Ancestor Linghu

Han Li and the small old man left the room together. Xiao Cuier, who had been standing guard at the courtyard gate, had also heard the series of great bell tolls. She looked toward the small old man in alarm.

The small old man frowned. He walked over to her and said a few words in a low voice, and only then did the girl’s expression return to normal.

Then the small old man beckoned to Han Li, and the two of them flew up on their tools, heading straight for the main议事 hall.

Along the way, Han Li saw a great number of cultivators all flying in the same direction. Most of them were Qi Condensation disciples. It was clear that the valley’s strength was already severely depleted.

If the demonic path really did attack, even with the protection of the sect-protecting grand formation, it would not hold out for long.

The two men traveled in grim silence. Before long, they arrived at the enormous stone hall.

At this moment, over a thousand cultivators had gathered before the hall’s entrance, but the guards at the door stopped them all. Only cultivators at Foundation Establishment and above were permitted to enter and participate in the discussion.

Han Li and the small old man, of course, had sufficient status. Under the complicated gazes of the others, they silently walked inside.

The moment he stepped into the main hall, Han Li was taken aback.

Contrary to his expectations of a chaotic scene resembling a stirred-up ants’ nest, the nearly one hundred cultivators present were utterly silent. They all stared with respectful expressions at the single person seated in the position of honor.

That person was naturally not the nominal Yellow Maple Valley Sect Leader, Zhong Lingdao. The great Sect Leader Zhong himself was standing obediently to one side. Sitting upright in the main seat was a white-haired old man in fine brocade robes.

The old man had a sallow face and small, dull, lifeless eyes. He was truly ugly beyond compare.

But Han Li’s heart gave an involuntary lurch the moment he laid eyes on this man. His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.

“What is this?” Han Li was stunned.

When the old man saw Han Li and the small old man enter, he simply cast an indifferent glance their way.

That single glance made Han Li’s entire body turn ice-cold. An unbearable discomfort rose in his heart, as if every secret he had ever hidden were laid bare before this man. His expression shifted dramatically.

“Oh? Your primordial spirit has been cultivated rather well. Have you been practicing some technique to temper it?” The old man’s eyes flickered with a trace of surprise as he looked at Han Li, asking the question in a flat tone.

Hearing these words, Han Lin felt a mix of shock and dread.

But what stunned him even more was that he could sense no spiritual power radiating from the old man at all. This could only mean that the gap between their cultivation levels was so vast that such a phenomenon would occur. Yet not even Li Huayuan and the other Core Formation cultivators had ever given him this feeling. Could this person be…

After a brief moment of thought, Han Li’s heart filled with alarm. Any trace of indignation he might have felt had already vanished into thin air. Instead, he replied with the utmost respect:

“Reporting to Senior, I have indeed cultivated a technique that relates to the primordial spirit. Senior’s insight is truly penetrating!” Han Li added a subtle compliment.

Hearing this, the brocade-clad old man gave a faint smile, then lightly waved his hand.

Han Li and the small old man immediately took the hint and moved to stand among the crowd.

After waiting for the time it takes to eat a meal, a dozen more Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived in succession.

Only then did Zhong Lingdao speak respectfully to the old man:

“Ancestor, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators currently in the valley have arrived. However, Uncle Huang is at Heavenly Stone Peak at the moment, and it may be some time before he can return.”

Hearing this, the old man furrowed his brow slightly, but his expression immediately returned to normal as he gave his instructions:

“If he cannot make it in time, then let it be. Saving lives is the priority now. We cannot afford to wait for him. Let us begin.”

“Yes, Ancestor speaks true!” Zhong Lingdao echoed obediently.

The old man laughed dryly at this but said nothing in response.

“Fellow disciples, allow me to make an introduction. This gentleman is the Ancestor Linghu whom you have all long heard of. The Ancestor reached the Nascent Soul stage three hundred years ago and is the sole Grand Elder of our sect. Now that our sect faces an unprecedented crisis of annihilation, the Ancestor will arrange everything from here.”

After speaking a few formulaic words, Zhong Lingdao tactfully withdrew to one side.

Though most of those below had already guessed the old man’s identity, hearing this statement stirred a wave of unrest. They all stared at this Ancestor Linghu with peculiar expressions.

This was the only Nascent Soul cultivator the Yellow Maple Valley had produced in nearly a thousand years. It was said he was already close to eight hundred years old—truly the Valley’s ageless immortal.

When Ancestor Linghu saw this disorderly scene, he gave a light cough, and the hall immediately fell silent. Who would dare to disrespect this foundational elder?

“Since you have all heard the Dragon-Scaring Bell, I will not waste words on pleasantries.”

“The seven-sect allied forces have already suffered a great defeat on the front lines. Our side’s cultivator casualties are severe. Though we have barely established a second defensive line, defeat is already inevitable.”

The moment these words left the old man’s mouth, the cultivators in the hall changed color dramatically. Han Li and the small old man exchanged a complex glance but could only remain silent.

“Ancestor, how is this possible? Hasn’t the day of our decisive battle with the demonic path not yet arrived? There is still over a month left!” A middle-aged cultivator could not help but step forward and ask.

“It is precisely because the people at the front shared your way of thinking that the demonic path was able to launch a surprise attack and crush them!” The old man’s face darkened as he delivered a harsh rebuke. The middle-aged man’s face flushed red. He gave a bow and hastily retreated.

Seeing the middle-aged cultivator suffer such a fate, none of the others were foolish enough to speak out of turn. Though doubt still churned in their hearts, they quietly listened to what Ancestor Linghu would say next.

“In truth, this defeat cannot be entirely blamed on the commanders at the front for being careless and failing to guard against deception. Rather, there was a traitor among our seven sects. The people of Spirit Beast Mountain, while their sect was on guard duty, secretly opened the outer formation and let the demonic path in. That is what led to this great defeat.” As the old man spoke, a note of fury crept into his voice.

Hearing this, the assembled cultivators finally understood. They immediately began cursing the cultivators of Spirit Beast Mountain, and the hall’s atmosphere once again descended into chaos.

“Enough. What use is there in discussing this now? The enemy was one step ahead, and we had no choice but to concede defeat. What is most important now is to avert the calamity of our sect’s annihilation. The remnants at the front will, at most, buy us two or three days. We must evacuate the Yue Kingdom as soon as possible.” Ancestor Linghu said this with remarkable calm.

“Evacuate the Yue Kingdom?”

At these words, the entire hall fell still. No one spoke. It seemed the crowd was stunned by the proposal.

For cultivators born and raised in the Yue Kingdom, the prospect of leaving was simply too difficult to accept. For a moment, no one dared to echo the old man’s words.

“What? Reluctant to leave?” The old man said flatly, showing no sign of alarm, as if he had anticipated this reaction.

“Ancestor, could it be that even if you and the other Nascent Soul seniors were to personally intervene, you could not repel the demonic path?” Finally, a young man in his thirties asked hesitantly.

“Of course we could. If the few of us old fellows were to join forces, we could easily annihilate the demonic path cultivators who are currently facing you,” the old man said without any hesitation.

“Then why does the Ancestor…”

“But do not forget that the Six Demonic Sects, for all their fame, certainly have no shortage of Nascent Soul cultivators of their own. The few of us have already clashed with their old monsters several times. The result was that we came out on the losing side. They forced us to swear a poisonous oath, restricting us from personally participating in this great war, just as they did. This war can only be fought at the Core Formation level.” Ancestor Linghu let out a light sigh and revealed a secret that greatly surprised everyone.

Only then did Han Li, standing below, finally understand why he had never seen any Nascent Soul cultivators appear in the great war.

“If we do not relocate, the entire Yellow Maple Valley will be surrounded by the enemy and captured in one net. And bound by my oath, I will not be able to intervene. My decision is made. The entire sect must leave the Yue Kingdom. And not just us—the other five sects will also share our fate. Once we reach a foreign land, we can rebuild our strength. When we are powerful enough, we can simply take the Yue Kingdom back.” The old man spoke with a cold laugh. It was clear that withdrawing from the Yue Kingdom was not something he found particularly difficult to accept.

Seeing that the Ancestor had spoken with such finality, even those present who held different opinions dared not voice them. They had no choice but to follow his instructions.

“Everything else can be handled, but there is one dangerous task that must be carried out by someone.” The old man suddenly said something that left everyone startled. The others began exchanging bewildered looks.

“Those I point out will follow me to the rear hall. The rest of you, stay here and listen to Sect Leader Zhong’s arrangements for the evacuation!”

Having said this, the old man rose from his seat and, with an expressionless face, walked toward the crowd below, leaving them all the more stunned.

“You, and you…”

Without the slightest courtesy, the old man used his finger to point out more than half of those present. Han Li and the small old man were both among them.

After he had finished singling them out, this Ancestor went to the rear hall without another word.

Han Li and the others felt a growing unease. After a moment’s hesitation, they obediently followed.