Vol 4 Chapter 116: Ancient Clan's Longevity Body

The appearance of the First Ancient Emperor sent shockwaves through all factions.

Beyond the heavens.

A group of Wayseekers who hadn't descended to the ancient kingdom with the Second Ancient Emperor still forcibly turned their gazes toward it.

Previously, the ancient kingdom strictly prohibited these external Wayseekers from peering into its affairs, but the bizarre emergence of the Fortune Dragon Emperor had piqued their curiosity. Now that they were "collectively spying," what could the Second Ancient Emperor possibly do about it?

Yet the moment they looked, these Wayseekers immediately regretted it, wishing they could unsee what they'd witnessed.

"The First Ancient Emperor has actually returned."

These Wayseekers all harbored some fear toward the First Ancient Emperor—after all, either they themselves had been beaten by him, or their masters, parents, or ancestors had suffered his fists.

"Ah, the ancient kingdom's foundations remain terrifying. Not just the First Ancient Emperor, but that old man... the former Tower Master of Heavenly Secrets Tower, Old Man Heavenly Secrets, is actually still alive. I knew that old coot wouldn't die so easily."

The Wayseekers shook their heads, especially the Four Emperors of the Snow Plains, whose lips twitched involuntarily. Fortunately, the Wayseekers of the ancient kingdom weren't united either, each harboring their own schemes—otherwise, during the ancient kingdom's war with the Snow Plains, the latter wouldn't have lasted long.

That Old Man Heavenly Secrets had faked his death gave other Wayseeker factions the impression that the ancient kingdom might still be hiding a bunch of undead old monsters.

After all, around the time of the Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom's founding, the number of Wayseekers far exceeded the current count.

Many had perished in battles against the Immortal Alliance, its remnants, or various demonic sects, or had died when their lifespans expired. But seeing Old Man Heavenly Secrets' false death, they had to reevaluate the ancient kingdom's hidden depths.

"Fortunately, the First Ancient Emperor isn't in his *complete form*. It seems he died while exploring the Ascension Path. To sustain the First Ancient Emperor's existence consumes the kingdom's fortune, national destiny, and faith power. But the question is—why was it the Holy Son of the Demon Court who resurrected him?"

Numerous Wayseekers turned their gazes toward the Demon Emperor of the Demon Court, their eyes seemingly asking: Does your Holy Son still have his heart set on the ancient kingdom?

"Heh." The Demon Emperor curled her lips. "Didn't expect this, did you? The Immortal Palace's top-secret Divine Scripture is now in the hands of my Demon Court's Holy Son. The First Ancient Emperor was just an experiment—next, all my Demon Court's previous emperors can be revived too!"

Outwardly, she remained expressionless, but inwardly she was cursing up a storm.

After learning that the Mechanized Turtle couldn't go to the Origin Realm, Lin Jing had planned to entrust it to the Demon Emperor's care.

He'd explained that if the Demon Court faced annihilation during this period, the Mechanized Turtle could forcibly break its contract, restore its cultivation, and wield immortal artifacts in battle.

It could even use the Divine Scripture to summon previous Demon Emperors to protect the court.

The Demon Emperor adored this turtle Lin Jing had left behind—this turtle... had heaven-defying capabilities.

However, she'd only just learned that Lin Jing had already applied the Divine Scripture's power to the First Ancient Emperor!

Damn it all—why resurrect this old man of all people? Even in his current transformed state, the Demon Emperor lacked confidence to face him directly.

But from how things looked now, the outcome wasn't entirely bad. That Second Ancient Emperor hadn't been so rebellious as to disregard the First Ancient Emperor in this form. The Demon Emperor licked her lips—as long as the ancient kingdom wanted this "previous emperor" to endure, they'd have no choice but to rely on the Demon Court's Holy Son.

While the various Wayseekers focused their attention on the First Ancient Emperor and the Azure Ox Taoist, Lin Jing naturally noticed this additional elderly Wayseeker.

Recognizing the man's face, Lin Jing slowly spoke, "It's you..."

He immediately identified him—this old man was the very immortal trafficker who'd tested his qualifications back then before selling him to the Yin Household Sect.

"This matter is complicated—I'll definitely give the Holy Son a satisfactory explanation later." Old Man Heavenly Secrets also realized his prophecy hadn't been wrong after all. That Longevity Body had indeed brought prosperity to the ancient kingdom, managing to bring back the deceased First Ancient Emperor. For the kingdom, this was undoubtedly an auspicious sign.

But now a new challenge emerged—how to placate the Demon Court's Holy Son and make him overlook that human trafficking incident.

"Fine. I'll await your answer." Lin Jing narrowed his eyes. How interesting—he'd never imagined his experiences bore traces of Wayseeker planning.

"Seems there's nothing more for me here now?"

"In that case, I won't interfere further in the ancient kingdom's family matters. Farewell."

Currently unable to immediately take charge of the Heavenly Flame Gu and criminal demons above the Nascent Soul Transformation stage, Lin Jing grabbed the Mechanized Turtle and prepared to leave.

No one stopped Lin Jing's departure. Gao Sheng brushed dust off his robes, glanced at his awestruck grandfather, and coughed dryly. "Brother Lin, don't leave so quickly..."

Now having become the First Ancient Emperor's disciple, Gao Sheng's confidence soared—even the Ancient Imperial Prince had to address him as senior. His gaze locked onto Chief Gai of the Demon Extermination Division. "Chief Gai, next, please cooperate with the Administration Bureau's investigation."

Sweat poured down Gai You's forehead as he dared not meet the eyes of either Ancient Emperor or even the prince. Not that these figures paid him any attention—only Gao Sheng still nursed a quiet grudge.

"..." The current Chief Gai sought only to preserve his life. With a thud, he knelt before the First Ancient Emperor.

"Shoo, shoo, scram." The First Ancient Emperor still ignored him, instead scratching his head while watching Lin Jing's departing back. He felt like he'd forgotten something—why was that kid in such a hurry?

......

Lin Jing moved swiftly because the Mechanized Turtle had informed him of the third Longevity Body's location.

Now he had to take advantage of the First Ancient Emperor still being occupied with domestic affairs to kidnap that Longevity Body before the emperor realized.

At the same time, he burned with curiosity—why didn't the First Ancient Emperor want to personally take this third Longevity Body as a disciple?

Mystic Domain, Mystic Wonder Sect—a second-rate cultivation faction with only one Nascent Soul Transformation expert guarding it.

The sect divided into inner, outer, and servant divisions. The inner and outer divisions naturally housed proper disciples, while the servant division mainly consisted of offspring born between outer disciples, thrown into menial labor upon growing older to temper willpower and physique before beginning cultivation.

"What was that light just now?"

In the Mystic Wonder Sect's servant quarters, many servants had been drawn by the golden light from the Fortune Dragon Emperor's emergence. Among them, a little girl on a rooftop repainting rain-faded spirit-gathering array patterns with ink had paused her work for quite some time.

While others were briefly distracted, none were as captivated as this girl. She sensed an inexplicable fluctuation within that golden radiance that made her bloodline tremble.

Bam!

Lost in thought too long, a gust nearly blew her off the roof. After tumbling several times, she barely caught herself. Heart pounding, she looked up to see an expressionless overseer staring down.

"Focus on your work! With zero concentration, how do you expect to cultivate? As an orphan, you need to work ten—no, a hundred times harder than other disciples! If you don't want this servant position, pack your bags and get off this mountain—plenty would kill for your spot!"

"S-sorry." The girl scrambled back to her ink bucket, carefully resuming her task and not daring to glance at the fading light again.

Amidst the clouds, Lin Jing—with the Mechanized Turtle atop his head—gazed at the plainly dressed servant girl. "So it's her? I see now."

"This girl actually has ancient clan bloodline—no wonder the First Ancient Emperor reacted that way!"

"She might even carry imperial blood."

Having dabbled in the Yin Household Sect's secret arts, Lin Jing immediately detected that faint yet familiar bloodline aura from her.

He'd sensed this same aura from the Ancient Imperial Prince, the Third Prince, and even both Ancient Emperors.

Lin Jing lightly landed on the rooftop, looking down at the servant girl. As he descended, she raised her head—their eyes met.