From Family Fisherman to Water Virtue True Immortal-Chapter 242 - 237: Whale Emperor’s Suspicions

Li Quanqing almost failed to recognize the old clan chief when he saw him again, carried back like a withered branch.

Although Li Zongyao was of an advanced age and nearing the end of his lifespan, he was a Water Spirit Root cultivator, and his mana nourished his body.

Moreover, he practiced the Turtle Longevity Extending Technique, bringing out the vitality and essence Qi to their ultimate extent, which made him look robust and full of vigor.

Now, he couldn’t even muster the strength to stand, slumped on a cloud bed and being carried into the Qingyu Cave Heaven.

"What happened? Where is that kid Li Quangeng?"

Suppressing the rage in his heart, Li Quanqing spoke in a grave tone, turning his eyes towards Li Quanmo by his side.

"Quangeng... After bringing the clan chief back, he left on his own, saying he had no face to meet the many clan members..."

Li Quanmo recounted the situation as he knew it, thoroughly confused himself.

"Cough cough... Don’t blame him... He is also a good kid, unaware of the inner workings..."

The old clan chief spoke intermittently between coughs, looking extremely weak as if he might pass away at any moment.

Li Quanqing felt somewhat helpless; even at this moment, the elder still protected his great-grandson, demonstrating that familial bonds truly were more important than anything else.

He extended his palm and used his mana to nourish the elder’s body and the origin of life.

He immediately discovered that Li Zongyao’s Dantian was empty, devoid of a drop of mana, his meridians were shattered, and he had become nothing more than an ordinary person.

Fortunately, his divine soul was still intact, unharmed, allowing a smooth transition to the Incense Fire Divine Tao, sparing his life.

Li Quanqing used his mana to lift the cloud bed and brought it to the depths of the Ten Thousand Fish Pond, using the flowing spiritual liquid there to aid in the elder’s recovery.

"What exactly happened? Did someone set a trap on purpose?" novelbuddy.cσ๓

Li Quanqing’s gaze was filled with inquiry, beginning to suspect the Shuihua Sword Sect.

After all, the Green Jade Li Family had been quite prominent lately, their strength surging significantly.

Although Nine Sword True Man was reluctant to turn hostile, the Foundation Establishment elders of the sword sect were different; they would relish giving the Li Family a lesson.

"It was Zhou Caimei, that girl. She used a secret technique to seize all my mana, making it her own Tao nourishment."

Li Zongyao did not conceal the truth, with the nourishment of the spiritual liquid, he coughed up a clot of dark red blood, finally regaining some color in his cheeks.

"It was her?!"

Li Quanqing was extremely surprised, somewhat puzzled: "Hasn’t Zhou Caimei already achieved Foundation Establishment? Why would she need to seize another’s cultivation, and even target a cultivator from my Li Family?"

He had read through ancient records, knowing that the Demon Sect once had a secret technique capable of snatching entire cultivation of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to aid some Qi Refining cultivators with extremely poor innate Spirit Roots to breakthrough.

Indeed, this was a demon technique tailored for the direct descendants of Golden Core Demon Lords, as how could an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator possibly defeat and capture a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?

"I’m not clear on the specifics, but I suspect it might be for our Li Family’s inheritance of the Azure Sea Tide Generation Skill, aside from that, some sword sect elders acted in the shadows, deceiving Quangeng together."

Li Zongyao said this, his face showing slight confusion: "Moreover, there’s another peculiar matter, Zhou Caimei has also cultivated the Canghai Whale Emperor Technique!"

"That’s impossible!"

Impossible was Li Quanqing’s first thought.

The inheritance of the Whale Emperor Sect was lost to the sands of time, even the Shuihua Sword Sect had not obtained it after seeking for a long time.

He managed to obtain the Canghai Whale Emperor Technique thanks to the Golden Finger, a reward from the light group that emerged from the Canghai Whale.

By all accounts, currently within this sea area, only the Li Family had access to this Body Refining inheritance.

"The venerable one has made no mistake. When Zhou Caimei clashed with me, she indeed revealed the aura of the Canghai Body with the phantoms of the Whale Emperor swirling around her."

The old clan chief’s words were decisive: "After the Sword Sect breached the relics of the Whale Emperor Sect, wasn’t the core treasure trove found empty? Perhaps she obtained it."

"The timeline doesn’t match; Zhou Caimei was still a little child, just discovered to have a Spirit Root when the Whale Emperor Sect’s relics emerged."

Li Quanqing shook his head, he remembered clearly that the relics burst forth right before that Immortal Ascension Conference.

"Could it be... an Ancient Practitioner’s soul transference?"

Li Quanmo had been listening to their conversation and suddenly spoke up, voicing his thoughts: "Within the Whale Emperor Sect, remnants of a Divine Soul survived for a thousand years, and took advantage of the relics’ eruption to whisk away core inheritances and treasures, before encountering Zhou Caimei with her top-grade spiritual root and forcibly seizing her body..."

"Hiss..."

Once these words came out, everyone was momentarily stunned, then inhaled sharply.

This speculation seemed far-fetched, but on closer thought, it was indeed logical and fitted with the changes and motives of Zhou Caimei.

After all, from a young age, she had shown exceptional intelligence. Despite her youth, she was very assertive, declining the Li Family’s overtures and intent on joining the Shuihua Sword Sect.

"If that’s truly the case, it would explain the inheritance of the Canghai Whale Emperor Technique, and I fear I might also know why she sought to take the Old Clan Chief’s Azure Sea Magic Power..."

A heavy thought rose in Li Quanqing’s mind.

He also practiced dual cultivation techniques and knew that both inheritances were derived from the Heavenly River Dao; Azure Sea focuses on mana, Canghai focuses on the physical body, complementing each other.

Perhaps Zhou Caimei has seen through the origin of the Li Family’s Clan’s Secret Technique and thus set a trap to take the Azure Sea Magic Power for her own use.

"No wonder that girl, clearly only in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, but had such an experienced approach in combat, and was able to defeat me after using a Secret Technique..."

The Old Clan Chief muttered to himself, suddenly coming to an understanding.

"If Zhou Caimei has truly obtained the core legacy of the Canghai Sect, could she really have a Golden Core Spiritual Item hidden on her?"

Li Kunli’s eyes lit up as he suddenly thought of this.

Considering it’s an Ancient Sect that has produced Nascent Soul Cultivators, having a Golden Core Spiritual Item is quite normal.

"Ancestor, what was that Li Quangeng doing during your grand battle, just standing by as a spectator?"

Yet Li Quanqing hummed disapprovingly, extremely dissatisfied with someone’s performance.

"Quangeng was equally stunned. He tried to help me after recovering, but unfortunately, he was stopped by several mysterious cultivators."

"It was with these cultivators’ help that Zhou Caimei was able to successfully take away all my cultivation without fear of resistance."

The Old Clan Chief recalled the scene from that day, and although those mysterious cultivators had concealed their identities, a name emerged in everyone’s mind.

Shuihua Sword Sect!

Without thinking, it was evident that if Zhou Caimei were truly an ancient monster reborn through possession, recruiting a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators within the sect would be too easy.

It was even possible that the Nine Sword True Man was in some transaction with her, coveting ancient secrets and inheritances, looking to advance further and break free from the limitations of a False Core.

"After taking away all my cultivation, Zhou Caimei and her group left, their whereabouts unknown ever since, difficult to trace."

The Old Clan Chief sighed heavily; his Dantian’s foundation was destroyed, and now he was barely surviving, forced to switch to cultivating the Divine Dao.

"Hmph, after such an event, the Sword Sect must give an explanation to our Green Jade Li Family!"

Li Kunli was the most hot-tempered and spoke with firmness.

After all, his elder brother Li Kunlun had already traversed tribulations and was beginning to transform into a Golden Core True Master, attempting a true breakthrough.

This was not a mere False Core cultivator but a genuine Tao Golden Core, part of the upper echelon of the Human Clan’s combat power.

Furthermore, Li Kunlun was a Thunder Spirit Root Sword Cultivator, unparalleled in killing power. Once he made his breakthrough, he would be able to suppress the entire Shuihua Sword Sect!

Li Quanqing remained silent, but he felt the impending storm, perhaps soon to shoulder the great responsibility of the whole family.

The cultivators from the Sword Sect arrived quickly, almost within the next day, a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator came to their door, offering an apology with a thorny branch in hand.