NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39: Three Strangers, Please Help!
As for the reason behind the major battle, it was later revealed by people who had learned about it within the Wu Clan. All four of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Wu Clan were from the main line. However, Wu Dao, the genius hailed as the most likely to break through to the Golden Core Realm within a hundred years in Tianyuan Prefecture, turned out to be from a branch line.
Moreover, he was a bastard child of the branch line. If Wu Dao were to grow, it would undoubtedly be a great benefit for the entire Wu Clan, but for the main line, it meant the potential downfall of their status, which they couldn't accept.
So, thirty years ago, prompted by a Foundation Establishment ancestor's deliberate provocation, the proud Wu Dao initiated a breakthrough without any preparation. During his breakthrough, someone informed Wu Dao loudly from outside that his mother and sister, who were out shopping, had been kidnapped by a local gang.
The Wu Clan's people arrived too late, and Wu Dao's mother and sister had been killed. Wu Dao was agitated, his spiritual energy uncontrollable, causing his breakthrough to fail.
Anyone with discerning eyes could see that this was manipulated by someone. Perhaps the only thing to be grateful for was that, as fellow Wu Clan members, the mastermind behind this cruel act had swiftly sent Wu Dao's mother and sister on their way without any humiliation.
The other three ancestors of the Wu Clan were hesitant initially, but after learning about the incident, they realized they had committed a grave mistake. They could only send people to exterminate the secular gang, while the ancestor who had acted against Wu Dao wanted to eliminate the nuisance.
However, the other three ancestors stopped him. They had already done something against their conscience for the sake of the main line's position. Going any further would be too much.
After all, Wu Dao's spiritual root was damaged, and he could no longer advance half a step in his lifetime. Nobody had anticipated that thirty years later, Wu Dao would experience rebirth and re-enter Foundation Establishment.
According to rumors, Wu Dao had coincidentally obtained an ancient technique back then, but the minimum requirement for this technique's cultivation was a high-grade spiritual root.
Wu Dao was unable to cultivate. Over time, after his rebirth, he managed to cultivate successfully in a short time thanks to his high-grade Seventh Rank spiritual root and the remaining Dao insights within him. It was this success that led to his remarkable feat of defeating four opponents by himself, killing the mastermind of the past.
Without this, challenging three opponents with high-grade spiritual roots was already the limit, especially when one of them was a senior at the Foundation Establishment middle stage. Of course, Wu Dao was significantly injured in that battle, and after killing the mastermind of the past, he left the Wu Clan and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
Wu Clan suffered a huge loss, becoming the laughingstock of the entire Tianyuan Prefecture. The remaining three ancestors of the Wu Clan, perhaps reflecting on their past mistakes, did not continue their pursuit of Wu Dao. In fact, they made no move at all, as if willing to bear the loss.
"Second Uncle, rest assured, if we truly encounter him, I'll make sure to pass on your message," Lin Xunxian raised his hand and replied earnestly.
Lin Yingjie, Lin Haoyu, and Lin Mengyuan expressed their agreement. While Lin Family was not well-known, the expansion of its influence had no upper limit.
Lin Family was also recruiting guest elders from the cultivation world, including a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had swallowed the source of gold, now serving as a guest elder in the Lin Family.
…
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. On this day, on the outskirts of Renhuai County, three streaks of light approached from a distance. Above the clouds, they transformed into an old man in a green robe and two young men and women.
"Ancestor, the spiritual energy in Renhuai County is so rich!" Among the three, a young woman in her early twenties exclaimed with surprise.
The old man and the young man beside him were equally surprised. "Indeed, it's a place that has experienced a Heavenly Tribulation."
"Ancestor, do you think the Lin Family in Renhuai County is really related to us?" The young woman asked with a hint of doubt.
The old man shook his head and sighed, "Qing'er, my Lin Family has a history spanning a thousand years, and countless branches have been born over the years.
"The ancestral records state that this branch, the Lin Family in Qingfeng Town, split off from our main lineage a hundred years ago. However, their fortune was extraordinary. After giving birth to a spiritual root cultivator, it only took them a hundred years to grow into their current size.
"Back then, when we learned of the birth of a spiritual root cultivator in that branch, the Hongshan Lin Family specially came to ask Lin Qingfeng if he was willing to return to the main family. (Note: Lin Qingfeng, Lin Xiuqi's father was mentioned in Chapter 1.)
"Although Lin Qingfeng refused, our Lin Family still provided him with spiritual stones and other cultivation resources. This is how the Qingfeng Lin Family came into being.
"Similar situations have occurred among the ordinary branch members we sent out in the past. Most of them choose to return to the main family. Even if some are unwilling, the family will provide them with cultivation resources, hoping they can branch out and flourish. It's another way of preserving our bloodline."
"So, Ancestor, our plea for help this time shouldn't be too troublesome, right?" The young woman's eyes brightened at the question. The young man who hadn't spoken also showed a change in expression.
Unfortunately, the old man shook his head and said, "Qing'er, matters in the cultivation world are not so simple that they can be resolved with a small favor.
"Lin Qingfeng has already passed away, and we've had no contact with the Lin Family in Renhuai County for several decades. In the eyes of the Lin Family there, how much bond remains between us, no one knows.
"Moreover, our trouble this time involves a Golden Core expert. No one would want to unnecessarily provoke a Golden Core expert. We can only do our best."
The young man and woman didn't say much after hearing this. The three of them stepped forward and formally entered the territory of Renhuai County.