I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1560: The place of eternal life guarded by generations, the distant ancestors who survived the world

When Jing Xiang’s parents heard this, they couldn’t help but exchange glances, and then they both thought of Ling Yuxian. It was no wonder that when Ling Qiu fostered Ling Yuxian in Jing Mansion, he had to emphasize the matter numerous times. As for the relationship between the ancestors of the Jing family and the patriarch of Yu Xian Palace, that was beyond their ability to guess.

“I don’t know where the patriarch of Yu Xian Palace is currently trapped. Although my Jing family has never been particularly prominent, the family’s background should not be underestimated. As long as we can rescue the patriarch this time, my Jing family is willing to pay any price,” the contemporary patriarch of the Jing clan declared earnestly.

“Thank you, fellow Daoist, but the truth is, I don’t even know where the patriarch is trapped. The little ancestor merely mentioned that it relates to the clan land of the Jing clan. We need to consult the Jing clan about this matter,” the white-bearded elder who had spoken earlier replied, shaking his head slightly.

Upon hearing this, the elders with the highest seniority in the Jing clan were taken aback for a moment before seemingly recalling something.

“Could it be related to the rules established by our distant ancestors?”

Their expressions suddenly turned cloudy and uncertain. This matter involved a significant secret of the Jing clan, and only a handful of individuals across generations were privy to it. Even the current patriarch of the Jing clan might not necessarily know all the details.

“Oh, what’s wrong, fellow Daoists? Is there some difficulty?” The elders of Yu Xian Palace were a bit surprised to see the change in expression among the Jing clan elders and were unsure of the reason behind it.

“We just recalled the few instructions left by our ancestors long ago. Perhaps the location where the patriarch of Yu Xian Palace is trapped has a significant connection to those instructions,” the elders of the Jing clan said, exchanging glances and sighing.

At this critical juncture, they could no longer hold back; they had to reveal some secrets from the past. The Jing clan had a long history, comparable to that of the immortal power known as Yu Xian Palace. However, after many years, their talent had waned, and the number of clan members was sparse.

Although they had lived in seclusion in this independent universe for generations, multiplying in number, the total of their clansmen was still quite limited. Even fewer were the core members who could cultivate quietly within the clan land.

A significant part of the reason for this was that many clansmen who reached a certain level of cultivation needed to go to a particular place.

“That place is known as the Land of Eternal Life by our Jing Clan. Only those clansmen who have cultivated to a certain level over generations are qualified to know its location. However, those who went to the Land of Eternal Life generally never returned,” the elders of the Jing clan lamented, shaking their heads in sorrow.

They hadn’t actually revealed much. The Land of Eternal Life was not a favorable place. If it weren’t for the Jing Clan’s oath to the heavens from their ancestors, the ancestors would be responsible for guarding the land and strengthening the seal there. But who would willingly want to go there?

This was precisely why many members of the older generation of the Jing clan ended up dying of old age while remaining there. Originally, after reaching a certain level of cultivation, it became difficult to have offspring, and the ancestors of the Jing clan had even exhausted their lifespans in that place.

“Perhaps the Patriarch is trapped in that place of eternal life,” one of the elders from Yu Xian Palace suggested, unable to hide the shock on their face.

The rest of the Jing clan members were equally astonished; they had never heard of such a secret within their clan before. This implied that when they reached a certain level of cultivation, they too would need to go to the Land of Eternal Life.

The elder who had spoken glanced at Jing Xiang’s parents and the others, shaking his head slightly in his heart. According to the clan’s rules, it was time for Jing Xiang’s parents and the others to make their journey to the Land of Eternal Life. However, in recent years, the seal there had gradually weakened, and there had been no significant changes.

After a private discussion, they decided to inform Jing Xiang’s parents and the others later.

“I wonder where the Land of Eternal Life is located now?” the elders of Yu Xian Palace asked each other in a deep voice. They were already convinced that the place Ling Yuxian was searching for was indeed the Land of Eternal Life mentioned by the Jing clan.

“There is a seal that has been reinforced over the years. It is difficult even for me to approach it. It takes many people working together to open it. In the past, only those inside could allow outsiders to enter,” one of the elders from the Jing clan explained helplessly.

When the clansmen in the Land of Eternal Life sensed changes in the seal and found it challenging to suppress it with their strength, they would send messages to alert the clansmen outside to prepare for entry. For the Jing clan, the so-called protection of the Land of Eternal Life was by no means an honor; it felt more like a form of torture and punishment. Generations of descendants had been trapped there, bound by the oath not to leave without permission.

If the patriarch of Yu Xian Palace, who was trapped within, could be rescued this time, it would indeed be a relief for the Jing clan.

“Indeed, as the little ancestor mentioned, that place cannot be opened by a single person,” one elder remarked. “But why was the patriarch trapped there, leaving the Jing clan to guard and reinforce the seal for generations?”

A wave of confusion swept through the minds of the elders of Yu Xian Palace. However, at that moment, they chose not to dwell on it. They planned to send the news back to Yu Xian Palace first and let Ling Yuxian decide on the next steps.

The elders of the Jing clan were unaware of what lay within the Land of Eternal Life. That place had been left by the distant ancestors of the Jing clan, who entrusted their descendants with the responsibility of guarding and strengthening the seal there.

Looking at the situation now, could it be that this was actually the seal left by the patriarch of Yu Xian Palace, and the distant ancestor of the Jing clan had merely obeyed his orders?

Afterward, the elders of the Jing clan led the group to an ancestral hall. Dim yellow soul lamps floated in the void, containing many mysteries. They flickered in the depths of the ancestral hall, rising and falling. Some lights were dim, as if they would extinguish at any moment, while others were hazy like nebulae, and some blazed brightly like small suns.

“Each of these soul lamps represents an ancestor of our Jing clan who went to the Land of Eternal Life. The largest one at the deepest part belongs to our most distant ancestor,” one of the elders explained to the gathering.

The elders of Yu Xian Palace were taken aback. They had never imagined that the distant ancestor of the Jing clan was still alive and residing in the Land of Eternal Life. This figure was an immortal in the truest sense, having lived during the same era as the patriarch of Yu Xian Palace.

However, judging by the state of the soul lamp, the situation was likely grim; it appeared to be in an extremely bleak and deteriorating condition.