It wasn’t out of line for Zhongtian to pursue an enemy. Moreover, the two sects were allies. Ancestral City should be aiding him.

“Stop.” Ancestor Lu spoke again: “This isn’t the place for vengeance and feud. Leave, don’t make this mistake.”

This surprised most people, causing them to stare around in confusion.

They thought that the ancestor might help Zhongtian or at least let him do as he pleases. On the contrary, he didn’t give Yin Yang any face.

“Maybe the rumor is true, not all ancestors in the city agree with the marriage pact.” One golem expert quietly murmured.

Those in the know started thinking about this matter, especially how the previous army died to the stone tablet outside of the park.

It made them think that Ancestral was actually on Li Qiye’s side. This would make sense because it meant that the tablet was used by the ancestors.

Of course, no one dared to voice this opinion because this was still Ancestral City. Ancestor Lu was out now and he wasn’t one to be trifled with.

Zhongtian’s eyes shifted slightly. In the end, he bowed and said: “I’ll obey you, Ancestor. I also apologize for my rashness earlier.”

A prodigy like him still couldn’t compare to someone like Ancestor Lu. Few ancestors in his sect were a match for this man.

He then glared at Qing Shi and said: “I’ll let you all keep your head for now. I’ll take them later.”

“You should be thanking the ancestor for saving your life. Otherwise, your head would be hanging on the gate right now.” Qing Shi snorted and didn’t give a damn.

The audience naturally didn’t like his contemptuous tone. However, they maintained silence because of Ancestor Lu.

Zhongtian’s eyes flashed with murderous intent but he still restrained himself and left.

“Go!” The army left under his command.

“Rumble!” They marched like an unstoppable flood, heading for the stone forest.

“Will the situation escalate between these two sects?” One spectator wondered.

“Who cares? Think about how you’ll get the treasury instead.” An older cultivator said: “Yin Yang Gate is gonna take everything, we won’t even get leftover soup. Plus, make one wrong move and we’ll lose our lives too. Perhaps a conflict between these two sects is actually for the best.”

Some of the crowd definitely agreed and began contemplating their next move.

***

Li Qiye glanced at Qing Shi who just got back and said: “Looks like there’s a big feud between you and Yin Yang.”

“There’s no such thing.” He immediately denied at first but thought that it was improper and foolish to lie to Li Qiye.

“I do have some problems with them.” He admitted: “I don’t like their arrogance, thinking that they’re the best. It’s just that they still have a forefather, that’s all. We have plenty of pseudo-atavistic ancestors too, we’ll see who’s stronger.”

“True.” Li Qiye smiled and didn’t pursue the issue.

Though Qing Shi spouted some strong lines, he still didn’t know what to say next and ended with a sigh.

“What, you’re still afraid of someone?” Li Qiye chuckled.

“Not exactly, but Heavenly Sovereign Chan Yang is indeed frightening. Many of our ancestors harbor certain thoughts towards him.” Qing Shi said.

“So Ancestral City actually has a bolder plan and target.” Li Qiye deduced.

Qing Shi wasn’t sure. Their city had pseudo-atavistic ancestors but Heavenly Sovereign Chan Yang remained a threat, not just in the north but all of Eight Desolaces.

“Heavenly Sovereign Chan Yang cultivates an immortal physique, strong enough to subdue dao lords. He himself taught one before.” Qing Shi said.

This was indeed the truth. Ancient Zen Dao Lord of Yin Yang was taught by him.

“So your city wants a dao lord as well, or perhaps marry into one’s lineage.” Li Qiye understood what these ancestors wanted right away.

Qing Shi didn’t respond because Li Qiye was perfectly right. His sect was definitely untouchable in the northern West king.

However, the problem was that they didn’t have a dao lord after Stone Monarch Dao Lord. This has been the case for millions of years now.

Moreover, as more capable ancestors reached full atavism, they sank into the ground. Ancestral City and the golems had signs of declining.

Those who pursued the atavistic policy and mindset didn’t care about this. However, the other side wanted prosperity, especially the mixed-blood hybrids.

They had greater aspirations for their race, hoping to reach a new golden age. Thus, some younger ancestors in the city belonged to this faction. They desired a new dao lord that could lead their race, taking them to the top of Eight Desolaces.

“It’s idiotic climbing a tree to catch a fish.” Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: “Placing their hope on an outsider.”

Qing Shi sighed. He had his own perspective and disagreed with this plan. Alas, he wasn’t qualified to be involved in the discussion. He lacked power as well.

“You’ll accept this?” Li Qiye had a strange smile on his face.

Qing Shi shuddered; his mind ran amok. This was because he had asked this question plenty of times before. [1]

“I can only try to the best of my abilities.” Qing Shi took a deep breath and focused up. Alas, the tone lacked confidence. The circumstances were overwhelming.

“Often in life, the heart is higher than heaven while life is thinner than paper.” Li Qiye casually remarked. [2]

Li Qiye then added: “However, there’s another phrase, my life is mine alone, not for heaven to decide. Even an ant should bear its fangs towards the high heaven. As long as it has the courage to do so, it’ll be able to grow into an impressive heavenly ant. Without this, it’ll remain lowly like before, forever.”

He looked outside and went on: “I knew a girl, small in frame and lacking fortune. She weathered the storm and rain, fighting the entire world and managing to reach the apex. Her life was decided by no one but her, not heaven.”

He started reminiscing afterward. In the long distant past, a girl moved forward in the rain with nothing but a sword as her companion.

Qing Shi felt enlightened, akin to seeing a lightning bolt during a rainy night. It broke through the sky and revealed the first ray of dawn.

This ray illuminated his heart and mind, destroying indecision and adding an unprecedented determination.

“Thank you, Young Master. I’ll forever memorize your guidance today.” Qing Shi bowed towards Li Qiye.

1. Signs point to Qing Shi being a woman. There was one conversational line that used the pronoun “she” in the restaurant but I assumed that it was a typo. Looks like “she” is correct in that case. The narrative uses “he” outside of some potential errors

2. The character for heart can also mean mind. Heart seems correct in this case, talking about tenacity. As for life, it can also mean fate.