Family Management Game In Immortal Continent

Chapter 495: Cause And Effect

After the Heavenly Light Ancestorʼs initial bout of delight had passed, the spirit puppet, ”White Tiger,” coiled up to rest beside the ancient tree.

Li Yaotie entered the ancient tree for the very first time. Its interior was like a vast, boundless sea of stars.

The Heavenly Light Ancestor explained that the tree itself was a Dharma Treasure, one that had accompanied him for tens of thousands of years.

The Heavenly Light Ancestor, for his part, suppressed the ”mischievous old child” demeanor he had displayed upon first encountering the new creation.

He did this because his exceptionally talented disciple had an important matter to discuss with him.

He understood, more or less, that all of Li Yaotieʼs hard work over the years, culminating in this demonstration of his mastery over the art of spirit puppets, was all for the purpose of making him, as his new master, take this coming request seriously.

”Master.”

Li Yaotie gazed intently at the Heavenly Light Ancestor, his voice low and grave.

”Disciple has a matter to ask,” he said. ”Why... did my Li family have to suffer such a great calamity?”

His outward gaze was calm, yet within his heart, a fire of pure rage blazed, fury at this Azure Dynasty, and at the Tian Xing of Eternal Sun Prefecture!

He refused to believe that Venerable Tian Xingʼs assault on his clan that day had been a mere coincidence.

By becoming a disciple of the Heavenly Light Ancestor, his goal was not just to learn new skills; he also wanted to learn more of the worldʼs secrets from his new master.

He believed that with the Heavenly Light Ancestorʼs immense power, his master would surely be able to provide him with answers, and perhaps, on account of his own talent, would even help him deal with Tian Xing.

Then, the Heavenly Light Ancestor hesitated for a long, long while before finally letting out a deep sigh.

”My disciple,” he said slowly, ”your Li family should never, ever have risen to prominence in Azure Cloud Region, nor should you have ever risen in Eternal Sun Prefecture.”

Li Yaotie frowned.

The Heavenly Light Ancestor continued, ”There is a chain of cause and effect for all matters in this world. The truth is... the Human Emperor has already reached the end of his fated lifespan.

A very long time ago, numerous factions had already arisen within the Azure Dynasty. You see, our Azure Dynasty is unlike other places; whether it is the Human Emperor or the high officials, they all receive the favor of Heaven and Earth.

Heaven and Earth bestow upon them their authority and power, making them the legitimate orthodoxy of the Human Race.”

”For example, the Human Emperor, upon ascending to the throne, is instantly elevated to the Void Refining realm. Similarly, a Region Prince, upon taking his position, becomes a Nascent Soul expert. It is for this very reason that there are such fierce struggles for power.”

Li Yaotie already knew of this matter.

He recalled how, all those years ago, when Li Kuangren had sought the title of Region Prince, he had very nearly received this bestowal of power from Heaven and Earth, but had ultimately been refused by the Human Emperor.

When the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had appeared all those years ago, the Li family had learned the news that the Human Emperor was ”gravely injured.”

It turned out that the ”grave injury” was a lie; the truth was that his fated lifespan was about to reach its end.

He frowned. ”Then... what does that have to do with my Li family?”

”There are too many things that I, your Master, do not know,” the Heavenly Light Ancestor said.

”I only know that the two largest factions in the Dynasty are divided between the Grand Tutor and the Imperial Preceptor.

Grand Tutor Lin Jiu has spent many years on campaigns in the outer territories, while the Imperial Preceptor has presided over the affairs of the state.

With the beginning of the Human Emperorʼs final years, the struggle for the position of Crown Prince also began.”

”In the beginning, the Imperial Preceptor supported one of the imperial princes. That particular prince was eager to achieve some political merit, and it just so happened that the Wu Clan invaded at that time. He therefore ceded the twelve regions of the border in exchange for ten thousand years of peace.”

...

Li Yaotie knew of this matter. That particular prince had been blown to smithereens by Tianming.

The Heavenly Light Ancestor did not notice the subtle change in Li Yaotieʼs expression and continued, ”Later, Min Youguo threw his support behind another prince, the one who is now known as the Twelfth Prince. This man possesses a Nascent Soul cultivation base, and his personality is perverse and tyrannical; his nature is extremely suspicious. With Min Youguoʼs help, more and more people began to align themselves with the Twelfth Princeʼs faction. But your Li family... You were subtly aligning yourselves with the Grand Tutorʼs side.”

”Even so, the Twelfth Prince did not pay the Li family much mind. In his eyes, you were merely a local power in that small, insignificant place of Azure Cloud Region, incapable of causing them any real trouble.”

”It was only later that, from your Li family, for some unknown reason, a certain individual appeared, an individual capable of deterring the Wu Clan to such an extent that they dared not advance another inch. A person of such formidable power must, without a doubt, be at the Void Refining realm, and no ordinary Void Refiner at that! A figure of this caliber was more than enough to finally catch the eye of Min Youguo and the Twelfth Prince!”

Li Yaotie understood.

So it turned out that from a long, long time ago, his family clan had already planted the seeds of this calamity!

Li Yaotieʼs eyes looked as if they would split from their sockets, and he gritted his teeth in fury.

”Then why was it Tian Xing?” he demanded. ”This disciple has perceived that many people within this Azure Dynasty know of Tian Xingʼs existence!”

”Within the Azure Dynasty, Divinity Transformation cultivators may not take action on the ground; otherwise, the Imperial Dynasty will surely know of it.

This is a rule of the Dynasty, precisely because a single strike from a Divinity Transformation expert can slaughter an entire city and cause irreversible damage to the land for a thousand li.

All ordinary combat between Divinity Transformation experts is conducted high in the vast sky.”

The Heavenly Light Ancestorʼs voice was grave as he continued, ”Ordinarily, your Li family would never have been subjected to an attack from a Divinity Transformation expert; the Human Emperor himself would also restrain such cultivators.

The actions of any cultivator at the Divinity Transformation realm or above cannot escape the eyes of the Human Emperor. It is only a pity... that you all went too far.”

”The Human Emperor, while appearing silent and inactive on the surface, was in reality observing which of his children would prove to be the most outstanding. But that does not mean he is truly weak or without a temper.

He let the matter of the twelve border regions go because he, too, wanted to see what sort of schemes his sons could concoct. But your Li family... You interfered...”

”Within the imperial court, your Li family caused the Human Emperor to lose face. And Li Kuangren, moreover, declared himself a ʼkingʼ during a court assembly, a direct provocation to the Human Emperorʼs authority. After that, he was no longer willing to protect the Li family, nor would he restrain others from acting against them.”

”This, in turn, gave Min Youguo the opportunity he needed to make a move against your clan. However, he could not act directly himself; the Grand Tutor held your Li family in high regard, and Min Youguo did not wish to enter into a true conflict with him.”

”And so,” the Heavenly Light Ancestor concluded, ”that is why ʼTian Xingʼ was brought into play.”

When he mentioned Tian Xing, a flicker of alarm also appeared in the Heavenly Light Ancestorʼs eyes.

”As for Tian Xing himself,” he admitted, ”even I only learned of his true nature after the calamity befell the Li family.”

”This man can transform into a myriad of avatars and reincarnate tens of thousands of times, which is truly astonishing,” the Heavenly Light Ancestor mused. ”But such a heaven-defying method, while it might be able to escape the notice of a recluse like myself, how could it possibly hide from the likes of the Imperial Preceptor and the Grand Tutor?”

”It is my speculation, as your Master, that perhaps a very long time ago, Tian Xing had already joined one of the factions, and it ought to be that of Min Youguo.”

”But, for a man like Tian Xing, who is so immensely ambitious, Min Youguo would absolutely never allow him to grow in power unchecked.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yaotieʼs body trembled. ”Min Youguo... sent Tian Xing to destroy my Li family?!!”

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