NOVEL NEXT Chapter 280: The Nest
Chapter 280: The Nest
Xu Lian had been living in the Divine Clan’s ancestral lands for nearly a year, spending time with his women and children.
During this year, he had visited the Yin Dynasty capital once to see Tantai Youxuan and their child.
It had to be said that having a royal bloodline gave the child an advantage. The child was carefully raised by the Yin Dynasty royal family, so Xu Lian, the father, had little to worry about.
Perhaps, in the eyes of the Yin Dynasty’s royal family, they had merely borrowed his seed. The child born from this union did not belong to him, but to the royal family.
Therefore, the responsibility of raising the child was entirely on the shoulders of the royal family. Even if Xu Lian wanted to fulfill his duties as a father, there was no room for him to do so.
Xu Lian didn’t mind this arrangement. As long as the child was taken care of well, he was content. He didn’t care which faction the child would belong to in the future, unlike the great powers who were obsessed with lineage and inheritance.
The royal family was quite pleased with his “open-minded” attitude and even granted him twenty strands of Origin Tracing Light.
This came as a pleasant surprise to Xu Lian, who hadn’t expected such a generous gift!
Origin Tracing Light was an ultra-high-level, regulated cultivation resource that was extremely precious and scarce even for major powers.
The royal family of the Yin Dynasty was no exception. Over the generations, many princes and princesses had reached the Origin Tracing Realm, creating a high demand for this resource. It was not something they could easily spare.
Xu Lian was just one of the countless consorts in the history of the Yin Dynasty, basically an outsider. For the royal family to provide him with such a high-level, regulated cultivation resource was truly remarkable.
“On the one hand, it’s because my husband is blessed with the laws of the Divine Kingdom. The royal family sees great potential in you and is placing an early bet on your future success. On the other hand, it’s because the child I bore with you has an exceptionally high bloodline talent, surpassing many royal grandsons and granddaughters. He’s a true prodigy,” Tantai Youxuan said with a smile that could outshine even the most beautiful peony.
Xu Lian felt a surge of warmth in his heart and swept her off her feet, carrying her into the room. “Youxuan, since our child is so talented, let’s have more.”
Tantai Youxuan nodded obediently. Continuing the royal bloodline was also her duty as a princess, and she naturally hoped to have more children.
Xu Lian stayed at the princess’s residence for a full three months, leaving only after Tantai Youxuan became pregnant. He left with a sense of pride.
Now at the Origin Tracing Realm, Xu Lian’s physique and bloodline had undergone a profound transformation. Ordinary women could hardly bear his children, but Tantai Youxuan was a perfect match with her royal bloodline, making it relatively easier for her to conceive.
Upon returning to the ancestral lands of the Divine Clan, Xu Lian used sixteen strands of Origin Tracing Light to advance to the fifth stage of Origin Tracing. He then left for Wuguang City.
Despite the Origin Tracing Light provided by the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and the support from the Yin Dynasty’s royal family, it still wasn’t enough. He would have to rely on his own efforts.
When he arrived in Wuguang City, he found that the destroyed city lord’s residence had been rebuilt, though only in a simple manner. There was no need to build it too extravagantly, as it would likely be destroyed again in another decade or so.
Ye Rushang and his wife, along with Ye Beining and their family, had already returned to live there.
Xu Lian decided to stay with them.
“Is my sister still in the Divine Clan’s ancestral land?” Ye Beining asked.
Xu Lian nodded with a smile. “She is there, receiving guidance from the Divine Clan. Her cultivation progress has been rapid, and she doesn’t want to return for now. Beining, it’s been seven or eight years. Isn’t it time to start calling me brother-in-law?”
Ye Beining replied indifferently, “I’m not used to calling you brother-in-law. Let’s stick to being brothers.”
Xu Lian didn’t press the matter and simply let it go.
Days turned into months, and months turned into years.
Eleven years passed before the Origin Tracing Light appeared again.
The entire city was bathed in a faint glow, a phenomenon caused by the appearance of the Origin Tracing Light.
The way the Origin Tracing Light manifested was not always the same. Sometimes it descended from the heavens, while other times it appeared out of nowhere, making it unpredictable and mysterious.
As the mayor of Wuguang City, Ye Rushang was familiar with these things. He immediately sent his wife, Ye Beining, and his concubines and children away to avoid any potential danger.
“Where is the Origin Tracing Light?” Xu Lian asked in confusion.
Ye Rushang explained with his wealth of experience, “When the entire city glows like this, it usually means there’s a nest of Origin Tracing Light. However, the nest is well hidden and cannot be detected by the spiritual sense. Only the naked eye can spot it, and it could appear anywhere in the city”.
“A nest?” Xu Lian’s mood lifted. “How many strands are there in a nest?”
Ye Rushang replied, “At least two, usually four or five. The most I’ve seen in a single nest is over ten strands.”
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
The Origin Tracing Realm experts who had been lying in wait began to move, their speed reaching the extreme as they transformed into streaks of light, searching every corner of the city.
Xu Lian and Ye Rushang also sprang into action, splitting up to scour the city.
As time passed, Xu Lian became increasingly worried. With so many Origin Tracing Realm experts searching, he didn’t think he had much of a chance.
Statistically speaking, the probability of him finding the nest was only a fraction of a percent.
“Relying on luck isn’t enough. I need to come up with a plan,” he thought.
What could give him an advantage?
He quickly reviewed all the secret techniques in the Sacred Spirit Record. There were techniques for finding immortal metals and herbs, but none for locating Origin Tracing Light.
Perhaps for a supreme technique like the Sacred Spirit Record, Origin Tracing Light was considered too low-level to be included.
“The Origin Tracing Light is the key to my advancement. Can I use that to find it?” Xu Lian had an idea.
Without hesitation, he pushed his movement technique to the limit, creating countless afterimages that spread throughout the city.
Then he began touching everything in his path, silently chanting: “Adding Ingredient.”
“Ninth Heaven Holy Son, why are you slapping my butt?” an Origin Tracing Realm expert complained angrily. “Do you think that the Origin Tracing Light is going to appear on my butt?”
“…” Xu Lian apologized, “My fault.”
His speed was too fast, and with so many afterimages, some of them were not well controlled.
[Failed to add ingredient. Insufficient quantity. Unable to advance].
Xu Lian suddenly received this notification, and his heart leapt with joy.
Remaining calm, he appeared in a deserted courtyard. One of his afterimages had passed through here earlier, and when it touched an old tree root, he had received the notification.
This meant that the Origin Tracing Light Nest was hidden within the old tree root.
He scanned the area with his Spiritual Sense to ensure that no one was nearby, and then he swiftly split open the tree root. Inside, he found seven strands of Origin Tracing Light.
He quickly collected them and left the area.
The faint glow that had enveloped the city gradually dimmed, and Wuguang City returned to its usual state.
“Who found it?”
“Who was it?”…
The experts of the Origin Tracing Realm immediately sensed that something was amiss. The disappearance of the glow meant that someone had found the Origin Tracing Light.
Xu Lian also cursed under his breath, “Damn it, who’s the lucky one?”