Chapter 22

Xue Renzhi respectfully paid his respects to the ancestors, which not only frightened Xue Weiguo to the point of being at a loss, but even Lu Li, who was unprepared, was greatly surprised.

Especially seeing Xue Renzhi with his white hair and wrinkled face, he suddenly felt a sense of despair.

In the current situation where his consciousness was dominant, he had a deep understanding of the phrase "respect the elderly and love the young," and he could not bear Xue Renzhi's actions.

Noticing that Lu Li was stunned by his actions, Xue Renzhi secretly glanced at the iron plate in his palm, feeling extremely shocked.

Originally, he did not plan to come to Haicheng personally. As Xue Weimin said, his status was too important, and he was too old, making it difficult to go out. Moreover, Lu Li's identity was not yet confirmed, so there was no need.

However, late that night, just as he had fallen asleep, he suddenly felt someone standing in front of his bed. He wanted to move and even shout, but he could not even open his eyes.

Then, a voice sounded in his mind.

The person who claimed to be the ancestor of the Xue family told him to bring two items to meet the person who spoke the ancestor's words. In addition, the person told him the origin of the two items.

After experiencing sleep paralysis, Xue Renzhi quickly woke up. He quickly turned on the bedside lamp and saw that two items had appeared on the bedside table, almost causing him to have a heart attack on the spot.

Despite having killed people and seen blood, Xue Renzhi was still greatly shocked by the items that appeared out of nowhere.

He made a quick decision to come to Haicheng and found that Lu Li's responses were almost identical to what the mysterious ancestor had said.

This was not the most terrifying thing; the iron plate, which was originally blank, suddenly had two lines of text when it returned to his hand.

"Wang Er, Captain of the Third Squad of the Tianlang Army's Personal Guard."

"Those who disrespect the general will be expelled from the family and removed from the family register."

Clearly, the first line was the original text on the iron plate, which was somehow obscured. The second line was even more terrifying, warning them that if they disrespected Lu Li, they would be in trouble.

Seeing this, Xue Renzhi was truly shocked, his face turning pale. If it weren't for the arrogance he had cultivated over the years, he would have knelt on the spot.

"Uncle?" Xue Weiguo came to his senses, shuddering all over, and quickly called out.

"Weiguo, come and pay respects to the ancestor."

Hearing this, Xue Weiguo's face twisted, looking even worse than crying.

It was no problem for him to treat Lu Li with respect, even to treat him as the clan leader, but to pay respects to the ancestor, how could a man nearly fifty years old like Xue Weiguo bear it!

"Weiguo."

Xue Renzhi glared, and Xue Weiguo sighed helplessly, bowing and saying, "Xue Weiguo pays respects to the ancestor."

By this time, Lu Li had already come to his senses, but it was too late to stop Xue Weiguo.

In terms of seniority, not only was a bow acceptable, but even kneeling would be fine. However, at twenty years old, he felt awkward being revered by two people much older than him.

"Ah." Lu Li sighed deeply, looking at Xue Renzhi and saying, "Clan Leader Xue."

"Ancestor, just call me Renzhi." Xue Renzhi dared not accept, as this was the reincarnation of the Xue family's ancestor, and he was a direct descendant of Xue Tianci. Being called clan leader by him would shorten his life.

"Alright, you don't have to call me ancestor; just call me by my name for now."

Lu Li thought for a moment and said, "You are all descendants of the Xue family, and even if you are not, you are descendants of my brothers. Now that I have returned, I will fulfill my promise and try to help you enter the cultivation world. However, the earth's primordial energy is very thin, and it is uncertain whether the cultivation world still exists."

Hearing Lu Li's promise, Xue Renzhi's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Ancestor—"

Lu Li interrupted him, "Call me by my name."

"An—Ancestor Lu Li, the cultivation world you mentioned?" Xue Renzhi hesitated, ultimately not daring to call him by his name.

Xue Weiguo secretly glanced at the old clan leader and then at Lu Li, his face filled with worry.

Seeing Xue Renzhi's conflicted expression, Lu Li explained, "Before I became Xue Tianci, I was a cultivator. Later, I obtained a cultivation technique. With that technique, I was able to reincarnate nine times, and the first reincarnation was Xue Tianci."

"Ah?"

Although they were basically certain that the person before them was the ancestor's reincarnation, hearing Lu Li admit it still felt unbelievable to Xue Renzhi and Xue Weiguo.

Lu Li ignored them and continued, "The cultivation world has many techniques. When cultivated to a high level, one can extend their life by a thousand years and become invincible."

"A thousand years?" Xue Renzhi exclaimed.

"Invincible?" Xue Weiguo was dumbfounded.

"Indeed. The world is vast and full of wonders, so there's no need to be overly surprised," Lu Li said calmly.

"Ancestor Lu Li, can we cultivate?"

Hearing about such techniques, Xue Weiguo completely accepted Lu Li's identity. As long as they could cultivate, it didn't matter whether he was truly the ancestor's reincarnation or not.

Xue Renzhi looked at Lu Li with burning eyes, full of anticipation.

"It's very difficult. I do have cultivation techniques, but I cannot guarantee the speed or effectiveness of cultivation. The earth's primordial energy is too thin. Unless there are places of great spiritual energy, it's almost impossible."

"What are places of great spiritual energy?" Despite being extremely disappointed, Xue Weiguo quickly asked.

Lu Li thought for a moment and explained in a way they could understand, "Places of great spiritual energy are not in the same space as Earth, but they are connected to Earth's space through nodes."

"You can't understand without seeing them. Moreover, the nodes are extremely hidden and hard to find. Even if you find them, you need a lot of energy to pass through."

Xue Renzhi and Xue Weiguo looked at each other, feeling very frustrated. The great benefits were right in front of them, but they had no way to obtain them. Especially for Xue Renzhi, who was close to the end of his life, the desire to live was undoubtedly even stronger.

"Xue Renzhi, Weiguo, everything I told you today must not be revealed to outsiders. Otherwise, not only will you be in trouble, but even I might face problems."

"Ancestor, is someone targeting you?"

Hearing Xue Weiguo's question, Lu Li thought of the girl he met tonight and said strangely, "I suspect the cultivation world may still exist, but my current strength is weak. If they discover me, the consequences are unpredictable."

"The cultivation world may still exist?" Xue Weiguo's eyes lit up, his mind racing. If the cultivation world still exists, couldn't they also cultivate?

Lu Li saw through Xue Weiguo's thoughts and poured cold water on them, "The cultivation world is a hundred times more brutal than the secular world. With your cultivation levels, any disciple could kill you, and no one would dare to seek revenge."

"Ah? Ancestor, what should we do?"

"Wait for now," Lu Li sighed. "Once my realm improves, I will set out to find the entrance to the cultivation world."

Xue Renzhi and Xue Weiguo looked at each other, but there was still a glimmer of hope. Xue Renzhi looked at Lu Li tremulously and asked respectfully, "Ancestor Lu Li, what is your current strength, and can it be quickly improved?"