"Greetings, esteemed seniors!"
Jiang Yuan bowed to the Jiang family members present, treating them as seniors who had entered the Dao earlier, not elders.
In other words, he no longer considers himself a member of the Jiang family.
"Is this the kid from back then?"
Someone spoke up, their tone half sighing and half regretting. They all knew how terrifying that kid was back then; he was like a god who had escaped into the world, a potential that no human had ever seen before.
"I am Jiang Yuan, and my purpose is the same as yesterday: to seek the Soul Secret!" Jiang Yuan said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. His gaze showed no fear; he had regained his usual composure, treating these people before him as powerful figures he had encountered on his path to growth, with no other intentions.
"We can give you the Soul Secret, but you haven't given us the answer we want!" Jiang Yunchen, as the head of the Lingyun Jiang family, took the initiative to ask, as they all hoped that Jiang Yuan could be recognized as a member of the clan.
"If you want me to return to the Jiang family, then give up," Jiang Yuan said, shaking his head.
"Why?"
Jiang Yunchen was very curious as to why Jiang Yuan was so persistent. Returning to the Jiang family was clearly the best choice. Not only could he take the Soul Secret with him, but he could also use the power of the Jiang family. It was a win-win situation. Anyone who wasn't a fool would refuse to return.
Jiang Yuan chuckled and simply shook his head.
Everyone else just assumed he was angry, but only he knew that he wouldn't return to the Jiang family until his parents' identities were clear.
Whether his father was Jiang Tiandi or not, and whether his mother was a surrogate mother or not, none of that mattered to him. He only wanted to know his parents' true identities; otherwise, he would not acknowledge any of their relationships.
"Elders!"
Liu Zhaodi stepped forward, her gaze lingering on the three demigods, and then asked, "Does their status matter?"
“Of course it’s important!” Jiang Yuanjun said unhappily. “Only by having an identity can one be sure of their affiliation. This is the most basic cohesive force for the inheritance of a family.”
"right!"
Liu Zhaodi nodded noncommittally, and then continued, "But this only applies to family lineage. Now we are on the battlefield, where races are the unit. An individual's identity is insignificant, and it doesn't matter whose blood flows in his veins. What matters is who he is fighting for."
After saying that, Liu Zhaodi didn't stop, but continued talking.
"For example, the half-deceased people we've seen along the way, and of course, the seniors of the Jiang family!"
Liu Zhaodi looked intently at the three half-deceased members of the Jiang family and said, "May I ask if you all abandoned everything in order to bury yourselves back then?"
"Relatives, family, lives, even the Great Dao! Aren't all of these important? But even if what you lost was more precious than your life, did you ever back down?"
“Retreat? That’s an excuse the weak make for themselves. The strong will still give up everything to stand at the forefront of their race, not for the continuation of bloodlines or the prosperity of their families, but for the continuation of human civilization.”
After saying that, Liu Zhaodi gently shook her head and said, "In the face of race, family is insignificant!"
She wasn't just stating the relative importance of family and race; she was also subtly warning the Jiang family. They had visited many powerful forces in China and met numerous semi-dead individuals, but none of them could retain the Nine Arts of Humanity. The Jiang family would face the same fate.
"Arrogant!"
Several rising stars slammed their fists on the table and stood up, criticizing Liu Zhaodi. They had spent their entire lives fighting for their family's honor, only to be told that their life's pursuit was nothing more than four insignificant words. How could they tolerate this?
"Shut up!"
A half-decayed man coldly uttered two words, but these two words were not spoken to Liu Zhaodi, but to those few members of the Jiang family.
"Ancestor, but..."
The three half-decayed beings exchanged glances for a moment, then one of them shouted, "Take out the Soul Secret and give it to Jiang Yuan of the human race!"
These words caused an uproar throughout the Jiang family. They had thought that today's conference was meant to force Jiang Yuan to compromise, but they did not expect him to hand over the Soul Secret so quickly.
“Though I have no Jiang family blood, I still possess the Jiang family soul. The Soul Secret should indeed return to its original position!” said another half-decayed being.
"We are half-dead, but humanity will surely be immortal!"
The third half-decayed one also spoke, and after he finished speaking, all three of them disappeared.
They buried themselves entirely for the sake of their race. They abandoned everything to become decaying gods outside the cycle of reincarnation, all so that one day humanity could return to its original place.
"Meeting adjourned, everyone else!"
Jiang Yunchen shouted to the other clansmen, and people kept leaving the ancestral hall until only four remained.
The three heads of the Jiang family, as well as the newly appeared young master Jiang Chen.
“Originally, the Soul Secret belonged to Jiang Chen,” Jiang Yunchen explained, explaining why Jiang Chen was here.
Jiang Yuan glanced at Jiang Chen, who was about the same age as him. He remembered this kid, who used to follow him around calling him Brother Yuan. The two were very close back then, but after so many years, everything had faded from his memory.
Jiang Chen placed the box in front of the ancestral tablet, then walked straight to Jiang Yuan and said, "I want to fight you again!"
"You can't win." Jiang Yuan said it tactfully, without using the word "defeat" to describe the outcome of challenging him.
"How do you know I can't win if I haven't even fought him!" Jiang Chen seemed very determined; he had always been obsessed with defeating Jiang Yuan.
"Sometimes, we don't need to chase victory or defeat, but rather to chase the great way."
Jiang Yuan was like a wise man trying to enlighten the other party. If he were to make a move, it would definitely damage Jiang Chen's confidence, so he tried his best not to make a move.
“Jiang Yuan, let this kid give it a try. You’ve always been a thorn in his side. He won’t let this go until he can truly face you head-on,” Jiang Yunchen explained with a smile.
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