Chapter 751: Innate Saintess Wang Lici! Meeting the Dao Lord

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Tianrui Saint Dynasty.

Jiang Immortal Clan Main Residence.

In the main hall of the Main Residence, used for receiving guests, Jiang Jianmu, the Clan Leader of the Jiang Immortal Clan, was currently surrounded by a large group of well-dressed people. This group chattered incessantly, making the entire front hall noisy and chaotic.

"Clan Leader Jianmu, our Hao Clan is truly in urgent need of money now. Your Jiang Family is an Immortal Clan, surely you can come up with one Immortal Spirit Stone in liquid funds? Look, why don't you pay back what you owe our Hao Clan first?"

"Clan Leader Jianmu, when you borrowed five Immortal Spirit Stones from our Sima Clan, you mortgaged three high-quality mining areas of your clan to our family. Now the repayment date is approaching. If you can't pay it back, don't blame us if the mining areas aren't returned!"

"Clan Leader Jianmu..."

"Clan Leader Jianmu..."

"Clan Leader Jianmu..."

These sounds and words were like demonic whispers piercing Jiang Jianmu's ears, making his head ache and his heart agitated. But for the sake of the family, he could only suppress his anger and continue to humor them with a smiling face.

It was unknown how long it took for Clan Leader Jiang Jianmu to finally deal with the group of creditors, escaping physically and mentally exhausted, and returning to the inner hall of the Main Residence.

In the inner hall, all the family elders, including Immortal Lord Haoran, had already gathered.

Upon seeing Clan Leader Jiang Jianmu return, a young elder thoughtfully brought him a cup of tea to moisten his throat, and asked with concern, "Clan Leader, how is the situation?"

Jiang Jianmu waved his hand and first picked up the teacup to drink.

Just now, in order to deal with that group of creditors, he had been talking until his mouth was dry. At this moment, he didn't want to say a single word. After several sips of tea, he finally felt his throat much more comfortable and sighed, "Don't mention it~ It's the same few words back and forth, nothing more than urging us to pay back the money. These snobbish guys, when our family was prosperous before, they all scrambled to flatter us. Let alone urging us to pay back money, they practically wanted to stuff money into our arms. Now that they see the situation is not right, they immediately pounce on us, wishing they could tear off a piece of flesh from us."

"This is also because our Ancestor is still here to keep them in check; they still know how to restrain themselves and dare not go too far. Otherwise, who knows what they would do~"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the other elders were grim, and the entire inner hall was filled with gloom.

Actually, although the current situation of the Jiang Immortal Clan was not good, it hadn't reached a dead end. After all, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. The Jiang Family was an Immortal Clan with deep foundations, and most of its industries were still intact. As long as they survived this tribulation, they would slowly rise again.

The only fear was that they might not even have the chance to calmly survive this tribulation.

The struggle for resources and interests has always been the most brutal. In the past, when the Jiang Family was powerful, even if some people were envious of their market share, there would be various concerns, and they wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

But now that the Jiang Family was in decline, those aristocratic families and organizations who had long been eyeing the Jiang Family's share of the pie would not miss such a good opportunity to kick them when they were down.

This wave of debt collection might not be just a test.

If the Jiang Family could beautifully pass this test, making those secretly coveting parties feel that the Jiang Family was not to be trifled with, and believing that continuing to target the Jiang Family carried risks, perhaps they would not press so hard. Otherwise, it might be even more difficult in the future.

Although these principles were not explicitly stated, the elders present were all experienced people and naturally understood them. However, it was too difficult to pass the current difficult situation beautifully.

After sighing for a while, the elders seriously discussed countermeasures.

However, several solutions proposed by the elders were rejected, all having various problems. Either the risks were too great, with too many hidden dangers, or the gains did not outweigh the losses, and some might even lead to more serious consequences if not handled carefully...

Finally, an elder could not help but suggest: "If it's really impossible, should we go and ask that Young Master Shoujie again?"

The other elders sighed, not holding out much hope: "Young Master Shoujie has an extraordinary background, he doesn't even care about Immortal Scriptures, how can we ask him for help?"

The only intersection between the Jiang Family and Young Master Shoujie was the Cloud Sea Whale Ark back then. After the Cloud Sea Whale Ark was properly maintained and delivered, only a future maintenance contract was signed.

Moreover, the contract price was generous, which was already considered Young Master Shoujie's slight care for the struggling Jiang Family.

For a moment, the elders' faces were again filled with gloom.

Yes, why should Young Master Shoujie help? He doesn't owe the Jiang Family anything...

"I have a suggestion." At this moment, another Jiang Family elder had a flash of inspiration and suggested, "Young Master Shoujie is young and dashing. Aside from that True Immortal woman by his side, even the one responsible for the delivery and operation of the Cloud Sea Whale Ark is a great beauty. I also heard that Yao Yumei of the Yao Clan, who joined the Divine Treasure Hall system, is also very close to Young Master Shoujie."

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention was drawn, and they all looked thoughtful.

"Cough cough~ It's normal for a young man to be affectionate," the elder said. "It seems that if our Jiang Family wants to curry favor with Young Master Shoujie, we'll have to rely on a honey trap~"

Jiang Jianmu's eyes lit up, and he agreed, "Ancestor Yuanhao, please elaborate."

"I remember that Muxian child, she's already in the Purple Mansion Realm at such a young age, isn't she?" Elder Yuanhao stroked his beard, reminding everyone, "Moreover, she recently inherited the family's Treasure Codex and became a Void Realm Seed."

"Ancestor Yuanhao!" Jiang Jianmu's face darkened upon hearing this, and he angrily said, "Muxian is a direct descendant of my Jiang Family, and you want her to sell her beauty."

Jiang Muxian was quite famous among the younger generation in Tianrui Saint City. She was as beautiful as a Celestial Immortal, had an excellent temperament, and would certainly become a Transcendent Realm expert in the future. She was admired by countless young masters of aristocratic families.

Among the female descendants of Jiang Jianmu, Jiang Muxian was the one he cherished the most.

"Clan Leader Jianmu, do you think there's anyone in our Jiang Family's younger generation, besides Muxian, who could catch Young Master Shoujie's eye?" Elder Yuanhao wasn't anxious about being scolded a few times and slowly stated his considerations. "To put it bluntly, with Young Master Shoujie's status, it's still unknown whether he would even fancy our Muxian."

This was indeed true.

Even Jiang Jianmu, who doted on Jiang Muxian the most, had to admit that although Muxian was the treasure of the Jiang Family, Young Master Shoujie's status and vision were extraordinary. There was no woman attending him who was inferior to Muxian.

Even if they were truly willing to give up Muxian, it was still a question whether he would even fancy her.

Finally, everyone's gaze fell upon the family's Ancestor, Immortal Lord Haoran.

Immortal Lord Haoran pondered for a moment, then sighed: "Time is running out for our Jiang Family. If there is no one to protect us, after I die, the foundation passed down by our Ancestors will likely be difficult to preserve. How about this, I will take Muxian to see Young Master Shoujie and let her follow Young Master to learn and broaden her horizons."

Some elders secretly thought, as expected of the Ancestor, his words are indeed skillful.

Although Jiang Jianmu felt bad for Muxian, he also felt that this was the only chance to save the Jiang Family at the moment, so he could only nod in agreement: "Although Immortal Monarch Tiange is Young Master's maid, in name she is a maid but in reality she is a bodyguard. Young Master indeed lacks someone to take care of his daily life and comfort him. When I return, I will personally talk to Muxian about this. She should agree. If she can truly follow Young Master Shoujie, she might even have other fortuitous encounters."

After some discussion, the matter was settled.

...

Meanwhile.

Absolute Beginning Dao Palace.

The Absolute Beginning Dao Palace was filled with numerous immortal islands, and among these many islands, there was one located above the nine heavens, at the very top of all the immortal islands, named Lingxiao Immortal Island.

The immortal island was lush with vegetation and imbued with immortal aura. Countless immortal flowers and exotic plants surrounded it. The spiritual energy was so rich that it even condensed into faint spiritual mist in the air. From afar, it looked hazy with mist and ethereal light, truly like a celestial realm.

And at the very center of this immortal island was a sprawling complex of ancient buildings.

At the forefront of the complex was a magnificent and solemn palace, with white and gold as its base colors, named the Daoxiao Treasure Hall.

This Daoxiao Treasure Hall was the official deliberation hall of the Dao Palace. Only when extremely important matters arose would the Dao Lord convene a meeting here, gathering the various Saint Venerables of the Dao Palace for discussion.

Behind the Daoxiao Treasure Hall was another, larger, older, and more profound palace complex, named Hongzhen Palace.

That was the place where the current Dao Lord of the Absolute Beginning Dao Palace, Dao Lord Hongzhen, conducted his closed-door cultivation and daily life.

However, Dao Lord Hongzhen always lived in seclusion. On ordinary days, if there were no major matters, he would be in a state of closed-door cultivation.

One day.

Dao Lord Hongzhen was in closed-door cultivation in Hongzhen Palace, as usual.

On the white lotus-shaped cloud platform, carved with powerful Spirit Gathering Array formations, he sat cross-legged, his demeanor majestic. Countless Immortal Spirit Qi revolved around him, and his white robe billowed without wind, truly resembling the immortals of ancient legends.

Dao Lord Hongzhen had lived for over a hundred thousand years. Even for a Dao Lord with a long lifespan, he was already considered to have entered old age at this point.

Under the erosion of long years, his body had uncontrollably begun to show signs of age: his skin had become somewhat loose, there were many wrinkles around his eyes, and even his originally dark beard had turned gray. Only his demeanor and bearing, far from diminishing under the passage of time, had grown even more majestic and awe-inspiring.

Suddenly.

The protector seated below came to report: "Reporting to Your Venerable, Cloud Sea Saint Venerable has returned to the Dao Palace to report on his duties and requests an audience with the Dao Lord."

Dao Lord Hongzhen slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of deep eyes that seemed to have experienced endless years: "That boy Yunhai is here again? Has it only been a few hundred years?"

"Uh... it seems to be around five hundred years," the protector below said, stifling a laugh. "I remember the last time he came to the Dao Palace was to celebrate his thirty thousandth birthday."

The only one who would celebrate his birthday in the Dao Palace instead of his own Cloud Sea Grotto-Heaven, causing a fuss about birthday celebrations, was Cloud Sea Saint Venerable.

"Yes, I remember he 'collected' a lot of gifts that time," Dao Lord Hongzhen said with emotion. "Even I was in a difficult position and gave him a big red packet. And what happened? He claimed that something big had happened in the Grotto-Heaven and he needed to go back to deal with it immediately. Then, he left with a cloud boat full of gifts and went home..."

However, before leaving, Cloud Sea Saint Venerable still "sincerely invited" everyone to be guests at Cloud Sea Grotto-Heaven, promising to personally host a banquet to make up for the deficit.

Upon hearing this, the Saint Venerables who had given gifts turned green.

Are you kidding? How many people would spend ten years traveling back and forth, going all the way to Cloud Sea Grotto-Heaven for a feast?

Therefore, that time, Cloud Sea Saint Venerable "only collected gifts and didn't host a banquet," making a huge profit.

"The time before that, I remember his disciple Qingyuan inherited the Sacred Diagram..." Dao Lord Hongzhen recalled the past, also filled with emotion, and began to ramble on. "He also took a cloud boat full of gifts home then, didn't he? And the time before that..."

After scolding Cloud Sea Saint Venerable for a full hour, Dao Lord Hongzhen finally remembered the main business and asked, "Oh right, what new trick has that boy Yunhai come up with this time?"

"Reporting to Your Venerable," the seated protector reported, "It is said that Cloud Sea Saint Venerable has taken on a new disciple, and wishes to bring her to meet the Dao Lord..."

"A new disciple? He wants to try to fleece me again with this excuse? That kid is really going backward in life; he can't even think of a better idea." Dao Lord Hongzhen waved his hand and said, "Tell that boy Yunhai that I am in long closed-door cultivation and don't have time to listen to his report."

"Your Venerable." The seated protector had no choice but to brace himself and say, "Cloud Sea Saint Venerable said that his new disciple is quite extraordinary."

Dao Lord Hongzhen: "How so?"

"Cloud Sea Saint Venerable says that his new disciple, after inheriting the Immortal Scripture in the Divine-Transformation Realm, is already at the tenth level of Bloodline, and what's more, she possesses the rare Devouring Battle Body type of Bloodline!" the seated protector truthfully replied.

"..."

Dao Lord Hongzhen fell silent.

He wasn't sure if the seated protector was imagining it, but he felt that at this moment, the Dao Lord's expression was somewhat subtle.

A moment later, Dao Lord Hongzhen slowly spoke: "Bring her to see me."

"Yes, Your Venerable."

The seated protector immediately took the order and left.

Soon, Cloud Sea Saint Venerable received the notification and, taking his beloved disciple Wang Lici, boarded the Dao Palace's public transportation—the Cloud Chariot—and flew directly to Hongzhen Palace to meet the Dao Lord.

Since they were meeting the Dao Lord, Si Wuchou and Lan Wan'er naturally didn't follow.

The Cloud Chariot was made of a special material, floating in the air like a soft cloud, and sitting on it gave one the feeling of soaring through the clouds.

Wang Lici curiously observed the Cloud Chariot for a while before turning her attention to the surrounding floating immortal islands.

From afar, these immortal islands only seemed filled with spiritual energy. Now, as the Cloud Chariot glided past them, the details of the immortal islands revealed themselves one by one.

Almost every immortal island had Immortal Palaces standing tall, and these Immortal Palaces were all majestic, grand, and historically significant, showcasing the profound heritage of immortals.

Wang Lici was shocked by the magnificent and ancient architecture: "Master, Master, that pillar is actually carved from a single piece of Quick Frost Cold Jade! If we could break it off and take it back, it would probably sell for several Immortal Spirit Stones, wouldn't it?"

"Master, Master, the stone steps we're walking on seem to be Yin-Yang Magnetic Jade! So many steps... if we dismantle a few layers, will we not be discovered?"

"Master, Master... that cloud crane flying overhead is so big! Its posture is so graceful and elegant when it flies. Its muscles must be really chewy."

The passing cloud crane, hearing this by chance, shivered its wings and almost fell. It no longer cared about its usual graceful posture and frantically flapped its wings, quickly fleeing from this malicious woman.

Wang Lici, however, paid no attention to these.

All along the way, she was filled with awe.

When she mentioned wanting to pick the two Ever-bright Immortal Lamps in the sky above Hongzhen Palace and take them away, Dao Lord Hongzhen, who had been secretly observing with his Divine Sense, finally couldn't sit still. His voice boomed in Cloud Sea Saint Venerable's ears: "Yunhai, boy, bring your disciple over quickly, don't leisurely sit in the Cloud Chariot."

The Dao Lord's command still had to be obeyed.

Cloud Sea Saint Venerable hurriedly enveloped his beloved disciple in Mysterious Qi and instantly teleported to the inner hall of Hongzhen Palace.

At this time, Dao Lord Hongzhen was sitting upright on the high platform, surrounded by mist, his face obscured.

Although this was not a formal meeting place like the Daoxiao Treasure Hall, the atmosphere was quite solemn and dignified.

"Yunhai, with my beloved disciple Wang Lici, respectfully bows to Your Venerable. May Your Venerable live forever without limits." Cloud Sea Saint Venerable's face also turned serious and proper upon seeing this. He bowed respectfully according to the rules.

Looking at his upright, profound, and steady demeanor, it was impossible to imagine that he could do something like collecting money without hosting a banquet.

"Alright, rise."

Dao Lord Hongzhen didn't care for Cloud Sea Saint Venerable. He casually greeted him and then focused his attention on Wang Lici.

As one of the top combat powers of the Human Clan, the Dao Lord's Divine Sense was far more powerful than that of an Immortal Lord or Saint Venerable. With a brief exploration, he already had a clear understanding of Wang Lici's Bloodline and aptitude.

He praised her kindly: "My child, your Bloodline and aptitude are truly excellent. It is a fortunate event for the Human Clan to produce such a junior. How old are you this year?"

"Four hundred and one years old. My four hundredth birthday is this year," Wang Lici said innocently after counting on her fingers for a while.

"Still young indeed," Dao Lord Hongzhen was very kind to the young Wang Lici. "During this time, you don't need to rush your cultivation. Just have a good time in the Dao Palace. Anything you want to eat or play with, you can tell me. You can even change your master if you wish; I will make the decision for you..."

These words made Wang Lici's mouth water.

All along the way, she had seen so many immortal beasts and immortal birds...

It was quite evident that Dao Lord Hongzhen felt that Li Ci's habit of wanting to take everything home, which he "saw," was definitely due to Yunhai's "words and deeds" in daily life.

"Your Venerable!" Cloud Sea Saint Venerable hurriedly spoke to stop him. "Li Ci and I have a deep master-disciple bond. Please do not separate us."

Remembering one of the purposes of their trip, he quickly changed the subject and winked at Wang Lici: "Li Ci, didn't you get a treasure that you wanted Saint Venerable to appraise?"

"Oh, right." Wang Lici slapped her head and took out the stone tablet she had obtained from the Spirit Returning Cave Ruins. "Grandpa Dao Lord, could you please tell me what this is?"

Grandpa Dao Lord?

Dao Lord Hongzhen couldn't help but smile.

With a casual grasp, he took the stone tablet and, after a brief examination, said, "This is a fragment of an Ancient Saint Diagram. If all the fragments are collected, perhaps a path to Saint Venerablehood can be found."

As he spoke, Dao Lord Hongzhen returned the stone tablet fragment to Wang Lici.

"Grandpa Dao Lord, my master says that there's a similar fragment in our Dao Palace's treasure vault," Wang Lici said, blinking her eyes at her master's hint. "If it's a matching fragment, can you give it to me?"

"Yunhai!" Dao Lord Hongzhen stared at Cloud Sea Saint Venerable with an unfriendly gaze. "You remember the items in the Dao Palace's treasure vault so clearly?"

"Ahem," Cloud Sea Saint Venerable coughed awkwardly, explaining, "I just caught a glimpse of it; I remembered it by accident."

"..."

Dao Lord Hongzhen was speechless.

There were so many treasures in the vault that even he didn't fully remember what was there. How could anyone remember them with just a fleeting glance? He was trying to fool them.

However, given the current situation, he was truly too lazy to quibble with Yunhai. He immediately sent someone with a Dao Lord order to the treasure vault. After some searching, they indeed found a fragment in the vault that perfectly matched Li Ci's.

"Since you are so fated, then this piece will be given to Li Ci. This makes up half of the Sacred Diagram," Dao Lord Hongzhen explained. "These Ancient Saint Diagrams were mostly created by ancient sages imitating the cultivation, predation, and combat of ferocious beasts. They are not as complex as today's Sacred Diagrams, but their power is immense, and they complement Li Ci's Bloodline very well. When you cultivate, you can meditate on the stone tablet more and comprehend the will of the Human Clan's ancient sages who created the Saint Way."

"In addition, I will also order people to consult historical records and ancient texts to search for the whereabouts of the remaining two pieces."

"Thank you, Grandpa Dao Lord." Wang Lici happily bowed.

"Go, stay in the Dao Palace for a while. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can come to me anytime," Dao Lord Hongzhen said, feeling very pleased that the Human Clan had produced such an excellent child as Li Ci. He secretly sighed that the boy Yunhai was indeed lucky to have found such a treasure.

A child like her was already somewhat qualified to contend for the position of Dao Child. Even if she couldn't become a Dao Lord in the future, she could go very far on the Saint Venerable path, much more powerful than ordinary Saint Venerables.

"Wait!" Cloud Sea Saint Venerable suddenly called out, stopping them. "Your Venerable, our Li Ci can at least be considered a top-tier genius of the 'Innate Saint Body' level. For a first meeting, you're just letting her leave without any token of appreciation?"

The so-called "Innate Saint Body" refers to a level of aptitude, specifically the Bloodline aptitude of a Saint Son or Saintess.

For example, Wang Lici, now in the Divine-Transformation Realm with her Bloodline awakened to the tenth level, possesses the aptitude of a Saintess. Tracing back, this is equivalent to her Bloodline having already awakened to the sixth level Saint Body during her Qi Refining Realm. Thus, such aptitude is also called "Innate Saint Body."

Those with seven levels of Bloodline in the Spirit Realm, eight levels in the Heaven-Human Realm, nine levels in the Purple Mansion Realm, ten levels in the Divine-Transformation Realm, and eleven levels in the Transcendent Realm are all collectively referred to as "Innate Saint Body."

Of course, true Innate Saint Bodies, who are born with it, are extremely rare. Most Saint Sons and Saintesses elevate their aptitude later.

However, if a true Innate Saint Body is born, at birth, the six levels of Bloodline power within their body will resonate with the laws of heaven and earth, leading to phenomena such as the trembling of heaven and earth and cosmic resonance.

Such instances have been extremely rare throughout history.

Unless a Dao Lord dies an untimely death and reincarnates, natural birth is almost impossible.

Upon hearing this, Dao Lord Hongzhen glared at Cloud Sea Saint Venerable with an unfriendly expression: "Was that quarter of a Sacred Diagram I just gave not a gift?"

"Your Venerable, without Li Ci unearthing the Sacred Diagram fragment, that piece of Sacred Diagram in the Dao Palace would just be trash, gathering dust for who knows how many years," Cloud Sea Saint Venerable argued righteously. "Furthermore, that's Dao Palace property. You can't just use Dao Palace assets to promote a junior and claim it as your personal reward, can you?"

Dao Lord Hongzhen almost slapped Yunhai flying.

He had lived for over a hundred thousand years, and he had truly never seen such a shameless young man as Yunhai. Fortunately, this kid didn't come to the Dao Palace often, otherwise, no matter how good his self-restraint, he probably wouldn't be able to resist hitting him.

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! You support is really important! SlaySaga]

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Chapter 752: Quasi-Dao Child! Events from One Hundred Thousand Years Ago