After turning around, the smile on Ethan Chen’s face disappeared.
Beside him, Elijah Chen also looked anxious and said, “Clan Chief, the Liu Family definitely harbors ill intentions. Why agree to their demands?”
Ethan sighed upon hearing this. “Of course, I know that. But since they discovered the Blood Rice, they must also know the relevant circumstances. Whether we hide it or refuse, it would be obvious that we know their intentions.”
“Only by agreeing can we avoid revealing any flaws.”
After speaking, Ethan’s face showed worry. Although it seemed like they had resolved the immediate crisis, who knew what the Liu Family would do next? He needed to prepare for the worst.
He wasn’t sure if his performance today could deceive the Liu Family and buy more time for the clan.
Moreover, the Liu Family’s strength might be even greater than the clan had previously estimated. At least one of the late-stage Blood Condensation Realm warriors beside Liu Zishan today was someone they hadn’t seen before during their previous investigations.
But what worried him most wasn’t these late-stage Blood Condensation Realm warriors.
He was concerned that the Liu Family might have an Innate Realm warrior!
If that were true, how would the clan respond?
Regardless, the natural Blood Spring could never be handed over!
Ethan immediately turned to the two people beside him and said, “Inform everyone to be ready for a life-and-death battle at any time. Double the number of guards tonight. I will go and consult the Sacred Tree and the elders of the clan tonight.”
The two men, hearing this, also looked serious, then left to start arranging the clan’s defenses.
On the other side, the three members of the Liu Family had already walked some distance.
At this moment, the smile on Liu Zishan’s face had long disappeared.
Beside him, a clan member said, “Clan Chief, the Chen Family is still planting Blood Rice in winter. They probably don’t know that the Blood Spring goes dormant in winter. They might not even know that the Blood Rice here is due to the natural Blood Spring.”
“The Chen Clan Chief agreed so readily just now. If we don’t attack forcefully, we can exchange something else for it.”
Another clan member nodded in agreement, “Zicheng is right. The Chen Family is indeed ignorant. Moreover, from my observation, they don’t have many Blood Condensation Realm warriors. If possible, I can lead the clan members to attack tonight and find the location of the natural Blood Spring.”
Liu Zishan shook his head, “You underestimate the Chen Family. This time, I used a bamboo leaf given by Lord Qingling. The Chen Family is not as simple as they seem, especially in that ancestral hall, where there are many things I don’t understand.”
“Unfortunately, Lord Qingling is now in a deep sleep and cannot provide detailed guidance.”
“Moreover, all the Chen clan members are within the clan and have not gone out, indicating that they are already prepared to fight our Liu Family. How could they not know about the Blood Spring?”
After Liu Zishan pointed this out, the two men also changed their expressions slightly.
Indeed, they had been focused on observing the Chen Family’s strength and had not noticed these details.
Coupled with the warning from the clan totem, obtaining the Blood Spring might not be a simple task.
“Clan Chief, what should we do next? We can’t really give the Chen Family the secret formula for growing Blood Rice, can we?”
Liu Zishan smiled faintly, “The Chen Family does have some strength, but this concerns the clan totem. The clan must not fail this time!”
“Tomorrow, inform all the warriors in the clan to be ready.”
“I will go back and ask Elder Shengrong to come out of seclusion!”
Upon hearing this, the two men, who had been pondering how to solve this matter, suddenly looked relieved.
Liu Shengrong, an elder of the clan, was the only remaining Innate Realm warrior in the family.
This elder was originally at the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm, about to step into the Inner Qi stage of the Five Stages of Qi Control. Unfortunately, due to family conflicts, he was severely injured while leading people to escape to the Disordered Burial Mountain. Not only did his realm fall to the early stage of the Innate Realm, but he had also been in seclusion to heal ever since.
But even so, an Innate Realm warrior was an insurmountable gap for Blood Condensation Realm warriors.
The Chen Family couldn’t possibly have an Innate Realm warrior; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been forced to the brink by the Li Family last time.
If they could get this elder to take action, the natural Blood Spring would definitely be in their hands.
…
In a secret chamber of the Liu Family.
Liu Zishan, who had returned to the clan, stood respectfully and called out towards the chamber, “Liu Zishan, the current Clan Chief of the Liu Family, respectfully asks Elder Shengrong to come out of seclusion!”
…
His voice echoed through the stone cracks of the chamber and disappeared without a sound.
Liu Zishan was not impatient and just stood there quietly waiting.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the stone door of the chamber rumbled open.
As the stone door opened, an old man with a weathered face, white hair, and a beard several inches long slowly walked out.
Seeing the old man in front of him, Liu Zishan breathed a sigh of relief. Last time, this elder’s state in seclusion was not good, and he was worried that he might have died in the chamber.
Fortunately, the elder was still alive and seemed to be in good condition.
Feeling the aura from the old man, Liu Zishan was surprised, “Elder, are your injuries healed?”
The old man shook his head, “Just slightly better, back to the mid-stage of the Innate Realm. But to return to my peak, it will take some more time.”
After speaking, the old man suddenly looked at Liu Zishan and asked, “Before I went into seclusion, I said not to disturb me unless necessary. Now that you have called me out, I assume you have made some progress?”
Liu Zishan didn’t waste words and directly explained the matter of the natural Blood Spring.
Upon hearing that the natural Blood Spring could help the clan totem regain its vitality, the old man nodded repeatedly, “Good, good, good!”
The old man said “good” three times, with a hint of joy on his face.
Relying on himself to recover his realm was too slow, but with the help of the clan totem, he could save a lot of time.
Most importantly, his lifespan was running out.
Blood Condensation Realm warriors had a lifespan of only about eighty years, even less than some pampered ordinary people.
The reason was that the first two great realms consumed their potential.
Only after reaching the Innate Realm could their lifespan increase by several decades, reaching one hundred and fifty years.
And he was already one hundred and thirty years old. After his severe injury last time, his realm fell, and his lifespan was reduced by ten years, meaning he only had ten years left to live.
Without the help of the totem, it would be difficult for him to break through to the Inner Qi stage.
The news of the natural Blood Spring was the best news for him now!
The old man looked Liu Zishan up and down and sighed, “If the clan totem were still in good condition, you would almost have broken through to the Innate Realm by now.”
Liu Zishan smiled bitterly.
Yes, in recent years, because the clan totem was dormant, the clan indeed hadn’t produced any new Innate Realm warriors.
But it’s not too late now. As long as the clan totem revives, the clan will definitely become strong again. His Liu Family was not just limited to the people in the Disordered Burial Mountain.
And he could use this to integrate the other two branches and reclaim everything they had in the Southern Border!
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