In Yunzhou, within the majestic halls of the Tianzhao Divine General Manor, a branch of the prestigious Wang family resided in the tranquil and exquisite Pichuan Courtyard. Only a few elderly servants attended to the premises, maintaining its serene ambiance. Birds perched on the branches, until they were startled by a sudden urgent voice from within the house, causing them to take flight.
Inside the main hall, Li Jiangying and his sister Li Rumeng anxiously pleaded with the elderly man before them.
"Grandfather, we just sensed a call from our ancestors. There's trouble in Qingzhou!"
"Please, go save our parents."
The siblings implored Wang Zhenping, their maternal grandfather and the sixth master of the Wang family.
Earlier, while cultivating in the courtyard, they had suddenly felt a disturbance in their bloodline, sensing distant cries from their ancestors, beckoning them to return.
They knew that this was a bloodline invocation, a desperate technique used by the Li family only when facing dire circumstances, at the cost of sacrificing the soul of an ancestor.
When invoked, all those with Li family blood would sense the call and gather together.
Wang Zhenping's expression darkened as he already knew about the situation in Qingzhou from the family's intelligence. However, he had not anticipated the severity of the crisis, which had forced the use of the bloodline invocation, signifying a desperate and perilous situation.
Moreover, the Wang family was located far away from Qingzhou—a distance of a million li. It was too late to dispatch their army, and by the time reinforcements arrived, the outcome would already be decided, whether in victory or defeat.
Although the Wang and Li families were connected through marriage, the vast distance between them meant that they rarely interacted. It would be difficult to offer assistance in times of need, as the old saying goes, 'a distant relative is less helpful than a close neighbor', especially when the two families were situated at opposite ends of the Great Yu Dynasty.
Wang Zhenping's thoughts turned to his beloved daughter, who had married into the Li family against his wishes. She had insisted on marrying the eighth son of the Li family, and her life after the marriage had not been as happy as she had imagined. Her frequent letters of complaint had left him feeling distressed.
However, in this era, it was uncommon for a married woman to divorce her husband without a valid reason. Moreover, the Li family held the position of Divine General, and her husband was a general defending the frontiers. If she complained about her husband's frequent absences and sought a divorce, the entire Wang family would become a laughingstock in the imperial court and be scorned by the people of the dynasty.
Besides, their grandchildren were already grown up, so they had to make the best of the situation.
Now, with the crisis in Qingzhou, his daughter's life was also at stake.
"That good-for-nothing Li family!" Wang Zhenping muttered, his face grim. However, his anger subsided as he looked at his grandchildren, and he said, "It's too late to send the Wang family army now. I'll go there myself and bring your mother back. I hope I'm not too late."
The siblings were overjoyed to hear their grandfather's decision and immediately kowtowed to express their gratitude.
Seeing the maturity and understanding of his grandchildren, Wang Zhenping's anger eased slightly. In recent years, only these two children had brought him some comfort.
"Grandfather, we want to go too," Li Rumeng said after kowtowing.
Wang Zhenping's expression changed, and he firmly said, "You will stay here and go nowhere else!"
"But this is the call of our ancestral bloodline," Li Jiangying said, a hint of fear in his eyes. "If we don't go, then in the future..."
Wang Zhenping took a deep breath, understanding their concern. If this had happened a few hundred years ago when the branch of the family had left the Divine General Manor, it wouldn't have mattered as much. After all, the ties might have weakened over time. However, as the current generation, if they didn't respond to the call, it would be difficult to face the Li family in the future.
"I don't know if I'll be able to bring your mother back in time. If I fail, then you two are the last bloodline of the Li family. With your cultivation at the Divine Wander Realm, it won't make a difference even if you go," Wang Zhenping said in a low voice. "If the Li family survives this calamity, I will personally go and explain the situation to them. Given the circumstances, I don't believe they would disown you!"
The siblings exchanged a glance, their faces pale. Li Rumeng anxiously clenched her fingers, her eyes filled with worry.
Suddenly, Li Jiangying said, "Grandfather, what if we go to the River of Death first?"
Wang Zhenping was taken aback, feeling foolish for not having thought of that solution.
By going to the River of Death, they would be cut off from the ancestral bloodline call. Moreover, it wasn't a place one could enter and exit as they pleased. If they failed to return in time, they could use that as an excuse.
A glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Li Jiangying and smiled, "You're a smart boy. I'll have your Uncle Xianzhou come and take you to the River of Death. I'll send you to the Yinsha-grade River of Death. During this period, study the information and records about the River of Death. If you're lucky, with your Divine Wander Realm cultivation, you might be able to pass through and earn 1,000 merit points. Do your best!"
The reason he had brought these two grandchildren over was because of the opening of the Merit Treasure Vault.
The vault contained countless treasures that could be exchanged for merit points, dazzling people with the opportunities it presented. With merit points, one could rapidly enhance their strength, surpassing geniuses of the same realm.
In recent times, the Wang family had become a sought-after ally for numerous aristocratic families and martial artists from the jianghu. All of them wanted to use the Wang family's connections to earn merit points by venturing into the River of Death.
Of course, the Wang family would first take care of their own before extending opportunities to outsiders. Thus, Li Jiangying and his sister had been brought over to reap the benefits.
"Yes!"
Hearing Wang Zhenping's words, Li Jiangying's eyes lit up. Even if they only managed to destroy the River of Death, they would still earn 10 merit points. But if they could pass through, the 1,000 merit points they would earn could be exchanged for countless treasures.
The Heart of the Sword required only 100 merit points and could enhance one's understanding of weapons.
The Heart of the Grand Master was also 100 merit points, and with the help of the Wang family's resources, along with the Heart of the Grand Master, they could swiftly reach the Heaven-Man Realm without any obstacles!
Many geniuses relied on abundant resources to reach the pinnacle of the Fifteen Realms, but they often faced bottlenecks at the Heaven-Man Realm. Now, with the Merit Treasure Vault, it was like providing these geniuses with an even higher express train to success.
"Remember, try your best to pass through the River of Death, instead of just destroying it with brute force. The River of Death is now a precious resource. If you destroy it, it will be gone, and the loss of merit points will be hundreds of times more," Wang Zhenping admonished.
Nowadays, the River of Death was no longer a feared existence but had become a scarce resource that was protected. At least, the Rivers of Death discovered by the Wang family were all guarded by the army, off-limits to ordinary people.
After all, if they were destroyed, the benefits were too low, so the focus now was on trying to pass through the River of Death and maximize the gains. However, passing through was extremely difficult, so the current rule in the Wang family regarding the River of Death was to either choose to exit and try again or to pass through. Unlike the past, where the goal was simply to destroy it to reduce the number of Rivers of Death in the Great Yu Dynasty.
"You two have decent talent. Although you're not as exceptional as Li Qianfeng from your Li family, with the support of my Wang family and the resources of the River of Death, we can dedicate these lower-level rivers exclusively to you to accumulate merit. If you can accumulate 10,000 points, you can exchange them for the Ultimate Realm of Spiritual Connection, a power that will help you surpass your limits and completely leave other proud sons of heaven behind, including that Li Qianfeng."
Before leaving, Wang Zhenping continued to instruct the siblings with concern.
Hearing their maternal grandfather's earnest teachings, the siblings nodded, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
During their time in the Wang family, they had learned a lot of new information, and they longed for the Ultimate Realm of Spiritual Connection even more.
If they could attain that, they wouldn't be mere spectators when the Li family elects the True Dragon in the future!
"I have to go now. I've already sent a sound transmission to your Uncle Xianzhou, and I'll also have him modify your entry records for the River of Death." Wang Zhenping said, then he entrusted the siblings to his old steward and hurriedly left.
The siblings exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with worry, unsure if their grandfather would be able to bring their mother back.
"It's a pity that the madman is dead, and we didn't get a chance to chase him down." Li Jiangying watched his grandfather's departing figure, his eyes shimmering with a hint of disappointment.
As members of the Li family of this generation, ever since that youth startled the world two years ago, they had all lived in his shadow.
That youth was dazzling and too brilliant, so much so that even the personal disciple of the Buddha Lord was completely overshadowed, let alone them.
As a youth himself, how could he not feel jealous?
When news of the events in Liangzhou reached them, the siblings had also heard about it, and they knew that the gap between them and that youth had widened even further. They had already felt despair, but they had to thank Insect Two for the emergence of the Merit Treasure Vault, as it gave them hope and a chance to catch up.
Although that youth was far ahead of them, having reached the Four Establishments Realm, he would eventually stop.
Just like the elders in the family, after reaching the Four Establishments Realm at the age of thirty-four, they remained at that stage for decades or even centuries until they perished in battle.
The higher the realm, the slower the progress. Although they had lagged in the initial sprint, it didn't mean they couldn't catch up later.
The Merit Treasure Vault and the resources of their maternal family were their greatest hope and confidence at the moment.
"That guy was too arrogant. Even the heavens couldn't bear to watch. Do you think that now the family is in trouble, could it be because he was too rampant in Liangzhou, causing the demons to vent their anger on our Li family?" Li Rumeng mentioned that youth, her teeth clenched in resentment, and a glint of hatred flashed in her eyes.
"Maybe, but those demons should be attacking Tianmenguan instead of our Li family. There might be another reason." Li Jiangying said, his eyes gleaming with killing intent. "I was planning to accumulate merit and exchange it for the Ultimate Realm from the Treasure Vault, so I could challenge him again in the future and return that slap he gave you. But now he's dead. If something happens to Mother this time, even if he's dead, I won't let him off. In the future, I'll find the River of Death where his residual soul resides and make him beg for death!"
Hearing her brother's words, Li Rumeng's eyes filled with worry:
"Mother will be fine, right? Grandfather should make it in time, won't he? He's at the Ultimate Realm, he's not inferior to Second Uncle..."
"It's too far..."
A worried look appeared in Li Jiangying's eyes as well.
...
...
The bloodline invocation from Qingzhou resonated with the Great Yu Dynasty, stirring responses from all directions.
"It's the call of our ancestors! Our Li family has come to this point? How is that possible? What happened in Qingzhou?"
"Father, aren't we surnamed Zhao? Why can we also sense the call?"
"Your grandmother was surnamed Li. She married into our Zhao family. Although the Li bloodline in your bodies is very thin, the fact that you can sense the call means that you still have the blood of the Li family!"
"Over the years, we have also benefited from your grandmother's connections. Our Zhao family's business has been thriving, and we have established ourselves in Yunwu City."
"Are we going there too?"
"Of course, that's your grandmother's family. Moreover, the Li family has protected the Great Yu Dynasty for thousands of years. Now that the Li family is in trouble, how can we not go?"
"Master, are you going too?"
"Yes, disciples, wait for me here. If I don't come back, your senior brother will succeed me."
"Great-grandmother, are you going too?"
"Yes, bring me my horse."
From the ten-nine provinces, various cities, towns, and villages, those who sensed the call of their bloodline were shocked. Some hesitated, but many more resolutely chose to depart, heading towards Qingzhou.
Like stars scattered across the night sky, they now converged like rivers into the sea, flowing towards Qingzhou.
That was the land of their ancestral bloodline, the God General Manor that carried the glory of three thousand years, and the direction they had gazed towards countless times with nostalgia.
Their departure also attracted the attention of various forces in the nineteen provinces. Over thousands of years, the bloodline of the Five Great God General Manors had spread far and wide, and now, with the actions of these individuals, almost all the forces in the Great Yu God Dynasty were aware of the situation in Qingzhou.
This included major powers like the Tianji Tower.
Some of them were members of the Li family, serving as elders or tower masters. At this moment, not only did they leave themselves, but they also used their influence within various powers to mobilize all the forces they could muster to reinforce Qingzhou.
This was the intricate web of the God General Manor's bloodline heritage.
They traveled in groups, some riding swift horses, others soaring through the skies.
Some descended from renowned mountains, carrying swords and taking light steps towards that land tens of thousands of miles away.
Some emerged from secluded meditation in lofty pagodas, soaring into the sky with determination.
The dissipation of a Li family ancestor's soul had summoned countless bloodline members from thousands of miles away, rushing towards that state plagued by demons and filled with suffering people.