The sun finally dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in deep hues of twilight. An ethereal, almost somber glow settled over the Li Clan's ancestral grounds where the crowd waited with bated breath.
Creeeeeak...
The heavy stone door to Li Tian's cultivation chamber groaned open, the sound unnaturally loud in the charged silence.
A figure emerged, silhouetted against the darkness within. But it wasn't the powerful Ancestor they expected. This figure was… frail, shrouded in an aura that seemed weak, mirroring the ebbing light.
Li Tian stepped fully into view.
A collective gasp sucked the air from the clearing. An almost suffocating wave of concern washed over the onlookers.
Every Li Clan member present, from the most ancient Ancestor to the youngest disciple standing nervously at the back, froze.
Before them stood a man who looked ancient, withered, his life force seemingly flickering like a candle in the wind. His robes hung loosely on a frame that seemed impossibly thin. He looked… like an old mortal man on the very brink of death.
This frail figure bore no resemblance to the robust, vital, almost intimidatingly powerful Ascension realm cultivator they knew Li Tian to be. The stark, horrifying contrast left them speechless, minds struggling to reconcile the image before them with their memories.
Ancestor Li Xian, Ancestor Li Fang, Ancestor Li Yanling, and Ancestor Li Yu – the four pillars of the clan – exchanged sharp, worried glances. Decades, centuries, millennia of composure couldn't entirely mask the shock in their eyes.
Almost as one, their divine senses, honed over countless years, reached out, attempting to probe Li Tian's condition, to gauge the depth of the damage, to sense any flicker of the formidable power that should reside within him.
What they found sent an icy shiver down their ancient spines.
Nothing.
There was absolutely no trace of cosmic energy. No resonance of the Dao. No sign of the vast power that had defined Li Tian. It was as if his cultivation had been entirely wiped away, leaving only the shell of a dying mortal.
Ancestor Li Xian, his face a mask of somber gravity, couldn't remain silent. The worry was too thick, too palpable. "Tian…" His voice was low, heavy with disbelief and sorrow. "What… what has happened to you?"
He gestured towards Li Tian's frail form. "You appear as… as a mere mortal. Not a hint of cultivation remains. Is this the price? The consequence of failing the tribulation to the Half-Immortal realm?"
Ancestor Li Fang stepped forward slightly, his gaze equally troubled, scanning Li Tian's appearance. "You resemble an old man whose candle is about to gutter out," he stated bluntly, the worry making his words sharp. "The complete absence of cosmic energy within you… it is deeply unsettling.
Can this be reversed? Can your cultivation be restored, or… or is this damage irreparable?"
Li Tian blinked, taking in the scene fully for the first time. The large gathering, the four Ancestors hovering with undisguised shock and grief, the palpable atmosphere of mourning…
It took him only a moment to understand. Their worried questions, their heartbroken expressions… they had seen his controlled state – True Immortal power fully retracted, life force concealed – and assumed the absolute worst. They believed he hadn't just failed, but had suffered a catastrophic backlash, stripping him of everything.
His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on two figures standing slightly apart, clutching each other for support. Lin Hua and Chen Lian.
Even from this distance, their heartbreak was a tangible thing. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief, fixed on his aged, frail form. The sheer weight of their sorrow struck him unexpectedly hard.
A moment of bewilderment gave way to understanding, and then to calculation. He could instantly reveal the truth, unleash the terrifying aura of a True Immortal, and bask in their awe.
But his mind raced, weighing the consequences.
"No," he decided almost instantly. Revealing the True Immortal realm breakthrough… it was too much, too soon.
The shock alone could potentially destabilize the Dao Hearts of weaker clan members. Such an unprecedented leap – skipping Half-Immortal entirely in their perception, or achieving two realms in one go – was unheard of, defying cultivation common sense. It might induce adverse effects, spiritual backlash born from sheer disbelief.
More dangerously, news of such a heaven-defying feat would inevitably leak out. The Li Clan would become the target of every major power, every greedy old monster across continents. They would descend like vultures, desperate to uncover the 'heaven-defying treasure' or 'ultimate technique' they'd assume he used. It would bring endless trouble, perhaps even destruction, upon the clan he had only just remembered he cared for.
Protecting the clan, protecting his own peace… it required discretion. A partial truth, then.
He would admit to success, but temper it. He would let them believe he had reached the Half-Immortal realm – a monumental achievement in itself, worthy of celebration, but perhaps plausible for a genius like him. It would satisfy their need for hope, explain away the earlier disturbance, but keep the most dangerous secret hidden.
His gaze returned to his wives, lingering.
He saw Lin Hua, her porcelain skin seeming almost translucent in the twilight, her usual serene poise completely shattered by raw anguish. Those deep, obsidian eyes, typically filled with calm wisdom, were wide with shock, glistening with unshed tears.
Beside her stood Chen Lian, her vibrant sapphire eyes mirroring the heartbreak. The golden cascade of her hair, usually radiating energy, seemed dimmer now, framing a face pale with distress. The inherent strength in her stance faltered as she leaned heavily against Lin Hua, seeking and giving comfort.
The depth of their sorrow, their genuine grief for him, resonated deep within Li Tian. He found himself unable to look away, caught by the raw emotion directed at his disguised state. The weight of their worry became another reason to quickly alleviate their immediate fears, even if with a calculated truth.
He took a slow, seemingly weak step forward, preparing to speak.