Ringing the Bell for a Hundred Years, I Became the Sect’s Ancestor – Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Seventy-Two Stratagems of the Celestial Secrets

“Young Master, Master will be overjoyed to know you’ve returned.”

Housekeeper Xu of the Li Residence cautiously followed behind, his demeanor exceptionally respectful.

He had initially thought the Young Master wouldn’t come back.

Li Qian nodded and walked towards the side courtyard where his former self used to reside.

Housekeeper Xu closely trailed behind.

The side courtyard remained vacant, with all the furnishings largely unchanged from before his former self ran away from home.

However, it was quite clean.

It seemed someone cleaned it regularly.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside.

Following closely, Li Donglin strode in, a refined young man trailing behind him.

“Qian’er.”

This father, who had always been stern, now appeared exceptionally excited.

His long-awaited eldest son had finally returned home.

“Father.”

Li Qian said calmly.

“It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back.”

Li Donglin said repeatedly.

“Big Brother.”

Li Kun, the refined young man standing behind, stepped forward and bowed to Li Qian.

Li Qian’s gaze fell upon this refined young man. Based on the memories in his mind, this should be his half-brother, his stepmother’s son, Li Kun.

His former self hadn’t interacted much with this younger brother, and there were no direct conflicts between them. Even if there was any resentment, it stemmed from their stepmother.

Li Qian simply nodded, then said to Li Donglin, “Father, I won’t appear at your birthday banquet. I will go pay respects to Mother tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Li Donglin understood that his son was a martial artist and indeed somewhat out of place among the guests attending the birthday banquet.

After a few more exchanges, Li Donglin, in high spirits, returned to the banquet to entertain his guests.

“Big Brother, because of my mother, you have suffered all these years. Now my mother has been divorced by Father and has become a nun at Jing’an Nunnery. If you’re still angry, I am willing to atone for my mother’s sins. I will submit to any punishment you deem fit, without complaint.”

Li Kun did not leave with his father. He only asked Housekeeper Xu to wait outside and knelt before Li Qian.

Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.

In truth, he had never known how his mother treated his elder brother. He only learned about the events of those years when his father flew into a rage and decided to divorce his mother.

His elder brother was already a martial artist. What he feared most was his brother returning and killing his mother to vent his hatred.

“If it were a few years ago, I definitely would have killed her.”

Li Qian walked up to Li Kun, patted his shoulder, and said calmly, “I cultivate at the Divine Sword Sect and may rarely return. From now on, you should fulfill your filial duty to Father on my behalf. Alright, go out and entertain the guests, lest people gossip.”

“Thank you, Big Brother, for your magnanimity.”

Li Kun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, bowed, and then walked out.

By the time he was outside, he was drenched in sweat from the effort of holding himself together. His steps were shaky, and he could barely stand.

“Second Young Master.”

Housekeeper Xu, who had been waiting, hurried forward to support Li Kun.

“I’m fine.”

Li Kun waved his hand, trying to steady himself. He let out a long breath and finally walked out of the side courtyard.

In his mind, his elder brother had become incredibly terrifying.

He had only spent a short time with his brother in the room, but it felt like an eternity. The intangible mental pressure, even after he had left, remained deeply etched in his memory.

He would probably never forget it in this lifetime.

Li Qian only stayed at the Li Residence for two days. After paying respects to his former self’s mother, he left White Jade City directly.

It was several days later when he returned to the Divine Sword Sect.

Moreover, he brought back a cowhide treasure map and handed it over to the Mission Hall. In addition to receiving a large sum of Contribution Points, he was also exempted from the two Inner Sect missions for the following year.

Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong.

As he stood atop the bell tower, striking the Time Bell, the clear and resonant bell sounds gradually calmed the restlessness in his heart.

Sensing the gradually invigorated Qi and blood, True Qi, and Sword Intent within his body, Li Qian drew Sword Eighteen and began his cultivation.

After completing one cycle, Li Qian felt a sense of well-being throughout his body.

Cultivating at the Time Bell Pavilion through bell ringing was still the best.

A peaceful life was destined to pass quickly.

More than a year had passed.

He hadn’t gone out on missions this year.

His days were leisurely and fulfilling.

He learned from Pang Bai that the competition for the treasure map outside had become increasingly fierce.

It was said that even some martial arts factions beyond the Taixing Circuit had joined in.

After all, the treasure of the Taiping Cult was too tempting.

Therefore, the situation outside was incredibly chaotic now.

◈◈◈

Unfortunately, no matter how fiercely they competed, even if they painstakingly gathered all four pieces of the treasure map, they wouldn’t be able to find the location of the hidden treasure.

Late at night.

Atop the bell tower.

Li Qian sat cross-legged, absorbing the essence of the Demon Stone to enhance his Immaculate Holy Body.

Traces of demonic energy merged into his body and, after being refined by the Immaculate Holy Body, transformed into pale golden Qi and blood energy.

Now, the Qi and blood of the Immaculate Holy Body were as condensed as mercury, with a golden hue. Each strand contained astonishing energy.

This year, he still absorbed essence three times a day, but the amount of demonic energy he absorbed each time had increased.

Therefore, the enhancement speed of his Immaculate Holy Body had become even faster.

However, the energy essence contained within the Demon Stone was also dwindling.

Crack.

Suddenly, a faint sound rang out in the silent night.

Li Qian looked at the Demon Stone in his palm, now covered in cracks, and sighed softly.

This Demon Stone was completely depleted.

Without the Demon Stone, his Immaculate Holy Body would come to a complete standstill.

Li Qian summoned the system interface to check the latest information.

Host: Li Qian.

Cultivation: Innate True Essence （ Late Stage 35/100 ）.

Sacrificial Instrument: Time Bell （ Law 4029/10000 ）.

Martial Arts: Sword-Piercing Fist （ Perfection ）, Heartless Sword Manual （ Perfection ）, Immaculate Holy Body （ Minor Completion 86/100 ）, Soul-Chasing Sword Technique （ Perfection ）.

Martial Intent: Heartless Sword Intent （ True Image 34/100 ）.

Secret Techniques: Myriad Transforming Sword Qi, Blood Burning Technique.

In the past year or so, both his cultivation and Immaculate Holy Body had improved significantly.

This was due to his accelerated absorption of the Demon Stone’s essence.

“It seems I need to find new Demon Stones.”

Li Qian pondered in his heart.

If there was any place where Demon Stones might exist, the most likely location was undoubtedly the hidden treasure location of the Taiping Cult.

However, he looked at the information on the panel and sighed.

His cultivation was insufficient.

He was only at the late stage of the True Essence Realm.

Let alone the Celestial Being Realm, he was still some distance away from the True Elixir Realm.

As for breaking through in Sword Intent?

He was still far from it.

“Forget it, there’s no rush. Without the Demon Stone, my cultivation will just be slower. But if I venture to the hidden treasure location, I might lose my life. It’s not worth it, not worth it at all.”

After pondering for a moment, Li Qian dismissed the idea.

Jade Capital.

Imperial Clan’s Ancestral Grounds, Candle Dragon Hall.

Inside the vast and empty hall, a bronze coffin was placed, surrounded by thousands of lit oil lamps.

“Ancestor, the fourth piece of the treasure map has been collected.”

An elder knelt before the steps.

He held a cowhide treasure map high in his hands.

Suddenly, a strange wind blew through the hall, causing all the oil lamps to flicker and sway erratically.

In the next moment, the cowhide treasure map slowly rose into the air.

Whoosh.

A sound like flowing water accompanied it.

A person abruptly sat up within the bronze coffin.

The person was emaciated, as if only skin and bones remained. His white hair was sparse, with very little left.

His deeply sunken eye sockets glowed like ghostly flames.

The person caught the treasure map with a hand like a chicken claw.

He only glanced at it, then suddenly waved his hand. The entire treasure map exploded into powder, scattering in the air.

“The other three maps were created using the layout of the Seventy-Two Stratagems of the Celestial Secrets, but this one is completely random, clearly a fake.”

A hoarse voice rang out.

The elder trembled in fear, “Ancestor, this map has absolutely not been switched since we obtained it.”

“Sigh, even if we had the complete treasure map, what then? Could it allow me to break through my bottleneck and step into the supreme Martial Saint Realm? If it truly could, then it would have been the Taiping Cult that won back then, not our Chai Imperial Clan.”

A faint sigh echoed, “I have no time left. Proceed with the final plan.”

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