm!
Sensing Li Wenwu's aura, Zhao Wuji and the others' expressions also shifted slightly. Li Wenwu, after all, had reached the Martial King Realm a step ahead of them. However, upon thinking of the secret Li Xuan possessed, they all felt a sense of relief. As long as they obtained the secret of Li Xuan's rapid cultivation advancement, they were confident they too could break through in a short period.
"You think you can suppress me? Are you worthy?" Li Xuan's lips curved slightly. Then, with his left hand, a small sword slowly materialized.
Seeing this, Zhao Wuji and the others' expressions changed once more.
"Heart Sword?!"
Li Xuan sneered at their expressions, then with a thought, three low-grade spiritual swords floated out. Under their watchful eyes, Li Xuan directly plunged them into his dantian.
*Boom!*
A terrifying pressure permeated the air, and the coldness on Li Xuan's face grew more severe.
"Martial King Realm, huh? I have that too!"