Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 212 - 172: Missed Connections (2)

He pondered for a while, but still had no leads, so he thought:

"Perhaps the ancient texts might contain the answers..."

When he had conquered Wuyin Island and exterminated the Yuwen Clan, he seized quite a few ancient texts and jade scrolls.

Among them, apart from a few volumes detailing cultivation techniques and magic, most were internal records and family secrets of the Imperial Family. Zhang Yao wasn't interested in these trivial matters and had left them on a high shelf.

When he left Wuyin Island later, he left these miscellaneous items behind, but today, they were proving to be important evidence.

"I should go take a look at Wuyin Island first."

With this thought, Zhang Yao immediately put away the ancient texts he was holding and quietly departed the Imperial City.

"I hope the things on Wuyin Island are still there..."

.......

Half an hour later.

Zhang Yao roamed back to the depths of Bai Bo Lake.

He maneuvered his escape light to reach the location of Wuyin Island and was surprised to find that the simple array he had set up was still there, indicating no one had been here.

"This Lu Kingdom cultivation realm is truly 'simple and honest'..."

Seeing this, Zhang Yao couldn't help but sigh.

This was typical of Lu Kingdom, where the deterrent power of a Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator could last for decades, as long as the death of the owner was not confirmed, few would dare to take risks.

Just like the Liu Family, which had long declined, it wasn't until the last Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator was confirmed dead that the cultivators of Kongqing River and Celestial Capital Mountain dared to harbor thoughts they shouldn't have.

If placed in Da Li, not to mention a Qi Refining Cultivator, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who disappeared without reason for decades, their lair would have long been attacked and turned upside down.

"Boom!"

Zhang Yao casually cast a spell, activating the slightly damaged array as he flew into the island.

Looking around:

The old Daoist temple was still there, but the interior was showing signs of decay due to lack of maintenance, and the large patches of Spirit Field had long been neglected for decades, and were overgrown.

"As long as the things are still here."

Zhang Yao entered the temple, beckoning with his hand, and a few volumes of ancient texts fell into his grasp.

Thanks to the temple's array operating feebly, these ordinary materials of the ancient texts were preserved well, though the pages had yellowed.

"Rustle..."

He flipped through the books very quickly, scanning them with divine thought, soon making a discovery.

One of the volumes, compiled by a cultivator of the Yuwen Family, similar to a family genealogy, clearly recorded the deeds of Yu Wen Tai:

At age six, he was measured for Earth Spirit Root qualification, regarded as a key figure for the family's rise, and brought to Wuyin Island for intensive training—making him the first Yuwen Clan member brought to Wuyin Island for cultivation.

Yu Wen Tai, relying on a simple cultivation technique and an extremely poor Spiritual Qi environment, without miracle elixirs, only a few hundred spirit stones, still managed to reach Qi Refining Middle Stage in under ten years.

Having broken through to Qi Refining Middle Stage, he bid farewell to the many elders of the Liu Family, and ventured alone northwards, never to return.

The Yuwen Family cultivator who compiled the texts lamented the ancestor's fate, believing the external cultivation realm was too perilous, leading to the ancestor's unfortunate demise away from home.

They probably couldn't have imagined:

Yu Wen Tai, who never returned, not only escaped an obscure death, but soared to greatness, accomplishing feats of renown in the dragon and tiger-strewn capital of Da Li.

"It really is him! The one from the former Imperial Family who cultivated on Wuyin Island!"

Zhang Yao's mind was in turmoil, his thoughts surging:

"Turns out, back in Lu Kingdom... there was such a person!"

According to the timeline:

While Yu Wen Tai was cultivating on Wuyin Island, Zhang Yao had just entered the Immortal Sect, still only having closed off in deep mountain training in Fu Province.

By the time he left Fu Province to seclude in Celestial Capital Mountain, Yu Wen Tai had already departed Lu Kingdom many years prior.

During the eighty years Zhang Yao spent in the Lu Kingdom's Immortal Dao path, it was coincidentally the most critical period of Yu Wen Tai's rise—both of them just missed each other, never having met.

By the time Zhang Yao had mixed enough and finally broke through to Qi Refining Fourth Layer, heading to the Wei Kingdom marketplace, and stepped into the true cultivation realm for the first time, he ran into the Celestial Treasure Tower's Five Spirit Roots recruitment order, leaving him with a profound psychological shadow.

And the reason Celestial Treasure Tower issued that recruitment order, fundamentally, was due to the actions of his fellow countryman.

"Destiny is truly wondrous, more than this, it's all about timing and fate!"

Zhang Yao sighed deeply, feeling a deep mixture of emotions.

Once he calmed down, he began to thoroughly examine the matter.

First of all, Yu Wen Tai certainly had an in-depth understanding of the Five Elements Secret Realm, allowing him to easily discover the location, gain the trust of several Golden Core Ancestors, and even lead the subsequent exploration actions.

Where did this understanding come from?

Was it from the Liu Family on Wuyin Island, or from his adventures within Da Li Territory?

"If it's the latter, then unless he admitted it himself, it's almost impossible to deduce the truth."

"Moreover, in Da Li Twenty-four Provinces, generation after generation of cultivators hadn't obtained even a glimpse of the Five Elements Secret Realm, for him to have gained secret intelligence just by venturing in Da Li, the probability is very small."

"But if it's the former..."

Zhang Yao fell into deep thought, his brows slightly furrowed.

The Liu Family's origin was mysterious, hiding secrets of the Five Elements Secret Realm wouldn't be impossible, but the probability was very slim.

After all, over the long stretch of two thousand years, if the Liu Family really had heritage of these secrets, then it's unlikely that it would fall to Yu Wen Tai to unlock the Secret Realm.

Furthermore, since Yu Wen Tai didn't even know about the existence of the Earth Vein Spirit Bead, would the Liu Family reveal such a secret to him?

As Zhang Yao was pondering, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind, giving birth to a bold conjecture:

"Could it be... I've mistaken cause and effect?"

He always assumed Yu Wen Tai first had a considerable understanding of the Five Elements Secret Realm, before discovering the Secret Realm's existence.

Could it be that he first discovered the existence of the Secret Realm, then upon entering it, acquired numerous related insights, gaining an in-depth understanding?

After all, when he discovered the Secret Realm, there was no one else on the scene; he was proactive in massively promoting it and then offered it to the upper echelons of Celestial Treasure Tower. It's entirely possible he might have entered it beforehand.

With this thought, Zhang Yao's mind suddenly became clear.

"If one has to speculate from this angle..."

If after two thousand years without a single understanding, Yu Wen Tai could open the Five Elements Secret Realm, then the key he used could only be one thing—bloodline!

Was it possible that Yu Wen Tai was a descendant of the Five Elements Wanderer, able to chance upon opening the Secret Realm by relying on his bloodline?

From this angle of reasoning, everything seems to fall into place.

"Could it even be, why he suddenly accepted Li Shuixian as a direct disciple, be for this reason?"

In Zhang Yao's mind, sparks of thought were rapidly flickering, instantly connecting to further ideas.

Li Shuixian's Blood Curse Technique indicated her bloodline was once very powerful, something Zhang Yao had never seen in his life.

At that time, he guessed her ancestor was an extraordinary person—if her ancestor was indeed the Five Elements Wanderer?

The descendants of the Five Elements Wanderer were once a vast clan, though on the surface wiped out, there might've been survivors, passing on and multiplying through the years, scattered across different places, changing surnames would be quite normal.

From this deduction angle, Yu Wen Tai accepting Li Shuixian as a direct disciple and nurturing her, even treating her as a successor, was indeed reasonable.

"Thinking about it this way, it really seems possible!"

"Could this be the truth?!"

Zhang Yao contemplated silently; after thorough speculation, he still detected a flaw—the Yuwen Clan didn't have the Blood Curse Technique in them.

There are only two possibilities:

First, someone in the long history helped their ancestor completely lift the Blood Curse Technique, but due to the cultivators' long generational gaps, the bloodline level of the Yuwen Family had already fallen beyond recovery.

Second, the Yuwen Family wasn't the descendants of the Five Elements Wanderer, Yu Wen Tai had different sources for his Secret Realm intel.

"Which one could it be then..."