Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Good!"

The Clan Elder, who had not spoken until now, suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! Jiang Li's public spirit is indeed a fortune for our clan. If everyone could receive Innate Qi, our clan would gain an extra layer of security for survival in the Nine Provinces."

Speaking of the Nine Provinces instead of the whole world clearly meant that those who had fled overseas were not considered part of the clan.

"Clan Elder, you!" Jiang Jingyuan was choked with emotion.

Those who could become Clan Elders all had great prestige within the clan and generally had deep connections with the main family. Who would have expected this Clan Elder to speak such resolute words that directly contradicted the main family.

Couldn't you be a little more tactful?

As a Clan Elder, taking such a firm stance made those who had already been influenced by Jiang Li start to wonder what they should think.

"As a Clan Elder, naturally, I must be responsible for our clansmen. Anything that is beneficial to our clan should be fully supported," said the Mongolian Clan Elder indifferently, "As for those who abandoned their responsibilities, they have already gone overseas."

There were nine elders in the Jiang family, three of whom had died three and a half years ago, five had gone overseas, leaving only this one who had stayed behind, always guarding the ancestral land.

His leaning in favor of Jiang Li had already been rather obvious.

If he was truly aligned with the main family, what was he still doing here?

The Clan Elder swept his undeniable gaze over everyone and said in a condensed voice, "Our clan has reached a critical moment of life or death. If we can get through this, then life; if not, then death. Do you really still have delusions about the so-called main family?"

The main family had fled overseas for only a bit more than three years. It would be good if they could stand firm, let alone make a comeback from so far away.

All those present understood this, but to have it spelled out so explicitly was a first.

For a moment, regardless of what was in their minds, everyone fell silent.

Even Jiang Jingyuan, who was fiercely loyal to the main family, didn't dare to boast that the main family would return immediately.

"I've said all there is to say, the rest is for you all to ponder," said the Clan Elder.

"Jiang Wujiu, take them down," the Clan Elder commanded.

The middle-aged man, Jiang Wujiu, who had previously led the way for Jiang Li, nodded in agreement and then led the group away.

Carrying their own thoughts, this group left the hall in silence, and the vast Lie Mountain Hall was left with only the Clan Elder and Jiang Li.

"Assassinating Jiang Wuye, making Jiang Wuming retreat," the Clan Elder said slowly from his stone seat, "Demonstrating both kindness and severity, suppressing the group led by the blindly loyal Jiang Jingyuan, and causing the neutral branch families to consider following. Of the four types in the branch family, on your arrival, you quickly dealt with two, and the Qi Mountain Jiang Family has also suffered at your hands."

"I can have Jiang Yang testify that the death of Jiang Wuye has nothing to do with me," Jiang Li said sincerely, "I am truly heartbroken by the death of my worldly uncle, and I will definitely go to Qi Mountain to mourn in person soon."

How shameless.

"The Jiang family needs people like you."

The Clan Elder looked firmly at Jiang Li and said, "You have ability, you have no shame, you know when to give or take, willing to share the Innate Qi, only with these qualities can you take up the responsibility of the main family and lead our clan out of this quagmire. However..."

His steady gaze gradually became distant, like two deep pools, carrying an imperceptible depth.

The Mongolian Clan Elder gazed at Jiang Li and asked deeply, "Such a main family, is it the Jiang family's or a subsidiary of the Ji Family?"

Jiang Li indeed had the ability and a promising future, but his future was inextricably linked to the Dinghu Sect and also to the Ji Family.

One could even say that without the backing of the Dinghu Sect, Jiang Li wouldn't have had the qualifications to reach this step.

Choosing Jiang Li was essentially equivalent to submitting to the Ji Family, and if there were any mishaps in the future, they might end up completely reduced to vassals of the Ji Family.

This future was undoubtedly unacceptable to the Clan Elder.

So how should he answer at this time?

Jiang Li's thoughts made a round in his mind and he suddenly spoke solemnly, "As a man born between heaven and earth, how can one willingly linger beneath others indefinitely?"

The Clan Elder's deep pool-like eyes suddenly dissolved their depth, and he laughed heartily, "What a man indeed."

The Clan Elder suddenly stood tall, his body emanating a strong Qi Mechanism, True Qi surging within his body like river waves, smoothing his wrinkles and transforming his lean body to a robust form.

In the blink of an eye, the elderly man had become a middle-aged stalwart, with a majestic bearing and a profound aura.

"I am willing to help you unify the branch families, but to do so, there's still something missing in you."

With an exhale, a breath of golden mist emerged from his mouth and nose, and a biting killing intent materialized on the Clan Elder, "You, with the appearance of Divine Farmer, have cultivated the Innate Qi and thus belong to the legitimate lineage, but there are too few traces of our clan on you."

Apart from his surname and the appearance of the Divine Farmer, Jiang Li's other associations with the Jiang family could not be considered strong. Even the Innate Qi he possessed was acquired by stealth, modified and researched by himself through the appearance of the Divine Farmer.

The cultivation techniques he practiced were all from the Dinghu Sect, almost taking the form of a Dinghu Sect disciple.

This was not acceptable.

"Listen carefully. With heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers, the sun and moon, the winds and thunder, transform into the Gui Cang and animate, nourish and halt killing. Speak the patterns of heaven and earth, understand the theories within the patterns, use these theories to verify the path of humanity, merge humanity with heaven, and intertwine stealing with each other. Hence, the stealing of heaven and earth is also humanity's stealing, and stealing becomes the Dao, hence called Qi transforming into divinity."

As the Clan Elder spoke, the golden mist took shape, and weapons swiftly appeared, "Heaven's Qi transforms 'Open', Earth Qi transforms 'Hidden', Wood Qi transforms 'Life', Wind Qi transforms 'Motion', Fire Qi transforms 'Growth', Water Qi transforms 'Nourishment', Mountain Qi transforms 'Halt', and Metal Qi transforms 'Kill'. This is the Metal Qi from the Qi Tomb, the Golden Qi Killing Transformation."

Weapons flew wildly, arms danced in chaos; hundreds of weapons manifested before the Clan Elder – blades, spears, swords, halberds – as he took a deep breath, the aura of weapons and the killing intent struck like a fierce storm.

"Three Points Return to Primordial Qi."

Jiang Li leaped backwards, his Innate Qi moving at will, and True Qi formed a whirlpool in front of him, attracting the incoming weapons, gathering them into a cluster, clashing with one another, emitting uninterrupted clanging sounds.

"Indeed the purest Innate Qi."

Seeing Jiang Li's actions, the Clan Elder nodded, "But the true meaning of this move is not the Metal Qi but the killing intent of the Metal Qi. Qi Tomb can transform all aspects of the world not because it can transform the Ten Thousand Qi, but because it exhausts the natural principles of heaven and earth."

The Soldier Gold Qi was rapidly refined by the Innate Qi, yet the killing intent persisted, and a sharp edge pierced through the whirlpool, a fierce aura grazing past Jiang Li's face, cutting a lock of hair.

The Innate Qi that the Clan Elder possessed was indeed also Innate Qi, although not as orthodox as Jiang Li's which could Return to the Origin, it still was not comparable to Jiang Zhuyun. This was because the Clan Elder's Innate Qi had reached a transcendent level, where the attribute of True Qi was nominally Metal, but in actuality, it was the killing intent of Metal Qi.

"Clang!"

A series of sharp edges tore through the whirlpool, the piercing aura raining down like spears. If these were to land, Jiang Li would certainly be left as riddled with holes as a honeycomb.