Chapter 291: The Sacred Mountain

At the summit of the Sacred Mountain, inside the Ji Clan's deliberation hall.

The Ji Clan has many branches; aside from the few brothers close to Ji Yungong's lineage who were accompanying him on his final journey, the remaining elders and branch members had all gathered here.

Previously, they had wanted to visit Ji Yungong—after all, the latter was their Ji Clan's God of War, and they had to show respect on the surface—but the Clan Head, Ji Ji Daoxin, had stopped them. Ji Ji Daoxin could see that Ji Yungong was only able to return to the clan at the moment of his death because of his lingering attachment to certain things within the clan.

As for the bystanders, they might not be able to enter his heart, and would instead only get in the way.

Having fought for the Ji Clan his entire life, Ji Ji Daoxin hoped that before the end, he could leave in the quiet, peaceful way he preferred, without being tainted by these worldly matters.

At this moment, some elders and elders from various branches had gathered to discuss the matter of Ji Yungong's return.

"It is a pity that God of War Yungong is about to dissipate. Otherwise, for this boy to have escorted the heroic soul of God of War Yungong back, it could be considered a great service to our Ji Clan!"

"For Yungong to want this boy to enter the Ji Clan, I fear it will break the rules."

"Back then, out of respect for the Thirteenth Master, we did not severely punish Ji Lin Qingying. As a direct descendant, she committed a grave crime, yet she was only imprisoned for a thousand years—a lenient sentence. Now, to let her son enter the clan as well, I fear it will be a sign of our clan's decline!"

"That's right. Once this precedent is broken, how should we deal with other prodigies who marry outsiders in the future?"

The crowd discussed it heatedly, with most holding opposing views. Some among them were inciting the others, all secretly led by the faction headed by Ji Ji Qingyuan.

Ever since Ji Ji Qingyuan broke through to the Four Standing Realms one after another and became the Ji Clan's new God of War, many people had sought to befriend him.

On a rattan chair beside Ji Ji Daoxin sat an elder with snow-white hair and beard, possessing an air of natural authority; this was none other than Ji Ji Qingyuan.

His gaze was indifferent, as if he hadn't participated in the dispute, but his arrival—and the single sentence of opposition at the start—was enough for his followers to understand his intentions and charge forward to make trouble on his behalf.

"I have already promised Yungong this matter. He is our Ji Clan's God of War, having fought for the Ji Clan for half a lifetime. Now that he can return his soul to his homeland, is it not worth thanking that young man?"

Ji Ji Daoxin's expression was calm as he said, "Moreover, Lin Qingying's matter has already been turned over; there is no need to discuss it further. That young man has Lin Qingying's bloodline in his body, yet he is an outsider. According to standard rules, he should indeed be put to death, but he risked being executed to escort Yungong back. Everyone should carefully consider this sentiment."

"Clan Head, that young man's actions are merely an attempt to use the merit of escorting him back to join our Ji Clan."

An elder said, "Such intentions are clear at a glance."

"That's right, trying to use our Ji Clan's resources to soar—it is simply wishful thinking!"

An elder with a rather irritable temper said; his grandfather's generation had also once been glorious.

"Everyone, God of War Yungong previously said that the young man possesses world-shaking potential. If our Ji Clan can truly obtain such a prodigy, it might not be a bad thing."

In the crowd, there were also people from Ji Yungong's lineage who had come to discuss the matter.

"Hmph, our Ji Clan does not lack prodigies. With our Ji Clan's resources for cultivation, even a genius with a glimmer of wisdom can be nurtured into a prodigy. Why do we need this half-blooded mongrel?"

The previously irritable elder snorted coldly.

As soon as this unceremonious insult was uttered, the expressions of several people changed, their faces filled with anger.

They were all from Ji Yungong's lineage; Ji Lin Qingying's child could also be considered their junior, and the bloodline was closer.

However, the Ji Clan strictly forbade intermarriage, and there were not a few who had been executed or imprisoned for it. Those from ordinary backgrounds were insulted even more harshly. Although they were angry, they knew that getting angry over this matter would only provoke more people.

"Taking a step back, even if we let him join the Ji Clan, does he count as collateral or direct lineage?" an elder asked.

Hearing this, some of the people arguing turned their gazes toward Ji Ji Daoxin.

The previous arguments also quietly quieted down.

Ji Ji Daoxin's expression remained calm as he swept a faint glance at Ji Ji Qingyuan, knowing that this was the real reason the other party had come to denounce him.

Although the Ji Clan can unite against external enemies when encountered, the contradictions accumulated within the clan over ten thousand years are also messy and difficult to resolve, especially due to bloodline and Sacred Bone reasons; the treatment of direct and collateral descendants differs greatly.

For example, collateral descendants can only live on the floating islands outside the Sacred Mountain.

Even a God of War figure like Ji Ji Qingyuan is like this and cannot move into the Sacred Mountain.

This includes the 'Qing' generation in his name; despite holding high positions and great power, he is inexplicably a head shorter than direct descendants of the same age.

This is also because the overall distribution of the Ji Clan's collateral descendants is in the lower-middle levels of the Ji Clan, while the direct lineage holds the upper-level real power and generally possesses stronger strength.

Although Ji Ji Qingyuan is strong and has now become a God of War, he is ultimately from a collateral lineage and cannot escape the flaws of his birth.

This difference between direct and collateral lineage has long been deeply ingrained in the Ji Clan's marrow, and differences often bring prejudice and arrogance.

For example, some whose ancestors were royalty, even if their descendants are wandering and starving, will still boast that their ancestors were an imperial family, even becoming insane because of it, indulging in the glory of their ancestors, and unwilling to accept the reality that they have long since declined.

Or the ancient nobility, even if they have declined, still look down upon the suddenly risen wealthy merchants, considering them vulgar and unbearable.

Using one's own strengths to laugh at others' weaknesses is human nature.

Even if one is useless and only has a beautiful skin, one will mock those who are full of knowledge and at the pinnacle of money and power for being ugly, using this to comfort oneself.

Not to mention that the difference between direct and collateral lineage is indeed extremely large, and there are gaps in strength and other aspects, which is also the reason why the direct lineage can firmly occupy the upper levels.

Examples like Ji Ji Qingyuan, who was born into a collateral lineage but unexpectedly awakened a Sacred Bone, are after all extremely rare; in ten thousand years, it has only been the second case.

Being treated with arrogance for a long time, it is inevitable that anger and hatred will breed.

Therefore, Ji Ji Daoxin had long seen through Ji Ji Qingyuan's thoughts and could empathize, but he understood that this was a dead end that could not be broken without a Sage.

And he is not a Sage. Unless that First Ancestor is resurrected and uses the power of a Sage's teachings to rewrite the situation, the grievances between direct and collateral lineages will exist forever due to the existence of bloodlines and Sacred Bones.

Now, that young man coming here is just a breach in the Ji Clan's direct-collateral grievances.

The problem is not with the young man, but in the bottom of Ji Ji Qingyuan's heart, and in the direct-collateral grievances accumulated by the Ji Clan over ten thousand years.

After a long silence, Ji Ji Daoxin said, "He is Ji Lin Qingying's child and should be direct lineage, but we can determine whether he is direct or collateral based on his bloodline concentration. Hearing from Yungong that he has the potential of a prodigy, perhaps he has our Ji Clan's Sacred Bone in his body, which is unknown."

"If he is born with a Sacred Bone, he should naturally be listed as direct lineage. If he has no Sacred Bone and his aptitude is ordinary, he will be collateral. What do you all think?"

Hearing his words, many elders' eyes flickered, and they exchanged glances.

Ji Ji Qingyuan felt Ji Ji Daoxin's gaze and knew that he was really asking himself.

But his expression remained unmoved, and he did not express his stance.

"Clan Head, if he is collateral, then if he wants to become a prodigy of our Ji Clan, he will have to rely on his own strength!"

An elder said.

"That's right. Escorting God of War Yungong back at most can only save his little life; it's already good that we didn't execute him. A bloodline from an illicit affair dares to come to our Ji Clan to defile it—the intention is laughable!"

"Do you all agree to let him enter the Ji Clan? I don't approve. Even if he is collateral, he is not worthy!"

"An outsider bloodline—if he marries a collateral descendant of our Ji Clan in the future, wouldn't the bloodline become even thinner?"

The crowd began to discuss it again.

Seeing Ji Ji Qingyuan unmoved, Ji Ji Daoxin narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression becoming slightly gloomy as he said, "Enough!"

The two words were not spoken heavily, but they instantly silenced the voices present.

These elders were not speaking without reason, nor were they reckless; their words all had purposes and intentions. Seeing that they had angered the Clan Head, their expressions also changed slightly.

"If you have any objections, we will vote at the Elder Assembly!" Ji Ji Daoxin said with a cold expression.

Hearing this, many people's expressions changed slightly. The direct lineage was the majority among the elders. If an assembly were called, and Ji Yungong's lineage came out to disperse favors, the final decision might fearfully lead to that young man directly becoming direct lineage!

They were arguing now in hopes of skipping the Elder Assembly directly. After all, every time an Elder Assembly is called, it is not a good thing for the Ji Clan, and the impact is relatively large. Many elders are either in seclusion or guarding a region, and not all of them can rush over.

But once the assembly is called, those elders will have to be summoned.

Ji Ji Qingyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly said, "Everyone, since the Clan Head has already made a decision, I agree with the Clan Head's idea."

"Our Ji Clan respects the strong. Whether he is direct or collateral depends on whether the young man is strong or weak!"

"If he possesses a Sacred Bone, wouldn't it be laughable to expel him from our Ji Clan? If this spreads to other Ancient Sacred Clans, I fear it will make people laugh their teeth off!"

"Since God of War Yungong favors him so much, he must have some extraordinary qualities. Why not let Xia Qingshuang test him?"

He hadn't spoken before, but now that he had said this, the hall quieted down.

Ji Ji Daoxin's eyes narrowed slightly; the 'respect the strong' in the other party's words was clearly pointing at something.

The latter is already a God of War, yet still bears the name of a collateral descendant. This is an attempt to use this opportunity to tell others that collateral powerhouses are not inferior to the direct lineage at all, and the purpose is to let his descendants enjoy the same treatment as the direct lineage!

Although Ji Ji Qingyuan now has the name of a God of War and no one dares to look down on him to his face, his actions are speaking for the other collateral descendants he has supported on his road to success.

Thinking of all this, Ji Ji Daoxin sighed inwardly, knowing that the direct-collateral war that had broken out in the Ji Clan thousands of years ago would likely appear again.

"God of War Ji Qingyuan's words are reasonable. Our Great Desolate Heaven has countless demons, and the law of the jungle has always been that the strong are respected and the weak bow their heads!"

"That's right, whether he is direct or collateral depends on whether the young man is strong or weak!"

Many collateral high-level members immediately spoke up, repeating Ji Ji Qingyuan's words, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

The direct lineage also has weaklings, and the collateral lineage also has powerhouses, but collateral powerhouses always feel a head shorter in front of the direct lineage. This feeling of depression and anger had long made them feel very stifled.

Originally, those Ji Clan high-level members who were not involved with Ji Yungong and Ji Ji Qingyuan wanted to speak and discuss from an 'objective' perspective, but seeing that Ji Ji Qingyuan had already reached a consensus with the Clan Head, they knew there was no need to explore it further.

"Since that is the case..."

Ji Ji Daoxin was about to speak when a figure suddenly rushed in from outside the deliberation hall and stopped at the door: "Reporting to the Clan Head, something has happened at the foot of the mountain."

"Hmm?"

Ji Ji Daoxin was slightly startled, his spiritual sense quickly covering the area; he didn't ask, but directly investigated.

"What happened?"

The elder beside him, however, did not dare to release his spiritual sense so unscrupulously to cover the entire Sacred Mountain, and asked with suspicion.

"Prodigy Ji Ji Yufen and that outsider are fighting!" the personal guard who brought the news said hurriedly.

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. They looked at each other, and a collateral elder asked: "The outsider you mentioned, is it the young man who escorted God of War Yungong back?"

"That's right, it is him." The personal guard nodded.

"This is simply unreasonable!"

"He just arrived and actually dares to make a move against our Ji Clan's prodigy. He is too arrogant!"

"That's fine, let Ji Ji Yufen teach him a lesson, so he doesn't know how high the sky is. Is our Ji Clan a place where he can run wild?"

Many people became angry.

Ji Ji Qingyuan stood up, noticing that Ji Ji Daoxin was investigating with his spiritual sense, but he was not Ji Ji Daoxin, nor was he of the Ji Clan's direct lineage. Although he had the status of a God of War, he could not rashly investigate everywhere on this Sacred Mountain. He immediately bowed slightly and said:

"I originally wanted to let Xia Qingshuang test him, but now it seems unnecessary. I will go and see how this prodigy is. A half-blood of the direct lineage should also be very powerful."

Saying this, he smiled faintly, bid farewell to the Clan Head, and left toward the outside of the hall.

Following his standing up, the others did not delay any longer, bid farewell to the Clan Head one after another, and set off to watch the show.

"That child..."

A few people from Ji Yungong's lineage also had their expressions change slightly. They didn't expect that child to be so impulsive. They quickly stood up to bid farewell and rushed over to avoid the other party suffering a great loss.

Others looked at Ji Ji Daoxin, but saw that the other party actually revealed a look of slight surprise on his face and did not stop Ji Ji Qingyuan and the others from leaving.

With a bang! A figure suddenly flew out, breaking the door of the Guest Reception Hall and rolling onto the street outside the hall.

Beside him, a young man standing with his hands behind his back had a slightly changed expression, looking forward with a somewhat gloomy face.

Outside the door, Ji Boduan's expression also changed. He couldn't care about helping the young man who had rolled out, and quickly ran between the few people in the hall: "Everyone, calm down. This is the Guest Reception Hall; you are not allowed to use force."

"Get lost!"

The young man standing with his hands behind his back said directly.

Ji Boduan's expression changed, looking somewhat ugly.

The young man ignored him, but his gaze was fixed on the young man sitting peacefully in front. He had let the pursuer beside him make a move earlier, also because he was too lazy to dirty his own hands. He didn't expect the other party's strength to be extraordinary, actually easily defeating this pursuer.

The young man was none other than Ji Ji Yufen, one of the Ji Clan's prodigies. He saw that his age was similar to Li Hao's, so he wanted to come and teach him a lesson. After all, this wouldn't be considered bullying someone.

The pursuer beside him was also a genius of the Ji Clan, but he was still a bit short of being a prodigy, so he chose to follow a prodigy. When the prodigy soared in the future, these pursuers would also benefit and might be promoted to become high-level members of the Ji Clan.

"It seems you really have some substance. No wonder you dare to be so arrogant. Did you think that by relying on this, you could squeeze into our Ji Clan?"

Ji Ji Yufen said with cold eyes.

He strode toward Li Hao, wanting to teach Li Hao a lesson himself.

"Young Master Ji Yufen, you cannot break the rules..."

Ji Boduan hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

"Get lost!"

Ji Ji Yufen suddenly erupted with momentum. Despite his young age, he actually emitted the aura of the Three Imperishable Realms, and it climbed to the peak, reaching the Unfading Realm!

With a roar, he shook Ji Boduan back, then stepped out like a dragon and tiger, standing in front of Li Hao.

"Change your surname now, and then get out of the Ji Clan—it's still not too late!"

He looked down from above, overlooking the young man sitting in front of him.

Li Hao, who was holding a teacup to entertain guests, paused at this moment.

"Who are you?"

Li Hao turned his head to look at him.

"You don't need to know who I am, and you aren't worthy of knowing!" Ji Ji Yufen's eyes were cold.

Li Hao withdrew his gaze faintly, raised his head to finish the tea in the cup, and then said: "I asked who you were, not because I really wanted to know who you were, but just wanted to say, what kind of thing are you, and by what right do you come to manage what surname I have?"

"By the fact that this is the Ji Clan, and by the fact that you are a mongrel, not worthy of the surname Ji!"

Ji Ji Yufen said angrily.

A cold light flashed slightly in Li Hao's eyes. He looked at the angry young man, then slowly put down the teacup and stood up slowly.

Ji Ji Yufen did not rush to make a move, unwilling to sneak attack.

As a prodigy, he had his own pride.

He looked angrily at Li Hao, who had been shorter than him while sitting but was now a head taller than him after standing up. The other party's age was not as great as his, but he was taller than him.

This made Ji Ji Yufen's expression somewhat ugly.

"It seems the Ji Clan's family teachings are generally not very good." Li Hao said softly.

Immediately, without waiting for the young man in front of him to get angry, with a slap, a loud sound of a slap suddenly appeared.

Ji Ji Yufen's head tilted to the side, his brain buzzing, and fresh blood sprayed from his mouth. The 'Kun Feather Treasure Body' he cultivated was actually broken by Li Hao with one slap.

"I'll reluctantly educate you on behalf of your parents."

Li Hao's gaze was indifferent. Then he raised his head to look outside the Guest Reception Hall, felt the auras of those watching, and said coldly: "Whose child is this? Could it be that I have to beat him to death on the spot before you are willing to come and collect the corpse!"

Hearing Li Hao's words, everyone outside the hall was shocked. Many of them had seen this scene through their spiritual sense, and Ji Ji Yufen's age was similar to Li Hao's, yet he was actually slapped in the face by Li Hao! "You, you!"

At this moment, Ji Ji Yufen also reacted, full of disbelief, but what followed was the feeling that the blood in his whole body seemed to be rushing straight to the top of his skull, with a feeling that it was about to explode.

"You are courting death!!"

He let out a roar, and the aura in his whole body suddenly surged. In an instant, his flesh and blood actually expanded, making a cracking sound.

Behind him, an ancient fierce beast Kunpeng phantom appeared, containing an extremely fierce and violent momentum.

But before he could erupt and make a move, what followed was the second sound of a slap.

This time, his head was directly slapped into the stone slab under Li Hao's feet, deeply embedded! The Kunpeng phantom was also slapped away by the slap, turning into a phantom.

"Why, do you have to be beaten to death by me before you give up?"

Li Hao withdrew his palm, his cold gaze slowly sweeping toward the outside.

The crowd who had rushed over to watch were almost unable to scream. It was unbelievable that this young man had actually suppressed Ji Ji Yufen with a wave of his hand, and slapped him unconscious with two slaps! Ji Boduan beside him stared wide-eyed in shock, somewhat stunned.

Although he knew that Li Hao had escorted Ji Yungong back, with Ji Yungong's strength, it wasn't certain who was escorting whom.

And this young man's age looked to be only fifteen or sixteen. Even if he was a Ji Clan prodigy, like Ji Ji Yufen, who belonged to one of the youngest prodigies, reaching the Unfading Realm at fifteen, although he was still in the Unfading Realm at seventeen, he could understand the Dao Heart at any time.

But at this moment, he was actually easily defeated by Li Hao? "What an arrogant tone!"

In the high sky outside the hall, several figures appeared, emitting majestic auras, without hiding.

Their clothing was extraordinary, their spirits were high, their eyes were cold, and they were all prodigies of the Ji Clan's various branches.

"This is the Ji Clan. You actually dare to hurt people at will. Did you steal our Ji Clan's cultivation techniques from your mother? Since that's the case, don't blame me for being impolite by bullying the small with the big!"

One of the young men stepped out, his momentum suddenly revealed—it was the aura of the Four Standing Realms.

The crowd watching from near and far was shocked.

"That is Ji Mingque, who is considered a powerhouse among prodigies."

"That outsider kid just defeated prodigy Ji Ji Yufen, and he seems quite strong too!"

"Without some means, God of War Yungong wouldn't have praised him so much, saying he would surely become a prodigy of our Ji Clan. It seems he is indeed quite capable."

"However, does this person think our Ji Clan is the broken place he lived in before? Even if he is a prodigy, he has to lie flat and be obedient in our Ji Clan!"

"I think, this person escorted God of War Yungong back, after all, he has merit to our Ji Clan. Is it not good to treat him like this?"

Many people's spiritual senses flew out, watching from afar, discussing it heatedly.

Li Hao frowned slightly. He didn't expect the Ji Clan's exclusion to be so strong. He originally thought that most people would be as reasonable as Ji Yungong. It seems Ji Yungong was only a small part of the Ji Clan.

"God of War Yungong said you are a prodigy, right? Since that's the case, if you want to enter our Ji Clan and stand side by side with us, let's see if you have that ability!"

The young man named Ji Mingque had cold eyes, standing in the void and overlooking Li Hao. He was more mature than Ji Ji Yufen, and before the people above spoke about how to deal with Li Hao, he did not rashly make trouble for the reason of his own dissatisfaction.

"To stand side by side with you, wouldn't that be an insult to me?"

Li Hao said quietly.

"You are courting death!"

Ji Mingque was slightly startled, and a cold light suddenly burst out in his eyes. He originally thought they were already arrogant enough, but it turned out this young man was even more arrogant!

"If you can block this spear of mine, I will recognize you!"

He suddenly made a move, his long spear flipped out, actually containing heaven and earth space.

The spear light condensed, containing the true power of the Martial Dao's ultimate meaning, and the terrifying spear momentum condensed into a point, suddenly smashing toward Li Hao.

(End of chapter)