C2 You Are
Ling Siying knelt before the grave, her tears falling freely.
"Sister, Master has left us. What are we going to do?" Ling Sixiao asked, embracing Ling Siying for comfort.
"Sister, the Skyhaven Clan has fallen too far; we can't turn things around anymore. Once we've properly set Master's tombstone, we'll have to dissolve the Skyhaven Clan. It's best we conceal our identities and avoid our enemies," Ling Siying replied, her face etched with resignation.
Time had indeed changed things. The Skyhaven Clan once stood as a third-grade sect in the Eastern Region, with a sect master possessing the intermediate Quietus realm, marking him as a formidable force.
However, as the years passed, the successive generations of the Skyhaven Clan grew weaker, leading to the sect's decline. They were eventually supplanted by rising powers, leaving only the Ling sisters behind.
"Master, you once mentioned that our Skyhaven Clan had an ancestor in deep seclusion for many years. Why hasn't he emerged, even now that you're gone and the clan is in such dire straits? Did you deceive us? Master, your death was so tragic!" The Ling sisters wept and wailed at the gravesite, startling a flock of birds into flight.
When Ling Siying and Ling Sixiao had first arrived at the mountain, they learned from their master about an ancestor who was in seclusion within a secret chamber of the Skyhaven Clan. Although he had started as a mere factotum, after over twenty thousand years of seclusion, his strength was believed to have reached the mythical Deification realm.
The sect had a rule that allowed disciples to cultivate in seclusion uninterrupted, regardless of their status, as long as they were alive. No one was permitted to disturb them.
Upon emerging from seclusion, this disciple would undoubtedly assume the role of the sect's patriarch. The Skyhaven Clan would then be poised to become one of the top super sects in the Eastern Region. Currently, there were only three such super sects: the Skyhaven Clan, the Hidden Dragon Temple, and the Martial Palace, which held an allure for cultivators far and wide with its legendary repository of countless martial arts techniques, each one a rarity in the world.
As Ling Siying reflected on her master's words, the sky was shattered by a sudden thunderclap, shattering the serenity of the small mountain peak.
A bolt of purple lightning, as if intent on cleaving the mountain in two, exploded at the summit, sending stones hurtling through the air.
The Ling sisters stood agape, witnessing the purple lightning coalesce into a sphere, enveloping something as it drifted down towards them from the mountain's crest.
"Could it be... the patriarch has emerged?" Ling Siying and Ling Sixiao exclaimed in unison.
Unbeknownst to them, a massive boulder was hurtling toward them at breakneck speed. With their level of cultivation, survival from the impact was beyond the realm of possibility.
In that critical moment, Qin Mu, ensconced within the purple lightning sphere, perceived their peril. He hastened the orb's velocity, and in an instant, positioned it before them, shielding them from the otherwise lethal blow.
Ling Siying and Ling Sixiao were so stunned they found themselves rooted to the spot.
"Could the ancestor have ascended to the Immortal Realm, capable of soaring through the skies?" whispered Ling Sixiao.
"Disciple Ling Siying, the 250th generation sect master of the Skyhaven Clan, pays homage to the ancestor!"
"Disciple Ling Sixiao, inner sect disciple of the Skyhaven Clan, pays homage to the ancestor!"
The Ling sisters, seemingly oblivious to the recent danger, immediately knelt and offered their respects to Qin Mu.
The purple lightning orb encircling Qin Mu gradually dissipated, revealing his youthful visage.
"Rise. Are you disciples of the Skyhaven Clan?" he inquired.
The sound of Qin Mu's voice stirred a fresh wave of astonishment in Ling Siying.
"Why does the ancestor's voice sound so young? Could he truly have attained immortality?" The Ling sisters exchanged glances, each recognizing the confusion mirrored in the other's eyes.
In truth, Qin Mu's cultivation was not as advanced as theirs. His ability to disguise his power came from a system reward, rendering his true strength inscrutable to others.
The disturbance caused by his emergence from seclusion was the result of utilizing the Purple Lightning Teleportation skill, allowing him to reach any destination within three thousand miles in a flash, an ability akin to that of a Duality Phase Cultivator.
"Ling Siying, as the leader of the Skyhaven Clan, to what extent has your cultivation progressed?"
Qin Mu inquired further with his youthful voice.
"Respected elder, I must admit my aptitude is rather limited. Currently, I have attained the ninth level of Blessing," Ling Siying responded.
