Lin had a better understanding of the situation after listening to the ancestors. Albeit, he was powerless as well.

“If the imperial queen was alive, maybe she would be able to change our fate.” Another young ancestor mused.

“Perhaps.” The oldest one answered after a short lull: “Imperial Queen Ren Xian was an intelligent and kind woman. She was aware of the ebbs and flows of politics and trod carefully as the emperor’s supporter. One had to speak of her contributions when talking about his successful campaign. Alas, she died too early and didn’t bask in the glory befitting of an imperial queen.”

“Yes, given her kind nature, maybe she would be able to resolve the princes’ resentment. Under her guidance, the princes could have become benevolent people and one of them could even become an emperor. Her presence had a chance of eliminating the darkness looming over our sect.” A different ancestor agreed.

Lin didn’t respond since there was no going back in time.

“You have learned all that you needed to learn.” The oldest ancestor told Lin: “Take some disciples and leave Soaring Immortal, as far as possible. Do not return.”

“We have already selected them. Go quietly in the night, no need to say goodbye or tell anyone.” Another ancestor handed Lin a list.

The oldest one continued: “Though there is no saving this, our three branches still have some resources left. We have packed them up for you. Take them and see if you can continue our three branches in the future.”

“Ancestor…” Lin didn’t want to leave. He hurriedly said: “I want to stay behind to the very end. There are other candidates to become the leaders of the backup plan. I cannot leave during times of hards.h.i.+p when you have spent so much effort on training me.”

“No, there is a reason why we picked you to do this and for you to go see His Excellency.” The oldest ancestor said: “No one is more suitable than you. His Excellency likes you so he won’t chase when you run away. This might not be the case for other people.”

“But…” Lin opened his mouth.

The oldest ancestor interrupted him: “No but. The decision has been made. This is the time for you to repay us and the sect. The greatest possible repayment will be in the form of continuing the inheritance of our three branches.”

While looking at the ancestors, Lin understood that this matter was finished. In the end, he took a deep breath and respectfully prostrated to the ground. His head touched the ground nine times as he spoke: “I’m sorry that I can’t be with you all, please take care.”

“Go, do not turn back and look. Remember, do not think about revenge. Take care of our inheritance so that our seeds will be everlasting. That’s more than enough.” The oldest solemnly said.

“Your disciple obeys.” He bowed again before leaving while gritting his teeth. Tears have virtually blinded his vision but he knew that this was their last meeting. He wouldn’t be able to return to Soaring Immortal again.

The sitting ancestors slowly closed their eyes after Lin disappeared from sight. They have accepted the situation and no longer tried anything else.

***

At Pearl, Li Qiye was still sitting in the same spot after Lin left. However, Matriarch Yu was by his side.

“The world was shocked with the coming of the Azure Dragon Legion. Those who are aware of the legion know that you will come back to rule and no one will have a chance for the Heaven’s Will. Who will still fight in this situation? Will Soaring Immortal still try for revenge?” She smiled and said.

Li Qiye smirked as well: “Soaring Immortal will muster all of their strength this time, gambling everything they have on this battle!”

“The emperor’s sons might be powerful but they can’t be this blind. They should know the significance of Azure Dragon’s appearance. Since the war hasn’t formally started, there is still time to turn back. If they’re not stupid, they will go and find old generals back then to come and talk to you. That’s what I would do in order to protect Soaring Immortal since they have zero chance of winning this war.” The matriarch was surprised.

“That’s why you’re not them and they’re not you.” Li Qiye smiled: “They have never thought about a peace negotiation. Plus, even if they wanted one, it’s not up to them anymore. The person in the shadow will definitely try something!”

“What kind of thing is giving this person enough confidence to fight you, Your Excellency?” She found the whole thing quite strange.

People who knew about the Dark Crow was aware that this was an eternal tyrant, the dark hand behind the curtains in the nine worlds. This was a generation without an emperor. Any power and force trying to fight him was the same as throwing an egg at a rock. But then again, it wouldn’t end well for emperors opposing him either.

“It’s not just their battle potential. They’re definitely confident but more importantly, time is not waiting for them!” Li Qiye explained.

“Time isn’t waiting for them?” She was slightly caught off guard.

“Because I have personally come into being in this generation, no longer immortal. The mastermind is aware of this and the fact that I don’t have an Immortal Emperor behind me. This is their last chance and only time to kill me. That’s why the mastermind will go all out!” He elaborated.

“Gu Zun believed in this as well. There won’t be another opportunity after this one. Thus, since the mastermind has been planning this for so long, they wouldn’t be able to endure the anger from letting me leave just like that.” He revealed a smile full of amus.e.m.e.nt.

“So for the master and Gu Zun, they must do something in this generation since I’ll be up above the nine heavens in the next. So in the future, it doesn’t matter how strong they are and if they can actually get up there, they will be nothing in that place. At that point, I can crush them like ants. The two of them also understood this so they would never waste generations of planning by not trying in this one.”

The matriarch was shaken with a terrible guess. She blurted out: “You have always known who the mastermind is!”

“About that...” Li Qiye only smirked and didn’t answer directly.

“You knew during the search too!” The matriarch was a long-time follower so she naturally understood this smile from him and realized it.

In the past, he didn’t talk about this so she thought the lack of evidence was the reason why he couldn’t sentence a judgment. Now, it looked as if this wasn’t the case.

“It’s only a guess, not like I am hiding it, you’ll know eventually.” Li Qiye chuckled.

She wasn’t too surprised. In this world, who was better at scheming than this man in front of her?

“Back then, why didn’t you simply capture everyone and eliminate Soaring Immortal?” She was curious.

Li Qiye pondered for a moment before sighing: “Perhaps I couldn’t bear to do so. The old men were all kneeling there, slamming their forehead on the ground till blood started to flow. They have contributed and risked their lives for me. That’s why I gave them a chance, hoping that they can find and eliminate this darkness. Unfortunately, they were too old to be a match for the mastermind. This person hid very well so they failed to find anything.”

Having said that, he revealed a murderous glint: “Plus, the Ancient Ming bloodline has always troubled me. All along, people have been trying to research and evolve this bloodline. It can be said that the mastermind in Soaring Immortal has done the best job in this endeavor. I want to see to what level they have achieved. This will allow me to understand the evolution of this bloodline. If the mastermind had spent many generations to deal with me, then I’ll give them a chance. After a successful attempt, I’ll check it out and future generations will have a deeper understanding of this bloodline. Know yourself, know your enemy; one shall win a hundred battles without tasting defeat.” He grinned at this point.

“Your Excellency, you want to take advantage of this mastermind to observe the evolution of the Ancient Ming bloodline.” The matriarch understood.

“Since people have always attempted this, I’m actually a little worried that this bloodline would suddenly change and sneak into our own bloodline to the point where we can’t distinguish between a human and a Ming bloodline. Thus, if someone has reached such a high level, it would be good reference material so that people in the future can learn how to protect themselves against this bloodline.” He chuckled.