Chapter 394 285: A Person Dies, the Tree Lives On

Within the Foundation Establishment Realm, Jiang Yi sat motionless, his gaze fixed on the Copper Lamp.

He said with some regret:

"Your time is almost up, Li Conglong."

Ever since his promotion to True Master, Jiang Yi had come to understand that for an Upper Cultivator's Dao Foundation to be steadily consolidated, it must be propped up by numerous Lower Cultivators.

The Li Family of Luoyue Lake was a casually chosen chess piece, not one he ever expected to be of great use.

Fortunately, Li Conglong's fate had some substance. He had managed to secure his footing step by step, gradually becoming a force to be reckoned with.

'The dragon hides, the qilin appears. This prophecy isn't about Li Conglin. The man is indecisive and unfit to bear great responsibility.'

Jiang Yi's right hand, hidden in his sleeve, performed a few quick divinatory calculations. A mystical brilliance burst forth, overflowing.

'So it must be this newborn Qilin'er.'

The flame of the Copper Lamp flickered, reflecting the image of a soft, pink infant still in swaddling clothes.

'This child's aptitude is mediocre, nothing special at all. Throughout his life, he'll be nothing more than a common Qi Cultivation practitioner, unlikely to ever touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment.'

Jiang Yi couldn't help but marvel at the mysteries of opportunity and karma:

'It just so happens that I am in the midst of comprehending Fire Virtue and have gained some minor insights. And this child's birth chart corresponds perfectly to a Fire Life…'

The longer he remained in the Foundation Establishment Realm, the more Jiang Yi could understand why True Masters from Ancestral Sects and Branch Sects liked to hide behind their mountain gates, pulling the strings of karma and manipulating fate.

Looking down from above was like climbing a great height to gaze into the distance: the fine details were difficult to discern, but the bigger picture was perfectly clear.

'Since things have aligned so perfectly, I might as well act on it.'

Jiang Yi formed a hand seal with his right hand, plucking a wisp of dazzling, condensed flame that would not scatter from the mystically-charged Copper Lamp.

"Bing Fire shines bright as the Tai Yang, from grandeur and justice, order is born. A great flood sees not a mere thousand li; a great flame can spread to the eight wild lands... I bestow upon you the name 'Changming,' for it perfectly suits the disposition of a Fire Life."

Jiang Yi pinched the pea-sized flame between his fingertips. Infinite mysteries swirled in his eyes, as various forms of fire qi coalesced into radiant rings that hovered behind his head.

Faint images of phoenixes and rocs beating their wings could be seen, alongside shifting forms of ethereal beasts.

As Jiang Yi's gaze shifted, the pea-sized flame suddenly flared and plunged downward.

A moment later, it landed on the chest of the infant in the ancestral hall.

It was like a tiny spark, carrying a gentle warmth.

"WAAAH—"

The infant suddenly burst into tears. Li Conglong shot his head up, only to see a brilliant red lotus flower, radiant in its splendor, on his own child's chest!

Red as fire, golden as the sun, it swirled upon the tender skin as if it were alive.

"Th-this is...?"

Li Conglong stared in disbelief. Before he could even process what was happening, he heard a humming sound from above.

The cracked artifact on the altar began to vibrate on its own. A clear light flashed across its surface as the cry of a fire sparrow echoed from within.

In an instant, the entire ancestral hall was bathed in red, as if a sunset were ablaze, illuminating the four walls in minute detail.

Li Conglong was stunned by the sudden phenomenon, his eyes fixed on the artifact.

[The Li Family's Changming shall achieve Dao Foundation Establishment]

The cracked artifact looked as if it had been wiped clean, now reflecting a line of text.

Li Conglong froze on the spot, staring blankly at the seven large words, written with flowing, fiery strokes, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

"The Li Family... can we truly have a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

He muttered to himself as if talking in his sleep.

Foundation Establishment! That was Foundation Establishment!

Around Luoyue Lake, Qi Cultivation Clans were as numerous as ox hairs, yet not a single one had managed to produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

He, Li Conglong, had spent his entire life to reach only the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, never able to touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

"Haha... hahahaha..."

Li Conglong laughed heartily, then immediately fell to his knees and kowtowed heavily toward the cracked artifact.

"Thank you, my lord! For your consideration of the Li Family!"

"The Li Family, one and all, will never forget your grace!"

"From this day forward, if my lord has any command, the Li Family will go through fire and water, without hesitation!"

He kowtowed again and again, his forehead striking the stone floor with a series of dull thuds.

...

...

Within the Foundation Establishment Realm, Jiang Yi smiled faintly.

An Upper Cultivator makes a casual move, and a Lower Cultivator feels eternally indebted. Even when treated as a pawn, they must offer endless gratitude.

This was in keeping with the state of the Yanfu Vast Land for millennia.

'The Luo Family has a Spiritual Aperture Immortal Seed. How can the Li Family be allowed to fall behind?'

Jiang Yi slowly closed his eyes, his Divine Sense falling silent.

...

...

「Fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye.」

「Cyan Sheep Mountain, the Li Family ancestral home.」

Li Conglong lay on his sickbed, his breath as faint as a thread, his face ashen. He was clearly on the verge of death.

"Brother..."

Li Conglin knelt by the bed, holding his brother's withered hand, his eyes red-rimmed.

Li Conglong turned his head with difficulty. His gaze was unfocused, and everything around him became a blur.

"Conglin..."

His voice was hoarse, like a worn-out bellows:

"After I'm gone... my brother Conglin will be the head of the family..."

"Brother!"

Tears burst from Li Conglin's eyes, but he didn't know what to say.

Li Conglong's gaze grew distant as he looked out the window.

"Has... Caiwei come?"

Li Conglin shook his head:

"She hasn't."

"I see..."

Li Conglong sighed, a complex expression flashing in his eyes:

"All these years... she's been so depressed. She must hate me deeply."

He paused, as if recalling something, his voice growing fainter:

"I beheaded her husband with my own hands... and her two sons... But for the sake of the Li Family, I could not show mercy. They were of the Xu Family's bloodline... To let them live would have been to court disaster..."

Li Conglin knelt by the bed, his head bowed in silence.

When his brother ordered the entire Xu Family to be put to the sword, he hadn't objected.

Because everyone knew that if you don't pull up the roots, the weeds will grow back.

"Should I have Changming come in?"

Li Conglin asked in a low voice.

Li Conglong didn't seem to hear. His gaze went past his brother to some point in the empty air, and a glimmer of light appeared in his unfocused eyes.

"Father..."

he murmured, a childlike smile appearing on his face:

"Eldest Brother... you've come for me..."

"The Li Family... Father, the Li Family has established itself... at Luoyue Lake..."

"Eldest Brother... I'm so tired... Like when we were children... carry me on your back for a while..."

His voice grew fainter and fainter, finally fading into a long, drawn-out sigh.

Li Conglong died with a smile on his face.

The sunlight outside was just right, streaming through the window lattice and casting a faint golden sheen over his body.

Li Conglin bowed his head, pressing his forehead against the back of his brother's cold hand. His shoulders shook as he wept silently.

...

...

On the third day after Li Conglong's passing, a strange thing happened at the Li Family ancestral home.

The old locust tree in the courtyard withered overnight, its branches and leaves falling as if following its master in death.

The clan elders all said the tree was bound to Li Conglong's very essence. When the man passed, the tree died. Such was the will of heaven.

But on the fifth day, the old locust tree sprouted new buds. In just half a day, it grew lush with leaves and branches, even more vibrant than before.

Li Conglin stood under the tree, looking up at the verdant canopy, silent for a long time.

"Uncle, this tree..."

The young Li Changming stood to the side. He was handsome, with delicate features, and a pair of inky black eyebrows that slanted up toward his temples, giving him a heroic look.

"Your father is gone, but the tree is still alive."

Li Conglin said calmly:

"The same is true for the Li Family."

He turned to the young man and said in a gentle voice:

"Changming, before your father passed, what he could never forget was the Li Family's legacy. The Li Family is like this great locust tree. The branches and leaves are of little importance. What truly matters is the 'root'."

"The root?"

"I will take you to pay respects to the 'root' of the Li Family."

Li Conglin said no more, simply striding forward:

"Follow me."