"Let's go," Minister Wu said to Li Bei beside him.
"Mei'er," Li Bei called out to Li Mei, who then approached Li Bei.
"Thank you for raising me, adoptive father." Staring at Li Yu, Li Bei, holding Li Mei, knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times heavily.
"You child..." Li Yu sighed slightly, looking extremely helpless.
"Grandpa." Li Mei's eyes began to moisten as well.
"Mei'er, Grandpa has always treated you as his own grandson. No matter where you are in the future, you will always be my grandson," Li Yu said with a slight smile on his face.
"Mei'er, let's go," Li Bei said softly.
"Brother Lin'er, Sister Wushuang, I'm leaving," Li Mei said to Li Lin in the sky and Li Wushuang ahead.
"Master Li, we shall meet again. For the lady's sake, I'll remind you that we must obtain the Li family's treasure. If we can't get it today, our clan will send stronger people again," Minister Wu said. After his words, he and Li Bei, carrying Li Mei, leaped away.
Watching the three disappear, Li Lin exhaled deeply and then landed beside his mother, Luo Lan, who was still in shock.
"Big brother," Little dragon, with his body shrunken, landed on Li Lin's shoulder, along with other magical beasts like the Sky-winged Snow Lion, all of whom had also shrunk their bodies.
Inside the collapsed gates of the Li family, the descendants felt the calm outside and walked out with shocked expressions. The battle in the sky they had just witnessed was unimaginably shocking.
"Let's tidy up," Li Yu said, observing the surroundings. The Li family home was half-destroyed, but fortunately, there were not many casualties.
"Luo Lan, Zhong'er, Lin'er, come with me," Li Yu said, looking at Luo Lan and Li Lin, then slowly walked towards the Li family's courtyard.
Li Lin hesitated slightly, then supported his mother and followed.
Deep within the Li family compound, in the ancestral hall, Li Lin was visiting for the second time. Nothing had changed. In the center of the hall, there was a row of spiritual tablets with the names of the Li family's ancestors. The hall also contained hundreds of meditation cushions.
"Luo Lan, these years, you and your son have suffered. On behalf of the Li family, I offer my apologies," Li Yu said, looking at the spiritual tablets of the ancestors, then turned to Luo Lan.
"Master, you are too serious," Luo Lan immediately responded.
"These years, I know the life you've lived. It's been hard for you because of the Li family," Li Yu sighed slightly, then looked at Li Lin and said, "Lin'er, do you still harbor resentment towards the Li family?"
"It doesn't matter anymore," Li Lin sighed softly. He considered himself an outsider, feeling angry on behalf of his mother and the deceased Li Lin, but now that the feud was partially avenged and the Li family had been punished, he felt somewhat appeased.
"I know you hold resentment. The Li family has wronged you, but you can't blame your father. He was helpless. If you must hate, hate me, this old man close to death."
"Pfft!" As soon as Li Yu finished speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his pale face turning ashen. His energy rapidly declined.
"Father, did you use that secret technique?" Li Zhong's face changed drastically as he rushed to Li Yu's side.
"Without that secret technique, how could I reach the sixth level of Martial General?" Li Yu sighed. "Unfortunately, even with the secret technique, it was in vain. Thankfully, Lin'er protected the Li family this time."
"Father, how many levels did you increase with that secret technique?" Li Zhong asked anxiously.
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"Four levels. I was only a second-level Martial General, reaching the sixth level was my limit," Li Yu sighed.
"Father, increasing by four levels, you'll die. How could you..." Li Zhong's eyes moistened.
"Secret technique." Li Lin was surprised to learn that Li Yu was only a second-level Martial General who had increased four levels in strength with a secret technique. The higher the level, the more significant the strength increase. From a second-level to a sixth-level Martial General, the power increase was tens of times greater.
"It doesn't matter. I'm old, and for the Li family, I've long been prepared for this day," Li Yu said softly, then looked at Li Lin again. "Lin'er, everyone says the Li family has a treasure. Do you believe it?"
"Where there's smoke, there's fire," Li Lin said lightly.
Looking at Li Lin, Li Yu showed a hint of surprise, then said, "Indeed, our Li family does have a treasure, a shocking treasure. Our Li family has been guarding this treasure for tens of thousands of years, having rooted here in Qingyun Town for over a thousand years."
"Shocking treasure," Li Lin raised an eyebrow.
"Zhong'er, you tell Lin'er the rest," Li Yu coughed and said to Li Zhong.
Li Zhong, looking very solemn after hearing Li Yu's words, then said to Li Lin, "Lin'er, our Li family's ancestor's origins are somewhat complicated. He was originally a Martial King strongman."
Li Lin had heard about the Li family's ancestor being a Martial King strongman before in the ancestral hall and was not too surprised. After tens of thousands of years, having only two Martial Generals in the Li family was still commendable. Any family couldn't remain unbeaten for tens of thousands of years.
Li Zhong continued, "Lin'er, do you know the strength of Martial Emperors and Spirit Emperors?"
"Rumors say Martial Emperors and Spirit Emperors can break through the void and live forever," Li Lin said lightly, a story known even to three-year-old children in the Lingwu Continent.
"Wrong," Li Zhong looked at Li Lin. "Martial Emperors and Spirit Emperors can traverse space but can't break through space to live forever."
"Then how can one break through space and live forever? Are there higher levels above Martial Emperor and Spirit Emperor?" Li Lin asked, surprised and very interested.
"The ages are long past. Perhaps our Li family's original ancestor knew, but I do not," Li Zhong sighed slightly, then looked at Li Lin. "According to our Li family's ancestral records, our original ancestor was actually a servant of a ninth-level Martial Emperor. Ten thousand years ago, when that Martial Emperor was besieged, he instructed his two Martial King servants to escape. One of those Martial Kings was our Li family's ancestor, and the other, judging by today's events, was the ancestor of the Zhao family."
"A ninth-level Martial Emperor was besieged," Li Lin was speechlessly astonished. There were indeed people who had reached the level of Martial Emperor, even a ninth-level Martial Emperor, and a Martial King strongman was merely a servant. Raising an eyebrow, Li Lin said, "That Martial Emperor was besieged, why let two Martial King servants escape?"
"As our Li family knows, many strongmen besieged the ninth-level Martial Emperor for a treasure. In the end, the Martial Emperor handed that treasure to our Li family's ancestor and the Zhao family's ancestor to take away. To evade pursuit, our ancestor and the Zhao family's ancestor fled separately, and that treasure has been in our Li family's possession ever since. That's the story," Li Zhong said.
"What exactly is that treasure?" Li Lin asked. Ten thousand years ago, those who besieged the ninth-level Martial Emperor must have been Martial Emperors themselves, as others wouldn't dare. A treasure that could incite Martial Emperors to fight must be extraordinary.
"It's a book with no words," Li Zhong looked at Li Lin. "Ancestral legends say there are nine such books in total. Gathering all nine can reveal the secret to breaking through the void and achieving immortality."
"A book with no words," Li Lin murmured. Gathering all nine to find the secret of breaking through the void and achieving immortality meant these books were indeed the most coveted secrets among Martial Emperors.
"The greatest responsibility of every generation's head of the Li family is to protect this book with no words. To avoid attracting attention, our Li family has always kept a low profile, but still, we were discovered," Li Zhong sighed.
"Cough!" Li Yu coughed again and said, "Lin'er, your father, as the head of the Li family, had to consider the book with no words, which is why you and your mother suffered all these years. Before your father left for Yunyang Sect, he and your mother were deeply in love, and your mother was already pregnant with you. However, after arriving at Yunyang Sect, the Zhao family discovered this, and ultimately pressured your father into marrying Zhao Hui and returning to the Li family. At that time, I had already sensed that the Zhao family might be related to the Martial Emperor servant who escaped with our Li family's ancestor. To avoid the Zhao family's suspicion regarding the book with no words, we had your father marry Zhao Hui, hoping to dispel their doubts, making you and your mother the victims."
"As the head of the Li family, I had to consider the book with no words, and that's why you and your mother suffered," Li Zhong looked at Luo Lan and Li Lin, his eyes filled with regret and helplessness.
"Zhong brother, I know you had your reasons, and I've never blamed you. You don't need to blame yourself," Luo Lan said, looking at Li Zhong with compassion.
Li Lin remained silent, having almost avenged the grievances. Considering the treatment of the original Li Lin and his mother, although it angered him, today's revelations showed there were reasons behind it. This matter wasn't something he should dwell on further. Presumably, the original Li Lin would also let go of any grievances knowing this.

