Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 338

Volume 3 - Chapter 66: The Convergence of Myriad Currents, The Legacy of Ancestors

Mansion of Tianzhao Divine General in Yunzhou!

In a secluded and elegant courtyard of the Wang Family’s mansion, several elderly servants were quietly tending to the grounds. The courtyard was tranquil, with sparrows perched on the branches. Suddenly, a hurried voice from within the house startled the birds, causing them to flap their wings and fly away.

In the main hall of the courtyard, Li Jiangying and his sister, Li Rumeng, stared anxiously at the elder before them.

“Grandfather, just now we felt the summoning of our ancestors!” Li Jiangying pleaded earnestly, his expression urgent. “Something has happened in Qingzhou. Please, we beg you to save Mother!”

Their grandfather, Wang Zhenping, also known as the Sixth Master of the Wang Family, frowned deeply. The siblings knelt before him, their voices filled with desperation.

Earlier, while practicing in the courtyard, their bloodlines had suddenly surged with a powerful resonance. They sensed a distant, sorrowful cry—an unmistakable summoning from their ancestral spirits, urging them to return.

The siblings knew all too well what this meant: the Li Family was facing a dire crisis. The activation of the Ancestor’s Blood Array was a secret technique that came at a great cost—the sacrifice of one of their ancestral spirits. This technique called upon all those of Li bloodline, compelling them to gather without delay.

Wang Zhenping’s face turned ashen. He was already aware of the trouble in Qingzhou from prior reports, but he hadn’t expected the situation to deteriorate to such a critical state. For the family to invoke the Ancestor’s Blood Array, they must have been driven into a corner.

However, Qingzhou was over a million li away from Yunzhou. Even if the Wang Family dispatched reinforcements immediately, they would arrive too late to change the outcome of the conflict, whether victory or defeat.

Despite the marriage ties between the Wang and Li families, their geographical distance had long made close collaboration difficult. When it came to assisting distant relatives, proximity often outweighed familial bonds, especially given the Wang Family’s position at the edges of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty.

As Wang Zhenping thought of his cherished only daughter—still in Qingzhou—his heart ached. He had been firmly against her marriage to Li Family’s eighth son, but she had insisted on marrying him despite his objections.

Her letters home, filled with grievances and discontent, had only deepened his regret. Yet, in this era, divorces without clear justification were almost unheard of, especially for a noble family like the Li Family. Her husband, as a general overseeing a region, was often away on military campaigns. Leaving him would bring not only shame to the Wang Family but also ridicule from the court and the public. Besides, with children already so grown, all Wang Zhenping could do was endure.

But now, with Qingzhou in jeopardy, his daughter was likely to face death alongside the Li Family. Gritting his teeth, he muttered angrily, “The Li Family is utterly incompetent!”

Suppressing his anger, Wang Zhenping addressed his grandchildren with a steady tone. “Mobilizing the Wang Family’s army is futile at this point. I will go myself to bring your mother back. Let us hope it’s not too late.”

Hearing this, Li Jiangying and Li Rumeng were overjoyed and immediately knelt in gratitude.

Seeing their filial devotion, Wang Zhenping’s anger subsided slightly. Over the years, it was these two grandchildren who had brought him solace.

“Grandfather… let us go with you!” Li Rumeng said hurriedly after bowing.

Wang Zhenping’s expression darkened. “You will stay here and go nowhere.”

“This is the Ancestor’s Blood Array. If we don’t answer the call, it could bring disgrace in the future!” Li Jiangying said, a trace of fear flickering in his eyes.

Wang Zhenping took a deep breath. He knew the consequences of failing to respond to the ancestral summoning. If the Li Family’s main lineage didn’t show up, they would lose all standing within the family.

“I don’t even know if I’ll make it in time to save your mother. If I fail, you two will be the last bloodline of the Li Family. With your current cultivation in the Spiritual Wandering Realm, rushing to Qingzhou serves no purpose!” Wang Zhenping said firmly.

“If the Li Family survives this calamity, I will personally go to explain your absence. Given the state the Li Family will be in, I doubt they’ll have the nerve to oppose me,” he added coldly.

The siblings exchanged pale glances. Li Rumeng nervously twisted her fingers, her face filled with unease. Li Jiangying suddenly suggested, “Grandfather, what if we go to the River of Death?”

Wang Zhenping was momentarily stunned, his mind clearing as if struck by inspiration. “Of course! How could I not think of this sooner?”

The River of Death could block even the ancestral summoning. Moreover, entering and leaving the area wasn’t easy, providing a plausible reason for their absence.

His eyes lit up as he looked at Li Jiangying with a rare smile. “Good thinking, my clever grandson! I will arrange for your Uncle Xianzhou to escort you both to the River of Death immediately. This way, even the Ancestor’s Blood Array cannot reach you. And since exiting the River of Death isn’t something easily achieved, you’ll have a valid reason for not being present.”

“Furthermore,” Wang Zhenping added, “this will be an excellent opportunity. The River of Death holds countless treasures and challenges. If you two manage to conquer it, the merits you’ll accumulate will be immeasurable. A successful clearance will earn you 1,000 merit points. Even destroying part of it is worth 10 points. This could greatly enhance your future prospects.”

He then gave a sharp warning. “Remember, do your best to clear the River of Death. Simply destroying it is a waste of its resources. The merit difference between clearing and destroying is enormous—hundreds of times over.”

The River of Death, once feared and shunned, was now seen as a valuable and protected resource. The Wang Family had secured access to several low-tier Rivers of Death, guarded by their forces to prevent unregulated destruction. Their current goal was to maximize the potential of these Rivers by encouraging successful clearances.

This strategic shift had caused a reversal in how the River of Death was approached. No longer focused solely on reducing their numbers, the emphasis was now on achieving the greatest possible gains.

“Only the best resources will go to our family’s descendants,” Wang Zhenping remarked. “Your entry into the River of Death is a privilege. Do not squander this opportunity.”

Hearing his words, Li Jiangying’s eyes gleamed with ambition. The thought of the merits alone excited him. He calculated in his mind: with just 100 merit points, he could exchange for a Heart of a Grandmaster, significantly accelerating his path to the Heaven and Man Realm. If he achieved a clearance, the resulting resources, combined with family support, could push him to surpass the limits that many geniuses struggled with for decades.

“Understood, Grandfather!” Li Jiangying and Li Rumeng both nodded eagerly.

“Good,” Wang Zhenping said, visibly more at ease. “I’ve already sent word to your Uncle Xianzhou. He’ll make arrangements for your entry into the River of Death, as well as prepare some historical records for you to study beforehand. Use this time wisely.”

...

With those parting words, Wang Zhenping entrusted his grandchildren to his loyal steward and departed swiftly. As he vanished into the distance, Li Jiangying and Li Rumeng exchanged worried glances.

“Do you think Grandfather will reach Mother in time?” Li Rumeng asked, her voice trembling.

Li Jiangying clenched his fists, his expression hardening. “He will. He must. Grandfather is in the Absolute Technique Stage, nearly unparalleled in his might. He will not fail.”

Despite his confident tone, a shadow of doubt lingered in his heart. The distance was too great, and time was not on their side.

...

The ancestral summoning from Qingzhou had spread across the vast expanse of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty. It was a desperate cry, resonating in the bloodlines of countless descendants scattered far and wide.

“Ancestral spirits calling us... the family is in peril.”

“Qingzhou? How could the Li Family fall to such a state?”

Some hesitated at the call, while others steeled their resolve.

“We must go. That’s our family, our ancestral land.”

In countless towns, cities, and provinces, descendants of the Li Family, no matter how distant their lineage, felt the call.

...

To answer the summoning, countless descendants, driven by their bloodline connection, began journeying from all corners of the land toward the demon-afflicted Qingzhou, now reduced to a desolate wasteland.

The ancestral call spread across the entire Great Yu Divine Dynasty, reaching the ears of those with even a trace of Li Family blood. Many heard the call, and despite facing fear or hesitation, countless responded without question, setting out toward the place their bloodline called home—a place that had carried the honor of three thousand years within the Divine General Mansion.

This sudden mobilization caused a stir among various factions and powers in the Great Yu Dynasty. The five great Divine General Mansions held deep roots, with bloodlines spread far and wide, and the movement of these descendants alerted nearly every faction and sect. They soon realized that the Li Family, centered in Qingzhou, faced a dire crisis.

Among those answering the call were influential figures: some elders of large sects, lords, and leaders of major organizations, all of whom carried Li Family blood. Not only did they prepare to set out, but they also leveraged their affiliations, mobilizing every resource and force at their disposal to reinforce Qingzhou.

Such was the strength of the Li Family’s bloodline—interwoven, connected, and spanning generations. Group after group set out, some riding swift steeds, others soaring through the skies, each driven by a sense of duty toward their ancestral home.

...

From the highest mountains, sword-bearing warriors lightly treaded across the rivers and lands, while from the towering pagodas, others stepped out, propelled by a fierce determination toward the distant battle-worn Qingzhou.

It was the dispersal of an ancestral soul that had called forth a boundless tide of bloodline descendants, surging across thousands of li to the demon-plagued region, now scarred and overrun with destruction.

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