Chapter 25: Chapter 25
Throughout the long river of history, every appearance of an Innate Dao Body meant the birth of an earth-shattering figure. Their aptitude was astonishing, and they would not fall behind even when contending with ancient freaks.
Rumor had it that during the Third Heaven and Earth Upheaval, an Innate Dao Body was birthed into the world. Its peerless brilliance almost overshadowed all the geniuses of that era.
The traits Cecilia was displaying right now were quite similar to the recorded descriptions of the Innate Dao Body.
However, the Innate Dao Body was extremely rare. Even over the course of all the Heaven and Earth Upheavals, it had only appeared three times.
Historical records merely mentioned it in a few passing strokes without detailed descriptions.
Adam had only caught a fleeting glimpse of it in historical texts and did not understand it well enough to pass a definitive judgment.
Whether Cecilia had an Innate Dao Body or not, Adam became increasingly certain that her origins were highly likely extraordinary.
It was not just Adam overthinking. Generally speaking, the higher the cultivation of the parents, the higher the aptitude of their offspring.
According to ancient records, since the six Heaven and Earth Upheavals, in the Vast Azure Region alone there had been 103 recorded instances of special physiques being born.
The birthplaces of all these special physiques were great aristocratic families. Their parents were all Mortal Supremes whose cultivation rivaled creation itself, and some were even Heaven and Earth Deities.
Adam had absolutely no doubts about this claim, simply because the current Silver Willow Imperial Family was living proof.
Ever since the first Emperor broke through to become a Heaven and Earth Deity, his descendants had awakened the power of his bloodline. Relying on this power, the Silver Willow Imperial Family produced generations of talents.
However, a thousand years had passed, and Silver Willow had not produced a new Heaven and Earth Deity.
The bloodline power grew thinner by the day, to the point where they had not produced any decent talents recently.
This was the most fundamental reason for Silver Willow’s decline.
Of course, there were also some special physiques that rose from obscurity, but this was extremely rare and could not be used as a standard reference.
However, Adam was cautious by nature and always assumed the worst.
If Cecilia’s ancestors were all ordinary mortals, it would be a massive blessing. He would only need to nurture her, and with her aptitude she would quickly become a figure with heaven-reaching abilities.
But if Cecilia came from an ancient aristocratic family, things would be quite thorny.
For the descendants of these ancient families, specialized personnel would test their aptitude right from birth, and they would be rigorously nurtured from a young age.
With Cecilia’s aptitude, regardless of whether she had an Innate Dao Body or not, she was absolutely a heaven-sent prodigy.
Such a figure, even in a vast ancient family, would be cultivated as a foundational pillar the moment they were discovered.
How could they possibly be abandoned?
The only possibilities Adam could think of were that either Cecilia’s parents had a compelling reason they could not ignore, or there was internal strife within the family, and to save Cecilia’s life they had no choice but to abandon her in a mortal household.
Regardless of which scenario it was, neither was something Adam wanted to see.
Adam’s expression turned somewhat grave. Over the years, Cecilia’s parents had never come looking for her.
They had most likely met with disaster, perhaps the situation was even worse than he imagined.
Having broken through to the Grandmaster Realm and comprehended the Time Domain, Adam believed that even across the entirety of Silver Willow, he was absolutely a figure of importance.
He had felt somewhat proud that morning, but foreseeing the situation Cecilia might face in the future, Adam felt an increasing sense of urgency and a growing thirst for powerful strength.
Waking Cecilia from her cultivation state, Adam exhorted her with a grave expression. "Cecilia, aside from me, do not reveal your cultivation in front of anyone else."
It was Cecilia’s first time seeing Adam give such a serious warning, although confused, she belatedly nodded. "I understand, Young Master."
....
Mount Void, Supreme Void Mystic Realm.
On the shores of the Eastern Sea, there was a high mountain named Void. The mountain was tens of thousands of meters high, rumored to be the Heavenly Pillar connecting to the Heavenly Ruins.
At the peak stood a giant tree, hundreds of meters wide, its canopy blotting out the sky and covering the sun.
The Supreme Void Mystic Realm was situated in the void above the tree canopy. It had been opened up by the ancestors of the Ancient Ash Clan using great divine abilities.
Inside the Supreme Void Mystic Realm, ancient pines were vigorous, seas of clouds churned, immortal cranes circled, spirit beasts roamed everywhere, and great herbs emitted intoxicating fragrances.
Compared to Silver Willow’s barren spiritual energy, the spiritual energy here was abundant. It was truly an excellent place for cultivation.
Amidst the sea of clouds, three immortal mountains faintly appeared. The central peak was the highest, and the two flanking peaks slightly shorter.
The entire population of the Ancient Ash Clan lived among these three peaks.
The highest central peak was where the main branch resided. Palaces and jade pavilions dotted the mountainside.
Among them was a majestic and wondrous jade palace named Heavenly Pivot. This was exactly where the Patriarch of the Ancient Ash Clan lived.
Inside the Heavenly Pivot Grand Hall, the rarely seen elders of the Ancient Ash Clan were all gathered. Upon the jade steps, the Ash Clan Patriarch, Silas Ash, sat in his grand chair.
His gaze swept across the hall. Seeing the elders silent, he took the initiative to speak.
"Elders, what are your thoughts?"
An elder with a head full of white hair and a grizzled beard glanced at Silas before carefully asking, "Patriarch, is that child truly still alive?!"
"That’s right, this morning in the ancestral shrine, the life tablet of that remnant lit up once again. That is why I have gathered you all here to discuss a countermeasure."
"That brat, Alister. He thought that by hiding his daughter in a mortal household, he could evade the sensing of the family’s life tablet and thus escape our pursuit."
