Protect Our Clan Leader

Capítulo 2448: Chapter 40: Quasi-Tao Child! Ten Millennia Ago—Past Events

“Your Excellency, there’s no need to thank me. Lici is just so outstanding,” said the Sacred Supreme of the Sea of Clouds, with an air of inevitability. “Besides, I am also a member of the Primordial Taoist Palace, and must consider the future heritage succession of the palace.”

“Hmph, there’s some truth to what you say, but unfortunately, Lici was slightly late in coming,” said Taoist Master Hongzhen, shaking his head, no longer wanting to argue, “I’ve recently accepted a new legitimate disciple, Yin Lingzhu, who is only about 360 years old. Her overall situation is similar to Lici’s, but her Bloodline Talent has already reached the Middle Segment of Class D Saint, slightly superior to Lici.”

“How is that possible?!” The Sacred Supreme of the Sea of Clouds was utterly shocked. “I’ve never heard that you, Taoist Master, have already accepted a legitimate disciple! Shouldn’t such news be announced to the world?”

“I told you, she was just recently taken,” Taoist Master Hongzhen glared at him. “Moreover, Lingzhu is still young. There’s no need for her to step onto the stage too early. I initially planned to announce it to the world after she reaches the True Immortal Realm.”

“…” The Sacred Supreme of the Sea of Clouds seemed deeply shaken, with a darkened expression, “Your Excellency, is there any possibility of swapping her with Lici?”

“Absolutely not!” Taoist Master Hongzhen shook his head firmly. “Leaving aside the order of arrival, Lingzhu’s bloodline is slightly higher than Lici’s. In the future, once she advances to the Taoist Master level, she might even progress further on the path of a Taoist Master.”

There was another matter that Taoist Master Hongzhen didn’t explicitly mention.

The first time he laid eyes on Yin Lingzhu, it was as if he saw the same dazzling brilliance of his senior sister from back then—equally talented, equally… ethereal and transcendent, like a celestial being.

The most important thing is, both of them are from the Ying Clan.

Back then, the senior sister was unanimously recognized as the primary successor of the Primordial Taoist Palace and the strongest contender for the position of Taozi. None of the disciples in the whole Dao Palace opposed her. If it weren’t for the incident when the senior sister was in the True Immortal Realm, this position of Taoist Master would most likely not have fallen to him.

Back then, compared to the senior sister, he was inferior in both talent and resolve. Even though he was a Quasi-Tao Child, he didn’t hold much hope for the position of Taozi, let alone think that the title of Taoist Master would eventually fall upon him.

According to the tradition of the Dao Palace, it’s usually when most of the reserve Quasi-Tao Children have entered the advanced stage or Peak of the True Immortal Realm that a true Taozi is decided.

The benefit of this is twofold: firstly, it allows more time for the assessment of the Quasi-Tao Children, ensuring the most suitable successor is chosen; secondly, a Taozi who inherits the Dao Book can often break through to the level of the Great Luo Sacred Supreme in a short period, ensuring safety beyond doubt.

If the Dao Book were to be passed on at the early stage of the True Immortal Realm and something went wrong, there would be a risk of a gap in the succession heritage of the Dao Palace.

Back in the day, the senior sister disappeared while she was at the ninth level of the True Immortal Realm.

Sigh~

Reminiscing about the past, Taoist Master Hongzhen found his heart disturbed, invoking long-dormant thoughts.

He wondered if he was truly getting old, for in the past few hundred years, memories of his youth often surfaced unexpectedly, unsettling his mind.

He still remembered how their master had been furious when the senior sister disappeared, dispatching many personnel to search for her. He himself had left the Dao Palace several times, trying to find the senior sister.

Unfortunately, at that time there were external threats, and their master was overwhelmed, with little time to search. Later, he engaged in a significant battle with a powerful entity. Though he won and successfully sealed it, he was seriously injured and had to stay in the Dao Palace to recuperate.

Back then he was merely a Reserve Taoist Child, too weak to contribute.

That period was the most challenging for the Primordial Taoist Palace. It was the serious injuries from that time that shortened their master’s lifespan, leading to his passing before he could advance to Primordial Taoist Master.

It wasn’t until Hongzhen became a Primordial Taoist Master and revived the Primordial Taoist Palace that things gradually started getting better.

“Your Excellency, why don’t we put Lici in a reserve Quasi-Tao Child position,” proposed the Sacred Supreme of the Sea of Clouds, conceding reluctantly, “Given the significance of our Dao Palace’s heritage, there should be a backup plan.”

“Naturally, there must be a reserve,” Taoist Master Hongzhen nodded slightly, agreeing to this point, “However, according to traditional practice, there should be a considerable age gap, at least a thousand years, between two or more Quasi-Tao Children.”

“What should we do then?” The Sacred Supreme of the Sea of Clouds looked troubled and displeased. “Are you saying our Lici, with such a Bloodline, can only become a slightly stronger Sacred Supreme?

“Sigh~ in that case, I’ll be frank with you,” Taoist Master Hongzhen sighed, finally revealing the truth to the Sacred Supreme of the Sea of Clouds, “I am still missing some materials for the two furnaces of ‘Taoist Yuan Pill’ Spiritual Medicine I’ve been collecting. Once complete, I’ll open both furnaces. If luck is on our side and two Taoist Yuan Pills emerge, one will be given to Lici. If only one emerges, it will have to go to Lingzhu first.”

“However, it must be stated in advance, even if Lici receives a Taoist Yuan Pill, Lingzhu remains the first choice Quasi-Tao Child, and Lici can only be the second choice, as a reserve Quasi-Tao Child.”

“Alright, alright, at least there’s some hope,” the Sacred Supreme of the Sea of Clouds regained a bit of confidence, “Besides, our Lici is a child with great destiny. With the Taoist Yuan Pill’s assistance, she might forge a path to become a Primordial Taoist Master.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com