The Name of Eternals

Chapter 248: Farewell to the Whole Clan

"Le...Le Ping?!"

Ji Tianchao's voice trembled with a mix of doubt and excitement. He had weathered countless battles and trials with unwavering composure, but now he wondered if his old eyes were deceiving him.

The approaching figure halted above the Yun family peaks, his energy forming a divine garment, his gaze calm as he looked down at the people below.

When Li Hao saw Ji Yun Yue among them, his expression softened. It seemed she had been saved in time by the Ji family. He did not sense the presence of her parents, but he no longer cared.

"Is this really Le Ping?"

Ji Yun Qing and Ji Yun Yue, along with their children, looked up at the young figure in astonishment. Seeing the familiar yet different face and the aura of the Taiping Dao realm emanating from him, they were all bewildered and confused.

Previously, Ji Le Ping was a prodigy, but they all knew he was only at the Three Immortals realm. Now, this young man displayed a power far beyond that. How could he have possibly reached the Dao realm in such a short time?

"Senior Tianchao, I wish to leave this place. Could you please open the sacred realm for me?"

Li Hao descended gracefully, his demeanor calm and respectful as he addressed Ji Tianchao.

In this moment, he showed no signs of being a junior or subordinate. He was serene and equal to all.

"Are you really Le Ping?!"

Ji Tianchao, hearing the young man address him, was filled with disbelief and excitement.

Li Hao's expression remained unchanged. "That is not my name now."

The crowd was stunned. Ji Tianchao's face changed slightly. "So you're going back to your original name, Li Hao?"

Understanding that they had learned about his past from his parents, Li Hao shook his head gently. "I have my own name now. If we meet again, you can call me... Hao Tian."

He had decided this name during his rebirth in the abyss.

He had severed his past, saying farewell to the small infant body he had once occupied. He had returned the borrowed life, leaving behind both parents.

From now on, he would live his own life.

He owed nothing to his parents nor to the child whose body he had taken. Without him, that child would have died at six years old in an assassination.

Now, he was free of any debts.

Upon hearing Li Hao's words, the crowd was stunned. Hao Tian? What about his surname?

"Child, we have understood what happened on Prison Sky Island. We have executed all the criminals there."

Ji Yun Qing hurriedly added, "Your parents were banished according to the clan rules. We thought you had died. Now that you're back, if you wish, we will bring them back immediately."

Li Hao's expression was calm. "Senior Yun Qing, I have no parents. How you deal with them is your business. It has nothing to do with me. I am here to ask you to open the sacred realm for me. If you refuse, I will tear it open by force, which might cause damage to your clan."

Everyone was shocked by his words.

Thinking back to the information from the Great Yu Divine Dynasty and the angry outbursts in the council hall, they all fell silent. If not for Li Hao's status as the Dao seed, his parents would never have left the hall alive. Even with Ji Yun Qing's sacrifice to protect Qingqing, her husband would have been executed.

"Child, even if your parents were ignorant, you still have us. You are still one of us, and we will give everything to nurture you."

Ji Yun Yue pleaded.

"That's right."

"You are one of us. We failed you before. If you are angry, we will do whatever you want to make amends."

The others chimed in, looking at Li Hao with worry.

Li Hao said nothing, glancing at Ji Tianchao, who had been watching him closely. Earlier, Li Hao had left the abyss with his clothes in tatters, his current attire formed by his divine power. He deactivated his disguising abilities, revealing his true aura.

"Everyone, look closely. Do I still carry the Ji family bloodline?"

Everyone was taken aback and quickly probed his aura. Their faces turned pale with shock.

"You...how?"

Ji Yun Qing was stunned. "Are you really Le Ping? Your appearance, your cultivation..."

Li Hao's appearance had changed, and his cultivation had leaped to the Taiping Dao realm. It was unimaginable. Now, without even a trace of Ji family blood, how could he be the same person?

"I have rebuilt my body and severed my bloodline."

Li Hao said calmly, "Le Ping is dead. From now on, there is only Hao Tian."

His words struck the crowd like a bell, shaking them to their cores.

In the distance, several figures flew over, sensing the unfamiliar aura on the holy mountain. Ji Dao Xin and Ji Qing Yuan arrived, equally stunned to see the boy surrounded by the clan's leaders and hearing his declaration.

After a moment of confusion, they rushed over. Ji Dao Xin looked at Li Hao in amazement. "You came out of the abyss on your own?"

Li Hao nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

The other Ji family members bowed to Ji Dao Xin. Ji Qing Yuan also scrutinized Li Hao, his eyes showing a mix of shock and awe. The boy had shed his Ji family aura but stood before them stronger and more extraordinary.

Bloodline power was something every Ji family branch pursued. Yet this boy had discarded it and ascended higher.

"Child, how could you do something so rash..."

"Even if your parents were wrong, you are our kin."

Ji Yun Qing's face was pale, struggling to accept this blow. If the boy severed his bloodline, the Ji family would lose him forever.

Li Hao listened to their sorrowful cries, feeling a sense of regret but knowing the separation was necessary. Pain was part of the process.

"Everyone, do not grieve. Just think of it as if we had never met."

Li Hao said calmly.

His words deepened their sorrow. Having witnessed his brilliance, how could they forget? They had seen the light, and memories could not be erased. The pain lingered.

Ji Dao Xin understood. Something unimaginable must have happened to Li Hao in the abyss, leading to this transformation and elevation in cultivation.

From the intelligence gathered, Ji Dao Xin knew the boy's age. Barely sixteen, he had already reached the Taiping Dao realm. This achievement surpassed all in the Ji family's history and was unprecedented in the wilderness.

"Do you really want to leave us?"

Ji Dao Xin asked, feeling the weight of loss. With Li Hao's power, he could dominate the Taiping Dao realm, nearly invincible beneath the Dao realm. Losing him was losing the greatest talent the Ji family had ever seen.

Others tried to persuade him, their faces filled with sorrow.

Li Hao looked at Ji Dao Xin and asked, "Without Ji family blood, can I still be the Dao seed?"

Ji Dao Xin was taken aback, wanting to say yes but hesitated. Without the Ji family bloodline, how could he be a Dao seed? Traditionally, it was impossible, but this situation was unprecedented.

"If you..."

Ji Dao Xin paused, but Li Hao shook his head. "Let us part amicably, with dignity."

Ji Dao Xin's body shook, realizing they could not keep him.

"Child, you haven't enjoyed the Ji family's care. Let us make it up to you."

Ji Yun Yue implored, wanting to keep him. To her, he was still her grandson.

Li Hao smiled gently. "Since childhood, I've been alone, watching over the stars. It will be the same now."

The child gazing at the stars in the courtyard remained in his heart. The courtyard and its memories were gone, but the child and the stars remained.

Hearing his words, Ji Yun Yue felt a stabbing pain in her heart, and tears flowed again.

The others, wanting to persuade him, fell silent. They realized this extraordinary prodigy was no longer theirs.

When he arrived, he was rejected. Now they begged him to stay, but it was too late.

"Everyone, farewell."

Li Hao bowed. "The mountains remain, and the sun and moon continue. Until we meet again."

He looked at Ji Dao Xin. "Please, open the sacred realm for me."

Ji Dao Xin, understanding the futility of further attempts, nodded. "Our gates will always be open to you. If you ever need us, we will help."

Li Hao smiled slightly, saying nothing.

"Let me open the path and see you off."

Ji Dao Xin offered, knowing it was a rare honor, usually reserved for returning or departing war gods.

Li Hao's return quickly spread, drawing many, including young prodigies.

Accompanied by Ji Dao Xin, Ji Tianchao, and Ji Qing Yuan, Li Hao walked down the mountain, followed by a large group. Many called out for him to stay, but he remained unmoved.

When the news spread that Li Hao had severed his bloodline and was leaving, shock turned to desperate pleas for him to stay. From the mountain top to the base, voices called out, but Li Hao never looked back.

The Ji family members watched in despair as he left, feeling abandoned.

"He...he's leaving?"

Ji Xuan Shen, hearing the news from a distance, was stunned and angry. He couldn't understand why they didn't try harder to keep him.

"You really want to go? You haven't faced me yet as the Dao seed!"

He confronted Li Hao, anger in his voice.