Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 316

Being of a higher generation and sitting too close to the front in the sedan chair isn't always a good thing.

Those sitting in the sedan chair behind had all witnessed Zhao Yi's madness, and even though Zhao Shan'an noticed something amiss with Zhao Yi, he didn't immediately think in that extreme direction.

Because this is not common sense.

Waves have inertia.

In this wave, following the wave, first kill the Zhao family members, then disguise their identities, and finally infiltrate the Zhao family's ancestral home to assassinate the Grand Elder. This is very much in line with the experience of the waves in the past.

The river doesn't flow in a straight line; there's always a build-up and a process.

But this time, things have changed.

When the Second Elder made his point clear and tore off the mask of politeness, Zhao Shan was startled and quickly retreated.

But as soon as his toes touched the ground, he found that the Second Elder had reappeared in front of him, his body like a ghost, but his face was still kind.

Zhao Shan'an lifted himself up again, wanting to retreat further, but the Second Elder stepped forward first, standing in Zhao Shan'an's inevitable retreat path.

The old man held a lantern in one hand and extended his other hand in a palm strike, waiting for those willing to take the bait.

However, what crashed into them was not Zhao Shan'an himself, but a sword.

The old man was a little surprised.

Concealing his weapon and waiting for the right moment to strike, this sword strike was probably planned out during the first retreat.

What is even more exquisite than his swordsmanship is his character.

The old man pressed down with his palm, separated his index and middle fingers and then closed them again to clamp the sword blade. His gaze sharpened, and his aura solidified, standing like a mountain.

Zhao Shan'an did not continue to apply force with this sword strike, as forcibly shaking the mountain would inevitably lead to the destruction of his sword and his own death.

With a low growl, Zhao Shan'an raised his ten fingers and made a starting stance.

The well-prepared old man not only failed to notice the sudden advance of the sword tip, but also discovered that the sword's momentum was rapidly weakening. Then, irregular patterns appeared on the sword, and the sword split open, transforming into sharp blades that spun and thrust, forming an array as they did so.

The old man had no choice but to let go and retreat, taking three steps back in succession, each step accompanied by a slap, knocking back all the bee-like sharpness in front of him.

Zhao Shan'an made the gesture again, and the broken sword returned to its original state, reforming into a complete sword.

The old man clapped his hands and laughed: "What superb swordsmanship!"

Zhao Shan'an's breathing became heavier, and his gaze became serious. Although he had successfully forced his opponent back earlier, it was only because he had managed to maneuver to the extreme under the opponent's immense pressure.

The old man flicked his lantern, and the light turned blue, with glimpses of sword energy flowing through it.

"Young man, take this sword from me."

Without any fancy sword techniques, the lantern went straight for the target, and the light inside transformed into flowing rosy clouds. In an instant, it seemed as if countless sword intents were rampaging through the area.

Zhao Shan'an wielded his sword continuously, deflecting each sword intent. But while the other man used only a simple move, Zhao Shan'an had to go through such a complicated process to break through it.

At the opportune moment, the old man would lightly flick his lantern, unleashing a torrent of sword intent at his opponent as if it were free.

If Zhao Shanan were trapped in this endless sword formation, he would surely be worn down and die here if this continued.

This is why skilled warriors don't boast of their achievements; people simply don't want to suffer the slightest loss, not even a minor scratch.

However, at the same time, Zhao Shan'an felt a deep sense of confusion:

The old man was actually much older than he looked. Logically, at this age, he should have already entered the stage of declining health and vitality. Pursuing the ultimate breakthrough in a short period of time would have been the right choice, rather than the current extravagance and waste.

Regardless of the secrets hidden within the Zhao family, Zhao Shan'an must break the deadlock at this moment.

With a slew of his body, Zhao Shan'an no longer maintained his demeanor as a clan elder, and raised his long sword in a stance.

With a single sword strike, the moonlight dissipated, forcefully repelling the sword intent surrounding him.

With another sword strike, the ends of the earth became near, and Zhao Shan'an appeared before the old man.

But at this point, it was clear to anyone with eyes that Zhao Shan'an was already at his limit after a series of attacks.

The old man pretended to lift the lantern, intending to kill him in one fell swoop, but his expression suddenly froze, and he immediately stepped back.

Zhao Shan'an's skin curled and contracted to his chest, transforming into a short sword that pierced the old man like a streak of light.

The old man tried to catch the sword with his fingertips as he retreated, but his fingers trembled, and as they bled, he was repelled by the sword energy on the short sword.

Although the sword's momentum had waned, its force remained, piercing straight into the old man's chest.

"puff!"

It could only penetrate an inch before it could not go any further. The old man wanted to pull the sword out, but he was wary of the terrifying sword intent remaining on it. In the end, he formed a hand seal and sealed the short sword, which then fell off on its own.

The old man's face was no longer kind and gentle; his eyes were gloomy as he looked at the person whose skin had been torn off.

It's a woman.

The woman looked very young, about the same age as Zhao Yi, but her white hair covered up the youth and vivacity that should have been present at her age.

Her eyes were not cold and indifferent; the area around them was stained with an indelible crimson.

"Your surname is Xi. I never expected that the Xi family of Huaiyin still has descendants. Everyone thought that Liu Qingcheng, the Dragon King of the Liu family, had already slaughtered the entire Xi family."

"My surname is not Xi."

“Girl, don’t be afraid. Although the Liu family is still a powerful clan, it is no longer what it used to be. You can openly say that your surname is Xi.”

"My surname is not Xi."

Blood flowed continuously from the woman's right hand holding the sword, gathering on the blade before dripping to the ground. Her previous killing move, which seemed to have injured her opponent, had only caused her to bleed a little.

As for herself, her internal energy was already disordered, and she was in great discomfort.

But in the woman's eyes, there was half fear and half excitement, and red gradually covered her entire face.

The old man said, "He still says he's not surnamed Xi, but his eyes are exactly the same as those of the Xi family's sword demon described in the book."

The Xi family of Huaiyin was once famous for its sword obsession, but later the entire family seemed to have gone astray, turning from obsession to madness.

The Xi family members frequently traveled the river and made a great name for themselves on the river, but none of them became the Dragon King. Moreover, each of them who defeated a member of the Xi family and broke their sword later became the Dragon King of that generation.

Therefore, the Xi family was once known as the Dragon King's whetstone.

Of course, there are also rumors that the swords of the Xi family are too demonic and their killing intent is too strong, so Heaven will arrange for the best of each generation to break the swords of the Xi family in advance.

Not all outstanding individuals in every generation can become the Dragon King, but the Dragon King is inevitably one of the outstanding individuals of that generation, which makes it a probabilistic phenomenon.

Later, it was Liu Qingcheng who brought an end to the Xi family.

Legend has it that this Dragon King Liu once had a close friend who died by the sword of the Xi family. Later, after becoming the Dragon King, he personally went to the Xi family in Huaiyin and slaughtered their entire family.

Although there are various reasons to exonerate him, such as the Xi family's collective madness leading to bloodshed, and the Liu family's Dragon King nipping the trouble in the bud, it is still difficult to convince the public.

Moreover, that Liu family dragon king did quite a lot of similar things. Many of her enemies who had crossed the river in her early years were later purged by her family and sect, which became a major stain on the reputation of that generation of Liu family dragon king.

Furthermore, after she ascended to the position of Dragon King, the time she spent suppressing the martial arts world was much shorter than that of previous Dragon Kings. Some say that she went to the position of Dragon King to seek revenge, and after taking revenge, her obsession dissipated and she spontaneously combusted. Others say that her actions displeased the Heavenly Way, and she was punished by the Heavenly Way.

Such rumors, like myths and legends, are sometimes inevitably distorted, and may even be completely contrary to the truth.

But if Li Zhuiyuan were here, upon hearing the old man mention the Dragon King of the Liu family, he would probably immediately recall how Grandma Liu hesitated to speak about the memorial tablet with the name "Liu Qingcheng" engraved on it.

The woman raised the sword, and the bloodstains on the blade began to tremble slightly, connecting with her heartbeat—this was a literal unity of man and sword.

Before learning from that mad sword intent that the other party was a member of the Xi family, the old man would have thought that this action was simply a desperate act. But now, the old man knows that the other party is mobilizing the sword that is being nurtured within his body.

Legend has it that when a member of the Xi family is a month old, an elder in the family will insert a sword the size of an embroidery needle into their heart meridian, nurturing the sword with their own life, waiting to release it at the moment of death to perish together with the enemy.

The old man felt somewhat fortunate; if he had killed her earlier, he might have been left with a bloody hole in his body.

He can afford to wait it out, but he can't afford to get hurt.

This time, the woman struck first, unleashing a torrent of sword energy.

This reckless fighting style is truly a death wish.

The old man stepped forward closely, first pushing the sword away with one palm, then striking the woman with another.

"boom."

Women are like kites with broken strings, flying backwards and landing on the ground.

But the woman still held the sword in her hand. She used the sword to support herself, stood up again, ignored the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth, and swung the sword again.

The old man pushed the sword away with his knee, and then kicked the woman away again.

The cycle repeated itself, going through five rounds of combat. The woman was struck hard by the old man every time, yet she always managed to get back up.

The old man merely continued to wound her, but did not follow up with a fatal move. He first weakened her momentum and cut off her functions, so that when she died, the sword would be released and would no longer pose a significant threat.

The woman swayed, her eyes filled with determination, and charged again with her sword raised. This time, the blade was pointing downwards, and the hilt was held in front of her chest.

It was clearly the last strike; if it couldn't pierce the enemy, it would pierce itself.

The old man struck out with one palm, his force like a tidal wave, deflecting the sword's edge.

The hilt of the sword slipped from the woman's hand, and the blade pierced her chest—that was the sword-nurturing position!

The old man flicked his finger, striking the woman's body. The woman flew backward, and the old man also quickly retreated, creating the greatest possible distance as fast as possible.

However, the final sword strike that was expected did not appear. After being thrown back, the woman landed and immediately pulled the sword out of her chest, then ran away quickly without turning her head.

The old man was stunned, a feeling of utter absurdity washing over him.

I was deceived?

The woman had clearly penetrated the sword-nurturing position, yet the sword did not fly out, indicating that the woman did not nurture a sword within her body.

"You actually... don't really have the surname Xi."

The old man glanced at the direction the woman had fled, then at the gate of the ancestral home, but chose not to give chase.

He walked up to the short sword, picked it up, and although he had sealed it, he could still feel the frenzied sword intent within it. It was indeed a sword of the Xi family.

The old man suddenly thought of a possibility: the Xi family had indeed been wiped out by Liu Qingcheng, and that woman might have obtained the Xi family's inheritance by chance.

Without any formal instruction, he relied on inherited skills he picked up to reach this level...

"Are there so many geniuses in this generation of martial arts world?"

The old man walked back with his short sword. When he reached the entrance of his ancestral home and tried to push the door open, he found that it wouldn't budge.

"This……"

The old man exerted force again, but the door remained unmoved.

Taking a breath, the old man pushed the door open with his palm.

"boom!"

The old man was sent flying backwards, landing with a thud, and a metallic taste rose in his throat.

The nameplate hanging on the lantern also fell to the ground and broke in two at this moment. This was an object that could activate the formation within the ancestral home.

Old man, you can't get in.

The door lock was changed.

……

The array formation of their own ancestral home was naturally no challenge for their most brilliant genius in the past century.

Not to mention, Zhao Yi had already begun studying his family's formations, and had even bound them into a book and given it as a gift to someone.

Whenever he encounters a difficult problem that he can't solve on his own, he'll pull that person along to figure it out, borrowing that person's brainpower.

Right now, all he needs is some time without being disturbed.

Zhao Yi placed his hopes on "Zhao Shan'an".

The guy who dares to replace the clan leader and travel alone across the river must be a formidable fighter.

This is true.

When Zhao Yi finished modifying the formation, the fighting was still going on outside the door.

For a moment, even Zhao Yi was unsure whether that person was too strong or his own elder was too weak.

Fingertips flicked the latch, causing it to fall.

Zhao Yi smiled.

So that guy surnamed Li secretly changed the locks, how interesting.

Zhao Yi turned around and walked alone through the ancestral home.

The layout of the ancestral home is exactly the same as that of the outer residence, except that only five elders live here.

There were no servants; it was as silent as a grave.

The actual graves are in the back garden of the ancestral home, where flowers and plants flourish in all four seasons, and many coffins are buried underneath.

Diagonally opposite is the ancestral home's storeroom.

This place, of course, doesn't need to store any daily necessities, so it is the Zhao family's treasure trove.

Zhao Yi had once reminded Li Zhuiyuan that there was an immortal old being hidden in the treasure vault, who survived by relying on a treasure inside.

Upon arriving at the main hall and courtyard, five armchairs with cushions were placed on the steps leading up to the main hall.

Three elders were seated on the grand master's chair, leaving two seats empty.

The two empty seats are for the First Elder and the Second Elder.

Zhao Yi stood there, looking at the three elders present.

They were all dressed in the Zhao family's traditional blue-toned clothing, exuding an air of dignity and grandeur.

However, they all had their eyes closed and were fast asleep.

In the past, when people came here to worship their ancestors, all five elders would sit there, but only the second elder would actually open his eyes and perform the ceremony.

In other words, only the Second Elder is allowed to move freely within this ancestral home.

This doesn't mean the other elders are all dead or have encountered some problem, but rather that they are not worth it.

When Zhao Yi first experienced such a scene, he saw through the crack in the gate between life and death that the Second Elder was full of vitality, as if living water was constantly being poured into him, while the other four elders were basically exhausted, with the First Elder being the worst off.

At first, Zhao Yi didn't understand what this meant. Later, he realized that it was about squeezing out the last bit of life force to survive in the world for as long as possible.

Once their life force is completely drained, they will be placed in a coffin and continue to exist in another form.

Unless someone wakes them up spontaneously, these three elders are almost completely isolated from the outside world.

They didn't know it was the day for ancestor worship, and the reason they appeared here from their respective rooms was because of the Second Elder's help in moving things.

Following the normal procedure, at this point, the replaced clan leader should be kneeling on the prayer mat with his four branches, kowtowing to the elders present.

However, their goal in this attack was to kill the Grand Elder, but the Grand Elder was not sitting here.

Zhao Yi guessed that the Grand Elder was probably nearing his limit and was ready to lie in his coffin at any moment, so it was not appropriate for him to be moved out at this time.

At this moment, the three elders were quiet and harmless.

Unless you show any murderous intent in front of them.

Murderous intent is easy to conceal, but killing spirit is difficult to hide.

Zhao Yi had no intention of killing.

His eyes were clear, filled only with loyalty to the Zhao family.

We admire our ancestors and uphold their teachings.

Back in Nantong, when I kowtowed before the ancestral tablet, my ancestors appeared to me, and the divination was very auspicious.

When the ancestors were on his side, no one in the entire Zhao family had the right to question his attitude towards the Zhao family.

So how could he possibly have murderous intent? He was just cleaning the house.

Zhao Yi placed his hands in his sleeves, and when he pulled them out again, his ten fingers were covered with a dense array of silver needles.

He walked behind the Fifth Elder and inserted silver needles one by one into the Fifth Elder's head.

After the stab was completed, Zhao Yi stood behind the Fourth Elder and followed suit.

Next up is the Third Elder.

The scene was quite disturbing; this behavior was clearly an abuse of the elderly.

Zhao Yi remained calm throughout, his hands not even trembling, as composed as if he were applying makeup to the three elders.

After experiencing the Black Book Secret Technique last time, Zhao Yi was deeply shocked.

In his eyes, that secret technique was almost the ultimate sublimation of all puppetry, but unfortunately, it was forbidden.

Zhao Yi could not possibly learn or use that technique again, but that did not prevent him from delving into it and elevating his puppetry skills to a new level.

Get it done.

Zhao Yi looked at the three elders, whose bodies were covered in needles, with a gentle gaze.

He speculated that the reason the Second Elder did not have to go into a deep sleep might be related to his choice. Most likely, the Second Elder would no longer have the right to lie in a coffin and continue to live in the world.

But a problem arises: where does the life force that keeps flowing into the Second Elder's body come from?

Zhao Yi had a vague idea in his mind.

After leaving the compound, Zhao Yi walked to the warehouse.

Two rows of stone lions stand at the entrance of the warehouse.

Zhao Yi crossed his hands and continuously formed hand seals. The eyes of the stone lion flashed alternately, and white waves of energy shot out from both sides. The restriction was temporarily lifted, and the warehouse door was opened.

Even so, one still has to follow specific directions to enter, as there are too many arrays and restrictions inside to be closed all at once.

The warehouse was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside, and Zhao Yi could see many valuable items piled up as he walked through.

If someone surnamed Li were to come in, he'd probably be clapping and jumping for joy, right?
Although Zhao Yi tried his best, he still couldn't imagine what it would be like for someone surnamed Li to do such a thing.

However, this did not prevent Zhao Yi from smiling.

He can now sense that the second wife's sedan chair is still parked at that fork in the road.

This means that the man surnamed Li is helping him stop people.

It would be a lie to say that I am not impressed.

He knew very well that, given Li's personality, there must be some past affection involved in making such a choice.

When someone is willing to give you what they lack, it carries even greater weight.

Before that, Zhao Yi's best-case scenario was... that the person surnamed Li would stand by and do nothing.

In fact, normally, the person surnamed Li should have helped that group, swarming in like a tidal wave to open up the Zhao family's ancestral home and seize greater profits in the chaos.

"Hey Li, do you think if I don't repay you, will it worsen your condition?"

After a pause,
Zhao Yi thought to himself again:
"I really want to see your expression after your deduction fails and you are let down."

Reaching the deepest part of the warehouse, Zhao Yi was greeted by a long, rectangular ice table with a lamp on it.

This lamp was lit by our ancestor Zhao Wuyang when he traveled along the river.

In the Zhao family, this lamp not only possesses the highest spiritual attributes, but also, because it is most deeply bound to the cause and effect of its ancestors, it is imbued with a profound mystery.

The value of an object depends not only on its materials and forging, but also on who used it.

As Zhao Yi stared at the lamp, a human face gradually appeared on the surface of the ice.

Though covered in frost, this face still retained a sense of vitality. Like a... frozen ribbonfish.

Sigh, I guess I ate too much braised ribbonfish in Nantong.

Zhao Yi didn't understand why he would describe this ancestor from many generations ago with such malice in his heart.

But he just couldn't control these thoughts.

He had seen countless dead bodies and evil spirits; no matter how filthy or disgusting their appearance, he would not feel disgusted.

But when something like that is surnamed Zhao, that sense of rejection inexplicably surges up.

Even if they live without dignity and self, they still do not want to die.

Zhao Yi bowed down.

The skin on my back snapped open due to this large movement.

The face slowly opened its eyes, first looking at Zhao Yi, then its eyes rolled upwards to look at the lamp.

He was unconscious, or rather, his consciousness was dormant, retaining only the most basic instincts.

Whoever looks at this lamp will open their eyes.

He was afraid the lamp would be stolen.

It's just like a dog that's... possessive of its food.

Zhao Yi reached out, wanting to touch the lamp.

The eyes of the face below widened.

Zhao Yi's hand stopped a moment before it touched the lamp.

The eyes below were also wide open.

Zhao Yi looked thoughtful, his fingertips moving as he traced a line of birth dates on the ice in front of the lamp with his fingernail.

After finishing writing, Zhao Yi withdrew his hand, turned around, walked outside, and left the place.

The eyes within the ice gradually closed, and the face slowly faded away.

After leaving the treasure vault, Zhao Yi went to the backyard.

The Grand Elder holds a transcendent position in the ancestral home, and the courtyard where he resides is the outer residence, which should be occupied by the clan head.

Upon entering the courtyard and hall, Zhao Yi reached out and picked up a lantern. With a gentle flick, the lantern lit up, emitting a red glow.

Carrying a lantern, he walked towards the bedroom.

The bed is right in front of you, but you keep walking and can't get there. The surrounding furnishings are gradually being swallowed up by darkness.

The red light of the lantern was first suppressed to a dark red, then slowly consumed, until finally... it was completely extinguished.

Zhao Yi stopped at this moment and squatted down. This action caused a series of "slapping" sounds to come from his body, and the clothes that were originally blended into his skin began to tear in large areas.

Zhao Yi's fingers touched a pull ring, and he grabbed it and lifted it up.

"Click..."

Below, a cover appeared, and the lanterns that had been extinguished regained their light.

It resembles a tomb, with a hole opened from above by tomb raiders.

Zhao Yi saw the old man sitting on the chair below, and the coffin placed next to him.

Before even going downstairs, just opening the lid released a strong, pungent musty smell.

Even if you put a hundred dying old people here, you still couldn't create this kind of atmosphere.

Zhao Yi leaped down.

It was very high, and when he landed, Zhao Yi had to lower his center of gravity. When he stood up again, a crack appeared on his face, starting from between his eyebrows, along his nose, and down to his jaw.

Zhao Yi tried to pinch the cracks on his face with his fingers, trying to close them up, but unfortunately, his face wasn't clay.

There was no other way but to look at his elder in this impolite manner.

He sat in the chair with his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

But Zhao Yi knew he was awake.

Because he could see the life force flowing through a person's body, and the almost dried-up life force in the First Elder's body was disappearing much faster than that of the three elders who were truly asleep outside.

I have no idea how he can still squeeze so much out of us. Even when Ah You is not full, he can scrape the bottom of the pot with a ladle and still get it as clean as Ah You.

"Elder, you're awake?"

This call seemed to shatter the last glimmer of hope.

The elder's eyes slowly opened.

His eyes were very cloudy, but even this simple act of opening his eyes instantly filled the room with pressure.

The already tattered mask on Zhao Yi's body began to curl, peel, and fall off unconsciously.

“My Yi’er… is back.”

"Yes, Elder, I'm back."

silence.

Zhao Yi remained silent, and the Grand Elder also stopped speaking.

But Zhao Yi believed that the other party would be the first to lose control.

Because although he looks miserable now, he is still very young.

"Yi'er, has something happened at home? Is it worth it for you to come back in person?"

"Elder, the house is the same as before."

"The same as before? It must be the day of ancestor worship. When I woke up from a dream that day, my second brother mentioned it to me. Yi'er, I didn't oversleep, did I?"

"No, today is the day to pay respects to our ancestors."

"That's good. Hmm? Why didn't the second brother move me outside so you could kowtow to me?"

"The Second Elder is concerned about you."

"This second son is really ignorant. He should know that this is the last time I can sit and receive the kowtows of the younger generation."

"Elder, haven't I arrived?"

"Yes, Yi'er, you've come to see me. That's good."

Zhao Yi took a few steps back, first bowing to the Grand Elder in the Zhao family's traditional greetings, and finally kneeling down before him in a perfectly standard posture.

Press your forehead to the ground and remain still.

The blood seeping from his body dripped continuously, gradually spreading out in a patch.

After a long silence, the Grand Elder finally spoke:

"I accept Yi'er's gift."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi prepared to get up.

"But Yi'er, why did you lock the second child outside?"

Zhao Yi stopped in his tracks.

"The second brother is jumping up and down outside right now, hehe. In his whole life, his only passable skill is swordsmanship, and he's only a master of array formations."

If you lock him outside, all he can do is stomp his feet in frustration; there's nothing else he can do.

"Yi'er, you're such a child, joking with your elders like that, haha."

Zhao Yi remained kneeling.

"Third, fourth, and fifth brothers are sleeping soundly. What are you doing to them? When they wake up, they'll be furious. They're not as good-tempered and easy to talk to as second brother."

"When that happens, they'll spank you, and they won't give me any face. I won't be able to protect you, you little rascal."

The skin on Zhao Yi's face had completely ripped open, making it impossible to discern his expression.

"The stone carvings are smashed, the forest is burned down, and our territory hasn't been this lively in a long time."

Yi'er, you really are something else. They've come from afar to be guests, and they're just feeling cold and want to borrow a layer of skin to keep warm. This is simply the hospitality that my Zhao family should extend to them.

How could you be so petty as to turn against the guests like that?

Blood continued to spill out, completely ruining Zhao Yi's previous disguise, turning him into a charred, bloodied figure.

"If you have too many guests and can't handle them all, you should call on us old folks. If the sky falls, we old folks will hold it up; it's not your turn."

Besides, the sky isn't going to fall down.

"Yi'er, stand up!"

Zhao Yi stood up. He had been kneeling for too long, and his skin and flesh were sticky to the floor tiles. When he stood up, a large piece of his skin was torn off.

"Yi'er, do you know how long we old folks have been preparing for this day?"

"Since I was born?"

"It's not just that, it's been a very long time, and many generations. Some things are only passed down from generation to generation in my position."

Despite the raging storm outside, we, the Zhao family, had long anticipated this day.

Our Zhao family has longed for a new Dragon King for far too long.

We are looking forward to and hoping that, since our ancestors, another genius will emerge in our family.

At that time, all the accumulation and preparation will be poured into him.

Yi'er, this is the wind that your ancestors accumulated for you, helping you soar to great heights.

Whether we are sitting or lying down, we are all willing to become your ladder, to become your wave.

You will sever ties with us, swear an oath to Heaven, attain great merit, be freed from your shackles, and fulfill the dream of the Zhao family.

After the elder finished speaking, Zhao Yi did not respond. In the large room, only the "drip-drip" sound of blood dripping could be heard.

"What, Yi'er, don't you believe me?"

"Elder, I don't believe it."

"why?"

"Because if my Zhao family truly had such courage, it wouldn't be the Zhao family it is today."

"You may look down on the Zhao family now, and you may feel that the wealth accumulated by your ancestors cannot compare to your uprightness in making decisive moves on the river."

But you shouldn't talk to them like that.

When they sat here, when they lay in their coffins, they truly harbored a great dedication to paving the way for future heroes.

cough……"

With a cough, scrolls of portraits fell from the surrounding walls, depicting the generations of elders of the Zhao family.

Zhao Yi had a deep impression of the oldest volume.

The Dragon King, who rose from humble beginnings, was the foundation of the Zhao family. It was this ancestor who truly brought the Zhao family onto the right track, established the ancestral home, and laid the foundation for the Jiujiang business.

His memorial tablet is placed below Zhao Wuyang in the ancestral hall.

Below the scroll is his own handwritten inscription:
"All the sins are mine, but I only wish that my Zhao family may build a Dragon King's court."

And then, below each of the paintings, there is a similar line of text.

The content all expresses the hope that the Zhao family can become a true dragon king's family.

But they all have a prefix:

"I will accept my sins..."

"Punishment upon myself..."

"Heaven and earth will not tolerate this..."

This means that from the very first Grand Elder in the painting, a "heinous sin" was committed. Subsequent Grand Elders, upon learning of this, also considered it a treasonous act, but for the sake of that grand ambition, they all chose to persist and acquiesce.

Zhao Yi knew that this must be the deepest secret hidden within the Zhao family.

The First Elder said, "Yi'er, they are all doing this for your own good."

Zhao Yi: "I want to know, what exactly is this?"

"You should know."

The elder raised his right hand slightly, then lowered it again.

It was a gentle tap, but a violent tremor followed.

Zhao Yi initially thought the surrounding walls were rising, but he quickly realized that the ground he was standing on was sinking.

It kept falling down, and the underground environment was filled with a viscous, amber-like texture.

This substance looked somewhat familiar to Zhao Yi.

There were also large areas of this amber barrier in the underground palace under Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

He never expected that there would be such a thing in his own ancestral home, and that there was actually a hidden world beneath his ancestral home.

The amber is transparent, revealing a secluded underground world beneath it.

From this angle, the layout of the buildings above can be clearly seen.

The location where the coffins were gathered was the Zhao family's back garden, which was the resting place of the old man that Zhao Yi knew about.

There was another coffin, hanging alone in another place, its lid open, indicating that it was empty.

Above the coffin was the Zhao family's treasure vault, meaning that the person who should have been lying in the coffin was now in the treasure vault—the face of the person who had just seen guarding the lamp.

There were four coffins nearby, which were not pushed out.

These four coffins were probably reserved for the four elders; the second elder indeed didn't have his own coffin.

Beneath each coffin was a rope tied together, covered with talismans, extending downwards to an area resembling an altar.

There, it looked like a dock, and the coffins were like small boats, all moored so they wouldn't drift away.

It was only then that Zhao Yi realized that he, who thought he knew the Zhao family very well, had actually been an outsider all along.

"What's on that altar?"

Too far away to see clearly, all exploration could not penetrate the viscous nature of this amber.

"Yi'er, you can sit in my coffin and see for yourself."

Zhao Yi looked at the coffin that the elder had prepared for him in advance, and without hesitation, stepped forward and entered it.

"Buzz!"

A tremor struck, and Zhao Yi realized that his consciousness was being violently pulled apart, along with the cracks in his lifeline.

Don't resist it.

The Grand Elder's voice suddenly appeared behind Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi turned around abruptly and saw the Grand Elder, who had somehow left his chair and appeared in the same coffin as him.

The old age spots on the elder's face had faded, and although he was still old, he looked refreshed and gentle, like a funeral portrait taken in a photo studio.

The wrinkles, dents, and ailments have been blurred away, leaving only the smoothest facial features.

Zhao Yi suddenly realized that he was now inside the amber.

Looking up, the coffins that had been visible earlier had all disappeared, replaced by people.

They hovered there, all looking at him with kind expressions.

Some people were smiling at him, some were waving at him, and some were encouraging him.

These were all Zhao Yi's ancestors, the elders of the Zhao family throughout the ages.

If they were alive today, and saw that a genius had emerged from their family's descendants, they would indeed show such an expression.

Is this a case of "walking in the spirit world"? Or is the density of this amber a way of creating a special protective barrier?

Zhao Yi lowered his head and looked at his hands first. He found that he had returned to his original normal state, which meant that what he was experiencing was not the real reality.

Looking down further, Zhao Yi realized he was getting closer and closer to the altar at the very bottom.

The elder behind him seemed to give him a push, and Zhao Yi slowly landed on the altar as if in deep water.

The nine-tiered altar was not particularly tall, and even seemed rather simple compared to the grand scale of the event.

On the altar was a cylindrical platform, in which identity plaques were embedded, densely packed together.

This should be the rope connecting the coffin and the altar that I saw earlier. This cylindrical platform is the pile on the dock.

Zhao Yi shifted his gaze upwards, looking at the tabletop.

There was a box on the table, and it was not clear what was inside, but a faint light was emanating from it.

Zhao Yi reached out to open the box, and his whole body began to tremble as he did so.

It was not his body that trembled, but his soul; it was not caused by external forces, but by a tremor originating from the depths of his soul.

The closer you get to the truth, the stronger the fear becomes.

The moment Zhao Yi's hand touched the box, it opened by itself, falling out in all directions to reveal its contents.

This is a head.

A hole was drilled in his forehead, filled with lamp oil, from which a wick extended, burning with a milky white flame.

In an instant, a surge of intense anger rose within Zhao Yi. Never in his entire life had he ever gone mad like this.

"You actually used the heads of your ancestors... to light sky lanterns?"

In his rage, the cracks in Zhao Yi's body, the gates of life and death, began to spin wildly. His left eye turned white, and his right eye turned black. He turned around and looked at the "ancestors" above him.

The eldest elder, who was closest to the family, spoke up: "Yi'er, we are all doing this for you. Only the blessings of our ancestors can allow us to continue living, so that when a genius like you appears in our family, we can fulfill our long-cherished wish of producing another Dragon King."

All the elders from past generations above nodded in agreement with what the Grand Elder had said.

Zhao Yi's voice lost its emotion; he spoke coldly:

"Then you can all die now!"

The Grand Elder remained silent.

All the elders from previous generations behind them fell silent.

Zhao Yi's voice rang out again on the altar, posing a question:

"It's time to fulfill your vows. I'm here now. You... can die now and lift me up!"

Age spots reappeared on the Grand Elder's face, and the elders from previous generations above him also lost their kind and gentle expressions, their faces turning a dark bluish-green.

The entire atmosphere suddenly became oppressive.

next moment,
All the elders said in unison:
"We...want to live."

(End of this chapter)